This is a very good question but the correct answer is uncertain. 

 

It really depends on the person doing the reading and their prior knowledge of how to pronounce words and how to read in a natural way.  The real problem arises when students spend time reading aloud and reciting over and over again, words and phrases that are mispronounced.  If you are doing that, then it is not a good idea to be reading aloud without some assistance or supervision.

 

One way of making certain that you are not mispronouncing words, and that you have the right 'lilt' [intonation] to your reading, is to read from textbooks that come with a cassette tape or CD.  By reading with the narrator, you can make sure that your intonation and pronunciation are correct.

 

 

 

 

This is another good question for which the answer is: 'It depends on the person!'

 

One thing for sure is; Listening without understanding is pointless.

 

I have been told by students that their teachers tell them that you don't have to hear or understand every word a person says, but that you must catch the 'keywords'.  Well of course this is quite literally true!  Unfortunately this belief has lead students to pay attention only to 'key' words, rather than 'all words'.  In fact, within my own tingli/dictation classes, I often observe that some students understand nothing but 'key' words.  Unfortunately, they also have no idea how those key words are to be applied.

 

A very good but boring way to improve you hearing skill, is play a cassette tape 'phrase by phrase' over and over again whilst writing down what you think the people on the tape are saying.  This can take a lot of time.

 

When you have completed one paragraph, and you are positive that you can not make your writing more perfect, then go to the textbook, and correct what you have written.  You will be amazed at how much you missed.

 

Once you have corrected your errors, then rip up your writing page and start listening the paragraph all over again; writing as you go.  You don't do this to 'know what the tape says' or the 'meaning of the narrator', but rather to learn how to hear 'all the words'.

 

As you are doing this type of exercise, pay attention to how words run together. 

 

Notice how words such as 'and', are often pronounced as 'an' or just 'n'.  

 

Notice how the phrase, 'a lot of'' is pronounced as 'alotov' or 'alota'.

 

Notice how the phrases, 'Come in' and 'come and', are pronounced as 'Comen'.  [comen play!]

 

Notice how the words 'in a' are pronounced like the word 'inner'.

 

Notice how the word 'asked' can be pronounced like 'ast'.  "He asked her" can sound like 'He ast her'.

 

Notice how 'He has' can be pronounced as "He'as" - like the word 'hears'. You might think you are hearing, "He's", when it fact it is 'he has'.

 

Try to pay attention to how 'Non Standard' the English can be.

 

It is a slow boring way to learn to hear but it is effective in speeding up your hearing, and wonderfully effective in making sure that you actually KNOW what someone is saying rather than guessing what the key words are referring to. 

 

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