Practice while having fun
When practicing listening skill (and any other ability, truth be told) is is important to use a wide variety of resources and identify the ones which are functional for us. There are different strategies and exercises we can try, some of the ones we suggest are listening to podcasts, audiobooks and activities to get used to different accents (see Different accent? No problem!). But those aren't the only ones.
As I mentioned, only the activities which are suitable for us will help us. You must be aware of your time, resources and needs so that based on them you can select the correct methods. For this reason, we gathered some tips and links for you to choose and practice WHILE having fun. Let me explain it, studying, practicing and learning is much easier if don't see it as a duty but as a hobby. You must enjoy it to make it easy.
Having said that, let's have fun!
Films.
One of the most effective and recommended ways to practice our listening skill is watching films. It is an entertaining activity that reinforces your previous vocabulary knowledge, helps you with pronunciation and listening comprehension. Besides, Subtitles are a great tool to use whenever you don't get the exact words or phrases.
Here are some ones that we recommend watching:
Alice in wonderland (My favourite one). It was directed by Tim Burton in 2010 and tells the classic story of Alice, who falls down into the rabbits hole and lives unexpected and fascinating adventures.
The shape of water. Set in 1962, It tells the story of a young lady, who works at a secret government laboratory. Everyday is a single routine for her but soon she discovers something intriguing, a secret classified experiment.
My fake fiance. This one is a romantic comedy film. Personally, I do recommend it.
Revenge of the bridesmaids.- Two women (Raven-Symoné and JoAnna Garcia) try to sabotage their former friend's wedding by becoming her bridesmaids. Their motive is revenge, since the bride stole their pal's boyfriend. ~ Jennifer Sankowski
Alice Syfy.- This is not a movie but a miniserie. Based on the original tale of Alice in wonderland, it tells the story of Alice, who was abandoned by her father as a child. She is accustomed to men being unpredictable, but Jack Chase is on a completely different level. Just moments after surprising her with a rare family ring, he's suddenly kidnapped by two thugs and expelled into the ether. Alice is then confronted by a sharply dressed stranger who answers to the name White Rabbit, and who promises to reveal all of Jack's secrets. Alice follows him through the enormous liquid glass of an ornate mirror and ends up in Wonderland, an outlandish underground city of twisted towers and parapets conceived of in a Dali-like dream.
Youtube videos
When we talk about youtube videos, we refer to those youtubers you who make fun content and address diverse topics. We believe that facing daily expressions, words and phrases used by native speakers will help you get used to the speech patterns. Equally important, you'll learn new facts, have fun and even acquire more vocabulary.
Here are some youtube channels that we follow:
MatthewSantoro.- He makes videos with mind-blowing, weird, and creepy facts! Learn and laugh! Small town Canadian who followed his dream.
ChannelFrederator.- The World’s Original Cartoon Podcast. Channel Frederator isn’t programmed by some network executive. It’s programmed by FANS. They bring you entertaining videos each week about your favorite cartoons, TV shows and movies.
MsMojo.- MsMojo offers published Top 10 pop culture lists on infotainment topics catered to a broad audience, but with a core viewership of young female millennials. MsMojo is a sister channel to WatchMojo.
Whitney Avalon.- She is an actress who also does a lot of singing, writing, and producing.
The Key of Awesome.- Comedy music videos, song parodies and comedy music sketches.
Screen Junkies.- Enjoy our warped take on film & TV with a steady stream of pop-culture parody, original series, thoughtful commentary, and whatever we can think of next.
Adam Erhart.- This channel is all about marketing, business, social media, and growth hacking strategies to help you immediately take your business to the next level.
TEDx Talks.- TEDx is an international community that organizes TED-style events anywhere and everywhere -- celebrating locally-driven ideas and elevating them to a global stage. TEDx events are produced independently of TED conferences, each event curates speakers on their own, but based on TED's format and rules.
English songs
Another fun way to practice is listening to songs in english. It doesn't matter which artist, group or band you listen to, the important thing is listening. This activity is one of my favourites since you can develop it while doing something else; you can travel back home and listen to paparazzi, for example.
If you try this method, you'll improve in no time while being productive.
Any song can help. But I want to share with you some of my favourites.
References
Adam Erhart. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKU0u3VbuYn0wD3CUr-Yn6A
Blissenobiarella B. (2014). Alice SyFy parte 1 [sub ita [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLisSKst1a8&t=1562s
ChannelFrederator. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/user/ChannelFrederator
Crystal Studio. (2016). Revenge of the bridesmaids (full movie) [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQHx5qFMI6c
Fueled By Ramen. (2006). Panic! At The Disco: But It's Better If You Do [OFFICIAL VIDEO] [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBtH2YlNiNc
Fueled By Ramen. (2006). Panic! At The Disco: I Write Sins Not Tragedies [OFFICIAL VIDEO] [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc6vs-l5dkc
Fueled By Ramen. (2011). Panic! At The Disco: The Ballad Of Mona Lisa [OFFICIAL VIDEO] [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOgpdp3lP8M
Fueled By Ramen. (2013). Panic! At The Disco: Girls/Girls/Boys [OFFICIAL VIDEO] [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk8jV7r6VMk
Fueled By Ramen. (2013). Panic! At The Disco: Miss Jackson ft. LOLO [OFFICIAL VIDEO] [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUc_jXBD9DU
Fueled By Ramen. (2013). Panic! At The Disco: This Is Gospel [OFFICIAL VIDEO] [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGE381tbQa8
Fueled By Ramen. (2015). Panic! At The Disco: Death Of A Bachelor [OFFICIAL VIDEO] [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R03cqGg40GU
Fueled By Ramen. (2015). Panic! At The Disco: Emperor's New Clothes [OFFICIAL VIDEO] [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qFF2v8VsaA
Fueled By Ramen. (2015). Panic! At The Disco: Hallelujah [OFFICIAL VIDEO] [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxYyHHR0Q1c
Gorillaz. (2017). Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood (Official Video [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V_xRb0x9aw
Gorillaz. (2017). Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc. (Official Video) [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyHNuVaZJk&list=PLby142d2YzBiZYLjb8xvm0vE8HLs45A6I
Gorillaz. (2017). Gorillaz - Strobelite (Official Video) [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watchv=DAXjiVuzlPw&list=PLLDCiKIWKdx_vppkckgPjQl8y2sEAZ5Yb&index=7&t=0s
Hayman, J. (2010). Revenge of the bridesmaids [Film]. New Orleans, L.A.: Von Zerneck Sertner Films.
Junger, G. (2009). My fake fiancé [Film]. United States: ABC Family.
MatthewSantoro. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/user/MatthewSantoro
MsMojo. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3rLoj87ctEHCcS7BuvIzkQ
My chemical Romance. (2007). My Chemical Romance - I Don't Love You (Video) [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO9Lj0T93Xk
My Chemical Romance. (2009). My Chemical Romance - Famous Last Words [Official Music Video] [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxhdhBRP06Y
My Chemical Romance. (2009). My Chemical Romance - Helena [Official Music Video] [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCCyoocDxBA
My Chemical Romance. (2009). My Chemical Romance - The Ghost Of You [Official Music Video] [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCUpvTMis-Y
O'Connor, M. (Producer). (2009). Alice [Television series episode]. Kamloops, B.C.: Syfy.
Ogidan ogidan. (2014). My fake fiancé [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TelMGK34IQM
Screen Junkies. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/user/screenjunkies
TEDx Talks. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/user/TEDxTalks/about
The Key of Awesome. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/user/barelypolitical
Whitney Avalon. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNyJk0eoESO3CxAmrktAB5w