Listening skills: notes, signal words and traps
Introduced| English | Meaning |
|---|---|
| short forms/ʃɔːt fɔːmz/ | short forms |
You hear it once
- In the Listening section every recording plays once. You cannot rewind, and the questions come after the talk.
- Good listeners do not write everything. They catch the plan of the talk and a few key words.
In TOEFL Junior Listening you can play each recording twice.
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
Every recording plays once.
Signal words show the plan
- Speakers tell you what is coming: There are three reasons… First… Second… Finally…
- Other signals: contrast (but, however, actually), example (for example, such as), result (so, that's why).
- "Many people think chameleons change colour to hide. Actually, that's not the main reason."
- Actually tells you the next sentence is the important one.
Match each signal word to its job.
Difficulty 2/5 · 140 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
Signal words show how the next idea connects to the last one.
"Many people think owls can turn their heads all the way round. Actually, they can turn them about three quarters of the way." What does "actually" tell you?
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
"Actually" introduces a correction, and questions often ask about it.
"There are three reasons. ___, their feathers." Which signal word fits?
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
After "three reasons", the first point starts with "First".
Notes in two columns
- Write the topic at the top. Then one line per main point, with one or two words of detail.
- Use short forms 缩写: arrows (→ cause), numbers, the first letters of long words. Your notes only need to make sense to you, for one minute.
- Topic: emperor penguins, winter
- 1 feathers + fat · 2 huddle → move in/out · 3 save energy · BUT hunger: dads, eggs, 2 months
Which note is the most useful while listening?
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
A short line per main point with one detail is enough and fast.
Which short forms are good for listening notes? Choose all that apply.
Difficulty 2/5 · 140 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
Notes only need to make sense to you for a minute; full sentences take too long.
Try it: an academic talk
- Listen to a science teacher. Make notes in the two-column way: topic, main points, one detail each.
- Then answer the questions without listening again, as in the real test.
What is the talk mainly about?
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
The teacher asks "So how do they survive?" and gives three reasons.
According to the teacher, what is clever about the way penguins huddle?
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
Cold penguins move into the middle and warm ones move out, so everyone gets a turn.
Which TWO things help keep a penguin's body warm, according to the talk?
Difficulty 2/5 · 140 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
Feathers in several layers, with a thick layer of fat underneath.
What do the father penguins do for about two months?
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
The fathers keep the eggs warm on their feet and eat nothing at all.
Main idea, details and purpose
- Main idea: what the whole talk explains. Look for the question the speaker asks at the start (So how do they survive?).
- Detail: one fact from your notes. Purpose: why the speaker says something, for example to give an example or to correct a belief.
Why does the teacher say "That's a long time to wait for dinner"?
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
It is a joke about the two months without food; it adds no new fact.
Match each question to its type.
Difficulty 2/5 · 140 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
Main idea = whole talk; detail = one fact; purpose = why something is said.
The three traps
- Echo: the option repeats a word you heard, but says something different.
- True but not asked: the fact is in the talk, but it answers another question.
- Too big: the option says always or all when the speaker said often or some.
Which trap is this option?
Reject echo, true-but-not-asked and too-big options
Talk: "The fathers keep the eggs warm on their feet." Option: "The fathers keep their feet warm with eggs." What kind of trap is this?
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
It repeats the words but changes the meaning.
Talk: "Emperor penguins often huddle in winter." Which option is the too-big trap?
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
"Always, all year round" says more than the speaker did.
An option can be true in the talk and still be the wrong answer.
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
That is the true-but-not-asked trap; it answers a different question.
Use the time between questions
- In the test book, read the next question during the pause. Then you know what to listen for next.
- Never stop to worry about a missed answer. Choose your best guess and listen to the next recording.
What should you do in the pause between recordings?
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
Knowing the next question tells you what to listen for.
You missed part of an answer. Put the steps in order.
Difficulty 3/5 · 200 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
A missed point costs one question; worrying about it can cost the next ones too.
Small words, big meaning
- Here's the clever part, the problem is, surprisingly: these phrases point at the idea a question will ask about.
- A joke at the end is usually not the answer. The penguin dads waiting for dinner are funny, but the question is about why they don't eat.
Which phrase most often points at the idea a question will ask about?
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
Phrases like "here's the clever part" and "surprisingly" mark the key idea.
A joke at the end of a talk is usually the correct answer to the main-idea question.
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
Jokes add colour; the main idea comes from the opening question and the main points.
Recap
- Catch the plan from signal words; write topic + one line per point.
- Main idea from the opening question; details from your notes; purpose = why it is said.
- Avoid echo, true-but-not-asked and too-big options.
Listen to the penguin talk once more and make two-column notes without pausing. Then write the main idea in one sentence and three details.
Good notes show the plan of the talk; the main idea covers all of its points.
Official sources
- Listening format checked on 15 November 2026 in the TOEFL Junior Test Taker Handbook (ETS, PDF).
- Listening Comprehension sample questions (ETS). The recording in this lesson is original.