english

Learn English

Listening and Speaking

Do you want to listen to native speakers and improve your listening skills?

Learning Tip:
Try Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab where you can find a good selection of listening exercises for easy to advanced levels.

Additional listening sites are listed below, in alphabetical order by name.

http://www.esl-lab.com/American Rhetoric
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/Speeches and voice recordings from authors, leaders, comedians and hundreds of notable figures (MP3 format) (may open slowly).

  • BBC World English, Learning English
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/indexOffers audio and interactivity tasks to help you learn English.
  • English Listening Room
    http://www.manythings.org/el/Listen to folk songs from the U.S. and fill in the blanks for the missing lyrics.
  • Listen to the Blues, Forum Online
    http://exchanges.state.gov/forum/vols/vol41/no1/Listen to blues music from the U.S. Lyrics (transcripts) also available.
  • Listening Skill Practice
    http://esl.about.com/cs/listening/A directory of resources for listening quizzes, interviews, and specific English learning listening resources. Divided into sections by level (easy, difficult, etc.).
  • Lyrics A-Z
    http://www.azlyrics.com/Look up the words to your favorite artists and songs (no more guessing!).
  • Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab
    http://www.esl-lab.com/A good selection of listening exercises for easy to advanced levels. Divided into sections by level (easy, difficult, etc.).
  • Repeat After Us
    http://repeatafterus.com/Free online audio recordings of poems, fables, essays, tongue twisters, historical speeches, memorable quotes, nursery rhymes, and children's stories from around the world.
  • Shaggy Dog Stories
    http://www.antimoon.com/other/shaggydog.htm These stories are humorous and can be very useful for learners of American English. The actors speak clearly and slowly, so you can understand the recordings quite easily. The recordings are the property of the English Teaching Forum magazine, a publication of the United States Department of State.
  • Sounds of English
    http://www.soundsofenglish.org/Tips and practice guides for American English. Also see American English Pronunciation Practice for practice with minimal pairs, and Pronunciation Web Resources for a directory of other sound sites.
  • Voice of America
    http://www.voanews.com/Sound files on a wide range of programs, resources, and news. In particular, see the Special English section with links to scripts, resources for young learners, games, talking dictionaries, and more.
  • Voices from the Smithsonian
    http://smithsonianassociates.org/programs/programs.htm The Smithsonian Associates lectures and events feature esteemed professionals covering diverse subjects ranging from pop culture to ancient history and everything that happened in-between.