Better at English - listening practice articles and audio archive: Recent Episodes
Lori Linstruth
Hello my lovely English learners! Lori here, your teacher from BetterAtEnglish.com. I love technology, so we’re talking about robots today, but not in the way you might expect. A lot of conversations about robots have to do with whether or not a robot or machine could ever develop genuine feelings or emotions. But today we’re …
055 – Could you kick a robot puppy? Keep reading »
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Episode summary Autumn is in full swing here in the northern hemisphere, so this Real English Conversations episode is full of vocabulary related to the colors, weather, moods and feelings associated with this time of year. Lori and her friend Eliza talk about exercising outdoors, the health benefits of spending time out in nature, and …
054 – What in the world is leaf peeping? Keep reading »
The post 054 – What in the world is leaf peeping? appeared first on Better at English. © 2020 Lori Linstruth
Talking about fat and fat bodies is a tricky area to navigate in English because the word FAT is so laden with meaning, associations, emotions, and feelings — and these are different for everyone. In this episode, you’ll hear a wide variety of people who self-identify as fat talking about their experiences. You’ll hear how …
052 – The Other F-word: talking about fat Keep reading »
The post 052 – The Other F-word: talking about fat appeared first on Better at English. © 2020 Lori Linstruth
Can you understand very large numbers in American English? Test your listening comprehension of numbers from 5 digits (10,000) to 9 digits (999,999,999) with the video below. It is in slow English. Understanding English numbers can be very difficult, even if you English is fairly advanced. It’s especially true for very large numbers with many …
Large numbers – English listening practice in slow English Keep reading »
The post Large numbers – English listening practice in slow English appeared first on Better at English. © 2020 Lori Linstruth
Imagine if you will, the following scenario. You’ve volunteered to take part in a psychology study, say, at your university. All you have to do is show up to the lab, sit by yourself in a little booth and play a very simple game of chance, something like flipping a coin, where there’s no skill …
051 – The good, the bad, and the flat-out liars. Real English Conversation Keep reading »
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Neighbors can be great friends, but let’s face it: sometimes they can be absolutely horrible. But what do you do when you’re stuck living next to a neighbor who you just can’t get along with, no matter what you try? In this episode of Better at English, Lori introduces you to the “How To” podcast …
050 – Help! I have a horrible neighbor (fixed) Keep reading »
The post 050 – Help! I have a horrible neighbor (fixed) appeared first on Better at English. © 2020 Lori Linstruth
This is NOT a sales episode, I promise! Seriously, I have found and tested the BEST place to find people to practice speaking English with for free. It only takes 5 minutes to set up an account, and you’ll be up and running, practicing your English with nice people from all over the world. No …
049 No excuses – The best place to get FREE speaking practice right now Keep reading »
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Here comes part 2 of Lori and Will’s discussion about A.I. and automation. If you enjoy these podcasts, please take a moment and rate or review. You can find the full transcript at https://www.betteratenglish.com/transcripts. TRANSCRIPT PREVIEW Lori: I heard that…I think it’s Pizza Hut already has… or no… Domino’s is already experimenting with robot pizza …
048 – The Robots are Coming – part 2 Keep reading »
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A study predicts that all human tasks could be automated in the next 30 years. And that all human jobs might be replaced within the next 100 years or so. Holy crap! What will we do when the robots take over? A.I. is coming. The robots are coming. But are we ready? In this Real …
047 – The robots are coming. Are you ready? Keep reading »
The post 047 – The robots are coming. Are you ready? appeared first on Better at English. © 2020 Lori Linstruth
Hey there English learners, Lori here, your teacher from BetterAtEnglish.com. I’ve got a different type of episode here for you today. I’m gonna go through some American English slang expressions, some really common ones that you hear all the time if you’re watching American English sitcoms or dramas on TV or Netflix. They’re ones that …
046 – Five American English slang expressions Keep reading »
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The data is clear: some English grammar rules are stupid. Is it ever OK to make a grammar “mistake” on purpose? Is it ever OK to know a grammar rule and break it anyway, even when you know that some people will strongly disapprove? In this episode I talk about English grammar rules that (I …
045 – Stupid English grammar rules – is it OK to break them? Keep reading »
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Hi English learners! Lori here, your teacher from Better at English dot com. It’s story time here today, something I don’t think I’ve done here on the podcast before. I’m going to use natural English, but will try to speak just a little more carefully than I normally would, so that more people can follow …
044 – A very embarrassing mistake Keep reading »
The post 044 – A very embarrassing mistake appeared first on Better at English. © 2020 Lori Linstruth
Learn the idiom to throw someone/something for a loop, and test yourself with a quiz!
The post Threw me for a loop – idiom appeared first on Better at English. © 2020 Lori Linstruth
A funny thing happened today when Lori was shopping for office supplies, and it involves an industrial-sized package of toilet paper rolls.
The post 043 – Real English conversations: Lori scores a year’s supply of toilet paper (archive) appeared first on Better at English. © 2020 Lori Linstruth
Practice listening to authentic English conversation with Better at English podcasts. This page has a 5-part series where two American women discuss creativity, creative routines, and how they try to avoid distractions to be able to get real work done. They use Mason Currey's book "Daily Rituals" as a springboard for discussion.
The post Daily routines and rituals – English listening practice appeared first on Better at English. © 2020 Lori Linstruth
Introduction Hi English learners! Lori here, your teacher from Betteratenglish.com. Last week I shared the first part of a cool conversation I had with Dr. BJ Fogg, all about making the most of your motivation. Today you’ll be hearing part two, the final part of this conversation. If you missed the first part, make sure …
042 – Make the Most of your Motivation part 2 of 2 – Real English Conversations Keep reading »
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What can you do when you're not feeling motivated? What is the best way to use your motivation when you ARE motivated? Find out in this episode of Real English Conversations from Better at English. Lori talks to Dr. BJ Fogg about how to make the most of the motivation that you have, no matter if it's high or low.
The post 041 – Make the most of your motivation – a conversation with BJ Fogg (part 1 of 2) appeared first on Better at English. © 2020 Lori Linstruth
Introduction Hi English learners! Lori here, your teacher from Betteratenglish.com. In this episode of Real English Conversations, you’ll hear part 5 of my conversation with Kyla. This is the final part of our conversation about the book Daily Rituals by Mason Currey. In the previous episode we talked about dealing with distractions and interruptions when …
040 – Daily Rituals part 5 of 5 – Real English Conversations Keep reading »
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Introduction Hi English learners! Lori here, your teacher from Betteratenglish.com. In this episode of Real English Conversations, you’ll hear part 4 of my conversation with Kyla. Up until now we’ve been talking about the book Daily Rituals by Mason Currey. But in this part of the conversation we digress [go off topic] and talk about …
039 – Daily Rituals part 4 – Real English Conversations Keep reading »
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Introduction Hi English learners! Lori here, your teacher from Betteratenglish.com. In this episode of Real English Conversations, you’ll hear part 3 of my conversation with Kyla. We are talking about the book Daily Rituals by Mason Currey. In this part we talk about the routines and practices that many creative people have in common. Now …
038 – Daily rituals part 3 – Real English Conversations Keep reading »
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Hi English learners! Lori here, your teacher from Betteratenglish.com. In this episode of Real English Conversations, you’ll hear part 2 of my conversation with Kyla. We’re discussing a book that we both really liked. It’s called Daily Rituals, by Mason Currey. The book describes the daily routines and habits of 161 creative people, people like …
037 – Daily Rituals 2 – Real English Conversations Keep reading »
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INTRODUCTION Hi English learners! Lori here, your teacher from Betteratenglish.com. In this episode of Real English Conversations, you’ll hear me talking to Kyla, a fellow musician. We met up to talk about a book that we both really like. It’s called Daily Rituals, and was written by Mason Currey. But as it turned out, Kyla …
036 – Daily Rituals 1 – Real English Conversations Keep reading »
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EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of Real English Conversations, Lori talks to Carsten Peters of the Language Mining Company. This is the very first time Lori and Carsten ever spoke to each other, so it's an authentic example of two people getting to know each other. A native speaker of German, Carsten is a podcaster, published author, language coach, entrepreneur, and is keenly interested in the science and practice of language learning and acquisition. He's a great example of a successful learner of English as a foreign language. This episode presents the first part of the conversation in which you hear them getting to know each other, and then moving on to exchange their ideas about how adults and children learn languages, and the role of motivation and structure for adult language learners. The vocabulary notes for this episode focus on phrasal verbs, as well as informal words and phrases that might be difficult to understand.
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In this Real English Conversations podcast, you'll hear Lori and her mom talking about their bedtime routines and what they do to get good night's sleep. The conversation includes lots of idioms and phrases related to going to bed, sleeping, waking up, and daily routines, and these interesting language items are listed in the vocabulary notes.
The post 035 – There’s nothing like a good night’s sleep – Real English Conversations appeared first on Better at English. © 2020 Lori Linstruth
Lori talks to you about one of her favorite quotes: 80% of success is showing up. You'll learn what it means and who said it. And if you're feeling discouraged with your English progress, you'll learn how resolving to keep "showing up" can get you back on track with your learning.
The post 034 – Showing up for English learning success appeared first on Better at English. © 2020 Lori Linstruth
Lori burns her arm while making a cup of tea, and can't sleep because it hurts so much. Her mother tries to help her find a way to get through the night. The real English conversation is between Lori and her mother the following morning, discussing what they did to relieve the pain and whether or not it worked.
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Lori invites her mom onto the podcast to discuss telling time in English, focusing on some of the differences between American and British English usage.
The post 031 – Telling Time in English – Real English Conversations appeared first on Better at English. © 2020 Lori Linstruth
Lori and her Dutch friend Yvette return to finish their conversation about perfectionism and procrastination. This time they focus on the strategies that have proved useful in their own battles with this debilitating problem.
The post 032 – Perfectionism and Procrastination 3 – Real English Conversations appeared first on Better at English. © 2020 Lori Linstruth
Lori and her Dutch friend Yvette continue their discussion of perfectionism, focusing on how it can cause problems for foreign language learners.
The post 030- Perfectionism and Procrastination 2 – Real English Conversations appeared first on Better at English. © 2020 Lori Linstruth
Do you ever procrastinate? Lori sure does! She and her Dutch friend Yvette talk about what procrastination is, why we do it, and what we can do about it.
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In today's conversation, which is part four of four, my British friend Michael and I wrap up our lengthy conversation about the pros and cons of dogs, dog ownership, and dog owners. Warning: some of the vocabulary we deal with in this episode is a bit vulgar, so if you are sensitive or easily offended I suggest you stop listening now.
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Michael and Lori continue their discussion of dogs and cats, focusing on the tendency for humans to get emotionally attached to their pets.
The post 027 – Real English Conversations: Don’t step in the Dog Doo (part 3 of 4) appeared first on Better at English. © 2020 Lori Linstruth
In today's conversation, which is part 2 of 4, my British friend Michael and I continue discussing dogs and cats, and which we prefer.
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My British friend Michael and I begin by talking about whether we are dog people or cat people. Then we move on to discuss the social etiquette of dog walking, particularly picking up after them in public places.
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In this videocast, Lori explains how EFL and ESL learners can easily check their spelling (in multiple languages) when writing emails and other online forms of communication. There is simply no excuse for bad spelling anymore!
The post Online spelling checkers for learners of English appeared first on Better at English. © 2020 Lori Linstruth
In this episode, Michael and Lori talk about weird food combinations -- you won't believe what some Americans like on their hamburgers!
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Lori and Michael talk about 20Q, a fun electronic game that Lori got to try while she was on her recent vacation in the USA.
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Learn about the idiom "to have itchy palms" and more on the topic of superstions.
The post Real English Conversations: Itchy palms (superstitions) appeared first on Better at English. © 2020 Lori Linstruth
Lori wants a pet cat, and not just any cat, but a naked Sphinx cat. Michael thinks they are ugly. A heated discussion ensues...
The post Real English Conversations: Lori wants a naked cat appeared first on Better at English. © 2020 Lori Linstruth
Everyone wants to be successful, right? But have you ever wondered what it is that leads to success? Lori and Michael discuss their reactions to a presentation about "What leads to success," given by Michael St. John. Richard St. John spent several years interviewing hundreds of successful people, trying to find out the secrets to their success.
The post Real English Conversations: What leads to success? appeared first on Better at English. © 2020 Lori Linstruth