
The Level Up English Podcast
🇬🇧 I'm Michael Lavers and this podcast will help you improve your English. I'm an online English teacher for students learning as a second language. In this podcast, I answer your questions about learning and help you achieve your goals in British English. Once a month I talk to a teacher or expert on topics related to language.
Latest episodes

Jul 5, 2023 • 30min
#227 Do Phrasal Verbs Need Prepositions?
I had a listener question about Phrasal Verbs and why some of them use prepositions even though the meaning seems to be the same without them.Can we say "Check it" and "Check it out"? What's the difference?I break down this question in detail and also talk about the difference between literal and idiomatic phrasal verbs. I hope you learn a lot today in this useful and information-packed episode. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast227Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.Level 3 is coming to Level Up English this August! Click here to claim your 60%! Be fast! Spaces are limited.Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.

Jun 28, 2023 • 31min
#226 Ask Me Anything 3
This is the first AMA (Ask Me Anything) episode I have done since #84! It's been a while, but this is where I reach out to Instagram to get some questions for me to answer on the podcast.If you like these episodes or have a question to submit for a future episode, get in touch with me on the website below or on Instagram. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast226Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.Level 3 is coming to Level Up English this August! Click here to claim your 60%! Be fast! Spaces are limited.Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.

Jun 21, 2023 • 40min
#225 Tips to Succeed in IELTS with Aubrey Carter
Aubrey Carter from All Ears English and IELTS Energy joins me today for a chat about the IELTS English exam, and a few other topics.We discuss tips for the exam as well as some interesting slang and vocabulary that would be useful for all learners!Should you use formal or informal English?Should you improve your English or study the exam structure?Useful vocabularyUsing idioms and slangNew English words that we have learnt recentlyAnd more!Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast225Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.Level 3 is coming to Level Up English this August! Click here to claim your 60%! Be fast! Spaces are limited.Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.

Jun 14, 2023 • 40min
#224 Eat or Eat Up? (Why We Always Say 'UP')
I got a question about adding "UP" to certain verbs and this learner wanted to know more. As I did more research, I was plunged into a rabbit hole of research and it turned out to be much more complicated than I first realised! I decided to try to tackle this topic in a podcast episode.Because there's a lot to talk about, this is just part 1. If you like this episode, let me know! If this one goes well, I'll do my best to make a part 2.In this episode, I talk about what a phrasal verb is, how 'up' can change the meaning of verbs, and 4 different grammar patterns you can learn to help you understand these words. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast224Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.Level 3 is coming to Level Up English this August! Click here to claim your 60%! Be fast! Spaces are limited.Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.

Jun 7, 2023 • 35min
#223 How to Get Natural English with Parallelism
I see a lot of writing mistakes with learners struggling with parallel structures, or parallelism. This is where features in a sentence have to follow the same grammatical patterns to sound natural.It may sound a bit confusing, but honestly, it's fairly simple once you understand the main idea. In this episode, I go through 7 examples of how to sound more natural with this grammar rule as I talk about some of my favourite travel memories. I encourage you to respond and do the same!Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast223Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.Level 3 is coming to Level Up English this August! Click here to claim your 60%! Be fast! Spaces are limited.Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.

May 31, 2023 • 26min
#222 What do British People Think of the Monarchy?
With the recent coronation of King Charles in the UK, people might be wondering why I haven't posted any content related to the royal family.Well, in this episode I'm going to be exploring the British opinion on the monarchy (based on Reddit posts) and sharing my own opinion at the end too.We explore a lot of vocabulary and I try my best to cover both sides of the argument, from those who think the monarchy is important to our culture, to those who want to see it abolished.What do you think? Join the conversation by tapping below. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast222Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.Level 3 is coming to Level Up English this August! Click here to claim your 60%! Be fast! Spaces are limited.Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.

May 24, 2023 • 35min
#221 The Importance of Sleep
Are you well-rested and ready to begin today's episode? Sleep is a vital part of human health and I explore this a bit in today's episode. I talk about the importance of sleep and how it related to learning and the mind. I explore the idea of comparing sleep to study time. Is it better to study more or sleep more?I share my thoughts and provide some statistics in today's episode, and as always, I'd love to hear your thoughts too! Leave your comments in the show notes below.Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast221Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.Level 3 is coming to Level Up English this August! Click here to claim your 60%! Be fast! Spaces are limited.Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.

May 17, 2023 • 48min
#220 Business English - Anna with 2Ns
Anna Connelly is known as Anna with 2Ns online and has her own podcast looking at Business English. She joins us today to discuss business English, giving presentations, job interviews, and more! Whether you need business English or not, I think there's a lot to learn from this conversation for general learners too. I hope you enjoy.Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast220Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.Level 3 is coming to Level Up English this August! Click here to claim your 60%! Be fast! Spaces are limited.Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.

May 10, 2023 • 33min
#219 Learn English with Jokes
Are you ready for a laugh? Well, I can't promise that. But I'll do my best! This is Part 2 of learning English with jokes and humour, where I'll be looking at puns you might find amusing while learning some useful vocabulary and expressions hidden within them.My hope is that you'll have fun with me today and learn something new as well. Find part 1 here: https://levelupenglish.school/podcast202Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast219Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.Level 3 is coming to Level Up English this August! Click here to claim your 60%! Be fast! Spaces are limited.Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.

May 3, 2023 • 34min
#218 4 Life Lessons from the World's Most Influential People
Are you looking for some inspiration this week?Today I look at 4 of the world's most influential people and share some valuable life lessons we can all learn from. I explain how I think these can be applied to language learners too! So if you're struggling with motivation, this is the episode for you.As always, there are lots of great vocabulary and phrases we look at along the way. Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast218Video Teaching from Signs: https://youtu.be/b5x3FWVJneUSign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.Level 3 is coming to Level Up English this August! Click here to claim your 60%! Be fast! Spaces are limited.Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessonsJoin Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.schoolBy becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.