Luke's ENGLISH Podcast - Learn British English with Luke Thompson

903. 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.

902. "A Year on the Fosse" by Rick Thompson (English History & Wildlife) Dad's New Book 📕 Out Now

A conversation with my dad about his new book, which is about the history and wildlife of a famous Roman road which passes right through the heart of England. Expect stories from various periods of English history, plus descriptions of typical English bird life. English history and culture on Luke's English Podcast.

901. Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of The Speckled Band (Learn English with a Short Story)

Learn English with another classic Sherlock Holmes mystery story by Arthur Conan Doyle. In this episode my aim is to help you to understand and enjoy a Sherlock Holmes story. I'll read the original text of this classic locked-room mystery to you, and will explain and summarise what is happening regularly. Just relax, listen carefully and try to enjoy this classic story. PDF available. 

900. Doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results (with Amber & Paul)

It's a catchy title! Episode 900 is here, and what better way to celebrate than by inviting my pals Amber & Paul back onto the podcast? Amber & Paul have been regular guests on this podcast for 10 years. We usually have light-hearted and tangential conversations and these episodes are often very popular with long-term listeners. This time we talk about Episode 900 celebrations 🎉 the title of this episode 🔁 Paris Olympics 2024 🏟️ encounters with dead animals in Paris 😢 Paul's Olympic marathon run 🏃 the dangers of sneezing 🤧 and more...

899. Back on the Mic: September 2024 Ramble & Grammar Tangents 🎙️ 📖

Rambling about being back after the summer break, with regular moments of grammar analysis. Includes a lot of tangents, funny moments and analysis of English tenses and complex sentence structures. PDF with transcript and notes available.

898. How to Learn Vocabulary 📚 (and not just stare at word lists)

In April I did a Zoom workshop about how to learn vocabulary. This is the audio version of the workshop, which I recorded more recently. Learn how to notice, understand, record, remember and use new words. Don’t just stare at word lists with translations. Instead, try to find some more effective ways to expand your vocabulary.

897. Dysfluent 🤐 (Learn English with an Interactive Story)

"Dysfluent" is a piece of interactive fiction, all about communication. The story shows what it is like to live with dysfluency - a condition which makes it difficult to make 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.

👉 Episode page with game link https://teacherluke.co.uk/2024/26/02/897-dysfluent-learn-english-with-an-interactive-story/

896. A Rambling Chat with Martin Aaron

Martin Aaron is an old friend of mine from the days when I taught English in London. In this episode we chat about being an English teacher, travelling to different countries, the status of English in other places, how native English speakers (don't) learn languages, stories of learning French in school, and Martin's memories of boarding school.

895. Books 📚 Farts💨 & Ghosts 👻 (with Anna Brooke)

Talking to author Anna Brooke about her book Monster Stink, the sequel to Monster Bogey (Chicken House publishing). Anna is a travel writer and author of books for children. She is a great storyteller, and in this episode she talks about her fun new book for kids, which involves dangerous gas. This leads to a new topic for the podcast; farting! We teach you the most important vocabulary for this tricky subject, and then Anna tells some chilling stories about real supernatural encounters she has had. Not farts, but similar - ghosts!

894. LEP Live in Paris! ✨ Live Podcast Recording (Summer 2024)

A rambling episode recorded on-stage in front of a live audience in Paris in July 2024. Join my audience and me, as I share scenes from the screenplay for my new Hollywood blockbuster action movie about an English teacher called "Last Lesson", and the sequel "Last Lesson 2: Fast & Fluent".

893. 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.

892. You're not a LEPster, by any chance, are you? (July 2024 Ramble)

Join me on another rambling episode as I encourage ninjas to come out of the shadows 🥷, touch on some present perfect continuous verb forms 🔁, give some podcast updates, give a report about the stand-up comedy show 😂 & live podcast recording 🎤, teach some polite and diplomatic language with a dramatic bank robbery scenario 🔫, give a summary of the UK's general election results 🗳️ & more...

891. The Bilingual Journalist (with Charles Pellegrin)

Talking to bilingual journalist Charles Pellegrin (France 24) about how the conventions of broadcast journalism influence the way the English is used in news reports, how Charles started as a journalist, the challenge of making TV news reports, our time at university, the Olympics in Paris, and Charles' experiences of living and working in China.

890. The Simulation 💻 ✨(Learn English with a Short Story)

Learn English with a short story.

Listen & repeat after me if you'd like to practise your pronunciation.

Learn some vocabulary in the second half of the video 👍

889. Job Interview Swagger (with Natasha V. Broodie)

Natasha V. Broodie returns to the podcast to talk about her new book, which is full of advice for success in job interviews. Natasha has a lot of job interview experience, and she has learned the importance of self-belief and preparation. In this conversation she talks about some experiences that led her to write the book, and gives advice on what you should do before, during and after job interviews.

888. UK General Election 🗳️ / Euro 2024 ⚽️ (The Rick Thompson Report: June 2024)

My dad returns to talk about the current political situation in the UK. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called a general election to take place on 4 July. Why did Sunak call an election at this moment? What do people think of the Consvervative Party, who have been in power for 14 years? Will we have a new government and a new Prime Minister in the UK in a couple of weeks? Also, what about England's performances in the Euro 2024 football championship?

887. Walk & Talk: Health & Diet (Phrasal Verbs)

Join me as I take a walk along the embankment of the river Seine from Louvre to Pont Marie in the centre of Paris. This time the topic is health and diet. Watch out for the phrasal verbs I use during my ramble!

886. Networking in English 🗣️ (with Rob from The Business English Podcast)

In this episode I am joined by Rob from The Business English Podcast, and we are talking about networking in English. 🗣️ Networking is when you speak to other people, probably in a professional context, in order to build relationships, expand your social circle and make work contacts that can lead to business opportunities in the future.

Networking is all about socialising, speaking spontaneously, active listening and being aware of cultural factors which can affect everything. Listen to the episode to hear plenty of comments, anecdotes, advice and language tips relating to networking in English in a professional context.

885. Still Raining, Still Rambling (News, Comments, Questions, Guitars & Music)

Hang out with me while the rain pours down outside 🌧️ and in this episode I'll talk about the problem of "faffing around" 😵‍💫 , podcast news & updates 📲, some stand-up comedy dates 🎤, comments on recent episodes 💬, some common questions from listeners 🙋, a lot of rambling about how I learned to play music 🎵, a tour of all the guitars in my podcast room 🎸 and a song at the end 🎶, with lyrics explained 👨‍🏫. 

884. British Music: Madness (with James)

A conversation with my brother about one of the most successful British bands of all time - Madness. We talk about the story of the band, our early memories of their music, the songs, the members, their lyrics, their popularity and why we've always been big fans!

883. A Last-minute Rambling Episode

A spontaneous monologue about being taken by surprise by public holidays in May (in France), a podcast recommendation, and seeing a hard-rocking and hilarious band perform live in a big arena last week. Includes a song at the end as a tribute.

882. 47 "Funny" Country Jokes, Explained 🌍 😂 Learn English with Humour

Here's a list of jokes about different countries which I found on the website Bored Panda. I'll tell you the jokes and then explain them all (dissecting the frog), including any homophones, double meanings or specific cultural references. Can you "get" the jokes? Do you find any of them funny, or are they all just terrible dad jokes? And, what vocabulary can you learn in the process? Includes a vocabulary review at the end of the episode.

Episode page with notes, jokes and vocabulary list 👉

881. Reading the news with a foreign accent (with Barbara Serra)

Barbara Serra is an award-winning Italian journalist who has spent much of her career reading the news in the UK on various high-profile well-established English language news networks including the BBC, Channel 5, Al Jazeera English and Sky News.

Barbara has quite a specific relationship with English. It’s her dominant language but not her native language. She has a certain accent, which does place her outside the UK somehow.

So how has this affected her career as a news reader and reporter? What is the story of her English? What kind of challenges has she faced while reading the news in the UK? And what does this all tell us about learning English, what it means to improve your accent, the relationship between accent and identity, the definition of “native” and “non-native speaker”, the status of different English accents in the English speaking world?

880. Is Paris ready for the Olympic Games 2024? 🏊 (Article + Vocabulary)

I read an article about Paris' preparations for the 2024 Olympic Games, discuss the issues, summarise the article and explain plenty of vocabulary. Is Paris ready for the games? What are the attitudes, complaints, expectations and fears ahead of this potentially controversial event.

879. Think Fast, Talk Smart: Communication Techniques for Spontaneous Speaking 🗣️ with Matt Abrahams

Top tips for spontaneous speaking 🏆 with communication expert Matt Abrahams, a professor at the Stamford Graduate School of Business, California. Matt is a leading expert in his field and his new book "Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You're Put on the Spot" gives you clear, academically-researched advice on how to deal with anxiety, focus on making connections, improve your mindset, learn to listen, and find really useful structures to help you become a more spontaneous and successful speaker.

878. 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.

877. How to Learn Vocabulary | A Conversation with Clare Whitmell

This conversation is a preview of my Zoom workshop on Thurs 18 April 2024 at 10AM (UK time), as part of the Advanced English Summit. In my workshop I will be talking about how to really learn vocabulary, and not just stare at word lists.

This is a conversation about the subject of the workshop, and summit organiser Clare Whitmell asks me questions 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.

876. Thoughts & comments on recent episodes / A Spring Equinox Ramble 2024

Listen to me rambling about Daylight Saving Time, weird AI generated images for Luke's English Podcast, and lots of comments and responses to recent episodes including the Birthday Party story 🎂 , the MBTI Personality Test 🙇 and the Walk & Talk in Paris 📹🚶.

875. Aepyornis Island by HG Wells 🏝️🥚 (Learn English with a Short Story)

Learn English with another short story. I'll read the entire story to you, and then go through the text again explaining and clarifying the main events and plenty of vocabulary. This is a wonderful adventure story written by HG Wells, a very influential and imaginative English writer from the late 19th century. The story is full of vivid descriptive language, action, adventure and extraordinary moments. I hope it captures your imagination and lets the English come alive in memorable ways.

The story starts after about 12 minutes.

📄 Get the PDF here 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/875.-Aepyornis-Island-by-HG-Wells-Learn-English-with-a-Short-Story-Lukes-English-Podcast.pdf

🔗 Episode page 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/2024/04/01/875-aepyornis-island-by-hg-wells-learn-english-with-a-short-story/

874. Walk & Talk: PARIS

Here is an episode in which I walk through the streets of Paris, rambling about a particular subject. This time the subject is Paris itself. This summer Paris is hosting the Olympic Games. The city will be filled with visitors. I am very curious to see how the city will handle this moment. Will it be a huge success? What will visitors think of the city? Will anyone suffer from the mysterious "Paris Syndrome"? Join me on my walk, follow my words, look out for vocab and consider using my questions for your own speaking practice.