Join me as I meet and get to know Rhiannon, an English coach whose mission is to help you feel awesome about your English. I had never met Rhiannon before this interview, so listen as I get to know her and we chat about her English & Welsh roots, moving to Edinburgh, studying theology at university, early experiences as an English teacher, why learners often feel ashamed of their English, and how she can help. We also discuss the wonders of fish & chips and deep fried Mars bars which you...
Nov 22, 2023โข1 hr 20 min
How does it feel to have a visual impairment? How do blind people navigate the world? How do other people treat you, if you are blind? And, how do we talk about blindness and other forms of disability in English? This episode is inspired by a listener called Hafid, who contacted me recently. I talk about the subject of blindness and disability in general, read an article written by a partially sighted person, and explain a list of words and phrases we should use when describing different forms o...
Nov 15, 2023โข1 hr 37 min
A listener left a comment on my website asking for my thoughts on the new Beatles song which was released last week, and I was happy to ramble about it for 45 mins. Listen to hear me give my thoughts and tell several stories related to what is being described as the last Beatles song. I talk for about 10 minutes about burning down my apartment, and my thoughts on the content I make for this podcast and then start talking about The Beatles until the end of the episode. To skip straight to the Bea...
Nov 08, 2023โข49 min
Fabio has written a book about language learning, based on his own personal experiences of learning English. Each chapter ends with the same sentence: โThis is how to learn a languageโ. But each chapter disagrees with the next. There are many ways to learn a language, and none of them is the only right way to do it. In this episode, we talk all about this and Fabio shares some of his stories. Fabio is the host of "Stolariod Stories" a self-development podcast which includes lots of lessons about...
Nov 01, 2023โข1 hr 39 min
Bed bugs in Paris & London, Mosquito hunting in the middle of the night, a home invasion by fleas and the terrors of cockroaches - listen to some anecdotes about encounters with insects with Zdenek who has recently relocated to Vietnam. Watch out for various insect idioms which appear during the conversation. ๐ Episode page on Luke's website (with list of insect idioms ๐ฆ & more) https://teacherluke.co.uk/2023/10/25/849-stories-of-insects-bugs-creepy-crawlies-with-zdenek-lukas/ ๐ Zdene...
Oct 25, 2023โข1 hr 54 min
Bree Aesie is an English teacher with a background in psychology, especially child development, and in this episode she comes onto LEP with advice and encouragement for parents who want to help their children to learn English from an early age. ๐ Episode page https://teacherluke.co.uk/2023/10/18/848-the-superpower-of-starting-english-early-with-kids-with-bree-aesie/ ๐ Listen to Luke's funny & dramatic story on Bree's podcast https://pod.link/1522715603/episode/71b6f95ea88babe5f978960f07a9e...
Oct 18, 2023โข1 hr 3 min
Join me for an unplanned rambling episode about various things including: hump day, bed bugs in Paris ๐, fashion trends I followed when I was younger ๐๐, CDs ๐ฟ vs cassettes ๐ผ vs vinyl ๐ต, the most relaxing place in the world ๐, Japanese zen gardens โฉ, Hunter S Thompson ๐ฌ, the most disgusting job I ever had ๐คฎ, and more... ๐ Episode page on my website https://teacherluke.co.uk/2023/10/11/847-random-topic-generator/...
Oct 11, 2023โข1 hr 6 min
"The Glib Brothers" reunite on the podcast to discuss more music, films, books, scary AI and UFO sightings. James is my older brother and he's probably been on this podcast more than any other guest. Listen for another deep and humorous conversation with lots of cultural reference points. Episode page https://www.https://teacherluke.co.uk/2023/10/03/846-topic-tombola-with-james/ Glytek Audio on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/1trBdNNHMafKfWxaXDdUBf?si=2L2beuujSkWU0mAeHYcTNw...
Oct 04, 2023โข2 hr 31 min
TECH TALK! A conversation with Joe Dale (modern foreign language teaching consultant, EdTech guru) about the use of ChatGPT in English teaching and learning. Lots of recommendations, tips and tricks for saving time and combining ChatGPT with other software including Google Chrome extensions. ๐ป For a list of all the Google Chrome extensions and other software, click here (episode page on my website) ๐
Sep 27, 2023โข1 hr 48 min
A conversation with accent coach Luke Nicholson, including lots of insights, advice and conclusions about improving your pronunciation in English. ๐ Episode page https://teacherluke.co.uk/2023/09/19/844-improve-your-pronunciation-with-luke-nicholson-accent-coach/ ๐ Luke Nicholson's websites www.improveyouraccent.co.uk www.funetics.com...
Sep 20, 2023โข1 hr 46 min
Talking to my wife (and daughter) about the birth of our son, who came into the world just a few weeks ago. We describe what happened, and explain how it feels to become parents for the second time. This is a very personal, first-hand account of childbirth and the experience of bringing a child into the world. Watch out for the vocabulary of childbirth and children which has previously been explained in episodes 162, 491, 492 and 814. Episode page on my website https://teacherluke.co.uk/2023/08/...
Sep 13, 2023โข1 hr 30 min
Hang out with me for an unscripted and unedited ramble about things like engaging moments while teaching English, how it feels to be about to become a father again, a funny new recording of my daughter speaking English, some recent films I've seen, and a recording of me doing stand-up comedy in front of an audience recently. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-sRi
Sep 06, 2023โข1 hr 36 min
Monopoly is one of the most famous board games of all time. It's sold in more than 114 countries and has been printed in more than 47 languages. It's famous for causing arguments and taking forever to finish! But it is a fantastic and fascinating game, so let's talk about it. In this episode I talk to Anna Tyrie from English Like a Native about childhood memories, rules that people don't follow, winning strategies, the real history of the game and more! I guarantee that with this episode you wil...
Aug 30, 2023โข1 hr 38 min
Here is a list of curious mysteries, jokes and observations about the English language and life in general. I talk about each interesting point, give some funny comments and explain bits of English vocabulary in the process. Expect to learn a few things, and have a bit of a laugh in the process ๐. Episode page with text https://wp.me/p4IuUx-sPU
Aug 23, 2023โข1 hr 33 min
Kate Billington returns for her 4th appearance on LEP to create some fun English conversation for you to listen to. We talk about lots of things, as usual, including her cycling trip to Berlin and a nasty accident she had on her bicycle in Paris earlier this year. Expect tangents, vocab, idioms, jokes, stories, cups of tea and some very "professional" podcast eating. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-sQh
Aug 16, 2023โข2 hr 20 min
This is the longest episode of LEP so far, and it's a solo ramble. I talk freely about a lovely day I had in Paris earlier this year, which really stuck in my memory. Relax, follow my words, hang out with me for 3 hours, get stranded on a desert island of the imagination, and then get rescued. Includes a haircut, a sleep and a t-shirt change during the episode. ๐ ๐ Script/notes available on the episode page here https://wp.me/p4IuUx-sQd
Aug 09, 2023โข3 hr 1 min
How would the same car accident be described in over 15 completely different styles of English? What are the differences in vocabulary, grammar and organisational structure? How should I change my voice to read each description? Let's see how English changes in different situations. Styles presented include: formal and informal English, news reports, an action movie screenplay, an Eminem rap, a romantic novel, a Shakespeare play, a politician making a speech, a stand-up comedian, Liam Neeson in ...
Aug 02, 2023โข1 hr 39 min
[Part 2 of 2] Since recording part 1 of this conversation, Antony caught COVID-19 and lost a bit of weight, but he managed to talk for about 100 minutes here about more topics he has previously covered in episodes of his podcast "Life & Life Only". Here we discuss diverse things including the extraordinary feats of endurance by David Blaine๐ด๐ป, food and dieting ๐, Stanley Kubrik's film "The Shining" ๐ช, the term "conspiracy theory" ๐คซ, the ways that comedy shows can reveal the truth ๐ญ, an...
Jul 26, 2023โข1 hr 56 min
Antony is an English teacher, podcaster, life-coach and writer and he returns to LEP today for a conversation about topics which he has discussed in episodes of his podcast called "Life & Life Only". Listen to us chat about why cats are good for your health ๐ฑ, what the Titanic disaster tells us about social class ๐ข, how losing his backpack while travelling taught Antony a valuable life lesson ๐, how psychology is involved in English teaching ๐ง and more. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-...
Jul 19, 2023โข1 hr 15 min
Reading an article by Gavin Lamb (PhD) about the conclusions of academic studies into language learning, and adding my own reflections and comments. What does research tell us about the best way to learn a language? What are the most important things to consider? What are the best methods? The article boils it all down to three main points. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-sPY
Jul 12, 2023โข1 hr 19 min
Join me as I read through a bizarre online game. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a lemon? No? Well, neither had I, until I played this game. Can I escape the kitchen, become human again and avoid being chopped up and turned into a juice! Watch out for some descriptive language and some funny moments along the way! Story by Daniel Champion on www.textadventures.co.uk Episode page with links https://wp.me/p4IuUx-sPF
Jul 05, 2023โข42 min
Let me read you a classic Sherlock Holmes detective story, written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I'll read the original text and stop regularly in order to explain what is happening so you can follow the story. ๐ Episode page with PDF transcript https://wp.me/p4IuUx-sPO
Jun 27, 2023โข1 hr 46 min
A conversation with Hadar Shemesh, a non-native speaker who has improved her English to a very high level, and who now shares her knowledge and experience with the world through her podcast and YouTube channel. Hadar describes her own experiences of learning English and mastering pronunciation. This episode is all about the voyage of discovery that is learning a language. ๐ Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-sOJ ๐ Hadar's episode with Luke https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/interview-with-luke-f...
Jun 20, 2023โข51 min
In conversation with Andy Cooke, an English teacher from England who is very popular on Instagram. We talk about Andy's background, becoming an English teacher, getting big on Instagram, ChatGPT and a few other tangents along the way. Includes a few songs on the guitar at the end of the episode. ๐ Episode page on teacherluke.co.uk https://wp.me/p4IuUx-sPG ๐ ๐ง Listen to Luke's Podcast using a podcast app on your phone (audio episodes have more content) https://plinkhq.com/i/312059190?to=page ๏ฟฝ...
Jun 14, 2023โข1 hr 18 min
Finally, here is the third part of this series about English slang words and expressions that most British people know, but which will probably confuse almost everyone else! I started this series in 2019. It's only taken me nearly 4 years to get round to finishing it. Learn loads of slang and culture, plus a bit of British history too. Vocabulary and transcript available on the episode page here https://wp.me/p4IuUx-aj8
Jun 09, 2023โข1 hr 37 min
Amber returns to the podcast to tell us some grisly stories about the history of Paris. Amber is a bit of an expert about Paris. She has read pretty much every book about the city and is also a registered tour guide here. A few years ago she set up a podcast called Paname Podcast (Paname is a nickname for Paris). Each episode contains a true story from history, with tales of battle, execution, romance, tragedy and adventure. You can get it where you get your podcasts. In this episode Amber comes...
May 31, 2023โข1 hr 33 min
๐ Take Carlos' survey here https://forms.ua.pt/index.php?r=survey/index&sid=699278&lang=en Carlos Soares, from the University of Aveiro in Portugal, is doing a master's degree dissertation all about language learning podcasts. He contacted me to conduct an interview as part of his research, and he agreed for me to publish it as an episode of my podcast. Carlos asks me about my thoughts on learning English through listening, my approach to making my podcast and some other details. ๐ Epi...
May 26, 2023โข36 min
Comedian Sebastian Marx returns to the podcast in order to talk about Yiddish words which have found their way into the English language, including common words like bagel, glitch and schmooze and plenty more. ๐ Episode page with links, etc https://wp.me/p4IuUx-sOX ๐ Sebastian Marx's website https://www.sebmarx.com
May 24, 2023โข1 hr 4 min
Is that a confusing title? Hopefully not. As you might expect, it's a little summary of what's included in the episode. To give you some more details, Alastair Budge is the host of a podcast called "English Learning for Curious Minds" and he has created a new audio drama for English learners called "Pioneers of the Continuum". It's a time-travel adventure for English learners, and Alastair asked me to be the narrator for episode 1. In this episode of LEP, we talk about Alastair's story, living i...
May 17, 2023โข1 hr 50 min
Talking to my parents about the coronation ceremony of King Charles III which happened in Westminster, London on Saturday 6 May. Includes descriptions of the ceremony and discussion of some of the issues related to it, plus a few dodgy jokes along the way ๐. ๐ Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-sOz
May 10, 2023โข1 hr 15 min
