

Thinking in English
Thomas Wilkinson
Thinking in English is a podcast for intermediate and advanced English learners who want to do more than just study grammar and vocabulary.
I believe that thinking is one of the most important steps on the road to fluency. That’s why each episode explores fascinating topics, from politics, economics, and history to philosophy, science, and culture.
Instead of simply learning English, this podcast helps you learn in English. You’ll expand your knowledge, discover new ideas, and improve your language skills, all at the same time.
Bonus episodes and ad-free episodes, exclusive for Patreon subscribers: https://www.patreon.com/collection/869866
Join our Conversation Clubs and support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/thinkinginenglish
Visit the website: https://thinkinginenglish.blog/
Thinking in English is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Contact advertising@airwavemedia.com to advertise on Thinking in English.
I believe that thinking is one of the most important steps on the road to fluency. That’s why each episode explores fascinating topics, from politics, economics, and history to philosophy, science, and culture.
Instead of simply learning English, this podcast helps you learn in English. You’ll expand your knowledge, discover new ideas, and improve your language skills, all at the same time.
Bonus episodes and ad-free episodes, exclusive for Patreon subscribers: https://www.patreon.com/collection/869866
Join our Conversation Clubs and support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/thinkinginenglish
Visit the website: https://thinkinginenglish.blog/
Thinking in English is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Contact advertising@airwavemedia.com to advertise on Thinking in English.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 26, 2023 • 24min
228. Most Famous Political Assassinations in History! (English Vocabulary Lesson)
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What is the most famous political assassination in modern history? Let’s take a look at five infamous assassinations, the leaders who were sadly killed, and the lasting legacies of these traumatic events!
TRANSCRIPT - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2023/04/26/most-famous-political-assassinations-in-history/
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Vocabulary
To assassinate (v) - to kill someone famous or important.
High-profile (adj) - attracting a lot of attention and interest from the public and newspapers, television, etc.
Speculation (n) - the activity of guessing possible answers to a question without having enough information to be certain.
Mourning (n) - great sadness felt because someone has died.
Exile (n) - the condition of someone being sent or kept away from their own country, village, etc., especially for political reasons.
Cover-up (n) - an attempt to prevent the public from discovering information about a serious crime or mistake.
To depose (v) - to remove someone important from a powerful position.
Assailant (n) - a person who attacks another person.
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Apr 24, 2023 • 21min
227. What is the United Nations? (English Vocabulary Lesson)
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The United Nations are one of the most important international organisations in the world… but how much do you really know about the UN? Let’s discuss the background, history, purposes, controversies, and future of the United Nations!
TRANSCRIPT - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2023/04/24/what-is-the-united-nations/
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Vocabulary
Principle (n) - a basic idea or rule that explains or controls how something happens or works.
Cooperation (n) – the act of working together for a shared purpose.
Forum (n) - a situation or meeting in which people can talk about a problem or matter especially of public interest.
Ground-breaking (adj) - If something is ground-breaking, it is very new and a big change from other things of its type.
Peacekeeping (n) - the activity of preventing war and violence, especially using armed forces not involved in a disagreement to prevent fighting.
Instrumental (adj) - If someone or something is instrumental in a process, plan, or system, that person or thing is one of the most important influences in causing it to happen.
Bureaucratic (adj) - involving complicated rules and processes that make something slow and difficult.
Isolationism (n) - the political principle or practice of showing interest only in your own country and not being involved in international activities.
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Apr 19, 2023 • 19min
226. What is Happening in Sudan? (English Vocabulary Lesson)
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Sudan is in a state of crisis. Conflict is raging between military and paramilitary forces, and ordinary Sudanese people are trapped in the middle of the violence. Today, let’s discuss the background of this conflict, why fighting started, and what the future holds for Sudan!
TRANSCRIPT - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2023/04/19/226-what-is-happening-in-sudan-english-vocabulary-lesson/
My Links
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Vocabulary
Paramilitary (adj) - A paramilitary group is organized like an army but is not official and often not legal.
Civilian (adj) - relating to a person who is not a member of the police or the armed forces.
Outbreak (n) - a sudden appearance of something, esp. of a disease or something else dangerous or unpleasant.
Coup d’état (n) - sudden defeat of a government through illegal force by a small group, often a military one
Transition (n) - a change from one form or type to another, or the process by which this happens.
To redeploy (v) - to move employees, soldiers, equipment, etc. to a different place or use them in a more effective way.
To bear the brunt (idiom) - Put up with the worst of some bad circumstance.
Ramification (n) - the possible results of an action.
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Apr 17, 2023 • 24min
225. What is NATO? (English Vocabulary Lesson)
Check Out English Learning for Curious Minds - https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts
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Earlier this month, Finland became the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, better known as NATO. Today, I want to explain the origins of NATO, its purpose, and discuss why Finland joining is a significant move!
TRANSCRIPT - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2023/04/17/225-what-is-nato/
My Links
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Vocabulary
Accession (n) - the time when a country officially joins a group of countries or signs an agreement.
Alliance (n) - a group of countries, political parties, or people who have agreed to work together because of shared interests or aims.
To reel (v) - If you reel, or your mind or brain reels, you feel very confused or shocked and unable to act.
Meaningful (adj) - useful, serious, or important.
Collective (adj) - done or shared by every member of a group.
To deter (v) - to prevent someone from doing something or to make someone less enthusiastic about doing something by making it difficult for that person to do it or by threatening bad results if they do it.
To constitute (v) - to form or make something.
Non-alignment (adj) - If a country is non-aligned, it does not support or depend on any powerful country or group of countries.
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Apr 12, 2023 • 23min
224. Why do Countries Have Different Names in Different Languages? (English Vocabulary Lesson)
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In English, we call Germany “Germany”; in German, it is “Deutschland”; in Japanese it is “Doitsu”; in French it is “Allemagne.” Today I want to look at why countries have different names in different languages!
TRANSCRIPT - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2023/04/12/224-why-do-countries-have-different-names-in-different-languages/
My Links
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Blog - thinkinginenglish.blog
Vocabulary
To name (v) - to give someone or something a name.
Endonym (n) - the name used to refer to a place by its inhabitants, as opposed to a name used by foreigners.
Exonym (n) - a name used by outsiders for a place.
Linguistic (adj) - connected with language or the study of language.
Variation (n) – something that is slightly different from the usual form or arrangement.
To derive (v) - to get something from something else.
To entrench (v) - to firmly establish something, especially an idea or a problem, so that it cannot be changed.
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Apr 10, 2023 • 23min
223. English Learning and Confucius: What Can We Learn From the Great Teacher and Philosophy? (English Vocabulary Lesson)
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Confucius is one of the most influential philosophers and teachers of all time. Today, I want to examine his approach to education and learning, and see if there are any lessons we can all learn from him!
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https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2023/04/10/223-english-learning-and-confucius/
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Vocabulary
Profound (adj) - felt or experienced very strongly or in an extreme way.
Disillusioned (adj) - disappointed and unhappy because of discovering the truth about something or someone that you liked or respected.
Multifaceted (adj) - having many different parts or sides.
To internalize (v) - to accept or absorb an idea, opinion, belief, etc. so that it becomes part of your character.
Noble (adj) - moral in an honest, brave, and kind way.
Imitation (n) - an occasion when someone or something copies another person or thing.
Worthy (adj) - deserving respect, admiration, or support.
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Apr 5, 2023 • 20min
222. What is Gene-Edited Food? And Should We Be Eating It? (English Vocabulary Lesson)
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What is gene-edited food? Why is it controversial? And should we be eating it? Let’s discuss this today and learn some new vocabulary at the same time!
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TRANSCRIPT - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2023/04/05/221-what-is-gene-edited-food-and-should-we-be-eating-it/
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Vocabulary
Gene (n) - a part of the DNA in a cell that controls the physical development, behaviour, etc. of an individual plant or animal and is passed on from its parents.
Resilient (adj) - able to improve quickly after being hurt or being ill.
To breed (v) - to keep animals or plants for the purpose of producing young animals or plants, often for chosen qualities.
Organism (n) - a single living plant, animal, virus, etc.
Mutation (n) - the way in which genes change and produce permanent differences:
To exacerbate (v) - to make something that is already bad even worse.
Yield (n) - an amount of something positive, such as food or profit, that is produced or supplied.
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Apr 3, 2023 • 21min
221. Is English Still a Colonial Language? English as a Lingua Franca! (English Vocabulary Lesson)
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English is the global lingua franca – the language of international business, diplomacy, and education. But why? Is English still a colonial language?
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TRANSCRIPT - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2023/04/03/220-is-english-still-a-colonial-language/
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Vocabulary
Lingua franca (n) - a language used for communication between groups of people who speak different languages.
Colonial (adj) - relating to a colony or colonialism.
To impose (v) - to force someone to accept something, especially a belief or way of living.
Dominance (n) - the quality of being more important, strong, or successful than anything else of the same type.
Legacy (n) - something that is a part of your history or that remains from an earlier time.
To marginalize (v) - to treat someone or something as if they are not important.
Imbalance (n) - a situation in which two things that should be equal or that are normally equal are not
To homogenise (v) - to change something so that all its parts or features become the same or very similar.
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Mar 29, 2023 • 21min
220. Why are People Protesting in Israel? (English Vocabulary Lesson)
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"The biggest crisis in the history of the country". This is how one key politician has described the massive wave of protests, unrest, and strikes currently affecting Israel. Let’s look at why people are taking to the streets and what is causing so much anger on today’s episode of Thinking in English!
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TRANSCRIPT - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2023/03/29/220-why-are-people-protesting-in-israel/
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Vocabulary
To take to the streets (idiom) - When people take to the streets, they express their opposition to something in public and often violently.
To walk out (phrasal v) - to refuse to continue working and leave your office, factory, etc. to show your employer that you are unhappy about something.
Reform (n) – a change or set of changes made to a system, law, organization, etc. in order to make it more modern or effective.
Judicial (adj) - relating to the legal system and the branch of government responsible for the legal system
Unfit (adj) - not suitable or good enough for a particular purpose or activity.
To undermine (v) - to make someone less confident, less powerful, or less likely to succeed, or to make something weaker, often gradually.
Rupture (n) - an occasion when something explodes, breaks, or tears.
Unrest (n) - disagreements or fighting between different groups of people.
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Mar 27, 2023 • 27min
219. Who Was the Most Powerful Woman in History? (English Vocabulary Lesson)
Who was the most powerful woman in history? Was it the only female emperor of China? A female Egyptian Pharaoh who built great temples? Or the Iron Lady who’s economic policies are still influential today? Let’s discuss this on today’s episode of Thinking in English!
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TRANSCRIPT - https://thinkinginenglish.blog/2023/03/27/219-who-was-the-most-powerful-woman-in-history/
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Vocabulary
Diffuse (adj) - spread out and not directed in one place.
To relegate (v) - to put someone or something into a lower or less important rank or position.
Trappings (n) - all the things that are part of or typical of a particular job, situation, or event.
To seize (v) - to take using sudden force.
To solidify (v) - to become or make something become certain.
Feeble (adj) – weak and without energy, strength, or power.
Manoeuvring (n) - the action of cleverly planning something to get an advantage.
Sweeping (adj) - affecting many things or people; large.
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