The Clark and Miller English Podcast

Why are "a" and "the" like a stock market dance? What are "the cat rules"? Join me on my "hot take" on English articles and how we use them to invite people into our world and build relationships. In this episode I talk about: - how the grammar we use depends on what the other person knows, and why this is like a "stock market dance"; - what "the cat rules" are, and why they show us more than just some grammar rules; - how to use "the" to make a stronger bond between you and the person you're talking to; - why we don't use articles to talk about some places; - why Abra is one of the best R&B singers out there. I hope this podcast makes you think more deeply about how language (and articles) really work.

A fascinating conversation with the wonderfully engaging and enthusiastic Ariel Goodbody, teaching expert and presenter of the Easy Stories in English podcast. In this interview, we talk about: - how Ariel started Easy Stories in English; - Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS) - how to teach phrases rather than grammar; - how TPRS has a lot in common with Dogme and lexical learning; - how the word for “school” was the same word as “game,” and how this should inform our teaching; - why storytelling is beneficial to learning; - how to use stories to help business English students; - two tips for English teachers. If you’re interested in new and interesting ways of developing your teaching, then this is definitely the interview for you!

An interview with the amazing polyglot Lindsay from Lindsay Does Languages. I talk to Lindsay about: - How she got into learning languages; How food (and specifically bread) is a great motivator for learning languages; - 3 tips for overcoming the dreaded "intermediate plateau"; - 3 tips for learning a new language. Join us and pick up some great strategies for learning English.

Conversations can be hard sometimes – even in your first language. In this episode, I take a look at strategies to start, finish and keep alive a conversation in English. You'll never need to die of "awkward silence" again.

Sometimes your own culture can surprise you. After a couple of years away from the UK, I got some serious culture shock when I came back to visit. Pick up some advanced English phrases from the story of my trip. This is a full English listening lesson with phrases to download (from www.clarkandmiller.com/english-podcast), descriptions of the phrases and the opportunity to listen to the story twice -- the first time nice and slow and the second time faster and more natural. Good luck and, most importantly ... enjoy the story!

In this episode, I chat with Christian Saunders from Canguro English about language teaching methods, including: - Some obscure methods from the 19th century, - Superstitious pigeons (no, really), - The problem with testing and why we should burn the exams, - Whether Dogme is a problem without a solution, - What we can learn from the ancient Greeks, ... and much, much more. I really enjoyed this chat, and I hope you do, too.

Remember when studying was fun? When things were new and interesting? Well, you CAN enjoy studying again. The trick is NOT to make a study plan. Make a study menu instead. In this podcast episode, I give you some basic first steps to create your own self-study menu and get you enjoying it all again.

Sure, it's important to tell the truth and to make yourself clear, right? But what about comedy and sarcasm? What about using language to form closer relationships? In this episode, I chat with a French teacher and PhD student in musicology, about how we "break the communication rules" in order to communicate better. Learn how, by "flouting Grice's maxims," we use language in so many more ways than just giving and requesting information.

In this episode we explore the world of auxiliary verbs and how high-level English speakers use them all the time. Sometimes they make the language more efficient. But it gets better! You can use them to sound witty, to put people down, to bond with people and to play with words. Check out how auxiliary verbs work in each of these different situations.

Quick – answer this question: Why do we use the past simple tense? Did you say, “Er … to talk about the past, obviously”? Then how do you explain sentences like: “I wish I knew.” or “What was your name again?” But … but … these sentences aren’t about the past! What’s going on? You know what this means? It’s time to look at English verbs in a different way.