English with Stephen

What is a pronoun? How do you use them? How can they change?

In this episode, we look at how we can use pronouns in English.

It can be difficult to know when we are progressing with a language. This is why it is important to celebrate your achievements. You will increase your motivation to continue learning and recognise how much you have already accomplished.

A deep dive into the words 'bear' and 'bare'.

Our journey into the history of English takes a slight detour today as we look at how the alphabet was developed. It's a journey that takes us from Ancient Egypt through the Romans (of course) to most modern European languages and more.

Previously, I have talked about how I hate language exams. But if we don't have exams, what are the alternatives? Well, one alternative is self-assessment. Find out all about self-assessment in this latest episode and discover its power to make you a better learner.

Egypt is one of the oldest civilisations in the world and has influenced all areas of human life. In this episode, we discover some of the words in modern English that come from Ancient Egypt.

How did a small tribe from modern-day Ukraine influence the languages of 50% of the languages in the world today? In this episode I look at how language can spread with conquest.

In today's episode, we are talking about English language assessment. Specifically, we are going to talk about why I hate English exams!

Many people try, and fail, to speak English with the people they live with. In this episode, I look at some strategies and tips you can use to make the most of this valuable opportunity.

Listen to discover the origin of the Halloween festval and also find out what the word means.

The people who spoke the language that evolved into English developed a secret weapon: they became lactose tolerant. Find out how this affected the spread of their language around the world.

One of the best ways to learn, is to teach. You don't need to be a teacher to teach. Find out how you can teach to learn in this latest episode.

Mandarin is the most common language, but why is it called Mandarin and why are there many other things with the same name?

In the search for the origins we of English, we are going all the way back to the end of the last ice age.

Discover the surprising origin of the word "sabotage" and some of the coincidental ways it has been used.

Lots of English learners have problems with double negatives in English. Discover the advice I give students on this subject.

An introduction to a new series on the origins of English.

Learn all about the word "wash" and how it can be used in phrase like "whitewash" and "sportswash". 

Learn why you shouldn't sweat if you are having problems focussing on learning English.

Discover the story of Boudicca, the Warrior Queen who fought the Romans and how the Romans affected the English language.

Learn the many different ways the word "dog" can be used in English.

Let me introduce a great free resource that you can listen to anywhere to improve your English skills.

Read the transcript here https://bit.ly/3ISiXjk

Find out how the rise of the USA guaranteed English would become the world's language.

Discover some great tips for things you can do to get the most out of your reading. Plus, I'll give you two book recommendations that all of my students have just loved.

The placebo effect is often associated with medicine and medical trials. Discover the surprising origin of this phrase and how you can use it.

Discover what the future might hold for English speakers. Will English be the same as Latin in the future?

Get some strategies for how to make reading in English a normal part of your language learning experience.

Discover how the enemies of Rome live on in the English language 2,000 years later.

Do you think your grandchildren will need to learn English? I don't think they will. Listen to my latest episode to find out why.

Why is reading such an effective way to learn a language? In this episode, I look into why reading is so powerful for language students.

Get the free transcript for this episode here.

Memes are everywhere. Especially if your 10-year-old son has just got a new mobile phone! In this episode, I look at the origin of the word 'meme' and discover how it is a fantastic example of a meme.

Read the free transcript here.

We've talked a lot about the history of English, but what is going to happen in the future to this world language? In this episode, we ask if another language might become more important than English.

Read the transcript here.

This is the first in a monthly feature of interviews with successful language learners from around the world. Martin, from the Rock 'n' Roll English Podcast, talks about why stories are so important to learning and how he is using stories to help Ukrainian refugees.

Show notes can be found here.

In this episode, we look at some of the surprising contributions to English, and many other languages, that originated in Ukraine.

Are you having difficulties finding the motivation to learn English? Do you find it hard to start your studies?

This episode is for you. By following the 2-minute rule you can discover your motivation to learn English, or indeed anything.

FInd the transcript here.

It was one of the largest empires ever, but how did the British Empire affect the development of English as a language.

Read the transcript here: https://englishwithstephen.com/2021/12/18/reasons-for-english-the-empire-strikes-back

In this week's word story, we look at the origin of the word 'January', how it is used and why it gave its name to one of the greatest cities in the world.

https://englishwithstephen.com/2022/01/08/word-stories-january/

I've been learning the guitar recently. There are a number of lessons I have taken from learning the guitar which are useful for learning English.

English doesn't have masculine and feminine words, which makes learning the language a bit easier. But have you ever thought about why English doesn't do what most other languages do? And does this mean English is not a sexist language? Listen to find out.

Listen to a story that includes lots of expressions that use the word "bed". 

10 top tips to improve your listening skills in English. These tips are guaranteed to improve everyone's listening abilities.

How and why did American English become different to American English. In this episode, we look at some interesting reasons for the differences between these two varieties of English.

Today we look at some of the words in English that originated in the country of Poland.

Your linguistic landscape can be a powerful tool to help you learn English. Find out what your linguistic landscape is and how you can fully exploit it in the latest episode of the English with Stephen podcast.

The English we speak today has been heavily influenced by the way the Bible was written. Even if you don't believe in a Christian God, you will use language from the Bible. Find out how and why in this latest episode.

https://wp.me/pc09Eo-kB 

As the cricket world cup is starting, I bring to you a number of expressions that come from the second most popular sport in the world. Don't worry if you don't know anything about cricket, you will still learn a lot of useful English expressions.

Get the transcript to this episode here: https://wp.me/pc09Eo-kT

What do you need to know about a word to really understand it? In this episode, we look at what it truly means to "know" a word.

You can get the transcript for this episode here: forhttps://wp.me/pc09Eo-iC

RP stands for Received Pronunciation and is the standard for British English. But where does the name come from and how did it become the standard? Discover the fascinating story of RP and find out some other peculiarities along the way.

Get the transcript for this episode here: https://wp.me/pc09Eo-iu

Two of the biggest sportswear manufacturers are Adidas and Puma, but do you know the origin of these words? Listen to find out the crazy story behind these two names and practise some vocabulary for talking about sports clothes.

Get the transcript for this episode here: https://wp.me/pc09Eo-iy

English students are often worried about their accent when they don't need to be. Join me to discover what exactly it is you need to focus on when working on your accent.

Get the transcript for this episode here: https://wp.me/pc09Eo-in

The Rennaisance had a huge effect on countries all over the world in terms of culture, inventions, and exploitation. In this podcast, we look at the dramatic effect it had on the English language.

Get the transcript here: https://wp.me/pc09Eo-ii

As well as being one of the most famous people ever to have lived, Julius Ceasar inspired lots of words and phrases in English. Find out all about them in this episode of English with Stephen.

https://wp.me/pc09Eo-ib

Being accountable is a powerful learning strategy for English language students. Find out what it is and how you can use it in this latest podcast.

https://wp.me/pc09Eo-i6

William Caxton faced some difficult questions in his professional life. Some of his answers still affect the way English is spoken today, over 600 years after his death.

https://wp.me/pc09Eo-hW

Listen to some great stories about some of the words associated with the Olympics.

https://wp.me/pc09Eo-hL

Last week, we looked at why Engish grammar creates problems for students. This week, we look at some of the solutions to these problems.

https://wp.me/pc09Eo-hE

Learning a language is difficult. But it is even more difficult when the grammar of the language you are learning is all wrong. Find out why in this episode.

https://wp.me/pc09Eo-gY

The word 'court' is very short but with a long story and many different meanings. Learn more about the different ways this little word can be used in English in this latest episode.

https://wp.me/pc09Eo-gD

Podcasts are a great way to learn English, but are you learning as effectively as possible? Listen to get 10 great strategies so you can improve your English just by listening to podcasts.

https://wp.me/pc09Eo-gq

Find out how a war that lasted over 100 years saw dramatic changes in the role of the English language in England.

https://englishwithstephen.com/2021/06/27/reasons-for-english-the-100-years-war/

Discover all there is to know about the history of the word 'junk' as well as the different ways it can be used today.

https://englishwithstephen.com/podcasts/

Clubhouse is an audio-based social media platform that is perfect for practising your spoken English skills. Listen and enter the competition to get a free invite.

The story of Lady Godiva is a very popular folk story in England. It also gives us a couple of idiomatic expressions that are still commonly used to this day.

 https://englishwithstephen.com/2021/06/06/word-stories-lady-godiva/ ‎

In this week's episode, we dive into the amazing country of India and look at just some of the words that the English language has borrowed from that rich and vibrant culture.

https://wp.me/pc09Eo-fz

Last week, we looked at the events of the year 1066. This week, we examine how the English language changed after a French-speaking king took over the English crown.

https://wp.me/pc09Eo-fg

They didn't know it at the time, but the year 1066 was going to change everything in England; the king, the culture, the government, and the language.

https://englishwithstephen.com/2021/05/15/reasons-for-english-the-year-1066/ ‎

Setting yourself language learning goals is vital to keep motivated. This week we will look at how you can set SMART English learning goals and why they are so important.

https://englishwithstephen.com/2021/05/09/learning-strategies-smart-english-learning-goals/

Today we tell the story of two of the most common words in English: Hello and Goodbye!

https://wp.me/pc09Eo-e2

What do students of English need to learn if they never talk to another 'native' English speaker? In this episode, I look at some of the implications of using English as a lingua franca, or world language.

https://englishwithstephen.com/2021/04/17/learning-strateg…-a-lingua-franca/

Why do you have to study English? Why not Fench or Arabic or Chinese or some other language. In fact, why do we have one global language at all? Listen to find out.

https://wp.me/pc09Eo-a5

English is often described as the world's lingua franca. What does 'lingua franca' mean and where does it come from? Listen to this short podcast to find out.

https://englishwithstephen.com/2021/04/05/word-stories-lingua-franca/

Understanding yourself is critical if you want to learn English as efficiently as possible. Find out what you need to know about yourself to be an effective learner.

It's the meal everyone thinks of when they think of British cooking. In this episode, we look at the origins of the phrase 'fish and chips'.

The Vikings had a significant impact on the development of the English language and are the reason for one good thing and one terrible thing for English language learners.

Discover 5 great tips for how you can learn English while watching Netflix.

The Romans had a drink called 'aqua vitae' or the water of life. Listen to find out how this drink survives and influences the names of other drinks around the world.

Ok. It's a short two-letter word that means everything is all right. And it is used around the world in countless languages. Find out how this small word spread all over the world, ok?

Many English students are afraid of making mistakes. Don't be that student. Mistakes are good and a vital part of learning anything.

In this episode, we look at the origins of English. Where did it come from? Why did it start on the island of Britain? Who were the Anglo Saxons?

There are 13 countries in South America, from Colombia in the north, to Chile in the south. Find out the origins and the meanings of the names for all of these different countries.

 It is a word, and a meal, that is famous all over the world. The possibilities are endless, but where did the word 'sandwich' come from? Listen to find out more. 

Have you ever asked yourself why English has so many silent letters? Does it seem crazy and frustrating to you? Well, listen to this episode to find out the reasons why silent letters exist in English.

All English students across the world get frustrated and annoyed by phrasal verbs. In this episode, we look at some strategies for dealing with phrasal verbs.

The origin of the word 'silhouette' is not entirely clear. But it is linked to France, war, and art. Listen to find out more.

This episode is full of great ideas for activities that last less than 10 minutes but will help you learn English. They are all short and sweet!

There is hope! A vaccine for Covid-19 is in sight! In this episode, we look at the strange and unusual origin of the word 'vaccine'.

In this episode, we look at the advantages of spending only a short amount of time each day studying English.

Lockdowns and Covid have affected people all over the world. Listen to this episode to find out the origin and meanings of these two words that will probably come to define the year 2020.

When I moved to Brazil, I had to learn Portuguese. And fast. This strategy, which I called Lexical Scraps, was the single best thing I did to help learn new vocabulary.

The word 'thing' is an extremely common word in English, but its origins lie in Viking meetings. Listen to this episode to find out more about this fascinating word!

It is important to understand why your English teacher has chosen to use certain activities in class. In this episode of English with Stephen, we look at how you can identify the reasons behind each activity.

The word 'guy' is commonly used, but also very controversial. The origin of this small word is even more controversial and its impact on modern culture lies all around us. Listen to find out more about this fascinating word.

You are going to spend a lot of time with your language school or language teacher, so what questions should you ask when deciding who to study with?

A huddle is a very common sight in many sports, nowadays. In this podcast, you will discover the surprising origin of the huddle as a word and a phenomenon.

There are lots of great learning strategies for learning English. In this episode, we explore why you should do anything you wanna do.

There are 5 key ingredients in a great gin and tonic. This episode tells the stories behind the words of those ingredients.

In this episode, we look at a fantastic learning strategy that most English students, and teachers, ignore: transcripts. We look at where you can find them and what you can do with them.

The surprising origin of the word 'chauvinist', what it means today, and how it has changed over time.

An effective 4-stage process to learn English by listening to your favourite songs.