Listening Practice

Websites for free English listening practice

Free websites for English listening practice usually fall under one of three categories:

• Sites for conversational English listening. Elllo.org is a typical website for conversational English listening. The site contains conversations in every kind of English accent, including non-native accents.

• Sites for practical “daily life” English listening. Randall’s ESL Cyber Listening Lab is a good example of the second type of English listening website. It’s full of listening exercises related to shopping, travel, school and other daily situations.

• Sites where people can listen to academic/educational talks in English. TED Talks just might be the most famous source of English listening practice. It’s a collection of educational monologues (presentations with one speaker). TED is so popular among English learners that there’s a TED site just for ESL students: TEDxESL.

Have fun practicing!

English Logic vs. Portuguese Language

Some question for students reflection- after watching the video:

* Do they look nervous or worried about the mistakes they can possibly make?

* Do their mistakes interfere in our comprehension?

* What is the best way to improve our language skills: 

- to speak imperfectly and communicate, and sometimes be corrected for our eventual mistakes;

OR

- avoid mistakes and do not speak until we are 100% sure of all structures.

* Are you 100% sure of all grammatical structures in Portuguese? When you write a dissertation or a report for work (or some sort of important writing) in Portuguese, do you proof read it or you always write it all correct straight away?

No language has its rules carved in stone. Language is a living system and as we use and interact with it (interaction is its purpose, by the way) we change it. Mistakes are part of communication as much as they are part of its reconstruction.

Language is  privilege of humans, and it is here to be used and abused!