Start with a clear message
Choose a familiar topic. Listen for the main idea before trying to write every word.
Focused listening library
B1 English listening practice
Turn familiar vocabulary into reliable listening through connected sentences and progressive support.
Booking a hotel room
A guest books three nights and asks for one room feature. Which services are included, and when does free cancellation end?
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Bored or boring: Talk about your class
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Bother
Noise can bother you, a thought can bother you, and you may not bother to reply. The first two affect feelings; the last describes effort.
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Break up
A couple breaks up, a meeting breaks up, and a phone call starts breaking up. Only one involves a romantic relationship.
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Breathe when public speaking: Pause before each point
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Bring about
A small decision can produce a large result. Bring about connects the cause to the change that follows.
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Bring up
You can bring up a difficult topic, bring up a child, or bring up a file on a screen. Context tells you which action is happening.
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Bump into
If you bump into an old friend, you meet unexpectedly. If you bump into a table, the surprise may hurt a little more.
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Burn out
A worker, a campfire and a motor can all burn out, but each one reaches a different kind of end.
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Call off
You can call off a match before it starts, call off a search already in progress, or call a threatening dog off.
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Cancelling a subscription
The customer cancels renewal today but keeps access until the thirtieth. Does that mean another monthly payment is due?
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Catch up
Fall behind on a walk, at work or in a friendship, and catch up helps you close the gap in three different ways.
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Changed appointment time
A caller mentions Thursday, Monday morning and Monday afternoon. Only one is the new appointment. Can you track the change?
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Changed museum tour
The planned first gallery is closed, so the tour changes order and finishes in a different place. Which locations remain part of the route?
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Changing a plan
A friend cannot meet at the agreed time. Can you hear why the plan changes, identify the new time, and notice how the request stays polite?
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Changing a restaurant booking
The booking begins with four people at seven. By the end, both the number and time have changed, but the seating request has not.
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Checking a café order
A customer orders for two people, changes one ingredient, and mentions an allergy. Can you separate preference from essential safety information?
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Checking a hotel bill
Breakfast appears on the bill, parking does not, and a minibar charge belongs to another room. What remains in the final total?
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Chip away
A huge task may not disappear at once, but each small action can chip away at it.
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Choose between at night and in the night
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Choose she and I or her and me
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Choose the verb that fits the subject
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Choosing Between Onto and Unto
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Choosing an evening course
One course is cheaper and online; the other offers classroom practice but clashes with work. Which factor finally determines the choice?
Start listeningWhat you will find here
How this practice helps
You may recognise a word on paper but miss it in a sentence. B1 practice gives you short recordings to work through with support.
Listen for the message, then check the words around the part you missed.
Your level route
Practise with support, try a test, then review the words you missed.
Use support in steps
Replay, ask for a hint, and listen again. Open the transcript when another replay is no longer helping.
Try a new clip
Use Test after Practice. You can replay in Test, but hints stay off until the exercise is over.
