Another two verbs with slightly different meanings are 'hear' and 'listen', although they both refer to what we do with our ears.
We have two ears so we can both hear and listen!
We use 'hear' for sounds that come into our ears without specifically focusing on them. For example, I'm sitting here and can hear the radio in the other room and the traffic going by outside. What can you hear where you are?
We use 'listen' when we want to intentionally focus on hearing something. For example, I'm listening to the weather forecast on the radio. I don't usually listen to the news on the radio, I prefer to watch it on TV.
Listen to the video and improve your listening skills.
Now try the quiz.
Decide if it is 'listen' or 'hear' that is missing in the sentences.
- "Hello, hello. I can't ______ you. Are you on mute?"
hear
- "Can you ______ the birds singing?"
hear
- "What are you _______ to on your phone?"
listening
- "______ to me very carefully, I shall say this only once."
Listen
