Proper English

This week we're in conversation with our friend, the theatre director, lecturer, playwright and raconteur, Tony Gardner. Listen in on our conversation about Shakespearean words and phrases - and learn a little about English history with us! The Idiom of the Week is 'To catch a cold.'

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:

Village Consort by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4585-village-consort

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

This week we're talking about the phrasal verbs we use when talking about our health - we're also considering the difference between talking and speaking, and the Idiom of the Week, appropriately enough, is 'As fit as a fiddle.'

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.

In this episode, we're talking about countable and uncountable nouns - what they are, how you use them, and which words work well with them. We'll also be considering the difference between 'either' and 'neither' - and our hapless detective duo, Davidson and Roberts, return to illustrate what we mean when we use the idiom 'As thick as thieves.'

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.

If you have any feedback or suggestions for future podcasts, you can always contact us at [email protected].

This week’s podcast features incidental music from Incompetech:

Hidden Agenda by Kevin MacLeod

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

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

In this episode, we're talking about some of the strange and wonderful things we say and do to avoid bad luck. We're also considering the difference between the words 'in' and 'inside', and the Idiom of the Week is 'To stick your neck out.'

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].

This week we're talking about Shrove Tuesday, otherwise known as Pancake Day, which is important to Alison as she gets to eat many pancakes! We're also looking at the difference between 'shy', 'embarrassed' and ashamed' - and our intrepid detectives Davidson and Roberts can 'smell a rat' in the latest Idiom of the Week.

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].

This week’s podcast features incidental music from Incompetech:

Hidden Agenda by Kevin MacLeod

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

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

So, this week we're looking at portmanteau words - new words created by combining parts or the sounds of two or more words. We're also considering the difference between 'come' and 'go' - and the Idiom of the Week is ‘Going all round the houses'.

Listen right to the end...

This podcast uses this sound from Freesound:

https://freesound.org/s/198846/ by bone666138

This work is licensed under the Attribution License.

…and music from Incompetech:

Arcadia by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3377-arcadia/

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

This week, it's time for a bit of a Spring clean - we're having a look at some more of the little puzzles in the English language that our students and listeners find challenging. We're also looking at the difference between 'then' and 'than', and the Idiom of the Week is 'Blowing your own trumpet'.

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].

In this episode, we’re back on the subject of contractions, concentrating this time on the verb 'to have'.  We're also considering the difference between the words 'bored' and 'boring', and the Idiom of the Week is 'The elephant in the room.'

You can find us on italki at https://www.italki.com/alisondaviskurley or https://www.italki.com/davekurley.

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].

In this episode, we’re all about comparatives and superlatives - what they are, how you construct them, and when you use them. The Idiom of the Week is ‘That ship has sailed'.

You can find us on italki at https://www.italki.com/alisondaviskurley or https://www.italki.com/davekurley.

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].

This podcast uses this sound from Freesound:

https://freesound.org/s/166838/ by Quistard

In this episode, we’re discussing some of the words and aspects of English grammar that even native English speakers find challenging. The Idiom of the Week is 'bite your tongue‘, and we're also considering the difference between 'make' and 'do'.

You can find us on italki at https://www.italki.com/alisondaviskurley or https://www.italki.com/davekurley.

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].