Luke's ENGLISH Podcast 59j62

It's my birthday 🥳 so me for a relaxed and light-hearted ramble, first with some comments about recent episodes and other podcast housekeeping, and then a series of talking points with the Spinning Wheel of Random Questions ☸️ including bits about how being an English teacher affects my social interactions 💬, the infamous ice-cream wars of Ice-Cream Island 🏝️, leading an army of English learners into battle on the back of an Elephant 🐘, the title of my (hypothetical) autobiography 📖, and my age revealed at the end of the episode. Full transcript available 📄. 📄 Get the PDF with transcript and questions 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/s/2025/05/937.-A-Birthday-Ramble-_-The-Spinning-Wheel-of-Random-Questions-PDF-.pdf 🔗 Episode page on my website 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/05/27/937-a-birthday-ramble-the-spinning-wheel-of-random-questions 🏆 Sign up for LEP 👉 https://lep.supercast.com 👕 LEP Merch 👉 https://www.teacherluke.co.uk/merch

In this episode, I’m ed by Alastair Budge from Leonardo English to explore how you can use AI tools like ChatGPT to boost your English, especially when combined with podcasts. We go through specific, practical ways to actively engage with podcast content using AI — improving your listening, vocabulary, grammar, writing, and even speaking. Alastair shares a set of very useful prompts and techniques you can try out straight away, and we discuss the pros and cons of using AI for language learning. There's also a bit of fun as I try chatting with an AI version of myself. the free PDF in the show notes for all the prompts and ideas we mentioned, plus a full transcript. 📄 Get the PDF with all prompts and transcript 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/s/2025/05/936.-How-AI-Can-Boost-Your-English-with-LEP-feat.-Alastair-Budge.pdf 🔗 Episode page on my website 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/05/19/936-how-ai-can-boost-your-english-with-lep-feat-alastair-budge/ 🏆 Sign up to LEP 👉 https://www.teacherluke.co.uk/ 🎧 Leonardo English 👉 https://www.leonardoenglish.com/

This episode is all about the exciting topic of driving, getting stuck in traffic jams, the future of our roads and how self-driving cars might be the solution. What is so annoying about traffic jams? 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. PDF available with notes, vocabulary list & vocabulary quiz. 📄 Get the PDF 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/s/2025/05/935.-Terrible-Traffic-Jams-Self-Driving-Cars-Topic-Vocabulary.pdf 🔗 Episode page on my website 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/05/12/935-terrible-traffic-jams-self-driving-cars-topic-vocabulary/ 🏆 LEP 👉 https//www.teacherluke.co.uk/

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). Siobhan is an enthusiastic and entertaining guest and we have a great chat about the nature of sign language, the challenges & opportunities faced by the deaf community today, and some of Siobhan's memorable interpreting experiences, such as working at the Glastonbury music festival. 📄 PDF Transcript 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/s/2025/05/934.-Sign-Language-is-Fascinating-with-Siobhan-Dodd.pdf 🔗 Episode page 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/05/06/934-sign-language-is-fascinating-with-siobhan-dodd 🏆 LEP 👉 https://lep.supercast.com 📸 Siobhan on Instagram 👉 https://www.instagram.com/unclesiobhan/ 🎧 Siobhan's Podcast (The Following Through Podcast) 👉 https://pod.link/1797539101

Hello! In this episode I focus on English expressions and idioms that originated in the works of William Shakespeare and are still used in modern everyday language. Notice the expressions in various contexts, fully understand their meanings and use, explore their origins in Shakespeare's work, and gain valuable lessons about how to learn new vocabulary with real world examples. Also, learn about my short-lived career as a goalkeeper for the legendary football team "Chadwick FC". Includes a PDF worksheet and transcript. 📄 Get the PDF here https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/s/2025/04/933.-The-Best-English-Expressions-are-from-Shakespeare-_-Learn-English-Vocabulary.pdf 🔗 Episode page on my website https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/04/29/933-the-best-english-expressions-are-from-shakespeare-learn-english-vocabulary/ 🏆 LEP https://www.teacherluke.co.uk/ ☕️ LEP MERCH https://www.redbubble.com/people/lepluke/shop

In this episode I talk to my parents about the topic of William Shakespeare. We discuss the enduring appeal and significance of William Shakespeare's work, biographical details of his life, the key themes in Shakespeare’s plays, and the impact of his language on modern English. We try to explain the qualities that make Shakespeare great, using examples from plays like Hamlet, Twelfth Night, and Macbeth.  We also consider the challenges of understanding Shakespeare and suggest ways for newcomers to engage with his plays, such as watching film adaptations. Enjoy a conversation about this important figure in English language and culture, with two other important figures - my mum and dad! PDF available with transcript, vocabulary list and vocabulary quiz. listeners - watch out for a language review of this episode coming soon, in P68 "Learn English with Shakespeare" parts 1 & 2. 📄 Get the PDF here 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/s/2025/04/932.-What-is-so-great-about-Shakespeare-with-Mum-Dad.pdf 🔗 Episode page on my website 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/04/21/what-is-so-great-about-shakespeare-with-mum-dad/ Sign up to LEP on Acast+ and add the episodes to a podcast app on your phone. https://plus.acast.com/s/teacherluke. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode features a conversation with Zdenek about fears and anxieties experienced in everyday life. We explore common fears such as driving, flying, culture shock, language learning and public speaking. Listen for stories of Luke's fear of Paris cafes, airport anxiety, Luke's dramatic scooter ride in Nha Trang, Zdenek's fears of Vietnamese roads and driving, Luke's recent cycling accident in Paris, Zdenek's encounter with a London police officer, nerves about teaching, and more. The accompanying PDF worksheet offers a vocabulary list from the conversation, with definitions, examples, and quizzes and a full transcript to help you boost your English with the episode. 📄 Get the PDF here (lucky you - it's very expensive but you can have it completely free) 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/s/2025/04/931.-Overcoming-Fears-with-Zdenek.pdf 🔗 Episode page on my website 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/04/14/931-overcoming-fears-with-zdenek/ ⚽️ The Footglish Podcast (Learn English with Football) 👉 https://pod.link/1751816033 💬 Zdenek's Discord server "The Achiever's Chamber" 👉 https://teacherzdenek.com/?page_id=2816 Sign up to LEP on Acast+ and add the episodes to a podcast app on your phone. https://plus.acast.com/s/teacherluke. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is about the bizarre and funny questions that people input into Google. I explore and answer some of these questions, explaining some vocabulary. The result is an engaging and intellectually light-hearted discussion involving the usual mix of rambling, and English teaching. The episode covers a range of topics, from personal health, sex and relationships to broader existential and practical issues, with some diverse and absurd moments. The language style is a mix of informal slang and neutral high-frequency vocabulary related to personal matters and common problems. I hope you enjoy it! PDF available with a full transcript and vocabulary list. 📄 Get the episode PDF (transcript, vocabulary list) 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/s/2025/04/930.-Can-I-eat-my-cat-other-weird-Google-questions-answered.pdf 🔗 Episode page on my website 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/04/07/930-can-i-eat-my-cat-weird-google-questions-answered-topics-vocabulary/ 🏆 LEP 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/ Sign up to LEP on Acast+ and add the episodes to a podcast app on your phone. https://plus.acast.com/s/teacherluke. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah Donnelly comes back onto LEP to catch up and to tell us about her stand-up special, now available to watch on YouTube, and to do a British English vs American English pronunciation quiz. Sarah’s show is called The Only American in Paris and we discuss some of the themes of the show - the real experience of being a US citizen living in Paris, the Netflix show Emily in Paris, cultural differences, learning French, plus a pronunciation quiz to help you compare UK and US English. 📼 Watch Sarah's stand-up show here 👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2_N_CRoRz0&ab_channel=SarahDonnelly  @sarahdcomedy  📄 Get the episode PDF with quiz questions and full transcript 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/s/2025/03/929.-Sarah-Donnelly_-The-Only-American-In-Paris-US-vs-UK-Accent-Quiz.pdf 🔗 Episode page on my website 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/03/31/929-sarah-donnelly-the-only-american-in-paris/ 🏆 Sign up for LEP 👉 https://www.teacherluke.co.uk/ Sign up to LEP on Acast+ and add the episodes to a podcast app on your phone. https://plus.acast.com/s/teacherluke. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn English with another short story on Luke's English Podcast. This one is about a learner of English who has an extraordinary experience. Listen to me tell the story, and summarise it, then explain plenty of natural, commonly occurring, up-to-date English vocabulary. Episode page 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/03/24/928-the-abduction-learn-english-with-a-short-story/ Get the PDF with transcript and vocabulary notes 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/s/2025/03/928.-The-Abduction-Learn-English-with-a-Short-Story-.pdf Sign up to LEP on Acast+ and add the episodes to a podcast app on your phone. https://plus.acast.com/s/teacherluke. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Finally, it's here - the medieval museum episode with Amber & Paul. us as we visit the museum of the middle ages in Paris. Learn about the history of the middle ages, find out about some of the art and artefacts from that period, including some fantastic symbolic tapestries, sculptures and weapons, and have fun with a few jokes along the way. Episode page 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/03/17/927-walk-talk-medieval-museum-with-amber-paul-kyle/ Sign up to LEP on Acast+ and add the episodes to a podcast app on your phone. https://plus.acast.com/s/teacherluke. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The other day I was thinking about how podcasts must be good for your mental health, and how this could be connected to the tradition of collective oral communication which was the first form of mass media in most human civilisations, and how this has been central to human psychological and cultural development over the years. So, I made this podcast episode about it. Expect discussion of culture, history, psychology and communication, with plenty of vocabulary explained. Detailed PDF available. Get the PDF here 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/s/2025/02/926-collective-communication.png Episode page 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/03/11/926-oral-storytelling-traditions-and-the-mental-health-benefits-of-listening-to-podcasts/ Sign up to LEP on Acast+ and add the episodes to a podcast app on your phone. https://plus.acast.com/s/teacherluke. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Walaa was first on this podcast in episode 703 she talked about living in Syria as a student during the civil war (or people’s revolution) but at that time she felt she could not talk in detail about the situation. Now that the Assad regime is no longer in control of Syria, Walaa feels she can talk more candidly about what it was like to live near Damascus during those days. Walaa’s descriptions are both shocking and moving. This is the topic of this episode, which is part 2 of a two-part series. 👉 Episode page on my website https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/03/06/925-walaas-experience-in-syria-walaa-mouma-returns-part-2/ Sign up to LEP on Acast+ and add the episodes to a podcast app on your phone. https://plus.acast.com/s/teacherluke. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Walaa Mouma returns to the podcast after 4 years to give us an update about her academic studies and personal story, including getting married and moving to Wales, details of her PhD doctorate, as well as her other studies and volunteer work helping to teach English to refugees and asylum seekers. Walaa's ion for this work is inspired by her own personal story of learning English, seeking asylum in the UK and studying in the UK's academic system, which she first talked about in episode 703 of this podcast. Part 1 of a 2-part episode. Episode page with more information and links to Walaa's social media 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/03/03/924-walaa-mouma-returns-part-1-phd-studies-in-wales-teaching-english-for-refugees/ Sign up to LEP on Acast+ and add the episodes to a podcast app on your phone. https://plus.acast.com/s/teacherluke. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A rambling episode full of spontaneous speaking from me to you. Topics include; an exercise for you to practise your spoken fluency 🗣️, the benefits of extensive listening to spontaneous speech 🎧, overcoming mental blocks 🌳, the English of my daughter and raising our kids to be bilingual 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦, some reactions to recent episodes 🙉, some thoughts about content 🔮, some bird-related idioms 🐦, the phrasal verb "to follow through" including its rude meaning 💩 ...and more! PDF transcript available. Episode page 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/02/23/923-a-rambling-exercise-for-fluency-late-winter-2025/ Get the PDF transcript 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/s/2025/02/923.-A-Rambling-Exercise-for-Fluency-_-Late-Winter-2025-Transcript.pdf LEP info ℹ️ https://www.teacherluke.co.uk/info Sign up to LEP on Acast+ and add the episodes to a podcast app on your phone. https://plus.acast.com/s/teacherluke. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amber s 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. Includes a PDF with my episode notes and vocabulary lists. The Oxford Words of the Year is a shortlist of words chosen by OUP because they saw a significant increase in usage in 2024 and because they represent certain cultural moments of recent times. 📄 Get the episode PDF here 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/s/2025/02/922.-Words-of-the-Year-with-Amber.pdf Episode page on my website (with links for previous episodes) 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/02/17/922-words-of-the-year-with-amber/ The Oxford Words of the Year (OUP website) 👉 https://corp.oup.com/word-of-the-year/ LEP information ℹ️ https://www.teacherluke.co.uk/info Sign into your 👉 https://www.teacherluke.co.uk/ Sign up for LEP 👉 https://www.teacherluke.co.uk/ Sign up to LEP on Acast+ and add the episodes to a podcast app on your phone. https://plus.acast.com/s/teacherluke. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ian Moore returns to the podcast to talk about his career shift from stand up comedy to writing "cosy" crime novels. After several decades as a professional stand-up comedian, Ian has transitioned to writing murder mysteries. Now he is a bestselling author and his books are being adapted for television. In this episode Ian talks about ending his stand-up comedy career, why he was not suited for life as the host of a guesthouse, writing books on trains, and why his COVID lockdown was actually great. 🔗 Episode page on teacherluke.co.uk 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/02/10/921-from-comedy-to-cosy-crime-with-ian-moore/ 📄 Get the PDF transcript 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/s/2025/02/921.-From-Comedy-to-Cosy-Crime-with-Ian-Moore.pdf 📚 Ian's books 👉 https://www.ianmoore.info/ Sign up to LEP on Acast+ and add the episodes to a podcast app on your phone. https://plus.acast.com/s/teacherluke. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you know more animal vocabulary than my 6-year-old daughter? Find out in this episode which covers over 60 items of vocabulary for describing animals, their body parts, habitats and behaviour. I am ed by my daughter for a quiz and chat about different kinds of animals. PDF available with quiz questions, vocabulary review & more. Episode page with PDF 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/02/03/919-animal-vocabulary-quiz-with-my-daughter/ Sign up to LEP on Acast+ and add the episodes to a podcast app on your phone. https://plus.acast.com/s/teacherluke. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another fun chat with my friends Amber Minogue & Paul Taylor. This one was recorded in early January and we talk about running & fitness 🏃, falling out of bed 🛏️, my phone's battery issues 🪫, our Christmas meals 🍗, Amber's family bingo game 😅, Paul's horrendous Christmas rat story & some rat facts 🐀, insights into the lives of urban pigeons and country cats 🐈, handheld microphone technique 🎤 and Paul's lovely new jumper (or is it a sweater, or a pullover?) No homework and no PDF this time. Just enjoy keeping up with this conversation and catching up with Amber & Paul once again. Episode page on my website 👉 https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/01/27/919-catching-up-with-amber-paul-14/ Sign up to LEP on Acast+ and add the episodes to a podcast app on your phone. https://plus.acast.com/s/teacherluke. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's time for another classic Sherlock Holmes mystery story by Arthur Conan Doyle on the podcast. This time it is The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle - a case of a stolen gemstone! 💎 My aim here is to help you to understand and enjoy the story. I’ll read the original text to you, and will explain and summarise what is happening regularly. Just relax, listen carefully and try to enjoy this classic story. PDF available. 👉 Get the PDF https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/s/2025/01/918.-Sherlock-Holmes_-The-Adventure-of-The-Blue-Carbuncle-Learn-English-with-a-Short-Story.pdf 👉 Episode page https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/01/20/918-sherlock-holmes-the-adventure-of-the-blue-carbuncle-learn-english-with-a-short-story/ Sign up to LEP on Acast+ and add the episodes to a podcast app on your phone. https://plus.acast.com/s/teacherluke. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.