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Luke's ENGLISH Podcast - Learn British English with Luke Thompson
931. Overcoming Fears π° with Zdenek
This episode features a conversation with Zdenek aboutΒ fears and anxietiesΒ experienced in everyday life. We explore common fears such as driving, flying, culture shock, language learning and public speaking, plus vocabulary we use to talk about the subject. Listen for stories of Luke's fear of Paris cafes, airport anxiety, Luke's dramatic scooter ride in Nha Trang, Zdenek's fears of Vietnamese roads and driving, Luke's recent cycling accident in Paris, Zdenek's encounter with a London police officer, nerves about teaching, and more.
The accompanying PDF worksheet offers aΒ vocabulary listΒ from the conversation, with definitions, examples, and quizzes and a full transcript to help you boost your English with the episode.
π Get the PDF here (lucky you - it's very expensive but you can have it completely free) π https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/931.-Overcoming-Fears-with-Zdenek.pdf
π Episode page on my website π https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/04/14/931-overcoming-fears-with-zdenek/
β½οΈ The Footglish Podcast (Learn English with Football) π https://pod.link/1751816033
π¬ Zdenek's Discord server "The Achiever's Chamber" π https://teacherzdenek.com/?page_id=2816
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The Ramble Before Christmas π [966] Listen & Learn English with Luke
02:55:27|[966] Here is a super-long seasonal rambling episode, which you can listen to while wrapping presents, finishing some last-minute gift shopping, or (if you don't celebrate Christmas) just doing whatever you normally do in December. This is a long one, but the more you listen, the more it will help your English! πͺπ π Get the PDF with all my notes here https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/The-Ramble-Before-Christmas-966-Episode-PDF.pdfπ Episode page on my website https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/12/15/the-ramble-before-christmas-966-listen-learn-english-with-luke/π 20% off LEP Premium in Dec & Jan https://www.teacherluke.co.uk/premiumπ Give LEP Premium as a gift (also 20% off in Dec/Jan) https://lep.supercast.com/gifts/newJoin me as I chat to you in English for nearly 3 hours about:- LEPster listening habits in 2025 (Spotify Wrapped) π§- Messages and emails with funny stories from LEPsters π§- Bits of grammar & vocabulary teaching βοΈ- ChatGPT's questionable teaching skills π€π€- AI hallucinations π΅βπ«- Dreaming in English π- Responses to recent episodes π¬- 12 jokes dissected in the Comedy Corner π πΈ- More funny comments from my daughter π§- Another dramatic Hollywood action movie screenplay π₯...and finally a vocabulary quiz for the whole episode. β All of that in your Christmas stocking 𧦠this week, with cosy log fire background sounds π₯ as well.
The Kit-Bag (Learn English with a Short Story) [965]
01:51:13|[965] It is traditional to tell a scary story at Christmas time, so here is one for this year's festive season. The Kit-Bag by Algernon Blackwood is a classic scary tale which will give you a chill, while you stay cosy and warm indoors this winter. Listen and I will explain a lot of vocabulary which comes up in the story.Get the episode PDF with story text and word list π https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/The-Kit-Bag-Learn-English-with-a-Short-Story-965.pdfEpisode page π https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/12/08/the-kit-bag-learn-english-with-a-short-story-965/LEP Premium 20% off in Dec and Jan π https://www.teacherluke.co.uk/premium
A Cosy Rambling Episode at Home [964]
01:10:27|In this audio-only episode today you can join me at home as I potter around, and take time to relax while recording a rambling episode for you to enjoy. Enjoy the sounds of street noise outside, and my attempts to find the most comfortable spot in my flat where I can ramble about various things, including several robberies in Paris - one of which is the famous heist at the Louvre museum, where burglars broke in and stole precious jewels worth millions, in broad daylight. The other robbery was more painful - our own apartment, which was broken into earlier this year. Join me as I discuss all of these things and more. The video episode this week is a walk & talk in Paris.Get the episode PDF transcript π https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/A-Cosy-Rambling-Episode-at-Home-964.pdfEpisode page π https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/12/01/a-cosy-rambling-episode-at-home-964-walk-talk-mission-in-montmartre/Walk & Talk: Mission in Montmartre πΊ https://youtu.be/b0THApJaJTs20% off LEP Premium π https://www.teacherluke.co.uk/premium
Talking Therapy, Mental Health & Counselling with Emma Camara Ortega [963]
01:24:37|[963] Emma Camara Ortega and I worked together as English teachers years ago, but since then Emma has become a licensed counsellor and therapist - helping people with their mental health. In this episode, Emma talks to me about what is involved in counselling, and we discuss some everyday habits to promote good mental health. This should be full of interesting insights and helpful tips for mental wellbeing, which is so vital for our general lives but also to help us learn as effectively as possible. Full transcript and vocabulary list available.Get the PDF transcript & word list π https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Talking-Therapy-Mental-Health-Counselling-with-Emma-Camara-Ortega-963.pdfEpisode page on my website π https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/11/24/talking-therapy-mental-health-counselling-with-emma-camara-ortega-963/LEP Premium π https://www.teacherluke.co.uk/premium Emma Camara Ortega in the UK Counselling Directory π https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/counsellors/emma-camara-ortega
The Door in the Wall πͺ (Learn English with a Short Story) [962]
01:59:51|[962] Time for another short story on LEP. This one is about a man who has a wondrous experience as a child, which then haunts him for the rest of his adult life. Listen as I read the story to you, and then ramble about its meaning, interpretations and how it evoked some strong memories and strange feelings in me. Then there is a vocabulary review which will continue in an upcoming premium series.Get the episode PDF π https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/The-Door-in-the-Wall-Learn-English-with-a-Short-Story-962.pdfEpisode page π https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/11/17/the-door-in-the-wall-learn-english-with-a-short-story-962/LEP Premium π https://www.teacherluke.co.uk/premium
Emma from MmmEnglish and Hey Lady! [961]
01:18:44|[961] Emma Jakobi is the host of MmmEnglish on YouTube, and now the online community Hey Lady! In this episode Emma joins me for a chat about living on the remote Western coast of Australia, "blowing up" on YouTube, her decision to step away from MmmEnglish to focus on Hey Lady! Also, her thoughts on the rise of AI, and some fun facts about singing in the shower, her vintage Lexus car and her phobias of public speaking (surprising) and leeches (understandable). Full transcript available.Get the episode transcript π https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Emma-from-MmmEnglish-and-Hey-Lady-961-Transcript-1.pdfEpisode page on my website π https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/11/10/emma-from-mmmenglish-and-hey-lady-961/Emma's Instagram π https://www.instagram.com/mmmenglish_emma/Hey Lady! website π https://www.heylady.io/joinHey Lady! IG π https://www.instagram.com/hey_lady_community/Hey Lady! YT π https://www.youtube.com/@heyladyenglishMmmEnglish on YouTube π Β @mmmEnglish_EmmaΒ LEP Premium π https://www.teacherluke.co.uk/premium
Fine Distinctions & Subtle Shades of Meaning π (with Eli Burnstein) [960]
01:58:47|A particularly useful and interesting episode for you today - a conversation about English words which are very similar, but crucially, not the same. My guest Eli Burnstein is the author of βDictionary of Fine Distinctionsβ - a book which aims to bring clarity to English words. Expect a funny discussion about subtle shades of meaning between words like poison & venom, accuracy & precision, envy & jealousy and many others. Eli is Canadian, now living in London and so he also shares some key features of Canadian English.Β π Get the PDF transcript https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Fine-Distinctions-Subtle-Shades-of-Meaning-with-Eli-Burnstein-960.pdfπ Episode page on my website https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/11/03/fine-distinctions-subtle-shades-of-meaning-with-eli-burnstein-960/π LEP Premium https://www.teacherluke.co.uk/premiumπ Get the book in the UK https://www.waterstones.com/book/dictionary-of-fine-distinctions/eli-burnstein/9781805227229π Buy the book from Profile Books https://profilebooks.com/work/dictionary-of-fine-distinctions/π Also available on Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dictionary-Fine-Distinctions-Nuances-Niceties/dp/180522722X/π§ββοΈ https://www.eliburnstein.com/
How to Learn English with my podcast π§ [959]
01:09:54|People keep asking me in comments, "How can I learn English with your podcast?" so in this episode I am answering that question as simply, directly and efficiently as possible. Expect advice about improving your English across the 4 skills of listening, reading, speaking and writing, and the language systems of grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and discourse management. PDF available.π Get the PDF here π https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/How-to-learn-English-with-my-podcast-959.pdfπ Episode page π https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/10/27/how-to-learn-english-with-my-podcast-959/π Sign up to LEP Premium π https://www.teacherluke.co.uk/premium
A Free Sample of LEP Premium Series 71 π Vocabulary & Pronunciation [958]
46:21|Sign up to LEP Premium here π https://www.teacherluke.co.uk/premiumIf you have ever wondered what happens in premium episodes, this episode will show you. I'll play you some clips from the latest series (P71) including some vocabulary explanations, memory quiz questions, pronunciation practice and discussion questions for speaking practice. For the rest of the series, and all the other episodes of LEP Premium (now over 250, each with PDF worksheets and video versions) sign up and become a Premium LEPster today π https://www.teacherluke.co.uk/premiumπ Get the episode PDF π https://teacherluke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/A-Free-Sample-of-LEP-Premium-Series-71-_-Vocabulary-Pronunciation-958.pdfπ Website page for this episode π https://teacherluke.co.uk/2025/10/20/a-free-sample-of-lep-premium-series-71-vocabulary-pronunciation-958/