Tips for Listening

Idioms

Idioms are special expressions that all speakers can use and know, these expressions depend on the context I were the conversation is taking place. For example:

Leo: Yesterday I went to the movies and I didn´t like the movie.
Monse: An why is that?
Leo: Are you joking it scared the hell out of me! And it even wasnt´about monsters.
Narrator: In this conversation "scared out the hell of me" what did Leo means?

a) He had a monster in himself.
b) He saw a monster at the cinema.
c) He did not like the movie because it wasn´t about mosters.
d) He got scared about the movie.

The correct answer is C because the idiom "scared out the hell of me" is making reference to what the movie caused to him.
He made referenceto monsters movies, but as you read a whole text you undestand it is a comparison because he´s talking about fears. It is neither A, B nor C because he´s emphising the movie wasn´t about monsters. So the recomendation would be not to just read the words, but to undesrtand the whole context and get the conclusion.

Conclusion about who, what & where.

It´s common in listenign to ask you to draw some kind of concluison. In this type of question the answer it not clearly stated; instedad you must draw a conclusion based on a clues given in the conversation. If the conversation contains a passive satatement, the answer to the question is often a active satement or the contraty if the conversation contains an active statement, the answer is oftern a passive statement.

Carlos: Last night I´m feeling very sick.
Mariana: You should go to the doctor or get some medicine befor going to the work.
Carlos: Yes probably that would be the best.
Narrator: What will the man do next?

a) Go to the work
b) Go to the bathroom
c) Have a dinner
d) Go by some medicine

In this conversation you need to focus in the context for get the correct answer and conlusion, to follow just the meaning of some words can be dangerous for made a conclusion of the situation so the tips are idenfify the place, identify the persons and objects, identify the main thing action.
The context in this example is about a sickness person, the correct answer is D.