- http://www.esl-lab.com/
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/business/index.shtml
- http://www.eslpod.com/website/index.php#
The first is really a helpful site because it offers a possibility to listen at different kind of conversation and at different levels of difficulty. There are many exercises related comprehension. The site is easy to manage because the different kinds of conversation are divided into topics so that you may easily chose the topic which is of your interest and in which you know you must improve, for example learning more vocabulary.
The second is a BBC section which offers good opportunities to learn the English of the business. It contains different exercises requiring specific business words, useful tips for getting a job and moreover you may learn how to negotiate with a member working with you avoiding to be impolite.
The third is a site for students like us who learn English as a second language. Thus, I contains different kind of listening exercises but this tie the conversation are more easy to follow. The speakers talk in a more relaxed way and stress every single word in order to be understood by the audience.
In my opinion all these sites are useful for an English learner because practising the listening skill is the best way to come familiar with the correct pronunciation of the language. Moreover, listening is a good way to improve our vocabulary and to start to be more fluent in our second language.
I think that podcasts are another useful tool for our language learning. I often go to the BBC site and watch and listen to the daily news. Sometimes I find them difficult to follow but after an amount of time I get more familiar with it. However, I must admit that I never thought about uploading a podcast onto my mp3 player; maybe, it is because I use the mp3 just for pleasure, for example when I travel alone by train I love listening to the music. I know that listening, for example to the BBC news, would be a good way to be always in touch with the second language but I prefer to practice my listening on the pc.
4 comments:
Hi Monica!
The site that I like the most among yours is the one about BBC learning english! I think that it is the most useful! I mean, making listening exercises is undoubtedly helpful, but in here we can find concrete situations!! Get a job, business vocabulary…that’s what we are going to need once out of this University! That’s what we are going to use to face the world of work!
There are sections about how to put together a CV, how to speak when calling a company; the words and phrases to use during a tricky conversation as a job interview can be, and so on.
Great choice Monica!
Hi Monica!
I also find the use of podcasts useful for our English learning. I visited ESL website and I found it helpful, since it’s divided into section and one can choose at which level wants to train. There are also presented various topics and I think it’s important to extend our vocabulary. Listen to a native speaker is really important to learn the correct intonation and pronunciation, even if, since we’re Italian native speakers, I think is difficult to imitate it. We have to do a lot of practice, maybe the best solution would be to go abroad in an English speaking country for a period!:-)
Like you, I never thought to upload a podcast on a mp3 player…Really, I don’t even have a mp3 player… Even if I had it, I don’t think I would use it because I don’t have the occasion… When I’m in my car I listen to the radio or when I’m at home I use the stereo in my room. I could upload a mp3 file on my cell phone maybe, but I prefer to use my pc because I concentrate better.
Bye!
Hi Monica!
I visited the first website you suggested us and I found it good!
I did the activity called:"Just a hair cut,please!" and I enjoyed it because it was very funny!I liked the way of speaking of the beautician...He seemed very calm and he always said to the costumer:"Relaaax!", even when he got shampoo in the costumer's eyes...Ha ha!!Try to read it!
Then I did the listening exercises and I got a good score! Yeah :-)
I think that this kind of activity is very useful because we can also learn new vocabulary; for example, I learned some new verbs such as, "to lean" (inclinare), "to trim" (sfilare) and "to butcher" (massacrare). That's good!
Bye bye!
Elena
Hi Monique,
I noticed that more or less we added the same websites, it means we focused on the same features.. the podcast about esl-lab is quite amazing and relaxing... the lessons are distinguished for topics, purpose and of course for levels.. but what is strange or better funny is the kind of topics such as "beauty saloon", "finding friends on Internet" or "the Japanese economy"…that’s great.. moreover, some of them are followed by questionnaire, compelling quizzes or funny exercises to test our comprehensive skills, other provide the written text…that’s good to avoid the repetitiousness of so many podcasts. But In my view it’s not a good idea finding the written text enclosed the recording, maybe it would be better if at least the first listening it was without the written text..
bye my friend
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