Proper English

In this episode, we’re starting a journey into a topic that always gets a conversation going - the weather! We’re concentrating on words associated with the rain this week, and, appropriately, the Id…

This week, we’re talking about the pronunciation of some contractions in English - specifically those associated with the verb ‘to be’ and the modal verb ‘will’. The Idiom of the Week is ‘Bob’s your …

This week, we’re back with more phrasal verbs - this time we’re looking at the ones you might use in your place of work. The Idiom of the Week is ‘Burning the midnight oil.’

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This week, we’re all about sport, whether it’s played on a pitch, a field, a court or a track! The Idiom of the Week has a sporting flavour, too: ‘The ball is in your court.’

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Greetings! In this episode, we’re talking about the different ways we English say hello to each other every day - and this week’s idiom is perhaps not to be taken too seriously - in fact, you can ‘ta…

In this episode, we’re returning to food, and talking about the lovely sweet things we have at the end of a meal - rather appropriately, this week’s idiom is ‘Having a sweet tooth’.

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We’re in Italy! So, in this episode, we're looking at all the Italian words that have been incorporated into the English language. The Idiom of the week is ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do.’

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In this episode, we’re trying something a little different - we’re just having an unscripted chat about a few of our favourite things! The Idiom of the Week is ‘The grass is always greener’.

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In this episode, we’re tidying up - talking about a few of the little challenges learners frequently puzzle over in English grammar and pronunciation - the ‘Idiom of the week’ is ‘The best thing sinc…

This week, we're all about modal verbs - should, could, shall - and all the rest. The Idiom of the week is 'To set your teeth on edge.'

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In this episode, we’re talking about the seaside, and childhood memories of holidays in seaside towns - the Idiom of the Week is ‘A drop in the ocean’, among others.

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We’re back onto one of our favourite subjects this week - food! This epísode is mostly about Alison’s favourite meal, the Sunday roast dinner - and the Idiom of the Week is ‘Set a sprat to catch a ma…

In this episode, we talk about how we address each other - sir, madam, doctor, professor, that sort of thing. This week’s idiom is ‘Out of the blue’ - and keep listening after the closing music for a…

In this episode, we talk about the most important meal of the day - the Full English Breakfast! The idiom of the week is ‘to open a can of worms’.

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In this episode, we're considering the differences between the words 'comfortable' and 'convenient' and talking about the origins and meaning of the idiom 'The last straw'.

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We're looking at phrasal verbs again in this episode - this time, we're concentrating on the ones we regularly use around the house. 'Let the dog see the rabbit' is 'Idiom of the Week' - we'll be tal…

We're coming to you from an echoey hotel room on the outskirts of the Spanish city of Badajoz - and this time, we're taking a little break from English grammar to talk to you about... fish and chips!…

It's summer, and we're out on a day trip! We're close to the beautiful old city of Tomar, and we're chatting with our first guest - Emma of Portuguese Language Lessons - about the building blocks of …