Category Archives: Story

9 True Ghost Stories & Unexplained Mysteries from Listeners 👀🕯️ LEPster Writing Competition [1006]

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Listen to a selection of 9 fascinating stories written by listeners, one of which will win the competition which I launched earlier this year. Finally, the wait is over and the creepy story competition episode is here. I had to work very hard to narrow down the entries from 74 to only 9. Anna Brooke and I chose our favourite, as you will hear.

These are extremely mysterious and extraordinary stories sent in by my listeners. They describe very bizarre and spooky experiences, often involving the sad loss of a family member, spirits from the past searching for peace, or just disturbing coincidences that are hard to reconcile.

All 74 stories are available to read on the episode PDF, and there are plenty of very interesting entries there too. Thank you to everyone who sent a story, and congratulations to the winner, who will win a copy of Anna Brooke’s “Death by Chocolate”.

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

https://youtu.be/SEfFJqt7QXM?si=BMSoATcnwuEG-3h0

Get the episode PDF 👇

True Ghost Stories & Unexplained Mysteries from Listeners – LEPster Writing Competition [1006]Download

Death by Chocolate – Available Now from Chicken House Books 👇

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Luke’s Improvised Storytelling: Jurassic Park 🦖 [1004] Listen & Learn English

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Retelling the story of your favourite film, or book, can be a great way to practise your speaking skills in English. It can help you focus on narrative tenses, vocabulary recall and spoken fluency, while having fun reliving some great moments from cinema or literature. In this episode I demonstrate this, while giving you an entertaining re-telling of Steven Spielberg’s classic dinosaur adventure, Jurassic Park (the original and best in the franchise).

Listen as I tell the story from the point of view of one of the main characters. Notice the phrases and descriptive words I use, and check the PDF transcript later to reinforce your learning through reading. In the second half of the episode to hear my own self-corrections and feedback, focusing on better vocabulary and scientific terms I could have used in the episode.

Improvising this version of the story was both a challenge, and a lot of fun for me! You can try it too. No need to use the original plot – feel free to get creative and just have fun telling your own version of a story you know well.

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

https://youtu.be/qaRdGHXLmHI?si=V3dZ7e46XZ-1z6Wc

Get the PDF transcript here 👇

Luke’s Improvised Storytelling_ Jurassic Park [1004] Listen & Learn English – Full Episode TranscriptDownload

For my premium series based on this episode (coming soon) with vocabulary review and pronunciation practice (chunking) sign up to LEP Premium here 👇

Luke’s English Podcast Premium


Other episodes with improvised stories like this one

125. The Pink Gorilla Story
153. The Talking Dog Story
166. The Prawn Story
173. The Curse of The Lambton Worm (Short Story)
175. The Phrasal Verb Chronicles #1
239. Prepositions: Verb Collocations + Improvised Story
275. The Phrasal Verb Chronicles #2
400. The Pink Gorilla Story 2

Sherlock Holmes & The Adventure of the Man with the Twisted Lip 🕵 [999]

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Back by popular demand, here is another Sherlock Holmes mystery for episode 999. How will Watson deal with his mini-mission to an opium den, before joining Holmes on one of his most singular cases so far, attempting to solve the disappearance of a gentleman and the suspicious involvement of the man with the twisted lip? Listen to the story and then keep listening as I break it down paragraph by paragraph.

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https://youtu.be/NeaeHcwl1rQ

Get the story text in PDF form 👇

Sherlock Holmes & The Adventure of the Man with the Twisted Lip [999]Download


Funny Childhood Memories & Stories (with Martin) [997]

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Martin returns with a set of questions about childhood, sparking a funny conversation full of stories from school, family holidays, getting into trouble, and formative years of Luke growing up both in urban West London and rural West Midlands. Expect a premium episode dealing with vocabulary in this conversation.

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

https://youtu.be/5mVHR3qW-yo?si=xCWOUf9Vp-KXYjjA

Get the PDF transcript here 👇

Funny Childhood Memories & Stories (with Martin) Episode TranscriptDownload


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

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[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? 🤔

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https://youtu.be/dCJ5rFjhc9A

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) 👇


My Dad talks about his life [978]

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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.

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Get the full episode transcript 👇

My dad talks about his life [978] Episode TranscriptDownload


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

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[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.

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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


Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb (Learn English with a Short Story) [973]

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Back by popular demand, here is another Sherlock Holmes short story on LEP. This one tells the suspenseful tale of a young engineer 👷 who accepts a well-paid but mysterious job. In classic horror movie style, he ignores so many red flags 🚩 and warnings ⚠️ and ends up paying the price for it! But, can Holmes and Watson make sure that justice is served? I tell the story and explain some details and words along the way. Story text, summaries and vocabulary list available on the episode PDF.

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO]

https://youtu.be/9mZ21UAPG9c?si=Do9BQg4KaRShcIjf

Get the episode PDF with story text, summaries, vocabulary list and vocabulary quiz 👇

Sherlock Holmes_ The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb (Learn English with a Short Story) [973]Download


The Kit-Bag (Learn English with a Short Story) [965]

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[965] It is traditional to tell a scary story at Christmas time, so here is one for this year’s festive season. The Kit-Bag by Algernon Blackwood is a classic scary tale which will give you a chill, while you stay cosy and warm indoors this winter. Listen and I will explain a lot of vocabulary which comes up in the story.

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Get the episode PDF with story text and vocabulary list 👇

The Kit-Bag (Learn English with a Short Story) [965]Download

LEP Premium – 20% off this December and January 👇


The Door in the Wall (Learn English with a Short Story) [962]

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[962] Time for another short story on LEP. This one is about a man who has a wondrous experience as a child, which then haunts him for the rest of his adult life. Listen as I read the story to you, and then ramble about its meaning, interpretations and how it evoked some strong memories and strange feelings in me. Then there is a vocabulary review which will continue in an upcoming premium series.

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Get the PDF with story script, notes and vocabulary list 👇

The Door in the Wall (Learn English with a Short Story) [962]Download