Best M. A. Bilbrough Podcasts (2024)

1
Podcast 194 PET exam writing the article B1 23:52

5h ago23:52

23:52

Send us a Text Message. Writing the B1 article. (If you are interested in my podcast about writing the B1 story... https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-128.htm ) These are some general, very important words I recommend you learn for writing in any part of the PET exam. You won't be able to use all of them, but try to use some at least: unless,…

1
Podcast 193 FCE writing the essay B2 20:49

4d ago20:49

20:49

Send us a Text Message. Expressions to memorize 1) There is a decline in the numbers of lynxes. (usually negative) The decline in the number of tourists. 2) It is extremely important that we finish this project on time. It is crucial that we finish this project on time. 3) Tigers are an endangered species. Tigers are a threatened species. Bees are …

1
Podcast 192 The Breath of the Mosquito (Part 2) B1 story 31:32

20d ago31:32

31:32

Send us a Text Message. Introduction to part 2 of The Breath of the Mosquito Emil Zimmermann, professor of astrophysics at Corpus Christi College, Oxford University sat back in his leather chair and studied the colourful feather, he was holding in his hand, through his thick glasses. ‘Incredible!’ he said. ‘You say it comes from an extinct* type of…

1
Podcast 191 The Breath of the Mosquito (Part 1) B1 story 26:19

29d ago26:19

26:19

Send us a Text Message. This is a B1-level short story in two parts. Professor Mathew Pearson, a paleontologist and professor at Oxford University, made an incredible discovery when he found a skull. Tests are done and the results are extremely surprising... Technical vocabulary in the story Prehistory / A prehistoric scene paleontology fossils The…

1
Podcast 190 The Harmonica Players (Part 3) B1, B2 story 28:48

1M ago28:48

28:48

Send us a Text Message. This is the third and final part of the story 'The Harmonica Players'. Here are the B2 phrases I discuss in the podcast. 1) This was not the familiar peaceful atmosphere of Oxted. 2) He found London rather threatening. 3) An awful lot of unfamiliar people who packed the streets. 4) You were swept along by dense, hostile crow…

1
Podcast 189 The Harmonica Players (Part 2) B1, B2 story 22:41

2M ago22:41

22:41

Send us a Text Message. In Part 2 of my story, The Harmonica Players, I’ll be talking about racial prejudice. That means the irrational distrust and dislike of people from other countries. My motive for bringing up this topic and creating Jeffrey, a man who is very prejudiced against foreigners, has been from the unfortunate policy by the current C…

1
Podcast 188 The Harmonica Players (Part 1) B1, B2 story 24:58

2M ago24:58

24:58

Send us a Text Message. The Harmonica Players. The story of two people who are very different from each other, yet there is something that unites them. Words and expressions discussed in the podcast: bedsit - accommodation, which is very basic, and is usually just one room. meter - a machine you put money into which controls the amount of electrici…

1
Podcast 187 The River (B1, B2 story) 21:26

2M ago21:26

21:26

Send us a Text Message. This is a B1 and B2 level podcast with a new story about the ages of Man. (See link to audioscript of story below.) B1 words discussed: sunrise landscape valleys scenery waterfall cave the cool shade setting sun (sunset) B2 words discussed youth bounced along life was a gift, which he would grab for himself make the most of …

1
Podcast 186 Cambridge Preliminary Speaking Test B1 (part 3) 23:54

2M ago23:54

23:54

Send us a Text Message. I'm listing below the phrases I explain in the audio. This is a B1-level story. Below, are the phrases I explain from the story. Vocabulary expressions for the story Today's story is B1 level. I'm listing below the phrases I explain in the audio. The point of this podcast is to explain that the language you use in your speak…

1
Podcast 185 On The Edge (B1 Story) 27:25

3M ago27:25

27:25

Send us a Text Message. In Telmah's life, very little happens. His garden is really the only thing he seems to care about. But one day, a neighbour loses her dog, and Telmah's life suddenly becomes much more complicated than he would like. These are the B1 expressions I explain from the story: be just about to do sth believe it or not feel sorry fo…

1
Podcast 184 Drawing Conclusions (B2 Story) 26:41

3M ago26:41

26:41

Send us a Text Message. This is a B2 story in the genre of mystery or thriller. It's called Drawing Conclusions, which is one of the expressions I explain before I start the story. B2 phrases: - drawing conclusions - Mrs Robinson had neither seen nor heard Lorna since - take great pride in sth - to go into more detail - he couldn’t look her in the …

1
Podcast 183 Doghouse Reilly Part 2 (B1 B2 Story) 23:46

4M ago23:46

23:46

Send us a Text Message. These are the dog expressions I mention today: Dog Eat Dog Raining cats and dogs Teach an old dog new tricks And these are the B1 and B2 expressions I explain, and that you will hear in the story: B1 It didn’t look like they were expecting me. They were definitely up to something. He walked in and I went after him. I glanced…

1
Podcast 182 Doghouse Reilly Part 1 (B1 B2 Story) 22:06

4M ago22:06

22:06

Send us a Text Message. Today's story is B1 level with lots of B2 phrases added. This let's you improve little by little without getting lost because the text is too difficult to understand. I'm listing below the phrases I explain in the audio. I also talk about ellipsis, which is where you omit words from a sentence in an "economy of words". We st…

1
Podcast 181 The Octopus's Garden B1 B2 (Complete Story) 30:40

4M ago30:40

30:40

Send us a Text Message. This is a special edition podcast. Today I’m publishing The Octopus’s Garden as one complete story. If you have listened to this story in the two parts I published two weeks ago (podcasts 179 and 180), you’ll remember that I have dedicated this story firstly, to the children of Gaza, who are suffering so terribly during this…

1
Podcast 180 The Octopus's Garden B1 B2 (Part 2) 25:07

5M ago25:07

25:07

Send us a Text Message. Hello, dear listeners! This is part 2 of my story, The Octopus's Garden, which I'm dedicating to the children of Gaza and my brother's HandsUp Project team that has been working with Palestinian children to help them have a voice in the world by producing plays in English online. You can find out more about the HandsUp Proje…

1
Podcast 179 The Octopus's Garden B1 B2 (Part 1) 24:02

5M ago24:02

24:02

Send us a Text Message. Dunya Yousef Hussan AL-BARGHOUTI sat on the white sand and looked out across the deep blue of the Mediterranean Sea. Somehow, at last, she had found comfort here... This is a B1 to B2-level English podcast about my story dedicated to the children of Gaza. I will introduce a lot of new B2 words for you to listen for during th…

1
Podcast 178 Lunch of the Boat Party (B1 English) 22:57

5M ago22:57

22:57

Send us a Text Message. A painting by Renoir inspired today's story. The painting is famous, and is called "The Luncheon of the Boat Party" (I have used the simpler word "Lunch"). These are the adjectives to talk about people's personality that I mention at the beginning: miserable lively keen lonely exhausted embarrassed easygoing reliable charmin…

1
Podcast 177 Never Go Back (Part 2) B1 level 23:36

6M ago23:36

23:36

Send us a Text Message. Part 2 of my short story for B1 learners of English - Never Go Back. I'll look at the vocabulary I used, related to suspense. Here are the words I explain for you to listen for: Benjamin looked up, shocked at this unexpected and rude behaviour. Why all this unfriendly behaviour, when this morning the hotel staff he had met h…

1
Podcast 176 A Christmas Carol (B1) 17:16

6M ago17:16

17:16

Send us a Text Message. In this podcast I thank my listeners for all the times you have downloaded Practising English Podcasts in 2023. I'll talk a little about an English Christmas and read my B1 version of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. You can read the entire transcript at my website: https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-176.htm At h…

1
Podcast 175 Never Go Back (Part 1) B1 level 22:19

7M ago22:19

22:19

Send us a Text Message. Today is part 1 of my new story Never Go Back. It's in the thiller, suspense or even horror genre. I mention some useful B1 adjectives and other B2-level words and one swear word in English. I will release Part 2 of this story at the beginning of January. Here we go... At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners o…

1
Podcast 174 Somebody for Jenny (B1 story) 16:16

7M ago16:16

16:16

Send us a Text Message. Jenny is looking for a relationship. Will she ever find somebody suitable? Today's B1 story comes with a test. The story contains around 60 B1 words, which are useful for B1-level English study, and some of them are not easy to learn as they are not very intuitive (false friends). I include below a list of thes B1 words in t…

1
Podcast 173 Tsunami (B1 Story Part 2) 22:53

7M ago22:53

22:53

Send us a Text Message. The second part of Tsunami (See Podcast 172 for Part 1). Story for B1 and B2 learners of English. The words and expressions I describe today are: frightening strike fear into human hearts the heart beats faster mysterious giant horse screaming with/in fear, happiness be in shock a totally hopeless situation The three questio…

1
Podcast 172 Tsunami (B1 story Part 1) 20:41

7M ago20:41

20:41

Send us a Text Message. B1-level story with questions and a grammar point. For the audioscript, please go to my website: https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-172.htm At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, grammar help and exercises and other English learning pages. https://www.practisingenglish.co…

1
Podcast 171 The Picnic (short story) 21:26

8M ago21:26

21:26

Send us a Text Message. I discuss some important language for part 1 of the reading paper of the Cambridge Preliminary B1-level exam and include those words in a story called The Picnic. The formal phrases for you to change to a more informal version are the following: 1) ‘I’ll make the arrangements,’ Marvin had then said. 2) I’m sure I have a few …

1
Podcast 170 Bigfoot (B1 Short story) 21:33

8M ago21:33

21:33

Send us a Text Message. Advice for story-writing at B1 and B2 levels for Cambridge exams, and my short story Bigfoot for you to enjoy. You can follow the story this week on the transcript I include here and on at my website. https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-170.htm At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-leve…

1
Podcast 169 Three Hours between Flights Part 2 (B1 short story) 18:07

9M ago18:07

18:07

Send us a Text Message. The second part of my adaptation to B1-level English of the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald "Three Hours between Flights". You can find the transcript of the story at: https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-169.htm At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, grammar help and ex…

1
Podcast 168 Three Hours between Flights Part 1 (B1 short story) 17:46

9M ago17:46

17:46

Send us a Text Message. A B1-level version of a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I talk about aeroplane and airport language before starting this romantic story of two people, who haven't seen each other since they were at school, meet again when adults. You can find the transcript of the story at: https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-168.h…

1
Podcast 167 "Dad" part 2 (B1 short story) 21:46

10M ago21:46

21:46

Send us a Text Message. This is the second part of the story "Dad" by M.A. Bilbrough. A story written for B1-level students of English. The verbs we are studying today are: realize drop call out weigh admire encourage dive appear breathe hug At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, grammar help and exerc…

1
Podcast 166 "Dad" part 1 (B1 short story) 19:34

10M ago19:34

19:34

Send us a Text Message. This is part 1 of a B1-level story for learners of English, especially Cambridge English. The story is called Dad. It's about a family fishing trip in Spain. Vocabulary about the sea, boats and fishing equipment... At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, grammar help and exercise…

1
Podcast 165 The verb 'to turn' B1 level 17:17

10M ago17:17

17:17

Send us a Text Message. I'm still on holiday so I'm away from my recording studio and just making a quick podcast using my mobile phone while people watching. This week, I'm going to talk about the verb 'to turn' and use it in the context of the people I can see in a shopping centre by the sea. Here are examples of the uses of this verb: Turned on …

1
Podcast 164 People Watching (B2 level English) 19:23

11M ago19:23

19:23

Send us a Text Message. An atypical podcast! I'm just sitting outside a cafeteria in Seville watching the world go by. I comment on them and talk a little about Spain, its customs, and what people do in summer here. I apologize for all the background noise and this recording was just spoken directly into the mobile phone. At https://www.practisinge…

1
Podcast 163 Actually (meaning and uses) B1, B2 English 22:21

12M ago22:21

22:21

Send us a Text Message. The word 'actually' is not an easy word to use in English for learners. In this podcast, I explain its meanings and uses and give lots of examples from my podcast stories. There's a full transcript with this episode, which you can read at https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-163.htm At https://www.practisingenglish.com/…

1
Podcast 162. Who's afraid of present perfect? (B1 English) 22:30

12M ago22:30

22:30

Send us a Text Message. In today's podcast, I'm going to show you how to use present perfect, and that if you avoid present perfect, you may lose points in your Cambridge exam, especially at B1 level and above. I'm going to play some extracts from my stories here on Practising English as examples of present perfect use. I include the transcript so …

1
Podcast 161 The Quiet Man (Part 2) 14:20

1y ago14:20

14:20

Send us a Text Message. In this final part of the story (see part 1 at Podcast 160), Simon prepares for his part in the play, and life seems to be getting better for him - but will everything happen the way Simon imagined? Lots of B1 adjectives to listen for about personality: alike, uninterested, embarrassed, ashamed, uncomfortable, charmimg, shy,…

1
Podcast 160 The Quiet Man (Part 1) 20:12

1y ago20:12

20:12

Send us a Text Message. Part 1 of this B1-level short story with vocabulary about the theatre. In this first part, Simon Willoughby is a very shy man but is attracted towards Phillipa, but Phillipa is also a member of the local amateur dramatics group... At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, grammar h…

1
Podcast 159 The Fool on the Hill (B1 short story) 26:32

1y ago26:32

26:32

Send us a Text Message. Short story called The Fool on the Hill for B1 learners of English. Useful personality adjectives and other vocabulary at B1 level. At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, grammar help and exercises and other English learning pages. https://www.practisingenglish.com/ My latest no…

1
Podcast 158 Who was Sidney Peabody? (B1 short story - part 2) 26:17

1y ago26:17

26:17

Send us a Text Message. The second and final part of the short story "Who was Sidney Peabody?". Listen for the adverbs I use in this story. The language is for B1-level students studying for Cambridge PET exam or similar. https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-158.htm At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level E…

1
Podcast 157 Who was Sidney Peabody? (B1 short story - part 1) 30:44

1y ago30:44

30:44

Send us a Text Message. Part 1 of this story about someone who performed a miracle - or did he? B1 English study. Words for calculating: plus, minus, divide by, multiply by. Part 2 of this story on Sunday May 7th. https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-157.htm At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, …

1
Podcast 156 The Great Dying (B1-level) 27:37

1y ago27:37

27:37

Send us a Text Message. Vocabulary about climate change for B1-level students. The Great Dying refers to a time millions of years ago when the Earth warmed so much that most animal and plant life could no longer exist. I include a short story about the next Great Dying. Let's work together so this will never happen. https://www.practisingenglish.co…

1
Podcast 155 Marie Claire (B1 short story) 28:52

1y ago28:52

28:52

Send us a Text Message. Use of adjectives and adverbs in your B1 stories. A short story about a an English boy and a French girl and what happened when they met. At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, grammar help and exercises and other English learning pages. https://www.practisingenglish.com/ My lat…

1
Podcast 154 Hattie Weatherspoon (B1 short story) 16:52

1+ y ago16:52

16:52

Send us a Text Message. A B1 short story about a walk on the white cliffs of Dover. Vocabulary to describe the countryside and the weather. https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-154.htm At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermediate-level English, grammar help and exercises and other English learning pages. https://www.p…

1
Podcast 153 Friendship (B1 short story) 20:07

1+ y ago20:07

20:07

Send us a Text Message. Today, I'm talking about useful cognates at B1 level. Useful, because they can be used in the Cambridge Preliminary or First exams instead of repeating words like 'fantastic' or 'great'. There's a story for the B1 writing at the end - even though it's longer than the usual 100 words! At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I o…

1
Podcast 152 The Attic (B1-level short story) 23:53

1+ y ago23:53

23:53

Send us a Text Message. This episode is for B1 students with lots of useful language to talk about describing a house. It's an extract from a short story by O. Henry set in New York at the beginning of the 20th century. I also give you some tips on how you can quickly increase your B1 word power by using vocabulary in the writing and speaking parts…

1
Podcast 151 After Twenty Years (B1 short story) 16:15

1+ y ago16:15

16:15

Send us a Text Message. After Twenty Years was, originally, a short story by the US writer O. Henry. I've completely re-written the story for B1-level English students with lots of useful language at the B1 level. I also talk about the different words we use to talk about crime... At https://www.practisingenglish.com/ I offer learners of intermedia…

1
Podcast 150 The Winds of Bolonia (B1 story) 25:29

1+ y ago25:29

25:29

Send us a Text Message. A B1 story about an island in the sea and a young girl's hopes and dreams for the future. B1 English with useful expressions about the sea and about learning. For more help with studying towards a B2 level, get my book The Tudor Conspiracy at https://amzn.to/33Axu2N For more help with your B1 and B2 level English study, visi…

1
Podcast 149 Carlos and his English (a story for children) 45:25

1+ y ago45:25

45:25

Send us a Text Message. Today, to celebrate Epiphany, I'm going to release the audio version of my book for children learning English - Carlos and his English, The level is at A1 to A2. I invite you to buy this brightly illustrated book (written and illustrated by myself, M. A. Bilbrough) for your children or a younger member of your family as much…

1
Podcast 148 Generosity (a short story at B1 level) 14:13

1+ y ago14:13

14:13

Send us a Text Message. As we approach Christmas, we think more about being generous and being kind to others. This is a short story about generosity. This is a B1-level podcast for learners of English. For more help with your English, visit https://www.practisingenglish.com/ Also, check out my book for B1 students working towards B2 - The Tudor Co…

1
Podcast 147 - B2 idioms 2 20:06

1+ y ago20:06

20:06

Send us a Text Message. Continuation of the study of six more idioms at B2 level. Some are hidden in a story that you must listen to and find. The six idioms in the podcast are: have an eye for something can't keep/take your eyes off somebody/something look somebody in the eye be a piece of cake take your breath away cross your mind Check your answ…

1
Podcast 146 - B2 idioms 1 20:43

1+ y ago20:43

20:43

Send us a Text Message. A study of six idioms at B2 level. Each one is hidden in a story that you must listen to and find out which it is. The six idioms are: break the ice break sb's heart be a pain to lose track be over the moon from out of nowhere Check your answers at https://www.practisingenglish.com/podcast-146.htm Also, check out my book for…

1
The Jogger (B1 level) 18:10

1+ y ago18:10

18:10

Send us a Text Message. This is a B1-level story with a few surprises. There are lots of useful B1 level words in it, and, as usual, I'll explain some key words before we start. If you would like to read one of my full-length stories, and you're a B1-level student studying for B2, you could buy buy my book The Tudor Conspiracy... https://amzn.to/33…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

M. A. Bilbrough Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide