English Lessons London Teacher

There are no listening questions today but you can view and print the full transcript here. Speaking a second language is not easy. No matter what your level of English is - whether you are a beginner or you have been speaking English for many years - you may have confidence problems when speaking English. That's because speaking a different language is difficult. You may also worry about saying the wrong thing and appearing stupid. For many people, their problem is not being able to express themselves with the same personality they have in their native language. For example, if you are somebody who likes to tell jokes in your language, you might not be able to think so quickly in English to say something funny. Many jokers, people who like to tell jokes, feel as if they have lost their personality when they speak English. They can't really tell good jokes in the English  language. They can only make physical, obvious jokes. Or, perhaps you're like me. You communicate in a very precise way. You think carefully about what you say. You choose your words carefully. I would say that compared to most people, I think about my language and my choice of words a lot. If you're anything like me, you're a perfectionist with your language. When you speak a different language you want to say everything perfectly, just like in your native language. Of course, this isn't possible. And it really is a problem. It's a problem because it can lead to confidence problems when you are speaking English. In my job as an English language coach on Skype, I help people become more confident when they speak English. Did you know that what you say isn't as important as how you say it? You may be surprised to know that in business or a job interview situation, the appearance of confidence is more important than the actual words you use while speaking. That's because communication isn't just about the words you say. Successful communication is about more than your speech, it's about your posture, the way you stand or sit, and also about the sound of your voice. If you lack confidence speaking English, other people will notice your lack of confidence. It shows in different ways. Some people try to avoid speaking English, especially around native speakers. For people who work in an English-speaking Environment, however, speaking English just cannot be avoided. A confidence problem speaking English in this situation is a big problem. I'm going to talk about some of the ways this confidence problem shows in your speech. And then, I'm going to explain some activities you can practise at home by yourself to increase your confidence.In today's show I talk about practical ways you can improve your confidence speaking English. See here for full transcript  

In today's show I talk about the secret to getting good grades at school. I give you some advice to make your years at school happier and more successful. Read the full transcript, questions, and answers here. --------- Most people think that to be successful at school, to get the best grades, you have to be smart. The truth is that being clever is just a very small part of what makes somebody successful at school. In fact, do you realise that some people are just too clever to be successful at school? Let me explain what I mean. If you are somebody who struggles at school because your teachers don't like you, I have some advice for you. Being at school is difficult for many people because all day long you are controlled and told what to do. In English schools you are told what to wear - you have to wear a uniform. In a lot of schools you are not allowed to speak unless you raise your hand first. You put your hand up. You can only speak if your teacher allows you to speak. Every moment of the school day you are controlled. For people with a lot of energy - people who like to move around and do different things all the time - school is very difficult. School is also difficult for people who are naturally independent. Independent people are happiest when they are able to make their own decisions. Read more here  

English listening practice about how to get a First Class degree from a UK university. For vocabulary, questions, and vocabulary notes see the PDF transcript. -------------------See the transcript for today's true or false statements about the talk ...

Today's English listening practice is about plastic surgery. I tell you about the plastic surgery culture of Dubai. For vocabulary, expressions, and idioms see the transcript and vocabulary list. Q1) What is unusual about the plastic surgery clinics in Dubai? Q2) What problem do I have wearing contact lenses in Dubai? Q3) In what way is my tooth similar to other people in my family? Q4) What important realisation did I have? (Answers are at the bottom of the page) -------------- Do you ever look in the mirror and dislike what you see? I can be very self-critical at times. I look in the mirror and  on some days I will search to find something to dislike about myself. I get really close to the mirror and I scrutinise my face, I look at it very closely until I find something I don't like in my reflection, in my face. Of course I know this is utter nonsense - this is a very stupid thing to do. It serves no purpose at all. The only thing it does is make me feel bad about the way I look. Sometimes I pick a spot on my face, I squeeze whatever pimples I can find, and then I will feel and look much worse. This is self-destructive behaviour. It's not a clever thing to do but it seems to me that most people are self-destructive sometimes. They might smoke, they might eat junk food, they might be too lazy to study... there are many ways a person can be self-destructive. When I moved to Dubai I immediately noticed that there are a lot of plastic surgery clinics here. It is easy to change the way you look - just visit one of the clinics.  The plastic surgery clinics are in houses. They don't look like hospitals, just regular houses. I wonder, does this make having surgery seem even more normal to people? Does it suggest that having plastic surgery is nothing serious... Does it suggest that to to go under the knife, to have surgery on your face or body, is no big deal? You don't even need to go to a proper hospital! Don't like the way you look? Get a trout pout - make your lips bigger. A trout is a river fish with a really big mouth. You don't feel sexy? Have a boob job - make your breasts bigger. Boobs is a slang word for breasts. Looking old and wrinkly? Get rid of your wrinkles, the lines on your face with some botox injections. The plastic surgery culture here must be catching. We say something is catching when it is infectious like a disease. I must have caught the plastic surgery bug, the plastic surgery infection. My first idea was to have laser eye surgery. I told myself it was necessary because wearing contact lenses is a hassle, it's annoying, here. My contact lenses get very dirty from the sand in the air. They are not as comfortable to wear as they were in London. Also, the sunlight is very bright here. It is much better to be able to wear sunglasses, to protect my eyes from the sun. Laser eye surgery is essential, if you live here, it really is. My second idea was to get laser surgery on my skin. I have so many horrible spots on my face. I also have ugly large pores on my skin. Skin pores are very small holes on the surface of the skin, everybody has them but mine are much bigger and uglier. If I were to laser my face, I wouldn't have these horrid holes anymore. And obviously, my life would be better. And then I decided to look into getting braces for my teeth. I was going to see how much it would cost to straighten my teeth. I’d already had braces when I was fourteen years old. They were painful, food got stuck in my teeth, and I constantly had mouth ulcers - mouth ulcers are cuts inside your mouth. After the train tracks - that's a slang word for braces - were removed I had perfect teeth for a couple of years. I was often complimented. People told me I had amazing teeth. That was nice food for my ego. Then, slowly, imperceptibly - so slowly that the change was not noticed, my teeth returned to exactly the same position they had before the braces.

Today's show I share with you an experience where I lost my rag - where I got angry about something. Upper intermediate English listening practise. PDF transcript  and vocabulary list available. Q1) Why do the dogs bark? Q2) What noise wakes me up? Q3) How loud was the noise ? Q4) How should I have reacted to the loud noise (answers at the bottom of the post) ------------- Anger is an ugly emotion. I am sorry to say that today I got angry. I behaved ungraciously, I was not pleasant, calm or polite in the way I reacted to a problem. Experience has taught me that anger rarely makes a situation better. All my anger did was waste my energy. And there was no resolution, the problem is still there, and will continue to be there. Here's what happened. Where I live in Dubai it is very noisy. There is always some banging or hammering going on. bang, bang. clang. drrrrrrrr. On top of that there is the constant traffic noise. I use ear plugs, I put things in my ears to stop the noise, when it is very bad. Next door there is a dog grooming parlour. It is a place people take their dogs to get a haircut. Their shop sign says they also sell 'dog fashion'. Anyway, people pay to leave their dogs there when they go to work. The dogs are very noisy in the afternoon - it is because they are hot and bothered from being in the sun for hours. They know that it is time for them to go home soon, so they start barking whenever somebody walks by on the street. The barking dogs is something I have to put up with. When you put up with something, you accept it even though you don't like it. The dog grooming parlour makes money from leaving dogs in the hot sun; people pay for this service. Fine. Be patient, I tell myself. Adapt and accept the noise. To be irritated is a waste of energy. In the early morning when it is still dark somebody at the dog grooming parlour cleans the floor. It can't be a nice job. Imagine all those dogs in the hot sun -- you know -- on plastic grass. This unfortunate person cleans the floor with a broom. A broom is something you hold in your hand and use in the garden to put all the dirt in one place so you can remove it. He sweeps the plastic grass with a broom for about an hour. It wakes me up every time. Fine. Be patient, I tell myself. He's just doing his job. To be frustrated is a waste of energy. But today I ran out of patience. I exploded in irritation and frustration. I was at the end of my tether with the noise, I could take no more. While I was on a conference call talking on Skype a loud, industrial noise started. It was the loudest noise I have ever heard here in Dubai. I asked my client to wait while I investigated the origin of the noise. Surprise, surprise. It was from the dog grooming parlour. Someone was using a leaf blower - this is a machine that is used to collect leaves from the ground. They use this machine because it is quicker than doing it the old fashioned way. It is quicker than sweeping the floor with a broom. It's also much noisier than a broom - a dangerously loud 75-90 decibels (-a decibel is a measurement of sound). I went out of my house and over to the dog grooming parlour. I explained that the noise was extremely loud. I explained that I was working in the house next door. I explained I was on the telephone, and said that I would be finished in thirty minutes.  I requested that they did not use the leaf blower machine for thirty minutes. I was irritated by the pointless noise of the leaf blower but I was not yet angry. Keep your cool, don't be angry, I told myself. However... As soon as I got back and started my conference call again, the leaf blower resumed. What can you do in a situation like this? The angry little person inside me was furious. My complaint had been ignored. How dare they not listen to me! To cut a long story short, I stormed over there to complain again. When you storm over somewhere, you go there with an angry,

I always get asked the same questions about what it's like to be an English teacher on Skype. In today's show I answer those questions for your listening pleasure. No listening questions today, just some new vocabulary. transcript here   ---------- What countries do my students come from? I have clients from all over the world, but my Skype English lessons are most popular in Russia, Italy, and Brazil. Why am I popular in these countries? I'm not sure, but my guess is that professional people in these countries don't want hours of random English classes or boring lessons using a book every day. They are busy; they want a programme of classes that is tailored especially to their needs. Also, the people I work with have chosen to work with me. They have listened to my podcasts, they have got to know me as they listen to improve their English. They decide to take lessons with me because they know and trust me. What kind of teacher are you? Some people want a teacher who is authoritarian - a teacher who controls you and tells you what to do. They want a shouting, angry teacher because they had teachers like this at school. This is not my teaching style. I respect my clients; they are my equals. My clients are my equals no matter how fantastic their job is, or how rich they are. The people I don't teach want a teacher who stands in front of a board, talking, talking, talking. This is how their teachers were at school. They were very formal and serious. They stood in front of the board and looked down on their students. The teacher does all the talking. The student listens. But if you want to improve your English, you have to be very active in your lessons. Does it surprise you that I think you really should be saying more than your teacher? Why do you make videos and podcasts about learning English for free? Doesn't it take a lot of time? It takes a lot of time to make videos and podcasts about learning English. It takes hours. I always have something to record or edit. I enjoy making doing this work anyway so it is not a problem. It doesn't feel like work. I think I understand the way the internet works. People won't pay to listen to a podcast or watch a video on YouTube. It doesn't matter if you spent hours making that video or podcast, even if it is very useful. Anyone who makes content - anyone who makes videos or podcasts - has to accept that. When you have a big audience, when a lot of people know who you are, then you can sell some specialised products to your biggest fans. It is possible to make money, eventually. But most of what you make will always have to be free for people. What is it like teaching English on the internet? You won't meet many people who have a job like mine. People are always surprised when I tell them what I do. They don't understand how it is possible to teach English on the internet. They don't understand how I can teach a Russian person English without speaking Russian myself. Well, I can do this because I am a trained teacher. I could go and teach in Russia tomorrow if I wanted to, in a classroom, even though I don't speak Russian. It's the same on Skype. The worst thing about teaching English on the internet is spending a lot of time alone. I talk to clients every day-- and I have a great time speaking to them -- but it is essential to get out into the real world at least once everyday. The internet is wonderful, but meeting real-life humans is important too. If you like to be around people all the time, you wouldn't like this job. If you like to work regular hours and to have your evenings free, don't consider being a Skype English teacher. Internet classes can't be as good as face-to-face classes, can they? There are many ways to learn English. The way to learn depends on your circumstances and personality.  Internet English lessons suit many people because they can do them from work at lunchtime, or after dinner when they are at home.

Today's show is about networking - going to an event to meet new people, promoting yourself and your business. The listening questions are: Q1) What does it mean to be twiddling your thumbs? Q2) What boring conversation did I listen to? Q3) How do I try to make a good first impression? (Answers are below the text) Word transcript Networking PDF Transcript Networking ------------- Regular listeners will know that I'm an introvert - I'm someone who prefers to socialise with just one or two people, and I am also happy to spend time alone. To attend a networking event is a challenge for me, as I have to meet a lot of people. I have to tell them about myself. I am expected to small talk, to talk about polite subjects that are generally not interesting to me. However, it is essential that I improve my networking skills - for both my social life here in Dubai and also to promote my business. If I am not good at something, I challenge myself to get better. We should never avoid new challenges just because we feel uncomfortable socially. With some more practise, I know I will get better at networking. Anything we are not good at, we can improve. At a networking event people mingle - you go around and have conversations with different groups of people. You are not networking effectively if you stay with your friend all night. At the networking event I went to, I spoke to a lot of different people. In fact, I never had to start a conversation because people always started talking to me whenever I was twiddling my thumbs, whenever I was alone. Next time I go to an event like this, I am determined to start one or two conversations myself, as this is particularly difficult for me. For me, the real challenge is to initiate, to begin conversations myself. So what was my impression of networking? Well, I did find myself listening to some boring conversations. I recall that somebody dominated the conversation with a long talk about their table tennis club. With hindsight - that's means the ability to understand a situation after it happens - I should have politely excused myself from the boring conversation.. Next time, I will say, 'Excuse me..', as I smile politely and leave. Or you could say, 'Lovely talking to you...' as you smile and leave. Of course, everybody wants to make a good first impression at these events. I tried my best by being positive in all conversations, smiling, and by standing up straight with my arms relaxed. Whenever I shook someone's hand I did so with a firm shake and I smiled at them. I would say, 'Nice to meet you.' I would repeat their name to check I got the pronunciation correct. I've already forgotten the names of nearly everyone I met. Next time I will actively try to remember some more names. Networking is all about 'give and take'. If you meet somebody and decide to stay in touch, to exchange email addresses or telephone numbers, you should be willing to help them out in some way. This way you are both helping each other with new business or social opportunities. You don't have to help them by giving them a business opportunity. It could simply be inviting them to a different event, or introducing them to someone else you know. For me, I also know that I have to improve my networking skills in this area. I will endeavour to be more active, always helping and connecting other people where possible. One of the reasons people don't like networking is because it is associated with schmoozing. A schmoozer is the kind of person you meet at a networking event is insincere, they are not genuine, and they ask you a lot of targeted questions about yourself - to see how important and successful you are. They do this so they can quickly decide if it is in their advantage to talk to you. If you are not important enough for them, they will quickly leave you! which is fine by me... But that said, I know I can learn something from the schmoozers. I can learn to be more assertive,

Today's lesson is about introversion and extroversion. They are personality types. Can you guess which one I am? Read along transcript word pdf Upper-intermediate English vocabulary lesson. Test your English by answering following questions: 1) How do introverts feel about small talk? 2) What happens to me when I don't get to spend enough time alone? [adj] + [noun] 3) Describe the characteristics of a wallflower. -------- You are either an introvert or an extrovert. People often think that extroverts are confident and loud, and introverts are timid and shy. However, it’s more complicated than that. If you are an introvert, you recharge your batteries, you get your energy from spending time alone. In contrast, extroverts are energised by spending time in the company of lot of people – the more the merrier – the more people there are, the happier the extrovert is. Can you guess what I am? I am an introvert. My guess is that the majority of people who make content – content is the videos, podcasts or blogs published on the internet – are introverts. That’s because it takes so much time to make regular podcasts and videos that you have to be enjoy being alone working on your stuff, your content. You have to love doing it more than hanging out with people. It is not a sacrifice for you to spend hours or days working on something creative because you actually prefer this to socialising, most of the time. I am happiest socializing with one or two people at a time. It’s draining, it makes me feel exhausted, to be part of a big group of people where it is all just smal ltalk – general polite talk about things that aren’t interesting to me. It’s even more difficult for me to banter with people. Bantering is a particular kind of talk people do that is a bit like joking and a bit like teasing. They talk in an impersonal way that sounds clever, but actually, nothing of meaning is being said. They are talking, expressing themselves, but they are somehow saying nothing at the same time. It’s hard to explain! Often in group situations there is a lot of banter because it is not usually appropriate to talk about personal subjects. This summer I went on holiday with a group of people. They found it strange that every day I would go off alone for a couple of hours. Perhaps they even thought it was rude, impolite. It might have seemed that I didn’t like spending time with them. I would disappear from the beach and go for long walks. The truth is that I actually need some time alone every day. If I don’t have time alone, time alone to be myself, time alone to make all the decisions, I feel frustrated. Frustration is a negative emotion I try to avoid. That’s why I always make sure I have time alone. I really admire my extroverted friends who are the ‘life and soul of the party’. To ‘be the life and soul of the party’ means that you are lively and confident in a social situations. You chat and joke with lots of people; everybody notices you. The opposite kind of person, usually said of a woman, is a wallflower – that’s someone who is shy and doesn’t participate at a party. I'm not a wallflower, and actually I do like parties, it's just that I also need time alone also. I think it's a pity that the typical traits of introversion - being quiet, reserved, and private - are not rewarded in our world. It always seems that 'he who shouts the loudest wins the argument’. People listen to extroverts but very often introverts are ignored, and even their good ideas don't receive the recognition, the respect, they deserve. ------------- The Eleven Personality Traits of Introverts: Energised by time alone Private Quiet Serious Aware of inner thoughts and emotions Few friends Prefer smaller groups Independent Doesn't need to socialise very often Enjoys being alone Thinks before speaking ---------------- Listening Answers: 1) They feel exhausted and drained when there is small talk

-Today's podcast is a listening lesson on my recent move to Dubai. You can download the transcript in pdf or in word format. Here are the questions: What is special about the Burj What kind of cars do people tend to drive For what reason do I suggest people in Dubai like shopping malls (the answers are in the pdf transcript) ------------------- It is not in my nature - it is not part of my personality - to spend too much time imagining the future. Before I arrived in Dubai, I didn't research what it is like to live here. I try not to have expectations. Equally, I didn't feel sad about leaving London. One of the great things about my job is that I can work from any country in the world. I was ready to leave London. I wanted to see if working in a new place was inspiring for me. I wanted to find out if it helped me make podcasts and videos. I also hoped it would give me a better understanding of the world. When my plane to Dubai was taking off from Heathrow airport in London, the change I was making in my life suddenly hit me. I suddenly became aware of what I was doing. I was leaving everything and beginning a new chapter of my life. At that moment, I felt a rush of emotion. It was a strong feeling in my heart and throat. Some tears came to my eyes. It wasn't sadness, however. I suddenly  realised that my life was about to change. Anything could happen. Everything was opportunity. I haven't yet been in Dubai for very long so there is only a little I can tell you. Of course you know it is very hot here. Dubai is a city built in a desert. This is difficult for me to get used to. It is the hottest place I have ever visited. I don't go outside until late afternoon, when the sun begins to go down. The air also has tiny particles - small bits of sand - in it. This sand makes my eyes sore. I rub my eyes with my fingers, and this makes my eyes red. I also feel lethargic in this heat - lethargic is an adjective for when you feel tired and lack energy. The city - or is it a state? - sorry but I just don't know - is much bigger than I imagined. It is spread out. There is a lot of empty space between buildings. This is the opposite to London, where it is crowded, and buildings are very close to each other. My first impression is that there is a lot to buy here. It also seems people enjoy shopping as a hobby. People socialise in the shopping malls, perhaps because they are cool - as in not hot. The shopping malls have good air conditioning. These malls also have many fast food outlets - informal restaurants where you can eat unhealthy food. They have many fast food outlets I have never seen before. Hot weather and lots of junk food is not a healthy combination. One road I remember seeing is very long and has car showrooms all along it. All the luxury car brands are there. There certainly are a lot of rich people here in Dubai. People drive big white 4x4 cars (these are cars designed for driving off-road in the countryside) and saloon cars (long cars).  In the UK these cars are very expensive to drive. In England, as a proportion of all cars, not very many people these drive big, expensive cars. This is because the tax paid to the government and the petrol for big cars costs 'an arm and a leg' - it is very expensive. Most people can't afford to drive luxury cars. In fact, many people can't afford any car... At night the Dubai skyline is very impressive. There are many skyscrapers - tall buildings. Some are hotels and some are office blocks. The tallest building is called the Burj. It is beautiful and at night, it twinkles like a Christmas tree- light flashes from it. It also has an amazing water show. The water shoots up in the air, like fireworks. I am not easily impressed, but this water show really is amazing. The water looks like it's dancing.

In this week's show I tell you about my experience of wearing glasses. Also includes PDF transcript, vocabulary worksheet, and Grandad's Glasses Poem Transcript. John Hedgely's website. Grandad's Glasses on Youtube Wearing glasses EFL ----------------------- I have worn glasses since I was 11 years old. Before I got my glasses, I thought it was normal to see the world as a blur - to see things unclearly. I was so amazed the day I first wore glasses. I remember sitting in the car, and saying 'wow, I can see the bricks on the houses and the faces of drivers in their cars,' I was gobsmacked - it was a complete surprise for me. It was so wonderful to see things clearly. Things were no longer blurry. These days I wear glasses and contact lenses. Contact lenses are pieces of plastic that I put in my eyes so that I can see properly. I don't usually wear my glasses when I go out to socialise with friends. I don't feel attractive in my glasses. I feel like a nerd - an unattractive, awkward person. The glasses I wear at the moment are very light and comfortable, but I feel totally unsexy in them. They are boring glasses. I like glasses that stand-out - glasses that people notice. The problem is, most sexy glasses have frames that are heavy and uncomfortable. When glasses are heavy, they give me a headache. My head gives me a pain. Also, the worst thing about wearing heavy glasses is that they make the bridge of your nose - the bridge is the top of the nose where glasses sit- go red. Your skin gets damaged by the heavy glasses, and over time, the shape of your nose changes. This is why I now wear boring, unsexy glasses. My eyesight is quite bad. I always need to wear glasses or contact lenses. As I look at the computer screen now where these words are typed in size 11 font - I cannot see anything without my glasses. Sometimes I wonder how about how it was for people before glasses had been invented. I imagine myself as an old, blind woman. I cannot see anything far away but I can close up to sew (this is when cloth is joined together to make clothes). I imagine myself sitting in a chair sewing. I imagine this as my life - blind, old, sitting in a chair, sewing. I can only see my hand in front of my face. I'm lucky to live in 2012! I wear contact lenses most days. They are often uncomfortable and irritate my eyes. If I ever sleep wearing my contact lenses, I usually wake up with red eyes and an eye infection. Swimming is not a good idea with contact lenses. Either in a swimming pool or in the sea, it really hurts if water touches my contact lenses. And sometimes - this is the most painful thing about contact lenses - a contact lens will fold over - will bend - while it's in my eye. For a moment it might even go to the back of my eye. It's a really sharp, sudden pain and I have to run to splash water on my eyelid - on the outside of my eye. I don't know why this happens, but it's really horrible. When I was at school I really didn't like wearing my glasses. I was embarrassed. In my school, boys and girls had separate classes. In fact we even had separate buildings. I didn't like the boys to see me wearing my glasses. This meant I could never really see what the boys looked like. I knew their names, but not their faces. When my friends talked about boys in our school I used to pretend I knew who they were talking about. The truth is I could never see these boys. I only knew their names. When I was in Nepal - this is a country next to India - I had a disaster with my glasses and contact lenses. My bed in Nepal was really hard - it was like sleeping on a park bench -it was a really uncomfortable bed. Much more like a piece of wood than a nice, soft bed. Anyway, when I was getting dressed one day I sat down on the bed, and heard a worrying crunch. The crunch was the sound of my glasses breaking. The bed was so hard that my glasses had snapped in half - right down the middle. One piece glass fell out.

Upper Intermediate vocabulary lesson and poem.   This week I tell you about my sleeping habits. Also includes Lesson Transcript and Vocabulary notes Sleep ESL mp3 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'm really not a morning person (someone who wakes up easily in the morning, with a big smile on their face). I always wake up at the very last minute. I usually have just  enough time to shower, dress, and eat breakfast before my first English lesson of the day.   But, around once a week - I confess that I stay in bed too long. I feel so sleepy. I can't wake up. When my alarm rings -- beep beep beep - I somehow turn it off without even realising.  I don't even seem to wake up. My sleeping body turns off the alarm clock.   This is a problem.  Suddenly, I wake up 10 minutes before my first lesson begins. There is no time to shower, to dress or to eat breakfast! Yes - I confess - when this happens I teach my first lesson in my pyjamas - in my sleeping clothes. You can do that when you work from home, and the best thing is, nobody knows!   People who prefer to stay up late at night and dislike waking up early are 'owls'. An owl is a nocturnal bird - a night time bird - twit twoo, twit twoo. I am definitely an owl. It is no problem for me to be awake at 1am or 2am when most people are asleep. On the other hand, people who love mornings are 'larks'. A lark is a different kind of bird that sings in the morning.  A lark is someone who naturally wakes up in the early morning, and usually likes to be in bed by 10pm.   I don't understand the ways of the larks. I cannot imagine what it is like to feel fresh and awake in the early morning. Unfortunately for me, I am an owl living in a lark's world. (A world where most people have to wake up early every day for work or school).  You lucky larks.   Of course, sometimes even larks have to stay up late. When someone has to stay up late to finish some work or to study for an exam, we say that they are burning the midnight oil. I often burnt the midnight oil while I was a student.  Once, I remember, working until 6am - 6am!) to finish an essay. I really was ready to hit the sack, ready to get a few hours sleep, at last. So I shut down my computer, I turned it off. Only then did I realise (that) I hadn't saved my essay. I had to start more or less from scratch - nearly from the beginning. I rewrote the essay very quickly - as if I was in an exam - because the essay had to be finished by the morning and I really didn't have much time - and somehow, to my complete surprise, it was the best essay I ever wrote. I got my highest ever mark, ever.   At the weekend, many people enjoy a lie-in. A 'lie-in' is when you stay in bed a few hours extra. Of course, I occasionally have a lie-in (for example if I was partying the night before). However, I feel really guilty and lazy if I get up after 11am. I feel like I have wasted the day by sleeping too much and too late. I also try not to nap - not to sleep in the afternoon. However, as I work from home, it is possible for me to nap. And sometimes I do, because the idea of a short sleep is irresistible.   Around 4pm in the afternoon is when I feel tired. I don't know why but it is so hard for me to stay awake. I usually yawn a lot - yarn - and try not to surrender to my desire to nap. This tired feeling passes after an hour and then I feel energetic. [excited] I have a lot of energy and can be very, very productive. I like doing creative things like working on my podcasts, at this time of day.   I don't usually have a problem falling asleep, thankfully I don't suffer from insomnia (insomnia is when someone can't sleep even though they're tired). The only time I can't sleep is when I hear a repetative noise - something like the tick tock, tick tock, of a clock. I have to remove clocks from the room because it drives me crazy to listen to them.    I can sleep in cars, on planes,

Upper Intermediate vocabulary lesson and song. This week's show is about my diet. I tell you about the things I don't eat. Also includes read-along transcript pdf with pictures and vocabulary list. english_diet.mp3 ---------- I would say that I have a very healthy diet - in general I have a healthy lifestyle. To many of you however, my diet may appear extreme - you may think of me as a food extremist because there are a lot of things I choose not to eat. So I want to tell you about the things I don't eat anymore, and how I feel about that. The first thing I stopped eating or drinking was milk.  I stopped drinking milk around three years ago. I suddenly realised that milk made me feel nauseous, it made me feel sick. After drinking milk in tea I would feel queasy. I would have a strange, tight feeling in my throat and my skin would itch. It was very uncomfortable. For me, this was a big decision. That's because milk is generally regarded as a healthy thing to drink. It is given to school children everyday. These days drinking milk is even advertised on the side of buses - on the side of buses there are pictures of famous people drinking milk. Here in the UK any people eat cereal with milk for breakfast and English tea famously has milk in it. I can only speak for myself, but I certainly feel better now I don't drink milk. For me, it was also a good decision to stop drinking milk because dairy cows are given a lot of antibiotics. Now I don't drink milk, I know I am not absorbing antibiotics from milk into my own body. The next thing I stopped consuming - the next thing I stopped drinking was coffee. Although I still like the taste of coffee I choose not to drink it.  That is because I think coffee is a drug. For me, it's even strange that although coffee is a drug with a good image. It is seen as something that makes us work harder and longer, and as something that helps us have a good time with friends. People don't think about how tired they feel a while after drinking coffee, or even how unpleasant it can make their breath smell! Early this year, I decided to stop eating meat. For 26 years I ate meat, and then I decided to stop. It wasn't very difficult because I didn't cook meat at home anyway. In fact,  It was more difficult for some of my friends and family to accept my decision. The reason I stopped is because I believe that animals have emotions and consciousness. I also felt I had no control over what happens to animals on farms. The animals might have had a bad life. And I [knew] I didn't want to eat animals that had suffered. I am not vegan - a person who does not eat or drink animal products - but I do limit - I do limit -  the amount of eggs and cheese I eat. That's easy for me because I don't want to eat eggs or cheese very often anyway. These days I don't buy eggs, butter, or cheese when I go shopping, when I go to the supermarket. When I stop eating a food it usually takes a few months for my body and cooking habits to adapt. Right now, I've stopped buying bread. I think in a few months' time it will be easy for me not to have bread in my diet. I've changed my diet so much in the last 5 years that it is now easy for me to give up - to stop eating or drinking - any food or drink. I make these changes because they feel like the right thing to do, for me. Some of my decisions - like not eating bread or drinking coffee - are decisions I made to feel healthier. I don't want what I eat or drink anything that steals my energy from me. I like to feel awake. I don't like it when food makes me feel tired. So why have I told you about all the things I don't eat or drink? Well, actually, I think it reveals quite a lot about English culture. It really isn't that unusual 'not to eat something' here. People usually choose 'not to eat something' because they think the food in question is bad for the environment, animals, or for their health.

Joddle talks about autumn in England and teaches you new English vocabulary. She also reads you a poem by Elizabeth Barret Browning 'The Autumn'. EFL ESL podcast for English culture fans and students of English. For Skype English lessons with Joddle, send her an email: info@joddle.co.uk Read along transcript and vocabulary notes

Jade talks about fancy dress parties. Just why is it that the English love to wear silly clothes when they go to a party? English culture and vocabulary lesson for an ESL / EFL audience Read pdf transcript and vocabulary list Email Joddle for Skype English lessons - info@joddle.co.uk

Vocabulary lesson on kissing. Teacher Jade tells you how the English like to kiss Read and listen by downloading the pdf transcript For online English lessons with teacher Jade, add me on Skype: joddle_m