Practising English

Here are the rules for the story-writing activity.
- The story must include at least one of the phrases 1 to 8 shown below.
- The subject of the story can be anything you like.
- The story should not be…

Today I have joined the two halves of The Quiet Man together so you can enjoy this story in one complete story. 

I briefly discuss intonation and give you a task to listen to while enjoying the story.

…

Extracts from my stories with examples of SO and REALLY Here are the 4 extracts from my stories I use in this podcast to give examples of the use of SO and REALLY as intensifiers. 

Extract 1:

'The fish…

Writing the B1 article.

(If you are interested in my podcast about writing the B1 story...
https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-128.htm )

These are some general, very important words I recommend yo…

Expressions to memorize

1) There is a decline in the numbers of lynxes. (usually negative)
The decline in the number of tourists.

2) It is extremely important that we finish this project on time.
It is c…

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 fea…

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 r…

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 ra…

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 top…

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, w…

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
settin…

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 listi…

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 tha…

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 Robin…

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 di…

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 …

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…

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 child…

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 po…

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 peopl…