logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2023
53m 45s

One-Armed Paper Hanger (Rebroadcast) - 3...

Hosted by Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett. Produced by Stefanie Levine.
About this episode
The emotional appeal of handwriting and the emotional reveal of animal phrases. Should children be taught cursive writing in school, or is their time better spent studying other things? A handwritten note and a typed one may use the very same words, but handwritten version may seem much more intimate. Plus, English is full of grisly expressions about animals ... Show More
Up next
Apr 20
Funny Papers (Rebroadcast) - 20 April 2026
There are word nerds, and then there’s the woman who set up a folding chair on sidewalks throughout the country, cheerfully dispensing tips about grammar. She recounts her adventures in a new book. And the story of the brilliant pioneer of computing language whose name lives on i ... Show More
53m 45s
Apr 13
Buttons on Ice Cream - 13 April 2026
How do dictionaries define colors? And why are some of those definitions so confusing, like “stronger than carmine” and “bluer than fiesta”? Dictionary editor Kory Stamper explains it all in her new book. Plus, the story behind the expression more bang for your buck goes back to ... Show More
53m 45s
Apr 6
Go Bananas (Rebroadcast) - 6 April 2026
A caller wonders if she’s being hypersensitive about the way her boss addresses her in emails. Can the use of an employee’s first name ever reflect a power differential? And: a community choir director wants a term for “the act of gathering to sing for the pure joy of it, without ... Show More
53m 45s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2023
#215 Animal Idioms You Can Use in Daily Conversation
In this week's episode, we're exploring the fun topic of animals, except we're not learning simple animal words or noises they make. This is more advanced.We'll be looking at a few animal idioms, expressions and phrasal verbs that you can use in your daily life. Native speakers u ... Show More
31m 18s
Mar 2023
140.2. - The Story of Dr. Seuss ("The Father of Children's Literature")
If you don’t know who Dr. Seuss is, you should! He was a cartoonist and author who brought us The Cat in the Hat, The Grinch, Green Eggs and Ham, and more than 40 other incredible books for children—and adults—around the world. He’s often called “the father of contemporary childr ... Show More
39m 49s
Mar 2023
140 - Expression: Cat Got Your Tongue?
It's a ridiculous visual, is it not?! If the cat's got your tongue, you can't talk, you're speechless! And that's pretty much how we use it in English conversation. We often ask someone "Cat got your tongue?" in situations when they can't respond, or they don't respond. Listen to ... Show More
19m 57s
Mar 2024
Chatterbox #317 – Trend Predictions for 2024 from the USA
In this episode, Andrew and Anna continue exploring trend predictions. This time, they’re looking into five trend predictions coming out of America. They talk about all the details and share their own opinions and attitudes towards these trends. By studying with this audio lesson ... Show More
45m 22s
Nov 2022
133.2 - Common Similes with Liz (16 - 30)
A simile, according to Oxford Languages is “a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid.” A similes comparison that the words like or as to compare things. In today’s lesson, Liz and I will be goin ... Show More
40m 32s
Nov 2022
133 - Common Similes with Liz (1-15)
A simile, according to Oxford Languages is “a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid.” In today’s lesson, Liz and I will be going through 15 common similes that you’ll hear in everyday conversat ... Show More
38m 28s
Sep 2023
151 - Expression: To Steer Clear
This lesson has two parts. In part one, you'll learn the common English expression "to steer clear," you'll hear a joke and you'll do some pronunciation exercises. In part two (which will be posted shortly), we'll be talking about moose in the US. You know what a moose is, right? ... Show More
16m 21s
Jul 2021
What the Two Spellings of Stationary/ery Have to Do with Booksellers. Why Pronunciations Change.
"Stationary" and "stationery" have the same ultimate origin, but they evolved to have different meanings and one became tied to paper goods. Also, a recent survey in the UK highlighted pronunciations that annoy people. We look at which ones and why.THIS WEEK ONLY: Make a donation ... Show More
15m 13s
May 2024
IELTS Energy 1380: How to Tackle IELTS Speaking Answers About Animals
Today you'll hear fabulous native IELTS answers to speaking questions about animals. Most people do not talk about this topic on a daily basis, so hearing our model answers is vital! Make sure to take notes on our special animal vocabulary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ... Show More
15m 18s
Oct 2021
#256 15+ English Animal Idioms & How to Use Them
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In today's podcast episode, you'll get some more practice with your English idiomatic vocabulary by learning some animal idioms. Idioms are a type of figurative language which can be very confusing for English language learners. Now, there are t ... Show More
37m 45s