How Signposting Can Help Improve Your Listening

Image courtesy of egrodziak via Flickr (CC 2.0)

 

Imagine you are in a brand new city and need to get to a particular place. If you had no technology for help, you would be all at sea. Even so, you could still get directions the old-fashioned way via signposts – signs next to a road giving information about the direction and distance to a place.

 

Similarly, when language learners hear a lecture or an extended talk given by a native speaker, they may experience difficulty in fully understanding what’s being said. Unlike reading, where you can check content over and over again, listening generally gives you only one chance to make out what is being said. In such a situation, identifying signpost expressions can help improve comprehension.

 

So, what exactly are signpost expressions? Well, they are words that guide the listener through the various stages of a talk. In a way, signpost expressions help the listener predict what is going to be said next. As a result, the relationship between points becomes clearer, be it comparing, contrasting, adding information, or just sequencing.

 

Here are some common expressions used for signposting:

 

Signpost expressions	What they indicate
Firstly	The beginning of a list of points
like, such as	Introduction of an example
while, whereas	Comparing two or more things
In other words, Put another way	Rephrasing what has been said
Moreover, What’s more	Introduction of additional information
However, This isn’t always the case though	Introduction of a contrast or an exception
As I said earlier	Reference to a point made earlier
Moving on	Introduction of a new point
Finally	The speaker is nearing the end of the talk / Introduction of the last point

 

 

In language tests, candidates often need to listen to long monologues and answer questions. A good example of this is the IELTS Listening test, which has two monologues, including a university-style lecture.

 

Be sure to look out for signposting language in an exam situation, and you’ll have a very good chance of finding the right answers.

 

 

GLOSSARY

 

at sea
Form	:	phrase
Meaning	:	confused and not sure what to do
Example	:	I’m all at sea with this new syllabus. I mean, I am not familiar with many of these topics.

 

extended
Form	:	adjective
Meaning	:	longer than expected
Example	:	If you buy this TV right now, you also get an extended warranty.

 

over and over again
Form	:	phrase
Meaning	:	several times
Example	:	Reihaan, your dad has told you over and over again not to play in the rain.

 

in a way
Form	:	phrase
Meaning	:	to a certain extent
Example	:	In a way marrying Jake within weeks of meeting him was a big mistake.

 

 

monologue
Form	:	noun
Meaning	:	a long speech by someone during a conversation that stops others from saying anything
Example	:	Thomas went into a monologue about his trip to Sri Lanka last year.