Listening Skills

1. LISTENING
COMPREHENSION
Welcome

2. Clues to help you listen carefully
and understand what you hear

3. In this section, your ability to listen and
understand the implicit and explicit
information you hear is being tested.
Listening comprehension

4. Listening comprehension can take
any of the following forms:
 Dialogue between
two or more
persons
 A lecture/speech
 Reading of an
excerpt from a text
– literary,
scientific, etc.

5. How do speakers organize their
speeches?
The majority of speakers focus on ONE main
idea. Very often, speakers will introduce this
main idea at the beginning of the speech. The
statements below indicate the introduction of the
main idea:
 “I would like to discuss . . .”
 “Let us focus on . . .”
 “The main issue here….”

6.  Examples: referring to concrete
instances.
 Testimony: using quotations or
paraphrases
 Surveys: compilations of public opinion.
 Definition: clarification of unfamiliar terms
and concepts

7.  Analogy: a comparison in which an idea
or a thing is compared to another idea or
thing that is quite different from it, for
example, “life is like a box of chocolates,
you never know what you will get.”
 Statistics
 Narration
 Explanation: describing an idea in your
own words.

8. Common phrases that signal
supporting details are:
 such as
 in addition
 others
 for example
 furthermore
 for instance
 some
 specifically
 in particular

9. Imagine you are listening to the
following paragraph
Good morning friends. It is my pleasure to
address you on the issue of fitness this morning. I
believe that if you want to get fit, there is no need for
you to join a gym. Your neighborhood can be your
gym. You do not need a lot of equipment to get a
good workout. Basically, all you need is a
comfortable footwear that is suitable for athletics. I
recently conducted a study which showed that
women who run/walk briskly lost more weight over a
three-month period than those who went to the gym.
I would like to urge you to get a pair of running
shoes and hit the streets in your neighbourhood
today!

10. How do you identify the main idea?

11.  The speaker
introduces the main
idea in the second
sentence. How
does he/she
introduce this idea?

12. Which of the following statements
best summarize this paragraph?
A) Joining a gym is a poor investment.
B) Walking outdoors provides a better workout
than walking indoors.
C) Poorly designed athletic shoes can cause
major foot injuries.
D) Walking and jogging are excellent exercises.

13. The correct answer is ……. ?
 Can it be option A? No! The writer states
that going to a gym is not the only way to get
fit; it does not say that joining a gym is a poor
investment.
 Can it be option B or C? No! These
statements are not supported in this
paragraph.
 Can it be option D? Yes! The main idea in
this paragraph is that walking/jogging is an
excellent form of exercise.

14. How does the speaker provide details that
support this main idea?

15. The speaker supports the main
idea by
 explaining what
he/she thinks is the
best way to get fit.
 making reference to
a study he/she
conducted. The
results supports the
main idea.

16. Imagine you are listening to the
following conversation
Professor: By now you have read the chapter
about the challenges faced by Native Americans
after the first Europeans settled in North America.
What were your reactions? Yes, Malinda?
Malinda: I was really surprised that the biggest
threat to the Native Americans was disease. I
couldn’t believe how much damage smallpox and
measles caused.
Jose: Yeah, it was really devastating. The native
population just didn’t have the immunity to those
diseases. I read in the chapter that smallpox and
measles killed entire Native American communities
before even one European got sick!

17. Barbara: Disease wasn’t the only problem. There
was genocide. And European settlement also
destroyed their traditional way of life.
Malinda: I think it’s a tragedy how many people
were killed and how much of Native American
culture was lost after Europeans arrived.
Jose: I agree that it was a terrible tragedy, but I
think it’s important to remember that not everything
was lost. I mean, Native Americans have had a
major population recovery in the last century. And a
lot of Native American tribes are really strong today.
They’re carrying on their traditions and taking back
control of their governments.

18. 1) What event are the students discussing?
a. the development of Native American cultures
b. U.S. policymaking regarding Native
Americans
c. the effect of European settlement on Native
Americans
d. the arrival of the first people in North America

19. 2) Why is Malinda surprised?
a. She’s surprised that Native Americans were
removed from their homelands.
b. She’s surprised by the diversity of Native
American cultures.
c. She doesn’t believe that some Native
American populations have recently increased.
d. She can’t believe that common European
diseases were so deadly to the native
population.

20. 3) The students name some of the challenges
that Native Americans faced after European
settlement. What were the two that they
discussed?
a. malnutrition
b. new diseases
c. killing of Native Americans by Europeans
d. introduction of horses by Spanish

21. 4) From the students’ comments, we can infer
that
a. European settlement drastically changed
Native Americans’ way of life.
b. European settlers found few inhabitants when
they arrived.
c. Europeans did not benefit from contact with
Native Americans.
d. Native Americans had one culture and
language.