Stories and Questions to help you practice listening and writing skills. 

English Stories & Questions

Grammar and English tips for kids, beginners and intermediate students. 

Learn English with William

My story began in London 3 decades ago, but my travels into the teaching world would not take long to begin...

Stories from UK to China

Weekly Chinese Tuesday
Express “Cheap” in Chinese

Rachel's Weekly Chinese Podcast

Weekly Chinese

Correct the False sentence
1 A campaign is part of the countryside.....................................
2 If you convince somebody, you tell them something that isn't true....................
3 The source of something is.............................................
4 If you sign up to something, you formally agree to do it. ...................................................................
5 Coal and gas are examples of renewable energy ................................................
6 A target is something you want to reach or achieve .......................................................
7 A developing country is rich with lots of modern industry ......................................................
a Carbon dioxide is solid.................................................

English Mini Lessons

Savings the environment

En este episodio conocerás sobre Colombia, Su Cultura y Algunos Lugares Maravillosos que tiene Colombia para visitar, al final del episodio encontrarás un cuestionario que podrás responder en los comentarios si has escuchado atentamente el episodio. Con este episodio podrás elegir trabajar solo en tu compresión auditiva o hacer la actividad completa para poner aprueba tu input en español. 

Aprendiendo a lo Smart 

POR QUÉ ME ENCANTA COLOMBIA Episodio #4

JIM: Who’s the tall woman next to Barbara?
CHARLES: That’s her friend Mary. Didn’t you meet her at 
Steve’s party?
JIM: No, I wasn’t at Steve’s party.
CHARLES: Oh! Then let me introduce you to her now. Mary, this is
my friend Jim.
MARY: Hi, Jim. Nice to meet you.
JIM: You, too. Would you like a drink?
MARY: Sure, let’s go get one.


LANGUAGE NOTES
• “Who’s” is the contracted form of who is. It is pronounced the same way as “whose” (/
huwz/), but the meaning is different.
• Didn’t you meet her …? Notice that this is a negative question. Charles thought that Jim 
had met Mary before. He is now surprised that Jim does not know Mary, and so he uses a 
negative question to show his surprise.
• I wasn’t at Steve’s party. Notice that the emphasis here is on “at” although prepositions 
normally have weak stress. In this case, “at” means “there” (I wasn’t there).
• Mary, this is my friend Jim. This is a friendly way to introduce two people. It’s 
common to follow this with “Jim, this is Mary.” In this case, Mary says “Hi, Jim” first.
• Nice to meet you. This is a typical response after you’ve been introduced to someone.
• “Sure” is often used in informal conversation to mean “yes.”

English Conversation practice (30-day challenge)

Day4: Informal Introduction in English

In this episode, (B2-C2), we unpack the hidden dangers of perfectionism in language learning. While striving for accuracy can be helpful, an obsession with getting everything "just right" often leads to anxiety, procrastination, and slow progress. I explore how perfectionist habits can hold learners back from real-world communication and offer practical strategies to embrace mistakes, take risks, and grow with confidence. Tune in to learn why letting go of perfection is key to truly mastering a new language!

UK TALKS WITH LIZ

EPISODE 10: THE TRAP OF PERFECTIONISM

In this 1 minute episode I will be discussing 'British Politeness'.

Please find the transcript of the episode below.

Welcome to this British English podcast. 

In this episode I'll be discussing the topic 'British politeness'.

Brits, which is short for 'British people', are often known for being polite. 

Polite means "showing respect for other people". For example, many Brits often say 'please and thank you'.

In Britain, people often say 'sorry'. They use the word 'sorry' in many different situations. For example,

"sorry I'm late!" or if a person bumps into you, they will often say 'sorry' very quickly. 

 British people are indirect when speaking. For example, a British person wouldn't say
"give me the salt", instead they would say "could you pass me the salt, please?". 

Finally, British people love to queue. 
To queue means 'to wait in line'. They queue for everything! Especially the bus!

1 Minute British English Podcasts

British Politeness

Imagine yourself as a voice recorder. Adjust your very own speaking speed to:-
(1) extremely slow; 
(2) moderate pace and 
(3) rocket speed where we shall blast off! 

💃🏻111 Tips for Learning a Language 

Tip 16 - Adjust the Speed of your Speaking to Slow, Moderate and Fast.  

こんにちは！
Japanese daily life podcast のAtsushiです。
このPodcastは、日本語を楽しく勉強しているみなさんに向けたPodcastです。

ぼくの日常生活の話を聞くことで、日本語のリスニングをよくしたり、新しい言葉を知ってもらえたらいいなと思います。


みなさんお元気でしょうか。
今日もトルコからPodcastを録っています。


今回もみなさんに質問があります。

おおみそかって、知ってますか？

おおみそかは日本では12/31のことです。

一年の最後の日「大晦日」。

旧暦では毎月の最後の日を「晦日（みそか）」と言いました。

一年で最後で1番大事な日である12月31日を「大晦日」と呼ぶようになりました。

みなさんの国では何か特別な呼び方はありますか？


そんな話をオンラインレッスンでしましょう！
お待ちしています！

ということで、今回も最後まで聞いていただき、ありがとうございます！

ではまた！




