AEE 2467: Jump Into More Natural English

Summary

All Ears English Podcast – Episode 2467: "Jump Into More Natural English"

Hosts: Lindsay McMahon & Michelle Kaplan
Release Date: August 26, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode focuses on using everyday action verbs (throw, jump, pop, hop) in a more natural, idiomatic way to express spontaneity and casualness in spoken American English. Lindsay and Michelle explore how these verbs are used beyond their literal meanings—especially in contexts around daily routines, clothing, and household tasks—and discuss their value in making your English sound more fluent, relaxed, and native-like.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Meaning Behind Action Verbs in Casual English

• The episode opens with how verbs like throw, jump, pop, and hop are often used figuratively. They don't literally mean what they say, but they help convey an informal, spontaneous tone in conversation.
• Michelle: "Your English is strong... But sometimes you still hesitate before speaking or your English feels a little too formal, not quite natural. That's the final gap. Fluency and Connection." ([01:22])
• Discussion ties in the children’s book character "Amelia Bedelia," who is known for taking figurative language literally—highlighting the confusion these expressions can cause for English learners. ([03:56])

2. Throw: Usage in Everyday Life

• Throw (something) in: Often used for laundry ("throw a load of laundry in"), but can extend to other contexts (putting shoes in a bag, throwing something into the car).
  • Lindsay: "I'll throw a load of laundry in before I head over." ([06:05])
  • Can extend to: "throw it in the oven" or, more commonly, "pop it in the oven."
• Throw (something) together: Doing something quickly, with little planning (throwing an outfit together, making a quick lunch, organizing a last-minute party).
  • Michelle: "I'm not sure what I'm eating for lunch. I'll just throw something together." ([08:19])
• Throw on: Getting dressed quickly and casually ("throw on a sweatshirt"/"throw a sweatshirt on").
  • Flexibility in phrasing: "throw on a sweatshirt" vs. "throw a sweatshirt on."
  • Michelle: "I'll just throw on some clothes and head out to you right away." ([11:11])

3. Adding Ingredients or Items Quickly

• Used while cooking or prepping: "throw some lemon juice on there," "throw lemon juice in it" ([11:32]). It signals improvisation, not precision or pre-planning.

4. Jump, Hop, and Pop: Getting into Action Quickly

• Jump/hop in the shower: Means to shower quickly, often to signal the act will be brief or casual. Not literal jumping or hopping!
  • Lindsay: "I want to jump in the shower before I head out." ([15:13])
  • Michelle: "I'm gonna hop in the shower for five minutes after my workout." ([13:14])
• Pop in the oven: Synonymous with "put in the oven"; used to describe quick, easy action. ([06:32])

5. Social Use: Understating Effort

• These verbs can downplay effort, making something seem more casual or easy than it may actually be. This can be a conversational way to appear humble or approachable.
  • Lindsay: "Throw something together, people will say that. And then they will show up so glammed out and so perfectly coordinated, and then it's very deceiving..." ([15:33])

6. Role Play Segment (Applied Practice)

• Michelle and Lindsay demonstrate a casual phone call using all the expressions discussed to show how they fit into real life.
  • E.g., "Can we make it 11:15? I want to jump in the shower before I head out." ([15:13])
  • "I have to throw a laundry in anyway." ([15:17])
  • "I was just going to throw on a dress." ([15:22])
  • "I'll think about it and throw something together from my closet." ([15:28])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Michelle, on the confusion for English learners:
  "When we say throw something together or throw on a shirt... we're not really throwing it. And that's the confusing part for Amelia Bedelia and for possibly our listeners." ([04:31])

• Lindsay, emphasizing casualness:
  "It connotes kind of a very casual idea. Spontaneous. Not a plan." ([07:24])

• Michelle, on downplaying effort:
  "People might compliment someone on their fashion, on how they look, and they might say, 'Oh, it's just something I threw together.' Yeah, yeah. Right. To downplay and try to say, 'Oh, I didn't plan it, I didn't go shopping.'" ([18:13])

• Lindsay, explaining the purpose:
  "And it also kind of maybe brings you closer to the person because you're being more casual. You're kind of showing how your plans could integrate with theirs very easily." ([19:27])

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Important Timestamps

• 01:22 — Introduction to the idea of closing the gap between formal English and natural-sounding fluency
• 03:56 — Reference to Amelia Bedelia and literal vs. figurative English
• 04:44 — Explaining figurative "throw" expressions
• 06:05 — "Throw in" (laundry, cooking, etc.)
• 08:02 — "Throw together" (outfits, parties, meals)
• 09:11 — "Throw on" (clothes), flexible object placement
• 12:18 — Transition to "jump" and "hop" verbs
• 13:01 — "Jump/hop in the shower" in context
• 15:03-16:45 — Role play demonstrating all key phrases in conversation
• 18:55 — Takeaway: Try using these verbs for more casual, natural English

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Takeaway Tips for Listeners

• Incorporate these action verbs idiomatically to sound more relaxed and fluent.
  • "Throw in," "throw on," "throw together" = do something quickly and casually.
  • "Jump/hop in the shower" or "pop in the oven" = indicating quick, informal action.
• These verbs help you downplay effort and build casual, friendly connections.
• Practice using these phrases in daily conversations to make your English sound more native-like.

Michelle: "Try and throw some of these together and see how it goes. Because it's pretty natural to me." ([19:27])
Lindsay: "Go for it, guys. Give them a try and let us know how it works out." ([19:37])

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Final Thoughts

This episode is packed with practical, immediately-useable language tips for ESL learners aiming to bridge the gap from competent to confident, native-sounding speakers. By embracing these small verbs, listeners can add spontaneity and warmth—moving toward the podcast’s ethos of "Connection NOT Perfection."

Transcript

[A]

This is an All Ears English podcast. Episode 2467 jump into more natural English. Welcome to the All Ears English podcast, downloaded more than 200 million times. Are you feeling stuck with your English? We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection, with your American hosts, Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, and Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl. Coming to you from Colorado and New York City, usa. To get real time transcripts right on your phone and create your personalized vocabulary list, try the All Ears English app for iOS and Android. Start your seven day free trial at allearsenglish.com forward/app.

[B]

Jumping in the shower sounds dangerous, but it's necessarily what native speakers actually mean today. Learn how to use verbs such as throw, jump, pop, and hop in order to express spontaneity in English.

[A]

Your English is strong. You can hold conversations, handle meetings, even read reports. But sometimes you still hesitate before speaking or your English feels a little too formal, not quite natural. That's the final gap. Fluency and Connection Want to know what's holding you back? Take our Fluency quiz. In just two minutes, you'll discover your English level and how you can improve it. Start [e-mail] fluency score. That's allearsenglish.com fluency. Hello, Michelle. How's it going?

[B]

Hey, Lindsay. I'm good. How are you? Good.

[A]

Michelle, I have a question. You ready?

[B]

Okay. Yes.

[A]

About fashion and outfits.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Okay, here we go. Do you usually plan out your outfits the. The night before a work day or like if you're going into the office when you went into the office?

[B]

Right.

[A]

Or a weekend evening out? Or do you just throw something together when you wake up usually?

[B]

Oh, yeah. No, I am not the one who plans out the outfits. I don't plan out. I. I like to go crazy in the morning. I mean, luckily my. My lifestyle is pretty casual, so sometimes what I'll do is when I'm dropping my kids off, I'll, you know, just kind of throw something on. And then if I need to change for whatever reason, I'll change and do that if I can. But if I am. Yeah, no, it's generally, it's crazy. What about you?

[A]

There's too much chaos, right, Michelle? Yeah.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Well, it's funny, I. When I know I have to get up for something, like a hike or if I'm running like a 5K or a 10K or something, and it's going to be an early morning, I will actually lay out my clothes because if I just get up and throw them on. I'll probably put on something weird that's not even a running shirt because I'm not good at, like, when there's not. When there's time pressure, getting everything together, just get stressed out.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. No, it can be. It can be helpful to do that. I should. So today we're going to talk about a couple funny ways that we use action words. So usually these are for things around the house, and these are ways that they sound a little funny because they don't quite match the action. And what's ironic? Well, it's not ironic, but do you remember Amelia Bedelia?

[A]

Yeah, I do. Is that a cartoon or.

[B]

It's a. It was. It's a book. Like a book series. And the whole thing about Amelia Bedelia is that she gets confused by these words. And actually I was reading my daughter Amelia Bedelia last night and I thought, oh, I just kind of planned an episode that relates to this. So, guys, good kids book, if you have kids. Amelia Bedelia.

[A]

Okay, cool.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

So, yeah, so we. We use these verbs, but it's not what we're actually doing.

[B]

Right.

[A]

We're not throwing, you know, throwing our clothes anywhere.

[B]

Right, right.

[A]

When we say throw something together or throw on a shirt. Right. We're not really throwing it. And that's the confusing part for Amelia Bedelia and for possibly our listeners. So we're gonna figure it out.

[B]

Yeah. So, but before we get into that, guys, we want to remind you to hit follow wherever you are. Listening to all ears English, so you don't miss anything.

[A]

All right, so would you say that these kinds of words like throw or jump that we're going to talk about hop. Are pointing to something being casual and spontaneous or more planned and prepared?

[B]

Oh, I would say more spontaneous. What do you think?

[A]

Totally. Yeah. I think that's what they indicate.

[B]

Right? Yeah, yeah, exactly. So, yeah, it is interesting because when we said, I said to you do. Do you just. Well, you asked me, do you throw something together? Yeah, right. Again, I'm not taking clothes, throwing them, matching them together. I'm not actually literally doing that, but exactly like you said, it kind of implies this kind of spontaneous, unplanned situation.

[A]

Yes, that.

[B]

So that's very interesting. So let's talk more about this. So the first thing is also. Well, throw something in. So we say throw something in often about laund laundry. Right. I'll throw it in the dryer. Right. I'm gonna throw a load of laundry in before I head over. Now, with laundry, I mean, there Is that sense of you're picking up and you might be kind of lifting it and. Yeah, I would say it's more of a plop.

[A]

Yeah, it kind of borders on throwing, maybe. But also I. Could you say this. Would you say for the oven, I'm gonna throw in. Oh, like a piece of a thing of bread, a loaf of bread.

[B]

Like, you know, you can pick up.

[A]

Those easy bake those bre. Pre baked or unbaked bread things. You know what I mean?

[B]

Yeah, yeah. And then you just put them in. Right. Well, for. And the other one for oven, I think you would say, is like to pop something in the oven. Right.

[A]

Ah, that belongs in this episode too, Michelle.

[B]

Pop something.

[A]

Pop it in the oven. That sounds very British to me. But yes, I think you're right. We do also say that in the US Throw it in the oven. Pop it in the oven. So anyways, throw something in something. Right. So I'm going to throw a load of laundry in before I head over, like you said. Or I'll throw it in the dryer. Anything else that comes to mind where we use throw something in.

[B]

Throw it in the. I mean, I guess maybe if you want to clean up your laundry, like throw it in the hamper. I mean, but that you actually, you could play a little game of basketball and throw something in there borders on.

[A]

The true meaning of the word. Or even. I went camping this past weekend and I thought, oh, should I bring my running shoes? Should I not? I'll just throw them in the car and see, you know, just in case I need them.

[B]

So it's it.

[A]

It connotes kind of a very casual idea. Spontaneous. Not a plan. Yes. It was on my list and I'm gonna put it in the car.

[B]

Right, right. Or let's say, you know, for like my son, for like getting ready for camp. Right. I might. He has a backpack. I might say, oh, wait, could you, you know, maybe I'm heading out the door. And I'll say to Dan, could you throw his shoes on the backpack before you leave? Or something like that. So. So again, very casual, unplanned. But it b. It means put. Right.

[A]

It means put or place. Exactly. The more standard verb is put. All right, let's move on to the next one. Michelle, what would be the next one?

[B]

Yeah, this is the one we already were touching on. So throw something together. And again, not actually throwing. It's just roughly doing something. Doing something without a plan. So let's talk about some more ways because we talked about throwing an outfit together. What's another example.

[A]

I'm not sure what I'm eating for lunch. I'll just throw something together. Okay. I'll just throw something together. Nice.

[B]

So if you were Amelia Bedelia, I imagine in the book she'd be throwing things. Yeah.

[A]

In the cartoons in the area.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. Or it's my sister's birthday on Saturday. I'm gonna throw something together for her. Just a small get together with friends.

[A]

Excellent.

[B]

Interesting. Yeah, we don't, you know, it, it, it, it's. Instead of, you know, put right, put something together. I'll just plan something quickly. Right.

[A]

It also could be kind of. The more standard verb could be organize.

[B]

Right? Organize.

[A]

You know, throw together a party. I guess you could organize. You wouldn't say organize a sandwich. You wouldn't. You would say make a sandwich. So it comes. When it comes to food, that's going to take a different verb.

[B]

Okay, really interesting. Let's do one more for throws. So there's on something. Right. So also like, oh, I'm just going to throw on a sweatshirt. Right. I'm a little cold, you know. But that's very good also for put often for clothes put on.

[A]

Right. And can we move around where that preposition on is? Could I throw a sweatshirt on, Michelle, would you say. Yeah, that one. You know, we can change the location of the object, the thing we're putting on.

[B]

Okay. Exactly.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Love it.

[A]

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[B]

Yeah. So again, I'll just throw on some clothes and head out to you right away. Or then there's this. The. I'm gonna throw on a sweater. But then there's also for cooking, Lindsay, if you're kind of spontaneously cooking. That's how I like to cook. Just a little bit here, a little bit there. So what might you say?

[A]

So you might say throw some lemon juice on there. I think that's what it's. It's missing. So let's say we're making a fish and we're testing, taking a flake off and testing the final to see if it's good enough. And, you know, it needs a little lemon juice. Throw some lemon juice on it.

[B]

Yeah, right.

[A]

You could also say throw lemon juice in it if you're still mixing up some kind of a dressing or something.

[B]

Right. I cook with a lot of. I love lemon juice.

[A]

Do you?

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Interesting. I'm not a huge lemon juice person.

[B]

Oh. I'm one of those people. I can just. I. I can just take a slice of lemon and eat it. I love.

[A]

Oh, I see. Interesting. Yeah, Yeah.

[B]

I love sour. Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. That was my brother when we were growing up. He would always. We'd dare him to go and eat, like, three lemons, and he would totally do it. Yeah, yeah.

[B]

It's terrible for your teeth, but for sure. So now let's move on to the other verb that I wanted to get into. This is kind of what inspired the episode. I've always wanted to do an episode about this, but I always forget. So this one is jump. Okay. And a lot of times people say they're gonna jump in the shower or even hop in the shower. Do you say this?

[A]

Totally. A hundred percent.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

All the time. I mean, I say take a shower for sure, or I'm going to shower as a verb. But I also often do say this when I'm trying to signify, like, to. To say that, hey, this is going to be quick. It's not going to take long. Someone else can get in after me. I'm not going to hold up the group if we're going somewhere.

[B]

Right?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah, Right. Yeah, exactly. So again, you really. You step into the shower. Right. Hopping or jumping? If you were actually doing that, that sounds very dangerous. Don't do that.

[A]

Don't do it. So, for example, I'm gonna hop in the shower for five minutes after my workout.

[B]

Huh. Or I'll jump in the shower and give you a call when I'm done. Right. So again, kind of. That implying more of a. More of a quick shower.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Maybe just a rinse off. We don't know.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Do you take long showers?

[A]

Yeah, I kind of do because I get in there and it's just relaxing. Especially in the winter when it's so cold outside of the shower and it's so warm in the shower. I take frequent showers. I shower in the summer, like, two, maybe even three times a day.

[B]

Oh, wow.

[A]

I. Yeah, Like, I like to shower in the morning to feel fresh. Right. Then I like to shower before bed. If it's been like a hot, sweaty, active day. I'm not gonna go into my bed when I'm sweaty. No. So it's. Yeah, more so on the east coast because it's very humid on the East Coast. Do you find that you shower a lot in the summer? Yeah.

[B]

And I. I mean, just for example, the other day I did a workout in the afternoon and I showered after that, and then I went out that evening and I came back and I. It's not that I was sweating so much. It was actually kind of a cool night, but the shower really relaxes me at night. I feel funny. I feel. I feel funny.

[A]

I feel funny.

[B]

If I. If I don't shower at night, it just. I. It feels like there's something missing. So I. I usually I have to do it. It feels so good.

[A]

Yeah, it's like a way of turning your brain off from the day and transitioning into bedtime mode. You know, It's. Yeah, it's really.

[B]

But do you take. Do you take hot showers? Are you like a hot.

[A]

Usually, yeah. I mean, not steaming hot, but. Yeah, because I. And I'll get dry skin because, you know.

[B]

Yeah, these are all.

[A]

Yeah, that's what happens if you shower a lot. You can get dry skin. Right. It's not great for your skin, but. Oh, well, what can you do?

[B]

Let's do a role play.

[A]

All right, let's do it. So here we're friends. Michelle on the phone, making plans for the day.

[B]

Okay. Okay. So we're meeting at 11.

[A]

Can we make it 11? 15? I want to jump in the shower before I head out.

[B]

Yeah, that's fine. I have to throw a laundry in anyway. Great.

[A]

What are you wearing to lunch?

[B]

I was just gonna throw on a dress. It's not a fancy place, but it's not super casual either.

[A]

Yeah, okay. I'll think about it and throw something together for my closet.

[B]

Okay, great. See you soon.

[A]

See ya. See, that's the problem, though. Throw something together, people will say that. And then they will show up so glammed out and so perfectly coordinated, and then it's Very deceiving is, you know, it's the same thing when you do, like a 5k with someone. They say, oh, you know, I'll be so slow. And then they blast past you.

[B]

Oh, oh, oh. Yeah. Well, I mean, I can't identify with the 5k, but. But. But I do remember once I was on a trip and we were gonna. They were saying, oh, you can. You can. We're gonna do a bike ride. And, you know, I'm not such a bike rider. And I said, oh, I'm gonna be horrible. And everybody. I'm gonna be the worst. I'm gonna be the worst. And then. Yeah, no, I was the worst. Yeah.

[A]

So, yeah, I've been in.

[B]

I've been everybody else just fine.

[A]

No, I've been there. I've been there. Don't worry. I know it's be. And the reason why we're saying this is because any of these verbs, kind of understood state again, just to reemphasize. They understate what you're doing. They make it more casual, less thought through, less planned, maybe less important or something. And so when someone says that, you know, your expectations are low, but like I said, they show up in this amazing outfit, and it's like, oh, how do you have such fashion sense?

[B]

Oh, well, I. That. I don't know.

[A]

All right, let's go through this, Michelle. Let's go through it. What do we say first?

[B]

So I said, we're meeting at 11. And so then this is perfect because you said, can we make it 11, 15? I just want to jump in the shower before I head out. Now, again, you're not going to go get in the shower and just jump around you. You're going to take a shower, but you're saying kind of it. You could have said take. There's nothing wrong with that. You could have said, hop. Take a shower.

[A]

Just a quick shower. The key is just knowing what you know. Prepositions come after that. Right? Take a shower. There's no in, Right? Jump in the shower. Hop in the shower. We need to know the prepositions. And it's a good thing we're doing this episode because it would be quite contrary, confusing if someone said that I'm gonna hop in the shower. What do you mean? I mean, I'm just gonna go in.

[B]

There and hop around and then get out.

[A]

Right. It's weird. And then you said, yeah, that's fine. I have to throw a laundry in anyways. And I. I might have said, like, throw a load of laundry in, but you Are being casual here. Throw a laundry in.

[B]

Right? Yeah.

[A]

Or was that a typo?

[B]

No, I think I would say I just have to throw. Or I might say I, I, I, you. I might say I have to throw the laundry in.

[A]

Throw the I. Yeah, we can be a little casual here with the grammar. Yep. Okay. What else, Michelle?

[B]

Okay, you're asking me what I'm going to wear. I said I was just going to throw on a dress.

[A]

Throw on a dress. And I said, yeah, okay, I'll think about it and throw something together from my closet. Yeah.

[B]

And that's the other thing, what we show up wearing.

[A]

People might compliment someone on their fashion, on their how they look, and they might say, oh, it's just something I threw together. Yeah, yeah. Right. To downplay and try to say, oh, I didn't plan it, I didn't go shopping. Shopping. You know, this kind of thing.

[B]

Right, right, right, right. Exactly. So these are really useful and we'll get to it more in the takeaway. But yeah, we. First, we want to remind you guys we have really good episodes that just were recently done. So we have a Saturday episode. It was excellent English for home cleanup.

[A]

Yes. And what is our takeaway? What should we keep in mind for our listeners when it comes to hopping, jumping, throwing.

[B]

I mean, these are really good. I mean, not only are they important to know so that you don't think everybody's just going in the shower and hopping. Right. We don't. I mean, yes. So they're important for a comprehension. Also try using them. Right. They kind of give this to me. Very casual, natural way of speaking. Yeah. You can say take a shower. There's absolutely nothing wrong. But sometimes just try and throw some of these together and see how it goes. Because it's a, it's pretty natural to me. Yeah.

[A]

And it also kind of maybe brings you closer to the person because you're being more casual. You're kind of showing how your plans could integrate with theirs very easily.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So go for it, guys. Give them a try and let us know how it works out. Send follow up questions to Support@All earsenglish.com All right.

[B]

All right. Perfect. All right. Well, this is a lot of fun and I'm glad that we threw this episode together, although we didn't.

[A]

Me too.

[B]

Yeah, that's right.

[A]

All right, Michelle, have a good, have a good day. Enjoy your day.

[B]

Talk to you soon too. Bye.

[A]

Bye. Thanks for listening. To all ears. English. Would you like to know your English level? Take our two minute quiz, go to allearsenglish.com forward/fluency score. And if you believe in connection, not perfection, then hit subscribe now to be make sure you don't miss anything. See you next time. And Doug Limu and I always tell you to customize your car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. But now we want you to feel it. Cue the emu music. Limu Save yourself money today. Increase your wealth customer mice and save. We say that may have been too much feeling. Only pay for what you [e-mail] Liberty Liberty Liberty Liberty Savings Very unwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and affiliates. Excludes Massachusetts.