William Bullokar composed the first formal grammar of the English language in 1586. Prior to that point, the concept of grammar had been largely restricted to Latin. Bullokar's work extended the concept to English, but it did so by employing the Latin grammatical framework. This approach was followed by subsequent grammarians, and it has shaped the way schol ... Show More
Jul 15
Episode 184: Spelling Says a Lot (Part 1)
Over the course of the 1500s, English spelling started to become standardized, but the pronunciation of the language continued to change. By the early 1600s, English scholars noticed that spellings no longer reflected the way words were pronounced, and they recommended phonetic r ... Show More
1h 20m
May 13
Episode 183: The Fabric of Our Lives
In the early 1600s, cotton fabrics made in India were in high demand throughout Asia and Africa. When the English and Dutch arrived in India and Japan, they realized how popular the fabric was, and they soon began to ship it back to northern Europe. In this episode, we explore ho ... Show More
1h 16m
Mar 2025
Episode 182: World of Confusion
In the early 1600s, English began to spread around the world as speakers searched for new trading partners and new places to settle. Through that process, English become an international language, but as English speakers encountered people and languages in distant places, they so ... Show More
1h 15m
Apr 2025
#436 - How to Get Fluent in English WITHOUT Studying Grammar — What You Should Focus On Instead, Why Natives Don't Know Grammar, and How I Learned Verb Tenses in English
Listen with FREE Interactive Transcript only on the RealLife App. In today’s episode, Izzy dives into one of the most debated questions in language learning: Is grammar actually necessary to become fluent? If you’ve ever felt guilty for not remembering all the grammar rules, this ... Show More
22m 51s
May 2024
#49 - English Grammar - "YOUR vs YOU'RE" with Natasha!
Welcome back to another episode of Everyday English with E2. And this week, it’s all about grammar, and in particular, the homophones Your and You’re. These are some of the most common homophones that people confuse. Even native English speakers often use the incorrect versions o ... Show More
5m 21s
Jan 2021
Learn English Tenses: The Present Simple
Welcome to this English grammar lesson about the present simple tense. This is also a very common English verb tense, and it is very useful to learn it. Once you master it you'll be able to talk about the things you love and like, your habits and routines, and how to state f ... Show More
8m 41s
Feb 2022
The History of the English Language (The Podcast)
English is often called a "Germanic" language, and yet huge parts of it come from Latin and Greek. So: what gives? Here's the story of English, in 17 minutes.Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski.Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media.Transcr ... Show More
17m 41s