Easily Learn English By Listening On This Site

Why I made this site...

Shadowing example

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FAQ's

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The FAQ's for this site have started to appear. You can find the faqs link on the left side under the title 'navigation'. I have only made a few faqs yet, but I plan to make more, since people often send in questions.

If you have a question you want me to answer, send it in by clicking the "feedback" button on the lower right corner of this screen. (Its written sideways)

I hope these faqs give you ideas for your listening practice.

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Moving Forward

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Things are starting to move forward more smoothly now. The server is doing its job without any problems. I added 20 pages of the old content, ("Your Story") and I am planning on adding FAQs to the site.

One member mailed me and asked if I will take stories again for the "Your Story" section. The answer is "Yes!" and in fact today I added the form where you can send me your story. This is still free for the time being, but soon, I might make it available only to the members (basic plan and premium), so if you want to try it, time is limited.

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What a Weekend!

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With the site rebuild, I have to learn about how to build a server (webserver), and that is very difficult for me. The site crashed many times over the weekend.
I am sorry for any problems you had accessing the site. I think I have it fixed now.
I am getting back to rebuilding and putting up old content now.
Thanks for your continued patience and support!

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Just added more phrasals pages

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I just finished adding more phrasal verbs pages today. There are 8 more of the original set posted now. I am almost back to the full set.

I also just made a few adjustments to the structure so that the site loads faster. It should have a faster feel than before. The new page layout also works nicely on mobile devices. Try it, if you like.

Now, for me, back to work!

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Rebuilding - what do you think?

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Well, I am getting well into the rebuilding process, and the overall feel of the site is a bit different. What do you think? I have put up different players for the videos and audio tracks. Are they working for you?

If you have any problems, be sure to tell me. I have hundreds of pages to rebuild. I will make a few mistakes. If you find a real mistake and tell me, I will give you a FREE month of premium membership (not finished yet, but I am working on that) which is basically access to almost everything on this site. Pretty good, huh?

Rebuilding!

I am very sorry to tell you that I crashed my site. I am using this as an chance to improve it. Please bear with me while I make changes and rebuild the site. Main parts will start to work within the week.

Should I read the script while I shadow or not?

You should read the script ... sometimes.

You should try to shadow without the script at least 50% of the time. This will make you listen much harder. Your skill will increase faster. You will become a better listener.

But you need to read the script sometimes. If you cannot properly hear the sounds, you need to read the script. You will learn how the words 'join' in regular speech. You will start to memorize these sound patterns. You will learn how to predict the next word by seeing these patterns. Your eyes will support your ears (not replace them).

How do I select audio for shadowing?

There are a few important things that can make your shadowing much better when you choose an audio track.
You will find it better working with a short audio. 1 to 2 minutes long is good. Then you can repeat it a few times for better practice.
You want audio that has a script. This is very important. If you cannot clearly hear the sounds you need to be able to read the script to help you shadow sometimes (until your skill increases). A script is very very valuable.

How long should a shadowing practice session be?

You can shadow for any length of time, and the longer you do it, the faster you will learn.

BUT, I recommend shadowing for 3 to 5 minutes and then stopping. This is because shadowing is intensive listening; you will get tired very easily, and if you are too tired, you cannot learn as well.

Also, short periods are easier to make a habit. If you shadow for 30 minutes, then probably your motivation will go away after a few days or a week.

Pages

English Listening Practice

English Listening Practice: Many Students Were Never Taught How

If you were like me, your teachers just put a cassette tape (or CD) in the player and said "Listen to this." Of course, we all tried hard to listen. But we weren't really given clear directions. It is like walking. Just do it. After all, who gives instructions for walking? I felt very frustrated with my problems when I tried to listen to other languages.

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