The Synonym Awareness Strategy in Listening Matching Questions

Are you finding the listening matching questions a bit of a challenge?

You know that feeling when you’re listening to the audio and you’re sure you’ve heard the right answer, but it doesn’t seem to match any of the options?

Well, here’s the thing: the IELTS often uses synonyms or paraphrasing in the audio to test your vocabulary knowledge. By developing your synonym awareness, you can catch these tricky variations and match them correctly.

So, how can you develop this skill?

It’s all about expanding your vocabulary and understanding different ways to express the same idea.

When you’re studying, you might want to make a habit of looking for synonyms of words you’re learning. This way, you’re not just memorizing one word, but a whole family of related words.

Practical Examples

Let’s look at some examples to make this clearer:

Job Descriptions:

In the options, you might see “manager,” but in the audio, you could hear:

“She’s in charge of a team of 10 people.”

“He oversees the daily operations of the company.”

“They’re responsible for making key decisions in the department.”

Describing Places:

If an option is “crowded,” the audio might use phrases like:

“The streets are always bustling with people.”

“It’s hard to find a quiet spot in this popular area.”

“You’ll never feel alone in this lively neighborhood.”

Discussing Hobbies:

For a hobby like “photography,” you might hear:

“She loves capturing moments with her camera.”

“He spends hours taking pictures of landscapes.”

“Their passion is creating visual memories.”

Describing Weather:

If the option is “rainy,” the audio might say:

“You’ll need an umbrella if you’re going out today.”

“The forecast predicts heavy precipitation all week.”

“It’s been quite wet and damp lately.”

Talking about Personality Traits:

For a trait like “ambitious,” you might hear:

“She’s always striving to reach new heights in her career.”

“He sets high goals for himself and works hard to achieve them.”

“They’re not content with mediocrity and constantly push themselves.”

By familiarizing yourself with these different ways of expressing ideas, you’re more likely to catch the correct match even when the exact words don’t appear in the audio.

One thing to keep in mind: this technique isn’t just about memorizing lists of synonyms.

It’s about understanding the concept behind the words.

When you’re practicing, you might want to think about why certain words are similar and how they might be used in different contexts.

Developing this skill takes time, but it’s well worth the effort. Not only will it help you with the listening matching questions, but it’ll also improve your overall English fluency.

You might find that you start noticing synonyms in everyday conversations or while watching English movies and TV shows.

I’m curious to hear about your experiences with synonym awareness.

Have you noticed this technique helping you in your IELTS preparation?