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"Scrooge jumped out of bed and rushed over to the window, opened it, and put his head out. There was no fog, no mist; it was a clear, bright, cheerful day...."

This is the last chapter of Charles' Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol adapted to B2 level.

B2 phrases to listen for. What is the context of each word?

1) seasonal - refers to a time of year e.g. seasonal decorations (during the Christmas season)

2) remarkable - a wonderful qualities, for a person, perhaps intelligent, clever.

3) astonished - very surprised

4) absurd - ridiculous, very strange

5) cautious - being very careful because you are suspicious about something

6) arrogant - showing yourself to be superior to others

7) uncertain - not sure about something

8) delightful - wonderful, lovely

9) worthwhile - you do it because you know the results will be positive

10) unbearable - you can't stand something, usually a situation you want to get away from it

11) exceptional - of superior quality than other examples of something

12) priceless - so valuable it has no price at all

To read the answers to the task, go to my webpage: https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-219.htm

At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, grammar help and exercises and other English learning pages.
https://www.practisingenglish.com/

My latest novel for learners of B2 English is called The Tudor Conspiracy. You can see it on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/33Axu2N
https://amzn.to/33Axu2N

Be back soon with another podcast!
Mike Bilbrough (Secondary school English teacher and Doctor in English philology)

Write to Mike Bilbrough to ask a question or give an opinion.

Jonathon goes to the bank to claim his prize, but he comes away with something he didn't expect.

B2 phrases to listen for. What is the context of each phrase?

1, get rid of - try to make disappear

2, be taken in - makes you believe something bad

3, live for - be a very important thing in your life

4, fall apart - collapse, disappear so it exists no longer

5, see to something - make something happen

6, let somebody down - not help somebody so they are at a disadvantage

The vowels (a, e, i, o, u) have been taken out (unless the word begins with a vowel). Read the definition and guess the word in bold.

B1-level

1, tk cr of something - do something very carefully

2, shv - cut hair from face or legs

3, accnt - where you keep money in a bank

4, lk up - check sth in a book, computer, etc.

5, b in tch with - keep contact with

B2-level

1, attmpt - trying to do something

2, qlfd - somebody with the training and experience

3, mnnrs - behaving politely

4, stnnngly - very, very much, amazingly

5, blngngs - things that are yours

To see the answers: https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-218.htm

At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, grammar help and exercises and other English learning pages.
https://www.practisingenglish.com/

My latest novel for learners of B2 English is called The Tudor Conspiracy. You can see it on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/33Axu2N
https://amzn.to/33Axu2N

Be back soon with another podcast!
Mike Bilbrough (Secondary school English teacher and Doctor in English philology)

Write to Mike Bilbrough to ask a question or give an opinion.

English podcast story for B1, B2 levels (intermediate - upper intermediate) - Jonathon Baxter has spent ten years walking around Britain, playing his harmonica to survive. Then he decides to return to his home, but what will he find?

B2 phrases to listen for. What is the context of each phrase?

1, more or less (finished etc.) = nearly

2, obliged to = you have to

3, not have the slightest intention = (used in the neagative) not want or will not do something

4, neither (inversion = e.g. neither do I like...) / neither... nor... e.g. I don't want to do neither one thing or the other

5, drop in = an informal visit

6) turn up = arrive without an appointment

Vocabulary test

The vowels (a, e, i, o, u) have been taken out (unless the word begins with a vowel). Read the definition and guess the word in bold.

B1-level

1) ow - when you must pay somebody money because it is theirs

2) unbl - you cannot do it

3) brng up - the care and protection that parents give their children until they are adults

4) sgntr - your written name

5) lttry - tickets you buy to try to win a money prize

B2-level

1) dbt - the money you owe to somebody

2) dstrb - by making noise etc. other people get annoyed

3) incm - the money you earn in your job

4) py off - pay the money that you have borrowed

5) shbby - untidy clothes

You can find the answers at https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-217.htm

At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, grammar help and exercises and other English learning pages.
https://www.practisingenglish.com/

My latest novel for learners of B2 English is called The Tudor Conspiracy. You can see it on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/33Axu2N
https://amzn.to/33Axu2N

Be back soon with another podcast!
Mike Bilbrough (Secondary school English teacher and Doctor in English philology)

Write to Mike Bilbrough to ask a question or give an opinion.

B1 words and expressions studied:

In this B1-level podcast today, I'll also discuss 6 interesting intermediate B1-level words, which you can listen for while you listen to the short story.

Intermediate-level words and expressions:

lack of something - not enough of something

get rid of somebody - tell somebody to leave

out of work - to have lost your job

try your best - do a task the best way you can

stay behind - to wait after others have left

consist of something - talks about the parts of something

To see answers and read the full transcript, go to my website:
https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-216.htm

At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, grammar help and exercises and other English learning pages.
https://www.practisingenglish.com/

My latest novel for learners of B2 English is called The Tudor Conspiracy. You can see it on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/33Axu2N
https://amzn.to/33Axu2N

Be back soon with another podcast!
Mike Bilbrough (Secondary school English teacher and Doctor in English philology)

Write to Mike Bilbrough to ask a question or give an opinion.

In this B1-level podcast today I'll use lots of important vocabulary and expressions to talk about daily actions. I'll also discuss 10 interesting B1-level words, which you can listen for while you listen to the short story.

I'll analyse these intermediate-level words and expressions:

no going back - you cannot go to where you were earlier, or if you start something, you cannot leave it but must carry on.

warning - a notice or something spoken to tell us to be careful of a danger

damage your health - to harm (B2) or do something that can make you ill

step into / step out of - go in or out of something you get to by using your feet

fresh - can mean cool, such as a cool breeze (but not cold); it can also mean not bad when referring to fruit; or it can mean 'new' such as 'fresh ideas'

admire - to look at a picture etc. and realise you like it; or to look up to somebody (B2) when we think somebody is wonderful because of their qualities.

backwards - moving in the opposite way from forwards; or something like a word seen the other way around e.g. ENGLISH = HSILGNE

funny - amusing, it makes you laugh; also strange or peculiar

topic of discussion - a subject to talk about

can't help + verb + ing - something we do but perhaps should not do like eating too much chocolate.

For answers and transcript of story, see: https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-215.htm

At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, grammar help and exercises and other English learning pages.
https://www.practisingenglish.com/

My latest novel for learners of B2 English is called The Tudor Conspiracy. You can see it on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/33Axu2N
https://amzn.to/33Axu2N

Be back soon with another podcast!
Mike Bilbrough (Secondary school English teacher and Doctor in English philology)

Write to Mike Bilbrough to ask a question or give an opinion.

The upper-intermediate phrsal verbs studied in today's episode are:

look up to - admire somebody because of their qualities
fall apart - to break into pieces, probably because it's old
date from - saying how old something is, from what year something is
think sth over - consider something carefully
take on - offer a contract of work to somebody
miss out - not to take advantage of an opportunity which would bring benefits
come across - find something unexpectedly, find something you were not looking for or didn't expect to find
do without - not need something, even though it may or may not help you

Listen for the phrsal verbs in the story and not down the context. Youbcan find the answers at: https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-214.htm

At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, grammar help and exercises and other English learning pages.
https://www.practisingenglish.com/

My latest novel for learners of B2 English is called The Tudor Conspiracy. You can see it on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/33Axu2N
https://amzn.to/33Axu2N

Be back soon with another podcast!
Mike Bilbrough (Secondary school English teacher and Doctor in English philology)

Write to Mike Bilbrough to ask a question or give an opinion.

This is another podcast on B1 intermediate phrasal verbs - those a little difficult to learn. The ones I will talk about are:

put on - to switch on or activate some device (electrical?)
sign up - to join or becme part of a club etc.
show up - to arrive somewhere unexpectedly.
deal with - to try to resolve a problem
take up - to begin a new sport, hobby or other activity
carry on - to continue, often when things seem difficult.

Listen to the context these phrasal verbs are used in during the story. Answers are given at the end of the episode. You can read the full transcript of the story and read the answers at https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-213.htm

Solidarity with the people who have suffered after the Valencia storms (Spain)!

At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, grammar help and exercises and other English learning pages.
https://www.practisingenglish.com/

My latest novel for learners of B2 English is called The Tudor Conspiracy. You can see it on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/33Axu2N
https://amzn.to/33Axu2N

Be back soon with another podcast!
Mike Bilbrough (Secondary school English teacher and Doctor in English philology)

Write to Mike Bilbrough to ask a question or give an opinion.

The six B1 phrasal verbs studied are:
give up - stop doing some activity e.g. smoking, or a game because you are losing.
end up - to finish in a place probably you didn't expect to find yourself in.
put off - to do some activity at a later time.
set off - to start a journey.
run out - to find you have no more of something e.g. petrol in your car, milk in the fridge.
look forward - wait excitedly for an event to happen.

For story transcript and answers: https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-212.htm

At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, grammar help and exercises and other English learning pages.
https://www.practisingenglish.com/

My latest novel for learners of B2 English is called The Tudor Conspiracy. You can see it on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/33Axu2N
https://amzn.to/33Axu2N

Be back soon with another podcast!
Mike Bilbrough (Secondary school English teacher and Doctor in English philology)