Have you ever really thought about how some words you use to describe others are a bit ... rude?

Have you ever noticed the words you use to describe groups of people you don't like?

Have you ever noticed that the word for Germany in your language is different from the word Germans use?

Have you ever seen the Wizard of Oz?

And what's up with Chavs?

In this episode I explore the world of exonyms and endonyms.

We look at how language, and these language features in particular, reveals our nasty, tribal side. The side that makes us see ourselves us superior and our neighbours as inhuman.

We see how words can be used to create enemies.

And why "Paris" is pronounced oddly.

In this interview, I talk to Chris Walker, a long-serving teacher at International House and author of English is a Simple Language.

Join us on our quest to “get to the bottom of it all,” examining and uncovering the underlying structures of English, following in the footsteps of Michael Lewis.

During this engaging conversation, we ask:

“Can we get to the heart of the meaning of modal verbs?”

“Can we summarize conditional sentences in a single sentence (or maybe two)?”

“Can we divide English grammar into either subjective or objective forms?”

But I also ask whether there really is a “Holy Grail of English grammar.”

Is there a system behind it all?

Is there something that unlocks the way grammar works?

Or is it more complicated than that?

At the end, and for a bit of a laugh, we also have a look at some badly-written test questions and how they can help you and your students understand these deeper, underlying dynamics at work in the language.

Don’t forget to check out Chris’s blog/archive at: www.closelyobserved.com

Music: bensound.com

They lied!

They all lied to you!

Well, some of them did.

What am I talking about?

I’m talking about the people who told you that “We use ‘some’ for positive sentences and ‘any’ for negative and question sentences.”

Sure. We do.

But what about: “Would you like some tea?” and “It’s just some kid.”?

Find out how “some” and “any” really work...

Have you ever corrected your student for making a "mistake" that you make yourself?

In that case, is it a mistake?

Are they mistakes when the same features are used by speakers of English in Kachru's outer and even expanding circles of English?

In this episode, I check out a fascinating paper by Elina Ranta on student mistakes, innovations and Angloversals.

Whatever they are...

In this episode, I talk to my dad, Peter, about slang.

We also play a game where I try to guess the meaning of slang terms from the ’40s (his generation), and he tries to guess the meaning of slang terms from the ’90s (my generation).

The game was fun, but we also end up talking about all sorts of other things like the Hindi, Arabic and Turkish origins of some English words, how words changed over the years and what a potato is. (It's not what you think.)

A very phrasal verby chat with Rob from English with Rob.

We talk about:

- the best way to learn phrasal verbs;

- our favourite bands and whether auto-tune is evil or a really good idea;

- the dreaded pandemic and how we adapted to it (and how we're still adapting to it);

- reality TV (and why we don't get it);

- how "get" and "be" are cousins;

- what stability and certainty in 2022;

- capitalism and global warming. (Yep! We went there!)

Free eBook "Learn New Words 5 Times Faster": https://www.clarkandmiller.com/learn-english-fast/

______

Improve your pronunciation AND your listening skills with these 5 English pronunciation tips.

Learn about:

1. Jump to the potato! (stress-timed vs. syllable-timed languages)

Is your first language stress-timed or syllable-timed? What does that mean for your English pronunciation? How does it affect the hip-hop in your country?

2. Always contract!

It might feel like the smart thing to do. But don't do it! Never "decontract"! Unless you want to really emphasize something.

3. Look out for "tits" and "dits"

I'll say no more about this here ... :)

4. Watch out for the difference between "can" and "can't"

With a lot of American English pronunciation, "can" and "can't" sometimes sound the same. This hack will give you the skills to understand whether that American guy is saying that you CAN borrow a hundred bucks or whether he's saying you CAN'T borrow a hundred bucks.

5. Look out for "therza"

It's more common than you might think ...

______

www.clarkandmiller.com

In this episode, I talk to the super-thoughtful Emma from The Procrastination Podcast and Pronunciation with Emma.

And, yes! We talk about swearing in English.

Lots of f***ing swearing!

Join us in this fascinating conversation and ...

- learn some really useful English swearing,

- find out which swear words are strong and which ones are weaker,

- see how swearing can work as a painkiller,

- explore the question "Should English learners learn how to swear? Or is it too vulgar?"

So, what are you waiting for, tithead? Let's get going!

Today, I share three of my "hot takes" about English.

- Do we ever use "will" with "if" (e.g. “If I will be at the party …”)? When? And when can't we use it? Why?

- Why do we use “some” in sentences like “I got some bread”? Do we need it? Can’t we just say “I got bread”? What’s going on with this word? Are there other words like this? Are they really meaningless? And if they are meaningless, why do we keep using them?

- Why do we have verbs like "decide" as well as collocations like "make a decision"? Why do we have "run" and "go for a run"? What about “risk” and “take a risk”? What's the difference?

Let's take a look at these features of English that are, when you think about it, actually pretty weird. Hopefully, we can uncover some interesting stuff (or at least walk away with some steaming hot takes!).

In this episode, I take a dive into 10 common English proverbs.

Wait! What’s a proverb?

A proverb is basically an idiom you use to give advice or even share some wisdom.

Examples?

Well, today we’re looking at:

Two’s company, three’s a crowd.

Too many cooks spoil the broth.

When in Rome, do as the Romans.

When it rains, it pours.

If it ain't broke, don’t fix it.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Out of sight, out of mind.

Don’t cry over spilt milk.

If you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.

Great minds think alike.

+ a bonus proverb at the end.

We also look at how we can shorten these proverbs and how we can replace them with the mega-useful phrase “Well, you know what they say …”

Enjoy! :)

Music: bensound.com