Barbara has quite a specific relationship with the English language. We talk about learning English, challenges in her career, and the relationship between accent and identity. A Rambling Exercise for Fluency / Late-Winter 2025 – A rambling episode full of spontaneous speaking. PDF transcript available. Can I eat my cat? Weird Google Questions, Answered (Topics + Vocabulary) – 😿 This episode is about the bizarre and funny questions that people input into Google.
- Some language is explained along the way.
- Let’s talk about his advice for adapting to new cultures and learning languages in adulthood.
- You’ll hear samples of lots of spoken English in this episode and we’ll focus on accent and pronunciation.
- Features a conversation with a German student currently studying a master’s in clinical neuropsychology at UCL in London.
- This is the 3rd and final part of episode 666.
- Punctuation Rules / Book Review (Part 2) Apostrophe, Full Stop, Comma – Part 2 of my episode about punctuation.
- This episode is all about poshness in people, posh accents and what it really means to be posh.
- Pub Chat with Charlie Baxter (Social English and Pub Etiquette) – Join Charlie and me on a trip to a virtual pub for a couple of pints, a packet of crisps and some advice about how to go to the pub in English, with plenty of funny tangents.
RELATED TOPICS FOR Game of Thrones
- Wells Part 3 Learn English with Stories – The final part of this series in which I am reading from the classic story The War of the Worlds by H.G.
- By User Design.
- I’m joined by my Dad, Rick Thompson and we describe the rules, the appeal of the game and also some expressions in English that come from cricket.
- Andy Johnson Returns (Part 1) Moving House / London vs Canterbury / English Teaching –Chatting to friend of the podcast Andy Johnson about moving house, comparisons between London and Canterbury and different approaches to teaching English.
- They are complex formulas, but they can be figured out.
- What British People Say vs What They Mean – Examining British communication style and debunking a few myths about how British people communicate.
- I was recently invited onto The Earful Tower Podcast by Oliver Gee (remember him from episode 495?) We recorded an episode all about the Paris Metro while riding the Paris Metro.
(The Rematch) with Rick Thompson – Testing my Dad on his knowledge of English, using words that are frequently confused by native English speakers. 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. So, expect to hear our thoughts and some facts about this very traitional British institution.
Learn some vocabulary & grammar in the second half of the episode, with an explanation of modal verbs of deduction in the past and present. PART 1 EPISODE 800 RAMBLE / LEPSTER Q&A – Celebrating episode 800 and responding to lots of questions sent in on social media. Expect questions about my ill-fated music career, grammar, favourite authors, my daughter, life as an English teaching podcaster and plenty more. Monster Bogey (A Children’s Book) with Anna Brooke – My friend Anna has written a book for children (7+) which has a full publishing contract and is available in all good bookshops now. The book tells the story of a boy who accidentally creates a monster when his secret collection of nose bogeys gets struck by lightning!
Why police released Liverpool parade suspect’s details so quickly
Let’s listen to some British celebrities speaking, check their Wikipedia pages and work out of these people are truly posh or not. You’ll hear samples of lots of spoken English in this episode and we’ll focus on accent and pronunciation. Sales and Advertising (with Paul Taylor) – A language-focused episode looking at words and phrases that you often see and hear in advertising and sales situations. Also includes discussion of sales techniques, Apple’s sales and marketing strategy and also a classic bit of stand-up by the late great George Carlin. All vocabulary is listed on the page.
Luke’s ENGLISH Podcast
- Also includes discussion of sales techniques, Apple’s sales and marketing strategy and also a classic bit of stand-up by the late great George Carlin.
- Ask Me Anything / Hang Out With Luke (AUDIO VERSION) – Listen to the audio version of the recent LEP Live Stream on YouTube including an audience Q&A, learning English tips, some crap ‘Dad Jokes’ and 3 songs on the guitar.
- Slang vocabulary list available.
- Learn vocabulary while you enjoy a fascinating story.
- Includes the “You Say Tomato…” song and the Grammar Nazi sketch, explained.
- Sarah is a comedian and language teacher from the US, now living in France.
- This episode is full of little jokes, sketches, voices and full spoilers for The Rise of Skywalker.
Parson’s Pleasure by Roald Dahl (Learn English with a Short Story) – Learn English with another short story. This time it’s Parson’s Pleasure by Roald Dahl, which is an intriguing tale of a dodgy antiques dealer, with a nasty twist at the end. Learn vocabulary while you enjoy a fascinating story.
- If you’d instead not go the PNRG route, you can increase your odds of winning by looking for games with higher payout percentages.
- Transcripts and jokes available.
- What are the most important things to consider?
- Dad talks about the origin of this story, its connection to the history of the English language, and the poetic devices used in the writing.
- William talks about how he continues to maintain his English, the importance of finding good language exchange partners, and more.
Aristocrat Constance Marten refuses to continue cross-examination
Describing the ceremony, the guests and the dress, and discussing the place of the monarchy in modern British life. Some transcriptions and vocabulary available. The “M” Word (with Andy Johnson) – Friend of the podcast Andy Johnson returns to give us some news and tell some stories all related to things that begin with the letter “M”. Intro & outtro transcripts available. World Cup 2018 3 Is It Coming Home? In this one I’m in England talking to my Dad and my brother about the world cup including England’s performances, penalties, World Cup songs, diving, VAR and predictions for the semi finals.
Film deemed ‘unreleasable’ now finally set to hit the cinemas and people are stunned
English history and culture on Luke’s English Podcast. Words of the Year (with Amber) – Amber joins me for a discussion of some words which reflect various cultural movements of the last 12 months or more. Learn some trending words and listen to discussions of topics such as the influence of online content on mental health, the Oasis concert ticket scandal, an exploration of the ‘lore’ of LEP, romantic fantasy books, the rise of AI and more.
Timeline of baby ‘killing’ – how couple evaded cops
Working at UNESCO
‘Lycra nuns’ kept cult leader’s home spotless, abuse trial hears
- You can read 99% of the transcript on the page for this episode.
- Most likely the old PCBs were either put in storage somewhere (manufacturer, govt?), or maybe destroyed.
- The story is full of vivid descriptive language, action, adventure and extraordinary moments.
- The article boils it all down to three main points.
- Also watch out for various insect idioms which appear during the conversation.
- The World News Quiz 2024 with Stephen from SEND7 Podcast – Join me for a quiz about some curious stories from the news this year (2024).
- Monster Bogey (A Children’s Book) with Anna Brooke – My friend Anna has written a book for children (7+) which has a full publishing contract and is available in all good bookshops now.
- Is it just about having the right accent, or speaking with no errors?
Audio version has 30mins extra rambling. Travelling Stories / Reverse Culture Shock (with Martin Johnston from Rock n’ Roll English) – Martin joins Luke to talk about moving back to the UK, his fundraiser for Ukrainian refugees and some funny stories about travelling experiences. News about changes to LEP & LEP Premium / Visiting the British Ambassador’s Residence – Have you noticed that LEP episodes have disappeared from podcast apps like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play etc?
Sara Sharif plays guitar and sings in unseen home video
How can it also help with your English? In this episode I read an article to you, help you understand it and give comments on the importance of reading, both quietly in your head, and out loud. 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.
Killers could serve shorter jail terms for good behaviour in overhaul
Full transcript available and YouTube video version too. A Summer Ramble 2 (Late August 2021) – I’m back in the podcast-zone after my holiday so I thought I would do another rambling episode before getting down to work on other content to be released soon. Video version also available. Karl Pilkington’s 3-Minute Wonders / Manchester Accent – Understand English as it is spoken by native speakers.
Also, keep listening for a funny appearance by The Beatles. Transcript & notes available. 1/2 IELTS Q&A with Ben Worthington from IELTS Podcast – A conversation with IELTS teacher Ben Worthington about the IELTS test, with advice for getting your best score in speaking, writing, reading and listening. Includes questions from listeners.
Video available on the website and in the LEP app. 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!
Kit Harington chases Mark Wahlberg around the streets of London on the set of new Apple film Family Plan 2
Includes a language point about adjective + preposition collocations. 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.
A Conversation with Clare Whitmell – A conversation about why vocabulary is important, why I love teaching it, common mistakes made by learners, ways of learning vocabulary more effectively, and some tools you can use. From Learning to Teaching and Beyond (with Elena Mutonono) – These days Elena Mutonono is an experienced business coach who helps online English teachers to gain independence and control over their own careers, but Elena’s journey started as a learner of English herself. In this conversation I ask Elena about how she learned English, making the step to becoming an English teacher, then teacher trainer and what challenges online English teachers face when trying to work in a crowded and demanding job market. Dysfluent 🤐 (Learn English with an Interactive Story) – “Dysfluent” is a piece of interactive fiction, all about communication.
- You can listen to it here.
- In this episode we get together to discuss trivia quizzing, and to quiz each other with our own trivia questions.
- (Part 1) Understanding Posh People and Posh Accents – Everything you always wanted to know about posh people, but were afraid to ask.
- 🗣 Listen & repeat after me if you’d like to practise your pronunciation.
- How Fred Learns Vocabulary with the New York Times Spelling Bee (with Fred Eyangoh) – Fred often plays spelling games on his phone during his lunch break, and he has discovered lots of new words as a result.
- Paul McCartney at 80 (with Sam Whiles) – Paul McCartney turned 80 this year, so let’s talk about this legend of British music!
- Play the game with me – follow the links on the page.
- Let’s see how you and Michael would respond to some quiz questions that will test your British awkwardness to the max.
The Lying Game #9 with Amber & Paul (with Vocabulary Explanations) – The return of the lying game on LEP! Amber, Paul and I play a speaking game which I sometimes use in my English classes. Listen to our stories and try to work out if we are lying or telling the truth. The second half of the episode contains story summaries and vocabulary explanations.
Room for another Wan? Game of Thrones star Rory McCann to become second Scot to play a Jedi in Star Wars
This episode is a recap of some advice in episode 523 with Cara Leopold. The Crown / The Royal Family (A Royal Ramble with My Wife) – Talking to my wife about the latest season of the Netflix TV drama The Crown, which follows the life and times of Queen Elizabeth II and her family. We talk about Charles & Diana, Margaret Thatcher, The Queen’s accent, Prince Andrew’s BBC interview and more. Legal English with Louise Kulbicki – Discussing some of the most important terms and concepts in legal English, while also learning about key cases through some amusing stories, with legal English trainer Louise Kulbicki.
Pedro Pascal goes shirtless on beach during Christmas getaway
The couple allegedly travelled across England – including spending £400 on a taxi from Liverpool to Essex using “wealthy” Marten’s trust fund. Andy’s Survival Story / Why Andy Runs Marathons (with Andy Johnson) –Talking to Andy about why he runs marathons, including vocabulary relating to doing exercise, health, fitness, technique, injuries and medical care. This one contains a moving true story about recovering from a serious illness. Website content Luke’s Criminal Past (ZEP Episode 185) – Learn some crime-related idioms and find out some things about Luke’s back-story that may or may not be true. This is an episode of Zdenek’s English Podcast, originally posted by Zdenek on 4 August.
A missing person’s enquiry was launched, which became “bigger and bigger news” as time went on, jurors were told. THIS is the moment a runaway aristocrat bought a bottle of petrol to allegedly cremate the baby she killed, a court heard. Footage of the banquet provoked a mix of outrage and bewilderment in France. Hobnobbing with royalty when the country is in revolt!
‘My son killed himself after ketamine ruined his life’
Follow the plot and pick up some English in the process. Full transcript available, and a YouTube version too. Do you remember…? With Mum, Dad & James / Family Stories with The Thompsons – Chatting to my family about some old anecdotes and stories from the past. Listen for some enjoyable chat, memories, descriptions and tales from days gone by.
Instead, try to find some more effective ways to expand your vocabulary. Reading from my Japanese hospital diaries 📘 (Sept 2002) – By popular demand I have chosen to publish this episode! In 2002 I ended up stuck in a Japanese hospital feeling very ill and confused. I ended up staying there for about two weeks. During my stay I wrote a diary nearly every day. In this episode I read from my diaries, share my personal experience with you and explain a few bits of vocabulary.