English Outside the Box

Hey there Ponders! This week we’re chatting about our feathered friends. That’s right, birds! Do you like birds? Have you got a favourite? Join your 2 native speaking English teachers for a chat about these amazing creatures and learn some bird related expressions and idioms along the way. Remember to keep listening because after the conversation it’s the language focus. Enjoy!

Back in the day, before the internet changed all our lives, courses were something that we always did face to face. How times have changed! Today we can find a million and one courses on every topic imaginable and this can sometimes feel a little overwhelming. So today we’re chatting about what makes a great course, what makes us buy a course as well as what we don’t like so much. We have our own...

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday…. tune in this week to hear this song live and have some fun with your hosts talking about the days of the week! We talk routines, like what our typical weekends are and what we like to do. This episode also covers pronunciation, and has inspired our member’s grammar bonus this month, prepositions of time! Sit back and relax whatever the day of the week it is and … enjoy...

Hello dear listeners, dear Ponders around the world and welcome to our latest episode … Hello! In this week’s chat we’re talking about how to start a conversation in English; you’ll hear from 3 of our members and also find out all about our exciting Step Up To Fluency course which we are relaunching this month. There’s a language focus at the end too, of course! Enjoy! https://www.englishacrossthe...

Hello, hello and welcome aboard! It's Friday and time for another beautiful English language conversation here at English Across the Pond. This week we’re highlighting some of the main pronunciation differences between British and American English when it comes to food. How do you say fillet? Oregano? Risotto? Listen and find out! After the chat there is a language focus where we take a closer loo...

Happy Birthday to ... who is celebrating a birthday this week? Well if you’ve been a listener for a while or receive our emails then, the cat’s already out of the bag and you know who it is! Join us this week to sing along happy birthday with one of our co-hosts and learn all about cake: different types, your hosts preferences, and more! The language focus has some extra sweet and delicious vocabu...

Hello, dear listeners! It's time for another of our fun and language packed British and American English conversations and this week we are chatting about the john, the can, the bathroom, the loo, the smallest room in the house, the restroom, the washroom, the ladies, the gents, the WC … the toilet :) Enjoy!

Teamwork - you either love it or hate it and are a good team player or you’re not. Listen in this week as we talk all about teams, and find out what Jennifer and Dan think about them. We share an interesting American and British English difference in grammar this week, and it’s even inspired our member’s only grammar lesson as well. You don’t want to miss the helpful vocabulary from this week eith...

Come in, take a seat! Tell us about some of your strengths. Do you like to work alone or as a part of a team??  Yes! This week we’re chatting about one of the most stressful times of our lives - interviews! Join your 2 native speaker hosts as they talk about their interview thoughts and experiences. After the chat stay tuned for the vocabulary focus. Enjoy!

This episode will take you on a journey into the future, we'll visualize our lives in 10 years and think about where we'll be, what we will have accomplished, and how life will be like. Tune in to hear about Jen and Dan's predictions about their own lives as well as a lot of natural future grammar in context. Enjoy!

If you’re superstitious and believe in good and bad luck then you may be spending today hiding in bed because it’s … Friday 13th! If you’ve never heard of it, many people in the western world consider today to be an unlucky day. But what do your 2 podcast hosts think? Do they think Friday the 13th is an unlucky day? Do they believe that you can have good and bad luck? Listen along to our fun chat...

Are you ready to laugh along with your hosts as they go through and review various words in American and British English pronunciation? This week we're sharing a special pronunciation bonus episode, often limited to premium members only, because we had so much fun recording this episode. We talk about the different words, their pronunciation differences, why they might differ, and how to use them...

In a world full of CCTV cameras and internet cookies, is privacy something that is important to you? Do you try to keep your real identity a secret on social media? Or do you just accept that a lack of (online) privacy is something we just have to accept these days? Whatever your ideas, join your 2 hosts Dan and Jennifer for a fun chat all about this hot topic! And don’t forget, after the conversa...

Would you want to be in the limelight? ...In the public eye? Or are you a bit too shy to be uber famous? Tune in this week as we talk about being famous and the price that comes with the world knowing who you are. What would we, Jennifer and Dan, like to be famous for? All that and more this week! Enjoy!

Everyone needs a lazy day right? A personal day? Tune in this week as we talk about what it means to be lazy and what we, your hosts, think about it. What animal comes to mind? Hint - it’s in the title’s image! And don’t miss the American and British English differences we stumble upon in our conversation. Enjoy!

Magazines, commercials, billboards and more, we all have experience with different forms of advertising in our lives. How has advertising changed? How is it different in the US and UK? And who is a famous jingle writer that Dan has never heard of? Find that all out and more this week. Stick around for a deeper look into the vocabulary from this episode. Enjoy! https://www.englishacrossthepond.com/...

Do you find it difficult to say no? It’s never easy but from time to time we all have to say it and this week we’re talking all about it ... NO! Improve your listening and vocabulary and have fun as you join 2 native speaker English teachers discussing their experiences with this difficult word. After the chat there is a language focus where we discuss some of the key words from the conversation -...

We all have one. Sometimes they are the same and other times they can be very different. Yes, this week we’re talking about opinions. Should we always give our opinion or is it sometimes better to bite our lip (stay silent)? When you need a second opinion and who do you turn to (ask)? All this and much more in today’s chat and remember to stay to the end for the language focus. After you’ve listen...

5 years? 5 years! We find it hard to believe that our podcast is 5 years old this week. In that time we’ve recorded over 250 episodes which contain  over 100 hours of chat, fun and language improvement. Wow! Join us as we celebrate, look back at what we have achieved so far and forward to what the future might hold. And! Keep listening as halfway through the conversation there is a VERY special an...

Quiet, tranquil, chill, peaceful: these are some of the synonyms to the title of this week’s episode. What does it mean to be “calm”? How do we achieve this tranquil state? Tune in to find out Jennifer and Dan’s favorite ways, the apps they use, and whether or not they think everyone should be calm. You’ll walk away from this episode with not only English vocabulary, expressions and natural langua...

To fail; to be unsuccessful in achieving one's goal.  We all fail at some point or other in our lives and this week we’re taking a look at what it is to fail - Dan talks about his driving test while Jennifer mentions her school grades. We also talk about the phenomenon of internet fail videos as well as considering what we can maybe learn from our failures. As always, the chat is followed by a loo...

This week we’re all about pictures. Pictures as in photos (Do you like having your picture taken? Do you like taking pictures?) and pictures as in paintings (who’s your favourite artist?) We answer these questions and much more in today’s chat. After our conversation, the language focus takes a closer look at some of the vocabulary from today’s podcast. Smile, say cheese! Your transcript & vocabul...

Better than an article in a National Geographic magazine, this week will take a walk on the wild side and review a list of the top 10 most well-known Endangered Species. What are these animals, why are they endangered and what do your hosts think of some of these cuddly and not so cuddly creatures? Tune in to find out + learn 2 new expressions in our language focus. Rawr!

Hey there dear Ponders and welcome to another week of chat, fun and language improvement. This week we’re talking about wildflowers - what is a wildflower, anyway? Is it the same as a weed? What’s Jennifer’s favorite wildflower? And which wildflower is currently terrorising the UK? Find out all the answers and improve your English by listening in. Don’t forget, after the conversation, the language...

In many parts of the world, a very special day is just around the corner. A day to celebrate, to honor, and to love mothers. It’s Mother’s Day on May 9th. Tune in this week to hear about your hosts mothers, a bit about Jennifer’s motherhood journey and tons of natural vocabulary. Continue the conversation in Telegram and tell us if or how you’re celebrating this special day. Enjoy!