Welcome to the Listening Detective Agency!

In the Pre-S1 HKAT Listening test, you only have 15 minutes to show off your skills. One of the most important things you need to do is become a "Listening Detective." Instead of just hearing words, you need to figure out who is talking, how they know each other, and how they feel.

Don't worry if this seems tricky at first! By the end of these notes, you will know exactly what "clues" to listen for.

Note: This chapter focuses on the people in the recording. For tips on dates, times, or filling in forms, please check our other listening chapters!

1. Identifying the Speakers: Who is Talking?

The first step is to identify the speakers. Usually, you will hear a conversation between two people, or a single person giving an announcement or a talk.

Clues to look for:

  • Names: Listen for how people address each other (e.g., "Hi, Mary," or "Excuse me, Mr. Wong").
  • Roles: Sometimes speakers are not named by their personal names but by their jobs. Listen for context words like "Today's weather," (Weather Reporter) or "Please open your books to page 10" (Teacher).

2. Understanding Relationships: How do they know each other?

The relationship is the connection between the speakers. In the HKAT, the relationships are usually very common ones from your daily life.

Common Relationships to Know:

  • Family: Mother and son, father and daughter, or siblings (brother and sister). Listen for: "Mum," "Dad," "Go to bed," "Did you do your homework?"
  • School: Teacher and student, or classmates/friends. Listen for: "Sir," "Miss," "Homework," "Recess," "Project."
  • Service: Shop assistant and customer, or waiter and diner. Listen for: "How much is it?", "Can I help you?", "I’d like to buy..."
  • Formal: Doctor and patient, or interviewer and interviewee. Listen for: "How do you feel today?", "Take this medicine," "Welcome to our radio show."

Quick Tip: If the speakers use first names like "Sam" and "Billy," they are likely friends or classmates. If one person uses a title like "Mrs. Lee," the relationship is more formal (like a student talking to a teacher or a neighbor).

3. Feelings and Attitudes: How do they feel?

The speakers won't always say "I am sad." You have to listen to how they speak (their tone) and the words they choose.

Key Adjectives for Feelings:

Make sure you know these common words often found in HKAT questions:

  • Positive: Happy, excited, proud, surprised, interested, helpful.
  • Negative: Sad, worried, angry, disappointed, bored, afraid, annoyed.

How to "Hear" a Feeling:

Listen to the speed and pitch of the voice:

  • Excited/Happy: Speaking quickly, high pitch, using words like "Great!", "Wow!", "I can't wait!"
  • Sad/Disappointed: Speaking slowly, low pitch, sighing, using words like "Oh no," "What a pity," "I wish I could..."
  • Worried/Anxious: Fast speaking, nervous breathing, asking many questions like "What should I do?", "Is it okay?"
  • Angry/Annoyed: Loud voice, sharp sounds, using words like "I told you...", "Stop doing that!"
Did you know?

Sometimes a speaker's attitude is about what they think of something. If a student says, "The math test was a piece of cake," their attitude is that the test was very easy!

4. Step-by-Step Detective Work

When the recording starts, follow these steps:

  1. Read the question first: Look for words like "Who," "Relationship," or "How does... feel?" This tells you what to listen for.
  2. Identify the setting: Where are they? If you hear birds and wind, they might be in a park. This helps you guess the relationship.
  3. Listen for the "But": Often, a speaker starts happy but changes their feeling. "I love ice cream, but they don't have my favorite flavor." (The feeling changes to disappointed).

5. Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Ignoring the Tone: Don't just listen to the words. If someone says "Thanks a lot" in a very low, angry voice, they are actually annoyed, not thankful!
  • Mixing up Roles: In an interview, the Interviewer asks questions and the Guest answers them. Make sure you know which person the question is asking about.
  • Picking the first feeling you hear: A speaker might feel worried at the start of a story but relieved at the end. Make sure you answer based on the specific part of the story the question asks about.

Key Takeaways

1. Context Clues: Use the setting (school, home, shop) to guess the relationship.
2. Tone Matters: Listen to how they say it, not just what they say.
3. Key Vocabulary: Review adjectives for feelings like disappointed, proud, and anxious.
4. Stay Focused: You only have 15 minutes for the whole Listening section—stay sharp!

Good luck, Detective! You are now ready to identify speakers and their feelings in your next practice test!