PACE YOURSELF.BECAUSE YOU CONTROL HOW FAST OR SLOWYOU GO THROUGH TH...

5. Pace yourself.

Because you control how fast or slow

you go through the test, make sure to keep track of

time. Give yourself enough time to hear each recording

and answer every question.

Skill Builders

Listening well takes practice. As you prepare for the

listening section of the TOEFL exam, incorporate some of

these skill-building exercises into your study plan:

■

Go to places where English is spoken.

The more you lis-

ten to spoken English, the more you will understand. Visit

a park or museum where you will hear English around

you, go to the movies in English, or converse with family

and friends in English.

■

Build your concentration.

Tune in to a radio program or

listen to a book on tape every day. Start with a five-minute

session and add five minutes each day. Your ability to

focus will grow.

■

Summarize information.

Listen to a radio or TV show

about a serious topic. Summarize the show’s message in

your mind or on paper. What is the main idea presented

in the show? What are the supporting details?

■

Ask questions.

When you talk with others, think about

whether you really understand what they are saying. If

you don’t, speak up and ask for clarification.

■

Take note of verbal clues.

As you listen to different peo-

ple, pick out the clues that let you know when they are

changing subjects or making a point that is important to

them.

■

Listen to different speaking styles.

Consider the speak-

ing styles of three different people (for example, your

teachers, people you overhear at a café, or political speak-

ers on cable news programs). What helps you understand

what each has to say? What makes it difficult?

LISTENING TO LECTURES

Lectures, the primary teaching method in colleges today, can be

challenging to listeners. They demand your sustained attention

and often, you can’t interrupt a lecturer to ask a question or clar-

ify a point. Lectures, however, are often much more organized

than everyday conversation or a class discussion. Once you know

what organizational and verbal clues to listen for, you will better

understand what you hear.

Main ideas—Most speakers organize their lectures around

a main idea or point, and often they will announce their

main idea at the beginning of the lecture. These phrases

and statements signal the introduction of a topic:

“Now I’d like to talk about . . .”

“Let’s turn our attention to . . .”

“Moving on to the next subject . . .”

Supporting details—A lecturer will present supporting

details in the form of examples or details that develop their

main idea. Keep attuned to these common words and

phrases that often introduce supporting facts or details:

for example

for instance

in particular

in addition

furthermore

some

others

specifically such

as

Lists—Lecturers often use lists to organize their subject mat-

ter and introduce important points. Numbers can be a

verbal clue that a speaker is using a list:

The three different kinds of burns are . . .

There are four reasons why this happened.

Recent environmental laws have affected our area in

several ways.

Key words and concepts—Speakers may introduce key

terms or ideas as a way of organizing their thoughts. Lis-

ten for unfamiliar terms followed by a definition of what

they mean. These phrases signal that a speaker is using a

key word or concept:

“This important theme/idea/concept . . .”

“Let me define that for you.”

“This idea is central to X’s argument . . .”

QUESTION TYPES IN THE LISTENING SECTION

The questions in the listening segment of the TOEFL exam will

test your ability to locate main ideas, supporting facts and details,

and inferences in the conversations and talks you hear.

In Class: Listening to Group Discussions

When you listen to a class discussion, you are receiving

information from not one, but several people. Unlike lectures,

class conversations are not highly structured. Participants

may interrupt each other or make a point that seems off

track. Some participants offer comments that are more

valuable than others. How do you make sense of it all? Try

this: As you listen to a group discussion, track each person’s

arguments and positions. Summarize on paper or in your

mind what each speaker is saying. Then work out what the

main idea is. The main idea may be a combination of

everyone’s viewpoint, so it could be a two-step process.