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Free Listening Resources
When it comes to listening skills, I strongly advise against most course books. The actual listening skills of listening are easy to acquire. As for practise, if practise is fun, then it is far easier.
What to listen to? Cartoons offer a number of advantages of both audio scripts and TV or films. With their simplified view through animation a lot of excess background noise (both audio and visual) is removed. Next add in the over emphasis on the acting used in cartoons.
Even more reasons, up to date popular culture contain; words, phrases, slang, and popular culture references.
Need more reasons? With internet, you can play back at and forth the program, most of which have a duration of between 21 – 33 minuets, which fits into a lunch time nicely.
Since the programs are in a series, the characters repeat each show, allowing for easier understanding and learning.
Finally, comedy programs give a shared experience are far more memorable than the usual listening exercises, so have some fun, acquiring accent recognition and much more.
Below is a list of my recommended of suggested FREE videos for listening and speaking practice
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/pron/
CollegeHumor Originals - Warning bad language
Original comedy videos written, directed and produced by the CollegeHumor staff. From our acclaimed pop culture-skewering shorts to our in-office sketch series, our 10 new videos per week will make you laugh until milk comes out your nose. Whether or not you have been drinking milk.
http://www.collegehumor.com/originals
Penn & Teller: Bullshit! - Warning bad language and nudity Rated Mature
Penn & Teller (Penn Fraser Jillette and Teller) are Las Vegas headliners whose act is an amalgam of illusion and comedy. Penn & Teller: Bullshit! aims to debunk what the hosts see as pseudoscientific ideas, supernatural beliefs, popular fads and misconceptions, and often from a libertarian point of view, the political philosophy espoused by both Penn and Teller. The show criticizes proponents of what they perceive as nonsense and dishonesty—bullshit—often citing ulterior political or financial motives. The stated aim of the show is to apply critical thinking to misconceptions, and as is indicated by the show's title, the program adheres to Penn & Teller's characteristically blunt, aggressive presentation. Supernatural subjects of episodes include alien abduction, alternative medicine, and ESP; other episodes cover social issues such as the War on Drugs, animal rights, gun control, and environmentalism. Penn & Teller approach the topics in the manner of Harry Houdini and James Randi (who has appeared more than once on the show), who are known for debunking claims of supernatural powers.
http://tv.blinkx.com/show/penn-teller-bullshit/qFYGFtstICViITML
South Park Warning bad language and behavour Rated PG
is an American Cutout animation sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become infamous for its crude, surreal, satirical, and dark humour that lampoons a wide range of topics.
http://www.watchsouthparkonline.net/
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian. The show uses frequent cutaway gags, often in the form of tangential vignettes which parody American culture.
http://watchfamilyguyonline.org/ http://www.familyguyx.net/index.php?
Dilbert - PG
is a cubicle dwelling employee for a large soulless corporation. Along with his cynical and under-motivated co-workers, he labors fruitlessly under the bone-headed leadership of the Pointy-Haired Boss. Occasionally Dogbert, Dilbert 's super-intelligent dog, gets Dilbert caught up in another wild money-making scheme, with undesirable results. Dillbert TV series is based on the comic strip written and drawn by Scott Adams that satirizes American white-collar, micromanaged office culture.
http://tv.blinkx.com/show/dilbert/T8M83kEdFU5DQjST
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