People keep asking me in comments, "How can I learn English with your podcast?" so in this episode I am answering that question as simply, directly and efficiently as possible. Expect advice about improving your English across the 4 skills of listening, reading, speaking and writing, and the language systems of grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and discourse management. PDF available.📄 Get the PDF here 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/How-to-learn-English-with-my-podcast...
Oct 27, 2025•1 hr 13 min
Sign up to LEP Premium here 👉 https://www.teacherluke.co.uk/premium If you have ever wondered what happens in premium episodes, this episode will show you. I'll play you some clips from the latest series (P71) including some vocabulary explanations, memory quiz questions, pronunciation practice and discussion questions for speaking practice. For the rest of the series, and all the other episodes of LEP Premium (now over 250, each with PDF worksheets and video versions) sign up and become a Prem...
Oct 20, 2025•47 min
How many words are there in English? How many do you really need to know? And how many words have I spoken on this podcast? 🧐 Also, what is shadowing, and how should you do it? Can you do episodes about different English accents? What are your top 10 countries for this podcast? In this episode of Luke’s English Podcast, I answer listener questions about vocabulary size, English accents, the shadowing technique and more. PDF available with transcript and vocabulary list.📄 Get the PDF with trans...
Oct 13, 2025•1 hr 35 min
My brother James joins me again on the podcast for a rambling chat about diverse topics such as: trousers 👖 sandwiches 🥪 gangster films 🍿 the work of Edgar Allan Poe 📖 vinyl and cassettes 🎵 memories of living together 🎮 annoying behaviour 😤 and English words and grammar that irritate people 😠 plus James has a new vinyl EP out now on Ooz records. Transcript available 📄.🎧 Get OOZ004 - James' new vinyl EP 👉 https://oozrecords.bandcamp.com/album/ooz004 📄 Get the PDF transcript 👉 https:/...
Oct 06, 2025•1 hr 37 min
In episode 949 I did an online test which claimed to be for C1 level, but let's be honest - it was more like an intermediate level, the questions were rubbish and it was ultimately a useless scam. This time I'm taking a proper C1 English test - the Use of English section from a Cambridge CAE exam. Let's see what is required to pass this, and what bits of English you can learn from it.📄 Get the PDF 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Lets-take-a-REAL-C1-English-Test-CAE-Use-o...
Sep 29, 2025•1 hr 18 min
The Pod-Pals are back on the podcast for another catching up session! Recorded just after the summer holidays, there is talk of Paul's hatred of the beach 🏖️, the English tradition of building epic sandcastles 🏰, other famous people with our names (including an "evil" teacherluke 👿) and what AI gets completely wrong about us 🤦. PDF transcript available. (a.k.a Catching Up with Amber & Paul #15)📄 Get the PDF transcript 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Transcript-Ho...
Sep 22, 2025•58 min
My 7-year-old daughter joins me again as co-host in this fun episode. We play "Would you rather?", a conversation game in which we ask each other ridiculous questions about various hypothetical situations. Enjoy listening to another cute and funny chat with my daughter, which covers topics such as food, world peace, wealth, fame, success and Inspector Gadget.📄 Get the PDF transcript 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/A-game-of-Would-You-Rather_-with-my-daughter-953-TRANSCRI...
Sep 15, 2025•1 hr 23 min
A description of my recent family holiday to Norway 🇳🇴 including rambling about how I can't stand beach holidays 🏖️, chasing my son around different international airports 🏃, visiting Oslo ⛴️, Bergen 🏠, fjords 🚤 and mountains 🏔️. Edward Munch's The Scream 😱, staying in a cabin with no hot water, shower or washing machine, swimming in a freezing lake 🥶, catching a trout 🎣 and driving an electric Jaguar 🐆(that's a car). Includes a PDF with vocabulary in context, definitions, full transc...
Sep 08, 2025•1 hr 31 min
Dealing with some questions from listeners about pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary, namely how to know when 'd is had or would (in writing and pronunciation), the curious origins of the word podcast and a vocabulary lesson about the word cast including various collocations and phrases which include this morpheme (that means a part of a word, not some kind of shape-shifting alien). More groundbreaking and genre-defying content to grace your earphones, and not boring grammar stuff at all, not ...
Sep 01, 2025•1 hr 25 min
Peter, my old flatmate from Japan, is back on the podcast after his previous appearance 11 years ago! We chat about travelling experiences, teaching English in Malaysia and Japan, dealing with jet lag and culture shock, doing stand-up comedy abroad, and some of the funny, strange, and even weird experiences we’ve had while travelling. A relaxed, wide-ranging conversation full of stories, laughs, and cultural insights.Get the full PDF transcript here https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2...
Aug 25, 2025•1 hr 48 min
In this episode I take a typical multiple choice grammar test that you can find online, explain the answer to each question and give mini grammar lessons along the way. I also discuss what makes a good test of your English, and what good and bad level tests do. Learn more about grammar, and about how to check your language level.📄 Get the episode PDF https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Lets-take-a-C1-English-Grammar-Test-and-critique-it.pdf 🔗 Episode page https://teacherluke.c...
Aug 18, 2025•2 hr 11 min
In this fun and practical episode I dive into realistic workplace English through improvised role-play conversations. Designed to help you boost your vocabulary, listening skills, and confidence in professional settings, this episode features six humorous and educational role-play scenarios in workplaces like a factory, office, supermarket, and a shop. Listen to me improvising with ChatGPT and see if it can keep up with some ridiculous ideas, and learn some useful practical English in the proces...
Aug 11, 2025•1 hr 4 min
This episode is all about choices we have to make relating to technology in our everyday lives, and the vocabulary of technology today. This episode focuses on issues such as information quality & fact checking, digital sustainability, AI and automation, security, surveillance and privacy, tech company ethics, & tech and well-being. All important topics which you should be able to talk about in English! PDF available. Part 2 of 2.📄 Get the episode PDF https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-conten...
Aug 04, 2025•1 hr 30 min
This episode is all about choices we have to make relating to technology in our everyday lives. I'll be discussing contemporary tech-related issues such as privacy vs. convenience, data sharing, digital, detox, online behaviour, digital legacy, tech addiction, tech for children. It includes loads of vocabulary and will give you the chance not only to listen to me talking, but also to practise your speaking on this subject too. PDF available. Part 1 of 2.📄 Get the episode PDF https://teacherluke...
Jul 28, 2025•1 hr 57 min
Sometimes it is fine to laugh at the mistakes that we make in English (I do it in French) and so in this episode let's look at some English errors that are unintentionally hilarious. I will correct the errors, explain what is funny, and there is a lot of vocabulary to learn in the process. PDF available with vocabulary list and memory questions.📄 Get the episode PDF with vocabulary list and memory questions https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Funny-English-Errors-Corrected-945....
Jul 21, 2025•1 hr 2 min
In this episode I take you on a big rambling journey through all sorts of English-learning goodness (and nonsense). We start by pondering what makes a good podcast title — is it clever, clickbait, or just clear? I reveal a monumental tectonic shift in the way I am titling my episodes. Then it’s into the Grammar Zone, with an in-depth look at English narrative tenses. Then I reveal LukeGlish.com, a custom search tool that lets you explore my entire podcast content by words and phrases. And, there...
Jul 14, 2025•2 hr 32 min
Time for another Sherlock Holmes mystery story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle on the podcast, because: Why not? I have adapted the text into modern English this time. A champion racehorse 🐎 has gone missing, and its trainer violently murdered. Only Sherlock Holmes can find the solution 🕵️. Listen to the events, follow my summaries and simply enjoy another story on Luke's English Podcast. PDF available 📄.Episode page with PDF 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/07/07/943-sherlock-holmes-the-adventure...
Jul 07, 2025•2 hr 21 min
Improve your English and reduce stress with this unique ASMR-style episode ☁️ 🧘. Join me for a relaxing, meditative journey featuring calm background music, softly spoken English, vocabulary for peace and tranquillity, some grammar practice, and gentle humour. Designed to help you learn English naturally while calming your mind, this episode is ideal for listening in bed, during quiet study, or or on a peaceful walk. Includes ambient music by my brother Jim Thompson. ASMR English, learn English...
Jun 30, 2025•1 hr 31 min
Learn English with a short story on LEP. In this episode I am reading "The Man Who Could Work Miracles" by HG Wells (adapted into modern English). First you can listen to the story, then I summarise it again in my own words, discuss my interpretations of its meaning, explain how you can use stories like this to improve your English, and teach some vocabulary which came up.📄 Get the PDF with story text, notes and vocabulary list here 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/941.-T...
Jun 23, 2025•2 hr 6 min
Here is the second part of this double episode all about great things to see and do while in London 🇬🇧. Listen to my friends and family talking about the city 🏙️, learn some fascinating bits of history 🔥, get inside tips 🗺️ and learn some vocabulary in the process. 📄 Get the episode PDF with transcript, recommendation summaries & vocabulary list 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/940.-Our-favourite-things-to-do-in-London-Part-2-Transcript.pdf 📺 Watch "Walk & T...
Jun 09, 2025•1 hr 50 min
Here is part 1 of a double episode about London 🇬🇧 and great things you can see and do there 🎡. Listen to my friends and family describing their favourite things to do in the city 🍻, get some travel tips 🏙️, get a mini history lesson 🏛️, and learn some vocabulary in the process. 📄 Get the episode PDF with transcript, recommendation summaries & vocabulary list 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/939.-Our-favourite-things-to-do-in-London-Part-1-Transcript.pdf 📺 Watc...
Jun 09, 2025•1 hr 34 min
A return to Luke's Film Club with a conversation about one of the funniest and most controversial films of all time, also voted one of the UK's favourite films. Antony and I discuss the film's writing, production, story, famous scenes, deeper meanings and acting by the various members of the Monty Python team. Transcript available.📄 Get the PDF transcript here 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/938.-Film-Club_-Monty-Pythons-Life-of-Brian-with-Antony-Rotunno.pdf 🔗 Website p...
Jun 03, 2025•2 hr 1 min
It's my birthday 🥳 so join me for a relaxed and light-hearted ramble, first with some comments about recent episodes and other podcast housekeeping, and then a series of talking points with the Spinning Wheel of Random Questions ☸️ including bits about how being an English teacher affects my social interactions 💬, the infamous ice-cream wars of Ice-Cream Island 🏝️, leading an army of English learners into battle on the back of an Elephant 🐘, the title of my (hypothetical) autobiography 📖, a...
May 27, 2025•1 hr 43 min
In this episode, I’m joined by Alastair Budge from Leonardo English to explore how you can use AI tools like ChatGPT to boost your English, especially when combined with podcasts. We go through specific, practical ways to actively engage with podcast content using AI — improving your listening, vocabulary, grammar, writing, and even speaking. Alastair shares a set of very useful prompts and techniques you can try out straight away, and we discuss the pros and cons of using AI for language learni...
May 19, 2025•2 hr 8 min
This episode is all about the exciting topic of driving, getting stuck in traffic jams, the future of our roads and how self-driving cars might be the solution. What is so annoying about traffic jams? Why do they even happen in the first place? Have you seen your first self-driving car yet? Will they solve our driving problems, or not? The episode is full of anecdotes, analysis, opinions and plenty of vocabulary. PDF available with notes, vocabulary list & vocabulary quiz.📄 Get the PDF 👉 h...
May 12, 2025•1 hr 45 min
Have you ever wondered about sign language, how it works and if it is similar to other languages like English? In this conversation I speak to Siobhan Dodd who is a sign language interpreter between English and BSL (British Sign Language). Siobhan is an enthusiastic and entertaining guest and we have a great chat about the nature of sign language, the challenges & opportunities faced by the deaf community today, and some of Siobhan's memorable interpreting experiences, such as working at the...
May 06, 2025•1 hr 29 min
Hello! In this episode I focus on English expressions and idioms that originated in the works of William Shakespeare and are still used in modern everyday language. Notice the expressions in various contexts, fully understand their meanings and use, explore their origins in Shakespeare's work, and gain valuable lessons about how to learn new vocabulary with real world examples. Also, learn about my short-lived career as a goalkeeper for the legendary football team "Chadwick FC". Includes a PDF w...
Apr 29, 2025•1 hr 32 min
In this episode I talk to my parents about the topic of William Shakespeare. We discuss the enduring appeal and significance of William Shakespeare's work, biographical details of his life, the key themes in Shakespeare’s plays, and the impact of his language on modern English. We try to explain the qualities that make Shakespeare great, using examples from plays like Hamlet, Twelfth Night, and Macbeth. We also consider the challenges of understanding Shakespeare and suggest ways for newcomers t...
Apr 21, 2025•1 hr 34 min
This episode features a conversation with Zdenek about fears and anxieties experienced in everyday life. We explore common fears such as driving, flying, culture shock, language learning and public speaking. Listen for stories of Luke's fear of Paris cafes, airport anxiety, Luke's dramatic scooter ride in Nha Trang, Zdenek's fears of Vietnamese roads and driving, Luke's recent cycling accident in Paris, Zdenek's encounter with a London police officer, nerves about teaching, and more.The accompan...
Apr 14, 2025•1 hr 43 min
This episode is about the bizarre and funny questions that people input into Google. I explore and answer some of these questions, explaining some vocabulary. The result is an engaging and intellectually light-hearted discussion involving the usual mix of rambling, and English teaching. The episode covers a range of topics, from personal health, sex and relationships to broader existential and practical issues, with some diverse and absurd moments. The language style is a mix of informal slang a...
Apr 06, 2025•1 hr 39 min
