Proper English

This week, we're talking about how we use numbers in the English language: mainly about ordinal numbers and fractions. What's an ordinal number? Find out in this week's episode! We're also considering Calendar English - do we say Two Thousand Zero Nine, for instance? And in what order should we put dates? The Idiom of the Week is 'To paint yourself into a corner.'

Like us on Facebook (properenglish2019), and follow us on Twitter (@properenglish4) or YouTube . Oh, and if you have a burning English grammar-related question, why not ask us on Instagram (properenglish2019), and we'll do our best to answer - or, if you're an email kind of person, and you have any feedback or suggestions for future podcasts, you can always contact us at [email protected].

You can find us on italki at 

https://www.italki.com/alisondaviskurley or https://www.italki.com/davekurley.

This podcast uses the following music as the opening and closing themes:

Bright Wish by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3458-bright-wish

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

...and incidental music from Incompetech:

Danse Macabre - Big Hit 2 by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3590-danse-macabre---big-hit-2

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

There are also sound effects from Freesound and https://www.zapsplat.com: 

Record Scratch #3 by musicvision31

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

TaDa!.wav by jimhancock

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

This week, we're having a laugh! We're talking about puns, and punchlines, and knock-knock jokes. The Idiom of the Week is 'You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs.'

Like us on Facebook (properenglish2019), and follow us on Twitter (@properenglish4) or YouTube . Oh, and if you have a burning English grammar-related question, why not ask us on Instagram (properenglish2019), and we'll do our best to answer - or, if you're an email kind of person, and you have any feedback or suggestions for future podcasts, you can always contact us at [email protected].

You can find us on italki at 

https://www.italki.com/alisondaviskurley or https://www.italki.com/davekurley.

This podcast uses the following music as the opening and closing themes:

Bright Wish by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3458-bright-wish

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This podcast uses the following incidental music:

Fluffing a Duck by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3766-fluffing-a-duck

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Danse Macabre - Big Hit 2 by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3590-danse-macabre---big-hit-2

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

A number of sound effects come from http://www.freesoundslibrary.com - the license is also http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

...and these sounds from Freesound:

wah wah sad trombone.wav by kirbydx

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

Additional sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

We're revisiting superstitions for Hallowe'en - this time we asked our students to tell us about superstitions from their countries. The Idiom of the Week is 'Things that go bump in the night.'

Like us on Facebook (properenglish2019), and follow us on Twitter (@properenglish4) or YouTube . Oh, and if you have a burning English grammar-related question, why not ask us on Instagram (properenglish2019), and we'll do our best to answer - or, if you're an email kind of person, and you have any feedback or suggestions for future podcasts, you can always contact us at [email protected].

You can find us on italki at 

https://www.italki.com/alisondaviskurley or https://www.italki.com/davekurley.

This podcast uses the following music as the opening and closing themes:

Bright Wish by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3458-bright-wish

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

...and includes the following sound effects from Freesound and Soundbible:

Owls.wav by Benboncan

This work is licensed under the Attribution License.

http://soundbible.com/1336-Frog-Croaking.html by snottyboy

This work is licensed under the Attribution License.

This week we're answering some of the questions about the English language our students regularly ask. The Idiom of the Week is 'Full of beans.'

Like us on Facebook (properenglish2019), and follow us on Twitter (@properenglish4) or YouTube . Oh, and if you have a burning English grammar-related question, why not ask us on Instagram (properenglish2019), and we'll do our best to answer - or, if you're an email kind of person, and you have any feedback or suggestions for future podcasts, you can always contact us at [email protected].

You can find us on italki at 

https://www.italki.com/alisondaviskurley or https://www.italki.com/davekurley.

This podcast uses the following music as the opening and closing themes:

Bright Wish by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3458-bright-wish

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

...and features incidental music from Incompetech:

Danse Macabre - Big Hit 2 by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3590-danse-macabre---big-hit-2

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This week, we're considering word stress - and we don't mean getting all wound up about vocabulary! We're talking about the importance of emphasising the right syllables. The Idiom of the Week is 'To let the side down.'

Like us on Facebook (properenglish2019), and follow us on Twitter (@properenglish4) or YouTube . Oh, and if you have a burning English grammar-related question, why not ask us on Instagram (properenglish2019), and we'll do our best to answer - or, if you're an email kind of person, and you have any feedback or suggestions for future podcasts, you can always contact us at [email protected].

You can find us on italki at 

https://www.italki.com/alisondaviskurley or https://www.italki.com/davekurley.

This podcast uses the following music as the opening and closing themes:

Bright Wish by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3458-bright-wish

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

...and features incidental music from Incompetech:

NewsSting by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4124-newssting

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

...and sound effects from Freesound and https://www.zapsplat.com

TaDa!.wav by jimhancock

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

We're back with more discourse markers: last week it was stuff we say in conversation - this week, we're looking into the ones we can use in essays and reports. The Idiom of the Week is 'To bite your head off.'

Like us on Facebook (properenglish2019), and follow us on Twitter (@properenglish4) or YouTube . Oh, and if you have a burning English grammar-related question, why not ask us on Instagram (properenglish2019), and we'll do our best to answer - or, if you're an email kind of person, and you have any feedback or suggestions for future podcasts, you can always contact us at [email protected].

You can find us on italki at 

https://www.italki.com/alisondaviskurley or https://www.italki.com/davekurley.

This podcast uses the following music as the opening and closing themes:

Bright Wish by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3458-bright-wish

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

...and features incidental music from Incompetech:

Danse Macabre - Big Hit 2 by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3590-danse-macabre---big-hit-2

Well, this week it appears we're all about the little additions, the fillers, the conversational tags, known formally as discourse markers! And this week sees the welcome return of Davidson and Roberts - and with the help of girlfriend Roxy they unravel the mystery of this week's idiom: 'To put the wind up somebody.'

Like us on Facebook (properenglish2019), and follow us on Twitter (@properenglish4) or YouTube . Oh, and if you have a burning English grammar-related question, why not ask us on Instagram (properenglish2019), and we'll do our best to answer - or, if you're an email kind of person, and you have any feedback or suggestions for future podcasts, you can always contact us at [email protected].

You can find us on italki at 

https://www.italki.com/alisondaviskurley or https://www.italki.com/davekurley.

This podcast uses the following music as the opening and closing themes:

Bright Wish by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3458-bright-wish

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

...and features incidental music from Incompetech:

Danse Macabre - Big Hit 2 by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3590-danse-macabre---big-hit-2

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Hidden Agenda by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3872-hidden-agenda

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

...and these sounds from Freesound:

QUARTER.WAV by hyderpotter

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

Microwave.m4a by sofiamadeira

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

TaDa!.wav by jimhancock

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

Royal Fanfare (With A Synth) by SoundsExciting

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

wah wah sad trombone.wav by kirbydx

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

This week, we're considering some more of the miscellaneous items that don't really into any of the usual categories - the little challenges our students come up against from time to time. The Idiom of the Week is 'To throw a spanner in the works.' And you might hear in the background, our neighbour's dogs barking at his sheep. We're in the countryside, you know.

Like us on Facebook (properenglish2019), and follow us on Twitter (@properenglish4) or YouTube . Oh, and if you have a burning English grammar-related question, why not ask us on Instagram (properenglish2019), and we'll do our best to answer - or, if you're an email kind of person, and you have any feedback or suggestions for future podcasts, you can always contact us at [email protected].

You can find us on italki at 

https://www.italki.com/alisondaviskurley or https://www.italki.com/davekurley.

This podcast uses the following music as the opening and closing themes:

Bright Wish by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3458-bright-wish

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This podcast uses the following sounds from Freesound:

Gentle surf rolling on sandy beach Close Up by Jillismolenaar

This work is licensed under the Attribution Noncommercial License.

Cuckoo Clock, Breaking Down, A.wav by InspectorJ

This work is licensed under the Attribution License.

Whoosh by qubodup

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

This week, we're considering the past simple tense - and in particular, the different ways we pronounce the -ed at the end of the regular past participle. The Idiom of the Week is 'To be at a loose end.'

Like us on Facebook (properenglish2019), and follow us on Twitter (@properenglish4) or YouTube . Oh, and if you have a burning English grammar-related question, why not ask us on Instagram (properenglish2019), and we'll do our best to answer - or, if you're an email kind of person, and you have any feedback or suggestions for future podcasts, you can always contact us at [email protected].

You can find us on italki at 

https://www.italki.com/alisondaviskurley or https://www.italki.com/davekurley.

This podcast uses the following music as the opening and closing themes:

Bright Wish by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3458-bright-wish

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

We also use the following sound from Freesound:

creaking sailing boat.wav by jimsim

This work is licensed under the Attribution License.

This week, we're going back to school to learn about the phrasal verbs we use related to education. This lesson was inspired by Miriam and her Speaking Café in Goya, Argentina. This week's idiom is for the Speaking Café students and is 'To pass with flying colours.'

Like us on Facebook (properenglish2019), and follow us on Twitter (@properenglish4) or YouTube . Oh, and if you have a burning English grammar-related question, why not ask us on Instagram (properenglish2019), and we'll do our best to answer - or, if you're an email kind of person, and you have any feedback or suggestions for future podcasts, you can always contact us at [email protected].

You can find us on italki at 

https://www.italki.com/alisondaviskurley or https://www.italki.com/davekurley.

This podcast uses the following music as the opening and closing themes:

Bright Wish by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3458-bright-wish

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This podcast uses the following sounds from Freesound:

School Bell Ringing.WAV by paulw2k

This work is licensed under the Attribution Noncommercial License.

Whoosh by qubodup

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

wah wah sad trombone.wav by kirbydx

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

Seven Bells,Ship Time.wav by Benboncan

This work is licensed under the Attribution License.