🇬🇧 I'm Michael Lavers and this podcast will help you improve your English. I'm an online English teacher for students learning as a second language. In this podcast, I answer your questions about learning and help you achieve your goals in British English. Once a month I talk to a teacher or expert on topics related to language.
I feel passionate about the topic of priorities because understanding how they work can have a big and positive impact on your life. Once you decide on what your priorities in life are, every choice you make becomes so much easier. You'll stress less other trivial, small decisions, and you'll start seeing faster progress in your English learning, and any other skills you're working on. I hope you also feel inspired after listening to this episode. Let's get started. Show notes page - https://lev...
Jesús Flórez is originally from Colombia but now resides in the USA, and despite not being a native English speaker, has built up his English to an impressive level of fluency. Jesús focuses a lot on accent since he has put a lot of work into getting a natural American accent. In the episode today, we discuss a lot about acquiring an English accent and how much effort you should put into that, whether accent is important, and a bit of a comparison between UK and US expressions. Show notes page -...
This is an episode I've been planning for a long time and I'm quite excited to share. We'll be looking at the origins of 8 different English words and the deep stories behind them. Each word originally comes from another language or culture, and it was brought into English through fascinating stories that we'll explore in this episode. These are just a few examples of the countless words that have been adopted into English in a similar way. For each word, I'll ask a question to the audience to a...
In this episode, I'll be going through pairs of confusing quantifiers (and similar pairs), such as So or Such, Many or Much, Fewer or Less? Some of these are even a struggle for native speakers, so if you can master these, you'll be in a good position with your English and sound much more natural. For each word, I will give a question for you to answer yourself and I'll do my best to answer them in the episode too. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast327 Level 3 is coming to L...
Inspired by his own eye health problems, the host explores the dangers of excessive screen time and shares how listeners can determine if their usage is too high. He details his personal strategy for reducing screen time, including tracking daily usage across different activities and implementing a gradual, realistic plan with specific time limits. The episode also covers practical tips like taking breaks and introduces useful English phrases for talking about doing something "too much."
Gideon from the popular YouTube channel LetThemTalkTV joins us this week for a casual chat about various topics covered on his channel. Gideon is an English teacher, YouTuber, and founder of LetThemTalk. His YouTube channel, LetThemTalkTV, started in 2012, has amassed over 600,000 subscribers and millions of views, providing valuable lessons on grammar, pronunciation, and the history of the English language. In this episode, we cover the interesting origins of some words, American and British di...
With my experience of learning multiple languages at the same time, I revisit my thoughts and advice on this popular question. What are the best ways to approach learning two languages? How do you best manage your time? I do my best to answer these questions in today's episode while sharing some different examples and methods that suit different people. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast324 Level 3 is coming to Level Up English this August! Click here to claim your 60%! Be f...
Do you look at the past through rose-tinted glasses? Do you feel a sense of nostalgia when looking into the past? In this episode, I explore the meaning and use behind this common expression with examples from my own life and a little bit at the end on the deeper meaning behind this phrase. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast323 Second Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@EnglishWithMichael Level 3 is coming to Level Up English this August! Click here to claim your 60%! Be fast!...
Small Talk is something many of us struggle with, and it's a really important part of socialising and using language. In this episode, I share some of my own awkward experiences with small talk, and then go through time tips on how we can all get better at it to improve our conversations and relationships. I then share a few phrases that English learners can use to sound more natural when making Small Talk. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast322 Level 3 is coming to Level Up ...
Abigail Fulbrook ( weareenglishteachers.com ) joins me for a fascinating chat about a few different topics, including moving to Japan from the UK, what we miss about the UK, learning using AI teachers, other uses of AI, and much more! Abigail Fulbrook has been teaching English for over 15 years. She's worked in the UK, Japan and online. As well as teaching she loves crafting and eating chocolate. She lives in Japan at the moment with her husband and two daughters, and far too many crafting suppl...
We first spoke about this in Episode 281, and now we're returning for a part 2. Cognitive Biases are ways our brains can trick us into certain beliefs and behaviours without realising, and in this episode, I'll cover a few of them such as the IKEA Effect, the Recency Effect, and the Negativity Bias. They're fascinating to learn, but will also give you some insight to make you a better language learner. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast320 Level 3 is coming to Level Up Engli...
In today's episode, I share an issue I've been thinking about for a while - finding the balance between speaking up and letting things go. In other words, when things annoy us or seem unjust, should we speak up and say something? Or should we prioritise our mental health and let it go? I share some of my own views with this and encourage you to get in touch with yours too. I also share lots of expressions related to this topic. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast319 Level 3 i...
This is an episode that I've been meaning to make for a while. Let's talk about 'trump' today. In fact, there are many phrases in English that originate from cards and gambling, so this episode looks at some of the common ones and how you can use them in your daily life. As always, I give examples from my own life to help put these phrases in a natural context for you. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast318 Level 3 is coming to Level Up English this August! Click here to clai...
There are many differences in vocabulary between British and American English. Some of these are quite well-known and easy to understand (biscuit and cookie, maybe), but others are a bit more complex. In today's episode, I'm not simply listing these differences. I'm looking at 8 terms that are different in both British and American English, but aren't quite the same in meaning. Each term reveals something special about the culture of each country. Hopefully, this episode will highlight some of t...
Alastair Budge from Leonardo English joined me for a casual chat about a variety of different topics. Alastair has his own podcast called " English Learning for Curious Minds ". In it, he covers all sorts of topics from space mining to population decline, while making content that helps English learners improve. I found this concept so interesting, so I picked a few topics at random to chat about in our conversation today. We also talk about the importance of curiosity. Today, you'll hear about ...
We've now done quite a few episodes on Phrasal Verbs, but this is an important one. Today, I'll be looking at the differences between separable and inseparable phrasal verbs. This is a very important part of English if you want to sound natural and fluent. As always, I'm not just listing off words in a boring way. I'll be sharing examples of both types while talking about my recent trip to Cambodia, and I also encourage you to make your own examples. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.scho...
In this episode, I'll be talking about driving culture in the UK. There are a lot of interesting laws and unwritten rules that are reflective of British culture. So whether you will be driving in the UK or not, I think this will be interesting for you. I share some of the big differences between driving culture in the UK and in Thailand, as well as my own experience taking my driving test when I was a teenager and how it might compare to your country. Of course, I also make sure to share loads o...
Let's explore the expression "The Grass is Greener on the Other Side". In English, this is used when we view other situations as better than our own. In fact, no matter what we have, we tend to value what we don't have more. I explore the meaning of this expression in some detail, examples from my own life, and also some common ways we all experience this along with some ideas on how to overcome the negative sides of this idea. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast313 Level 3 i...
Today I'm doing a rare in-person discussion with Teacher Zdenek . Zdenek has more than 12 years of experience in various settings, primarily teaching English learners of levels B2-C2. He's taught English in the Czech Republic, UK, Ireland and most recently Vietnam. Zdenek has also moved to Vietnam, and that's why we were able to meet up nearby in Bangkok for a casual discussion. We speak about moving abroad, learning the local language, habit-building, teaching English, naughty tourists, and muc...
This is a big habit masterclass episode! We'll be diving into the basics of creating habits, how to keep them going without giving up on your goals, and also how to kick some bad habits that are holding you back. I also give examples of successes and failures based on a lot of my own habit-building experiences. As you can tell by the length of this episode, this is a topic I'm truly passionate about and something I've been focusing on for my whole adult life. I really do believe that creating go...
The goal of this episode is to share as many useful healthcare vocabulary as I can think of. I first begin by comparing my medical experiences in the UK and in Thailand, and then go through some of my specific medical problems and injuries in each country where I go through my symptoms and share my views. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast310 Level 3 is coming to Level Up English this August! Click here to claim your 60%! Be fast! Spaces are limited. Sign Up for Free Lessons...
Cleft Sentences are an area of English grammar that is used in daily conversation, but isn't often taught. I don't know many things, but what I am knowledgable about is English! (There's an example!) In this episode, I first explain two of these grammar patterns that you can follow, and then I go through some questions about travel, life experience, and work while answering using this grammar. And of course, I encourage you to do the same. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast3...
Ben Gill from To The Point English joins us today for a great, detailed overview of the Cambridge English exams. Ben covers all sorts of topics and questions related to these exams on his YouTube channel (particularly B2, C1, and C2 levels). The exams are huge and we could talk about them for days, so in today's episode, I try to ask Ben a couple of common questions for each paper of the exam. We talk about tips for the listening exam, what accents to prepare for in the speaking exam, how much a...
For the past 6 months, I've been noting down the most common mistakes I see English learners make in preparation for this episode. I go through them one by one and give examples from my own life to give you some context for each one and show you how they're used. Some of these are simple mistakes, and others look at the subtle differences between two similar phrases. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast307 Level 3 is coming to Level Up English this August! Click here to claim ...
I've been tracking my own language learning for over a year and it's amazing to see my progress and time invested over that period. In this episode, I share with you the lessons from tracking all this data every day for one year, the benefits of doing so, and why doing something similar might be beneficial to you. Don't forget to join the discussion by leaving a comment in the shownotes or wherever you listen to this podcast. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast306 Level 3 is ...
As an annual tradition here on the podcast, let's talk about New Year Resolutions! I'll be talking about how 2024 went for me - looking at work goals, personal goals, and bucket list goals. I then move onto looking ahead to 2025 and plan for the year ahead. A lot can change, but I'm discussing some goals I have for the upcoming year with the goal of enjoying the year and learning more. Head to the comments below and join in with the conversation by sharing your own reviews and goals. Show notes ...
In this episode, we'll be going around the world to 5 different countries and looking at their different Christmas traditions. While doing this, I'll be sharing one expression with each one that you can use in daily conversations at any time of the year. I also talk a little bit about the differences in my experience between Christmas in Thailand and the UK. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast304 Level 3 is coming to Level Up English this A...
Today I'm joined by Emma ( Adventure into English ) for a conversation about group vs solo activities. Emma has been helping with the group classes at Level Up English for some time now, so it's an appropriate topic for today. We start by discussing some Would You Rather questions for activities that can be done as a group or on your own. We then move onto some English expressions around the topic of groups and working together. These are expressions you can use in your daily life, and I quiz Em...
Mental Health is something we should all take seriously and I believe there's a lot of crossover between language learning and having a healthy mindset. This was a request from a listener to cover this topic. Although I am of course, not a professional, I do love the topic, so I share 18 different methods that I used to improve my own mental health and bring happiness into my life. I hope you find some of them useful too. Of course, as always, I mention loads of fantastic English words and phras...
You may know that British people are famous for using the word 'sorry' all the time. In this episode, I talk about this habit and how much truth is behind it, but I also share the different situations in which we would say 'sorry' in the UK - and maybe more generally in the English-speaking world too. Sorry is so much more than a word used when you make a mistake and it can have many different meanings. There are also many different ways to apologise and say you're sorry depending on how serious...
