13 Creative Ways to Improve English Listening on your Own

The best way to improve your English is to practise by listening to spoken English daily.  Even for 10 to 15 minutes per day.  Whether on the way to work or doing exercise or cooking, it is easy to listen to English at the same time.  This helps you learn new vocabulary, rhythm and accent.  Here are 13 creative ways to improve English listening on your own:

 

Learn the words of songs you know in English

This is an easy way to listen to songs being sung in English.  You know the tune so by listening to the words in English you can learn the words and then sing along at the same time.   Listening to songs in English is easy as these songs are well known world-wide and you can listen for example via iTunes, radio and YouTube.  Spotify has a great list of songs to choose from as it has its own playlists and you can choose your to make your own lists as well.

 

Radio

 Tune into an English-speaking radio channel whether a music channel or news channel and listen to English being spoken.

 

Watch television programmes

 We all watch television on a regular basis.  Choose a television programme or series you have watched already in your own language and then watch in English.  Then progress to television programmes and series which you have not watched before.

 

Watch films

 Again, like watching television programmes, we all like watching films, whether on the television or on channels like Netflix.  Choose a film you have watched in your own language then try watching with sub-titles and then continue watching the films in English.

 

Podcasts

 There are many podcasts now that have been made to help English speaking learners.  Most of us, if not all, have access to the Internet so this makes it very easy to listen to podcasts of our choosing. 

 

Duolingo

 A great free app that can be downloaded onto a mobile and is another excellent way of helping us learn to improve English listening.

 

Learn to play board games

 Learn to play board games, for example Scrabble, with others who also want to learn English and then you can all listen to one another speaking English and you can help one another.  Make a note of all new vocabulary and use a good dictionary to help.

 

Record yourself

Record yourself speaking English and then listen to the recording you have made.  Rerecord the passage remembering your mistakes and see how much better you do the second time is a great way to improve English listening.

 

Join a club

Are you interested in sports?  What hobbies do you like?  What other activities are you interested in?  Join a club with other English learners or English speakers and then you will be able to listen to English being spoken on a regular basis.

 

Listen to audio books

 A great way to improve English listening is to listening to audiobooks. This is a great way to utilize time specially if you have a long commute or if you fly frequently.

 

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Listen to how English is spoken together with the rhythm and stress of the stories are read.

 Listen to English in a natural conversational form. Textbook English is a lot different from real spoken English. If you want to truly improve English listening skills, practice listening to real English.

 

Join a group of others who want to learn English.

 Then you will all speak, listen and help one another.  Choose a different topic each time you meet.  Meet for coffee/tea, lunch or go for a walk – speaking English together. 

 

Speak with a native English speaker

 

This will give you confidence to practise without being embarrassed and the native English speaker will help build your confidence whilst you can listen to his or her accent and what he or she is saying.  This way you will learn many new words by speaking on many different topics.

 

Improve English listening with British Council

 

At learnenglish.britishcouncil.org there are many learn English audio and video games to help with learning all aspects of English.

 

Ensure you set aside an amount of time to listen to English each day which you can actually achieve.  The more often you can practise the more quickly your English will improve.  Every 10 minutes per day will truly help.  Practise makes perfect.  Making mistakes is normal.  You will learn by making mistakes and be pleased with your progress, together with becoming more confident.  Enjoy the above suggestions to help you improve English listening skills.