When was the last time I taught you any grammar...? Come to think of it, never. Is grammar worth learning? Is it useful for English learners? Or am I just too lazy?

The question ever Brit gets asked abroad. How could the UK choose Boris Johnson to be its prime minister? This week, Intermediate English explains how Johnson got to where he is today, and what his success tells us about politics and culture in Britain. 

Intermediate English reads Ray Bradbury's science fiction story 'The Pendulum'. 

Music: Dragon Rider and The Source by Dogon Lights

Should you learn grammar? How can you chat with English speakers? Should you listen or read? Intermediate English gives away their top 5 tips for learning the world's top global language.

Cover Art by MILY Web Design

Music:

Dragon Rider, The Source, Seyewailo and Adama by Dogon Lights, licensed under Creative Commons

Intermediate English turns to the history of race, racism and slavery. Dr Joy Banner of the Whitney Plantation Museum explains how this institution has shaped the inequalities that continue to this day.

Music: Dragon Rider, The Source and Adama by Dogon Lights (licensed under Creative Commons)

Cover Art: MILY Web Design

https://www.whitneyplantation.org/

https://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/jacobs/jacobs.html

https://guides.loc.gov/slavery-in-america#:~:text=The%20collections%20of%20the%20Library,recorded%20oral%20histories%2C%20and%20books.

https://www.amazon.com/12-Years-Slave-Solomon-Northup/dp/1631680021/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=twelve+years+a+slave&qid=1592292025&s=books&sr=1-1

https://www.amazon.com/Stamped-Antiracism-National-Award-winning-Beginning/dp/0316453692

The novel coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic has killed hundreds of thousands of people around the globe and changed the way we live our lives. This week, Intermediate English speak to a scientist working with the World Health Organisation to find out more about the biggest event that will define 2020.


Cover Artwork by MILY Web Design


Music: Dragon Rider by Dogon Lights, licensed under Creative Commons


The full interview with Dr Henry Laurenson-Schafer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvnZZCW2yW8


The WHO's covid-19 page: https://covid19.who.int/

Britain's universities are known around the world. But what is it actually like to be a student in the UK? This week Intermediate English look at one of the best-known higher education sectors and the many roles it plays in the lives of people in the country and across the world, giving you the vocabulary you need to navigate this subject.

Contact Intermediate English at [email protected]

Cover Artwork by MILY Web Design

Music featured:

Dragon Rider
Adama
The Source
Seyewailo
For the People
Love is Like the Sun

by Dogon Lights

and

Other Side Blues

by Brandon Ross


All licensed under Creative Commons


 

English is a global language that has evolved over hundreds of years.

But it is not the only global language, and this week we're looking at Esperanto, a language created in 1887.

To find out more about Esperanto, Intermediate English spoke to Evildea, one of the top Esperanto Youtubers. He reveals the surprising story of the world's most-spoken constructed language, from its roots in the 19th-century Russian Empire to its growing popularity in the digital age.

Watch the full interview with Evildea here.


Music used:

Dragon Rider
The Source
Adama
Seyewailo

by Dogon Lights

Licensed under Creative Commons

Are the British the politest people on the planet? This week, Intermediate English investigates this question, and discovers that politeness has deep roots in language and culture.

Watch the full film of As Others See Us (1953):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0jM0qhXzWg

The ECSTRA project:

https://web.archive.org/web/20070715230333/http://www1.ku-eichstaett.de/SLF/EngluVglSW/mediawiki/index.php/Category:ECSTRA

Cover artwork by MILY Web Design

Music:

The Source
Adama
For the People
Dragon Rider
Seyewailo
Love is Like the Sun

by Dogon Lights

Creative Commons license


Other Side Blues by Brandon Ross

Creative Commons license

Do we care more about other people or about ourselves? Why do we behave in generous ways? Are humans the only species to give to others without any hope of a reward? The third episode of Intermediate English looks at these issues, searching for answers with the help of neuroscience, evolutionary theory and global economics.


https://www.cafonline.org/docs/default-source/about-us-publications/caf_wgi_10th_edition_report_2712a_web_101019.pdf

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/08/human-altruism-traces-back-origins-humanity#

https://bigthink.com/mind-brain/two-ways-doing-good-affects-mood

https://www.wired.com/2007/07/the-early-scien/


Cover artwork by MILY Web Design

Music:

The Source
Adama
For the People
Dragon Rider
Seyewailo

by Dogon Lights

Used with a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license


Enclosed
Nature Shuffle
It’s Roxy

by Ketsa

Used with a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works license


Other Side Blues by Brandon Ross

Used with a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works license