Plain English

The Communist Party of China has proposed changing to constitution to remove term limits for Chinese president Xi Jinping in a break with the country's tradition of changing leaders every decade. The move caused a backlash on Chinese social media. In the second half of the podcast, we talk about the English expression “akin to.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/26      Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？ The episode transcripts include instant translations from English to Spanish, Portuguese, French and Chinese. Hover over or tap a highlighted word for the translation. Connect with Jeff on Twitter (@PlainEnglishPod) and Facebook (PlainEnglishPod). Or e-mail jeff@plainenglish.com If you like the program, please leave a review or rating wherever you listen. It will help others discover the program. Never miss an episode! Sign up to receive updates from Plain English at http://www.plainenglish.com/mail  Subscribers get exclusive links for further reading and additional practice with common English words and phrases. Learn English with podcasts! Use Plain English and other podcasts to build your English vocabulary, improve your listening skills, and speak English better.

Billy Graham, the American preacher whose crusades personally reached hundreds of millions of people, died at age 99. He became just the fourth private citizen to lie in honor at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, DC. Through his remarkable career, he counseled 12 U.S. presidents, preached with Martin Luther King, Jr., and consoled the American people after tragedy. In the second half of the program, we review how to use the phrasal verb “carry out.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/25      Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？ The episode transcripts include instant translations from English to Spanish, Portuguese, French and Chinese. Hover over or tap a highlighted word for the translation. Connect with Jeff on Twitter (@PlainEnglishPod) and Facebook (PlainEnglishPod). Or e-mail jeff@plainenglish.com If you like the program, please leave a review or rating wherever you listen. It will help others discover the program. Never miss an episode! Sign up to receive updates from Plain English at http://www.plainenglish.com/mail  Subscribers get exclusive links for further reading and additional practice with common English words and phrases. Learn English with podcasts! Use Plain English and other podcasts to build your English vocabulary, improve your listening skills, and speak English better.

A 17-year-old shot and killed 17 people at a school he once attended in Florida. Another 12 people were injured in the attack. Mass shootings at schools and in public places are an unfortunate exception to the improving overall safety in America. The English phrase “pour out” means to empty. Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/24      Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？ The episode transcripts include instant translations from English to Spanish, Portuguese, French and Chinese. Hover over or tap a highlighted word for the translation. Connect with Jeff on Twitter (@PlainEnglishPod) and Facebook (PlainEnglishPod). Or e-mail jeff@plainenglish.com If you like the program, please leave a review or rating wherever you listen. It will help others discover the program. Never miss an episode! Sign up to receive updates from Plain English at http://www.plainenglish.com/mail  Subscribers get exclusive links for further reading and additional practice with common English words and phrases. Learn English with podcasts! Use Plain English and other podcasts to build your English vocabulary, improve your listening skills, and speak English better.

The Lunar New Year began this week with celebrations across Asia. In China, families follow traditions associated with good luck, dressing in new clothes, eating long noodles to symbolize a long life, and giving gifts wrapped in red. Large cities around the world mark the New Year with fireworks and parades. In the second half of the program, we talk about the phrasal verb “sweep away.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/23      Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？ The episode transcripts include instant translations from English to Spanish, Portuguese, French and Chinese. Hover over or tap a highlighted word for the translation. Connect with Jeff on Twitter (@PlainEnglishPod) and Facebook (PlainEnglishPod). Or e-mail jeff@plainenglish.com If you like the program, please leave a review or rating wherever you listen. It will help others discover the program. Never miss an episode! Sign up to receive updates from Plain English at http://www.plainenglish.com/mail  Subscribers get exclusive links for further reading and additional practice with common English words and phrases. Learn English with podcasts! Use Plain English and other podcasts to build your English vocabulary, improve your listening skills, and speak English better.

A fan-produced movie called “Voldemort: Origins of the Heir” was released on YouTube last month, free of charge. The movie is an unofficial “prequel” that tells the story of how Tom Riddle became Voldemort. Warner Brothers, the Hollywood studio that owns the rights to Harry Potter films, allowed the movie to be produced as long as it was released without charge. Plus, learn English phrasal verb “come out” when talking about books and movies. Movie link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6SZa5U8sIg Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/22     Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？ The episode transcripts include instant translations from English to Spanish, Portuguese, French and Chinese. Hover over or tap a highlighted word for the translation. Connect with Jeff on Twitter (@PlainEnglishPod) and Facebook (PlainEnglishPod). Or e-mail jeff@plainenglish.com If you like the program, please leave a review or rating wherever you listen. It will help others discover the program. Never miss an episode! Sign up to receive updates from Plain English at http://www.plainenglish.com/mail  Subscribers get exclusive links for further reading and additional practice with common English words and phrases. Learn English with podcasts! Use Plain English and other podcasts to build your English vocabulary, improve your listening skills, and speak English better.

PyeongChang, South Korea, is host to the Winter Olympics. In the chilly opening ceremony, North and South Korea marched under one flag—and one athlete marched without a shirt on. A 17-year-old American won a gold medal in snowboarding. The third time was the charm for PyongChang because it lost two previous bids; we talk about how to use “the third time’s the charm” in English. Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/21    Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？ The episode transcripts include instant translations from English to Spanish, Portuguese, French and Chinese. Hover over or tap a highlighted word for the translation. Connect with Jeff on Twitter (@PlainEnglishPod) and Facebook (PlainEnglishPod). Or e-mail jeff@plainenglish.com If you like the program, please leave a review or rating wherever you listen. It will help others discover the program. Never miss an episode! Sign up to receive updates from Plain English at http://www.plainenglish.com/mail  Subscribers get exclusive links for further reading and additional practice with common English words and phrases. Learn English with podcasts! Use Plain English and other podcasts to build your English vocabulary, improve your listening skills, and speak English better.

Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny was arrested on his way to a rally in Moscow. Navalny is the leader of a movement to boycott the upcoming presidential election in March. He wanted to be a candidate, but was barred due to a conviction that was widely considered to be political. Will his supporters vote against Putin or boycott the election? Plus, we talk about how to use “turn out” to describe how many people attend an event or participate in an election. Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/20     Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？ The episode transcripts include instant translations from English to Spanish, Portuguese, French and Chinese. Hover over or tap a highlighted word for the translation. Connect with Jeff on Twitter (@PlainEnglishPod) and Facebook (PlainEnglishPod). Or e-mail jeff@plainenglish.com If you like the program, please leave a review or rating wherever you listen. It will help others discover the program. Never miss an episode! Sign up to receive updates from Plain English at http://www.plainenglish.com/mail  Subscribers get exclusive links for further reading and additional practice with common English words and phrases. Learn English with podcasts! Use Plain English and other podcasts to build your English vocabulary, improve your listening skills, and speak English better.

In one of America’s strangest holidays, a groundhog predicts that winter will last six more weeks. The tradition inspired the 1993 movie “Groundhog Day” and draws large crowds to a small town in western Pennsylvania. The groundhog says we have to suffer through six more weeks of winter—his usual prediction—and we talk about what “suffer through” means. Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/19     Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？ The episode transcripts include instant translations from English to Spanish, Portuguese, French and Chinese. Hover over or tap a highlighted word for the translation. Connect with Jeff on Twitter (@PlainEnglishPod) and Facebook (PlainEnglishPod). Or e-mail jeff@plainenglish.com If you like the program, please leave a review or rating wherever you listen. It will help others discover the program. Never miss an episode! Sign up to receive updates from Plain English at http://www.plainenglish.com/mail  Subscribers get exclusive links for further reading and additional practice with common English words and phrases. Learn English with podcasts! Use Plain English and other podcasts to build your English vocabulary, improve your listening skills, and speak English better.

A Mexican government official suggested legalizing marijuana in tourist areas to reduce violence, but a majority of Mexicans appear to be against the idea. Canada and several US states have made the drug legal for recreational use. Would Mexico ever follow their lead in legalizing marijuana? Plus, we review what it means to “get your fix” of something—be it drugs or chocolate. Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/18     Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？ The episode transcripts include instant translations from English to Spanish, Portuguese, French and Chinese. Hover over or tap a highlighted word for the translation. Connect with Jeff on Twitter (@PlainEnglishPod) and Facebook (PlainEnglishPod). Or e-mail jeff@plainenglish.com If you like the program, please leave a review or rating wherever you listen. It helps others discover the program. Never miss an episode! Sign up to receive updates from Plain English at http://www.plainenglish.com/mail  Plus, get links to English articles and two additional words each week. Want to learn more about Jeff? Check out the interview he did with Katie from ESL Expressions at http://www.plainenglish.com/interview 

One of the biggest dates on the American cultural calendar is the first weekend of February—Super Bowl Sunday. On this episode of Plain English, we talk about the American traditions for football’s biggest game, including the halftime show, the commercials, and the ways you can bet on the game. The game pits the Patriots against the Eagles, and we’ll explain what it means to pit one thing against another. Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/17     Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？ The episode transcripts include instant translations from English to Spanish, Portuguese, French and Chinese. Hover over or tap a highlighted word for the translation. Connect with Jeff on Twitter (@PlainEnglishPod) and Facebook (PlainEnglishPod). Or e-mail jeff@plainenglish.com If you like the program, please leave a review or rating wherever you listen. It will help others discover the program. Never miss an episode! Sign up to receive updates from Plain English at http://www.plainenglish.com/mail  Subscribers get links for extra reading and a bonus vocabulary word for each episode. Want to learn more about Plain English? Check out the interview Jeff did with Katie from ESL Expressions at http://www.plainenglish.com/interview