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

247. Understanding The USA

This episode is an attempt to understand The USA in more detail, getting beyond the made-up version that we see in movies and on TV in order to get a proper understanding of the country, its culture and its people. I'm joined by an American friend of mine called Sebastian Marx, and during our conversation we go through most of the main events in the history of the USA and discuss some of the most important principles in the story of the country. The ultimate aim: to understand The United States of America. For more information click here <a href= "http://wp.me/p4IuUx-1ZX">http://wp.me/p4IuUx-1ZX</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

246. Flight Stories

Listen to some stand-up comedy and true stories about flying experiences, learn some vocabulary and consider what makes these comedy routines funny. For transcripts and videos, click here <a href= "http://wp.me/p4IuUx-2dE">http://wp.me/p4IuUx-2dE</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

245. Merry Christmas! (+ other news)

This is just a chance to wish you all a Merry Christmas and to give you a bit of news. There is a video for this episode, featuring 15 minutes of extra footage which I filmed before recording the audio part. You can watch it by going to teacherluke.co.uk here <a href= "http://wp.me/p4IuUx-2eA">http://wp.me/p4IuUx-2eA</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

244. Urban Myths

This episode is all about urban myths. Get your thinking hat on because it's time to evaluate a few stories and beliefs and decide if they are based in reality or if they're just the product of an overactive imagination, or rumours, or just plain old fashioned bullcr*p! I will also teach you some very useful language connected to expressing if you think something is true or not. For vocabulary notes, transcriptions and much more, click here to visit the page for this episode on teacherluke.co.uk - <a href= "http://wp.me/p4IuUx-28t">http://wp.me/p4IuUx-28t</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

243. A Life-Changing Teaching Experience in Ghana

Hello and welcome to another episode of Luke's English Podcast! In this episode I'm going to interview my friend Mike Bruce about his recent teaching experience in Ghana in West Africa. Mike is an old friend and colleague of mine, he's originally from Scotland, although he doesn't have a particularly strong accent, and he has lived and worked in places all over the world. I've known him for about 13 years and he was one of the first people I ever worked with as a language teacher in Japan. Mike has an amazing CV. He's taught in lots of countries around the world. He's very highly qualified, and as well as teaching students of English as a second language he also teaches teachers how to teach. So, he's pretty much a Jedi Master of English teaching in my opinion. Mike recently came back from a teaching mission in Ghana, and judging by the Facebook photos and statuses, it was quite an epic experience for him. I thought it would be interesting to talk to him about it on Luke's English Podcast. My aim for this interview is to have a bit of a chat with Mike, just a bit of a chat, introduce him to the LEPsters? LEPans? LEPians?LEPenese? LEPlanders? LEPish? LEPaholics? and then find out about his African teaching experience. Click here to visit the page on teacherluke.co.uk for this episode <a href= "http://wp.me/p4IuUx-2c2">http://wp.me/p4IuUx-2c2</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

242. 11 Idioms Only Brits Understand (really?)

This is a slightly rambling and unprepared episode which I made up as I went along, and in the end I talked about a page I found on MatadorNetwork.com called "11 Idioms Only Brits Understand". I don't think that these are exclusively used by Brits, but nevertheless they are some pretty commonly used idioms, so I decided to talk to you about them in this episode. After that I ended up clicking on a few random YouTube videos, playing around with the cockney accent and listening to some music. Enjoy! Click here for the full list and more <a href= "http://wp.me/p4IuUx-28w">http://wp.me/p4IuUx-28w</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

241. Film Club: Star Wars

"Luke's Film Club" continues with one of my all-time favourites: Star Wars! In this episode I'm going to ramble on about the Star Wars franchise, including the original trilogy (episodes 4-6), the prequel trilogy (episodes 1-3) and the upcoming new trilogy (episodes 7-9). If you're a Star Wars fan, this one's for you! If you don't like Star Wars, I hope this episode will give you some idea of why people are so crazy about these movies. Click here to visit this page on teacherluke.co.uk http://wp.me/p4IuUx-2ba<hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

240. Politicians Avoiding Questions

In this episode we're going to look at the way politicians deal with tough and challenging questions from TV and radio interviewers. We'll listen to some examples of politicians avoiding questions in interviews and examine some of the ways they get themselves out of tight situations while also promoting their ideas. For a transcript and more details, click here: <a href= "http://wp.me/p4IuUx-tK">http://wp.me/p4IuUx-tK</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

239. Prepositions: Verb Collocations + Improvised Story

In the last episode I attempted to explain ways that prepositions are used in English, and I failed because I wasn't prepared. I managed to get across the idea that prepositions are complicated because they're used in combination with other words, and that you have to remember vocabulary in 'chunks' but the idea was also to present you with some useful lists of preposition collocations. This time around I've done some more preparation. I've spent a bit more time on it and so for round 2 I think we should get a proper grip on the subject, while also having some fun noticing prepositions in an improvised story. Click here for a list of the collocations in this episode, and more <a href= "http://wp.me/p4IuUx-29v">http://wp.me/p4IuUx-29v</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

238. Prepositions (Part 1) ...a failed attempt?

In this episode I decided to teach you about prepositions! Yes! Everyone's favourite words in English! (Sarcasm - most learners find them frustrating and confusing) However, the episode didn't quite go as planned and I didn't manage to deal with the subject as I had intended. Nevertheless, this episode contains some comments and information about prepositions, which works as an introduction to other episodes on the subject. Listen to this one before you listen episode 240, which deals with the subject in more depth. Click the link for all the necessary notes and comments <a href= "http://wp.me/p4IuUx-29l">http://wp.me/p4IuUx-29l</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

237. OPP: Other People’s Podcasts (Part 2)

Here are more of my favourite podcasts that I love to listen to every day when I am out and about. For all the relevant links and information visit teacherluke.co.uk by clicking here: <a href= "http://wp.me/p4IuUx-22D">http://wp.me/p4IuUx-22D</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

236. OPP: Other People's Podcasts (Part 1)

As well as making podcasts of my own, I love to listen to podcasts made by other people. In fact, I think podcasting is one of the coolest mediums around these days, and there are so many great things to listen to in English. This episode is about other people's podcasts that I enjoy and that I'd like to share with you. For more detailed information click here <a href= "http://wp.me/p4IuUx-1Yg">http://wp.me/p4IuUx-1Yg</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

235. British Slang (N to Z)

Here's the final part in the series about British colloquial language. Please be aware that this episode contains some rude language and explicit content. Click here for the list of words in this episode <a href= "http://wp.me/p4IuUx-24z">http://wp.me/p4IuUx-24z</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

234. Making "Choons" with My Brother

My brother Jim Thompson has been making music on an Akai MPC2000 for a few years now, and he has finally released an album of tracks on bandcamp (click here to listen or download his music http://jt2000.bandcamp.com/releases). In this episode I spoked to my bro about his influences, his inspiration and the creative process of making music from an idea to a finished track. For more info click here <a href= "http://wp.me/p4IuUx-1Xi">http://wp.me/p4IuUx-1Xi</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

233. YEP! Winner (Edgar Hernandez from Mexico)

My conversation with the overall YEP competition winner, Edgar Hernandez, aka "Bono Chimp" :) <a href= "http://wp.me/p4IuUx-25z">http://wp.me/p4IuUx-25z</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

232. YEP! Runners Up (Part 2)

More runners up from the YEP competition. Enjoy! <a href= "http://wp.me/p4IuUx-25v">http://wp.me/p4IuUx-25v</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

231. YEP! Runners Up (Part 1)

Interviews with runners up from the YEP competition. <a href= "http://teacherluke.co.uk/2014/11/06/231-yep-runners-up-part-1/">http://teacherluke.co.uk/2014/11/06/231-yep-runners-up-part-1/</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

230. Can You Learn a Language in 6 Months?

This episode is based on a TEDx presentation by Chris Lonsdale, who claims that any normal adult can learn a language within 6 months. Is that really possible? How method of learning does Chris propose? How does this relate to listening to Luke's English Podcast? You can see the video of Chris Lonsdale's talk, with a transcript by clicking here <a href= "http://wp.me/p4IuUx-22i">http://wp.me/p4IuUx-22i</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

229. Zombies! (Part 2)

This is the second in a 2-part series all about zombies. In part 1 I talked about the zombie in popular culture, analysis of the zombie as a metaphor and then some rules for surviving the zombie apocalypse. In episode 2 I'm going to take a couple of zombie survival quizzes and then do a language focus on conditionals. Click here for more information and links <a href= "http://wp.me/p4IuUx-24e">http://wp.me/p4IuUx-24e</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

228. Zombies! (Part 1)

<p>This episode is all about zombies - the undead, flesh eaters, walkers, biters, the infected.</p> <p>Click here for a transcript and other links <a href= "http://wp.me/p4IuUx-1Su">http://wp.me/p4IuUx-1Su</a> </p> <p>whatever you want to call them, zombies have become an indelible part of our popular culture now. There are zombies in the cinemas, zombies on TV in shows like AMC's The Walking Dead, zombies in computer games, zombies online, even zombie walks in which people get together in large groups in order to dress up like zombies and walk around going "uhhhhh". We're pretty obsessed by zombies, and I am too. I love zombies and zombie films. Maybe that makes me some kind of sick and twisted individual, but I'm not alone. In fact, I think that zombies are perhaps as popular and present in our culture as vampires and ghosts. But, what is some of the history behind the zombie phenomenon? Where do they come from? What do they want? Why are we obsessed by zombies? How can you survive if zombies really attack? And, how do we talk about zombies in English? That's the focus of this extra-special and extra-creepy episode of Luke's English Podcast. In the first part we're going to examine the zombie as a popular cultural phenomenon, then in the second part I'm going to test my survival skills by taking a zombie survival quiz. You can join me as I make various decisions that will affect my chances of surviving the zombie apocalypse. In the next episode we're going to consider some conditional structures. That's 0, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and mixed conditionals.  #zombies #learning #english #podcast</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

227. Sausages, Barcodes & Apple Watches (A Rambling Episode)

This is one of those episodes in which I set myself a 30 minute challenge. Can I talk for 30 minutes without pausing or repeating myself, and with absolutely nothing prepared in advance? Listen to the episode to find out. Click here for more information <a href= "http://wp.me/p4IuUx-22X">http://wp.me/p4IuUx-22X</a>  #sausages #applewatch #barcodes #cheese #pizza #religion #humour #english #listening #natural #nativespeaker #ramble<hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

226. On a Boat (with Alex, Paul and Moz)

aka "The Boat that Rocked" or "The Drunk Episode 2". In this episode I spent the evening on a narrowboat on a canal in a part of North London known as Little Venice, with my friends Alex, Paul, Moz and Dave. Join us as we talk about life on the canal boat, the first jobs we ever had, answers to a few questions sent in by a long-term listener called Hiroshi, and explanations of various rude expressions and jokes which came up spontaneously during the conversation. Please be aware that this episode contains strong language, rude & explicit content and plenty of bad 'jokes'. Click here for more information <a href= "http://wp.me/p4IuUx-1Te">http://wp.me/p4IuUx-1Te</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

225. Film Club: Taken

<p>This episode is all about the film "Taken" starring Liam Neeson as an ex-CIA agent who uses his 'particular set of skills' to save his daughter who is kidnapped while on a trip to Paris. I'm slightly obsessed by this film - I find it gripping and exciting, but also quite ridiculous. In this episode I'd like to play you a classic moment from this film, and then talk about how I feel about the movie as a whole. For more information, click here <a href= "http://wp.me/p4IuUx-1Wh">http://wp.me/p4IuUx-1Wh</a> </p> <p><em>"I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you."</em></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

224. Pronunciation: Verb Tenses & Connected Speech

This episode focuses on how sentences are pronounced quickly by native speakers. This is invaluable knowledge which will help you to take your listening and your pronunciation to the next level! Click here for example sentences and more information <a href= "http://wp.me/p4IuUx-211">http://wp.me/p4IuUx-211</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

223. YEP! Competition Winners

YEP Competition Results, news and some rambling about mosquitoes and TV documentaries about ghosts. For all the details click here: <a href= "http://wp.me/p4IuUx-20o">http://wp.me/p4IuUx-20o</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

222. Luke’s Late Night Podcast (Music Mix)

Take a musical trip through Luke's hard-drive, in the middle of the night. Late one night recently, I decided to record a podcast while randomly picking some pieces of music from my hard-drive and talking to you at the same time. This is the result. Click here for lyrics and more information <a href= "http://wp.me/p4IuUx-1YW">http://wp.me/p4IuUx-1YW</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

221. A Cup of Tea with Corneliu Dragomirescu (Part 2)

Here's part 2 of my conversation with "The Son of the Dragon Tamer" in which we talk about these things: - The difference “pleasshure” and “pleasure”, “bio” and “B.O.” - The importance of ‘passion’ in France - Jamie Oliver’s (fake?) cockney accent - British & American English - Corneliu’s experiences in America, his acting and his accent - Corneliu’s learning experiences with a great teacher when he was a child - The interesting course-book which Corneliu used in his English lessons - The myth of ‘the English gentleman’ - Depictions of Englishness in films - Stereotypes of Romania - Romania & Bulgaria’s entry into the EU and the media panic related to migrant workers - Vampires, Dracula and Romania Click here for more information <a href= "http://wp.me/p4IuUx-1Z0">http://wp.me/p4IuUx-1Z0</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

220. A Cup of Tea with Corneliu Dragomirescu

aka "The Son of the Dragon Tamer!" or "The guy with the longest name ever on LEP". *The conversation starts at 11.39 - so please skip my introduction if you like* Let me tell you a bit about Corneliu. He is a film maker and comedian originally from Romania. He lives in France now where he writes, directs, produces and acts in films and television projects. Corneliu is a polyglot (he speaks Romanian, French and English), he's a movie-buff and an he's an all-round great conversationalist and therefore is the perfect guest for another episode of LEP. Click here for more information: <a href= "http://wp.me/p4IuUx-1Yj">http://wp.me/p4IuUx-1Yj</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

219. Scottish Independence

On 18th September the people of Scotland will vote in a referendum to decide if Scotland should remain a part of the UK or become independent. If they vote "yes" and Scotland does become independent from the UK it would cause massive changes to the way the UK is organised. It would be the biggest change in UK history for hundreds of years. It could change everything - not only the lives of the Scottish people, but also the lives of the English, the Welsh and the people of Northern Ireland. In short - this is a massive story for the UK. Let's look at the background, the arguments for & against, and the possible outcomes of independence. Click here for notes and transcriptions: <a href= "http://wp.me/p4IuUx-1XK">http://wp.me/p4IuUx-1XK</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

218. YEP! Competition Entries #8

The final episode of "Your English Podcast" - Please vote for your favourite competition entry by visiting teacherluke.co.uk . Voting closes on September 30th 2014 at 12 midnight, Paris time. Click here to cast your vote for this episode <a href= "http://wp.me/p4IuUx-1WP">http://wp.me/p4IuUx-1WP</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>