Learn English Vocabulary
Many students ask me, "Can you learn English vocabulary just by
listening?" And then they often ask me how to do it. I want to reassure
you that listening is a great way to learn vocabulary. Of course, you
need to have structured listening exercises.
But that's easy once you see how we do it.
Do You Need This?
Not everyone wants to learn English vocabulary by listening. If your target is to speak English, or if you know you have to listen to English a lot, (like for a test like the toeic test), then listening practice is the best for you. On the other hand, if you want to become a translator, you will be working mostly with written words. You don't need to practice listening so much. Reading practice is better for you.
Your First Step
If you decide on listening practice instead of reading practice then your first step is to choose your vocabulary. Then its easier to choose the listening materials you will use for studying. Nouns are generally very easy to study and easy to remember so we'll skip them. Other types of words are more difficult. Adjectives, adverbs, verbs and grammar functional words are great words to study by listening. Idioms and phrasal verbs are also great words to study by listening. As you listen to them in stories, you can hear how they are used and memorize the patterns that way. This is much more effective than just using a dictionary.
What Kind of Exercises?
Since we aren't using a dictionary, you may ask, "What kind of listening exercises, are best?" I covered this in another article but to put it short, you can do shadowing, listen and repeat, and then finally comprehension exercises. When you do these exercises to learn English vocabulary, also try to memorize the stories or parts of the stories that have your target words.
'Where' is the Beautiful Part
One of the beautiful things about listening to learn English vocabulary is that you can do it in many different places. Now where the technology of MP3 and MP3 players. You can listen just about anywhere. I still think home is the best place to study, because you get some privacy there, and you can set up a regular study routine. Also speaking out loud isn't usually a big problem at home.
If you're not at home, you might find yourself studying at school. If your language teacher has access to good listening stories, they may even let you practice in class or during a special language lab study session. Another good place to study listening is while you are walking. I know one businessman who goes for a walk at lunch and listens to his materials and does listen and repeat practice while he walks. You can also learn English vocabulary on trains and buses, but you may not feel comfortable speaking during this practice, and then you just have to repeat the words in your mind. This is not as effective as speaking out loud.
Learn English Vocabulary Safely
Some people find speaking out loud to learn English vocabulary easy to do in their car, and they take their listening practice in their car with them. As a matter of fact, that is what my wife does now. I highly recommend this as long as you drive safely. Please remember safety is number one.
Safe study is easy if it is part of your regular routine. This might be your regular travel routine, such as going to work. You might know that a particular stretch of road is safe and easy to drive, and you can easily practice listening for two or three minutes at a stretch safely. Or, you might find it easy to add your study practice to one of your daily routines, such as brushing your teeth. The minute you finish brushing your teeth, turn on the sound, and do your listening exercises in the mirror.
In fact, speaking in the mirror is a powerful way to learn English vocabulary. You are speaking it, hearing it, and getting direct feedback on your performance from the mirror. You are also showing yourself on a regular basis that you can and do speak English, so it builds confidence. Finally, you become comfortable making mistakes, and that is very important.
Be comfortable Making Mistakes
If you study frequently, you will become comfortable making mistakes. That's why I tell people to study for a short period of time. Then it is easier to study more frequently. Frequency is far more important than length of study. Don't study for 30 minutes twice a week. Study for five minutes, 12 times a week, and you will progress and much much faster.
You can make great progress by studying frequently with good sources for you to learn English vocabulary. There are many great listening sites on the Internet. Look around and try to find stories that contain the vocabulary you want to study. If you can't find the vocabulary you're looking for, make a request. After all, making a request is free, and the webmasters want to know what visitors want. Make sure you ask nicely, and don't demand anything, because the webmasters are busy people too.
But that's easy once you see how we do it.
Do You Need This?
Not everyone wants to learn English vocabulary by listening. If your target is to speak English, or if you know you have to listen to English a lot, (like for a test like the toeic test), then listening practice is the best for you. On the other hand, if you want to become a translator, you will be working mostly with written words. You don't need to practice listening so much. Reading practice is better for you.
Your First Step
If you decide on listening practice instead of reading practice then your first step is to choose your vocabulary. Then its easier to choose the listening materials you will use for studying. Nouns are generally very easy to study and easy to remember so we'll skip them. Other types of words are more difficult. Adjectives, adverbs, verbs and grammar functional words are great words to study by listening. Idioms and phrasal verbs are also great words to study by listening. As you listen to them in stories, you can hear how they are used and memorize the patterns that way. This is much more effective than just using a dictionary.
What Kind of Exercises?
Since we aren't using a dictionary, you may ask, "What kind of listening exercises, are best?" I covered this in another article but to put it short, you can do shadowing, listen and repeat, and then finally comprehension exercises. When you do these exercises to learn English vocabulary, also try to memorize the stories or parts of the stories that have your target words.
'Where' is the Beautiful Part
One of the beautiful things about listening to learn English vocabulary is that you can do it in many different places. Now where the technology of MP3 and MP3 players. You can listen just about anywhere. I still think home is the best place to study, because you get some privacy there, and you can set up a regular study routine. Also speaking out loud isn't usually a big problem at home.
If you're not at home, you might find yourself studying at school. If your language teacher has access to good listening stories, they may even let you practice in class or during a special language lab study session. Another good place to study listening is while you are walking. I know one businessman who goes for a walk at lunch and listens to his materials and does listen and repeat practice while he walks. You can also learn English vocabulary on trains and buses, but you may not feel comfortable speaking during this practice, and then you just have to repeat the words in your mind. This is not as effective as speaking out loud.
Learn English Vocabulary Safely
Some people find speaking out loud to learn English vocabulary easy to do in their car, and they take their listening practice in their car with them. As a matter of fact, that is what my wife does now. I highly recommend this as long as you drive safely. Please remember safety is number one.
Safe study is easy if it is part of your regular routine. This might be your regular travel routine, such as going to work. You might know that a particular stretch of road is safe and easy to drive, and you can easily practice listening for two or three minutes at a stretch safely. Or, you might find it easy to add your study practice to one of your daily routines, such as brushing your teeth. The minute you finish brushing your teeth, turn on the sound, and do your listening exercises in the mirror.
In fact, speaking in the mirror is a powerful way to learn English vocabulary. You are speaking it, hearing it, and getting direct feedback on your performance from the mirror. You are also showing yourself on a regular basis that you can and do speak English, so it builds confidence. Finally, you become comfortable making mistakes, and that is very important.
Be comfortable Making Mistakes
If you study frequently, you will become comfortable making mistakes. That's why I tell people to study for a short period of time. Then it is easier to study more frequently. Frequency is far more important than length of study. Don't study for 30 minutes twice a week. Study for five minutes, 12 times a week, and you will progress and much much faster.
You can make great progress by studying frequently with good sources for you to learn English vocabulary. There are many great listening sites on the Internet. Look around and try to find stories that contain the vocabulary you want to study. If you can't find the vocabulary you're looking for, make a request. After all, making a request is free, and the webmasters want to know what visitors want. Make sure you ask nicely, and don't demand anything, because the webmasters are busy people too.
About the author
Les Perras owns and operates the Smith's School of English Franchise in Ikoma, Japan. He is also the author of the website English-Listening-World http://www.english-listening-world.com. Visit the website for free listening practice and sign up for the ezine through that site.
Les Perras owns and operates the Smith's School of English Franchise in Ikoma, Japan. He is also the author of the website English-Listening-World http://www.english-listening-world.com. Visit the website for free listening practice and sign up for the ezine through that site.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Les_Perras
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