Category Archives: Learning

924. Walaa Mouma Returns (Part 1) PhD Studies in Wales & Teaching English for Refugees

Walaa Mouma returns to the podcast after 4 years to give us an update about her academic studies and personal story, including getting married and moving to Wales, details of her PhD doctorate, as well as her other studies and volunteer work helping to teach English to refugees and asylum seekers. Walaa’s passion for this work is inspired by her own personal story of learning English, seeking asylum in the UK and studying in the UK’s academic system, which she first talked about in episode 703 of this podcast. Part 1 of a 2-part episode.

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

https://youtu.be/G8S29ICPKVM

Links for English with Walaa

Walaa’s previous appearance on LEP (episode 703) 👇

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9ythdvbKKM&t=1s&ab_channel=Luke%27sEnglishPodcast

923. A Rambling Exercise for Fluency / Late-Winter 2025

A rambling episode full of spontaneous speaking. Topics include an exercise for spoken fluency 🗣️, the benefits of listening to spontaneous speech 🎧, overcoming mental blocks 🌳, raising our kids to be bilingual 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦, reactions to recent episodes 🙉, thoughts about upcoming content 🔮, bird-related idioms 🐦, the phrasal verb “to follow through” including its rude meaning 💩 …and more! PDF transcript available.

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

https://youtu.be/DitClfcmHsA?si=FidE8Exk97XaWap2

PDF Transcript 👇 (you’re welcome 😎)

Luke on The Following Through Podcast 👇 Warning: strong language! 💩

Click here to listen to The Following Through Podcast on Apple Podcasts and other players 👉 https://pod.link/1797539101

A video clip from my appearance on The Following Through Podcast (with subtitles) 👇 yes, this is my “following through” story 💩

922. Words of the Year (with Amber)

Amber joins me for a discussion of some words which reflect various cultural movements of the last 12 months or more. Learn some trending words and listen to discussions of topics such as the influence of online content on mental health, the Oasis concert ticket scandal, an exploration of the ‘lore’ of LEP, romantic fantasy books, the rise of AI and more. Includes a PDF with my episode notes and vocabulary lists.

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

https://youtu.be/z2VRyVsQG44?si=cfLnFAexW9NBgFDj

Get the PDF with notes and word lists 👇

Links

Previous episodes of “Words of the Year”

An example of NotebookLM’s AI-generated audio podcast “deep dive” 👇

Nick (from the comment section crew) used NotebookLM (a generative AI language model available from Google) to create this AI-generated podcast about episode 922 Words of the Year. He inputted the PDF for this episode into NotebookLM, and it generated this. It is 100% AI generated, including the voices of the hosts. This is what AI can do today, in February 2025.

917. Listener Stories: How LEP has helped my listeners with their English ★ Success & Advice

This is a listener-generated episode, meaning that the content is mostly written by listeners of this podcast. In this one I read out various comments and messages from listeners who have improved their English with the podcast. They describe the progress they’ve made and how they did it. Expect lots of success stories and plenty of advice for improving your English in 2025.

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlH-bFyVcv0&ab_channel=Luke%27sEnglishPodcast

👇Get the PDF with transcript, vocabulary list, study guide and essays 👇

916. Learning English in 2025 with Luke’s English Podcast 

A lengthy New Year’s message about how to improve your English through consistent podcast listening. This episode details how regular listening improves comprehension, pronunciation, vocabulary, and fluency, incorporating listener testimonials and tips, with some specific advice about how to push your English with this podcast.

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e6013IJtXU&ab_channel=Luke%27sEnglishPodcast

Get the PDF with transcript, vocabulary list, vocabulary quiz and more 👇

Links

914. A Midwinter Ramble ❅ Luke’s English Podcast

An end-of-year rambling episode with some seasonal good wishes 🎄, comments on recent episodes 🎧, an update about upcoming content 📲, anecdotes about seeing Paul McCartney live in concert 🎸, playing music at the British Ambassador’s residence 🇬🇧 and visiting the British Library in London 📚, lots of library jokes (explained) 😂 and a vocabulary review at the end 🙇‍♂️. PDF available.

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

Get the PDF with vocabulary quiz 👇

912. Bits & Bobs 3: Questions of English (Part 3) More Listener Comments

Part three of a series featuring collected bits & bobs for the podcast, with mini-lessons on vocabulary and grammar. Topics include listener comments on listening twice, a joke about double negatives & sarcasm, staying safe while listening to LEP in the car, the phrase “don’t be shy, give it a try,” fun facts about Paraguay, and a Quentin Tarantino eggcorn. Learn English with LEP!

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtiRE5HTF6s&ab_channel=Luke%27sEnglishPodcast

Get the PDF 👇 Includes detailed vocabulary list

911. FUNNY ENGLISH SIGNS, Explained (Part 2)

(Part 2 of 2) Let’s continue where we stopped in the last episode, by going through the rest of my list of funny English signs 🪧 from around the world. These signs are badly-written and have unintentionally funny double meanings. I will read out the signs, then explain what is funny and offer corrections to make the signs clearer. I will also explain vocabulary in the process. PDF available.

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

https://youtu.be/SSDi6Cgmg8A?si=bsF7cP3fEQ5tS7CC

Get the episode PDF 👇

910. FUNNY ENGLISH SIGNS, Explained (Part 1)

Let’s look at some funny examples of badly-worded signs from around the world (including UK & USA), which show the ambiguity and unintended consequences of unclear English. I analyse lots of signs, explaining the errors and offering improved versions, using them as teaching moments to illustrate grammatical and vocabulary points. The episode also features vocabulary explanations and corrections for the poorly written signs.

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxD7irLGexk&ab_channel=Luke%27sEnglishPodcast

Get the PDF with vocabulary list here 👇

908. Bits & Bobs 2 / Questions of English (Part 2) Listener Comments

Responding to comments from listeners on various episodes in the LEP archives, including how to get a TEFL certificate, linking /r/ sounds, being a fly on the wall, singular “they”, antique vs vintage, and when the verb “see” doesn’t mean “see”. PDF available.

[DOWNLOAD]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ix7xKBk4WQ4&ab_channel=Luke%27sEnglishPodcast

Get the PDF 👇