Practising English

Introduction to part 2 of The Breath of the Mosquito Emil Zimmermann, professor of astrophysics at Corpus Christi College, Oxford University sat back in his leather chair and studied the colourful feather, he was holding in his hand, through his thick glasses.  ‘Incredible!’ he said. ‘You say it comes from an extinct* type of bird, don’t you?’ Mathew was sitting the other side of Emil’s huge woode...

This is a B1-level short story in two parts. Professor Mathew Pearson, a paleontologist and professor at Oxford University, made an incredible discovery when he found a skull. Tests are done and the results are extremely surprising... Technical vocabulary in the story Prehistory / A prehistoric scene paleontology fossils The Jurassic period (finished 145 million years ago) The Eocene period (finis...

This is the third and final part of the story 'The Harmonica Players'. Here are the B2 phrases I discuss in the podcast. 1) This was not the familiar peaceful atmosphere of Oxted. 2) He found London rather threatening . 3) An awful lot of unfamiliar people who packed the streets. 4) You were swept along by dense, hostile crowds of total strangers. 5) A black man in a hat, moving quickly...

In Part 2 of my story, The Harmonica Players, I’ll be talking about racial prejudice. That means the irrational distrust and dislike of people from other countries. My motive for bringing up this topic and creating Jeffrey, a man who is very prejudiced against foreigners, has been from the unfortunate policy by the current Conservative party in the UK, who have proposed and are about to carry out...

The Harmonica Players. The story of two people who are very different from each other, yet there is something that unites them. Words and expressions discussed in the podcast: bedsit - accommodation, which is very basic, and is usually just one room. meter - a machine you put money into which controls the amount of electricity is consumed. -        Somehow , he couldn’t face starting his day witho...

This is a B1 and B2 level podcast with a new story about the ages of Man. (See link to audioscript of story below.) B1 words discussed: sunrise landscape valleys scenery waterfall cave the cool shade setting sun (sunset) B2 words discussed youth bounced along life was a gift, which he would grab for himself make the most of the lines around his eyes a bald area mature his  body was curved and bent...

I'm listing below the phrases I explain in the audio. This is a B1-level story. Below, are the phrases I explain from the story. Vocabulary expressions for the story Today's story is B1 level. I'm listing below the phrases I explain in the audio. The point of this podcast is to explain that the language you use in your speaking exam must sound authentic. These are the B1 expressions...

In Telmah's life, very little happens. His garden is really the only thing he seems to care about. But one day, a neighbour loses her dog, and Telmah's life suddenly becomes much more complicated than he would like. These are the B1 expressions I explain from the story: be just about to do sth believe it or not feel sorry for a sense of humour straight away be fond of sb/sth keen on sth...

This is a B2 story in the genre of mystery or thriller. It's called Drawing Conclusions, which is one of the expressions I explain before I start the story. B2 phrases: - drawing conclusions - Mrs Robinson had neither seen nor heard Lorna since - take great pride in sth - to go into more detail - he couldn’t look her in the eye - was very absorbed in everything - as far as she knew, - ideas h...

These are the dog expressions I mention today: Dog Eat Dog Raining cats and dogs Teach an old dog new tricks And these are the B1 and B2 expressions I explain, and that you will hear in the story: B1 It didn’t look like they were expecting me. They were definitely up to something. He walked in and I went after him. I glanced around. Rocky close on my heels . Somehow, I had to get rid of him. Winni...

Today's story is B1 level with lots of B2 phrases added. This let's you improve little by little without getting lost because the text is too difficult to understand. I'm listing below the phrases I explain in the audio. I also talk about ellipsis, which is where you omit words from a sentence in an "economy of words". We still understand the meaning - only the grammar is...

This is a special edition podcast. Today I’m publishing The Octopus’s Garden as one complete story.  If you have listened to this story in the two parts I published two weeks ago ( podcasts 179 and 180 ), you’ll remember that I have dedicated this story firstly, to the children of Gaza, who are suffering so terribly during this horrific war.  Secondly, I’ve also dedicated this story to my brother...

Hello, dear listeners! This is part 2 of my story, The Octopus's Garden, which I'm dedicating to the children of Gaza and my brother's HandsUp Project team that has been working with Palestinian children to help them have a voice in the world by producing plays in English online. You can find out more about the HandsUp  Project here... (https://www.handsupproject.org/) Most of the l...

Dunya Yousef Hussan AL-BARGHOUTI sat on the white sand and looked out across the deep blue of the Mediterranean Sea. Somehow, at last, she had found comfort here... This is a B1 to B2-level English podcast about my story dedicated to the children of Gaza. I will introduce a lot of new B2 words for you to listen for during the story. I also include a full AUDIOSCRIPT of the story at my website: htt...

A painting by Renoir inspired today's story. The painting is famous, and is called "The Luncheon of the Boat Party" (I have used the simpler word "Lunch"). These are the adjectives to talk about people's personality that I mention at the beginning: miserable lively keen lonely exhausted embarrassed easygoing reliable charming sensible cheerful talented And I discuss t...

Part 2 of my short story for B1 learners of English - Never Go Back. I'll look at the vocabulary I used, related to suspense. Here are the words I explain for you to listen for: Benjamin looked up, shocked at this unexpected and rude behaviour .  Why all this unfriendly behaviour , when this morning the hotel staff he had met had been so kind. Her face looked sour and unfriendly . ‘Your card,...

In this podcast I thank my listeners for all the times you have downloaded Practising English Podcasts in 2023. I'll talk a little about an English Christmas and read my B1 version of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. You can read the entire transcript at my website: https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-176.htm Contact Mike Bilbrough with a question or enquiry about advertising on Pr...

Today is part 1 of my new story Never Go Back. It's in the thiller, suspense or even horror genre. I mention some useful B1 adjectives and other B2-level words and one swear word in English. I will release Part 2 of this story at the beginning of January. Here we go... Contact Mike Bilbrough with a question or enquiry about advertising on Practising English Podcasts: https://www.practisingeng...

Jenny is looking for a relationship. Will she ever find somebody suitable?  Today's B1 story comes with a test. The story contains around 60 B1 words, which are useful for B1-level English study, and some of them are not easy to learn as they are not very intuitive (false friends). I include below a list of thes B1 words in the order they appear in the story: disappointed allow attempted adve...

The second part of Tsunami (See Podcast 172 for Part 1). Story for B1 and B2 learners of English. The words and expressions I describe today are: frightening strike fear into human hearts the heart beats faster mysterious giant horse screaming with/in fear, happiness be in shock a totally hopeless situation The three questions for the story area: 1, What else screamed besides the children? 2, Whic...

B1-level story with questions and a grammar point. For the audioscript, please go to my website: https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-172.htm Contact Mike Bilbrough with a question or enquiry about advertising on Practising English Podcasts: https://www.practisingenglish.com/contact.htm My NEW book: " B1 English Vocabulary Builder - 22 Short Stories for Learning the Words and Phrases Stu...

I discuss some important language for part 1 of the reading paper of the Cambridge Preliminary B1-level exam and include those words in a story called The Picnic. The formal phrases for you to change to a more informal version are the following: 1) ‘I’ll make the arrangements ,’ Marvin had then said. 2) I’m sure I have a few eggs available . 3) Actually, I’m not sure I have suitable ingredients fo...

Advice for story-writing at B1 and B2 levels for Cambridge exams, and my short story Bigfoot for you to enjoy. You can follow the story this week on the transcript I include here and on at my website.  https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-170.htm Contact Mike Bilbrough with a question or enquiry about advertising on Practising English Podcasts: https://www.practisingenglish.com/contact.htm My...

The second part of my adaptation to B1-level English of the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald "Three Hours between Flights". You can find the transcript of the story at: https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-169.htm Contact Mike Bilbrough with a question or enquiry about advertising on Practising English Podcasts: https://www.practisingenglish.com/contact.htm My NEW book: " B1...

A B1-level version of a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I talk about aeroplane and airport language before starting this romantic story of two people, who haven't seen each other since they were at school, meet again when adults. You can find the transcript of the story at: https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-168.htm Contact Mike Bilbrough with a question or enquiry about advertisin...