Episode 98
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Hello, everybody! I am Georgiana your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently.
In this episode, I will be talking about how many times we have to repeat an audio material in English. After that, you practice your conversation skills with a new mini-story.
SpeakEnglishPodcast.com/podcast >
Ok, let’s get started!
As you may know, I always recommend listening to improve your English speaking. There are many studies, which suggest that there is a correlation between our level of the language and the hours we have been listening. In other words, the more you listen, the better. The more hours you spend listening, the quicker you improve.
Here’s an interesting question you might ask: “How many times do I have to listen to every piece of content?” Do I have to listen just one time? Or more than that?
What most students do is listen to certain content once or twice and then change to another material. The typical student thinks that the more variety, the better.
Well, variety is useful, but what you want is to consolidate what you hear, and the most effective way to achieve this is through repetition.
So, let’s say you are starting with English. You're a beginner. This is the situation where you need a lot of repetition. The reason is that you need to create the most common patterns in your head. That’s why you need to repeat many times. For example, let’s say you have a 5 minutes audio adapted to your level. Then, you can repeat the audio twenty, thirty, or even more times.
Yes! You heard me well! Twenty, thirty, or more times!
I’m not saying that you have to do it in one day. For example, you can repeat the audio three times every day for one week. This is only 15 minutes a day for seven days, which is 21 times. You can read and listen if you need to. Yes, it seems crazy, but I can assure you that this is very effective. You can learn a lot! And the most important thing is that you’re consolidating the phrases, the vocabulary, the pronunciation, and it becomes easier to use all of this in a conversation.
If you do this as part of your routine, and you dedicate one hour a day doing repetitions of different audios, soon you’ll notice a big difference. You’ll become familiar with many structures, and you will start to understand what you say without translation in your head.
Repetition is the key to consolidation. If you have an intermediate level or higher, you don't need to repeat so many times. What you can do is: Always listen to the same person. Focus on just one material and then stick to it for a while. You might prefer some particular phrases, vocabulary, expressions, etc. So, if you listen to the same person, you’ll repeat more.
Another approach is to listen to the same topic consistently. Although you’re not repeating the same audio, you are repeating the vocabulary and expressions of the same topic.
This rule of repetition is not strict, of course. The important thing is to listen for many hours, and if you can repeat, much better!
Ok! Let’s move on to the next section.
Speaking Practice
Mini-Story: Speaking Practice
Answer each question out loud, then listen to the answer and respond quickly. Don’t worry about mistakes.
Speaking practice
Let’s Start!
Peter, the penguin, wanted to become a broker at Wall Street.
Did Peter want to become a broker?
Yes, he did. He wanted to become a broker at Wall Street.
Did Peter want to become a police officer?
No. He didn’t. He didn't want to become a police officer. He wanted to become a broker. A broker is a person who works at Wall Street, for example.
Who wanted to become a broker?
Peter. Peter, the penguin, wanted to become a broker.
Was Peter a penguin?
Yes, he was. He was a penguin. He was a penguin who wanted to work as a broker.
Where did Peter want to work as a broker?
Well, he wanted to work as a broker at Wall Street.
What did Peter want?
To work as a broker, or in other words, to become a broker at Wall Street.
His problem was he couldn’t speak English.
What language didn’t he speak?
English. The language he didn’t speak was English. He couldn’t speak English. Did Peter have a problem?
Yes, he had a problem. He couldn’t speak English!
What was his problem?
He couldn’t speak English. That was his problem.
Did he start to watch TV?
No. No. He didn’t start to watch TV. He started to listen to English audios.
Did he start to listen to English for ten hours a day?
No. He didn’t. He didn’t start to listen for ten hours. He started to listen for twelve hours a day.
Who started to listen for twelve hours a day?
Peter. Peter, the penguin, started to listen for 12 hours a day.
How many hours?
Twelve. Twelve hours a day.
In only three months, his level of English was impressive.
Was his level impressive in four months?
No, it wasn’t. It wasn’t impressive in four months.
How was his level after twelve weeks?
Impressive. It was impressive. Twelve weeks are three months, by the way.
How many months?
Three months. In only three months.
He went to Wall Street to apply for a job.
Did he go to Hawaii?
No, no. He didn’t go to Hawaii. He went to Wall Street in New York.
Did he go to the United Nations in New York?
No. He went to Wall Street to apply for a job.
Did he go there to apply for a job?
Yes, he went there to apply for a job. A job as a broker.
What kind of a job?
Broker. He applied for a broker. That was the job he applied for.
He couldn’t get the job, but now he happily works as a waiter in a fine restaurant.
Did Peter get the job?
No, he didn’t. Unfortunately, he didn’t get the job.
Who couldn’t get the job?
Peter. He didn’t get a job.
Does Peter have another job?
Yes, he does. He has another job. Not in Wall Street but in a fine restaurant.
Does he work in a restaurant or in Wall Street?
In a fine restaurant. He happily works in a fine restaurant as a waiter.
Is he happy now?
Yes, he is. He happily works in a fine restaurant. It was not his first option, but now he is happy.
Thanks for listening, and I’ll see you in the next episode.
Review
Vocabulary from This Episode
Review the most useful words and expressions before listening again.
01 repetition
doing or listening to something again.
05 intermediate level
a stage between beginner and advanced.
02 consolidate
make knowledge stronger and more permanent.
06 stick to something
continue using or following one thing.
03 pattern
a repeated structure in language.
07 familiar with
knowing or recognizing something well.
04 routine
a regular way of doing something.
08 translate
change words from one language into another.
You are a very good teacher. your method work well and I am gratefull for free material you offer us.
Achille
Hi, dear student! Thanks for sharing your honest opinion. I’m so happy that you enjoy learning English with my method. Take care!
I want to improve my english and fluently