Today's story: For two decades, the Big Three—Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic—defined men’s tennis. With Federer and Nadal retired and Djokovic aging out of contention, a new rivalry has taken center stage. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have claimed every major title in the past two years, marking the beginning of a new era. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/806 Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/806 -- Plain English helps you improve your English: Learn about the world and...
Sep 29, 2025•14 min•Ep. 806
In this lesson from the Plain English archives, you'll learn about one of Canada's sweetest exports: maple syrup. In 2021, there were fears of a shortage. This episode tells the story. "A weaker maple syrup harvest this year put Canada in a bit of a sticky situation. As the world leader in maple syrup production, Canada had to tap into its maple syrup reserves to avoid a global shortage. Pancake enthusiasts: keep calm, there will still be syrup!" Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/lessons/map...
Sep 25, 2025•14 min•Ep. 424
Enjoy this episode from the Plain English archives. Emoji are everywhere, including some unlikely places...like the courtroom. Court cases often hinge on what words mean. But what happens when a dispute involves an emoji? To decide cases or rule on motions, judges often have to decide what a 👍 or a 💓 means. To make matters worse, there's no emoji dictionary and not everyone agrees on what each emoji means. 🤷 Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/lessons/emojis-in-court -- Plain English helps ...
Sep 22, 2025•17 min•Ep. 608
Today's story: How do stolen cars move around the world? Easy. They're loaded into standard shipping containers and sent overseas using the same freight network that moves legal goods. Weak customs enforcement and decentralized criminal networks help keep the operation running smoothly. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/805 Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/805 -- Plain English helps you improve your English: Learn about the world and improve your English Clear, natural En...
Sep 18, 2025•15 min•Ep. 805
Today's story: Car theft is on the rise, and it's high tech and global. Thieves in rich countries steal luxury SUVs using relay devices and other tools, then ship them overseas to markets in Africa and the Middle East, where demand is high and oversight is weak. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/804 Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/804 -- Plain English helps you improve your English: Learn about the world and improve your English Clear, natural English at a speed you can ...
Sep 15, 2025•14 min•Ep. 804
Today's story: Umpire Jen Pawol made history as the first woman to officiate a Major League Baseball game in 150 years. Her milestone highlights the growing presence of female officials in men’s sports, from soccer to basketball, and the challenges they face breaking into these roles. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/803 Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/803 -- Plain English helps you improve your English: Learn about the world and improve your English Clear, natural Engl...
Sep 11, 2025•15 min•Ep. 803
Today's story: Italy has approved plans for the Messina Bridge, a €13.5 billion suspension bridge linking Sicily to the mainland. If completed by 2033, it would be the world’s longest suspension bridge, but faces engineering, environmental, financial, and political challenges. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/802 Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/802 -- Plain English helps you improve your English: Learn about the world and improve your English Clear, natural English at a...
Sep 08, 2025•14 min•Ep. 802
Today's story: Skinny jeans and tight-fitting clothes are out, and loose, oversized fashion is in. The shift is driven by comfort after the pandemic, greater body inclusivity, and a wave of 1990s nostalgia. Designers and retailers alike are embracing relaxed cuts for all genders. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/801 Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/801 -- Plain English helps you improve your English: Learn about the world and improve your English Clear, natural English a...
Sep 04, 2025•13 min•Ep. 801
Today's story: A playful concert tradition took a serious turn when Coldplay’s “Jumbotron Song” captured an embrace between a tech CEO and his HR director. The viral video ignited a nationwide scandal, raising questions about workplace relationships and the risks of being caught on camera. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/800 Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/800 -- Plain English helps you improve your English: Learn about the world and improve your English Clear, natural...
Sep 01, 2025•14 min•Ep. 800
Xoloft, Ibrance, Zocor, Mounjaro: How do drug companies come up with these names? That's exactly what we explored in this classic episode of Plain English. When a pharmaceutical company develops a new treatment, the company creates both the generic (scientific) name and the brand name. They sound weird, but there's a method behind the madness of naming prescription drugs. Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/lessons/prescription-drug-names -- Plain English helps you improve your English: Learn ...
Aug 28, 2025•19 min•Ep. 557
It can be hard to focus on one thing for an extended period of time. An art class at Harvard takes this to the extreme. All students get an assignment during the class. They have to go to a museum and look at a painting for three hours. We didn't do that...but we came close, in this classic episode of Plain English. Here's what it's like to look at a single painting for one full hour. Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/lessons/painting-challenge -- Plain English helps you improve your English...
Aug 25, 2025•13 min•Ep. 497
Today's story: After years of delays, Cairo’s Grand Egypt Museum is finally nearing completion. The massive museum will house over 100,000 artifacts from Ancient Egypt, including more than 5,000 items from King Tut’s tomb. Although the King Tut galleries are still closed, most of the museum is open to the public — and visitors say it’s stunning. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/799 Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/799 -- Plain English helps you improve your English: Lear...
Aug 21, 2025•13 min•Ep. 799
Today's story: Erin Patterson invited her estranged husband’s family to lunch and served them beef wellington. But her guests soon got sick, and doctors discovered the recipe had been made with poisonous death cap mushrooms. Patterson claimed it was all a tragic mistake, but inconsistencies in her story led police to suspect murder. A jury found her guilty on all counts. The case captivated news junkies around the world. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/798 Full lesson: https...
Aug 18, 2025•14 min•Ep. 798
Today's story: Cities around the world are sinking due to a combination of groundwater extraction, rapid urbanization, and the weight of large buildings. This phenomenon, called subsidence, can damage infrastructure, worsen flooding, and, in some places, become irreversible. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/797 Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/797 -- Plain English helps you improve your English: Learn about the world and improve your English Clear, natural English at a s...
Aug 14, 2025•13 min•Ep. 797
Today's story: For decades, white text on a full blue background has meant one thing to Windows users: the computer has crashed and needs to be restarted. The screen was splashed across display boards in public places during a massive outage in July 2024. But now, Microsoft is redesigning the screen, frowny-face and all. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/796 Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/796 -- Plain English helps you improve your English: Learn about the world and imp...
Aug 11, 2025•13 min•Ep. 796
Today's story: The western province of Alberta is moving toward a vote of independence from Canada. Polls show that only about 30 percent of residents truly want to break away. However, the growing independence movement reflects the frustration and isolation that many Albertans feel over the energy and environmental policies made at the national level. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/795 Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/795 -- Plain English helps you improve your Englis...
Aug 07, 2025•15 min•Ep. 795
Today's story: 'Birthright citizenship' is the legal concept that grants citizenship to children born within a country's borders, no matter the nationality of their parents. The modern version started in the United States and quickly spread to other countries in the Americas. But the rest of the world (generally speaking) gives citizenship based on the nationality of the parents. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/794 Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/794 -- Plain English h...
Aug 04, 2025•15 min•Ep. 794
We recently did an episode about how movie titles are translated from their original to other languages. That made us nostalgic for the days of movie rentals, and it called to mind this classic episode of Plain English about the ""last Blockbuster." There were once over 9,000 locations of the video rental store with the eye-catching blue-and-yellow logo. But now, there is just one." Full lesson: https://plainenglish.com/lessons/last-blockbuster -- Plain English helps you improve your English: Le...
Jul 31, 2025•17 min•Ep. 355
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
