Difficult Words to Pronounce in English (with Paul Taylor) (Parts 1 & 2) + video –This is a double episode with two audio episodes on one page, and it’s all about difficult pronunciation in English. Listen to Paul Taylor and me discussing the tricky relationship between spelling and pronunciation. There are lots of jokes, impressions, funny accents and useful comments about this important area of the English language.
Disturbing history of violence of teen killer who murdered schoolgirl
Expect stories from various periods of English history, plus descriptions of typical English bird life. English history and culture on Luke’s English Podcast. So, I made this podcast episode about it. Expect discussion of culture, history, psychology and communication, with plenty of vocabulary explained. Our favourite things to do in London (Part 2) – 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.
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Will my dad be able to identify the words, spell them and explain the differences? Listen to learn 20 words and phrases which native English speakers often get wrong. Vocabulary list with definitions and examples available.
Recorded live in front of an audience at the British Council in Paris. What do British people think about The Queen and The Royal Family? (with James) – Luke and James discuss their feelings about the Royal Family, with some survey results about the popularity of royal family members among British people in general.
The Intercultural Communication Dance with Sherwood Fleming – Talking to Sherwood Fleming, author of “Dance of Opinions” about intercultural communication, including common problems and the solutions to help us learn to communicate more effectively across cultures. Part 2 Frightening Experiences (with James) – James and I share some stories of genuinely scary and disturbing experiences which we’ve had in our lives. LEP LIVE!
Sophie Turner – Latest News and Updates
PERSEVERANCE, POSITIVITY & PRACTICE with Santiago Ruiz de Velasco from Oxford University Press – Santiago is the Managing Director of English Teaching at Oxford University Press. But English is not his first language. He learned it as an adult when he moved to London in his twenties. This conversation explores the challenges, failures and successes he has had in his English learning, and the things he has learned about learning a language. Toilets, Titanic & TikTok with AMBER & PAUL – An unedited conversation with Amber & Paul about toilet habits, Titanic (1997), weird videos on TikTok & YouTube and plenty more.
‘Bloodthirsty’ couple jailed for murdering woman and dismembering body
My Experiences of (not) Learning French Part 1 – Sharing my experiences of learning French (or not learning it). My French and Me – How I learned some French as a child and how I’m failing to learn it properly as an adult. Includes conclusions about language learning, immersion and the importance of motivation, habit and simply applying yourself. What’s on the table? Fred and Alex are both stand-up comedians living in Paris who perform in English. Includes references to The Queen, The Legend of Zelda and a lot of pizza.
Advanced level listening practice with the POD-PALs. Turkey & Syria Earthquake Appeal / What is happening in Iran? (Articles & Vocabulary) – An episode about two (unconnected) situations, 1) the very recent earthquake in Turkey & Syria which has left many people in urgent need of help, 2) the humanitarian crisis in Iran. During the episode I read from various articles and explain some vocabulary.
Mother and three children die in house fire in London as man arrested
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. My brother’s new album is out now / Music Chat with James – Here’s a bonus episode, and it’s for fans of my brother’s music. James’ new album is out now and so we decided to record this episode in order to promote it and also to talk generally about music, including a chat about favourite albums, first albums we ever bought, albums we discovered in our parents’ record collection and more. The Lying Game #9 with Amber & Paul (with Vocabulary Explanations) – The return of the lying game on LEP!
Sophie Turner enters talks to star as iconic Lara Croft in Prime Video’s Tomb Raider TV series
Notes & transcript available. Paul McCartney’s Spider Story – Learn English from an anecdote told by Sir Paul McCartney. Includes intensive listening, a couple of Beatle stories with vocabulary and pronunciation explained and some funny McCartney impressions.
What’s it all about? (Philosophy and Language Learning) – This episode is all about philosophy and how this applies to language learning. Listen to me describing 8 different ‘schools’ of philosophical thought while also considering how they relate to our approach to learning languages, and other ideas.
Vocabulary list and memory quiz available. Becoming a Dad (with Andy & Ben) Part 2 – The second part of this conversation with Andy Johnson and Ben Butler, and we talk about the moment of childbirth and take a quiz about becoming a father. Vocabulary is explained in the second part of the episode. Who Wants to be Good at English? (The Rematch) with Rick Thompson – Testing my Dad on his knowledge of English, using words that are frequently confused by native English speakers.
Girl, 17, shot day after rapper suffered online humiliation, jury told
- Providing you prefer playing casino games on your mobile device, you can bet on whether the number is black.
- Crossword Puzzles & Word Origins (with Fred Eyangoh) – Fred Eyangoh returns to the podcast to bring some entertaining and useful word puzzles, quizzes and insights into English etymology & history.
- NEW LEP T-SHIRTS & MERCH + LEP DESIGN COMPETITION 2021 with James – LEP merch is now available, including t-shirts, mugs and more featuring special LEP designs made by James Thompson.
- You can listen to the interview here.
- In this conversation I speak to Jerome Butler who is a very experienced dialect coach working in the TV and film industry in the USA.
- During the episode I read from various articles and explain some vocabulary.
Language & Local British Identity with MARK STEEL – Special Guest Mark Steel joins me to discuss cultural and linguistic differences between the UK and France, plus accents in the UK and a little tour of some places in the UK that you don’t know about. Also includes a discussion of swearing and rude language in Britain. The Unopened Safe (Learn English with a Text Adventure Story) by Peter Carlson – Let’s do another text adventure mystery story by Peter Carlson. Listen to me read the story and make choices to solve the mystery.
Notice the phrases and try to find examples of them in context. Rambling Through the Streets of Paris at Night on a Bike (with a VERY SPECIAL GUEST?) – Last week a very special guest visited one of our comedy shows in Paris. I was given a ticket to the show, so I decided to record a podcast while riding through the streets on the way to the show, wondering if I might be able to interview this guest on LEP. Stephen from SEND7 interviews Luke about LEP – Stephen from SEND7 podcast becomes the host to interview me about how I started LEP, the ins and outs of doing this, plus some advantages and challenges for podcasting to learners of English. PART 3 EPISODE 800 RAMBLE (Final Part) – A quick ramble about why this is the final part of episode 800, why there was a delay between part 2 and part 3, some comments about having flu, and about World Cup 2022.
The story shows what it is like to live with dysfluency – a condition which makes it difficult to produce smooth, fluent speech. How does a speech impediment create challenges in someone’s life? Listen to the story, follow my choices and learn new vocabulary along the way. Animal Vocabulary Quiz (with my daughter) – Do you know more animal vocabulary than my 6-year-old daughter?
- Play the game with me – follow the links on the page.
- Here is some more listening you can do while waiting for the next episode of LEP.
- Luke and James discuss the new designs and launch a new design competition to give you the chance to get your design in my merch store and a cash prize of £80.
- Transcripts and vocabulary lists available.
- The True Story of a LEPster’s Waking Nightmare (and how LEP came to the rescue) Email Story – Sharing a disturbing true story sent in by a LEPster by email.
- How Olly Richards Learns a Language (Part 1) Compelling Material / Input-based Learning – Talking to polyglot Olly Richards about the benefits of listening, reading and using stories to learn English.
Killers could serve shorter jail terms for good behaviour in overhaul
Listen until the end for the 2nd one. Repeat after me to practise your pronunciation. Learn some vocabulary & grammar in the second half of the episode, with an explanation of modal verbs of deduction in the past and present.
The Mystery of Lord Lucan (with Alastair Budge) – Talking about the story of Lord Lucan, the British aristocrat who disappeared in 1974 after the murder of his nanny and attempted murder of his wife. Lord Lucan is an infamous name in Britain, and the story of his disappearance is a compelling glimpse into a life of privilege, high-stakes gambling, and unresolved mystery. I am joined by Alastair Budge, who covered this story for one of his podcast episodes, and we discuss it in detail. Dysfluent 🤐 (Learn English with an Interactive Story) – “Dysfluent” is a piece of interactive fiction, all about communication.
Catching Up with Amber & Paul #8 – Stereotypes – Chatting to the pod-pals Amber & Paul again and this time the conversation turns to the subject of national stereotypes, and why Paul has bleached his hair blond. Notes & transcripts available. A Letter from Luke – 9 Nov. 2018 – No episodes for a little while – I’ve got limited internet access. This is not an audio or video episode – it’s a letter from me to you. The Collins Words of the Year (Part 2) – Vocabulary explanations and discussions of hot topics from the last couple of years. Talking about some controversial political stuff like the rise of fascism and anti-fascism, the relative popularity of UK opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn, and how the winter season changes people’s feelings about romance and relationships.
In fact, there is a lot more to it than that. Sign Language is Fascinating (with Siobhan Dodd) – 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).
In this episode I read from my diaries, share my personal experience with you and explain a few bits of vocabulary. The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe (Learn English with a Short Story) – In this episode for Halloween I read out a classic work of gothic horror fiction by Edgar Allan Poe, then go through each line and explain vocabulary and discuss the themes and meanings of the story. The World News aristocrat pokies Quiz 2024 with Stephen from SEND7 Podcast – Join me for a quiz about some curious stories from the news this year (2024).
Sophie Turner has late-night meeting with a thug on a moped as she films new heist thriller series Haven
(Article & Vocabulary) – 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.
Transcriptions & grammar notes available below. The Collins Words of the Year (Part 1) – The first part of an episode series about trending vocabulary – words which have been used a lot in the last couple of years. Listen to me talk about words chosen by Collins Dictionaries as their “Words of the Year”.
In this episode I take the test, explain the reasons for my answers, explain some vocabulary and give my thoughts on the test results and the test itself. Includes plenty of expressions for describing personality traits, behaviour, ways of thinking and feeling and the subject of psychological testing. From Comedy to Cosy Crime (with Ian Moore) – Ian Moore returns to talk about his career shift from stand-up comedy to writing “cosy” crime novels.
Timeline of baby ‘killing’ – how couple evaded cops
Describing John Lennon / Adjectives of Personality J-Z (with Antony Rotunno) – The second part of my conversation with Antony Rotunno (John Lennon podcaster, English teacher) in which we discuss adjectives of personality, with John Lennon as a case study. Mental Factors in Learning English (with Ray Addam) English with Ray SwapCast + ramble & song – Talking to English teacher Ray Addam from Glasgow in Scotland about mental factors in learning English, such as anxiety, confidence, stress and motivation. Video version available on YouTube. Karl Pilkington’s 3-Minute Wonders / Manchester Accent Part 2 – Understand more of Karl Pilkington’s rambling as we learn about the Manchester accent and pick up vocabulary along the way. FUNNY RUSSIAN CITIZENSHIP TEST with Amber & Paul – Can Luke, Amber & Paul pass this funny Russian citizenship test which was written and sent in by a Russian LEPster? Join us as we attempt to answer questions which (apparently) every Russian person would know.
Sara Sharif plays guitar and sings in unseen home video
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.
- Are native English speakers bad communicators?
- PARIS STORIES with Amber Minogue – Amber returns to the podcast to tell us some grisly stories about the history of Paris.
- Discussing Comedy & Culture (with Amber & Paul) – Amber, Paul and I listen to a comedy video which is often sent to me by listeners to this podcast.
- Thanks to my Mum & Dad for their contribution to this episode.
- Listen to this episode to hear all about it.
- Marie Connolly Returns (+ 2 songs) – Talking to author Marie Connolly about her new books for children, plus a story about how Jerry Seinfeld came to one of our comedy shows, with two songs on guitar at the end.
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. Yiddish Words used in English (with Sebastian Marx) – 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. English With Cooke / A Chat with Instagram English Teacher Andy Cooke – 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. Also watch out for various insect idioms which appear during the conversation.
- Plus – a story about going to a summer party at the British Ambassador’s Residence in Paris, and meeting Paddington Bear.
- 1/2 Sir Gawain and The Green Knight (with Dad) – A conversation with my dad about a great medieval adventure story originally written in middle English and updated and translated into modern English by Simon Armitage.
- The Man Who Could Work Miracles ✨ (Learn English with a Short Story) – Learn English with a short story on LEP.
- I analyse an interview with an AI expert and explore many words and phrases for talking about this subject.
- Learning How to Learn with Hadar Shemesh – 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.
- Notes & transcript available.
- Learn vocabulary while you enjoy a fascinating story.
What British People Say vs What They Mean – Examining British communication style and debunking a few myths about how British people communicate. This episode is based on a famous infographic called “What British People Say vs What They Really Mean” or “The Anglo-EU Translation Guide”. It contains lots of thoughts about how direct and indirect cultures communicate with each other, and some samples of business English, with a few improvised scenarios too! Raphael Miller’s Summer School Report – Raphael Miller (previously heard in episode 522) is back on the podcast to tell us about his experience of running a summer school for international teenagers in Liverpool. UK vs US Slang Game (with Jennifer from English Across the Pond) – In this episode I’m joined by Jennifer – a podcaster from the USA, and we test each other on our knowledge of slang from our countries.
Killers could serve shorter jail terms for good behaviour in overhaul
With Jessica Beck from Honestly English – Talking to English teacher Jessica Beck about her new website, “Honestly English” and some typical topics she talks about and teaches, including the #MeToo movement and our favourite female superheroes and comedians. Videos and links available. Intro & outro transcripts available. Ramble / Listener Comments / Robots / Vampires / Two Taps in the Bathroom – A rambling episode with responses to listener comments, LEPster meetups, English Robot 3000 & 5000, vampires leaving comments on my website and the continuing mystery of two taps in the bathroom.
Vocabulary list and explanations available. How Olly Richards Learns a Language (Part 1) Compelling Material / Input-based Learning – Talking to polyglot Olly Richards about the benefits of listening, reading and using stories to learn English. Full of insights and strategies for effective language learning. Transcripts and notes available. Alternative Christmas Stories & Poems / Beatles / Happy New Year from LEP!