#328 The Fascinating Origins of 8 English Words

This is an episode I-ve been planning for a long time and I-m quite excited to share. We-ll be looking at the origins of 8 different English words and the deep stories behind them. Each word originally comes from another language or culture, and it was brought into English through fascinating stories that we-ll explore in this episode. These are just a few examples of the countless words that have been adopted into English in a similar way. For each word, I-ll ask a question to the audi...

#327 Fewer or Less? (Confusing English Quantifiers!)

In this episode, I-ll be going through pairs of confusing quantifiers (and similar pairs), such as So or Such, Many or Much, Fewer or Less? Some of these are even a struggle for native speakers, so if you can master these, you-ll be in a good position with your English and sound much more natural. For each word, I will give a question for you to answer yourself and I-ll do my best to answer them in the episode too. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast327 Le...

#326 Is Your Screen Time Too High?

I recently reailsed that my own screen time is too high and may be causing a lot of health issues and other problems in my life. With that realisation, I decided to make some changes to fix this problem, and it got me thinking: How many other people are facing a similar issue? In this episode, I share the dangers of screen time and how you know if you-re using phones and computers too much. I also talk about some methods of reducing screen time, while sharing lots of useful phrases to talk ab...

#325 The Secrets Behind English Word Origins (Gideon - LetThemTalkTV)

Gideon from the popular YouTube channel LetThemTalkTV joins us this week for a casual chat about various topics covered on his channel. Gideon is an English teacher, YouTuber, and founder of LetThemTalk. His YouTube channel, LetThemTalkTV, started in 2012, has amassed over 600,000 subscribers and millions of views, providing valuable lessons on grammar, pronunciation, and the history of the English language. In this episode, we cover the interesting origins of some words, American and British...

#324 How to Learn 2 Languages at the Same Time

With my experience of learning multiple languages at the same time, I revisit my thoughts and advice on this popular question. What are the best ways to approach learning two languages? How do you best manage your time? I do my best to answer these questions in today-s episode while sharing some different examples and methods that suit different people. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast324 The Financial Philosophers - Lets Nerd OutWe-re Chris and Danny, two lo...

#323 Rose-Tinted Glasses

Do you look at the past through rose-tinted glasses? Do you feel a sense of nostalgia when looking into the past? In this episode, I explore the meaning and use behind this common expression with examples from my own life and a little bit at the end on the deeper meaning behind this phrase. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast323 Second Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@EnglishWithMichael Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessons Join...

#322 How to Get Better at Small Talk

Small Talk is something many of us struggle with, and it-s a really important part of socialising and using language. In this episode, I share some of my own awkward experiences with small talk, and then go through time tips on how we can all get better at it to improve our conversations and relationships. I then share a few phrases that English learners can use to sound more natural when making Small Talk. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast322 Hope For Parents With ...

#321 Can I Use AI Teachers? (Abigail Fulbrook)

Abigail Fulbrook (weareenglishteachers.com) joins me for a fascinating chat about a few different topics, including moving to Japan from the UK, what we miss about the UK, learning using AI teachers, other uses of AI, and much more! Abigail Fulbrook has been teaching English for over 15 years. She-s worked in the UK, Japan and online. As well as teaching she loves crafting and eating chocolate. She lives in Japan at the moment with her husband and two daughters, and far too many crafting supp...

#320 Improve Your Brain with Cognitive Biases (Part 2)

We first spoke about this in Episode 218, and now we-re returning for a part 2. Cognitive Biases are ways our brains can trick us into certain beliefs and behaviours without realising, and in this episode, I-ll cover a few of them such as the IKEA Effect, the Recency Effect, and the Negativity Bias. They-re fascinating to learn, but will also give you some insight to make you a better language learner. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast320 Sign Up for Free Less...

#319 Speaking Up or Letting Go?

In today-s episode, I share an issue I-ve been thinking about for a while - finding the balance between speaking up and letting things go. In other words, when things annoy us or seem unjust, should we speak up and say something? Or should we prioritise our mental health and let it go? I share some of my own views with this and encourage you to get in touch with yours too. I also share lots of expressions related to this topic. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcas...