Thinking in English

In this episode of Thinking in English, I want to talk about one of the most popular events in Europe: the Eurovision Song Contest. With nearly 200 million people watching, and over 40 countries entering, it is a massive contest full of incredible (and sometimes bizarre) performances. Many of the listeners of this podcast are not European, so hopefully you will learn something about the continent'...

In this episode of Thinking in English, I want to talk about declining populations! In many wealthy countries, fewer children are being born, which could have serious social and economic consequences in the future. So, how do you make people have more children? TRANSCRIPT - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2021/05/17/77-how-do-you-make-people-have-more-children-english-vocabulary-lesson/ CONTACT US!...

In this episode of thinking in English, I’m going to introduce you to conversational English, business English and academic English! It is incredibly important to understand the differences between each type of English, and hopefully after this episode you will be able to decide which type is for you! TRANSRIPT -- https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2021/05/12/76-conversational-english-vs-business-engl...

In this episode of Thinking in English, I want to talk about Covid variants. What is a variant? Why are there so many variants right now? Are these more dangerous? Do the treatments still work? Let's discuss these questions in this episode! Transcript!! - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2021/05/10/75-what-is-a-covid-19-variant-english-vocabulary-lesson/ CONTACT US!! INSTAGRAM - thinkinginenglishpod...

Where is the most dangerous place in the world? According to the Economist, the answer might be Taiwan. This probably comes as a shock for anyone who has been to Taiwan, lived in Taiwan, or is Taiwanese! Is Taiwan really the most dangerous place in the world? Let’s discuss it on this episode of Thinking in English! TRANSCRIPT - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2021/05/05/74-is-taiwan-the-most-danger...

In this episode of Thinking in English, I want to introduce you all to the weird language of English newspapers. Newspapers are full of words, vocabulary, grammar, and types of sentences that we normally don’t use in everyday life. And for this reason, it can be difficult for English learners to understand journalism. Hopefully, by the end of this episode, you will have a clearer understanding of...

How much money is housework worth? A recent court case in China gave a housewife compensation for doing all of her family's housework, while her husband did not help at all. Millions of hours of unpaid work are done every year. Let’s discuss this further on this episode of Thinking in English! TRANSCRIPT -- https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2021/04/28/72-how-much-money-is-housework-worth-english-voca...

Is the internet making people stupid? Is it making us less intelligent? Certainly the internet is changing the way we think, the way we learn, and the way we read. But is this necessarily a bad thing? In this episode of Thinking in English we’ll try to shed some light on these questions! TRANSCRIPT - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2021/04/26/71-is-the-internet-making-people-stupid-english-vocabula...

Museums around the world have historical artefacts in their collections with controversial histories. Many of their exhibits were taken or stolen from places around the world. And now, the original owners want their history back! In this episode of Thinking in English we’ll explore the question “Should these museums return those artefacts?” TRANSCRIPT -- https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2021/04/21/7...

Twelve of the biggest European football clubs have announced their intention to form their own competition, known as the Super League. This has become a major news story, and has been criticized by fans, players, football club owners, and politicians across Europe. So, in this episode of Thinking in English I will explain what a Super League is, why clubs want to join it, and why it is such a cont...

On April 12th the Muslim holy month of Ramadan began. Millions of Muslims around the world are now fasting, observing the religious holiday, and celebrating with friends and family. In this episode of Thinking in English, I want to answer some of the most common questions people have about Ramadan, and introduce you to some religious vocabulary! TRANSCRIPT -- https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2021/04...

Last week, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and husband of Queen Elizabeth II, passed away. His death has dominated news reporting in the UK and abroad. Prince Philip was an influential and well known international figure for over 70 years, carrying out thousands of meetings and engagements for the British royal family and his own personal passions. In this special episode of Thinking in Engli...

What is wrong with Israel’s politics? In the last two years, they have had four different elections. Each time no leader has been able to form a government, and no political parties have been willing to work together. Despite an election being held only a few weeks ago in March, it is already a possibility that a new election will need to be held in the summer. Let’s discuss some of the problems i...

In this episode of Thinking in English we will discuss the Milk Tea Alliance. Protestors and pro-democracy activists in South East Asia have begun to connect with each other online using the hashtag Milk Tea Alliance. What is this alliance, how did it start, and what does it involve? And why does it use the name “milk tea?” Hopefully by the end of this episode you will be able to answer some, or a...

On the final Sunday of March, the UK and many other European countries adjust their time forward by one hour. This is known as Daylight Savings Time, or Summer time, and is designed to give people more hours of sunlight during the summer months. In this episode of Thinking in English we will look at the history and rationale for DST, before discussing whether or not we really need it in 2021! TRAN...

North Korea has recently restarted missile tests, worrying neighbouring countries and international organisations. Why have they decided to do this now? This episode will look at a few different explanations for North Korea’s missile tests, as well as discussing the country's weapons programme in general! TRANSCRIPT - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2021/03/29/63-north-korean-missile-tests-explaine...

The plural of bird is birds, the plural of dog is dogs, but what is the plural of octopus? Is it octopuses, octopi, or octopodes? In this episode, we’ll discuss why no one seems to know the answer to this question, and look at the strange and confusing world of English plurals! Transcript -  https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2021/03/24/62-octopuses-vs-octopi-vs-octopodes-the-strange-world-of-english-...

Where is the happiest country in the world? How can we measure happiness? Is happiness a good way to compare countries? Has the ongoing pandemic affected people's happiness all over the world? These questions might seem a little complicated to answer, but fortunately for us the World Happiness Report 2021 was released last week! In this episode we’ll talk about the results of their rankings and di...

In this episode, I want to talk about St Patrick’s day! St Patrick’s day is an incredibly popular celebration of Ireland and Irish culture with events taking place around the world. However, the history of this holiday is incredibly surprising. Let’s learn about the life of St Patrick, the history of the festival, and some of the myths surrounding the events!! TRANSCRIPT - https://thinkinginenglis...

Reading is an incredibly important skill to learn and improve for all language students. You can build your vocabulary and grammar knowledge, discover new facts about different cultures and history, and enjoy yourself at the same time! It can be scary and frustrating when trying to choose your first English book, so in this episode I’m going to give you 5 classic novel recommendations that are all...

It has been 10 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake struck the Asian country, causing a massive and destructive tsunami.  On this episode of Thinking in English, I want to talk about the events of March 11th 2011, and look at the Fukushima nuclear disaster in more detail. Finally, I will discuss the future of nuclear power, as well as its pros and cons! Transcript - https://thinkinginenglis...

Is democracy dying? According to a recently released report, the answer might be ‘yes.’ Freedom House’s democracy rankings for 2020 were released last week, and the findings were shocking! In this episode we’ll talk about their conclusions, how Freedom House is able to assess democracy, and discuss why democracy might be struggling! TRANSCRIPT - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2021/03/08/57-is-demo...

What is the lowest wage a company should be able to pay someone? This is not an easy question to answer. Higher wages might help workers but hurt companies, while low wages will hurt those workers but help the businesses. Should we have a minimum wage, and if so, what should that minimum wage be? This episode of Thinking in English will look at the history of minimum wages, and then investigate a...

British English or American English: which one is better? I’ve been asked this question hundreds of times. It can be confusing and frustrating for language learners when the vocabulary they have spent years learning is different to that of their British or American friends’. So on this episode, I want to introduce a few of the key differences between the two dialects, explain why there are some va...

On today’s episode I want to talk about conversations and how to have better ones! English learners often really want to start having conversations in English, but at the same time can be nervous and anxious. Don’t worry though! If you follow the tips in this episode you will be having conversations like a professional in no time! TRANSCRIPT - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2021/02/24/54-how-to-ha...