LISTENING FOR VERBAL ALERTS

VERBAL ALERTS

Listening is a language skill that is often taken for granted since it seems to be a natural process that goes on inside a person. Yet listening skills should be developed in every student because a lot of what goes on inside the classroom entails listening. Whether you are listening to your teacher discussing a lesson, to a classmate giving a report, or to the principal making announcements during assembly, it is important to give the speaker your full attention so you understand the information you hear. You can also use listening strategies, like identifying verbal alerts or signals, to help you process what you hear.

Speakers often use verbal alerts that tell listeners, “This is important, so listen up!” These alerts are introductory phrases that are meant to give listeners an idea of the significance of what they’re about to listen to.

INTRODUCTION
“We will discuss…”
“Open your books to…”
“First, let’s look at…”

MAIN IDEAS
“Take not of…”
“Let me repeat…”
“Remember that…”
“This is important…”
“I want to stress that…”

CHANGE IN DIRECTION
“Next…”
“Let’s move on to…”
“On the other hand…”
“However…”

MAJOR DETAILS
“For instance…”
“For example…”
“Namely…”
“The following…”


CONCLUSION
“Finally…”
“In short…”
“In conclusion…”
“To summarize…”


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