Level B Listening Skills
Set 3
Practical listening skills
Set 3 moves from understanding meaning to real-world listening: recognising common expressions, taking notes efficiently and organising information while you listen — for class, work and everyday life.
Parts in this set
How to use this booklet
- Read the strategies and tips at the start of each part.
- Read the questions, then play the recording. Use 0.75× speed if you need it.
- Answer, then press Check my answers. Stuck? Press Hint once for a strategy and again for a clue.
- Listen again. Can you do it better?
Understanding Common Expressions
English speakers use many fixed phrases and expressions that you cannot understand word by word. Learning to recognise these expressions will help you understand natural speech much more easily.
What are common expressions?
Fixed expressions are
- Short phrases used as a whole unit
- Often impossible to translate word by word
- Very common in natural, everyday speech
- Essential for understanding real conversations
- Also called idioms, chunks or fixed phrases
For example
“Long time no see!”
NOT ‘a long time without seeing’ → MEANS: I haven’t seen you in a while!
“Bear with me.”
NOT about a bear animal → MEANS: please wait / be patient
Common expressions reference
Study these expressions before you listen. You will hear many of them in the exercises.
| Expression | What it means |
|---|---|
| Greetings & small talk | |
| How are you getting on? | How are you doing? / How is everything going? |
| Not bad, thanks. | I am OK / things are fine. |
| Long time no see! | I have not seen you for a long time! |
| How have you been? | What has your life been like recently? |
| Agreeing & disagreeing | |
| That’s a fair point. | I understand your argument and I think it is correct. |
| I see where you’re coming from. | I understand your point of view. |
| I beg to differ. | I politely disagree with you. |
| Fair enough. | OK, I accept that / I understand. |
| Showing surprise or interest | |
| You’re kidding! | I am very surprised — are you serious? |
| No way! | That is very surprising / I can’t believe it! |
| Really? I had no idea. | That surprises me — I did not know that. |
| That’s quite something. | That is impressive or surprising. |
| Asking for help / clarification | |
| Could you say that again? | Please repeat what you said. |
| Sorry, I didn’t catch that. | I did not hear / understand what you said. |
| What do you mean by …? | Please explain that word or idea. |
| Bear with me. | Please be patient — I will explain in a moment. |
| Giving opinions informally | |
| If you ask me … | In my opinion … |
| To be honest … | I want to say what I really think. |
| Personally speaking … | From my own point of view … |
| At the end of the day … | When everything is considered … |
| Common social responses | |
| That makes sense. | Now I understand. |
| Good for you! | I am happy for you / well done. |
| What a shame! | That is disappointing or sad. |
| It could be worse! | Things are not as bad as they could be. |
Strategies & tips
- Learn expressions as whole chunks. Don’t try to understand each word separately. Learn the whole phrase and its meaning together — just like learning a new word.
- Listen for the situation. If someone sounds surprised, they may say You’re kidding! or No way! — the situation helps you guess.
- Don’t stop when you hear an unknown expression. Keep listening. The conversation around it often explains what it means. Look it up afterwards.
- Notice the tone of voice. The same words can mean different things. Fair enough said warmly = acceptance. Said coldly = mild disagreement.
Practice
Two friends meet by chance on the street. Match each expression to its meaning.
True or false? Choose T or F.
Listen to ‘A Conversation at the Office’. What does each expression mean HERE? Choose the best answer.
Find and write the expression used for each function.
Listen to the conversation ‘Study Group’ and answer the questions.
Listen to four short conversations. Which situation (1, 2, 3 or 4) uses these expressions?
What is the feeling or function of each expression? Write one word.
Your turn! Choose THREE expressions from this part and write a short sentence using each.
Written answers are not checked automatically — share them with your teacher.
Simple Note-taking: Keywords & Lists
Good note-taking does not mean writing everything you hear. It means capturing the most important words and organising them so you can use them later.
What is keyword note-taking?
Full sentences ✗
The teacher said that the exam will be on Friday the 20th of March and students must bring two pens and their student card.
Too long. Hard to write fast. Easy to miss things.
Keywords ✓
exam → Fri 20 Mar
bring: 2 pens + student card
Fast. Clear. Easy to review later.
Note-taking symbols & shortcuts
| Symbol | Meaning | Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| → | leads to / becomes / causes | + | and / plus / also |
| = | equals / means / is / same as | ≠ | does not equal / different from |
| ↑ | increases / rises / more | ↓ | decreases / falls / less |
| ∴ | therefore / so / as a result | ∵ | because / since / as |
| ? | question / unclear / check | ! | important / surprising |
| w/ | with | w/o | without |
| e.g. | for example | i.e. | that is / in other words |
| approx. | approximately | vs. | versus / compared to |
Strategies & tips
- Write nouns and verbs — skip small words. Drop a, the, is, are, was. Write ‘Exam → Fri 20 Mar’, not ‘The exam will be on Friday the 20th of March’.
- Use abbreviations. information = info, important = imp!, because = b/c, department = dept. Develop your own system and use it consistently.
- Write lists, not paragraphs. When the speaker gives a list, write the items one under another with dashes or numbers.
- Leave gaps and go back. If you miss something, leave a blank (___) and continue. Fill the gaps at the end or on the second listen. Do NOT stop and panic.
Practice
Listen to this conversation about ‘A Shopping List’. Complete the shopping list using keywords only.
Written answers are not checked automatically — share them with your teacher.
Listen to ‘A Class Assignment’. Take notes in keyword form. Fill in the outline while you listen.
Using your notes, answer from memory.
Listen to ‘A Radio News Summary’. Write keyword notes for each news story. Use symbols where possible (→ ↑ + ~).
Written answers are not checked automatically — share them with your teacher.
Use your notes to answer these questions.
Listen to ‘A Cooking Demonstration’. Complete the recipe notes using keywords and lists.
Look at these example notes. Are they good keyword notes? What is wrong? How could you improve them?
2. Step two: you should finely chop the onion and then also the garlic and then fry.
Written answers are not checked automatically — share them with your teacher.
Using an Outline in Note-taking
An outline is a structured set of notes with headings, main points and supporting details. It helps you organise information while you listen and makes your notes easy to review later.
What does an outline look like?
TOPIC / TITLE
I. Main point 1
a. Supporting detail
b. Supporting detail
II. Main point 2
a. Supporting detail
b. Supporting detail
III. Main point 3 (and so on …)
Three levels of an outline
| Level | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1: title / topic | The overall subject of the talk | Healthy Eating |
| Level 2: main points | The key sections or ideas (usually 2–5) | I. Vegetables II. Protein III. Hydration |
| Level 3: details | Facts, examples, numbers under each point | a. eat 5 portions/day b. e.g. spinach, carrots |
Strategies & tips
- Prepare your outline BEFORE you listen. If you know the topic, write headings before the audio starts. This gives your brain a ‘map’ of what is coming.
- Listen for signal words to find main points. First …, The second thing …, Moving on to …, Finally … tell you a new main point is starting.
- Indent your details. Main points go on the left. Details go further right. You can see the structure at a glance.
- Use the outline to answer questions. After listening, use only your outline to answer comprehension questions. Good outline = good answers.
Practice
A health educator is giving a short talk about sleep. Use the outline to take notes.
Using only your outline, answer these questions.
Listen to the guide and complete the outline. Add the details under each heading as you listen.
Listen to the presentation and complete the full outline.
Use ONLY your outline to answer the questions.
Listen to the documentary narration and complete the full outline. This is the most detailed outline in the unit — use all three levels.
Using ONLY your outline, answer the questions.