Possessing English-speaking ability is ever more important in the modern world. With increasing globalization, people need English to take advantage of new personal and professional opportunities. Those without a strong English ability will be left behind. With that in mind, studying this book is a good step towards improving your English.

This book is the first in a series of seven books focused on improving your listening ability. It is appropriate for those who have already studied English for a few years. While some of the vocabulary may be basic, I have included some more challenging vocabulary for your further growth. Another important difference between this book and others is that this book emphasizes modern English as it is spoken in the United States. You will find that there are significant differences between spoken and written English. These differences are one of the primary reasons that students with little experience in listening to English will find understanding native speakers difficult.

This book is divided into eight chapters on important issues that will provide a foundation for later study. Each chapter is divided into vocabulary and conversations. I have provided three example sentences for each vocabulary word or phrase. The vocabulary and sentence patterns then reappear in the typical conversations between native speakers that appear at the end of each chapter.

Also included in this book is a CD containing all of the vocabulary, sentences, and conversations. In studying, you should first examine the text. Then, listen to the CDs and read along with them in your book. It will help to pause the CD and try to read aloud the vocabulary and sentences after you have listened to them on the CD. Don� forget to pay careful attention to the intonation used by the native speakers on the CD. Memorizing the vocabulary words is also not enough to gain mastery over them; you must try to put this vocabulary into use. Write some sentences using this vocabulary and these sentence patterns and ask your English teacher to go over them with you to find out areas in which you may have misunderstandings.

I also suggest that my book of elementary idioms and phrasal verbs is an excellent companion to this book; you will notice that many of the sentences and conversations use phrasal verbs. These phrasal verbs are an important part of spoken English.

Best of luck in your English studies!

Woodson Renick Bell