In 2009 I did a solo travelling experience around Vietnam 🇻🇳 and I wrote a diary while I was there. In this episode, over 16 years later, I read out the diary, follow my descriptions of each part of my trip, explore how I was feeling at that time of my life, go off on some comedy and English teaching tangents, and take a journey into the past, across a very different country.
Here is an adorable episode with my adorable daughter. In this one, we discuss various absurd questions and end up improvising chats between odd socks, speculating about spaghetti hair, analysing the weaknesses of the human body, considering the importance of sleep, looking at the fear of long words, analysing completely mad nursery rhymes in English and French, speculating about societies run by ducks or cats, being painted by Leonardo DaVinci, and describing the dreams of dogs. All in a normal day spent chatting with my daughter.
This is a natural, funny and heart-warming English conversation full of real spoken English, perfect for English learners who want to improve their listening skills, vocabulary, pronunciation and fluency.
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.
Martin’s previous appearance on LEP 👇
[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.
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!
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.
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.
Get the episode PDF with all my notes and questions 👇
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.
Get the full episode transcript 👇
[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.
Get the PDF transcript here 👇
[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.
What skills are involved in being a good writer? What makes a good piece of writing? How is writing different to speaking? What are the challenges faced by learners of English who want to write well, and what are some solutions to these challenges? How can AI help develop writing skills? And, what does it take to write your own book in English? These are all questions which I talk about in this episode, with the help of professional writer and returning guest Fabio Cerpelloni.
Unlike speaking, writing doesn’t disappear. Once it’s written, it’s there.
That can make learners nervous, but it’s also what makes writing powerful: you have time to shape, revise, and improve your message.
A good piece of writing:
Grammar and vocabulary matter, but effect on the reader matters more than sounding impressive or “advanced”.
Using complex vocabulary, idioms, or “advanced” expressions just to sound native can:
Clear, simple language often has more impact than complicated language.
Beyond exams and emails, writing is a powerful tool for:
Even imperfect English can work well if the message connects emotionally.
Good writing:
Organisation, coherence, and clarity all serve the reader — and improve impact.
Writing isn’t just about communicating ideas — it creates ideas.
If something feels hard to write, it often means the idea isn’t clear yet.
The struggle is part of the thinking process.
Strong writing often comes from removing, not adding:
“Less is more” — especially in emails and practical writing.
As Stephen King famously said:
“If you want to be a good writer, you must read a lot and write a lot.”
Reading helps you:
If you want to write emails, read emails.
If you want to write stories, read stories.
You don’t need to publish or be famous to be a writer.
Writing for yourself:
A writer is simply someone who writes.
In exams like Cambridge English, accuracy is only one criterion.
Higher priorities include:
Everything in your writing should serve the purpose of the task.
AI tools are useful for:
But they shouldn’t replace your thinking or your voice. Beware of letting AI do your writing for you – your own skills will not develop, and you will come across as unoriginal, indistinct and probably even lazy. Often, your reader wants to get the sense there is a person on the other side. Don’t be seduced by the dark side of the force. Sorry. I mean, don’t be seduced by the fact that ChatGPT will write flawlessly – with no errors. People can usually tell when something has been written by AI, and it doesn’t give a good impression of you.
Also, you need to question and evaluate what AI produces.
AI can make mistakes.
A reliable dictionary — like the Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries — remains the final authority for:
Writing doesn’t have to mean a 300-page book.
Small, achievable projects (emails, blog posts, short texts, “tiny books”) build:
Success encourages more writing. If you want to write well, write regularly.
Struggling with a paragraph doesn’t mean you’re bad at writing.
It usually means:
Difficulty is normal and productive.
Before writing, ask:
When purpose is clear, language choices become much easier.