Reading and listening for meaning
As you watch the video above, think about the strategies you can apply to understand a text at a deeper level.
View transcript
6.6
JOHN SMITH: In the PTE test, you need to think deeply about what you read and listen to in order to understand the text at a deeper level. You will then be able to identify the purpose, main ideas and supporting details. This will also help you to identify the organisation of the text so that you can make inferences about the meaning. To understand the deeper meaning of reading and listening passages, it is important for you to be able to distinguish between facts, speculation and opinions. Some texts may contain both facts and opinions. Facts are statements which are certain or true while speculation is something which is not necessarily certain or true. To speculate, a writer or speaker will use generalisations.
53.4
For example, in general, tend to, have a tendency to. Expressions showing caution like it would seem, it would appear. Adverbs and adjectives to show varying degrees of certainty, such as probably, possibly, likely, unlikely. Modal verbs to show uncertainty, for example, may, might. An opinion expresses a belief, feeling or judgement. When a writer wishes to make clear that an opinion is not their own, they use verbs for reporting opinions, such as suggest, believe, argue, claim, maintain.
100.7
Inferencing skills are important for reading comprehension and understanding the meaning of texts on a deeper level. Making inferences involves using two or more pieces of information in a text to arrive at a third piece of information that is implied or not explicitly stated. Inference can be as simple as associating the pronoun he with a previously mentioned male person, or it can be as complex as filling gaps in the text in order for it to make sense. For example, in this sentence, “The invention of the steam engine had a major effect on society.” You must infer that it’s not the invention of the steam engine that affected society, but the way it was used.
144.2
In the listening section of the PTE test, there are times when you will need to understand what the speakers are saying by inferring meaning, as the information is not always explicitly stated. You may be asked to infer the speaker’s attitude to what they are saying, their purpose and the reasons specific information is mentioned. To infer meaning, you need to listen for clues in the text or use general knowledge to guess the meaning of what the speakers are saying. Do this by working out the relationship between the speakers, the tone of voice and the words they use.
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In many PTE test items, you need to think deeply about what you read and listen to in order to understand the text at a deeper level. Watch the video above to learn how to read and listen for meaning.
The Importance of Listening
Listening is an active process by which we make sense of, assess, and respond to what we hear.
Learning Objectives
Define active listening and list the five stages of the listening process
Key Takeaways
Key Points
- The listening process involves five stages: receiving, understanding, evaluating, remembering, and responding.
- Active listening is a particular communication technique that requires the listener to provide feedback on what he or she hears to the speaker.
- Three main degrees of active listening are repeating, paraphrasing, and reflecting.
Key Terms
- Listening: The active process by which we make sense of, assess, and respond to what we hear.
- active listening: A particular communication technique that requires the listener to provide feedback on what he or she hears to the speaker.
Listening Is More than Just Hearing
Learning to Listen: Antony Gormley’s statue “Untitled [Listening],” Maygrove Peace Park
Listening is a skill of critical significance in all aspects of our lives–from maintaining our personal relationships, to getting our jobs done, to taking notes in class, to figuring out which bus to take to the airport. Regardless of how we’re engaged with listening, it’s important to understand that listening involves more than just hearing the words that are directed at us. Listening is an active process by which we make sense of, assess, and respond to what we hear.
The listening process involves five stages: receiving, understanding, evaluating, remembering, and responding. These stages will be discussed in more detail in later sections. Basically, an effective listener must hear and identify the speech sounds directed toward them, understand the message of those sounds, critically evaluate or assess that message, remember what’s been said, and respond (either verbally or nonverbally) to information they’ve received.
Effectively engaging with all five stages of the listening process lets us best gather the information we need from the world around us.
Active Listening
Active listening is a particular communication technique that requires the listener to provide feedback on what he or she hears to the speaker, by way of restating or paraphrasing what they have heard in their own words. The goal of this repetition is to confirm what the listener has heard and to confirm the understanding of both parties. The ability to actively listen demonstrates sincerity, and that nothing is being assumed or taken for granted. Active listening is most often used to improve personal relationships, reduce misunderstanding and conflicts, strengthen cooperation, and foster understanding.
When engaging with a particular speaker, a listener can use several degrees of active listening, each resulting in a different quality of communication with the speaker. This active listening chart shows three main degrees of listening: repeating, paraphrasing, and reflecting.
Degrees of Active Listening: There are several degrees of active listening.
Active listening can also involve paying attention to the speaker’s behavior and body language. Having the ability to interpret a person’s body language lets the listener develop a more accurate understanding of the speaker’s message.
3. To infer the meaning presented by the speaker using clues and your prior knowledge to work out the meaning of what you hear.
a. Listening for the Main Idea
c. Inferring the meaning
b. predecting the Content
d. Analyzing the meaning
1
Signs of Active Listening
Non-Verbal Signs of Attentive or Active Listening
This is a generic list of non-verbal signs of listening, in other words people who are listening are more likely to display at least some of these signs. However these signs may not be appropriate in all situations and across all cultures.
Smile
Small smiles can be used to show that the listener is paying attention to what is being said or as a way of agreeing or being happy about the messages being received. Combined with nods of the head, smiles can be powerful in affirming that messages are being listened to and understood.
Eye Contact
It is normal and usually encouraging for the listener to look at the speaker. Eye contact can however be intimidating, especially for more shy speakers – gauge how much eye contact is appropriate for any given situation. Combine eye contact with smiles and other non-verbal messages to encourage the speaker.
Posture
Posture can tell a lot about the sender and receiver in interpersonal interactions. The attentive listener tends to lean slightly forward or sideways whilst sitting. Other signs of active listening may include a slight slant of the head or resting the head on one hand.
Mirroring
Automatic reflection/mirroring of any facial expressions used by the speaker can be a sign of attentive listening. These reflective expressions can help to show sympathy and empathy in more emotional situations. Attempting to consciously mimic facial expressions (i.e. not automatic reflection of expressions) can be a sign of inattention.
Distraction
The active listener will not be distracted and therefore will refrain from fidgeting, looking at a clock or watch, doodling, playing with their hair or picking their fingernails.
See our pages: Non-Verbal Communication, Body Language and Personal Appearance for more information.
Be Aware That:
It is perfectly possible to learn and mimic non-verbal signs of active listening and not actually be listening at all.
It is more difficult to mimic verbal signs of listening and comprehension.