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

This is a special episode about Muhammad Ali and the story of one of his most famous fights, "The Rumble in the Jungle". In the episode you'll hear me give a biography of Ali and then I go into lots of descriptive detail about the fight, exploring exactly what happened in and out of the ring and why he is now considered not only one of the greatest boxers but one of the most outstanding people of recent times. The episode is almost 100% transcribed. See below for details http://wp.me/p4IuUx-6pv Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello, welcome back to the podcast. This is part 2 of a fairly long rant I recorded today about the Brexit situation and England's awful performance in the football yesterday. There might be some strong language and swearing. There will also be lots of fairly strong political points of view from me. Please listen to the whole thing and try to avoid knee jerk reactions. If you disagree with me please feel free to leave a comment because I am open to other points of view - but I encourage you to fully flesh out your opinion, don't just give your knee-jerk reaction without backing it up with some evidence or justification. Click here for a transcript http://wp.me/p4IuUx-6vf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here's another episode about what's going on in the UK at the moment - in politics and in football. I know I am talking about this subject a lot at the moment, but I just can't help it - it's too big. Too many things are happening! So there will be more Brexit & football in this episode and then it'll be back to podcasting as usual. Oh and by the way there will be some swearing in this episode because I'll be sharing some comments from some angry people online and generally there has been quite a lot of swearing and kicking of furniture all across the country since Friday - especially yesterday while watching England get knocked out of the Euros. Swearing is rarely appropriate - remember that. Only at the right time in the right place. E.g. when watching England play football, or while thinking for two seconds or more about the EU referendum. Also, another preface here - you'll notice that I'm pretty unhappy about things at the moment, but don't worry I'll bounce back, and Luke's English Podcast will continue with the usual sort of episodes soon. I just have to get some things off my chest about what's been going on. Click here for a transcript: http://wp.me/p4IuUx-6uU Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The UK has voted to leave the EU. Here are my thoughts and feelings. http://teacherluke.co.uk/2016/06/24/360-the-day-after-brexit-thoughts-and-feelings/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's referendum night and I've decided to share my stand-up comedy material about the EU referendum in this episode of the podcast, because after today I might not be able to use these jokes ever again! This works much better in front of a live audience of course - so you'll have to imagine that! Anyway, I hope you enjoy listening to some of my 'jokes' and humorous comments about this big moment in UK history. By the way, when I recorded this I didn't know the result of the referendum. Click here for more information http://teacherluke.co.uk/2016/06/24/359-brexit-jokes-eu-referendum-night/#disqus_thread Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join my wife and *me as we walk around the streets of Paris during the annual World Music Festival. You'll hear live music, descriptions of the scene, a couple of conversations with people we met, and the sounds of this amazing evening in the city of light. It's another long episode, but I hope you listen to all of it because I just really want to share the atmosphere and moments of this special event. Check here for photos http://wp.me/p4IuUx-6rx Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I'm talking to Olly Richards the polyglot from England. Our conversation covers points about what accent you should learn to speak with, the importance of developing clear pronunciation and effective communication in English, using Periscope to listen to native English speakers and the physical side of learning a language. See below for a transcript to the introduction, more information and links to Olly's work. http://wp.me/p4IuUx-6pI Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello welcome to this LEP meeting. I've called this meeting in order to deal with some stuff that's going on at the moment. On the agenda for today we have some news, some football updates including the England vs Wales game from yesterday, some more Brexit chat and then at the I'll talk a bit about the incident that happened yesterday involving a British MP called Jo Cox, which is a pretty tragic story. That's still developing and we don't know the full facts yet. It just happened yesterday and by the time you listen to this it might have developed further. Click here for the page for this episode http://teacherluke.co.uk/2016/06/17/356-lep-meeting-football-brexit-events-in-the-uk-jo-cox/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I talk about the EUROs including how it feels having the championship here in France, the violence in Marseille that occurred between English fans, Russian fans, local French fans and the French police this weekend, and the England vs Russia game that happened on Saturday. I welcome your comment on this subject so please share your thoughts under the page for this episode. A transcript is available for 95% of this episode. Click here to visit the page for this episode http://wp.me/p4IuUx-6qp Image: UEFA.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

aka "The Accordion Legs Episode" Listen to Amber, Paul, James Simpson and me as we play a light-hearted speaking game called "Would you rather...?" and hear about having accordions for legs, being stuck in a lift with a pair of wet dogs and living on a desert island with a mermaid (or merman). You'll also hear the results of the interactive lying game from episode 343. There are notes and some transcriptions below. Share your comments on the page for this episode. How would you answer these 'would you rather' questions? Notes and transcriptions here http://wp.me/p4IuUx-wF Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode started with no title and no particular aim, but I ended up chatting about walking the red carpet at the ELTon awards, the rain and floods in Paris, getting struck by lightning, the revolution of fibre optic internet at home and a crazy idea about doing live podcast recordings around the world. Listen up! More details here http://wp.me/p4IuUx-6pp Buy English lessons on italki and get a 100ITC discount here http://teacherluke.co.uk/talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a vocabulary episode about the language of BREXIT. Click this link for all the vocabulary http://wp.me/p4IuUx-6ma Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone, I hope you're well. Here is an episode featuring a conversation with my Dad about Brexit - The UK's referendum on the EU. Finally! I've been mentioning this for a while so here it is. You've seen it in the news, you've read it in the papers - the UK is having a referendum on membership of the European Union and who knows, we might end up leaving. It's all over the news and the internet in the UK at the moment, everyone's talking about it - you can't escape it and it's going to get more and more intense the closer we get to 23 June, the date of the referendum. I've had plenty of messages from listeners asking me to talk about this on the podcast, so here we go. Click here for the LEP Brexit poll and more http://wp.me/p4IuUx-6kQ #brexit #eureferendum #english #language #learning Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the final episode in this superhero series and simply put, I'm going to make fun of the latest X-Men movie. Now, you might not be into the superhero stuff and I totally understand, but let me give you a heads up about this episode. Basically, I didn't like the film and so I'm more interested in poking fun at it than talking about it seriously. So, that might make it more fun to listen to than the other superhero ones I've done lately. You can just kick back and enjoy me taking the mickey out of this film. http://wp.me/p4IuUx-6kE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More movie-relating talking in this episode as I speak to my friend Paul Langton. Expect plenty of very descriptive vocabulary about different characters, backstories, abilities and weaknesses. Click here for notes and transcripts http://wp.me/p4IuUx-6jC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi listeners - this is just a 15 minute episode. I just want to have a quick word with you. The thing is, I'm worried about a few things and I wanted to talk to you about them. Have a listen to this episode or read the notes below. Let me know what you think about what I'm saying in the comment section. Thanks! Luke :) http://teacherluke.co.uk/2016/05/23/can-i-have-a-quick-word-with-you-itll-only-take-about-15-minutes/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here is part 2 of this episode about superhero films and the Marvel cinematic universe. Before you listen to this I suggest that you listen to part 1. Where was I at the end of the last episode? I was giving you my history of superhero movies over the last 30-40 years, and the plan is to go into more detail about the recent Marvel films and then review the new Captain America movie. *No spoilers * So, let's continue. Click here for transcript/notes http://wp.me/p4IuUx-6jE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I'm talking about superheroes, Marvel movies and the latest Captain America film. By the way, I will do my best to avoid spoilers. I am only going to mention information which is basically common knowledge. I don't think listening to this will really spoil your enjoyment of any of the films in the marvel universe. So, you shouldn't worry about spoilers. Click here for transcript / notes http://wp.me/p4IuUx-6hU Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Phrasal Verbs & Idioms / More NY Stories / Politics / Leicester City / Google Adverts Welcome back to another podcast episode. It's nice to be back in your headphones or speakers. In the last episode of this podcast I talked to you about some recent bits and pieces such as the ELTon award nomination, my recent trip to New York and some other stuff. I also gave you a language task to keep you on your toes. I'm going to continue along the same lines in this episode and I have a list of things here to talk about and we're going to continue with the language spotting exercise. http://wp.me/p4IuUx-6h0 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Breaking News! LEP Nominated for a British Council ELTon Award for Digital Innovation. In this episode you'll hear me talking about what's been going on since I recorded the last episode, including: LEP's nomination in the British Council ELTon awards, Leonardo DiCaprio fighting a bear in The Revenant, my adventure to the American Museum of Natural History and more. Also - for all the vocab hunters out there - watch out for some phrasal verbs and idioms. http://wp.me/p4IuUx-6bT Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What? Another new episode? Slow down Luke! We can't keep up! OK I will slow down, I promise. I am going on holiday tomorrow and I will be quiet for a couple of weeks so I just wanted to upload another podcast before I go. While I'm away you'll have a chance to catch up with all these new episodes. This is #344 and it's another rambling conversation with podcast PALS Amber & Paul, but this time we're joined by a fourth member of the team. Could this be The Fantastic Four that LEPster Olga mentioned in a recent comment? Only you can decide... Topics of conversation in this totally tangential talk on the terrace include: jingles, voice overs, the Queen's birthday, the monarchy, Princess Diana and more... Click here for the page for this episode http://wp.me/p4IuUx-63l Groovy background music c/o http://www.bensound.com Photos (clockwise - left to right) Princess Diana, a ladybird, Fantastic Four logo, The Queen, Tim Curry, Dave Grohl, LEP logo) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I'm joined by podcast pals Amber & Paul and we're playing the Lying Game again, but this is a special version because this is The Interactive Lying Game. I know - it's exciting. Try to control yourself. Find details, adjectives, nicknames, polls and links to song lyrics on the page for this episode here http://wp.me/p4IuUx-5Y9 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I'm joined by podcast pals Amber & Paul and we talk about Paul's hit youtube video about French kissing habits, his newfound success as a stand-up (he's the hottest kid in town), some online abuse he's had and then an anecdote about an audition that we attended recently, which involved a surprising misunderstanding about accents. There's also a brief language focus on using relative clauses with 'which' to extend your sentences when speaking. Enjoy! Click here for the page for this episode and to watch Paul's video http://wp.me/p4IuUx-62J Image: c/o Robert Hoehn / French Fried TV Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amber & Paul are back on the podcast after a 4 month absence. What have they been doing? Let's catch up with them again, and respond to some comments from listeners. This episode was recorded in the open air, up on the terrace of my flat in the April sunshine. Click here to find the page for this episode http://wp.me/p4IuUx-5Zj Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Results & winners of the LEP photo competition announced, and - it's the 7th birthday of Luke's English Podcast! This episode is long but you don't have to listen to it in one go. You can listen, pause, do something else, listen later and so on. Click here for the page for this episode to see photos and vote in a poll about names: http://wp.me/p4IuUx-5Yb Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here is the concluding part of this detective story, which is based on a text adventure by Peter Carlson on www.textadventures.co.uk. In the first part you heard me playing an adventure game in which I have to analyse clues and choose the right options to continue a story and solve a murder. Before listening to this episode you should listen to part 1 of the story. Click here here to listen to part 1: http://teacherluke.co.uk/2016/03/31/338-a-murder-mystery-detective-story/ In this episode (part 2) you'll hear the rest of the story, and if you don't understand what's going on - don't worry, I'll explain it at the end and you can read a summary of the story below. Enjoy! Visit the page for this episode here http://wp.me/p4IuUx-5Wc Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I'm going to read through an interactive text-based adventure story. The story takes place in Victorian-era London (19th century) and we'll play the part of an expert detective who, like Sherlock Holmes, tries to solve a complex murder mystery. Follow me as I read through the story and attempt to solve the crime in the process. Can you understand the evidence and make the right decisions to solve the case? You can read the text-based adventure story and play the game yourself at textadventures.co.uk For all the relevant details, click here http://wp.me/p4IuUx-5W6 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I'm talking to Moz on his canal boat in London. We talk first about issues relating to swearing on television, and then Moz tells us some true stories about murder on the streets of London. Moz has recently launched several walking tours of Soho in central London and over the last year or two he has been researching local court records in order to tell these true stories in full detail. CAUTION: this episode contains some explicit content including descriptions of violence and horror. There is also some strong language and swearing at the end of the episode. Click here for the page for this episode http://wp.me/p4IuUx-5Re Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode features another natural conversation with a native English speaker. This time I'm talking to my mate Carrick, who I've known for about 10 years now. He is a teacher who used to work in the same school as me, back in London. We have a few things in common, like the fact that we've both had a few strange travelling experiences as English teachers, including the time when he once attended a meeting in Germany that involved not only the usual business work but also the drinking of some very rare and expensive scotch whiskies, which meant that the meeting turned into a kind of musical party with guitar and flute playing, quite a lot of whisky drinking, a late night and then, unsurprisingly, a bit of a hangover the next day. Listen to hear a few anecdotes, some authentic English conversation and more. http://wp.me/p4IuUx-5Qg Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is a chance to review and explain some of the vocabulary that you heard in my interview with Craig Wealand. Download the episode and read the list of words in this episode here http://wp.me/p4IuUx-5LB Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode features an interview with English teacher and podcaster Craig Wealand from InglesPodcast.com Craig is originally from Essex in England, but now lives in Valencia in Spain where he works as an English teacher and Cambridge examiner for the British Council. Craig has been an English teacher for over 20 years, and for the last few years he has also been producing episodes of his learning English podcast, which won the award for Best Educational Podcast in the UK Podcaster awards last year. In the episode we find out about Craig, talk about his career, his teaching experiences, his podcasting and also I ask him some random "quick fire" questions, just like he does with guests on his podcast. The page for this episode: http://wp.me/p4IuUx-5La Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

OK, the last misheard lyrics episode was pretty popular and I've had several shouts of "more!" from the LEP community, so here we go again! What's this all about? Well, first of all it's a sequel to a previous episode of LEP. That's #281 "Misheard Lyrics" so you could listen to that before you listen to this. Basically, this episode is all about those moments when you mishear song lyrics. Let's have some fun listening to some songs, while trying to understand the lyrics! Click here for song titles and show notes http://wp.me/p4IuUx-4Cl Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode could make a huge difference to your English learning. So listen up and get ready for a motivational boost! Joining me on the podcast today is Olly Richards - a polyglot who speaks 8 languages. Olly has some very motivating and practical advice on how to learn languages as an adult. There's so much to learn from Olly in this episode, so I really want you to pay attention and have a proper think about the ways in which you are learning English. (I really sound like a teacher, don't I? - or your Dad or something - "Now pay attention! Sit up straight! Put that down! Stop fidgeting. Listen to the man! This is very important for your English in the future!) Click here for all the info http://wp.me/p4IuUx-5oz Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi listeners, I've got a big big slice of podcast pie for you in this episode because I'm going to talk to you about some important considerations for language learning, some ways that you can push your English to new levels with LEP, and I'm going to talk about italki, which is a really great service that you can use to arrange conversations with native English speakers online from the comfort of your own home, and why as a listener to this podcast, you should check it out. There is also a transcript for this episode already available at teacherluke.co.uk so check that out too. http://wp.me/p4IuUx-5Gf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi listeners - this is a multitasking episode in which I record a podcast while doing something else at the same time. In this case I'm playing the classic computer game "Grand Theft Auto 5". Listen to hear some general discussion of the game, descriptions of what's happening while playing and some other bits and pieces. Transcript for the introduction available here: http://wp.me/p4IuUx-5Gj Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My brother has been visiting me in Paris this week and so just the other day I made him a cup of tea and got him on the podcast for a rambling chat. In this episode you'll hear us discussing these things: What we've been up to in Paris this week Jim's first stand up comedy performance Last Thursday's performance of "Sorry, we're English" with Paul Taylor Differences between Paris and London Some UK politics about the EU referendum Some USA politics about the presidential elections and candidates like Donald Trump, Hilary Clinton and Bernie Sanders Other news stories about drones, eagles, mosquitos and why women yawn more than men Jim's 'talking dog' joke Jim's dog anecdote That's it! There will be more language-oriented episodes of the podcast coming soon. Thanks for listening! Click here for the show notes http://wp.me/p4IuUx-5H8 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I've been quite busy marking exams recently and haven't had a chance to upload any episodes for a few weeks, but today I managed to record this episode while preparing dinner. So in this one you'll hear me in the kitchen, multitasking - cooking a chicken dinner (recipe below) while describing everything that I'm doing. In this episode you'll learn some verbs for preparing food, words to describe different kitchen utensils and other language related to food and eating. Also, I ramble on about a few other things, as usual! Expect more podcasts to arrive in the near-ish future when I have a bit more time. Thanks for listening! Episode page http://wp.me/p4IuUx-5EM Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello listeners - this episode is all about the Luke's English Podcast photo competition which I launched in December in episode 313. I've received loads of photos from listeners and they're now presented on the page for this episode on my website, and they look fantastic, so please do have a look at them! In this episode I'm going to tell you how you can vote in the competition, and I'm also going to teach you some specific vocabulary and expressions for describing photographs, which is particularly useful if you're taking a Cambridge exam like FCE or CAE. That's what's going to to happen in this episode, so let's go! http://wp.me/p4IuUx-5zO Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here's the second part of the recent chat I had with my cousin Oliver. In this one we talk about becoming a Dad and predictions for the future. What will society be like in the next 10-20 years? What changes will we see in communication, technology, travel and other areas? What kind of world will Oliver's daughter grow up in? These are all questions we discuss in the episode. Watch out for language related to the future, technology, communication and childcare. Also, listen until the end to hear Oli play a nice tune on the guitar. Click here to go to the page for this episode on teacherluke.co.uk http://wp.me/p4IuUx-5yK Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here's a 2-part episode featuring a conversation with my cousin Oliver in which we talk about first some challenges he faced over the last few years (including dramatic things like a scooter crash, a tropical disease, a burglary and how he completely flooded his own house) and then some more positive things about being a father and predictions for how society will be different in the future. Also, listen for some general news and announcements about Luke's English Podcast. http://teacherluke.co.uk/2016/01/18/325-catching-up-with-oli-future-predictions/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello, welcome to Luke's English Podcast, which is a podcast for learners of English around the world. You are now listening to part 2 of a special episode about English musician David Bowie who died just a few days ago on 10 January 2016. The aim of this episode is to talk about David Bowie's significance as an artist, to consider some of the themes of his work and to look at why so many people had such a strong emotional attachment to him. Hopefully after listening to this episode you'll be better able to have conversations about David Bowie, but also about art and culture in general. You can find almost everything I'm saying transcribed on the page for this episode. Click here to read it and to access other content http://wp.me/p4IuUx-5yd Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is all about the life and work of David Bowie, the English musician who died just a couple of days ago. In the episode you'll hear me talk about the cultural significance of Bowie as an artist, why he is such a legend of British music, and what his music means to me personally. I hope you can use this episode as a way to learn more about British culture. Almost 100% of the episode is transcribed on the page for this episode - click here to read it http://wp.me/p4IuUx-5xQ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello again, how are you? Welcome back to the podcast. Here's a new episode for your listening pleasure. This one is a rambling conversation with my parents and my brother about everything and nothing. Click here for notes and ting http://wp.me/p4IuUx-5vv Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Luke's English Podcast. Happy New Year. This is an episode of Luke's Film Club, and this time I'm joined by my brother James as we talk about the new Star Wars film in full detail including our thoughts, theories, favourite bits and memorable characters. This episode is full of SPOILERS, so be warned if you haven't already seen the film. Click here for more information http://wp.me/p4IuUx-5vt Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I'm going to read you a classic Christmas story - A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. You can read the story as well as listen because the whole thing is included on the page for this episode. Click here for a transcript http://wp.me/p4IuUx-5s8 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I saw Star Wars today VII and here's my response. No spoilers. :) https://teacherluke.co.uk/2015/12/16/319-star-wars-vii-the-force-awakens-reaction-no-spoilers/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to The Lying Game 2: The Rematch (Part 2). In this episode you can hear Amber, Paul and me continue our competitive game. Who's going to win this time? Will it be Paul, finally? Listen to find out what happens, and for details of the next version of the lying game which will be interactive. Click here for notes and more: http://wp.me/p4IuUx-5pJ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is called "The Rematch". It's one of those episodes that involves a competitive game between Amber, Paul and me. In the last one of these, called The Lying Game, this happened: The scores were level between me and Paul. Even stevens. We then played a tie-breaker. I told a story about the tooth fairy. Paul talked about burning down his house. I identified it as true. Since then, it has come to light that I may have cheated. I swear that I didn't, but some clever listeners noted that a story Paul told in The Lying Game was one he'd already told on the podcast before. So, I admit that a rematch is necessary, and here it is. This is The Lying Game 2: The Rematch. Click here for the page for this episode http://wp.me/p4IuUx-5pg Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen to Luke explain the rest of Tim Vine's stand up routine from the video "One Night Stand". Learn some natural phrases and bridge the linguistic and cultural gap between you and native speakers of English. Click here for notes and to see the video: http://wp.me/p4IuUx-5nA Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

(The survey is not working now) Hello listeners, this episode of the podcast is entitled: Do me a favour - Take my business English survey! It's called that because I'd like to invite you to take a very quick survey on my website. You can find the survey at http://www.teacherluke.co.uk/businessenglishsurvey. Please do take the survey. It'll just take you a couple of minutes, but it will be extremely helpful for me because I'm planning new ways to help you. So, do me a favour and take the survey! Listen to this whole episode to find out all the details. There's a transcript available too. Click here for the transcript & survey http://wp.me/p4IuUx-5hc  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.