Slow English with James (Intermediate English Listening Practice)

James Bradley English
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Improve your English listening every week. Slowly spoken native British English. Support the podcast and get transcripts & flashcards: https://www.patreon.com/jamesbradleyenglish

  1. 2 DAYS AGO

    How Do Rollercoasters Work?

    In this episode, I go to one of Spain’s biggest theme parks for my birthday. Between the screams, the speed, and the silence before each drop, I start to wonder how these machines really work. Why don’t they fall off the track? Why do they feel so scary but stay so safe? It’s a story about design, fear, trust, and how we find excitement in things that could never actually hurt us. ✨ EPISODE TRANSCRIPT ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/posts/140895765 🧠 Today We Learn: Vocabulary: Theme Parks & Rollercoasters, Engineering & Mechanics, Sensations & Emotions Grammar: Passive Voice, Causatives (to have / get something done), Adverbial Clauses of Contrast 😎 Too easy? Search: “Everyday English with James” (advanced) 🐣 Too difficult? Search: “Beginner English with James” (beginner)

    10 min

  2. 3 OCT

    What Breaking a Bone Feels Like

    In this episode, I take you back to a cold winter day in London. One small show-off stunt, a sheet of frost, and a fall that changed more than I expected. It’s a story about pride, pain, and what it really feels like when a bone breaks. ✨ EPISODE TRANSCRIPT ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/posts/140372624 🧠 Today We Learn: Vocabulary: Injuries & Pain, Medical & Healing Grammar: Question Tags at the end of a sentence to check or confirm something, Past Perfect to talk about something that happened before another past action, Modals of Deduction using modal verbs (must, might, can’t) to say how sure we are about something. 😎 Too easy? Search: “Everyday English with James” (advanced) 🐣 Too difficult? Search: “Beginner English with James” (beginner)

    9 min

  3. 24 SEPT

    What Animals Does the UK Have?

    In this episode, we walk through the countryside of Great Britain. Green hills, quiet woods, and wide fields full of life. I talk about the animals you see every day, the hidden ones you only notice at night, and the insects that are always around us. This episode is a gentle trip into nature, showing how even ordinary places are full of surprises. ✨ EPISODE TRANSCRIPT, FLASHCARDS, & PATREON EXTRAS: https://www.patreon.com/posts/139652857 🧠 Today We Learn: Vocabulary:Nature & Environment, Wild Animals & Features Grammar: First Conditional to talk about something possible in the future and its result, Quantifiers for Variety like "plenty of", "most", "a few", "some", Linking Words for Narrative Flow like "although", "meanwhile", "as soon as". 😎 Too easy? Search: “Everyday English with James” (advanced) 🐣 Too difficult? Search: “Beginner English with James” (beginner)

    8 min

  4. 12 SEPT

    What Getting a Tattoo Feels Like

    In this episode, I talk about tattoos - how they look, how they feel, and why people get them. I share the story of my first tattoo, what it was like to sit for hours in pain, and the ways tattoos heal on the skin. It’s also about memory and self-expression - the marks we carry and the stories we keep with us. ✨ Get this episode’s transcript: https://www.patreon.com/posts/138721327 🧠 Today We Learn: Vocabulary: Body & Pain, Feelings, Memory, & Attitude, Art, Expression, & Stories, Phrasal Verbs Grammar: Comparatives with Far / Much / A Lot, Relative Clauses with Which / Who / Where, Second Conditionals to describe imaginary or unlikely situations in the present or future. 😎 Too easy? Search: “Everyday English with James” (advanced) 🐣 Too difficult? Search: “Beginner English with James” (beginner)

    10 min

  5. 4 SEPT

    Emergency Landing in Poland

    In this episode, I take you on a flight that didn’t go as planned. It starts as a simple trip to Riga with a friend, cheap tickets and excitement in the air. But in the middle of the journey, something unexpected happens, and suddenly the plane feels very different. This story is about surprise, fear, and courage, and how travel can bring moments we never forget. ✨ Get this episode’s transcript: https://www.patreon.com/posts/138130818 🧠 Today We Learn: Vocabulary: Travel & Journeys, Actions & Movements Grammar: Past Perfect for Sequencing to show that one past event happened before another past event, Relative Clauses with Prepositions at the End to give more information about a noun, Emphatic “Do” for Emphasis to add emphasis, especially in the present simple or past simple. 😎 Too easy? Search: “Everyday English with James” (advanced) 🐣 Too difficult? Search: “Beginner English with James” (beginner)

    9 min

  6. 26 AUG

    It's OK to Have a Bad Day

    In this episode, we look at the weight of a bad day. I talk about why we blame ourselves, how even the strongest people struggle, and the small, simple things that can help us through. This is a gentle reflection on sadness, self-kindness, and the fresh chance that tomorrow always brings. ✨ Get this episode’s transcript: https://www.patreon.com/posts/its-ok-to-have-137403297 🧠 Today We Learn: Vocabulary: Emotions & Mood, Problems & Difficult Situations, Expressing & Sharing Feelings, Energy & Effort Grammar: Causative With 'Have' / 'Get' to show that someone makes another person do something or arranges for something to be done, Comparative Structures Beyond '-er/more', Wish / If only (Present Regrets) to talk about regrets or things we want to be different in the present. 😎 Too easy? Search: “Everyday English with James” (advanced) 🐣 Too difficult? Search: “Beginner English with James” (beginner)

    7 min

  7. 18 AUG

    My Favourite Smells

    In this episode, we’re surrounded by smells. Some of them open the door to old memories, while others are just good in the moment. I talk about a cold morning with frost on the grass, the chemical bite of a swimming pool, the warm smell of a busy café, and the fresh, green air after rain. It’s a slow walk through scents that have stayed with me, some for years, some for no reason at all. If you’ve ever stopped in your tracks because of a smell, this one’s for you. ✨ Get this episode’s transcript: https://www.patreon.com/posts/my-favourite-17-136764083 🧠 Today We Learn: Vocabulary: Smells & Sensory Language, Nature & Weather Grammar: Reduced Relative Clauses to make the sentence shorter & more natural, As…as… Comparisons to describe and compare appearance, quality, amount, or other characteristics, Past Perfect for Sequencing to make the order of events clear even if you tell them in a different order. 😎 Too easy? Search: “Everyday English with James” (advanced) 🐣 Too difficult? Search: “Beginner English with James” (beginner)

    10 min

  8. 8 AUG

    A British Sunday dinner

    In this episode, we’re back home on a Sunday afternoon. You can smell roast potatoes in the air, hear gravy bubbling on the stove, see steam on the windows. Someone’s shouting for more Yorkshire puddings from the other room. I talk about my memories of the British Sunday roast - a meal that’s part of our national story. This episode is all about tradition, comfort, and how this meal changed over time, from big feasts in castles to factory families to vegan gravy in a French bar on a rainy day. If you’ve ever missed the taste of a meal from home, this one’s for you! 🧠 Today We Learn: Vocabulary: Food & Cooking, Sensory Description & Texture, Phrasal Verbs & Idioms, History & Culture Grammar: Causatives (make someone do something, let someone do something) to show that one person causes another person to do something (or allows them to), So + adjective + that to shows a strong result caused by a quality and adds emotional or dramatic emphasis, Zero and First Conditionals (including some no-“if” versions) to talk about general truths (zero) or real future possibilities (first). ✨ Get this episode’s transcript: https://www.patreon.com/posts/136038150 📲 Follow me, Get transcripts, Book a class with me: https://linktr.ee/jamesbradleyenglish 😎 Too easy? Search: “Everyday English with James” (advanced) 🐣 Too difficult? Search: “Beginner English with James” (beginner)

    10 min
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Improve your English listening every week. Slowly spoken native British English. Support the podcast and get transcripts & flashcards: https://www.patreon.com/jamesbradleyenglish

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