Meaning & use
a good listener
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A person who pays attention carefully when others speak and responds in a supportive way.
Grammar: Countable noun phrase: one good listener, two good listeners. Usually used with 'be' or 'become': be a good listener.
Patterns
- be a good listener
- become a good listener
- a good listener to someone
My best friend is a good listener and never interrupts.
To be a good listener, you need to stop thinking about what to say next.
Teachers who are good listeners often have happier students.
Word forms
| plural | good listeners |
|---|
Common combinations
- be a good listener
- She is a good listener, so people trust her with their problems.
- become a better listener
- He took a course to become a better listener at work.
- a naturally good listener
- My aunt is a naturally good listener.
- learn to be a good listener
- Good managers learn to be good listeners.
Synonyms and how they differ
- attentive
- 'Attentive' is an adjective describing someone who listens carefully; 'a good listener' is a noun phrase for the person.
- sympathetic
- 'Sympathetic' means showing you understand someone's feelings; a good listener also pays attention, but the focus is on listening rather than feeling.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: a good listener or a good speaker?
a good listener vs a good speaker
A good speaker talks well; a good listener listens well. They are opposite skills.
Practice
When a friend is upset, it helps to be ______.
Choose one answer.
'A good listener' is the correct noun phrase with the article. 'Good listener' without 'a' is not standard, 'the good listener' suggests a specific one already known, and 'good listening' is an activity, not a person.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a good listener”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.