Plain English

The Shape of Water won Best Picture at the Oscars on Sunday night, while Frances McDormand won Best Actress for her role in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Gary Oldman won Best Actor for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour. Mexican director Guillermo del Toro won for his work on The Shape of Water. Learn how to use the English phrase “cut a deal.” Read the full transcr...

The Communist Party of China has proposed changing to constitution to remove term limits for Chinese president Xi Jinping in a break with the country's tradition of changing leaders every decade. The move caused a backlash on Chinese social media. In the second half of the podcast, we talk about the English expression “akin to.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.c...

Billy Graham, the American preacher whose crusades personally reached hundreds of millions of people, died at age 99. He became just the fourth private citizen to lie in honor at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, DC. Through his remarkable career, he counseled 12 U.S. presidents, preached with Martin Luther King, Jr., and consoled the American people after tragedy. In the second half of the...

A 17-year-old shot and killed 17 people at a school he once attended in Florida. Another 12 people were injured in the attack. Mass shootings at schools and in public places are an unfortunate exception to the improving overall safety in America. The English phrase “pour out” means to empty. Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/24      Transcripts are always free...

The Lunar New Year began this week with celebrations across Asia. In China, families follow traditions associated with good luck, dressing in new clothes, eating long noodles to symbolize a long life, and giving gifts wrapped in red. Large cities around the world mark the New Year with fireworks and parades. In the second half of the program, we talk about the phrasal verb “sweep away.” Read the f...

A fan-produced movie called “Voldemort: Origins of the Heir” was released on YouTube last month, free of charge. The movie is an unofficial “prequel” that tells the story of how Tom Riddle became Voldemort. Warner Brothers, the Hollywood studio that owns the rights to Harry Potter films, allowed the movie to be produced as long as it was released without charge. Plus, learn English phrasal verb “c...

PyeongChang, South Korea, is host to the Winter Olympics. In the chilly opening ceremony, North and South Korea marched under one flag—and one athlete marched without a shirt on. A 17-year-old American won a gold medal in snowboarding. The third time was the charm for PyongChang because it lost two previous bids; we talk about how to use “the third time’s the charm” in English. Read the full trans...

Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny was arrested on his way to a rally in Moscow. Navalny is the leader of a movement to boycott the upcoming presidential election in March. He wanted to be a candidate, but was barred due to a conviction that was widely considered to be political. Will his supporters vote against Putin or boycott the election? Plus, we talk about how to use “turn out” to desc...

In one of America’s strangest holidays, a groundhog predicts that winter will last six more weeks. The tradition inspired the 1993 movie “Groundhog Day” and draws large crowds to a small town in western Pennsylvania. The groundhog says we have to suffer through six more weeks of winter—his usual prediction—and we talk about what “suffer through” means. Read the full transcript of this episode at h...

A Mexican government official suggested legalizing marijuana in tourist areas to reduce violence, but a majority of Mexicans appear to be against the idea. Canada and several US states have made the drug legal for recreational use. Would Mexico ever follow their lead in legalizing marijuana? Plus, we review what it means to “get your fix” of something—be it drugs or chocolate. Read the full transc...

One of the biggest dates on the American cultural calendar is the first weekend of February—Super Bowl Sunday. On this episode of Plain English, we talk about the American traditions for football’s biggest game, including the halftime show, the commercials, and the ways you can bet on the game. The game pits the Patriots against the Eagles, and we’ll explain what it means to pit one thing against...

A collector’s bottle of vodka, made of gold and silver and decorated with diamonds and classic car parts, was stolen from the basement of a bar in Copenhagen, Denmark. Police found the (empty) bottle at a construction site a few days later. The bottle’s owner says he was saved by “the vodka god.” Plus we review what it means to get “cold feet” before a big decision—and it has nothing to do with te...

Today on Plain English: Do you have a historical double—in a painting? A new feature in a Google app will search historical artwork and tell you which painting or portrait most looks like you. But the app only works in the US due to privacy laws. Some people are concerned that Google may use the data for more than just lighthearted fun. Plus, we review what it means to “push the limit”—and how one...

Today on Plain English: Media mogul Oprah Winfrey gave an inspirational speech at the Golden Globe Awards in January, focusing on injustice and sexual abuse and harassment scandals. Could that be the first step in a potential run for president? We talk about a few reasons why it might be—and a few reasons why it might not be. Our English phrase is speak up, meaning to not stay silent about somethi...

Today on Plain English: North Korea announced it will send a delegation of athletes to the Winter Olympics, being held in Pyeongchang, just 40 miles from the Demilitarized Zone that separates the two countries. The two Koreas may compete together with a single women’s ice hockey team and North Korea is expected to have a pair of figure skaters compete. Our English word is "rocky." We talk about wh...

A UK charity encourages people to give up alcohol for the month of January. Those who do experience better sleep, weight loss, and better health—but does it make a big difference? Oregon is one of only two states that have full-service gas stations, but that’s about to change. Plus we review English words “sober” and “quirky.” GREAT NEWS if you speak CHINESE, FRENCH, or SPANISH! Follow along with...

Protesters in Iran are demonstrating against the government, focusing on the economic conditions that include high unemployment and high inflation. The government has shut down social media in response. Many countries have their own New Year’s traditions, including fireworks, religious observances and, in Indonesia, a mass wedding. Plus we review English expressions “shut down” and “bucket list.”...

An electrical fire below ground knocked out power at the Atlanta airport—the world’s busiest—for eleven hours just eight days before Christmas. Passengers were left in the dark, wondering what to do; many had to sleep in the airport that night. Spain’s annual Christmas lottery is a national event and has thousands of winners; the results are sung out by children on national television. Plus we rev...

Saudi Arabia will allow construction of new movie theaters, after a 35-year prohibition. Theater chains are ready to dive into a new market, but some questions remain about censorship and how this deeply religious country will embrace the cinema experience. Facebook has admitted that its users may experience some negative mental health effects from using social media. Plus, we practice English exp...

A series of deadly wildfires has broken out in Southern California; they have been spread by strong, dry winds. The fires have caused over 200,000 people to evacuate their homes and have come dangerously close to the city’s famous Getty Museum. The International Olympic Committee has banned Russia from competing in the 2018 Winter Olympics, although some Russian athletes will be able to compete un...

Disney’s 3-D animated film “Coco”, which is rich with Mexican cultural references, is officially the highest-grossing film ever in Mexico and is popular in the United States. Its all-Latino cast, accurate portrayal of Mexican folklore, and rich animation have contributed to its popularity.   Britain’s Prince Harry is engaged to American actress Meghan Markle; the two will marry in the spring in Wi...

Charles Manson, a cult leader whose followers brutally killed nine people and terrorized Los Angeles in 1969, died in jail of natural causes at age 83. A team of students submitted a design for constructing a sustainable city on Mars. The team envisions a series of domes covering a network of underground tunnels that could house up to 10,000 people. We also practice English phrases “hold a grudge”...

The Louvre, one of the most famous museums in the world, opens a second location in Abu Dhabi that will tell the stories of eastern and western civilization through artwork. In China, shoppers spent a record $25 billion on Singles Day; what was originally a light-hearted protest of Valentine’s Day has become the world’s biggest shopping day. We review English phrases “shore up”, “spill into”, and...

An American family escaped a pirate attack in a remote area of the Brazilian Amazon and survived in the jungle for three days. Selena, the Mexican-American artist known as the Queen of Tejano music received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this month. In the second half of the program, we review the English expressions ‘hitch a ride’ and ‘on behalf’.   PLAIN ENGLISH is a weekly podcast for int...

Catalonia’s leaders make a bid for independence, but regional president Carles Puigdemont is arrested. The Houston Astros won the World Series for the first time in their franchise history. In the second half of the program, we review the English expressions “stop short” and “a stretch.”   PLAIN ENGLISH is a weekly podcast for intermediate English students. The pace of the show is a little slower...