Listening understanding problems when something is said "out-of-context"?

Question

I have studied in UK since I was 15. I have now been here for around 8 years. I have never noticed that I have any issues with language until I started working full-time. I am very used to academic language, so on the meetings at work I can follow what is being said because there is a "theme" of the discussion so to say. But I have noticed that it is quite hard for me (most of the time) to interpret what is being said if it is being said out of context, for example, if someone cracks a joke, or if someone enters the room and says something. In these circumstances, I find it difficult to understand what is being said and have to ask to repeat again, and when they do I can understand them no problem. I was wondering if anyone is perhaps aware of some good listening resources out there on the web that can train the sort of social setting talking/listening skills? Is anyone also aware of some resources that list some of the more used slang English words?

Answer 1

Completely understandable. I had this same problem living overseas - during the workday, I understood the language of business, but during lunchtime, I often did not understand the humor/sarcasm/casual speak.

I would suggest listening to some podcasts such as Pop Culture Happy Hour and listening to some of the late night t.v. monologues, which are meant to be farcical (ridiculous), so you get a sense of the absurdity of some of the things being said and know that they are not to be taken seriously, but instead, as a joke. I would also suggest becoming familiar with American slang and idioms, as these are both used quite often. Try youtube and podcasts.

Answer 2

Everyone uses context to understand language so this is a very understandable problem. I highly recommend watching a show like "The Office" which is entertaining and also contains a lot of casual office speech. When I tutor students who work in business (or any office), we use this show as a basis for discussion of its themes as well as an opportunity to watch and listen to the way people talk to each other at work. The show is also funny so there are a lot of opportunities to hear slang, jokes, etc.

Answer 3

A lot of that has to do with idioms or phrasal verbs. There are many resources on the internet to study. That will help you understand better what people say. However, in order to actually be able to use them yourself properly, one needs a tutor to get feedback. Here's an example: Definition of "get over": end, conclude, overcome. I then gave an example: "Last week I had a terrible cold, but today I feel great. I'm so glad I got over my cold." I then asked the student to give me an example. She replied, "I just got over my boyfriend." The feedback I gave her was, "It's better to use a different phrasal verb, i.e. 'I broke up with my boyfriend.' However, you could still use "get over" in that example, but in a different way. Let's say it's 6 months later, and I know that she'd been feeling pretty sad after the breakup, and I ask her how she's doing and she replies, "Oh, great! I finally got over my old boyfriend (i.e. the feelings I had for him). And I want you to meet the new guy. He' so cool."