Conversation & Pronunciation: Learn English with The Rachel's English Podcast
Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Episodes
025: New Year's Resolutions
27 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Do you make New Year's Resolutions? Today we discuss the kinds of resolutions we make, and discuss tips on how to keep them. Learn what a SMART goal i...
024: The Best Present You've Ever Gotten
20 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Today we talk about the best present we've ever gotten, and define interesting words, terms, and phrases that come up in natural conversation. Learn t...
023: Conversations: Describe a Recent Situation that Made you Crack Up
13 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
David and I ask each other questions to get the conversation going – then we stop when we use an idiom, phrasal verb, or challenging vocabulary word...
022: Phrases for being Polite in American English
06 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
When we were in Italy recently, we often struggled with knowing the polite way to phrase a request or ask for something. We could get the point acro...
021: Our Experience Being Non-Native Speakers
29 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Today we reflect on our trip to Italy and what is was like being non-native speakers. We discuss how we picked up language there, and how it felt not ...
020: Letting Go of Inhibitions and Embodying a New Language
22 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Today we listen to a conversation that we recorded in Italy with my sister- and brother-in-law as we discuss what it means to be in another country, t...
019: Conversations: What are some of the Great Things about Living in Philadelphia?
15 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Today we study casual English conversation as David and I ask each other questions like: Think back 10 years. What's something that has changed about ...
018: Taking the IELTS Speaking Test - Interview with Eliot Friesen of Magoosh
08 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The IELTS exam tests your proficiency in English, and today we sit down with IELTS expert Eliot Fresien of Magoosh. He has created a training program ...
017: Conversations: What's the Most Challenging Job you've Ever Had?
01 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Today David and I ask each other a series of questions to get the conversation going. Then we stop ourselves as idioms, phrasal verbs, or interesting ...
016: Friendships in America
25 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Today we answer questions about making with Americans—and growing friendships with Americans. Is it normal to have good friends of both sexes? Do Am...
015: Diphthongs
18 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Today we do a deep-dive into the American English diphthongs. How many are there, and why doesn't everyone agree with the number? We discuss the diffe...
014: Conversations: Name an Embarrassing Moment you've had as an Adult
11 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Today David and I ask each other a series of questions to get the conversation going, then we stop ourselves as idioms, phrasal verbs, or interesting ...
013: Interview with Brooke Kandel-Cisco on Teaching ESL Teachers
04 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
David and I sit down with Butler University professor Brooke Kandel-Cisco to discuss teaching English as a Second Language. We talk about the standa...
012: Family Relationships and Idioms
27 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This week's episode is a companion to the vocabulary builder video published on YouTube and the website. We discuss more complicated family relation...
011: Vowels, Part 2
20 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In Part 2 of the Vowels series, we discuss the remaining vowels in English: EH [ɛ], UR [ɜ], OO [u], UH [ʊ], another UH [ʌ], and the Schwa [ə]. ...
010: Vowels, Part 1
13 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
David and I discuss five of the 11 vowels of American English, and go over the various ways each sound can be spelled. This leads to discussions of ...
009: Rural Juror - Your Pronunciation Questions Answered
06 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
David and I answer your questions from YouTube. How is ACTUAL actually pronounced? Is it okay to use American idioms and slang during the IELTS sp...
008: Food Idioms! Small Peanuts, White on Rice and so much more!
30 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
David and I cover just some of the MANY idioms that are in use in daily English conversation -- some of those relating to food: Icing on the cake, h...
007: Interview with an American Adult Learning English AGAIN - Dave Valiulis
23 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I interview stroke survivor Dave Valiulis. There's a lot to learn about mastering an accent from someone who had to relearn a langu...
006: Pig vs. Pick, How to Understand People from all over the World, and more
16 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
I answer your pressing questions on English pronunciation, how to understand people from all over the world, the Flap T, and more, with the help of my...
005: Interview with Vicki Hollett
09 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Author and English teacher Vicki Hollett gives grammar tips, talks about British vs. American English, moving to America as an adult, and how to get t...
004: T Pronunciations (Flap T, Stop T, True T)
02 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The letter T is not always what we think of as a T. In fact, MOST of the time it's not. So then what is it? What are the rules for how to pronounce T?...
003: COLLAR vs. COLOR, The T in DEFINITELY, and more
26 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This week's show answers questions from you, the students. Rachel and David will discuss the difference between COLLAR and COLOR (AH [ɑ] and UH [ʌ])...
002: American English Slang - Fly, Throw Shade, and More!
17 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
American slang is used a lot by young people in the US. If you don't know the terms, it can be very hard to join in the conversation, even for nativ...
001: Who is Rachel?
15 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Learn more about how Rachel's English was started, and how I got the skills I need to help my students understand and speak natural American Englis...