Now, for the fourth time in the TOEIC strategy technique series, I will talk about Part 4, the final listening issue. This part 4 is not an exaggeration to say that it’s the most difficult part of the listening part. There are various contents such as announcements, narration, speeches, etc. The English text to be read is not printed and can only be read once, so I want to be able to understand it well. Let’s talk about three tips!
Remember collocation together
No matter how much you listen to English, you cannot understand English unless you understand the meaning of English words and English idioms. When I was studying English, it was natural that I didn’t listen to it, and there was a long period of time when I didn’t understand the meaning of reading a script. So I decided to memorize TOEIC frequent idioms.
Collocation is a grammatical word-word “word combination that is often used, natural word connection”. Try to remember words that are easy to use together.
Let’s put it together in a notebook
Easy way. Prepare a TOEIC problem book and read the script. Let’s pick up the idioms from them and put them together in one notebook.
no longer ~
be advised ~
apply for ~
I will write the basic meaning like this. I read this notebook on a commuter train once a day. Once a day is fine, but the important thing is to do it every day. From my experience, if you have up to 150 pieces, you can learn everything once a day and once a month. You can learn 300 idioms in 2 months, so you can’t learn to study.
Find example sentences
And further development training, if you remember the meaning of the idiom, look up an example sentence using the idiom in the English-Japanese dictionary. Then write it down again.
This certification is no longer valid.
(This certificate is no longer valid)
Please be advised that meeting will be held tomorrow.
(We will inform you that the meeting will be held tomorrow)
I apply for that again.
(Reapply for it)
This time you will understand not only the meaning but also how to use it in the text, and this will be remembered once a day for one month. I continued this practice for three years and gained considerable vocabulary, resulting in improved listening skills.
Question patterns are always the same
Most of the questions in Part 4 are 5W1H questions. That is, most questions begin with what, when, where, why, who, how. Here are some frequently asked questions, so remember them together!
Frequently asked questions
Where are they?
What does he do? (What is his occupation?)
What will the man probably do next?
What most likely is the woman?
(Why did women ask men to write letters?)
How much is the product?
The point is “when you ask, when an improvement proposal is made, or when a number comes out”. “A change that a man asked a woman → asked what kind of request he asked, an improvement plan was issued → asked how to solve the problem, a number was issued → price / time etc … ”
Improve your general listening comprehension
Part 4 is the most difficult listening part and requires comprehensive listening skills. What should I do to improve my overall listening skills?
People often think that “people who are not good at listening are bad”, but in fact it is not. It’s not the outside factor of hearing loss. The inner factor of “I can’t understand it by listening because I can’t pronounce it in my mouth” is hindering my listening skills.
Listening to the TOEIC listening sound source → Read the script’s English without understanding its meaning → Read the Japanese translation because the meaning is not understood in English → Somehow I feel like I understand it
Don’t repeat this! Let’s brush up from the inner factors by adding “spoken reading” to the above cycle so that you can pronounce it with your mouth.
Speech recognition through listening is best learned by the body. Reading aloud can improve not only listening skills but also speaking skills, so it is recommended in the long run.
Watch this video for tips on listening skills too!
（Reference：youtube）
Conclusion
1. Learn idioms together
2. Memorize frequently asked questions in advance
3. Look at the inner factors to improve your overall listening skills
Part 4 must be solved in 8 seconds like Part 3. Let’s make preparations in advance so that you can demonstrate your skills within 8 seconds!
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