Category Archives: Interview

114. Twelve Natural Expressions

7 Replies

Learn 12 very common expressions by listening to this authentic and unscripted conversation.

Small Donate ButtonRight-click here to download this episode.
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.

12 Natural Expressions
Here are the expressions we explain and talk about in this episode:

to end up doing something = to eventually find yourself in a situation after having done lots of things. “We went to the pub, had a few drinks, went to a club and then we ended up at someone’s house party.”

to bend over backwards = to make a big effort for someone. “They really bent over backwards to make us feel at home.”

to bite off more than you can chew = to try and do more than you can do. “I’ve bitten off more than I can chew with this job. I don’t think I can finish it.”

to work something out = to understand something after thinking about it a lot, “I’ve worked out what to do with my old car. I’ll sell it.”

in the nick of time = at the last possible moment, “I got onto the train in the nick of time”
by the skin of my teeth = to manage to do something but you were close to failing, “I passed the course by the skin of my teeth”

to know it like the back of your hand = to know something really well, “I know this town like the back of my hand”

once in a while = sometimes, “Once in a while I like to eat a McDonald’s”

every now and then = sometimes, “I like to eat a McDonald’s from time to time”

to sleep on it = to go to sleep before making an important decision and then make the decision after sleeping, “I can’t decide what to do, I think I’ll just sleep on it”

to get the ball rolling = to get things started, “Just to get the ball rolling I’d like to ask you a question”

to get stuck in there = to go for it and get involved, ” just get stuck in there and go for it!”

113. Setting The World To Rights

7 Replies

Setting the world to rights: What does this expression mean? Listen to find out, and to hear a conversation in a pub with a friend & colleague of mine.

Small Donate ButtonRight-click here to download this episode.
According to the Macmillan dictionary this phrase 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!

Vocabulary & Expressions
Here’s a list of some of the expressions Eamon used in our conversation:
1. “Eamon is Irish for Edmund” – <is ______ for…> means that this is an equivalent word in another language, e.g. “bonjour is French for hello”
2. “and of course I was named after the first president of The Irish Republic”
3. “he was a horrible man. He was nonetheless an iconographic figure” – nonetheless means ‘still’ or ‘nevertheless’, and ‘iconographic’ means being famous for symbolising something
4. “I do become aware of a cultural distinction” – a ‘distinction’ means a ‘difference’
5. “in rural parts of the country” – ‘rural’ means ‘of the countryside’
6. “There might be listeners who get a bit tetchy about that” – ‘tetchy’ means ‘irritated and angry’
7. “if you look at the history of these islands, we’re all intertwined” – ‘intertwined’ means ‘closely connected in complex ways’
8. “we called them grants, and we didn’t have loans” – a ‘grant’ is some money which the government gives to students to help them study. The student does not have to pay the money back, unlike in the case of a ‘loan’.
9. “English as a foreign language was beginning to boom” – to ‘boom’ means to have a good economic situation. The opposite is to ‘bust’ which means to have poor economic conditions.
10. “my lifestyle was becoming increasingly dissolute” – ‘dissolute’ means to ‘indulge in pleasures like sex or drinking”
11. “the workaholic culture” – a ‘workaholic’ is someone who is addicted to work, like the way an alcoholic is addicted to alcohol.
12. “apart from the odd blip as a lawyer” – a ‘blip’ is a moment of inconsistency, for example in Eamon’s life he managed to avoid having a proper job except for the odd blip as a lawyer. This means for most of his time he wasn’t a lawyer then on some moments he worked as a lawyer.
13. “Sorry that was a bit facetious” – ‘facetious’ means to make a joke about something which should be serious
14. “I sometimes worry that maybe I’m short-changing my children” – to ‘short-change’ someone is to give them a bad deal or to not treat them fairly
15. “I console myself” – to ‘console’ yourself means to make yourself feel better or to deal with bad news
16. “London is a very urbane place” – ‘urbane’ means ‘sophisticated’ and ‘cultured’
17. “I find Croations basically more inhibited” – ‘inhibited’ means ‘shy’ or unable to express themselves well
18. “Croats have a bad reputation for being ill-mannered and surly” – ‘ill-mannered’ means ‘rude’, ‘manners’ means the way you behave in public, and ‘surly’ also means ‘rude’ or ‘bad tempered’
19. “when it all kicked off” – to ‘kick off’ means to ‘start’
20. “it was a manifestation of people who felt like they’d been left out of the enrichment process” – a ‘manifestation’ is a sign of something else. To be ‘left out’ means to be excluded.
21. “…whose values had somehow curdled” – to ‘curdle’ is when liquid becomes solid (e.g. when milk becomes cheese)
22. “we’re bombarded with advertising left, right and centre” – to be ‘bombarded’ means to be attacked by things coming at us (e.g. bombs). ‘Left, right and centre’ means from every direction.
23. “I have very mixed feelings about those riots” – to have ‘mixed feelings’ means you can’t really decide because you have opinions on both sides
24. “I don’t really know where I stand” – to ‘know where you stand” means to ‘know your opinion clearly’
25. “the belief that the acquisition of things can make a difference to your life” – ‘acquisition’ means to ‘get’ something or to ‘own’ something
26. “I was ready to clip their wings” – to ‘clip’ someone’s wings means to cut the wings of a bird so it can’t fly
27. “to pull it off” – to ‘pull something off’ means to achieve something very difficult

109. Friday Night Banter (The Drunk Episode) with Alex, Paul & Moz

5 Replies

I’m joined by Alex, Paul and Moz as we have a few drinks, do some comedy improv games and talk general nonsense. Enjoy!

Small Donate ButtonRight-click here to download this episode.
In this episode you’ll hear:
-An introduction (10-12 mins) in which I give you a general update and explain what you’ll hear in the rest of the episode.

-The results of a Friday night recording in my flat with Alex, Paul and Moz. We had a few drinks while recording this episode so you might hear us slurring our words and generally getting a little bit pissed* so I hope you don’t mind that! In fact, according to all your comments on the last episode, you’d love to hear a slightly drunk conversation between 4 Londoners. However, if you’re expecting to hear 4 completely smashed football hooligans chanting the national anthem, I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed as we are all quite civilised drinkers these days.
*rude word! (as you may already know, it means ‘drunk’)

So that’s it for now. Please leave your comments, thoughts, jokes and suggestions below.

Have a great morning/afternoon/evening/night and if you listen to the podcast while driving or operating heavy machinery please take care!

Luke

London Olympics 2012

6 Replies

More interviews with speakers of English. This time I went to the Olympic Park in East London and spoke to some people about the Olympic Games.

TRANSCRIPT:

London Olympics 2012

What do you think?

Girl 1: Hello

Girl 2: Hello

Luke: Hello, where are you from?

Girl 1: Australia

Luke: Really?

Girl 2: And the UK

Luke: Right, okay, fantastic. So, you are living in England are you?

Girl 1: I am living in England, at the moment yeah.

Luke: Okay, so which event are you going to see today?

Girl 1: Women’s basketball

Luke: Okay right, I see. So how was the Olympic ceremony in your opinion?

Girl 2: It was pretty amazing, yeah it was really good.

Luke: Okay, what do you think of the orbit over there?

Girl 1: I want to go up there

Luke: Yeah?

Girl 1: Can you go up there?

Luke: I don’t know actually

Girl 1: I think you can and I want to go up there, it looks cool

Luke: What do you think about the way it looks?

Girl 2: Yeah it looks really good everything’s done really nice and it’s, yeah really well done.

Luke: Okay, cool and so in general is the Olympics good for London or bad for London?

Girl 1: Good I think

Luke: Why’s that?

Girl 1: I don’t know, it brings more people here. I don’t know! I’m not even from London! To her…

Luke: What do you think? Do you think it’s improving London or is it just annoying or…?

Girl 2: A little bit annoying, but

Luke: How is it annoying a little bit?

Girl 2: It’s just I guess costs quite a lot and the traffic and everything’s quite a hassle but generally I think it’s pretty good event for us to have

Girl 1: The spirit!

Girl 2: Yeah, it brings everyone together. But it’s annoying when you have to try and get to work

Luke: Yeah the traffic is a bit of a problem

Girl 2: Yeah the traffic but no  it’s good it’s good for us to have  .

Luke: Well have a great time

Girl 1: Thank you

Girl 2: Thank you cheers bye!

Luke: Thank you, bye

 

Luke: Hi, how are you doing?

Man: Very well thank you

Luke: Where are you from?

Man: We’re from Devon

Luke: Devon, okay. So, hello

Daughter: Hello

Luke: Hi, what’s your name?

Daughter: Ellie

Luke: How’s the Olympics for you so far?

Daughter: It’s cool

Luke: Yeah, what do you like about it the best?

Daughter: I’m not really sure

Luke: You’re not really sure?

Daughter: No, it’s all good

Luke: Which event are you going to see?

Daughter: Erm, the swimming.

Luke: Swimming, okay, alright brilliant. So what did you think of the opening ceremony?

Man: I thought it was pretty awesome actually, I thought it was a good err, it was good for Britain, showed off Britain, a bit quirky, a bit funny, errrm, yeah not trying to be anything that we’re not.

Luke: Okay. And erm what do you think of the Orbit over there?

Daughter: I think it’s really cool.

Luke: You like it?

Daughter: Unusual yeah

Luke: Unusual you think yeah? And what do you think about that?

Man: I haven’t really thought about it to be honest but it’s an interesting structure

Luke:T is isn’t it yeah. Do you think that the Olympics is good for London or bad for London in general?

Man: Brilliant, absolutely amazing

Luke: Why?

Man: Err, it just puts Britain on the map, puts London right in the centre where it should be. I think it’s great for Britain.

Luke: So who are you going to cheer for today?

Daughter: Erm…

Luke: Britain I would say. Team GB right? Okay right well have a fantastic day

Man: Thank you very much

Luke: and err, bye

Man & Daughter: Bye!

 

Luke: Hi mate

American: How’s it going?

Luke: Fine thanks. So where are you from?

American: I’m from America

Luke: What a surprise! And which event are you going to see today?

American: We’re actually going to watch Phelps swim. We’re going to support him.

Luke: You’re going to see what?

American: Phelps, Michael Phelps

Luke: Oh yes

American: in the 400 IM

Luke: Okay brilliant. And so how’s the Olympics for you so far?

American: Oh well it’s our first day here so we’re excited about it. Hopefully we can get back out here and see some more events.

Luke: Have you been in London long now?

American: I’ve been in London for two weeks actually. Doing summer school here.

Luke: What do you think of the place?

American: I love it. It’s a lot of fun.

Luke: What exactly about it do you like?

American: What do I… pardon me?

Luke: What is it exactly that you like about London?

American: Oh it’s, I don’t know it’s different from everywhere else, you can’t, like, can’t find most things you find all in one place like you can in London.

Luke: How is it different to the States?

American: There’s a lot of different things. The culture, the language are slightly different. It just, I don’t know it’s the European melting pot I guess, from over here.

Luke: What do you think of The Orbit?

American: Erm, I don’t know. I guess it’s err, London’s attempt at the Eiffel Tower.

Luke: You think so?

American: I guess

Luke: What is it?

American: Err, it’s an observatory tower I believe. Maybe I’ll make my way up there.

Luke: Yeah, okay well have a fantastic evening

American: Thank you nice to meet you

Luke: And a great time in London

American: Bye

Luke: Bye

106. Brighton Fringe Festival #3 (with Alex, Paul & Moz)

1 Reply

Part 3 of the Brighton Trilogy. In this episode I ask Paul, Alex and Moz some very stupid questions, with some revealing results. Listen to the previous two episodes to find out more about The Brighton Fringe and my comedy counterparts.

Small Donate ButtonRight-click here to download this episode.
In this episode I ask Paul, Alex and Moz some very stupid questions, with some revealing results.

Listen to the previous two episodes to find out more about The Brighton Fringe and my comedy counterparts.

Please leave your comments and questions below. I am always glad to hear from you.

All the best, have a good weekend and speak to you again soon.

Luke

105. Brighton Fringe Festival #2 (with Alex, Paul & Moz)

1 Reply

Part 2 of the Brighton Trilogy.

Small Donate ButtonRight-click here to download this episode.
Hi everyone, how are you? (I’m fine thanks Luke.) Oh, you’re fine? Glad to hear that. I’m fine too thanks. In fact, I’m in a pretty good mood today. (Why Luke?) Well this weekend I won an award at a business English conference. (Wow, that’s cool. What’s the award?) It’s an award for ‘best presentation for a first time speaker’. I won it with a colleague of mine called Andy Johnson. (Is he related to Luke Johnson?) No, he isn’t! It’s just a coincidence! Actually, you already know Andy because he was in an episode of Luke’s English Podcast once. It was called Luke and Andy’s Crime Stories, remember that? Anyway, I’ll tell you more about that award later.

Let me tell you about this episode of the podcast that you’re about to listen to. This one is the second of 3 episodes I recorded at The Brighton Fringe Festival last month. It might be quite difficult to follow this episode because you will hear a conversation between 4 people and it’s quite fast. Do keep listening though because it is very good practice for you to follow natural and authentic conversation like this.

So, in this episode I talk to Alex, Paul, Moz (and Luke Johnson) again about various subjects including:
-The art of flyering
-How Alex would describe Paul to an alien
-Luke’s lion-like hair (it’s like a lion’s mane)
-Paul’s approach to comedy (shouting, funny faces, not many punchlines)
-Luke’s approach to comedy (surprisingly similar to Paul’s)
-Alex’s approach to comedy (it’s cerebral)
-Why Moz is like a pink dolphin in the Amazon (you’ll have to listen to find out why!)
-Moz’s weird relationship with the truth
-Moz’s comedy (it revolves around bodily functions, and gibberish)
-Paul, Alex and Moz’s relationship with the English language
-Why the English don’t speak foreign languages
-Are the English fundamentally lazy people?
-Learning French at school using a book called Tricolore, which was set in La Rochelle in France
-Experiences of going to another country and living in another culture
-Beeping out swear words (In the end I decided not to ‘beep out’ the swear word here)
-Paul’s cultural experiences in the USA
-Differences between London and the countryside
Alex’s blog: www.alexlove.co.uk

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

104. Brighton Fringe Festival #1 (with Alex, Paul & Moz)

1 Reply

Part 1 of a trilogy of podcasts from the Brighton Fringe Festival. Join me and my friends in Brighton as we discuss various topics.

Small Donate ButtonRight-click here to download this episode.
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.

Every evening Alex, Paul and I performed a comedy show called Snigger Happy in a hot room above a friendly pub called The Temple. We had a great time performing the shows and enjoying ourselves in Brighton, which is a lovely town near the sea on the south coast of England. Also with us was another comedian called Moz, who was performing a solo show called Balloon. We performed 4 shows, with each of us doing 15-20 minutes of stand-up. I also managed to record three episodes with Alex, Paul and Moz. This is the first of those episodes.

Click here to visit Alex Love’s blog: www.alexlove.co.uk It’s all about his experiences performing comedy in venues all over London and the UK in general. Alex is a really good writer, and has written as a journalist for The Guardian newspaper.

100. Going To The Pub (with James)

25 Replies

This is your complete guide to how to go to the pub in the UK, including what to say, what to do, and how to get served at the bar.

Small Donate ButtonRight-click here to download this episode.

Contents

In this episode you’ll learn everything you need to know about going to the pub, including:
– what does a pub look like?
– types of pub
– are you welcome?
– opening times
– how to order
– where to stand
– how to get served
– the order of being served
– buying drinks for others
– tipping
– what to say to the barman
– making conversation with locals
– types of drink
– useful phrases
– what you will find in the pub
– places to sit
– things to do
– smoking
– food
– trouble
– locals
– banter
– football
– pub lunch
– after work drinks
– night out
– beer garden
– What NOT to do
– binge drinking
– getting drunk
– words for ‘drunk’
– the pub in British culture – films, tv shows
If you find the podcast useful, why not donate some money to help me pay for website costs, etc. It’s very simple to do and you can use your PayPal account for other things like online shopping. It’s completely safe and trustworthy.

The pub in English films and TV shows, and other videos:
*Comedy is difficult to understand sometimes, especially in another language. If you don’t find any of this funny, never mind!*
This is a scene from classic comedy show Only Fools and Horses. People describe this scene as “the bit when Del Boy falls through the bar”
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63rcdLeXiU8&w=400&h=301]
This is a useful guide to the different kinds of pub you can find in London. Here’s a quick summary: Tourist Pubs – they’re bad because they’re really big, fake, the beer is flat, the food is stodgy. Old Man Pubs (often found in Soho or Mayfair, but anywhere in London really) are great because they’re quite small, authentic, have interesting interior design, friendly people (usually), cheaper, more relaxing, a good place to buy good ale, a good place for banter or intelligent conversation with locals. Hipster Hangouts (typical trendy pubs in East London) are where you find fashionable cutting-edge cool young people. Family Pubs can be found in quieter parts of London, e.g. the suburbs or areas near the river for example near Hammersmith Bridge, which is my neighbourhood. The Dove in Hammersmith that’s my local, and a great pub!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMrBcc5kdSE&w=560&h=315]
This is a home-made video. The commentator sounds like a cockney. See what happens when an American goes to a pub in the UK. He makes a few mistakes, the muppet. (‘Muppet’ is a cockney slang word meaning ‘idiot’ – it’s an affectionate insult)
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XHyze2trng&w=420&h=315]
This is Al Murray The Pub Landlord. He is a comedy character based on the cliche of British pub landlords. He’s patriotic, small minded and ridiculous. He’s a horrible, stupid guy and that is the joke (yes, it’s weird British humour). One thing I should say – this character is a criticism of this kind of stupid character but also a kind of celebration too. It’s complicated.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyGgL_omNbI&w=420&h=315]
This clip is from a disgusting, rude and hilarious (in my opinion) BBC comedy called “Bottom”. The show is about two characters called Richie and Eddie. They are both sad lonely perverts who live in London. They are desperate to pick up some girls and ‘have it off’ with them, but they have absolutely no charm whatsoever. They have no luck with women. This is because they are stupid, sex-obsessed, completely unsophisticated and downright rude. In this episode they have bought some ‘sex spray’. This is a chemical which they believe will make them irresistibly attractive towards women. They go to the pub to try and pick up some ‘birds’. In fact, the spray doesn’t work at all. It only attracts dogs, which chase them through the street outside the pub. All their pathetic attempts to seduce the women fail miserably. Richie and Eddie are played by actors Rik Mayall and Ade Edmonson, who are two of the UK’s favourite TV comedy actors. Enjoy the clip, but watch out if you’re easily offended by very crass humour. It’s a rude show, but I love it.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uVWlbh30HM&w=400&h=301]
A nostalgic and slightly sad documentary film about the decline of the pub in Britain.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ASxxiuCAcA&w=400&h=301]
Barack Obama drinks a pint of Guinness in a pub in Ireland (the best place to drink good Guinness). You might here them saying Slainte (pronounced Slanche), which what they say in Ireland before having a drink (like ‘cheers’ in the UK). Enjoy – and doesn’t it make you want a pint of Guinness?
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5206QjFWmAk&w=400&h=233]

98. Luke vs Oliver (Part 2) Comparing and describing things

1 Reply

We continue our discussion of various ‘vs battles’ in this episode, in order to present some descriptive language. Listen, and add your comments below!

Small Donate ButtonRight-click here to download the episode.
VS Battles in this episode:
Analogue vs Digital (Vinyl vs Digital)
Clock Time vs Experiential Time (What a weird discussion!)
McDonald’s vs Burger King
Red Sauce vs Brown Sauce
Book vs Kindle
Prince William vs Prince Harry
Gibson vs Fender
Tea vs Coffee
Cats vs Dogs
Indiana Jones vs Lara Croft
Football vs Rugby
Individualism vs Collectivism (not discussed)
Jason Bourne vs James Bond
Cowboys vs Aliens
Bear vs Shark
Pirates vs Ninjas
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR7227_ndqQ&w=400&h=301]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJTF8wA5u6c&w=400&h=233]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iU61xJJ-fTs&w=400&h=233]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRVCv-lXVrw&w=400&h=233]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt2Luu08f70&w=400&h=233]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVtCR5UQgsk&w=400&h=233]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dugipeVZtE&w=400&h=301]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA5ThymLbKQ&w=400&h=301]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlZyQylOKv4&w=400&h=233]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiTnVX_IRt0&w=400&h=233]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdmupNxobP0&w=400&h=233]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sfs2FRgp-ow&w=400&h=301]

97. Luke vs Oliver (Part 1) Comparing and describing things

1 Reply

Listen to Luke and Oli as they discuss, compare and describe 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.

Small Donate ButtonRight-click here to download this episode.
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.

Here is a list of the things we compare in this episode. Feel free to contribute a transcript if you wish. Part 2 of this episode will be uploaded soon. Add your comments below ;)

‘Vs Battles’ in this episode:
Star Wars vs Lord of the Rings
Early Birds vs Night Owls
Simile vs Metaphor
Sean Connery vs Roger Moore
Apple vs Microsoft
Al Pacino vs Robert DeNiro
John Lennon vs Paul McCartney
Innovation vs Imitation
Coke vs Pepsi
The Beatles vs The Rolling Stones


[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbeXERfshNc&w=400&h=233]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1c6zF9aJxs&w=400&h=233]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lea3Ynnklm4&w=400&h=301]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeSdeQRbhPs
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkP56x8kxnU&w=400&h=301]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fqVwJs9UaY&w=400&h=233]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMo6o0BtFG8&w=400&h=301]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVjkgNaqlWE&w=400&h=301]