DET Prep Course: Listen and Type Questions

Summary

The Listen and Type question is a key component of the Duolingo English Test. This question type tests the examinee’s ability to accurately transcribe spoken English sentences, focusing on listening comprehension, spelling, and punctuation. The interface consists of a speaker icon for audio playback and a text box for typing the heard sentence. Each question has a one-minute time limit and allows for up to three audio plays.

Key aspects of the Listen and Type question include:

1. Understanding the interface and audio playback system
2. Proper handling of numbers and years
3. Efficient utilization of the three audio plays
4. Awareness of common phonetic phenomena in spoken English
5. Strategies for tackling questions of varying difficulty levels

The course provides practical tips for improving performance, such as focusing on content words first, leveraging grammatical knowledge, and enhancing typing speed. It also emphasizes the importance of vocabulary expansion and familiarity with phonetic phenomena like linking, assimilation, and weak forms.

A video version of this course:

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to Listen and Type
2. Question Interface
3. General Test-Taking Tips
4. Handling Numbers
5. Utilizing the Three Audio Plays
6. Key Phonetic Phenomena
7. Practice Questions
   • Low-Difficulty Questions (100 points or less)
   • Medium-Difficulty Questions (105-115 points)
   • High-Difficulty Questions (120 points or more)
8. Typing Practice and Vocabulary Building

Introduction to Listen and Type

Hi there, welcome to the Duolingo English Test Practice Prep Hub. Today, we’re going to explain a question type called Listen and Type.

Question Interface

Let’s take a look at its format. Here is the interface for the question. As you can see, the Listen and Type interface is very straightforward. On the left, there is a small speaker icon, and on the right, there’s a text box. You simply type the sentence you hear into the text box using your keyboard. The time limit for this task is one minute.

Now let’s take a closer look at this interface. In this interface, the audio for the sentence will play automatically up to three times. How does this work? When you reach this question in the exam, the audio will play automatically the first time. This initial play is not controlled by you. For the second and third plays, as long as it is within the one-minute time limit, you can click the small speaker icon on the left to replay the audio. This is why we say you can manually play the sentence audio twice, with a maximum of three total plays. After listening to the audio, you need to type the sentence into the text box. Pay close attention to spelling, capitalization, and punctuation, as these are all graded. For example, the first letter of the sentence should be capitalized, and the sentence should end with appropriate punctuation.

This covers our introduction to the question interface.

General Test-Taking Tips

This question type appears approximately six to nine times in each exam. It also includes common phonetic phenomena in spoken English, such as linking and weak forms.

Additionally, this question primarily tests your mastery of word pronunciation and spelling, so your vocabulary will be a key determinant of your score. In your daily practice, focus on expanding your vocabulary. When presented with this question, sometimes the sentences are longer, so you can first focus on remembering the content words, such as nouns, adjectives, and verbs. In the second and third listens, you can fill in the function words, such as prepositions and particles. While listening, you can also leverage your grammatical and syntactic knowledge along with context to fill in the blanks. This concludes our introduction to this question type and some general test-taking tips. Next, let’s discuss answering strategies.

Handling Numbers

Before that, let’s address a common question from many students: what should we do when we hear numbers? Should we write them as numerals or spell them out? Let’s look at the official guidance. The official answer is to write them out using English words. This means we should write numbers as words, not numerals. If you encounter years, such as 1986 or 2002, you can write them as numerals. For other types of numbers, write them out as words. Do not use Arabic numerals. For example, if you hear “sixteen,” write it as a word, not as the number 16.

Utilizing the Three Audio Plays

Now, how can you best utilize the three audio plays? Let’s take a look. Since the Duolingo English Test does not allow notetaking, you should start typing what you hear during the first listen. For longer words, you don’t need to write out the entire word at once. For example, with a long word like “congratulations,” writing out the entire word will take considerable time, and you might fall behind on the remaining words. For such words, you can try writing the first few letters and then complete the word later.

After the first listen, resist the urge to mentally translate or deeply process the meaning of the sentence. Some test-takers do this, pondering the sentence’s meaning, but it consumes valuable time and mental energy. Instead, you can mechanically repeat it in your mind or softly verbalize it to reinforce your short-term memory. Try to capture the sentence’s core structure, such as the subject and verb, along with key content words. In the second listen, fill in the grammatical words, such as prepositions and particles.

Use the third play to check for any missed words and to ensure the completeness of your transcription. If time remains after the three listens, you can use your grammatical knowledge and understanding of sentence structure to refine your response. Also, double-check your spelling and punctuation. This is how you can optimally utilize the three audio plays.

Key Phonetic Phenomena

• • Types of Linking
• – Consonant + Vowel:
• Examples: get_out, stand_up
• – Assimilation:
• * /t/ + /j/ becomes /tʃ/; /d/ + /j/ becomes /dʒ/
• Examples: next_year, did_you
• – When a word ends with a vowel /ə/ or /ɜː/ and the following word starts with a vowel, an /r/ sound is added between them, known as r-linking.
• Examples: her own→her rown answer it → answer rit
• – Vowel to Vowel
• a. When a word ending in /u/, /ʊ/, /aʊ/, or /o/ is followed by a word starting with a vowel, a light /w/ sound is inserted between the two vowels.
• e.g: go_on, who_else, you_are
• b. When a word ending in /i/, /ai/, or /e/ is followed by a word starting with a vowel, a light /j/ sound is inserted between the two vowels.
• e.g: be_on time, my_only apartment

Next, let’s examine some key phonetic phenomena. First, we have the linking that occurs between a word-final consonant and a word-initial vowel, such as in “get out” and “stand up.” Then, there is assimilation, where /t/ plus /j/ becomes /ʧ/ and /d/ plus /j/ becomes /ʤ/, as in “next year” and “did you.” There is also linking with the /r/ sound, as in “her own” and “answer it.” Additionally, for vowel-to-vowel linking, we can insert a gentle /w/ between vowels, as in “go on” and “who else.” For words ending in a vowel followed by another vowel, we can insert a /j/, as in “be on time” and “my only apartment.”

• Loss of Plosion
• – When any two of the sounds /b/, /p/, /t/, /d/, /k/ and/g/ appear consecutively,
  the first one is not fully released or articulated.
  e.g: black bike, sit down
• – Consonant Clusters: sad day, fresh shirt, take care

Another phenomenon is the loss of plosion, where in certain combinations of the six plosive sounds, the first one is not fully articulated, as in “black bike” and “sit down.” Consonant clusters can also occur, as in “sad day” and “fresh shirt.”

• Weak Forms

Weak forms can be even more complex. Let’s look at some examples. The symbols in black represent the full pronunciation, while those in red represent the weak forms. For example, “tell us the truth” can be reduced to “tell us the truth” in rapid speech. Possessive pronouns can also be weakened, with “her” becoming /ər/. For instance, “she has lost her watch” can be reduced to “she’s lost ‘er watch.” Conjunctions and prepositions like “but” can weaken to /bət/, as in “but I don’t understand” being pronounced more like “bət I don’t understand.” Auxiliary verbs like “can” can reduce to /kən/, as in “What can you do?” sounding more like “What kən you do?”

As there are numerous words to absorb here, feel free to take a screenshot of this page for your reference.

Practice Questions

Next, let’s look at some specific practice questions. For example, this question is in the range of 100 points or less. Let’s give it a try.

You can prepare a piece of paper and a pen, or open a blank document on your computer. You can play the audio then transcribe what you hear. Since this question is fairly straightforward, make the allotted time brief. Feel free to check the answer to this question below:

In this sentence, there is a phonetic reduction where the /t/ sound in “don’t” is weakened. For sentences in this scoring range, they tend to be short and simple, so you can likely transcribe them in real-time. When writing, be mindful of punctuation and capitalization.

Let’s move on to the next question. You may play it three times; try to write down what you hear. It’s very brief.

And here is the answer:

Attentive students may have noticed the linking that occurs between “have” and “a.”

Let’s proceed to the next question.

You may play the audio above, then write down the answer on your draft paper, or type the sentence on your computer screen.

Here, the /t/ sound in “winter event” is weakened, and there is linking between the words.

Now let’s tackle a more challenging question, in the 105-115 point range.

It’s a bit lengthy, so give yourself some extra time.

Take note of the word “centenarian,” which refers to a person who is one hundred years old or older. It might be an unfamiliar word, so ensure you spell it correctly. There is also linking in “or more.” Remember to write out numbers as words, such as “one hundred,” rather than using numerals.

Let’s attempt the next question.

You may play the audio above for 3 times then check your answer.

Here, the /t/ sound in “results” is omitted, and “displayed” links with “at.” There is also linking in the phrase “bottom of.”

Next, let’s try another question.

When play the audio, try to write down as many words as possible.

The challenge here lies in spelling “plasma” and “membrane,” which refer to the liquid component of blood and a thin, pliable sheet of tissue, respectively. This question assesses your vocabulary knowledge.

If you’re familiar with these words, the sentence is fairly straightforward. If not, try to phonetically spell the words based on their pronunciation. It’s better to write down your best guess than to leave a blank space.

Let’s try another, even more challenging question. This time, it’s a question worth 120 points or more.

This sentence is quite long and contains several advanced vocabulary words.

Pay close attention to the lengthy words “prevention,” “vaccination,” and “environmental.” Also, note the punctuation rules for listing items in a series. Write down the content words first, then go back and fill in function words like “of” and “and.” Double-check for singular and plural forms, as well as third-person singular verb agreement, as in “includes.”

Let’s look at another high-value question.

Once again, pay attention to the advanced vocabulary, including “information,” “particular,” and “mathematical.”

There is linking in “theory is,” “of a,” and “concept of.” Weak forms, such as “of” reducing to /əv/, are also present. Employ the same strategy: write down the content words first, then go back and fill in the function words.

Next, let’s examine one final question.

If you encounter unfamiliar words, be sure to add them to your personal vocabulary list for further study.

The word “perpendicular” means “at a right angle” and is quite lengthy and potentially challenging to spell. There is linking in “surface of” and “an object.”

For these longer sentences, it’s crucial that your typing speed is up to par. Practice typing using writing samples drawn from your question bank. This will help improve your speed while also familiarizing you with model sentences and phrasings.

Recap

1. Question Format:

• Simple interface with a speaker icon and text box
• One-minute time limit per question
• Up to three audio plays (first automatic, next two manual)

2. Key Strategies:

• Start typing during the first listen
• Focus on content words first, then fill in function words
• Use grammatical and contextual knowledge to fill gaps
• Spell out numbers as words, except for years

3. Phonetic Phenomena to Watch For:

• Linking (e.g., “get out,” “stand up”)
• Assimilation (e.g., “next year,” “did you”)
• Weak forms (e.g., “tell us the truth” → “tell us the truth”)
• Loss of plosion (e.g., “black bike,” “sit down”)

4. Practice Questions:

• Low difficulty (100 points or less): Short, simple sentences
• Medium difficulty (105-115 points): Longer sentences, some challenging vocabulary
• High difficulty (120+ points): Complex sentences with advanced vocabulary

5. Tips for Success:

• Expand your vocabulary regularly
• Practice typing to improve speed and accuracy
• Pay attention to spelling, capitalization, and punctuation
• Don’t leave blanks – make educated guesses for unfamiliar words
• Review and study encountered unfamiliar words

Remember, success in the Listen and Type questions comes from a combination of strong listening skills, broad vocabulary knowledge, understanding of English phonetics, and quick, accurate typing. Regular practice and exposure to various English accents and speech patterns will significantly improve your performance.

That concludes today’s lesson on the Listen and Type question type. See you next time. Bye!