Next is listening.
So listening is wonderful but it also tends to be more passive.
So I want to make sure that when you're using listening or strengthening your listening skills you also
connected to reading writing or speaking.
And I'll show you how for example with a TV show use English subtitles so that while you're reading
English and you're watching it now you're thinking oh but subtitles I heard that those are bad if you're
learning English.
I love subtitles and I'm a native speaker.
They're not bad.
The great thing about them is there an opportunity to check your listening skills.
So if you don't have an English teacher or you don't want to pay for one.
This is a great way to check where you are in your in your growth.
It also helps you know if a show is good for learning or just good for fun.
So what I would recommend is don't put the captions on for the first five minutes and then rewind the
episode or go back to the beginning.
Put the captions on and check how much you understood correctly.
If you didn't understand anything then the show is either good for fun or it's something you need to
think about and maybe pick a show where they speak a little slower or they use words that you are more
familiar with.
And this is how you can gauge that how you can understand if it's a good learning show or a good culture
show.
Just for fun another thing that's amazing in that I'm currently very very very into our podcast.
So I have a cast.
There are other English pod cast out there but there are also pod cast about everything.
I'm serious.
There are podcasts about aliens about business about hair like whatever you like.
Whatever you're into there's a podcast for it.
Similar to what we talked about with the TV show.
Be mindful of what you understand.
I don't believe it just listening to a language is going to help your listening skills.
I mean I listen to French podcasts or songs and if they're too advanced it does not help me.
So for me maybe I'm just not an auditory learner maybe you are.
So this is we're learning styles will help you.
But I recommend find something where you understand at least a little so you can grow to if you've never
done this and I recommend in the resources list check for podcasts that are for English for English
learners.
They tend to speak like this very clearly a little bit so slower start with those.
And then you can try out or if you're more advanced try other non English learning podcasts.
These are great if you have a commute.
If you're in a car or on the bus or train for an hour coming to and from work there is your English
practice time.
Anything you can include with a habit or something that you're already doing so it's not extra time
is a wonderful activity for your life.
YouTube is another great place because it's free.
There are a lot of English teachers on YouTube.
There are other topics that are just interesting or find or useful.
And with YouTube there are also captions usually so if you don't have time to watch a 30 minute show
then remember allow success.
That's not an excuse if you don't have 30 minutes.
Maybe you have five minutes for a short YouTube video.
So these are things that you can do depending on your schedule and if you have more time watch a longer
video and then when you're finished comment.
So whenever you watch a YouTube video come and see how we're tying listening to writing to reading them
more of the skill you can do in one activity the better.
Now with listening I get a lot of questions about the accent people asking me which is the best accent
for learning English what should I do.
What should I listen to.
Now my answer is for listening.
Listen to all of them.
It does not matter.
You're not going to change the way you speak because you're listening to a certain speaker.
Like when I watch Sherlock Holmes I'm not going to speak like a British person right after.
But what it will do is it will help you feel comfortable with different accents because we all say things
differently from different countries and we have different slang and different expressions.
So this will increase your comfort level with native speakers.
Now with the accent part I'll get to that because when I do think it matters is with speaking and with
your selection of teacher.
So we'll get to that next.
Another activity that you can do.
Remember when we connected with things that we do normally and it doesn't take extra time.
There's a better chance for success.
So something that I like to do is listen to night meditations I go in youtube I look up guided meditation
for sleeping guided meditation for insomnia or whatever.
And what these are is they're really relaxing videos.
And there's usually a speaker guiding you so telling you like relax and they have a smooth voice.
So this is a cool way.
Not only do you get to sleep faster and better but you're also going to sleep with English.
So I again think outside the box like that's a really cool way where you get lots of benefits you're
listening you're going to sleep better.
So don't be afraid to try something different.
And if you don't know where to start on YouTube don't worry I gotcha.
So I made an e-book of some of my favorite YouTube English teachers feel free to download it.
Check it out.
Follow and come and now when you're listening I don't want you to sit there passively.
You know if you're going to take the time to do a listening activity I want you to be observant especially
for those of you who think I want to sound more natural.
I want to speak like a native speaker.
This is where you learn.
Listen to how they see things.
For example right now if you notice I didn't say I want to sound like a native speaker I said I wanna.
So that's an informal contraction when you know it is those things that where you can start using them
then you sound more like a native speaker.
So wanna do you wanna instead of do you want to now when you're picking up on these little things.
Also make sure you're noticing the context.
Are they using that with their friends at a cafe.
Are they using that at an office and you want to make sure that you understand where it's appropriate
to use specific slang or certain contractions and when you're being that observant you get a lot more
out of it.
So if you're listening to a five minute video if you just play it and you're not paying attention that's
fine.
Like that's still good some exposure to English but if those five minutes you're really listening and
you're paying attention and you're realizing how they link their words how they pronounce certain things
how they speak casually versus how they speak formally.
This will take those five minutes and make them even more valuable.
So that's always an option.
Practice listening to these popular informal contractions right now and I want you to practice repeating
after me as well and then trying using them the next time that you're texting for the next time that
you're talking ready one.
I don't want to buy anything.
Gunner I'm going to go.
I have work early tomorrow.
Hafta do I have to get her present.
I don't even like her.
All right good work.