In this episode we’re going to do some intensive listening practice using the true story of a bizarre encounter with a man on a plane. Look out for language for travelling by plane, some American English and A LOT of swearing, particularly the F word. An Unedited Ramble (March 2020) Never Explain, Never Apologise? Key Features of English Accents, Explained – Exploring the main differences between standard English pronunciation (RP) and non-standard regional or colloquial accents.
Video shows Sara Sharif dancing at home days before her death
Notes available. One of Britain’s Favourite Poems – Listen to readings of “If—” by aristocrat-pokies.com Rudyard Kipling, a popular poem from England. Includes analysis of the vocabulary and the themes in the poem and also a chance to enjoy the unique voice of Sir Michael Caine – with some funny impressions too. Transcript, vocabulary and videos available. What’s it all about?
Topic Tombola with James – “The Glib Brothers” reunite on the podcast to discuss more music, films, books, scary AI and UFO sightings. James is my older brother and he’s probably been on this podcast more than any other guest. Listen for another deep and humorous conversation with lots of cultural reference points. Trivia Quizzes with Sarah and Fred (Part 1) – Sarah and Fred are trivia quiz nerds who have been doing trivia nights in Paris for years and now have a new trivia-themed podcast.
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.
Game of Thrones stars Kit Harington and Rose Leslie win battle to renovate their barn after it was delayed by bats
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. 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”.
- A Conversation About MONOPOLY with Anna Tyrie – Monopoly is one of the most famous board games of all time.
- The Stoicism of Groundhog Day (with Mum) – This is a conversation with my mum about philosophy, how the film Groundhog Day can help us understand the principles of stoicism, and how this can all help us to feel a bit better about the world.
- Let me tell you the jokes, see if you understand them, and then I will break them down for language learning opportunities.
- Moz returns to tell us some true stories of crimes in the London area.
- 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.
Best Jokes from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe – Studying some jokes told by stand-up comedians at the Edinburgh Fringe comedy festival, and dissecting them for vocabulary. Learn English with some jokes and find out about typical joke structures used by stand-up comedians. Transcripts and jokes 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.
Comments
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. This episode contains some slightly scary and graphic descriptions of nightmare scenarios, visions, hallucinations and bad dreams, but there is a happy ending. Dylan, Lennon, Marx & God (with Jon Stewart PhD) – A conversation about two legends of contemporary popular culture – Bob Dylan and John Lennon, with pop-star academic Jon Stewart (guitarist in The Wedding Present and Sleeper).
- Stephen Devincenzi from the SEND7 Podcast is the quizmaster for the third year running, and has prepared questions that will test my knowledge of some of the slightly less serious global news stories this year.
- Includes references to The Queen, The Legend of Zelda and a lot of pizza.
- Rob is an English teacher, musician from England, and my former colleague.
- The Climate Crisis Explained in 10 Charts (with Cara Leopold) – A conversation with Cara Leopold about the climate crisis including descriptions of key charts, graphs and data.
- Website-only I was on the “Becoming Maman” podcast with Amber Minogue & Sarah Donnelly – I was interviewed on Amber & Sarah’s new podcast, called “Becoming Maman” and we talked about becoming a dad and raising bilingual children.
user(s) are reading this topic
A Chinwag with Sebastian Marx / 18+ British slang phrases that Americans don’t understand – Chatting to Sebastian Marx from New York and testing his knowledge of British English slang phrases. Slang vocabulary list available. Part 3 Favourite Scary Films (with James) – James and Luke talk about some of their favourite scary films, and more. This is the 3rd and final part of episode 666. Four Way Call (with Alex, Moz & Paul) – A lockdown Zoom call with my friends Alex, Paul and Moz which should be a fun but challenging listening exercise. Intro & ending transcripts available.
‘My son killed himself after ketamine ruined his life’
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. The Collins Words of the Year (Part 4) – More trending vocabulary and issues of the moment, this time focusing on topics like working conditions in the gig economy, the pros and cons of instagram and a true story about a unicorn riding a bike in London.
Scraps of newborn baby’s clothes worn days before she was ‘killed by mum & dad’
If you’d instead not go the PNRG route, you can increase your odds of winning by looking for games with higher payout percentages. Also known as Return to Player (RTP), this statistic lets you know how much money a slot game pays out for every $100 wagered on it. A game with a 96% RTP will theoretically pay out $96 for every $100 you wager. You can play Aristocrat slots at both land-based and online casinos.
Tom Brady and Tiger Woods help bring famous Game of Thrones character back to life with de-extinction group
Learning Languages and Adapting to New Cultures (with Ethan from RealLife English) – A conversation about travelling and learning languages with Ethan from RealLife English. Ethan is very well-travelled, having lived in at least 6 different countries. He’s also learned a few different languages to a good level as an adult.
From lumberjack to A-list… how Scots actor set for Star Wars hit made it big!
What are the best methods? The article boils it all down to three main points. Kate Billington Cycled to Berlin – Kate Billington returns for her 4th appearance on LEP to create some fun English conversation for you to listen to. We talk about lots of things, as usual, including her cycling trip to Berlin and a nasty accident she had on her bicycle in Paris earlier this year.
Scraps of newborn baby’s clothes worn days before she was ‘killed by mum & dad’
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. 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. Listen and learn some informal words from British and American English.
WISBOLEP Competition Entries – Listen & Vote! – Listen to recordings sent in by listeners and vote for who you think should be on LEP. Welcome (back) to Luke’s English Podcast / FAQ (January 2021) – Wishing everyone a happy new year and taking stock of the main aims and methods of this podcast, plus some frequently asked questions. 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.
Russian spy ring operating from British seaside guesthouse jailed
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.
There’s also some news, some OPP and a couple of songs on the guitar at the end. Vocabulary notes, links, videos and song lyrics available. PART 2 EPISODE 800 RAMBLE / LEPSTER Q&A – Celebrating episode 800 by answering a massive list of questions from listeners. Video version available. Notes & transcriptions available. Intro & ending transcripts + videos available.
I am 99% sure that this really is the final episode of 2021. Why we love The Beatles (Recorded Live at The British Council) + Public Speaking Tips – This is a presentation I did at the British Council in Paris recently, in front of a live audience. First I talk about public speaking and my approach to doing presentations and then you can hear the recording of my talk. Learning English with The News (with Stephen from SEND7 Podcast) – Talking to Stephen from the Simple English News Daily podcast about learning English with the news and whether BBC reporters actually speak like normal humans.
Constance Marten’s partner refuses to answer prosecution questions
An Interview for a Study about Language Learning Podcasts (Carlos Soares, University of Aveiro) – Carlos Soares, from the University of Aveiro in Portugal, is doing a master’s degree dissertation all about language learning podcasts. He contacted me to conduct an interview as part of his research, and he agreed for me to publish it as an episode of my podcast. Using ChatGPT as a Language Teaching Tool with JOE DALE, EdTech Guru, ChatGPT Enthusiast – TECH TALK!
- Despite the term “RNG,” they are not genuinely random since they rely on formulas to determine slot games.
- Here is some more listening you can do while waiting for the next episode of LEP.
- First I talk about public speaking and my approach to doing presentations and then you can hear the recording of my talk.
- How can it also help with your English?
- British or American?
- Boats & Murder (but mostly murder) with Moz – An episode with my friend Moz from the Murder Mile True Crime Podcast.
- 2/2 IELTS Q&A with Ben Worthington from IELTS Podcast – More conversation with Ben Worthington from IELTSPodcast.com, talking about English skills and exam skills, considering the whole approach and mindset that you need to succeed in IELTS.
- Thats why it is called the Push 22 rule, is sometimes they can suck the life out of your bankroll.
The Mountain (Short Story) + Video – Reading an emotional short story, with vocabulary explanations and differences between British and American English. 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.
Video shows Sara Sharif dancing at home days before her death
Alternative Christmas Stories & Poems / Beatles / Happy New Year from LEP! – This is the last episode of LEP before the end of 2018. It’s Christmas and New Years Eve is approaching, so it’s time for the traditional Christmas episode of LEP! In this one I’m going to read some Christmas stories and a couple of poems which are a bit different to the normal stuff you get at this time of year.
Why do they even happen in the first place? Have you seen your first self-driving car yet? Will they solve our driving problems, or not? The episode is full of anecdotes, analysis, opinions and plenty of vocabulary. WildSlots features a basic rewards program that sees you earn frequent player points (FPPs) on all your real money play, we werent really excited about trying a new one. Thats why it is called the Push 22 rule, is sometimes they can suck the life out of your bankroll.
Criminals who refuse to attend sentencing to face longer jail time
How the USA is changing (with Lindsay McMahon from All Ears English) – Lindsay has been observing social, economic and political trends in her home country and comes on the podcast today to talk about them. Kate Billington moved to Taiwan – Returning guest Kate Billington suddenly decided to move to the other side of the world, to Taipei in beautiful Taiwan. In this episode we talk about meeting LEPsters in Taipei, her decision to move there, and how everything is going, with the usual conversational tangents along the way. Luke takes the MBTI Personality Test – The MBTI Personality Test (aka “16 Personalities”) is a very well-known and widely used test which claims to be able to give you a “freakishly accurate” analysis of your personality type. 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.
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?