Luke's English Podcast

This episode is filled with vocabulary relating to health, feeling ill, catching a cold and common symptoms. Luke's English Podcast is a free service for people who are learning English as a foreign language. Download each episode free. Subscribe to the podcast using iTunes. Use it to practise listening, develop vocabulary and learn about the culture of the English language. Luke is well qualified and has lots of experience of teaching English for general life and for business/legal purposes. This podcast is designed to be useful, but also entertaining and fun.

Here are the lyrics to the "Feeling Sick Rap"

I'm sick, I'm sick
I'm under the weather
But in a few days
I'm gonna feel better

I've been coughing and sneezing
all day and all night
But don't worry about me
I'm gonna be alright

Cos (because) I think I'm coming down with a cold
It gets worse and worse, the more you get old

My doctor told me
It's gonna be fine Luke
It's just a cold
You're not suffering from swine flu!

Here's a list of the phrasal verbs and expressions I teach in this episode.

To be under the weather - To feel a bit ill / have a cold because of the weather
To be off colour - To feel a bit ill
To pick something up - to catch something "I picked up a cold last week"
To come down with something - To catch something "I think I'm coming down with a cold"
To look after someone - To take care of someone
To fight something off - To try your best to get better "I'm trying to fight off my cold by going to work"
To shake something off - To try to get better "I've been trying to shake off this cold for days and days"
To pass out - To faint / suddenly fall asleep from weakness or sickness
To throw up - to vomit / to puke
To swell up / swollen - to expand because there's a problem with it "My glands have swollen up"

Here's the conversation which includes the list of symptoms. To get definitions of the symptoms, you'll have to listen to the podcast:

Friend: Hi, how's it going?

Luke: Oh, not too good really

Friend: No, you sound a bit ill

Luke: Yeah, I'm a bit under the weather actually

Friend: Oh really? What's the matter?

Luke: Oh, I think I've got flu or a cold or something, I don't know

Friend: Really? What are your symptoms?

Luke: Just the usual things, you know. A sore throat, a headache, a cough, aches and pains, cold chills, a stomach ache, it hurts when I swallow, my glands are swollen up, I've been throwing up quite a lot, I'm sneezing all the time, I've got a stiff neck and a bad back, my lips are dry, I feel a bit dizzy, I'm losing my voice, I've got gas and indigestion, I've got diarrhea, my joints ache, I've lost my appetite and I don't have any energy or enthusiasm for anything really, my hands are shaking, I feel drowsy, I'm wheezing quite a lot, I've got a lot of phlegm and catarrh, I get cold sweats at night, I've got lots of mouth ulcers and I feel quite de-hydrated, I can't sleep properly or get comfortable when I sit down, I keep sniffing and blowing my nose and I've got a cold sore on my lip, and to top it all off I've got athlete's foot, and a sprained ankle and a broken leg as well. That's it really.

Friend: Uh huh? Have you seen a doctor?

Luke: Um, no. No I haven't. That's a good idea. I'll do that then.

Friend: Yeah, you should do that because you sound really really really ill.

Luke: Oh ok, I'll go to the doctor's. Thanks for your advice.

Friend: That's no problem. Have a nice day.

Luke: Thanks, you too. Bye bye *coughs* bye bye bye

Here's the link to the BBC's information page about swine flu. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8021958.stm

This is a video with advice on how to use videos with transcripts to improve your English.

A NOTE ON SUBTITLES IN VIDEOS:

This video has subtitles - you can listen to me and read at the same time.

That makes it nice and easy for you, doesn't it?

However, I don't think it's a good idea to watch videos with subtitles every time.

There are no subtitles in my recent videos.

This probably makes it difficult for you to understand everything the native speakers say in their interviews.

But, I believe it is better for your English to survive without subtitles.

There are no subtitles when you talk to people in real life, right?

So it is better to practise your listening without relying on subtitles.

When you watch a video with subtitles (like now), you are not really listening like normal. You're reading too.

If you always do that, you will find it difficult when you actually talk to people in English.

So, when you watch the video interviews on this site, don't worry if you don't understand everything.

If you want to understand every word in the video interviews, you can. You don't need subtitles.

Here's how:

1. Watch a video with interviews in it (e.g. London Video Interviews Pt.1)

Try to understand as much as possible, but don't worry if you can't understand everything.

These are native speakers, talking naturally, so it might be difficult.

2. Then, find the transcript to the video by going to http://teacherluke.podomatic.com

It's a good idea to print the transcript if you can. You could highlight the text and then paste it into a Word document, then print it.

3. Next, read the transcript and listen to the video at the same time.

Underline words or phrases that you don't understand.

Think about differences in the words in the transcript, and the way the speakers say them in the interview.

4. After that, study the words / phrases that you don't understand.

Do this with a dictionary, or by googling the words.

Google is good because you can find lots of examples of a new word being used in other situations.

Remember that some phrases may be idiomatic - so you might have to guess what they mean.

Use your intelligence! Be a 'text detective'.

5. After you've studied the transcripts, watch/listen to the interviews again but without the transcript.

Watch the speakers' mouths when they speak and think about how they pronounce the words and sentences.

Now, you should be able to understand the interviews completely, at the same level as a native speaker.

6. Read the transcript out loud.

Actually say the words, and try to copy the way they are pronounced in the interviews.

Don't just stop at listening and understanding - it's really important to combine skills and convert listening comprehension and pronunciation awareness into speaking practice.

Have fun, but don't make a fool of yourself by reading the sentences out loud in public!

7. Try to remember any words or phrases in the interviews which you think are useful.

8. Practise by recording yourself talking about good/bad things about your city, or about London.

Listen to the recording. Try not to be embarrassed by the sound of your own voice. This is natural. Just listen to yourself in order to get a better understanding of your speaking, so you can work on your weak points.

Don't forget to feel good about what you do well too.

This is a much longer process than just watching a video with subtitles, but I think you will agree that in the long run it is much better for your English.

It is much better to learn to listen by actually listening and looking at the speaker's face, not by reading subtitles.

Also, if you follow the steps above you can train yourself to listen well and learn about vocabulary, pronunciation and speaking too.

That's it!

Enjoy the videos...

Bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye!

Just the audio track from the second video of interviews with native speakers in London. This is for people who like to listen to the podcast while they do something else with their eyes (e.g. drive, eat, look out of the window).

To read transcripts and definitions for this episode, check the previous episode "London Video Interviews Pt. 2".

Have fun! Bye bye bey bey eb yeyyyey eye

More interviews with native English speakers in London. Transcripts & definitions available below. This video was filmed in Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Chinatown and Picadilly Circus in the centre of London.

Hello learners of English, here is the transcript for the second video with interviews in the centre of London.

Use these videos as an opportunity to practise listening to authentic English conversations in a natural context. It's a good chance to get exposure to English by native speakers, especially if you don't live in an English speaking country.

Graphic design student: Hello
Luke: So, how long have you been in London?
Graphic design student: Two weeks
Luke: Really? What do you do?
Graphic design student: Err, graphic design. Camberwell, School of the Arts.
Luke: Ok. So, your first two weeks.
Graphic design student: First two weeks. It's quite a big impact. Very big, lots of people, and it's quite expensive as well.
Luke: Ok. What's the best thing about it?
Graphic design student: Err, night life. Very good night life. It's got, you know, erm... If you go to the right places... A lot of action, erm, you know, a lot of friendly people as well.
Luke: Excellent. What about the worst thing?
Graphic design student: Depends on where you go. I mean, there's quite a lot of, err, muggers about, dodgy people looking at your weirdly. You want to just, turn, turn away from them
Luke: Ok yeah
Graphic design student: Apart from that, generally a lot of people are quite nice. I mean, there's some people that shove about, but, you know, you've just got to deal with it.
Luke: Ok, thank you very much
Graphic design student: That's ok
Luke: Cheers.

Luke: So, hello
Girl in red scarf: Hello
Luke: Where are you from?
Girl in red scarf: I live in Redhill, which is about half an hour away from London
Luke: Ok, erm, how long have you lived there?
Girl in red scarf: Two weeks!
Luke: Ok. Everyone's been living in London for two weeks for some reason. So, what's London really like then?
Girl in red scarf: London, well, London's a really really massive place which can be quite overwhelming, but it's not that scary after you've, you know, got stuck in there. Erm, London has everything you'd ever want, if you're into theatres, art, education, night clubs, anything. Erm, I would say, just get stuck in there and go for it!
Luke: Ok, great, and what's the worst thing about London?
Girl in red scarf: The worst thing... oooh the worst thing... err, I think the worst thing would have to be the pollution. It's probably not as bad as some countries, but you always feel like you've got black fingernails.
Luke: Ok. Thank you very much.
Girl in red scarf: Thank you

Real Londoner girl (who hates pigeons): Hi!
Luke: So, are you from London too?
Real Londoner girl (who hates pigeons): Yes, I am
Luke: Ok, so how long have you lived here?
Real Londoner girl (who hates pigeons): Err, my whole life. Luke: Ok, so you're a real Londoner
Real Londoner girl (who hates pigeons): Yes, a real Londoner
Luke: Ok, what's it like then, living here?
Real Londoner girl (who hates pigeons): What's it really like? Erm, well I think it's fantastic. It's nice to live in such a cosmopolitan place with lots of things to do. You can never say that you're bored or have nothing to do because then that's all down to you, so...
Luke: What's the best thing about it?
Real Londoner girl (who hates pigeons): Erm...
Luke: You might have just answered that
Real Londoner girl (who hates pigeons): Yes I think I have. Just the variety and everything you want to do. Lots of things for different age groups, there's always something for someone to do. I would say the best thing is, like, the cultural little occasions that we have, like Chinese New Year and things like that, where you have big street parties. I would say that's the best thing.
Luke: Ok, what about the worst thing?
Real Londoner girl (who hates pigeons): Oh... I don't like to answer that question
The girl with the red scarf (off screen): Pigeons!
Real Londoner girl (who hates pigeons): Oh yeah! I hate pigeons! I hate pigeons! They're just...
Luke: What's wrong with them?
Real Londoner girl (who hates pigeons): They're diseased!
Luke: They're diseased. Flying rats.
Real Londoner girl (who hates pigeons): Yes
Luke: Right?
Real Londoner girl (who hates pigeons): Yeah. That's the worst thing, I don't dislike anything else.
Luke: Ok, thank you very much
Real Londoner girl (who hates pigeons): You're welcome
Luke: Cheers

Smartly dressed couple: Hi
Luke: So, are you from London
Smartly dressed girl: Err, we've just moved here, yeah.
Luke: Just moved here, right, so err... How long have you been here?
Smartly dressed girl: Err... We've been here for a couple of weeks.
Luke: Ok. Everyone I've interviewed today has been in London for, like, two weeks. I don't know why... So, what's London really like then? What do you think?
Smartly dressed guy: Err, it's a huge place. There must be about 10 million people living here. It's got a lot of good things, bad things. It's vibrant, it's multicultural. It's got fantastic places to eat, fantastic places to go out in the evening.
Smartly dressed girl: Fantastic theatre, fantastic restaurants. Fantastic museums, art galleries. Absolutely loads of stuff.
Luke: Ok
Smartly dressed guy: It's a fast paced place. People seem to be moving around a lot faster than in the rest of the country
Smartly dressed girl: Sometimes that can get quite a bit much, you know. People sort of rushing everywhere all the time
Smartly dressed guy: But it's interesting, but there's also negatives to living here
Smartly dressed girl: It's very congested, it's very expensive. Err, extremely expensive, public transport is expensive. It's hard... it can take a long time to get anywhere
Smartly dressed guy: And there's also a lot of pollution, and crime as well. So, if you come to live here I think it's about finding the right enclave...
Smartly dressed girl: Yeah, the right neighbourhood to live in, definitely...
Smartly dressed guy: And having friends. Set up your own community of friends, rather than knowing your next door neighbour.
Luke: Yeah. Ok, thank you very much
Smartly dressed guy: No worries
Luke: Cheers, bye bye
Smartly dressed girl: Cheers, bye

Vocabulary definitions:
Here are some definitions of some of the vocabulary in the video.

night life - social life at night, for example clubs and bars
a lot of action - lots of exciting things happening, and lots of nice girls to meet
muggers - criminals who might steal things from you in public (e.g. attack you and steal your bag)
dodgy people - people who are strange and can't be trusted
looking at your weirdly - looking at you in a strange way
turn away from them - look/turn in the other direction
shove about - push people when in a large crowd (e.g. pushing people when getting on or off a crowded train)
you've just got to deal with it - you have to just learn to live with it. You can't let it make you unhappy.
massive
overwhelming - having such a great effect on you that you feel confused and do not know how to react
if you're into theatres, art, education, night clubs, anything - 'to be into something' means to be interested in it, or to enjoy it
just get stuck in there - get involved without hesitation or fear
and go for it - just do it!
pollution - dirty air caused by cars, bad air conditioners etc
a cosmopolitan place - a place with lots of people from all over the world (positive adjective)
Pigeons - very common birds which you find in the city (see the video at about 3:33)
vibrant - full of energy and activity in an exciting way
multicultural - involving people from many different cultures
fast paced - with a quick lifestyle (e.g. people rushing about everywhere, walking very quickly, in a hurry)
get quite a bit (too) much - be stressful and annoying
congested - full of traffic, lots of traffic jams
the right enclave - a small area within the city in which you live and feel comfortable
neighbourhood - part of town in which you live

Just the audio track from the first video of interviews in the centre of London. Check the previous episode (London Video Interviews Pt. 1) in order to read transcripts for these interviews. Video part 2 coming very soon...

Here is the first of a series of video podcasts featuring interviews with people I met in the centre of London recently. I went into London on a Tuesday morning and politely asked members of the public if they would like to do a short interview for people around the world who are learning English and who are interested in listening to native speakers, and finding out about life in London. Some people didn't want to be interviewed, and ignored me! But most people I asked were very friendly and happy to talk to me for a few minutes. This is the first video, and includes interviews with people outside Buckingham Palace (home of The Queen), in St. James's Park and on The Mall (the road towards Buckingham Palace). I hope you enjoy them, and find them useful. There are more videos coming soon, featuring interviews in different parts of central London.

Watch the video and try to understand their comments.
Then use the transcript to help you understand what they said.
Try to guess the meaning of any expressions you don't know.
You can find some definitions of vocabulary and expressions at the bottom of the transcript.
The people in the interviews come from different places. Listen carefully and see if you can identify differences in the accents they have.

Enjoy the video. Part 2 is coming soon...

London! Capital of Great Britain. Home to over 7 million people, including: The Queen, The Prime Minister, Sherlock Holmes, James Bond and Mr Bean.
Considered by some to be the home of the English language, it's also one of the biggest and more important financial and cultural centres in the world. It has a rich cultural history, a diverse population and loads of cool stuff to do at the weekends.

But what is London really like for the people who live there?

Hi, well, I've got a video camera, I've got an Oyster card and I've got the day off, so I'm going to go into the centre of London, meet some real Londoners and ask them, "what's London really like?" Why don't you join me? Come on, let's go shall we?

Buckingham Palace:

This man is from somewhere in the south of England, possibly in London or near London. He has a southern English accent.
Luke: So, um, what do you think of London? What's it really like?
Man: London's a very nice place to be, yeah.
Luke: Yeah?
Man: Yeah.
Luke: What's the best thing about it?
Man: The best thing is the architecture, the old stuff...
Luke: Yeah, yeah. Like Buckingham Palace
Man: Like Buckingham Palace, yeah
Luke: What about...
Man: Anything else, yeah?
Luke: What about the worst thing?
Man: The worst thing is... all the rest, I'm afraid.
Luke: Everything else?
Man: Everything else, gone to the dogs.
Luke: Really, it's all gone to the dogs?
Man: With the country.
Luke: Ok. Alright, thank you very much. Cheers.
Man: Thank you.

These girls are from Hull, which is in Yorkshire in the north of England. They're in London on holiday. They have Yorkshire accents.
Luke: Hello
Girls: Hi!
Luke: So, where are you from?
Girls: Erm, Hull.
Luke: Hull? Ok, so how long have you been in London?
Blonde girl: We came yesterday
Luke: Ok, what do you think? What's London like?
Redhead girl: Really good!
Blonde girl: It's a bit busy
Brunette girl: busy
Luke: Right, okay. What's, err, what's the best thing about it?
Redhead girl: The weather, the last couple of days
Blonde girl: Yeah, it's been hotter than it is back home
Redhead girl: It's been really nice, yeah.
Luke: So it's better here than it is in Hull, is it?
Redhead girl: It is
Blonde girl: Yeah, but we couldn't live here all the time
Redhead girl: The worst thing about it is the tube, the underground
Luke: Why? What's wrong with the tube?
Redhead girl: It's too stressful
Brunette girl: It's too hot and busy
Redhead girl: and grimy
Luke: Busy, grimy, stressful... ok. Anything else to say to the people of the world?
Blonde girl: Come to London!
Redhead girl: Hiiii! Come to Hull to go out with us
Blonde girl: Come to Hull
Redhead girl: We'll have lots of fun
Luke: Great, thank you very much

This couple are from New York City in USA. They have New York accents.
Luke: Hello. So, where are you from?
American man: We're from the good old USA, the biggest city in the world, New York...
Luke: Oh, amazing
American man: ...which cannot compare to London.
Luke: Really?
USA man: I wanna just express our love for England, the people, and especially the British Airway[s] that brought us here. They were so polite and extended themselves to the best airline that I travelled [on] all over the world.
Luke: Great
USA Man: Now coming to England, we stayed at the Holiday Inn, and the people and the experience at the Holiday Inn was super.
Luke: Excellent
USA Man: We just came from the Holiday Inn to see the Buckingham Palace and now we're going to from here to Picadilly Square [Circus]. Yeah, great.
Luke: Great!
USA man: Thank you
USA woman: A wonderful experience
USA man: A wonderful experience
Luke: I'm very glad, that's great.
USA man: And where is this going?
Luke: This is going on a website for people who are learning English as a foreign language, so it's just going to be on, err... I work for this school, The London School of English and also I'm going to put it on a kind of podcast website for people all over the world, so, that's great.
USA man: Now, what is that over there? (pointing at the Queen Victoria Memorial)
Luke: That? Err, I'm not sure to be honest. Err, it's...
USA woman: It's a nice statue.
Luke: It's a lovely statue, covered in gold.
USA man: Uh huh, okay
Luke: Err, it... I don't really know who all these people are, to be honest with you.
USA man: Well, I'm gonna take a picture
Luke: Exactly. It's big and it's shiny, so just take a picture of it.

St. James's Park:

The man is from Middlesex, which is to the west of London. He has quite a posh accent. The woman is from the German/Danish border and has a German sounding accent.
Luke: So, where are you from? First of all.
Man: Well, I'm from Pinner, in Middlesex, which is near enough London, and we just come up once a week. It's a long time ago now, I'm talking about before the war, and during the war, yes. A long time. And madam...
Woman: I'm from Schleswig Holstein [on the German/Danish border] but I love London. Love it. My son lives here and I need to go from time to time, because... it's such a life city isn't it?
Luke: it is
Man: Recharge your batteries
Woman: Yes, yes. And, so green too! All these lovely parks, you know? And I think it's the most beautiful city in the world.
Man: Sounds as though she's selling it
Luke: Is she... it does! Yes. What do you think, I mean, we, err, you think it's the most beautiful city in the world, but, is there a, what about bad things? What's the worst thing about London?
Man: Well, I used to work just down there in Victoria... Victoria Station House. Erm, no, I... it tends to be a little dirty, a lot of rubbish around. I have the impression that's got a bit better lately. I don't know whether that's true.
Luke: Right.
Woman: I was in Rome, and I told them all that London was much more beautiful and they all shouted me down, so...
Luke: Oh really...
Woman: But when the sun shines, you know... and all these green places, and nothing drives me mad because you expect a bit of dirt and... don't you?
Luke: Yes, in the city
Woman: Yes, yes. And it has good communication, I mean you can go everywhere, and I love it
Man: You'll never stop her, but I must
Woman: So, shall we go now?
Luke: Great, thank you very much
Man: Not at all
Luke: Have a lovely day
Woman: You have a lovely day
Luke: Thank you
Man: Don't you sell that
Luke: I'm not selling it, don't worry. Alright, cheers.

The Mall:

Girl 1 is from Blackpool, which is in Lancashire in the North West of England. She has a Lancashire accent. Girl 2 is from Reading which is about 30 mins or 1 hour west of London. She has a fairly typical southern English accent.
Girl 1: Hello
Luke: Where are you from?
Girl 1: I'm from Blackpool, which is up north
Girl 2: I'm from just near Reading, just near London
Luke: Ok. So, how long have you been here?
Girl 1: I've lived in London for about 2 weeks so far
Girl 2: And I've lived in London for probably the last 4 years
Luke: OK, right so what's London like then?
Girl 1: So far London's quite exciting. I've been surprised by how many things are going on all the time, sort of, day and night. There's always something to do, always something free to do, and so far it's not rained!
Luke: Eyy! Great. Err, yourself?
Girl 2: Err, yeah the same, like, it's been a good place to live. I don't know, because I've been here for so long, I probably don't really take as much advantage of it as I should do.
Luke: Yep, what's the worst thing about London?
Girl 2: Erm... Traffic, commuting, going around, I think... Price.
Luke: Yeah, it's very expensive. Have you discovered a worst thing yet?
Girl 1: Erm, honestly, the worst thing is it's quite difficult to meet people, and because a lot of people live so far away, it's quite difficult to get to them, it's quite hard to see your friends, so it can sometimes be quite lonely.
Luke: Ok, thank you very much. Cheers.

Definitions of some vocabulary and expressions:

What's London really like?
This question: "What is it like?" means "tell me about it" or "how is it?". It does not mean: "What do you like about London?"
e.g. What is London like? - it's busy
What do you like about it? - I like the theatres

It's gone to the dogs = everything is much worse now than it was before

grimy = dirty

recharge your batteries = to give yourself some energy, by doing something pleasant and stimulating

to shout someone down = to disagree with someone loudly in order to stop them talking

to take advantage of something = to use something good which is available to you

commuting = travelling from home to work every day

Coming soon to Luke's English Podcast: A series of videos about life in London.

Recently I went into the centre of London with my video camera to interview some native English speakers. I met lots of interesting people, and asked them "What's London Really Like?". The results were very interesting!

So, I now have over 30 minutes of interviews with native English speakers and I am currently editing them. I will be uploading the interviews onto this website as video podcasts.

This video is just a trailer, to give you an idea of what to expect from Luke's English Podcast in the near future.

Cheers, bye bye bye bye ebye byeb ebay ebay ebay!

Vocabulary and listening on the subject of money and the economy. Luke's English Podcast is a free service for learners of English. Use this podcast to get exposure to natural British English. Listen to it wherever and whenever you want to. Luke is a well experienced and qualified English teacher, with plenty of other interests. Improve your English with this podcast, and have fun!

To read a transcript for this episode, click here to visit Luke's English Blog.

Authentic listening practice. Transcript available below. Luke's English Podcast is a free service for people who are learning English as a foreign language. Luke is a well qualified teacher of English with over 8 years' experience in both Japan and the UK. He speaks British English, and teaches at a language school in London. You can use this podcast to get exposure to native speakers using natural English. Learn phrasal verbs, idioms, useful expressions, linkers, etc. Find Luke on Facebook (search for Luke's English Podcast) or Twitter (@EnglishPodcast). Cheers!

To read a full transcript and language analysis by Richard Gallen (useful for teachers wanting to adapt this interview for the classroom), click here to visit Luke's English Blog.

Some vocabulary and a listening transcript for the argument sketch are provided below. Learn English vocabulary (phrasal verbs, natural expressions, idioms, commonly used British English) and grammar (hopefully not boring) by listening to this podcast. Practise listening by playing the podcast on your iPod or computer. Develop awareness of pronunciation by repeating what you hear and recording yourself. Listening regularly is vital for the development of your English - so listen to Luke's English Podcast, enjoy yourself and have fun!

To read a transcript and definitions, click here to visit Luke's English Blog.

Part 2 of the strange story from the last episode. Use this podcast to improve your listening, reading, vocabulary and pronunciation. You should listen to it after listening to the previous episode "Mystery Story / Narrative Tenses". email me at luketeacher@hotmail.com. Find me on Facebook and Twitter too.

To read a full transcript of the story and advice on how to use this episode to improve your English - click here to visit Luke's English Blog.

This podcast is about narrative tenses (past simple, past continnous, past perfect - see details below). We use these tenses to sequence stories about the past. To master the use of these tenses you have to deal with their form, their use and thier pronunciation - both for listening and speaking. Use this podcast to help you deal with all of those things, and then start using narrative tenses fluently whenever you describe something. Make your descriptions more detailed and colourful!

A full transcript, pronunciation drills, grammar notes and advice are all available for this episode. Click here to access them at Luke's English Blog.

I talk to Chris from Ladbroke Grove about the British weather, and why he thinks foreigners should stop complaining about it!

Luke's English Podcast is a free service for people who want to improve their English. Learn real english with this podcast. Natural expressions, phrasal verbs, idioms and more vocabulary. Good listening practice. Join the growing community of listeners around the world who use this podcast every day. Email me your comments: luketeacher@hotmail.com

A full transcript of this interview is available. To read it, click here to visit Luke's English Blog.

Lots of weather vocabulary and natural expressions to describe the weather. The weather is one of the most common topics of conversation. Imagine you're doing business with someone from another country, and you have to make smalltalk. What can you possibly talk about? THE WEATHER OF COURSE! Learn some natural expressions to describe the weather and practise your listening at the same time.

To read notes, vocabulary and definitions for this episode, click here to visit Luke's English Blog.

This podcast is about having the right attitude to learning English. Use the statements in this podcast to help you stay positive and motivated. Luke's English Podcast is a free service for people all over the world who are learning English. Luke is a teacher at the London School of English. He's been teaching English for over 8 years. For two years he taught in Japan. He lives in West London. Email: luketeacher@hotmail.com - all emails are welcome!

To see notes and transcripts for this episode, click here to visit Luke's English Blog.

Learn 40 Phrasal verbs in this video! Also, learn about London culture at the Notting Hill Carnival 2009. Luke's English Podcast is a FREE service for people learning English as a foreign language. Use this podcast as an entertaining way to learn English, pick up vocabulary, understand grammar and develop your pronunciation. Each episode is about a different topic, and includes a different language point. This episode is about phrasal verbs (a popular area of vocabulary), and is my first real video podcast, or 'vodcast'. I hope you like it. Email me your comments, suggestions and feedback here: luketeacher@hotmail.com

To read a full transcript for this video, and to get definitions for all the phrasal verbs, click here to visit Luke's English Blog.

Learn English! Some music idioms for you to use. Luke's English Podcast is a free service for everyone in the whole world to use. Download the podcast, listen, laugh and learn. Get new vocabulary, listening practice, pronunciation drills for speaking and some interesting cultural information. Email me at luketeacher@hotmail.com. You can also find me on Facebook and Twitter.

To read a transcript and vocabulary definitions click here to visit Luke's English Blog.

Luke's English Podcast is free and available to download as often as you like. It is designed to help learners of English with their vocabulary, listening and pronunciation. Also, Luke's English Podcast aims to introduce you to unique aspects of the British cultural experience. This podcast is about music festivals during the summer months in The UK.

To read vocabulary notes and see pictures for this episode, click here to go to Luke's English Blog.

Luke's English Podcast is for learners of English as a foreign language. Use it to improve your listening, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar and cultural awareness. Luke is a teacher at The London School of English, but this is a completely independent free podcast for everyone. Email me: luketeacher@hotmail.com

To read notes for this episode, click here .

To read a full transcript for this episode, click here to visit Luke's English Blog.

This is a podcast for learners of English as a second language. Use it to improve your vocabulary, listening, pronunciation, idioms and cultural awareness.

To read notes, and watch a video for this episode, Vclick here to visit Luke's English Blog.

Luke's English Podcast is for people learning English as a foreign language. This episode is about passive verb forms, their use and pronunciation. 

For a transcript, and detailed grammar & pronunciation notes, click here to visit Luke's English Blog.

More phrasal verbs for you today. These ones are all particularly useful in business English when you have meetings.

For a complete transcript and pictures for this episode, click here to visit Luke's English Blog.

Here are some messages from me to you. This podcast is produced to help people to learn English as a foreign language. It is good listening practice and contains lessons on vocabulary and grammar for general English.

To read notes for this podcast episode, click here to visit Luke's English Blog.

This podcast is about the life and death of Michael Jackson, and is produced to help people learn English by practising their listening skills and developing their vocabulary. Luke's English Podcast is a free audio programme for learners of English.

To read a full transcript, watch videos and see photographs, click here to visit Luke's English Blog.

Just a quick podcast today. 12 useful phrasal verbs.

To read a full transcript and vocabulary notes, click here to visit Luke's English Blog.

This full length podcast is about international English and pronunciation differences between American and British English. luketeacher@hotmail.com

For a transcript, vocabulary notes and a video for this podcast, click here to visit Luke's English Blog.

New video on YouTube - Luke's English Podcast - I Like It! To read vocabulary notes and to see photos and a video for this podcast, click here to visit Luke's English Blog.

To read a transcript for this episode, visit Luke's English Blog here.

To read a transcript and vocabulary note for this episode, click here to visit Luke's English Blog.

To read notes and a transcript for this episode, click here to go to Luke's English Blog.

To read vocabulary notes for this podcast, visit Luke's English Blog.

Notes are available for this episode on Luke's English Blog. Click here to read them.

Hello everyone around the world, and thank you very much for downloading the podcast. I've had lots of downloads in lots of countries recently.

This podcast is about Susan Boyle, the Scottish singer who recently became very famous all over the world on YouTube. The feature section is about her and her performance of "I Dreamed a Dream" from the musical Les Miserables. Why was it so special? Why have so many people in the world seen it? Why has she become so famous? Why do the Americans love her?

Below this text you can read a transcript of her conversation with the judges on Britain's Got Talent (TV show), and the lyrics of I Dreamed A Dream. I explain some of the words and expressions from the conversation.

The Language Section is about some common idioms which you can use to describe people's personality and appearance. You can read the idioms and definitions below.

What do you think of Susan Boyle? Is she famous in your country? What do you think of Luke's English Podcast? Is it too long? Would you like me to change anything?
Email me: luketeacher@hotmail.com

Here's the transcript of the conversation from the video of Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent. (The tapescript starts from 0.40 seconds into the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY )

SC = Simon Cowell
AH = Amanda Holden
PM = Piers Morgan
SB = Susan Boyle

SC: What's your name darling?
SB: My name is Susan Boyle
SC: Ok, err, Susan, err, where are you from?
SB: I'm from ??? near Bathgate in West Lothian
SC: That's a big town...?
SB: It's a sort of, a sort of collection of ... (she thinks) ... villages. I had to think there!
SC: And how old are you Susan?
SB: I'm 47... and that's just one side of me!!
SC: Ok, and what's the dream?
SB: I'm trying to be a professional singer
SC: And why hasn't it worked out so far Susan?
SB: Well, I haven't been given a chance before, but here's hoping it'll change...
SC: OK, and who would you like to be as successful as?
SB: Elaine Page...
SC: Elaine Page
SB: ...something like that
PM: What are you gonna sing tonight?
SB: I'm going to sing "I Dream The Dream" from Les Miserables

She sings:
(A presenter says: You didn't expect that! Did you?? Did you?? No!)

I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high,
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving.

Then I was young and unafraid
When dreams were made and used,
And wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung,
No wine untasted.

But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hopes apart
As they turn your dreams to shame.

And still I dream he'll come to me
And we will live our lives together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms
We cannot weather...

I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I'm living
So different now from what it seems
Now life has killed
The dream I dreamed

She starts walking off the stage when she is finished...

PM: Come back here!!
SC: All right, and thank you very much, err, Susan. Piers?
PM: Without a doubt that was the biggest surprise I have had in 3 years of this show. When you stood there with that cheeky grin and said "I want to be like Elaine Page", everyone was laughing at you. No one is laughing now! That was stunning! An incredible performance. Amazing! I'm reeling from the shock. I dunno about you two, but...
AH: I am so thrilled because I know everybody was against you. I honestly think we were all being very cynical and I think that's the biggest wake up call ever, and I just want to way that it was a complete privilege, listening to that.
SC: I knew the minute you walked out...
SB: Oh Simon!
SC: ...on that stage that we were gonna hear something extraordinary and I was right. Susan, you are a little tiger, aren't you.
SB: Oh, I don't know about that.
SC: You are. OK, the moment of truth. Piers - yes or no?
PM: The biggest yes I have ever given anybody.
SC: Amanda?
AH: Yes. Definitely. Brilliant.
SB: Amanda?! You too?!!
SC: Susan Boyle. You can go back to the village with your head held high, because it's three yesses!
Presenter: Well! I think you enjoyed that just a little bit!
PM: What a voice.
AH: Incredible.
Presenter: Congratulations!
SB: Oh my God! Oh my God!
Presenter: How do you feel?
SB: ...bloody fantastic!
Presenter: Piers says that's the biggest yes he's ever given on the show... in 3 series.
SB: Oh my God!
PM: The most extraordinary shock we've ever had.
SB: So emotional... Unbelievable and emotional and fantastic...

Here are some of the words and definitions:
SB: "That's just one side of me" = That's just one part of who I am
SC: "Why hasn't it 'worked out' for you?" = why hasn't it been a success for you?
PM: "...with that cheeky grin on your face" = cheeky means a little bit rude, but joking too. A grin is a big smile. A cheeky grin is like a fun, rude smile!
PM: "I'm reeling from the shock" - 'reeling' means that you're struggling to recover from the shock
AH: "Everyone was against you" = No one was supporting you
AH: "We were being very cynical" - Cynical means when you expect bad things to happen because you believe the world is not a good place, you don't believe people are good, honest, truthful, etc.
AH: "It was a complete privelage" = a privilege is like a special opportunity that only a few people have.
SC: "Go back to the village with your head held high" - Go back feeling very proud.

Language Section: Idioms to describe character & appearance

"Don't judge a book by its cover" - You shouldn't judge people by appearances only. You need to get to know them first before you judge them.
"There's more than meets the eye" - There is more to a person/situation than just how it looks.
"A class act" - if someone is a class act, they are excellent at what they do.
"A laughing stock" - Someone is a laughing stock if they've done something stupid in public, and then everyone is laughing at them and thinks they are stupid.
"Moral fibre" - Moral fibre is the inner strength to do what you believe to be right in difficult situations Example: He lacked the moral fibre to be leader .
"To have the courage of your convictions" - If you have the courage of your convictions, you are brave enough to do what you feel is right, despite any pressure for you to do something different.
"To be bold as brass" - Someone who is as bold as brass is very confident and not worried about how other people will respond.
"His bark is worse than his bite" - Someone who's bark is worse than their bite may well get angry and shout, but doesn't take action.
"A barrel of laughs" - if someone's a barrel of laughs, they are always joking and you find them funny.

So, that's it. Here is a picture of Susan Boyle:

Hello everyone. This podcast feature today is about vampires! The language section is about really useful vocabulary and expressions to describe feelings and emotions.

I hope you're well. I know I said that I would talk about men & women in this podcast. Well, that podcast isn't ready yet. Instead, I've done this one about vampires. I can hear you asking the question "Why vampires??". It's because there are some movies out at the moment which are about vampires. Actually, there's always a movie out which is about vampires! If you think about it, we love vampires, don't we? People seem to think they are interesting. There are hundreds of movies and books about them. They've been in literature for hundreds of years... but why? That's what this podcast is about.

The first part of the feature section is about Twilight. Twilight is a very popular American movie. It was recently released on DVD. It's particularly popular with teenagers (especially teenage girls) and it's about a girl who falls in love with a vampire. Hmm, interesting. It's also a very successful book by Stephanie Meyer. I think it's the most popular book on Amazon.com at the moment.

The second part of the feature section is about the history of the vampire in literature and movies. The information comes from a lecture by the British academic Sir Christopher Frayling (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Frayling) who is a brilliant and intelligent expert on popular culture. He gave a lecture a few years ago about vampires. I listened to it, and have summarised it for you here. It's all about why we find vampires interesting, and why there are so many movies about vampires in the cinema every year.

The language section is about useful words and expressions to describe your emotions. Here is the language summary of those words and expressions. Remember, if you don't use them - you lose them!!

Fear / Being Frightened

"I was absolutely petrified / terrified" - This just means, I was really really scared!
"I was scared stiff" - This means I was really frightened, and I couldn't move.
"It frightened the life out of me" - This means, it really frightened me.
"I jumped / It made me jump" - This is when something scares or surprises you and you jump into the air.

Shocked - I was really shocked

"I was speechless" - This means that I was so shocked that I didn't know what to say. I was lost for words.
"I was shocked and stunned" - I was so shocked that I didn't know what to do. If you are stunned, it means you can't move.
"I couldn't believe my eyes" - This is when you see something shocking and you can't believe it!
"I couldn't believe my ears" - This is when you hear something, like some shocking news, and you don't believe it!

Angry

"I was absolutely furious!" - I was really really angry.
"I was so pissed off" - Pissed off means angry. It's informal, and a bit rude. In American English they say "I was pissed", but in British English 'pissed' means 'drunk'.
"I lost my temper" - I became angry. We never use the word 'temper' on its own. We only use it in expressions like this. "Don't lose your temper" "You're so bad tempered"
"I hit the roof" - This is an idiom which means 'I became really really angry' The roof is the top part of your house, so if you hit the roof, it means you fly through the top of the house with anger!

Happy

"I was absolutely delighted" - This means I was really really happy.
"I was chuffed (to bits)" - Chuffed means really happy or pleased. It is informal English. It isn't rude.
"I was over the moon" - This is an idiom which means I was really really happy.

Disappointed

"I was absolutely devastated" - This means I was really really disappointed. I was so disappointed, that I was nearly destroyed. Very serious.
"I was gutted" - Again, this means I was really disappointed. 'Gutted' is an informal expression. It isn't rude.

Sad

"I was absolutely heart-broken" - I was really really sad, like when your girlfriend has left you... So sad...
"I was really down in the dumps" - This means I was depressed & sad. E.g. after my girlfriend left me, I was down in the dumps for weeks & weeks.

OK, so that's it for the language section. Remember: you can email me and ask me more questions if you want to: luketeacher@hotmail.com

This is a picture from the movie Twilight:

This is Christopher Lee in the classic Hammer Horror version of Dracula:

This is a trailer for Twilight:

Joaquin Phoenix is a famous Hollywood A List actor. He appeared in Gladiator and Walk The Line (the Johnny Cash story). Recently he announced that he wants to quit acting to become a rapper. Also, his appearance has become very strange! He looks more like a homeless person than a Hollywood star. His decision has become a Hollywood mystery. Is it real, or is it a joke? No one really knows.

In this episode of the podcast, Luke talks about Joaquin Phoenix with his friend and colleague Howard. You can listen to the conversation - some of the vocabulary is defined below. The language section of the podcast is about making speculations with modal verbs. See below for more information. Also, below you will see some pictures of Joaquin Phoenix, and some YouTube videos - one of him announcing his retirement from acting, and one of him rapping (badly) and then falling off the stage! For more strange Joaquin Phoenix videos, have a look on YouTube. We can't wait to find out if it is real, or if it is all a big joke. We really hope that it is a joke, because if it isn't, he could be in real trouble...

Some vocabulary that Luke & Howard used in their conversation + definitions:

Howard: "He's from a famous acting dynasty" - a dynasty means a large and powerful family
Howard: "He looks like a homeless, or a tramp or something" - 'homeless' and 'tramp' both mean someone who doesn't have a home and has to live on the street. 'homeless' is also an adjective
Luke: "He's making a fly-on-the-wall documentary" - a fly-on-the-wall documentary is a documentary film or programme which is filmed to look like the people in the film are not really aware of the cameras, so they act naturally and it is like the viewer is a 'fly on the wall' just watching what is happening. This is not a reality show like Big Brother. It's a type of documentary.
Luke: "A comedy movie a bit like Borat" - Borat is a satirical comedy about a man called Borat, played by Sacha Baron Cohen
Luke: "The thing about rapping is that you have to have a flow" - a rapper's 'flow' is his rhythmical style of rapping. E.g. Eminem has a fast flow. Joaquin Phoenix's flow is slow, and elementary.
Howard: "He looks like a twat" - a twat is a slightly rude word which means 'an idiot'
Luke: "He's let himself go" - to 'let yourself go' means you stop looking after yourself and your appearance goes bad, e.g. you gain wait, your hair grows too long, etc.
Luke: "It sounds like he's slurring his words" - to 'slur' your words means that you don't pronounce your words properly, like when you are drunk.
Luke: "He's famous for a method approach to acting" - a method approach is an acting style which involves the actor totally becoming the character he is performing. The actor lives as that character all the time, even at home. Famous method actors are Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino. DeNiro famously put on a lot of weight to become Jake LaMotta in the film Raging Bull (an excellent film!)
Howard: "His family are very eccentric" - 'eccentric' means slightly crazy, odd, weird, bizarre, strange
Howard: "A lot of craziness" - craziness is the noun from 'crazy'
Howard: "A lot of weird and wacky things happening" -wacky is another word for crazy, bizarre, weird, odd, etc
Luke: "I'm a bit sceptical" - 'I'm sceptical' means 'I don't really believe it is true'
Luke: "Someone in the crowd was heckling him" - to heckle someone means to shout criticisms from the crowd. Comedians are often heckled, by hecklers during stand-up comedy routines - e.g. "That's not funny!!"
Luke: "It's a piss take" - a 'piss take' is a joke. designed to fool everyone, to make fun of everyone.
Howard: "It sounds like he's on the edge" - on the edge means 'close to being crazy' or 'close to a nervous breakdown'
Luke: "I'm leaning towards 'it's all a joke'" - to be leaning towards something means that you are starting to take that opinion. You are favouring that opinion.
Howard: "I think it might be for real" - 'for real' means genuine, not fake.
Luke: "Finally, he's cracked" - he's 'cracked' means he's 'lost his mind'

Summary of Language Section - Modal Verbs:

Use might, must, could or can't to speculate about things.

1. For present or future use modal + infinitive (without to)
e.g. He may have an emotional problem

or modal + be + -ing for the continuous form
e.g. He may be having emotional problems

2. For speculations about the past, use modal + have + past participle
e.g. He may have got tired of Hollywood

3. Use 'must' when you're sure that something is true
e.g. It must be a joke! (or It has to be a joke!)

4. Use 'may' 'might' or 'could' when you're less sure that something is true.
e.g. He might be serious, but I'm not sure to be honest.

5. Use 'can't' when you're sure that something isn't true or didn't happen.
e.g. He can't be for real
e.g. He can't have given up acting.

Hi, this is just a quick extra podcast to say hello and to let you know there are more podcasts coming soon. I'm preparing episodes 4, 5 & 6 at the moment and I'll upload them soon. Episode 4 is about Joaquin Phoenix, with a language section about beliefs and opinions. Episode 5 is about men and women, and episode 6 is about vampires! with a language section on describing feelings and emotions.

Also, as a bonus extra in this podcast you can listen to the audio from a comedy sketch from the BBC comedy show Big Train. You can see a transcript, and watch the YouTube video below. Do you think it's funny? What is it about? Let me know: luketeacher@hotmail.com Enjoy!

Woman: Excuse me... excuse me. Sorry, erm... do you speak English?
Man: No I don't, sorry.
Woman: Erm. My car's broken down and I wondered if you could tell me where to find a garage.
Man: Well, y'know, that's wasted on me. I don't understand what you're saying.
Woman: You don't speak any English at all?
Man: Not a word. No. It's one of those things really... I wish I'd paid more attention in school... but, um, [to another man] excuse me, excuse me... sorry. Do you speak any English?
Man 2: English? No. What's the problem?
Man: I don't know I can't understand her.
Woman: Hi, err, my car's broken down and I need to find a garage.
Man 2: No, I'm sorry. I didn't understand that at all...
Woman: All right, well... thanks.
Man: I tell you what, if you go down that way, about half a mile, there's a village. There might be somebody there that speaks English.
Woman: [She says in German: I speak a little German. Do you speak German?]
Man: Deutch, nein. Spreckenzie Deutch?
Man 2: Deutch, nein. [He speaks fluent German...]
Man: I'm sorry we couldn't be more help.
Man 2: Yeah, sorry about that. Hey, you never know... next time you're over, maybe we'll have learned a bit of English.
Man: [in German} or German!
Woman: Thanks anyway...
[She walks away}
Man: I can speak English
Man 2: So can I!
[They laugh...]

Luke is still at his parents' house, and this time he's chatting to his Mum, who used to be a massive Beatles fan in the 1960s. She talks about how she first found out about them, why she liked them, and which one was her favourite.
The language section is about good ways to describe past habits. Enjoy!

It's Easter, so Luke has travelled back to his Mum & Dad's house in the Warwickshire countryside. In this show, Luke talks to his Dad about Easter celebrations, rolling eggs down hills and the dangers of rabbits on the road.
Luke also teaches some useful adverbs. Enjoy!

This is the first episode of Luke's English Podcast. In this episode Luke introduces himself to the world, and talks about what to expect from the podcast in the future. Don't forget to visit http://teacherluke.podOmatic.com and email Luke at luketeacher@hotmail.com