Ethos English

In this episode I discuss my first year of podcasting why I'm happy that my early episodes make me cringe... and why they're still worth listening to! I go over my some of my favourite episodes and some useful language related to advent.  Click here to go to show notes Music is from "Strings" by Another Day under a Creative Commons license.

This week I continue my exploration of adverb collocations and share with you two powerful (and free!) online writing tools to dramatically improve your writing. Episode transcript   Music is from "Strings" by Another Day under a Creative Commons license.

Advanced English learners use adverbs in strikingly different ways. (You see, I just did it! Strikingly different - that's an adverb + adjective collocation.) Research has shown that C2 English speakers use not only more adverbs but also a wider range of them. In this week's episode I draw your attention to some key adverb + adjective collocations to help you make the shift from an intermediate to...

We live in a world that seems to value productivity and external accomplishments over everything else. How can we shift our mindset so that we not only survive but thrive as teachers, students and human beings? Today I explore the deceptively simple insights of Zena Hitz on the true nature of genius. (Hint: think attitude not inborn trait). As a bonus I share one of my favourite websites for thoug...

This week I share with you an entertaining and very unintellectual newspaper column that will have you laughing out loud and ask whether you are as open-minded as you think. I discuss a fascinating New York Times video on the hypocrisy of the political left and how the concepts of belief perseverance and the backfire effect will have you rethinking how you argue with others. https://ethosenglish.c...

In this week's show I remind you of the importance of resetting your attentional filter to notice key categories of vocabulary in English, including "empty" verbs and binomials. You'll be putting into practice my tips and I've even come up with a scavenger hunt for you to play while listening. For the complete show notes, including the transcription of the entire episode and the scavenger hunt res...

This week I explore key concepts from neuroscience in Daniel J. Levitin's book The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload and how they apply to language learning. Specifically, I explain the concept of the attentional filter as it relates to language learning and how using categories allows us to learn better. I go over last week's tip related to delexicalised verbs a...

What does the recent political and economic turmoil in the UK have to do with improving your English? Listen and find out how to avoid becoming an intellectual zombie. For the shownotes go to https://ethosenglish.com/podcast/  Music is from "Strings" by Another Day under a Creative Commons license.

Season 2 is coming soon! Music is from "Strings" by Another Day under a Creative Commons license.

Last week the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, thereby depriving women in many parts of the U.S. access to legal abortion. In this episode we look at key vocabulary related to the law as well as discuss the American Supreme Court and new evidence-based studies on abortion.  Click here for the interactive transcript, including vocabulary flashcards.

In this week's episode I discuss a recent court ruling in the United States on the safety of glyphosate, the active ingredient in the world's most widely-used pesticide and why this coming year is crucial for improving food safety and wildlife protection in the European Union.   Click here for the interactive transcript and Quizlet flashcard set.

What can London's sewage crisis of the 19th century teach us about our own environmental crisis? Do we have grounds for optimism? Read the interactive transcript and self-study materials, including Quizlet flashcards by clicking here.

What is eco-anxiety? How we can use art as a way of processing grief caused by climate change? I have a brief chat with the environmental scientist, policy maker - and award-winning mosaic artist - Julie Sperling about the therapeutic value of art and how we can use the principles of ikigai to find ways to do our part in the fight against climate change. Click here to access the interactive transc...

In this episode I look into the concept of ANTS (automatic negative thoughts) and rumination. I discuss three techniques for coping with self-criticism. As it turns out, speaking to ourselves in our second (or third/fourth/etc.) language can help us when dealing with emotionally charged situations. Click here for the interactive transcript and Quizlet self-study materials.

In this episode I delve into key words and phrases to help you talk about a topic that is very common in speaking exams, namely the importance of learning English or another foreign language. This is a very popular topic and one for which you can prepare yourself by learning some key vocabulary that will help you boost your performance. What's more, I explore the idea of educational inequality and...

In this episode we find out about binomials as well as some interesting facts about the British Empire, jingoism and why British civil servants are threatening to revolt agains the government's latest plans to deal with refugees.

The teacher, writer and podcaster Tim Warre joins me to discuss the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. We talk about ways in which language teachers and learners can benefit from this insightful book on habit formation. To watch the video recording of this conversation go to https://betterlanguagelearning.com/episode-15/

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions" is a common saying in English. In short, having good intentions does not always lead to good outcomes. I argue that condemnation of Putin's war in Ukraine is not enough. We need to understand the conditions that allowed his rise to power and the ways in which Western powers might be partly responsible for this tragic war. I bring in Slavoj Žižek, Ad...

In this conversation with Iván, who's both a student and teacher of English, we talk about an issue of interest to him, namely economics and supply chain issues that have been affecting the world economy. We also exchange ideas on effective language learning approaches, and discuss things such as translation and the use of flashcards. 

In this episode I discuss Valentine's Day and its Catalan equivalent Sant Jordi as well as delve into research on the hidden benefits of being single. What's more, I look into the concept of "greedy marriages" and why it's okay to want a relationship if you aren't in one. As always, you'll find an interactive transcript and Quizlet flashcard sets by going to my podcast page.

What does it mean to be well-read? In this episode I talk about Pierre Bayard's book How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read and why book reviews are an underrated tool for your personal development. Click here to access the interactive transcript and Quizlet flashcard sets.

In this episode I talk about embracing being a nerd and the expression "Seek and ye shall find" and how the Bible, specifically the King James translation, has provided English with a wealth of idioms still in use today. Access the interactive transcript and Quizlet flashcards here.

Find out how Marshall McLuhan's media theory might just save your relationships. Click here to access the interactive transcript and Quizlet flashcard sets.

In this episode I talk about some counterintuitive yet helpful advice from one of my favourite columnists and address the issue of philistinism in English language teaching. Why does literature play such a small role in the teaching of English? Why are we so unambitious in our approach to writing? Click here to go to the interactive transcript and Quizlet flashcard set.

In this week's episode I talk about my recent trip to Dubai. This year the emirate is hosting Expo, so I decided to explore a bit of the cultural impact of this international event throughout history. I come to the conclusion that the post-Covid world needs more catharsis-inducing art.