Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.
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Hi! I'm Roy,
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and today I'm going to tell you the difference between
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two words that are often confused: hear and listen.
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'Hear' is the verb we use to talk about the ability.
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It doesn't mean that we want to hear something.
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It's about sounds coming to our ears.
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I can hear the air conditioning.
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It doesn't mean that I want to hear it, but I can.
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The verb 'listen' is often followed by the preposition 'to'.
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We use this verb when we're paying attention
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or focusing on sounds.
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I hope you're listening to me.
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That means I hope you're paying attention.
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Compare these two sentences:
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I can hear some music (somewhere).
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I am listening to some music.
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I'm listening to a song that I want to listen to.
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Anyway, I've got to go.
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I can hear my boss calling me.
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