Complete the advice with one word in each space listen again if necessary

UNIT 1: IDENTIFYING KEY WORDS & LISTENING FOR SYNONYMS

/ PARAPHRASES & DISTRACTORS

A. IDENTIFYING KEY WORDS

What do you do in the listening exam before you listen? You read the questions. And

as you read the questions you underline the key words. So what are key words?

What are key words?

Key words are names, numbers, negatives, and other important information words like verbs

and nouns. They are words and phrases that seem most important in each question.

Examples

Question: For the speaker, what is the most impressive aspect of a solar eclipse?

A. It’s a supernatural phenomenon.

B. It is extremely beautiful.

C. It is fascinating scientifically.

What words would you underline here? Many people would choose “eclipse” as it is an

unusual word and it is a noun and that might seem like a good starting point. If you thought

that, however, you might be making a bad mistake.

Transript:

If we look through history, the solar eclipse has always had a profound effect on mankind. If

we think for a moment what it means to have the sun blotted out: the source of life eradicated.

In ancient times, people were unaware of its natural cause and were profoundly impressed

and believed it must be supernatural. Today most people know that it is caused by the moon

passing between the sun and the earth and are more impressed by its beauty. SPEAKING AS

AN ASTRONOMER, I FIND it scientifically fascinating.

The key words also include “for the speaker” and “most impressive”. And the best answer is C.

Why is it important to identify key words?

— Key words give clues to the context and may help predict what the listening passage is

about.

— If you select the key word in advance, it will help you focus because the answer is often near

or even next to the key word. However, they don’t always tell what the answer is. This means

that if you hear the word “eclipse” you know that the answer will be coming soon.

— Underlining them helps you to focus your attention on what is most important as you listen.

Tips

— Don’t just concentrate on key words: read the whole question and listen for the meaning, not

words.

— Many mistakes are made in listening by not really reading the question. If you only focus on

key words, you are likely to word match. You see a word in the question and you hear a word

on the cassette and you assume that that must be the right answer. The listening test is not

always that easy: the test is to see if you have understood the meaning, not if you can hear

individual words. If you made a mistake with the previous task, it may be because you did not

focus on the meaning of the question, but just looked at words.

— Only use key words to let you know when to listen. And don’t just listen for key words, be

ready for synonyms and paraphrases as well.