Author Archives: Luke Thompson

About Luke Thompson

I've been teaching English for over 20 years in London, Japan and France. I also do an award-winning podcast for learners of English called "Luke's English Podcast". In my free time I'm a stand-up comedian who regularly performs shows in English in Paris and sometimes London.

10 Questions about Food with Martin [985]

Leave a Reply

A funny conversation about food, cooking & eating habits, with my friend Martin. Why is British food a bit of a joke? Do French people have the right to criticise British cuisine? What is marmite, and why don’t Brits just throw it away? What did Luke eat for lunch every single day during secondary school? And, who would be Luke’s dream dinner party guests? All that and more, in a conversation full of tangents, recipes, rants and apologies, and a nice range of vocabulary expressions to spot. Enjoy! PDF Transcript available.

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

Get the PDF transcript 👇

10 Questions about Food with Martin [985] TRANSCRIPTDownload

Join LEP Premium and listen to the vocabulary quiz episode with my wife, and learn 30+ vocabulary items from this episode. Start here 👇 it’s episode P79.


Martin’s previous appearance on LEP 👇

896. A Rambling Chat with Martin Aaron

Paranormal Experiences with Anna Brooke [984]

Leave a Reply

[984] English listening practice in the form of an authentic conversation about ghosts and the paranormal. Returning guest Anna Brooke returns to talk about her latest book “Death by Chocolate” which is inspired by various spooky and unexplained experiences she has had recently, including a suspected haunting of her apartment, poltergeist activity, cold and creepy atmospheres, sightings of spirits and more strange encounters. Anna describes these experiences and we have a discussion about the paranormal. A premium episode with vocabulary review is available for premium subscribers. PDF transcript also available.

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

Get the episode PDF with transcript 👇

Paranormal Experiences with Anna Brooke [984] Episode TranscriptDownload

Death by Chocolate by Anna Brooke – available now!

Death by Chocolate

Competition Time!

Have you ever had a weird, creepy, frightening or unexplainable experience? Tell us about it! Send your description (email, comments section of this episode). Anna and I will judge the entries and choose the one we like the best. The winner will receive a copy of Anna’s new book. I will also read out descriptions on the podcast!


English Language Haiku Master John Stevenson (Interview) [983]

Leave a Reply

Practise your listening in English with a fascinating conversation with a writer of haiku poetry in English. John Stevenson is one of the world’s leading English language haiku poets, and in this episode I had the pleasure of talking to him for an hour. John taught me more about haiku and senryu poetry, revealed how he first became interested in haiku, and then was willing to discuss various haiku poems he has written over the years, giving details of what real events inspired them, what they mean and more about his process of writing haiku in English. I hope this episode is fascinating and inspiring. Keep listening because it becomes more and more revealing as it continues. John was a pleasure to talk to and I think this is the perfect conclusion to the trilogy of episodes I have done on this subject on the podcast recently.

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

Get the PDF transcript 👇

English Language Haiku Master John Stevenson (Interview) [983] Episode TranscriptDownload

Links for John’s work 👇


Haiku in English 2 [982]

Leave a Reply

Haiku poems communicate a lot of ideas, thoughts and feelings into just a few simple words. They can be moving, humourous or meditative, and reading haiku in English allows you to learn vocabulary in a very interesting way. In part 1 I talked about the form and history of haiku, and read out various short poems in English from both Japanese writers and modern English ones. In part 2 here I finish reading my haiku selection, including many written by English-language haiku master John Stevenson. Listen to each one, consider the different meanings and interpretations and also learn specific words and phrases to expand your English vocabulary.

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

Get the episode PDF 👇

Haiku in English 2 [982] (1)Download


Is the glass half empty, or half full? (Vocabulary & Discussion) [981]

Leave a Reply

In this episode I discuss optimism and pessimism, what forms our outlook on life, which is healthier, how we talk about optimism and pessimism in English and which perspective helps you learn English more effectively. Expect some discussion, science, vocabulary, advice for learning English and a few jokes thrown in for good measure. PDF available.

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVUXSK5Wamw

Get the episode PDF with all my notes and questions 👇

Is the glass half empty, or half full_ (Vocabulary & Discussion) [891]Download


Room 101 with Charlie Baxter [980] Funny British English Listening Practice

Leave a Reply

[980] Practise listening to British English conversation and enjoy some complaining, ranting and funny anecdotes in this episode based on the concept of a popular BBC TV chat show. My guest is Charlie Baxter from The British English Podcast. Charlie has chosen 3 things which he wants to be locked inside the mythical “Room 101” 🚪 an imaginary place where all the things you hate in the world are stored forever. What would Charlie like to remove from the world to be kept inside this room? And what is the shocking revelation about a certain popular British English YouTuber 👩‍🏫that could break the internet? 🤔

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

Get the PDF transcript 👇

Room 101 with Charlie Baxter [980] Episode TranscriptDownload

Luke’s Room 101 choices on The British English Podcast this week 👇

Listen to The British English Podcast wherever you get your podcasts 👉 https://pod.link/1533216336

🙇 Sign up to LEP Premium to listen to an episode with a vocabulary quiz and full review of 30+ vocabulary items from today’s episode. (Episode P77) 👇


The Lumber Room (Learn English with a Short Story) [979]

Leave a Reply

Time to learn English with another short story on LEP. This time it is a funny little tale written by Saki – the English author and master of the short story. A mischievous lad is punished by his strict aunt, but who ends up having the last laugh? Listen to the story and my comments, then learn vocabulary as I break down the text line by line and teach you English in context.

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

Get the episode PDF here 👇

The Lumber-Room (Learn English with a Short Story) [979]Download


My Dad talks about his life [978]

Leave a Reply

Following my chat with my mum last week, now it’s my dad’s turn! In this episode my plan was to ask my dad lots of questions about his life, and to listen to him talking about the various choices, moments and experiences he has had. The result is another deep chat about family history, and my dad’s life story. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed recording it. Full transcript available.

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

Get the full episode transcript 👇

My dad talks about his life [978] Episode TranscriptDownload


My Mum talks about her life [977]

Leave a Reply

[977] Recently I visited my parents at their home, and while I was there I took the time to record conversations with them both. This first one is with my mum. I asked her questions about her life story, our family history, her memories of growing up and so many other things that I was curious about. The result is this recording. I hope you will find that it is not only good for your English listening practice, but also fascinating and absorbing as a piece of personal history. Full transcript available.

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

Get the PDF transcript here 👇

My mum talks about her life [977] TranscriptDownload


RAMBLEMANIA: 3+ Hours of English Listening & Learning with Luke [976]

Leave a Reply

[976] Here’s an epic rambling episode in which I talk about learning English with BBC Radio and TV 📻 expressions with the word ‘thumb’ 👍 the story of how I became a taxi driver on the streets of Paris 🚖 the grammar of Yoda 🐸 fantastic haikus written by my listeners ✍️ and getting pecked in the face by a swan 🦢. 3h30min+ of English from me to you.

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

https://youtu.be/P5YtZLwCGoE

A Phrasal Verb a Day Podcast 👉 https://apvad.libsyn.com

Get the episode PDF here 👇

RAMBLEMANIA 3+ Hours of English Listening & Learning with Luke [976]Download