 "The Umbrella Man" is  a great short story by Roald Dahl, who was a very famous British writer. I will read Part One to you and then highlight some key vocabulary. I guarantee you will be excited to hear Part Two next week. 

Stories to Stimulate!

The Umbrella Man - Part One

Mabel nos cuenta su problema. Debes escuchar esta grabación y responderle en un texto escrito con recomendaciones, deseos y emociones que usen el subjuntivo en presente y en pasado. 

Consejero espiritual y subjuntivo

El problema de Mabel

中文小课堂

花的名字

Are there any modern-day slaves?
Angela reads the basic text from this lesson, (transcript available when you take this lesson).

This topic is also available for intermediate and higher-level learners.


English with Angela -  conversation 

TASK 50 - SLAVERY 

IELTS Preparation. Band 8-9 Answers. Part 3 - Influence of television. Q5-6.

5. What effects can watching television have on children?
6. How TV programmes differ now than that of 10 years ago?

Which idea can you use in your answers if the same type of question would come up on your test?

For more IELTS podcasts - check my podcasts section and get more ideas.

To be trained by me personally - send a class request.


IELTS-SPEAKING 8-9 BAND IS POSSIBLE. DAILY SPEAKING PRACTICE PART 1,2 & 3. Listen daily.

IELTS Preparation. Band 8-9 Answers. Part 3 - Influence of television. Q5-6.

Luke Littler became the youngest world champion in darts history on January 3 when the 17-year-old Englishman beat three-time champion Michael van Gerwen 7-3 in the final.

"Everyone dreams of lifting this trophy," Littler said after beating van Gerwen. "I can't believe it."

The teenager has also become a sporting sensation. He's an ordinary English teenager who enjoys fast food and video games but has an extraordinary talent for throwing darts.

That talent has earned him fame and fortune. He made $1.28 million in prize money during 2024 and he added another $620,000 to that when he won the 2025 World Championship.

He has become one of the most talked about sports stars in the UK since finishing as the World Championship runner-up in 2024.

According to Google, he was the most searched sportsperson in the UK in December, and the third-most searched celebrity, behind only Donald Trump and Kate Middleton.

Littler's success has also helped bring darts back into the mainstream.

Although Littler is young, he's been working at his game for more than a decade. There are videos of him throwing magnetic darts while still wearing a diaper.

Van Gerwen was previously the youngest world champion in the elite Professional Darts Corporation competition, winning the 2014 final at age 24.

Van Gerwen said losing his record "hurt" but was full of praise for Littler.

"Every 17 years a star gets born," Van Gerwen said, "and he is one of them."

Many were already wondering if Littler can reach Phil Taylor's record of 16 world titles. Claiming a first title at age 17 will now supercharge that conversation.

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

17-Year-Old Becomes Youngest Darts World Champion

🎧 2-Minute Daily Podcast for Professionals

Why does your voice freeze when the stakes are high?
This mini audio will show you what’s really going wrong — and how I coach high-level professionals to sound calm, clear, and powerful under pressure.

If you’re tired of sounding robotic or rehearsed in interviews, Zooms, or presentations…
This one’s for you.

🎁 Drop a 🎤 if you want a free personalized voice unlock exercise.

The Habits of Highly Effective English Communicators

Why Your Voice Freezes Under Pressure — and How to Break It

f you're going to exercise, you have to stretch, right?

Well, maybe not.

The answer might depend on your goals, and what you mean by "stretch."

There are different types of stretches.

In what are known as "static" stretches, you hold a single position for perhaps as long as 60 to 90 seconds. These stretches are great for increasing flexibility.

But there are also "dynamic" stretches, where you repeatedly — but carefully — move your joints through their full range of motion.

Expert opinion on how to use these stretches has changed over the years. But it's now generally believed that dynamic stretching is best before you exercise, while static stretching is better after.

As Alisa Bowman writes for the Mayo Clinic, dynamic stretching helps improve blood flow and joint mobility, which gets your body ready to exercise. Studies have even found that dynamic stretching before exercise can improve your performance.

Meanwhile, some research has found that static stretching can temporarily weaken your muscles, which is why it's generally no longer recommended before certain sports — and especially not for high-performance athletes.

Instead, static stretches are typically recommended for helping to relax your muscles after exercise. Since you've been moving and increasing blood flow to your joints and muscles, you'll actually be more flexible, so you'll get more benefit from those stretches.

But while you may have been told that stretching will reduce soreness after you exercise, research has found that it really doesn't make much difference.

You've also probably been told to stretch to avoid injuries. But research doesn't seem to support that either — especially for static stretching.

Writing for WebMD, Sonya Collins says that, as long as you stretch sometime, it's fine if you don't do it around the time you exercise.

In fact, some experts say if you're short on time, it's better to exercise without doing any stretching than to cut your workout short!

Do You Really Need to Stretch When You Exercise?

It helps you to talk about your daily activity