"It's raining cats and dogs" - Do native speakers of English often use this idiom to describe heavy rain or do they use different expressions?
What do people really say when they're talking about heavy rainstorms?
Is it really possible for animals to rain down from the sky? What are the explanations of this phenomenon?
What is the origin of the expression "it's raining cats and dogs?"
What other idioms about heavy rain exist in other countries and languages?
What would happen to Luke if he was struck by lightning while recording an episode of the podcast? Would he just be electocuted to death, or would he become some kind of podcasting super-hero? (probably the former option)

In this episode, Luke discusses all of these questions, while a thunderstorm passes overhead and the rain beats down on the roof of his apartment. Listen, and please add your comments below. 

How's the weather where you are, while you listen to this? 
What idiom do you use in your language to describe heavy rain? 
Do you have any stories about animals falling from the sky? 
We'd like to know about them!

Click here for the Wikipedia page for "Raining Animals" - I read from this page during the episode, so you can read some of the words I am saying by clicking this text. For the different idioms used in different languages around the world, see below

Click here to visit the Amazon page for "Travis: The Singles" where you can buy their album, or buy the song "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?"

Click here to read the lyrics to "Why Does It Always Rain On Me" by Travis, and to read some comments about the song's meaning.

Thanks for listening to the podcast. Thanks also for messages which are sent to me all the time (even during the recording of episodes). I carefully consider everything which is written to me. All the best and enjoy this episode, Luke

A look at hip-hop culture and analysis of the lyrics to a classic rap song.

HIP HOP LYRIC ANALYSIS

I wonder if you're a fan of hip hop. Maybe you are, maybe you're not. If you already are, then sit back, enjoy the episode. If you're not then listen on, because you might learn something about the world of hip hop music which you previously didn't know. You can also learn some slang in the process.

In this episode:

1. I'll tell you a bit about hip hop, and its history, but not too much because I don't want to bore you.

2. We'll listen to some hip hop and have a look at the lyrics and analyse them. I'll explain them, and kind of give you my thoughts on them.

There is music in the background on this one. I thought it was appropriate because of the subject of this episode. Future episodes will not always have music, but this one does. If you really can't hear what I'm saying then let me know and I might be able to upload this episode again without the background music. If you like the music and would like to hear more, let me know by commenting on this episode. I should be able to recommend some albums or tracks for you.

I understand that hip hop is not everyone's cup of tea, or perhaps you've never considered listening to it. Well, you know with Luke's English Podcast you never know what you're going to get each time. Variety. This time it's hip hop, next time it might be about something else like kittens. A whole episode about kittens, that would be nice, or maybe something about football... that's in the pipeline, and more interviews and all kinds of things, but for now it's all about da hip hop game, straight up, no nonsense, no diggidy, no doubt, the ill communication... You're probably thinking, "why is Luke speaking strangely, or more strangely than usual". Well, I'm throwing in a bit of hop hop slang into my sentences sometimes, just for a laugh really.

I love hip-hop but sometimes I don't feel like I can truly relate to it. It's an amazing musical genre. There's a lot of talent, great music and clever lyrics.

What are The 3 elements of hip hop? How did it develop?
First of all, the term 'hip hop' is used to refer to both the musical genre and the culture in general. This culture of hip hop is considered to have a number of elements. I think it boils down to about 3 main things: 

1. DJing - this involves the creating of loops of music, usually taken from old jazz or funk records played on two turntables. This is clever because it involves a lot of skill. Two copies of the record are needed, and the record needs to be chosen carefully. Usually the piece of music to be looped is a drum break from a funk tune. That's the bit where only the drums are playing. That section is just played over and over on the two turntables, the same bit being played and then rewound and played again- the music gets looped, and you get a continuous beat which people can dance to or rap over. The DJs would either do it live at parties or they would make mix tapes to be shared and used as the backing track for rapping. 

2. Rapping. This is talking into the microphone over the top of the beat. The best rapping involves clever rhyming of words, and a unique flow or rhythm in your voice. It's also known as MCing. MC means master or ceremonies. The original job of the MC was to be a kind of host for a party. He or she would liven up the audience and get the atmosphere going. Later, MCs started rhyming and creating stories or commentaries. MCs sometimes battle with each other. This means that they take turns to do a verse of rhyming in which they have to be more inventive, funny or insulting than the other one. An example of this can be seen in the movie 8 Mile with Eminem. 

3. Breakdancing. This was the dancing associated with hip-hop in the early days. People seem to do it less these days. It involves body popping, robotic movements, or acrobatic spins and jumps. It's also possible to have a breakdancing battle in which two teams take turns to perform better and better dance moves.
Graffiti is also associated with hip hop. That's the painting of large graphics or tags in public places using spray cans. Now, DJing has been replaced by more sophisticated forms of sequencing and sampling using computers, but the effect is still the same - funky beats and samples of well chosen old records. Beats can also be created without samples as well, but most of the classic hip hop of the 90s was made with samples from 60s jazz/funk records. 

Some also consider 'knowledge' to be an essential part of hip hop culture. This means the understanding of your cultural history and the reality of the situation you are living in. More specifically this relates to the condition of black Americans as a cultural minority in the United States, but it can also apply to a wider state of mind in which you 'keep it real'. Keeping it real just means being true to yourself, trying to ascertain what really is going on around you, questioning authority and everything around you and not believing 'the hype'. Public Enemy released a famous rap/hip-hop track called 'Don't Believe The hype'. I think the message of this is 'don't believe what you read in the papers, or don't believe what everyone says about something. Check it out for yourself first. Have some independence of thought. Don't accept the common opinion. Have confidence in your own sense of judgement. Don't believe the hype.

Click here to hear Public Enemy "Don't believe da hype"

Hip-Hop is also notable for it's recycling of previously released music, particularly music created by soul, funk and jazz artists of the previous generation. This shows us how hip-hop is a kind of 'do it yourself' cultural movement. The musicians who made this music just used what was available to them there at the time. They didn't have instruments, or classical musical training. There wasn't a lot of money going round. What they did have was old records, possibly from their parents' generation, and so they used that as a resource. If they were lucky they had record decks or other equipment. Otherwise they would use tape players to crudely edit together selected pieces of music from old records. This cut and paste approach is one of the things that defines hip-hop culture.

My personal favourite era for hip hop is the early to mid nineties. I think this is when it was at its best. If I could recommend one hip hop album it would be "Midnight Marauders" by A Tribe Called Quest. Why? The samples are very well chosen (some amazing bits of classic soul, funk or jazz) the music is positive, the rhyming is inventive and funny, it's catchy, I never get bored of listening to it and it always puts me in a good mood and reminds me of great times. I strongly believe it will be considered one of the all-time great hip hop albums. Click here to see the album on Amazon.

Hip Hop music is often associated with poor urbanised black american communities, but it doesn't have to be. It's not about being poor black Americans. The music might have come from that community, but ultimately music transcends racial barriers and can be enjoyed by everyone. But, saying that, there is something weird about middle class English white kids acting like rappers from Compton. They're not keeping it real, and the importance of keeping it real is one of the things you can learn from hip hop. Be true to yourself, don't play yourself because that's just straight up wack! A lot of rappers are very rich these days. Some are white, some are of other ethnicities. This just goes to show that it's not just a simple question of black or white, rich or poor or whatever. Gangster rap is one sub-genre of rap music. There are other types of hip hop that don't involve being a gangster. Positive hip-hop or political hip-hop. I suppose within gangsta rap there is the idea that hip-hop can be a way for poor people in America can escape from the ghetto. In the case of someone like Jay-Z who apparently used to live a gangster life, music did help him to escape the world of crime.

Hip hop music can give you an insight into life in the ghetto in America. The stories I hear in rap are like crime novels or a gangster movies. They can be evocative, moving, frightening and just very exciting tales of life on the edge. I must say though, as a white middle class English guy I can't fully relate to the music, and sometimes I feel slightly ridiculous listening to rap music. I find I feel embarrassed sometimes listening to tales of the gangster life while I'm on shopping in Tescos or walking along the Champs Elysees. I can't really relate to it, but nevertheless I love the music, and I wonder if you also like hip hop.

Anyway, I decided to play some hip hop in this episode and discuss the lyrics with you. First up, it's a genuine hip hop classic. This one is from the 90s which is the best era for hip hop in my opinion. It's basically gangsta rap. It's moody, dark and tells a story of how difficult life can be in the ghetto. The track is called "My mind is playing tricks on me" by Geto Boys. Listen to the track, and then I will explain it all, and analyse the lyrics after. You'll appreciate it more when you hear it the second time. If you like it, click the link to see the album on Amazon, where you can buy it and support this group. If hip hop is not your thing then I hope this episode at least educates you about a musical genre that you're not familiar with. You don't have to like it, but knowledge is power. Also, the English you'll hear is a dialect (to an extent).  It's the language of black American youth, and this is one of the most pervasive English dialects. It has influence on many informal dialects in English, including youth in London and all over the UK in fact. It's interesting that the social group with the least status - poor African Americans, has some of the most widespread cultural influence though its music and its English slang. Well, maybe that's the thing about hip-hop - it really changed the status of many poor young people in America, by making them into superstars. Although being a superstar is not the end of your problems of course, because you know, Mo' Money Mo' Problems... So, here it is.

GETO BOYS LYRICS

"My Mind Playin' Tricks On Me"

Click here to check out the song on YouTube

[Intro: Scarface] 

I sit alone in my four-cornered room staring at candles

"Cool out man, we on the Radio dukes"

We're on the Radio dukes

"yeah"

Ooh, alright, check this here

[Verse 1: Scarface] 

At night I can't sleep, I toss and turn

He's having a bad night. He can't sleep. Maybe he's had too much coffee, or maybe he's got an exam tomorrow. You know the feeling, you're nervous, you can't sleep. Very frustrating.

Candlesticks in the dark, visions of bodies being burned

If he's got candles burning I'm not surprised he can't sleep. You need to extinguish all lights. Anyway, he shouldn't leave a candle burning when he's going to sleep. It's quite dangerous, it might start a fire and the smoke could choke him to death in his sleep, or he could be very badly burned.

Visions of bodies being burned. He's having a very bad night. I know that sometimes your mind wanders  when you can't sleep but that's quite extreme. Maybe he's been watching too much of The Walking Dead. It's ironic that he's thinking of burning bodies when he's dangerously leaving candles lit while going to sleep.

Four walls just closing in, getting bigger

I know the feeling. It can be like you're trapped in your room, especially if you've been indoors all evening revising and now you can't sleep.

I'm paranoid, sleepin' with my finger on the trigger

Woa! He's sleeping with a gun in his hand and his finger on the trigger? He's likely to have a bad accident, especially if he starts to drop off to sleep and his hand jerks. He must be paranoid if he's sleeping with a gun. I wonder what happened.

My mother's always stressin' I ain't livin' right

Well, she's right because already you've got naked flames and a gun in the flat.

But I ain't going out without a fight

Ok, he's determined.

See, everytime my eyes close

I start sweatin' and blood starts comin' out my nose

You might want to get that looked at. If blood comes out of your nose when you close your eyes, you might have a serious condition. I don't think it's paranoia. Those are genuine symptoms. Go to a doctor. Call NHS direct at least.

There's somebody watchin' the Ack'

But I don't know who it is, so I'm watchin' my back

OK, I'm not sure what that means but it seems that someone is watching him, and apparently they're not really looking after him because they haven't stepped in to give advice or help. Whoever this person is, it seems that they don't have his best interest at heart. Again, I don't think he's being paranoid. This guy is probably not a friend. But then again it is quite normal to just see the same people in your neighbourhood and just because they're not friendly, it doesn't mean they want to kill you. I mean, in London I never talked to my neighbours but I saw them all the time. Didn't mean I wanted to kill them. Just saying.

I can see him when I'm deep in the covers

When I awake I hear a car burning rubber

When he's deep in the covers, that means when he's in bed. So, what he can see him when he's in his bed? That is pretty weird, what is he doing in the guy's bed?? Or maybe he's in the bed and looking out of the window and he can see him in the street or something. Oh I see, he can see him in his sleep. Bad dreams.

He owns a black hat like I own

A black suit and a cane like my own

Perhaps this is just a mirror. I wonder if he's considered the fact that he's seeing his own reflection in windows or something. That happened to me once. I was walking alone in the street and I thought I saw someone following me. I got really scared and ran home. Turned out it was just my own reflection in the windows of houses. I used to be scared of the dark so I suppose my mind was playing tricks on me too.

Some might say, "Take a chill, B"

Yes, it's a good idea. Take a chill. Relax. Have a cup of tea. Watch some telly. Put your feet up. Just take the afternoon off. No need to go round being a gangster today. It's hard work being a gangster. Just take it easy for a change. You've got to look after your health. Take some you-time. Just watch "Friday" or something.

But I can’t see, because there's somebody trying to kill me

Mmm, that will tend to make you a bit uptight.

I'm poppin' in the clip when the wind blows

Every twenty seconds got me peepin' out my window

This means he's putting a clip of ammunition into his gun whenever the wind blows. Now, the wind blows quite a lot, especially when it's windy. Does this mean he's just putting the clip in when he hears the wind, and then going "oh no it's just the wind" and then taking it out, but then hearing the wind again and going "What the hell is that?!" and popping the clip back in again, and again and again. He needs a holiday. He's peeping out of his window, with a gun. THis is an awful situation.

Investigatin' the joint for traps

Checkin' my telephone for taps

Ok, so I assume that he's really nervous because of something he did in his past. Maybe he criticised someone's mother, or stepped on someone's sneaker. Now he's worried that someone wants to take revenge on him and he's so paranoid that he's convinced that someone has set traps in his house. Perhaps like a bucket of water above the door and when you open it = splash. Or worse. Maybe a broken chair or a whoopee cushion. He's checking the phone for taps. That's a wire tap. Perhaps people are trying to listen in to his conversations. It could be the mob getting ready to kill him or the FBI surveying him, or maybe he's just been smoking too much weed and he's imagining it all.

I'm starin' at the woman on the corner

It's f*cked up, when your mind is playin' tricks on you

The woman on the corner? I expect that is a prostitute. It's quite sad that there's always a woman on the corner. It's even sadder that this guy is staring at her because he's paranoid that 'someone is trying to kill him'.

[Verse 2: Willie D]

I make big money, I drive big cars

Everybody know me, it's like I'm a movie star

Sounds like Luke from Luke's English Podcast.

But late at night, somethin' ain't right

I feel I'm being tailed by the same sucker's head lights

This means he feels like someone is following him. He's being tailed by someone's headlights. But normally you're tailed by someone in a car, not just some headlights.

Is it that fool that I ran off the block?

Or is it that clown last week that I shot?

He shot a clown? Why did he shoot a clown? They're basically harmless. They're just kids' entertainers. He's gone too far, shooting a clown.

To be honest, I think that by 'clown' he means a 'fool' or an 'idiot'. But really, was it necessary to shoot the guy? Two words: Gun Control.

Or is it the one I beat for five thousand dollars

He beat a guy for 5 thousand dollars. That is a lot of money but is it worth it for the risk. You could be sent to prison for aggravated assault. I'm not surprised he's having a bad time, because you know "what goes around comes around".

Thought he had caine but it was Gold Medal Flour

His mind really is playing tricks on him. He's seeing people doing their grocery shopping, and mistaking them for badass gangsters who want to kill him. The guy needs to just stay in for a while and wait for this all to blow over.

Reach under my seat, grabbed my popper for the suckers

Ain't no use to me lyin, I was scareder than a mother*****

This means he reached under his seat to get his gun in order to shoot these bad rude boys, and truth be told he was very frightened. Scareder (not correct English) than a mother-. One can only assume that 'a mother' is usually quite scared, for some reason. I think we know he is referring not to a Mum, but to a swearword, a motherf***er

Hooked a left into Popeye's and bailed out quick

If it's goin' down, let's get it over with

So, in order to escape, or find a good place to hide or escape he turned a quick left into what I assume is some kind of shop. He was ready to have a fight if it was necessary. So, he thinks that these gang-bangers are going to get him as an act of revenge, but perhaps he's just paranoid and imaginging it all.

Here they come, just like I figured

I got my hand on the chrome (gold?) plated the trigger

So, they're coming just as expected. He's got his hand on his chrome plated gun. The trigger is the part that your finger squeezes to fire the gun..

What I saw'll make your ass start gigglin'

Three black crippled and crazy senior citizens

What he saw will make you laugh because it was three black crippled and crazy old people. He must have been tripping because he thought they were all gangsters. He's in a real mess.

I live by the sword

I take my boys everywhere I go, because I'm paranoid

To live by the sword means you live a violent life. He takes his boys everywhere - not his sons I imagine, but some of his home-boys, some friends or fellow gangsters as protection.

I keep lookin' over my shoulder and peepin' around corners

My mind is playin' tricks on me

Looking over his shoulder, looking around corners. He's certainly got to be vigilant at times like this.

[Verse 3: Scarface]

Day by day it's more impossible to cope

I feel like I'm the one that's doing dope

Ok, this really is a messed up life. He's find it hard to cope. He can't manage it or deal with the pressure. He feels like he's the one doing dope - I guess this is a reference to the fact that he's a drug dealer, and usually his clients are the ones who are strung out and losing control of their lives because of the drugs they're taking, but this time even he is losing control. This is a messed up story of criminal life in America. Have you seen Scarface? This song is one of many similar crime stories which for me form part of American popular culture in literature, film and music. Yes, I'm saying this is art. Sue me.

Can't keep a steady hand because I'm nervous

Every Sunday mornin' I'm in service

Prayin' for forgiveness

And tryin' to find an exit out the business

He's going to church every sunday, praying to be forgiven by god, and trying to find a way to leave this terrible business of drug dealing and extortion. So, he does want to get out but apparently he is trapped. I wonder what you think. Does he have a choice? I suppose he is so deep in crime that if he tries to leave he risks losing his life.

I know the Lord is lookin' at me

But yet and still it's hard for me to feel happy

He believes in god but it's almost not enough because of his guilty conscience.

I often drift while I drive

Havin' fatal thoughts of suicide

BANG and get it over with

And then I'm worry-free, but that's nonsense

He sometimes considers killing himself in order to escape, but yes, that's nonsense. Suicide is the coward's way out.

I got a little boy to look after

And if I died then my child would be a bastard

Technically that is true. That's in line with the literal meaning of 'bastard' but does it also mean his son would be a bad guy? Quite possibly, if he's deprived of a father and growing up in tough conditions, and considering his Dad is a bit of a bastard apparently it must run in the family, so yes if he is killed then his son is likely to be a bit of a bastard. BUt also, his son would be fatherless, and that's serious.

I had a woman down with me

But to me it seems like she was down to get me

He used to have a girl friend, but it seemed she didn't support him. Maybe she was not good for him. Maybe she nagged him, and it didn't help.

She helped me out in this

But to me she was just another chick

OK, she did help a bit, but he didn't love her. Sad story. Sorry listeners.

Now she's back with her mother

Now I'm realizing that I love her

All right, so he does love her! Make your mind up!

Now I'm feelin' lonely

My mind is playin' tricks on me

You have my sympathy sir. Although I do think it was wrong that you committed those crimes and you shouldn't have done it. There's no way of justifying those criminal acts. Still, I will raise a glass to you sir.

[Verse 4: Bushwick Bill]

This year Halloween fell on a weekend

Me and Geto Boys went trick-or-treatin'

Robbin' little kids for bags

So they went trick or treating. Not exactly the behaviour of authentic straight up gangstas. Why are they trick or treating? Aren't they a bit old for that now? Don't they have business to attend to?

And robbing little kids for bags?? Really? Literally stealing candy from children. That's hardly the way a true gangsta rolls? It's almost pathetic, stealing sweets from children. It's a serious act of bullying and seems out of character. So these are very well esteemed bad-boy gangstas, who act like they've killed and done bad things, and here they are stealing sweeties from kids. Pathetic.

Till an old man got behind our rags

Too right. The old man was correct and I'm glad a member of the community stepped in to get behind their rags and tell them off.

So we speeded up the pace

Took a look back, and he was right before our face

They decided to leave quickly and walked away, but when they turned around he was right up in their face. Wow, that guy is fast!

He'd be in for a squabble no doubt

So I swung and and tried to take him out

So the guy wanted a fight, so Bill swung his fist and tried to knock him down. 'Take him out'

He was goin' down, we planned

But this wasn't no ordinary man

The plan was to put this guy down, but apparently this was no ordinary man. Maybe it was, like, Batman or just an extraordinarily tough guy who they shouldn't have messed with.

He stood about six or seven feet

Now, that's the creep I'd be seein' in my sleep

This is a very tall guy, and the 'creep' he'd been seeing in his sleep too. So, this is the scary guy that Bill was dreaming about earlier on. Wow, so here he is in a fight with him. Scary.

So we triple-teamed on him

Droppin' them 5th ward B's on him

Triple teamed on him - this means the 3 of them teamed up to fight him together. Ladies or in fact anyone else, if you're listening - I'm sorry about the violence. More civilised topics will be dealt with in due course.

The more I swung the more blood flew

Then he disappeared and my boys disappeared too

The more he punched the more blood there was, but then suddenly he disappeared, and so did his friends.

Then I felt just like a fiend

It wasn't even close to Halloween

He felt just like a fiend - this is someone who is evil and kind of obsessed by doing bad things. So, he frightened himself by realising he was a fiend, a monster. This is dark...

It was dark as death on the streets

My hands were all bloody from punchings on the concrete

Oh man, homie

My mind is playin' tricks on me

The streets were pitch black, and his hands were bleeding from punching the concrete. So, he imagined or hallucinated the whole thing and in fact had been punching the street itself thinking it was a man. His mind is playing tricks on him.

What a dark tale.

Let's lighten things up a bit. Now we're going to listen to a short rhyme by De La Soul from their amazing album 3 Feet High and Rising. This one is all about the importance of washing yourself with soap to avoid BO or Body Odour, which can be a problem on public transport for example. Again, listen to the whole tune and then I will explain...

De La Soul "A Little Bit of Soap" - Click here to listen to the song on YouTube

Please, listen to this simple De La style I'm gonna sing

It's strongly directed to all the misery you're bringing

Now I'm not all about dissing someone else personnel

But there's no quota on your odor, that's right, you smell

Now you might feel a little embarrassed, don't take it too hard

And don't make it worse by covering it up with some Right Guard

Before you even put on your silk shirt and fat gold rope

Please, take your big ass to the bathroom

And please use a little bit of soap

Okay, contestant number two, do you have the answers?

No, no I don't

SOME HIP HOP SLANG, DEFINED:

da hip hop game = the hip hop industry. 'da' means 'the'

straight up = simply

no nonsense = simple

no diggidy = no doubt, definitely

the ill communication = 'ill' here means 'good'

wack = not cool

sucka = a sucker, a stupid person

LINKS:

For more hip hop slang, click here.

To download some free hip hop mixes, click here. I personally recommend this one.

Visit this page to play around with 'gizoogle', which is a website that translates everything into hip hop slang.

Here's an example of what it does. Look at the below sentence, which is normal.

Hello, my name is Luke and I am an English teacher. You probably know me from my podcast which is called Luke's English Podcast. I really enjoy making episodes of my show and I hope that you like listening to it. Good luck!

Here's the hip-hop slang version:

Yo muthaf*cka, hoes call me Luke n' I be a Gangsta mackdaddy n' sh*t. Yo ass probably know me from mah podcast which is called Lukez Gangsta Podcast. I straight-up trip off makin episodez of mah show n' I hope dat you like listenin ta dat sh*t. Dope luck!

'Dope luck' indeed...

Conversation with a real American person from New York!

Sebastian Marx was born in New York and went to Boston University. He is a stand-up comedian in Paris and regularly performs in English and in French. You can visit his website here http://www.sebmarx.com and find out about his comedy shows!

In this episode I invited Sebastian to my flat where we had some tea and some chocolate brownies. Listen to the episode as I ask questions which were suggested by listeners from the Luke's English Podcast Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lukes-English-Podcast/227129545507

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

Pierre Gaspard is a French actor and comedian who performs comedy in English. His English is really good. In this episode I invited Pierre to my flat for a cup of tea and some biscuits, and to talk to him about learning English, doing comedy and life in Canada, France and the UK. I also teach Pierre how to speak using a few British accents - including Manchester, Cockney and a kind of Scottish accent.
***There is SOME RUDE LANGUAGE in this episode, so watch out if you're offended easily, or if you're a teacher and you're using this in the classroom.***
CLICK HERE TO READ VOCABULARY NOTES FOR THIS EPISODE AND WATCH A VIDEO

In this episode you can listen to 30 minutes of my stand-up comedy performance from last Friday in Paris. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO OF MY COMEDY SHOW AND READ A MESSAGE FROM ME

This episode is all about computer games or video games, from the early days of PONG, Space Invaders and Pac-Man to the multi-billion dollar industry that we have today.
CLICK HERE FOR VOCABULARY AND VIDEOS RELATED TO THIS EPISODE

Thank you very much for your emails and comments over the last few months! I am going to reply to some of them here.

CLICK HERE TO READ ALL TEXT AND NOTES FOR THIS EPISODE OF THE PODCAST

Listen to Luke tell you a rather bizarre story about an adventure involving a pink gorilla and a number of other characters. I recommend that you listen to the story several times as a way of enjoying and understanding it more. Some of the episode is transcribed below.
There is a rambling introduction, then the story begins at about 17minutes. There is a transcript available. CLICK HERE TO READ THE TRANSCRIPT of the episode from 17mins

This episode is all about the history of James Bond. You can also learn how to speak like Sean Connery or Roger Moore :)
CLICK HERE TO READ A TRANSCRIPT, DEFINITIONS AND VIDEO FOR THIS EPISODE 

In this episode I let you know what's been happening recently and look at some recent news stories. *There is a sound quality problem with this episode. It's recorded very quietly. Apologies for this. The next episode is better.*
Click here to read the news stories which I talk about in this episode.
Click below to make a donation to Luke's English Podcast, safely, via PayPal.

Do you believe all the theories that the world is going to end tomorrow? In this episode I discuss some of the 2012 End of the World theories and tell you what I think. We will also hear the opinion of a NASA scientist. You can read some of those theories below.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENGLISH IN THIS EPISODE :)

Hi listeners, and welcome back to Luke's English Podcast. This episode is the continuation of the last one which was all about Americanisms. In that episode I went through a list of American expressions which British people don't like. This is a list, published by the BBC of comments made by British people about American expressions that they hate.
CLICK HERE TO READ A FULL TRANSCRIPT OF THIS EPISODE :)

Hello listeners, how are you doing? Thanks for listening to Luke's English Podcast. I'm fine here today and I finally found time to record another episode. This one is all about Americanisms, so stay tuned to find out more about that.

CLICK HERE TO READ A FULL TRANSCRIPT OF THIS EPISODE :)

How's life in Paris? Find out in this episode. It's quite a long one (1hr 30mins) so feel free to listen to it in stages. You don't have to listen to it all in one go. You can listen to a bit, pause, listen to more later, pause again, finish listening to it. This is easier if you use iTunes to download and listen to the podcast. Visit the podcast on iTunes by clicking here.

There is a transcript to all of this episode. I wrote some of it myself, but the rest was contributed very generously by Krissy. Thank you very much Krissy! So now there is a transcript for THE WHOLE EPISODE! :)

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE TRANSCRIPT ON LUKE'S ENGLISH BLOG

Bandwidth is expensive. Please help by making a small donation. Your donations make Luke's English Podcast possible. Click the button below to make a donation using PayPal. It's very safe and secure. Thanks, hope you're having a good day ;) Luke

In this episode I will tell you the story of how I ended up in a Japanese hospital for two weeks. Read the notes below to see some of the sentences, phrases and words I use in this episode.

Click here for a previous episode in which I teach you lots of vocabulary about health and feeling ill. I also tell a brief version of this story there.

CLICK HERE TO READ PLENTY OF VOCABULARY NOTES FOR THIS EPISODE :)

Listen to Luke explain the previous episode of the podcast, and how that relates to psychic readings and so-called 'Barnum statements'.
CLICK HERE TO READ A FULL TRANSCRIPT AND TO WATCH SOME VIDEOS :)

Please let me know if you feel like the personality profile in this episode relates to you in particular... Welcome to episode number 116 of Luke's English Podcast. This episode features an experiment into the linguistic tricks that are used in mind reading and fortune telling. I must say at the beginning that I do not really believe that psychic powers exist. I think mind reading looks like a magic power but actually it is just a trick. This episode and the next one, are about this subject. There is a full tapescript for this episode available at teacherluke.podomatic.com.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL TRANSCRIPT OF THIS EPISODE ;)

Listen to a chat with my brother James about music. We interview each other about our musical memories. I've written a list of some phrases and sentences that we use in the conversation. You can check them out below. Highlight and google words which are new to you. You can also find some YouTube videos featuring some of the music we talk about in this episode. Thanks for listening, please add your comments below and you can donate by clicking the button below. Have a good day!

CLICK HERE TO READ NOTES ON THE LANGUAGE IN THIS EPISODE ;)

Learn 12 very common expressions by listening to this authentic and unscripted conversation. In this episode I am joined by Kate again, and her friend Mark. We teach you some natural expressions and get to know Mark a little bit.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE EXPRESSIONS AND THEIR DEFINITIONS :)

What does this expression mean? Well, according to the Macmillan dictionary it means "to have a conversation with someone in which you exchange opinions on a range of subjects, especially opinions on how to solve society's problems". That's exactly what I did in this episode.

Listen and you'll hear me engaging in conversation with a colleague of mine named Eamon. We went to the pub for a quick pint and ended up setting the world to rights. Eamon is a very intelligent and interesting guy and I'm sure you'll enjoy listening in on our conversation. I've decided it will help you immensely if you can read some of the phrases we use in this episode, and so I've written many of those things in a list below. You can use it to learn more vocabulary, understand the episode better, and generally become a more wonderful human being in the process. You're welcome!

CLICK HERE TO READ THE LIST OF EXPRESSIONS ON LUKE'S ENGLISH BLOG

Refresh your vocabulary from the first eleven episodes of Luke's English Podcast. Everyone knows it's vital to review vocabulary you have learned. If you don't review it then you're likely to forget it! So, in this episode I will help you to remember some of the expressions I taught you in the early days of Luke's English Podcast. Of course, we will be doing this in a natrual way by demonstrating the way these expressions can be used in a natural, authentic and unscripted conversation. All you have to do is notice the expressions, remember them and then try and pick them up yourself.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE, INCLUDING VOCABULARY NOTES AND DEFINITIONS

I'm joined by Alex, Paul and Moz as we have a few drinks and talk general nonsense. Enjoy!

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Your donations make this podcast possible. You can donate any amount you like. It's completely up to you.

Hello! In this episode I give you some latest news and talk about these things: The London Olympics, My holiday in Barcelona, The BESIG Presentation award, A recent comedy gig I did, My kitchen, Learning French and The new Batman movie.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO SEE THE VIDEO OF MY BESIG PRESENTATION

Your donations make this podcast possible.

Improve your understanding of different accents and voices in English.

In this episode I am joined by my friend Kate and we play speak in lots of different accents and voices.

Click here to read more information about this episode.

Please make a donation if you can. Click the 'donate' button below. It's completely safe and secure. You can decide how much to donate. It's completely up to you. Your donations make this podcast possible.

The second podcast from the Brighton Fringe 2012.

CLICK HERE TO READ NOTES FOR THIS EPISODE

Thanks for listening and remember that your donations help to make this podcast possible. Luke

Hello Listeners! This is the first of three podcast episodes recorded with comedians Alex Love, Paul Langton and Moz at the Brighton Fringe Festival last month. In this episode I introduce Alex, Paul and Moz and we discuss a number of topics including: British accents, experiences in foreign countries, comedy shows and a mysterious character called Luke Johnson. Listen to the episode to find out more, and please feel free to leave comments and questions below.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Opinions, facts and gossip about The Royal Family, as The Queen celebrates her Diamond Jubilee this weekend.

Listen to Luke have a conversation with English Robot 4000 about The Royal Family, including the shocking rumour about Prince Harry (lsten to find out more).

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE AND TO WATCH A COUPLE OF VIDEOS

Thanks for listening, and remember your donations make this podcast possible. Luke

Hi, I've got loads of things to tell you. So, in this episode you will hear about:

-Competition results and winners (woo) -See below for the winner and 2 runners up.
-New website information www.teacherluke.wordpress.com (check it out)
-News about me moving to Paris for a while (ooh la la)
-News about the Queen's Jubilee and other things happening in London (it's an exciting time)
-A new comedian/musician who I recently discovered (see the video below)
CLICK HERE TO READ THE RESULTS OF THE COMPETITION
Thanks for donations. They make this podcast possible.

This is your 100% guide to how to go to the pub in the UK. In this episode you'll learn everything you need to know about going to the pub in English. CLICK HERE TO FOR NOTES AND VIDEOS

Why is it called The Rotary Sushi Bar of English? Listen to the whole episode to find out.
To read notes for this episode, click here.
Your donations make this podcast possible.

We continue our discussion of various 'vs battles' in this episode. Listen, and add your comments below! CLICK HERE TO SEE SOME VOCABULARY NOTES AND VIDEOS

Listen to Luke and Oli as they discuss a variety of different topics, ideas, themes and people. The idea behind this episode is to compare and contrast different pairs of things, not only to decide which is the best, but also to explore them in great depth. CLICK HERE FOR VOCABULARY NOTES AND VIDEOS

VOTING IS NOW CLOSED - THANKS FOR YOUR VOTES EVERYONE. To read more about this episode, click here.

VOTING IS NOW CLOSED. To read more about this episode, click here to visit Luke's English Blog.

This episode is all about cultural differences. I talk to my brother James and our friend Aaron about customs, culture and behaviour from around the world and discuss the question: Is it weird, or is it just different?
CLICK HERE TO READ A TRANSCRIPT AND VOCABULARY NOTES

This is probably the most random episode of the podcast so far, and certainly the longest. It's about the same length as a football match, in fact, why not listen to this while watching an actual football match. It might make it more interesting.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE NOTES AND A LIST OF THE A-Z WORDS I MENTION ;)

Enter the competition to win the phrasal verbs dictionary. Details of the competition below. I also teach you loads of useful phrasal verbs that begin with the letters A, B and C.

CLICK HERE TO READ VOCABULARY NOTES, DEFINITIONS AND MORE INFORMATION! :)

Please donate some money to help me pay for this service. Thanks! Luke

A vocabulary episode in which I explain all the actions in a normal day. I got an email today from a woman in Russia. She said it can be easy to talk about big topics like politics but what's hard is explaining simple actions in detail. So I'm going to describe a typical day in my life, in great detail.

This episode features a lot of specific vocabulary. Click here to read this vocabulary and other notes.

Learn how to be a rock star in this episode. I'll teach you a bit about music and about how to play the drums. Also you can listen to various famous drummers talking about their technique. See below for some vocab. 

CLICK HERE TO READ VOCABULARY NOTES AND TRANSCRIPTS FOR THIS EPISODE

I chat to Oli about the news and teach you 6 idioms and 6 phrasal verbs.

FOR A FULL LIST OF THE IDIOMS AND PHRASAL VERBS, WITH DEFINITIONS AND EXAMPLES - CLICK HERE

Join my cousin Oli and me as we discuss an interesting legal case. This is quite a well known case which involves some quite dark themes such as murder and suicide.

CLICK HERE FOR VOCABULARY AND A TRANSCRIPT OF THE STORY

Listen to one of Luke's stand-up gigs.

First I talk about stand-up comedy and tell you some common expressions to describe comedy performances (see below). Then listen to me describing how I feel before a comedy gig, then listen to a recording of a recent gig. Finally I describe how I feel after the gig.

There is some explicit content in this episode. Please don't listen if you are offended easily.

CLICK HERE TO SEE VOCABULARY FROM THIS EPISODE, AND TO WATCH SOME STAND-UP VIDEOS

Why is it called Luke's English Braincast? Listen to the episode until the end to find out.

What's been going on? What's been happening?
In this episode, Luke and James talk about recent news stories and current affairs including:
-The London Olympic Games
-The Queen's Diamond Jubilee
-The Superbowl
-Charles Dickens 200th Anniversary
-The Oscars 2012
-Women drivers
and a number of other fascinating topics.

CLICK HERE TO READ VOCABULARY NOTES AND MORE

Warning: Explicit Content. Do not listen to this if you are easily offended. This episode contains lots of very rude words and offensive content.

This is an overview of all the swear words in British English. The aim of this episode is to explain how to swear. Please remember that swearing is very offensive and is almost always inapporopriate. Please do not swear regularly! It doesn't sound good. In this episode I am joined by my brother James and we explain all the main swear words in English, their meaning, their use and how offensive they are. You can read the list of swear words below. Please remember that they are very rude indeed!

CLICK HERE TO READ A LIST OF ALL THE SWEAR WORDS WE TEACH IN THIS EPISODE - YOU CAN ALSO SEE SOME FUNNY AND INTERESTING VIDEOS ABOUT SWEARING

I do not intend to cause offence with this episode, just to educate people about language.

Please vote for me in the Macmillan Dictionary awards. You could win a dictionary if I get to 1000 votes. TO VOTE FOR LUKE'S ENGLISH PODCAST - CLICK HERE

VOCABULARY: Click here to read a full list of the swear words and expressions in this episode.

In this episode I teach you lots of vocabulary for talking about voting, elections, government and politics. This episode contains some seriously useful and important terms about politics and the way the government runs here in the UK.

CLICK HERE TO READ ALL THE VOCABULARY ITEMS IN THIS EPISODE AND FOR A TRANSCRIPT TO THE COMEDY SKETCH

Some of the most important phrases, responses and common expressions used in English every day. These are sets of phrases that always go together. Some people call them adjacency pairs. Learn many of these vital expressions in this episode of Luke's English Podcast, one of the fastest growing English language learning podcasts online.

CLICK HERE TO READ ALL THE PHRASES I TEACH IN THIS EPISODE AND TO WATCH SOME FUNNY VIDEOS

Thanks for listening. Please make a donation if you can.

Listen to the family discussing issues, debating questions and doing speaking challenges in this episode.

This episode is filled with useful vocabulary and expressions. Listen to hear people expressing their opinions, arguing and debating various important and entertaining issues. I also talk about New Year, Christmas and the view from my living room window.

TO READ NOTES AND VOCABULARY FOR THIS EPISODE - CLICK HERE

This episode is all about Christmas. Learn plenty of general English vocabulary and culture.

CLICK HERE TO READ A FULL LIST OF VOCABULARY WITH DEFINITIONS FROM THIS EPISODE

Thanks for listening - please donate some money to help me continue making episodes for Luke's English Podcast. Merry Christmas everyone!

Who would win in a fight between a bear and a shark?

TO READ NOTES AND TRANSCRIPTS FOR THIS EPISODE - CLICK HERE

Are you the right kind of tourist in London? Listen to this advice for travellers using the tube and you'll know all the ins and outs of London's most famous transport system.

CLICK HERE FOR A (partly completed) TRANSCRIPT AND MORE INFORMATION ;)

Your donations make this podcast possible. Feel free to donate any amount you consider appropriate.

Unlike many things on the internet, Luke's English Podcast is not a distraction!

For tapescripts, video and more information - CLICK HERE

In this episode I tell you some news, share some comments from listeners, share an amusing audio clip about a driving instructor and eat some chocolate! Stay tuned for more useful and entertaining episodes soon ;)

A tribute to Steve Jobs who died yesterday. Listen to Steve Jobs' famous speech to graduates of Stanford University, read the transcript, notice some useful features of English, and learn some important lessons about life.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO READ A FULL TRANSCRIPT (WITH VIDEO) OF THE STEVE JOBS SPEECH :)

Why is it called The Cheese Episode? Listen to the whole thing to find out.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS EPISODE.
I decided to set myself a challenge in this one. Click here to read the rules of the challenge. ;)

Why is this one called The Ice Cream Episode? You'll have to listen to the whole thing to find out. FULL TRANSCRIPT NOW AVAILABLE BELOW!

In this episode I decided I'd give myself a challenge: could I just talk non-stop for 45 minutes without planning anything in advance, and keep it interesting? You can decide for yourself if I was successful.

CLICK HERE TO READ A FULL TRANSCRIPT OF THIS EPISODE (Thanks to Bettina from France again) ;)

Learning English and learning music are quite similar actually. In this episode I talk to a great musician and English teacher about how learning English is similar to learning to play music.
CLICK HERE TO READ VOCABULARY NOTES AND OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THIS EPISODE ;)

Correct your mistakes! This episode is about typical mistakes that learners of English make when they speak.

I've been teaching for 10 years and I've been listening to learners of English making mistakes for a long time. Recently I made a list of some of the most common mistakes I hear. Here they are, with corrections. This is a really useful episode, I am sure you will agree!

CLICK HERE TO READ A LIST OF THE COMMON MISTAKES AND THEIR CORRECTIONS :)

Please DONATE to help me make more podcasts in the future. Click the donate button below. You'll need a PayPal account. Please DONATE money because I need help paying for this service, my equipment and my time.

Plenty of good vocabulary for describing your childhood days. Here you will find lots and lots of really natural and common expressions for describing your childhood and plenty of other things too. Listen to the podcast a few times to get the most benefit. Feel free to make a donation by clicking the donate button below. Thanks!

CLICK HERE TO READ A LIST OF THE EXPRESSIONS AND PHRASAL VERBS IN THIS EPISODE.

Listen to an interview with Ray Winstone who is a genuine Londoner with a 'cockney' accent. Pick up some new expressions and learn how to recognise a London accent.

TO READ A TRANSCRIPT OF THE INTERVIEW WITH RAY WINSTONE, CLICK HERE :)

Listen to some good advice for anyone learning English or taking a Cambridge exam such as IELTS, CAE or FCE. Also in this podcast you'll learn some idioms with the word 'say', and listen to Luke talking about culture shock. There's a bonus comedy audio bit at the end too so listen to the whole thing.

FULL TRANSCRIPT NOW AVAILABLE BELOW (Thanks again to Bettina from France)
CLICK HERE TO READ THE TRANSCRIPT AND TO READ THE IDIOMS! ;)

Full transcript and definitions available below. For itunes users, visit http://teacherluke.podomatic.com  

A FULL TRANSCRIPT AND SOME DEFINITIONS AVAILABLE HERE - CLICK FOR LUKE'S ENGLISH BLOG :)

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT PACO ERHARD PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VISIT LUKE'S ENGLISH BLOG

Listen to an interview with Aaron Ralston and learn some useful idioms with the word 'hand'.

Luke's English Podcast is completely free and a great way to improve your English. Luke focusses on British English, specifically on natural language which is really used by people in Britain every day. You can learn vocabulary and cultural information.

CLICK HERE FOR VOCABULARY/IDIOM DEFINITIONS, LISTENING EXERCISES AND VIDEOS :)

Hi! Learn some really useful idioms and listen to an authentic interview with a native speaker in this episode of Luke's English Podcast. This episode is about The King's Speech - an excellent film which recently won 4 Academy Awards at The Oscars, including the award for Best Actor for Colin Firth. 

FOR VOCABULARY NOTES & DEFINITIONS, LISTENING EXERCISES AND VIDEOS CLICK HERE :) 

An interview with comedian, actor and musician Billy Connelly who comes from Scotland.

FOR NOTES, LINKS AND TRANSCRIPT DETAILS, PLEASE CLICK HERE

An interview with a native speaker from Scotland. We talk about Scottish culture and stereotypes, and features of scottish accents. Use this episode to develop your cultural understanding of the English language, and to practise identifying and understanding different accents. 

FOR A FULL TRANSCRIPT FOR THIS EPISODE, CLICK HERE TO VISIT "LUKE'S ENGLISH BLOG" :)

I'm joined by my old college friend Neil Waters in this episode. First we talk about the Birmingham accent, and then we teach you some useful phrasal verbs.

FOR A (KIND OF) TRANSCRIPT AND PHRASAL VERB DEFINITIONS, PLEASE CLICK HERE;) (Luke's ENGLISH Blog)

First in a series of episodes about accents. Learn differences between accents from the UK. This is information that all learners of English need to know!

FOR NOTES AND MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CLICK HERE :) 

Click here to listen to my previous episode about British and American Pronunciation.

My first 7 mini podcasts in one full length episode. Idioms with 'about', politics, how to make a perfect cup of tea, a comedy song about badgers and some sentence stress and intonation practice. You can find my Mini Podcast page on Audioboo by clicking here. I am also on Facebook and Twitter. 

CLICK HERE FOR TRANSCRIPTS AND OTHER INFORMATION FOR THIS EPISODE

English cultural information and expressions about Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night (Nov 5th), some entertaining stand up comedy about halloween and all the usual useful bits of language and vocabulary.

CLICK HERE FOR TRANSCRIPTS, LINKS AND OTHER INFORMATION

Can an ordinary native speaker of English (my brother) explain the rules of English grammar? 

That's the question in this interview. I wanted to know how much my brother James knows about the rules of grammar which learners of English study every day. The results are quite revealing.

CLICK HERE FOR A TRANSCRIPT (UNFINISHED) AND OTHER NOTES ;) 

More conversations with native English speakers in the centre of London. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT.

Enjoy! Luke's English Podcast is a free service, but PLEASE DONATE SOME MONEY to help me pay for this website. Only donate a few dollars/euros/pounds if you listen. Your donations make this podcast possible. No donations = no more podcasts.

It's back! The return of Luke's English Podcast. Responses to the comments and questions I have received over the last few months. I haven't done a podcast for quite a long time, so here it is!  

CLICK HERE TO READ NOTES FOR THIS EPISODE

Useful and natural vocabulary and expressions on the subject of Waiting and Being Patient.

Good Things Come To Those Who Wait.

FOR VOCABULARY NOTES AND DEFINITIONS PLEASE CLICK HERE ;) 

Guest presenter Claudia Edwards interviews Luke about Stand Up Comedy. Vocabulary notes are included below.

CLICK HERE TO READ VOCABULARY NOTES & OTHER STUFF!

Really useful vocabulary and pronunciation practise for you. Learn and use natural expressions for making conversations when travelling or on holiday.

FOR VOCABULARY NOTES PLEASE CLICK HERE

An interview with me about my holiday in Vietnam.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CLICK HERE

A conversation with my friend Andy. We share some anecdotes. By coincidence, they're also about petty crime. Some samples of vocabulary and expressions are listed below. I give definitions in the podcast - so listen to check the meaning.

FOR VOCABULARY NOTES, PHOTOS AND OTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CLICK HERE

Improve your speaking by telling interesting and amusing anecdotes. In this episode you'll learn about anecdotes, listen to a couple of stories told by some BBC radio DJs and learn some new vocabulary. Good extended listening practice. Enjoy!

CLICK HERE FOR A TRANSCRIPT, A GRAMMAR EXERCISE AND OTHER INFORMATION

Earlier this year I made a video at the Notting Hill Carnival. Here are some of the bits which I didn't include in the final edit. You can see that I got a bit frustrated on this day... 

FOR VOCABULARY NOTES PLEASE CLICK HERE

More native speakers describing their home city of London. Transcript and definitions available below. Luke's English Podcast is for learners of English as a second language. If there was an award for 'Best Learning English Podcast by Someone Called Luke from West London" this would definitely win! For a full transcript and vocabulary notes please click here to visit Luke's English Blog: http://teacherluke.wordpress.com/2011/03/29/london-video-interviews-pt-3/ 

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 continous, 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 their 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.

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 and photos for this podcast, visit Luke's English Blog.

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

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?

CLICK HERE TO READ A TRANSCRIPT AND FOR DEFINITIONS OF IDIOMS IN THIS EPISODE

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

CLICK HERE TO READ A TRANSCRIPT AND VOCABULARY DEFINITIONS

This episode is all about the strange career of Hollywood actor Joaquin Phoenix. Listen to Luke talk to his friend Howard about Joaquin's career. Learn some really natural vocabulary and expressions.

For vocabulary, definitions and other notes - CLICK HERE ;) 

Hi, this is just a quick extra podcast to say hello and to let you know there are more podcasts coming soon. Also in this episode you can listen to a comedy sketch about speaking English.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE NOTES AND A TRANSCRIPT FOR THE COMEDY SKETCH

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!

CLICK HERE TO READ A FULL TRANSCRIPT FOR THIS EPISODE :)

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!

FULL TRANSCRIPT AVAILABLE HERE

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.

FULL TRANSCRIPT AVAILABLE HERE

Don't forget to visit http://teacherluke.podOmatic.com and email Luke at luketeacher@hotmail.com

Please donate some money to help Luke to continue making episodes of the podcast ;)