It's sometimes said that the two hardest words to say in the English language are, "I'm sorry." Today, we're republishing a classic Plain English episode about how to apologize — not how to say the words, but how to form an apology to repair a relationship after you've done something wrong. Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/lessons/good-apologies -- Plain English helps you improve your English: Learn about the world and improve your English Clear, natural English at a speed you can understan...
Jul 28, 2025•16 min•Ep. 402
Today's story: Country music has long existed in its own space, with a dedicated fanbase and distinct sound. But recent years have seen major pop stars like Beyoncé and Post Malone embrace country elements, helping the genre reach new listeners. Streaming is also opening the door for more diverse artists and fans. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/793 Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/793 -- Plain English helps you improve your English: Learn about the world and improve yo...
Jul 24, 2025•13 min•Ep. 793
Today's story: A new global chess tour is trying to make the ancient game more exciting—for both players and viewers. Spearheaded by Magnus Carlsen, the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour shakes up traditional chess by randomizing the starting position of key pieces. The format reduces the advantage of computer-assisted preparation and rewards raw skill and intuition. The games are also broadcast with modern, viewer-friendly features like live commentary and player confessionals. Transcript & E...
Jul 21, 2025•14 min•Ep. 792
Today's story: Almost 150 people in France reported being stabbed with a needle during a summer music festival in 2025. It's just the latest in several waves of similar attacks around the world. Victims say they feel a sudden pinprick. Some later feel dizzy, nauseous, and tired. But few reported more serious symptoms and toxicology screens show only light traces of substances (if any at all). So what's the motive for these attacks? Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/791 Full le...
Jul 17, 2025•14 min•Ep. 791
Today's story: Orcas are the largest type of dolphin, and they're known for their intelligence. A recent study proves they are more clever than previously thought. Researchers captured video of orcas using kelp to groom each other. The behavior shows not only tool use, but also cooperation between individuals—a rare behavior for animals that live in the sea. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/790 Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/790 -- Plain English helps you improve your ...
Jul 14, 2025•15 min•Ep. 790
Today's story: You thought only the passengers rated the drivers? Think again: drivers rate passengers, too. And a low passenger rating might cost you. But it's not hard to earn a high passenger rating. To keep a high rating, don’t make the driver wait, be polite, avoid eating or drinking in the car, follow the rules, and don’t slam the door when you leave. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/789 Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/789 -- Plain English helps you improve your E...
Jul 10, 2025•17 min•Ep. 789
Today's story: A company called what3words has divided the world into 57 trillion squares, each three meters by three meters, and labeled each square with a unique three-word combination. This makes it easier to specify precise locations—even in parks, rural areas, or places without formal addresses. This can help when meeting friends or giving directions. But governments, businesses, and emergency services are starting to use the system too. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/...
Jul 07, 2025•19 min•Ep. 788
Today's story: In many parts of the world, buildings don't have formal, complete addresses that can be identified on a map. Locals often use landmarks to explain where they live. But these improvised systems come with inefficiencies and real-world consequences. It's hard for residents to get deliveries, access emergency services, or find brick-and-mortar businesses. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/787 Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/787 -- Plain English helps you impro...
Jul 03, 2025•15 min•Ep. 787
Leaving a five-star review has become customary for any experience that is excellent, good, average, or even acceptable, and anything below five-stars means terrible in the world of online reviews. As consumers, this system isn’t helpful in identifying the true high performers, and it makes it difficult for people or businesses to stand out from the crowd. Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/lessons/five-star-reviews -- Plain English helps you improve your English: Learn about the world and im...
Jun 30, 2025•21 min•Ep. 419
Archive episode: Today, we're opening up the Plain English archives to revisit the only episode we've ever done about...a haircut. The mullet hairstyle is known for looking like business in the front, party in the back, and have typically been worn by men from rural, lower income areas of Australia. However, in recent years, the hairstyle has outgrown its unsophisticated reputation. The hairstyle is now popular among city-dwellers and with celebrities, and there is even a festival celebrating mu...
Jun 26, 2025•15 min•Ep. 505
Today's story: The gut microbiome is home to trillions of bacteria and microorganisms that help us digest food, regulate our immune systems, and even influence our mental health. Social media is full of (expensive) hacks to improve gut health, but scientists say the path to good gut health is simpler. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/786 Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/786 -- Plain English helps you improve your English: Learn about the world and improve your English Cl...
Jun 23, 2025•13 min•Ep. 786
Today's story: Nate Bargatze rose to fame by rejecting edgy or controversial comedy in favor of clean, relatable humor. His everyman style and family-friendly jokes have made him one of America’s most successful comedians, with sold-out tours, Netflix specials, major media appearances, and Hollywood ambitions. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/785 -- Plain English helps you improve your English: Learn about the world and improve your English Clear, natural English at a speed y...
Jun 19, 2025•15 min•Ep. 785
Today's story: The classic advice that breakfast is the "most important meal of the day" may be overstated. But eating a morning meal can bring important benefits to your nutrition, metabolism, and even cognitive functions. Before you write off breakfast, think about ways you can make the first meal of the day work for you. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/784 -- Plain English helps you improve your English: Learn about the world and improve your English Clear, natural Englis...
Jun 16, 2025•14 min•Ep. 784
Today's story: As students use ChatGPT to write essays, solve problems, and complete assignments, teachers are left with difficult choices. Should they try to catch cheaters? Ban devices? Or embrace AI and teach students how to use it responsibly? Many teachers are also using AI themselves, to create materials, grade fairly, and save time—but not everyone is happy. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/783 -- Plain English helps you improve your English: Learn about the world and ...
Jun 12, 2025•14 min•Ep. 783
Today's story: In just a few short years, ChatGPT has transformed what it means to be in school. Students can use AI to for help in their homework, or to do their assignments from start to finish. Educators worry that widespread cheating means that students today are not getting the problem-solving skills they'll need in the real world. "College is just how well I can use ChatGPT," one student admitted. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/782 -- Plain English helps you improve y...
Jun 09, 2025•16 min•Ep. 782
Today's story: High-protein foods and supplements have gone mainstream, moving beyond gyms and into everyday grocery carts. From cottage cheese to high-protein soda, food makers are cashing in on the trend. But not all sources are created equal, and nutrition experts urge caution with processed, protein-enhanced foods. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/781 Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/781 -- Plain English helps you improve your English: Learn about the world and impro...
Jun 05, 2025•17 min•Ep. 781
Today's story: Book and movie titles often change dramatically in translation, and the reasons go beyond simple language differences. Local publishers and distributors choose titles based on cultural context, marketing strategy, and artistic goals—resulting in everything from literal translations to poetic rewrites and puzzling name changes. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/780 Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/780 -- Plain English helps you improve your English: Learn ab...
Jun 02, 2025•19 min•Ep. 780
Today's story: A biotech company in Texas has created three wolf pups using DNA from extinct dire wolves and modern gray wolves. While the company claims this is the first-ever de-extinction, many scientists say the result is not a true dire wolf, but a synthetic animal that only resembles the original species. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/779 -- Plain English helps you improve your English: Learn about the world and improve your English Clear, natural English at a speed ...
May 29, 2025•17 min•Ep. 779
Today's story: Many major airports around the world have chapels or prayer rooms—some interfaith, some religion-specific—offering travelers and employees a quiet place for reflection, prayer, or emotional support. These spaces, first created mainly for airport staff, now serve religious and non-religious visitors alike, helping people find peace in stressful moments. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/778 -- Plain English helps you improve your English: Learn about the world an...
May 26, 2025•16 min•Ep. 778
Today's story: The four-part Netflix series “Adolescence” tells the story of a teenage boy accused of murder. The story is gripping and powerful. But for viewers, the tension is enhanced by the way the series was made. Each episode was filmed in a single take, using just one camera. The creative team overcame enormous technical challenges to deliver a raw, immersive experience. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/777 -- Plain English helps you improve your English: Learn about t...
May 22, 2025•15 min•Ep. 777
Great news -- the expressions are back! "Essential English Expressions" is a brand-new podcast from Plain English. All 14 episodes from Season 1 are available now for you to stream. Click this link to subscribe on your favorite player: https://essential-english.captivate.fm/listen In the meantime, enjoy this sample episode! -- There are two ways to use the phrasal verb "figure out." Number 1: "figure out" means to find the solution to a problem. Now be careful: it doesn't mean fixing a problem. ...
May 21, 2025•16 min
Today's story: Warren Buffett, one of the most successful investors in history, announced his retirement at age 94 during his company's 2025 annual meeting. Buffett transformed Berkshire Hathaway, a failing textile business, into a holding company, where he pursued his disciplined value investing strategy. Over a sixty-year career, he consistently beat the market performance by a wide margin and amassed one of the world's largest personal fortunes. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglis...
May 19, 2025•15 min•Ep. 776
Today's story: Mark Carney, former head of the central banks of Canada and the UK, led Canada's struggling Liberal party to an improbable, come-from-behind victory in the 2025 elections. He focused his campaign on protecting Canada’s interests, after Donald Trump imposed tariffs and threatened to make Canada the 51st American state. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/775 Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/775 -- In this lesson, you heard the English expressions "keep track o...
May 15, 2025•17 min•Ep. 775
Great news -- the expressions are back! "Essential English Expressions" is a brand-new podcast from Plain English. All 14 episodes from Season 1 are available now for you to stream. Click this link to subscribe on your favorite player: https://essential-english.captivate.fm/listen In the meantime, enjoy this sample episode! -- The English expression "make sure" means to confirm that things are as they should be, or that people have done what they should do. You probably "make sure" all the time....
May 14, 2025•13 min
Today's story: The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, one of three major schools of Buddhism. Though he leads only a fraction of the world’s Buddhists, his influence is global due to his role as a symbol of Tibet’s struggle for religious freedom. Now the Dalai Lama is 89, and confronting the fact that he will be the first in over 600 years to die outside Tibet. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/774 Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/774 -- In this lesso...
May 12, 2025•17 min•Ep. 774
Today's story: LinkedIn has evolved from a resume and networking site into a platform where users share personal stories, professional lessons, and insights. Changes to the algorithm, a shift in user behavior during the pandemic, and a more civil atmosphere have turned LinkedIn into a space for authentic content and unexpected influence. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/773 Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/773 -- Plain English helps you improve your English: Learn about ...
May 08, 2025•15 min•Ep. 773
Great news -- the expressions are back! "Essential English Expressions" is a brand-new podcast from Plain English. All 14 episodes from Season 1 are available now for you to stream. Click this link to subscribe on your favorite player: https://essential-english.captivate.fm/listen In the meantime, enjoy this sample episode! -- Learn the English expression, "Expression: Make a difference" What does it mean to "make a difference?" This English expression has two meanings: Number one, to have a pos...
May 07, 2025•16 min
Today's story: When a pope dies or resigns, the College of Cardinals, made up of senior advisors, convenes at the Vatican to elect a successor. Cardinals under age 80 enter a secret Conclave inside the Sistine Chapel, where they vote in silence and prayer until one candidate receives a two-thirds majority. White smoke signals the world that a new pope has been chosen. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/772 Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/772 -- Plain English helps you imp...
May 05, 2025•17 min•Ep. 772
Today's story: Mass timber is a new type of engineered wood that allows buildings to reach heights once thought impossible for timber. It’s efficient to build, environmentally friendly, and gaining popularity in cities around the world, especially in Europe. But challenges like fire safety and moisture still remain. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/771 Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/771 -- Plain English helps you improve your English: Learn about the world and improve ...
May 01, 2025•12 min•Ep. 771
Great news -- the expressions are back! "Essential English Expressions" is a brand-new podcast from Plain English. All 14 episodes from Season 1 are available now for you to stream. Click this link to subscribe on your favorite player: https://essential-english.captivate.fm/listen In the meantime, enjoy this sample episode! -- Learn the English expression, "Expression: Look forward to" Are you happy or excited about something in the future? If so, you're "looking forward to" it You can look forw...
Apr 30, 2025•18 min
