The secret agent delivers Park to the headquarters of Interpol and receives an unexpected reaction from the agency. 

There are loads of interesting everyday expressions in this chapter. Do you know what a DESK JOCKEY is? Do you expect other people to DO YOUR DIRTY WORK? When was the last time you were IN A DAZE?

We explain the word DUMBFOUNDED and discuss the meaning of IRONY - why do some people use it, and other people misunderstand it.

Finally, we analyse a controversial business issue, 90-DAY PAYMENT TERMS. Why do some companies delay payments to their suppliers?

We hope you enjoy the diverse and relevant content in this chapter. When you are ready for more, please sign up to live and interactive classes with Marina and me, right here:

www.gratton.es/club-gratton-info

Bring English into your life! 

And gain the language skills and confidence to succeed in international communication.

Support the show

With the help of the secret agent, Park completes his journey to the West, unsure of what awaits him there. 

In this chapter we explain three phrasal verbs, TO TOUCH DOWN, TO SETTLE DOWN and TO BREEZE THROUGH.

We also make sure you understand some advanced vocabulary. What is a PAYDAY? When do you need a COVER STORY? And what is your BACKSTORY?

We discuss three useful expressions. Have you ever experienced a CULTURE SHOCK What kind of things BLOW YOUR MIND? Have you ever taken a VOW OF SILENCE And did you know that AN ARMY MARCHES ON ITS STOMACH?

Finally, we talk a little bit about the FILM INDUSTRY, how are films and TV series made?

We hope you enjoy the diverse and relevant content in this chapter. When you are ready for more, please sign up to live and interactive classes with Marina and me, right here:

www.gratton.es/club-gratton-info

Bring English into your life! 

And gain the language skills and confidence to succeed in international communication.

Support the show

Lola has a conversation with a mysterious man in a bar that makes her reconsider events in the past.

In this chapter we explain three everyday expressions. When do you need to be ON YOUR GUARD at work? What activities are your BREAD AND BUTTER? And do you expect to get a promotion SOONER RATHER THAN LATER?

We discuss an appropriate idiom for international professionals - WHEN IN ROME DO AS THE ROMANS.

However, most of this class is focused on CORRUPTION. We look at the work of Transparency International investigating levels of corruption in different countries around the world. We explain the terms BRIBE and BLACKMAIL and how they are both examples of WHITE-COLLAR CRIME. Finally, we explain what happens when a crime is COVERED UP.

We hope you enjoy the diverse and relevant content in this chapter. When you are ready for more, please sign up to live and interactive classes with Marina and me, right here:

www.gratton.es/club-gratton-info

Bring English into your life! 

And gain the language skills and confidence to succeed in international communication.

The Adventures of Lola Badiola is now available as a book.

It’s the perfect complement for this podcast.

It includes complete transcripts, explanations and quizzes.

 So buy it now on Amazon, right here!

Support the show

Lola meets JJ Thompson for dinner and receives some shocking news.

This chapter is full of interesting and relevant business expressions and idioms. Let’s go through them one by one.

Is there somebody in your company who you consider to be a BAD APPLE?

Have you recently received a COLD CALL from a mobile telephone salesman? 

What would be the best-case scenario for your career at the moment? And what would be the WORST-CASE SCENARIO?

Do you have an EQUITY STAKE in in the company that you work for?

Have you ever sold anything for a SONG?

When was the last time you were ON A ROLL?

And is your next big career move JUST AROUND THE CORNER?

We hope you enjoy the diverse and relevant content in this chapter. When you are ready for more, please sign up to live and interactive classes with Marina and me, right here:

www.gratton.es/club-gratton-info

Bring English into your life! 

And gain the language skills and confidence to succeed in international communication.

Support the show

Lola confronts Cayetano at the offices of JBlock in front of all the programmers.

There are several common expressions that we need to explain in this chapter. What happens when you PULL THE TRIGGER on a deal? When do you need to CALL IN FAVOURS from your colleagues? And have you ever been LOST FOR WORDS in a discussion.

In the vocabulary section, we discuss legal words such as LAWSUIT and TO SUE. Then we examine some words that English borrows from French such as FACADE and COUP DE GRACE.  And finally, we explain why Cayetano is considered a MOLE.

Throughout the chapter we argue that BUSINESS MEETINGS ARE LIKE THEATRE, we also explain the difference between RHETORICAL AND LITERAL QUESTIONS. And finally we remind ourselves that when we suffer a disappoint or failure, THE BATTLE MAY BE LOST BUT THE WAR WILL CONTINUE.

We hope you enjoy the diverse and relevant content in this chapter. When you are ready for more, please sign up to live and interactive classes with Marina and me, right here:

www.gratton.es/club-gratton-info

Bring English into your life! 

And gain the language skills and confidence to succeed in international communication.

Support the show

Park reaches the Chinese border, but how will he cross the freezing cold waters of the Yalu River, and what will be waiting for him on the other side?

This chapter is full of fascinating vocabulary, interesting expressions and colourful metaphors. Let’s start off with some of the advanced vocabulary.

Are you familiar with the verbs TO GRUNT, TO WRITHE AROUND and TO PERISH? These are all appropriate verbs considering the predicament that Park finds himself in. Also relevant are the nouns ONSLAUGHT, DEADWEIGHT and RAGDOLL.

We discuss three common everyday expressions. What STATE OF MIND are you in right now? Should we meet IN THE FLESH? Do you need a PAT ON THE BACK?

We also do a brief pronunciation exercise to help you with the most common vowel sound in spoken English, known as THE SCHWA.

And finally, we cover a couple of colourful metaphors. Have you ever been THROWN AROUND LIKE A RAGDOLL? Have you ever had LEGS LIKE JELLY? I hope not too often.

We hope you enjoy the diverse and relevant content in this chapter. When you are ready for more, please sign up to live and interactive classes with Marina and me, right here:

www.gratton.es/club-gratton-info

Bring English into your life! 

And gain the language skills and confidence to succeed in international communication.

The Adventures of Lola Badiola is now available as a book.

It’s the perfect complement for this podcast.

It includes complete transcripts, explanations and quizzes.

 So buy it now on Amazon, right here!

Support the show

Park meets the Old Grey Man and discovers the terrible truth about Dead Man’s Highway.

Let’s do some pronunciation work focusing on words that have fewer syllables than most non-native speakers think, for example, COMFORTABLE, VEGETABLE, CHOCOLATE, RESTAURANT, INTEREST RATES.

We review some fascinating vocabulary to test your WITS. If you’ve watched the Netflix series squid games, you’ll know what a TUG-OF-WAR is.

We discuss a very common business expression, namely a WIN-WIN SCENARIO.

And we continue our chat about ECONOMICS focusing on EXPORTS and IMPORTS and the benefits of international TRADE.

We hope you enjoy the diverse and relevant content in this chapter. When you are ready for more, please sign up to live and interactive classes with Marina and me, right here:

www.gratton.es/club-gratton-info

Bring English into your life! 

And gain the language skills and confidence to succeed in international communication.

Support the show

Park evades the authorities on his journey to Banshori station until he reaches a police checkpoint. 

As advanced speakers you know all the basic vocabulary related to the family but are you familiar with STEPMOTHERS and STEPFATHERS, are you familiar with the WIDOWS and WIDOWERS and, most interestingly, do you know what a SUGAR DADDY and a MILF are?

There are many words that the English language borrows from French. They tend to be intellectual and sophisticated. In the business world they include words such as, RENDEZVOUS, ENTREPRENEUR, RÉSUMÉ and BUREAU, but they are also present in many other areas of life particularly art and fashion.

And finally, we cover seven phrasal verbs including the following. If one of your colleagues broke a rule at work, would you COVER FOR them? When do you expect the growth in sales of your new product to FLATTEN OUT? And finally, when you’re sitting on your sofa at home watching TV do you like to WRAP UP in a blanket?

We hope you enjoy the diverse and relevant content in this chapter. When you are ready for more, please sign up to live and interactive classes with Marina and me, right here:

www.gratton.es/club-gratton-info

Bring English into your life! 

And gain the language skills and confidence to succeed in international communication.

Support the show

Back in North Korea, Park is on the run from the secret police. His first stop is the Tomb of the Glorious Farmer to pay his respects to his dead relatives.

In this chapter there is an explosion of adjectives. As an advanced speaker you should be challenging yourself to choose colorful interesting and precise adjectives to communicate your ideas more effectively. Here are some alternatives to the common adjectives we hear too often.

Instead of saying that your colleague works very hard, use the adjective DILIGENT. Instead of describing something as very big, use the adjective ENORMOUS. Instead of describing a corporate event is very good, describe it as FABULOUS. Instead of describing a report as very interesting, use the adjective FASCINATING. Instead of saying that the client is very angry use the adjective FURIOUS.

We also discuss the concept of INTESNSIFYING ADVREBS to give your communication more impact. Native speakers use common collocations such as FULLY UNDERSTAND, SINCERELY HOPE, and ABSOLUTELY CLEAR.

As we have done in previous chapters, we review some important interrogative structures that some advanced speakers struggle with, such as HOW FAR IS IT….? HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE….? HOW LONG DOES IT LAST…?

And finally, we briefly discuss ECONOMICS with reference to the famine in North Korea that occurred in the late 1990s that led to the March of the suffering

We hope you enjoy the diverse and relevant content in this chapter. When you are ready for more, please sign up to live and interactive classes with Marina and me, right here:

www.gratton.es/club-gratton-info

Bring English into your life! 

And gain the language skills and confidence to succeed in international communication.

The Adventures of Lola Badiola is now available as a book.

It’s the perfect complement for this podcast.

It includes complete transcripts, explanations and quizzes.

 So buy it now on Amazon, right here!

Support the show

Lola goes out for dinner with her best friend Concha to distract herself from the crises in her life and receives some wonderful news!

This chapter is packed with phrasal verbs and expressions. We are going to focus on five of each. Let’s start with the phrasal verbs.

If you need to motivate and encourage your team, how do you FIRE them UP, how do you SPUR them ON? At the end of a long intensive week of work what do you do at the weekend to WIND DOWN? Do you like to GO OUT with a large group of friends, or do you prefer to EAT OUT with your closest friend?

Here are the common expressions that we discuss in this chapter. Did you know that everybody in the world has at least one LOOKALIKE or DOPPELGANGER? Do you ever get involved in OFFICE POLITICS or do you prefer to just GO WITH THE FLOW? And when was the last time you were offered a drink ON THE HOUSE at your favourite bar?

We hope you enjoy the diverse and relevant content in this chapter. When you are ready for more, please sign up to live and interactive classes with Marina and me, right here:

www.gratton.es/club-gratton-info

Bring English into your life! 

And gain the language skills and confidence to succeed in international communication.

Support the show