#348 Sharing My Shower Thoughts

Shower thoughts are basically deep thoughts that tend to come to us when we-re in the shower, or at other times in the day free from distractions. In this episode, I go through a few funny thoughts, and a few deep and philosophical ones I-ve gathered and find interesting to think about. Hopefully you-ll enjoy hearing them too! Make sure to listen carefully to the vocabulary I mention throughout the episode. The full list of new words will be available on the website for members. Show no...

#347 The Reality of Running a Podcast for 16+ Years (Luke's English Podcast)

Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of a top English learning podcast? In this episode, I chat with Luke from Luke-s English Podcast about the challenges and joys of content creation. We discuss: filming outdoors and dealing with self-consciousness, balancing YouTube-s algorithm with quality educational content, audio vs video podcasting, audience capture and staying authentic, Luke-s 16+ years of podcasting wisdom, and future content ideas inspired by creators like GeoWizard. ...

#346 Learn English with Proverbs

-The more you know, the more you realise you don-t know- This is an example of a well-known proverb (that is so true for language learning too, by the way) and in this episode, we-ll be looking at several proverbs, quotes, maxims, and aphorisms that contain some wisdom or rule for living a better life. We-ll be learning a few key terms and also exploring the vocabulary within each proverb, while exploring the meaning and wisdom behind each one. Show notes page - https://levelupengl...

#345 How to Make Your English Sentences Longer

Sentences that are too short and simple is an issue that all language learners face. We can say what we want, but we don-t sound natural because all of our sentences sound like children. In this episode, we-re going to practise extending sentences and making more natural phrases using Relative Clauses. I spend just 5 minutes reviewing the grammar, and then delve into a casual chat where I share my answers to a few questions using these patterns, and I invite you to do the same. Show notes pag...

#344 How to Actually Set & Achieve Goals

It-s great to have goals, but what-s the point of having them if we never actually achieve them? Or maybe you do eventually get there, but wouldn-t it be nice if we could get there faster and more efficiently? In this episode, I talk about SMART goals and give examples of how you can make your goals Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. I give examples from my own goals in life, and also relate it to the example of learning English as a goal. Show notes page - https...

#343 When 'Terrific' Meant 'Terrifying'

This is an episode I-m excited for because we-ll be looking at a group of words that have gone through a similar history; namely, they have all had quite a drastic change in their meanings over time. Many words we use today in English such as -terrific- or -fond- used to have almost completely opposite meanings! In this episode, I explore why these changes took place, share both the old and new meanings, and give examples from my life for each one. I-ll invite you to do the same. Show n...

#342 Small Talk & Spirituality with Ray

Rayhan is back for his second appearance on the podcast since Episode 144, about 4 years ago, to talk about a range of topics from getting better at small talk, self-improvement, the origins of the universe, spirituality, and more! Ray teaches on Preply, and you can also find him on Instagram, as well as his course and membership site Elevate English. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast342 ➡️ Join the Free Mini Course - https://www.levelupenglish.school/mini ⭐️...

#341 Are You Being Rude in English?

As you may know, politeness in English - especially in British English - is a very important thing. Learners often struggle to keep up with the confusing grammar and long sentences, so in this episode, I break down a few key phrases that you can start using today to make your questions and requests sound more polite. I go through each phrase one by one and explain how we use it, give an example anecdote from my own life where I could use it, and also end each section with a question to get yo...

#340 Why Is Everyone Leaving the UK?

In this episode, I mix a serious topic with some fun where I talk about my reverse culture shock returning to the UK after one year while trying to answer the question why so many people are deciding to leave the UK and move elsewhere in the world. Despite being British, seeing my own country from the outside gave me some interesting realisations, so I share a lot of them in today-s episode. This episode might have you thinking about the future and how our countries will look in a few y...

#339 How NOT To Learn a Language

Inspired by a viral video of a Chinese boy doing his English homework, I thought I-d make an episode where I list 10 common mistakes that language learners make and what you should avoid. To be clear, I-m sure that boy will master English one day, and my comments were more of a criticism of language education in schools. The video simply reminded me of some of the mistakes I-ve made along the way. With that in mind, while I share my 10 habits to avoid, I also give examples when I-ve done thes...