7 Secrets to Fluent English - Secret

#1 - Listening
by Maureen Bouey

“Minds are like parachutes. They only function when they are
open.”
Sir James Dewar, Scientist (1877-1925)

Congratulations on taking this step towards being a more

fluent English speaker. Many ESL students wonder if it is
possible to learn to speak English fluently, like a native
speaker. The answer is: Yes!

Is it easy? No. But it is possible.

We believe that you signed up to take this course, because you

are a person who is ready and willing to learn. Are we right?
You will reach your goals with English if you are:

a) committed to working as hard as you can, and

b) open to new ideas and concepts.

If you faithfully practice what we suggest, you will begin to

notice an improvement in your English.

Ok, are you ready?

We have a lot of ground to cover... so let’s get started!

SECRET #1: If you want to speak English fluently, you
first must:

LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN,

and then…

LISTEN SOME MORE!

This is the first thing you do when learning a new language –

and it is essential to good speaking ability.

Are you surprised? Well, it’s really true; the more you listen,
the sooner you will be a fluent English speaker. Lots of
listening will also lead to a better (more “natural”) accent.

Many students have said to us, “I don’t understand; how can

listening help me become a better speaker?”

Well, how did you learn to speak your own first language?
When you were a baby, did your parents sit down with you
and begin to explain the basics of grammar in your native
language? Did they try to teach you to read or write when you
were still crawling around on the floor?

Of course they didn’t! They just talked to you, and to each

other, and to lots of other people.

And what did you do? You listened.

Sometimes you listened passively, and sometimes you listened
with conscious effort, paying attention to the sounds, rhythms
and patterns of speech that were all around you, and trying to
understand.

The important thing is, you were immersed in your language –

in other words it was all around you. You were like a fish
swimming in water.

For a couple of years, you continued to listen. Then,

eventually, (probably somewhere around the age of 2) you
started to speak. Everyone got very excited of course,
including you - but remember - by that time, you had been
listening for a very long time!

First you listened; then you spoke. “Obviously,” you say? Yes,
but it’s a very important relationship. Let me tell you a story.

Once upon a time, there was a quite extraordinary Japanese

man who was a contemporary of Albert Einstein’s. (As it
happens, they were also good friends.)

In the 1930’s, this remarkable man discovered what he called

“the mother tongue” method of learning. In his book Nurtured
By Love, Shinichi Suzuki explains how he came to understand
how people learn language. It suddenly occurred to him one
day that “all Japanese children can speak Japanese!”(1) Of
course this seemed obvious to everyone, and some people
looked at him oddly when he announced this. But what he
really meant was that human beings have a natural ability and
a “talent” to learn a complicated and difficult language – just
by listening to it!

This insight showed him an important link between how we

‘receive’ information, and how we ‘produce’ it. He was a
violin teacher, and he began to use this method of language
learning to teach young children (3 and 4 years old!) the
violin. First, he let them listen to a particular piece of music
for several weeks. Then, after a while, they were able to play
the piece themselves – without knowing how to read music
yet.

This is the first thing you do when learning a new language –

and it is essential to good speaking ability.

Are you surprised? Well, it’s really true; the more you listen,
the sooner you will be a fluent English speaker. Lots of
listening will also lead to a better (more “natural”) accent.

Many students have said to us, “I don’t understand; how can

listening help me become a better speaker?”

Well, how did you learn to speak your own first language?
When you were a baby, did your parents sit down with you
and begin to explain the basics of grammar in your native
language? Did they try to teach you to read or write when you
were still crawling around on the floor?

Of course they didn’t! They just talked to you, and to each

other, and to lots of other people.
And what did you do? You listened.

Sometimes you listened passively, and sometimes you listened

with conscious effort, paying attention to the sounds, rhythms
and patterns of speech that were all around you, and trying to
understand.

The important thing is, you were immersed in your language –

in other words it was all around you. You were like a fish
swimming in water.

For a couple of years, you continued to listen. Then,

eventually, (probably somewhere around the age of 2) you
started to speak. Everyone got very excited of course,
including you - but remember - by that time, you had been
listening for a very long time!

First you listened; then you spoke. “Obviously,” you say? Yes,
but it’s a very important relationship. Let me tell you a story.

Once upon a time, there was a quite extraordinary Japanese

man who was a contemporary of Albert Einstein’s. (As it
happens, they were also good friends.)

In the 1930’s, this remarkable man discovered what he called

“the mother tongue” method of learning. In his book Nurtured
By Love, Shinichi Suzuki explains how he came to understand
how people learn language. It suddenly occurred to him one
day that “all Japanese children can speak Japanese!”(1) Of
course this seemed obvious to everyone, and some people
looked at him oddly when he announced this. But what he
really meant was that human beings have a natural ability and
a “talent” to learn a complicated and difficult language – just
by listening to it!

This insight showed him an important link between how we

‘receive’ information, and how we ‘produce’ it. He was a
violin teacher, and he began to use this method of language
learning to teach young children (3 and 4 years old!) the
violin. First, he let them listen to a particular piece of music
for several weeks. Then, after a while, they were able to play
the piece themselves – without knowing how to read music
yet.

This method of teaching became known as “The Suzuki

Method” and is now used world-wide.

It makes sense, right? First we listen, then we speak, then we

read, and then we write. But we listen first; it’s the natural
order.

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried

anything new.”
Albert Einstein

Your speaking ability (both fluency and pronunciation) will

improve if you will listen, listen, listen. Make no mistake –
you can improve your English this way no matter what level of
English you are at right now: whether you are an absolute
beginner or at a much higher level.
“How much listening does it take to make a difference in your
speaking?” That’s a very good question! The answer is, “it
depends.” We are all so different; we have varied
backgrounds, experiences, talents, and abilities, some people
will need to do more listening and some people need to do less
to achieve the same results.

The simple and true answer is this: “the more the better.” And
even more importantly: “the more often, and the more
consistent, the better.”

So, there we have it! That’s the first secret - being a good
listener will help make you a better speaker. And the great
thing about listening is you can practice it just about
anywhere! If you have an ipod, you can carry your listening
practice with you on the bus, train, subway, car or plane.

Of course, it’s true that those of you who are spending some
time in an English-speaking country will have many more
opportunities to overhear English. But wherever you are, try to
expose yourself to a variety of different voices – just like when
you were a baby learning your first language. The more you do
this, the better! Here is a list of some suggestions for you to
try. We know you’ll find more!

 Listen to English TV stations or programs. Try closing

your eyes sometimes. This will challenge your to “hear”
more – especially to hear the rhythm and intonation in
natural speech.
 Watch English videos (it’s much better to not have
subtitles!).
  Listen to English radio – you can do this anywhere in
the world (BBC/CBC/Voice of America, etc.).
 Listen to songs – practice singing along!
 Listen to recordings of books.
 As you are walking down the street, listen for English.
 Listen to conversations in coffee shops, on the bus, at
parties…
 When you hear a few English words, repeat them to
yourself. Repeat them again and again. Can you
understand what was said?”
 The Internet. This is a great source – there are literally
HUNDREDS of helpful sites for you to listen and
practice. Here are just a couple to start with:
http://www.esl-lab.com/
http://home.gwu.edu/~meloni/eslstudyhall/shlistening.ht
m
http://iteslj.org/links/ESL/Listening/
These are just some ideas – the important thing is to listen
OFTEN and to listen CONSISTENTLY.
10 minutes every day is better than 1 hour per week.

“A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a

while he gets to know something.”
Wilson Mizner

Maureen Bouey is an ESL teacher who travels the world

teaching. She is the co-author of Smart English Grammar –
Real English Listening – Intermediate with Dahlia Miller.

(1) Nurtured By Love. Suzuki, Shinichi. Exposition Press, New

York, 1969 (p.9)