English spelling largely reflects the state of the language in the late 1500s. In this episode, we look at one of the first English spelling books, and we explore several plays by William Shakespeare to examine the way he rhymed words. We also explore the way modern spellings reflect the pronunciation of words during the Elizabethan period. Works discussed i ... 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
Feb 2023
Curtis Runstedler, "Alchemy and Exemplary Poetry in Middle English Literature" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023)
Curtis Runstedler's book Alchemy and Exemplary Poetry in Middle English Literature (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023) explores the different functions and metaphorical concepts of alchemy in fourteenth- and fifteenth-century Middle English poetry and bridges them together with the exempl ... Show More
59m 21s
Oct 2022
Free English Class! Topic: Same Pronunciation, Different Meanings and Spellings ⏸️🐾🐇
Welcome to this English lesson on Homophones. Homophones are words that are pronounced the same way, but they have different meanings and spellings. In this free English class I'll help you learn over 40 of them.
In this lesson I'll show you the words, and an image to h ... Show More
33m 25s
Jul 2024
#51 - English Spelling- Must Know Rules for Plural Nouns with Natasha!
Welcome to another episode of Everyday English with E2 where, each week, we focus on English grammar, vocabulary or pronunciation as well as some speaking, writing, reading and listening strategies. And this week, it’s all about spelling, and in particular, the spelling rules for ... Show More
7m 55s
Apr 2025
932. What is so great about Shakespeare? 🎭 (with Mum & Dad)
In this episode I talk to my parents about the topic of William Shakespeare. We discuss the enduring appeal and significance of William Shakespeare's work, biographical details of his life, the key themes in Shakespeare’s plays, and the impact of his language on modern English. W ... Show More
1h 30m
Dec 2023
365. How to pronounce P/T/K in words
In this episode we’re going to talk about the H, and talk about what happens to the T, K and P’s at the beginning of words (hint, it has to do with H’s).
For more resources watch these videos:
Silent H in English: https://hadarshemesh.com/magazine/the-h/
The American T Sound: htt ... Show More
13m 56s