AEE: Draw a Crowd with This High-level Use of a Verb

Summary

Podcast Summary: All Ears English Podcast

Episode: AEE: Draw a Crowd with This High-level Use of a Verb
Hosts: Lindsay McMahon and Michelle Kaplan
Date: April 11, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the versatile verb “draw” and explores how it’s used in American English beyond artwork. The hosts, Lindsay and Michelle, break down two main metaphorical uses of “draw”: as a verb meaning to extract (pull out) and as a verb meaning to attract (pull in). The discussion is full of practical examples, lively personal anecdotes, and actionable tips for ESL learners aiming to sound more natural and expressive.

---

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Multiple Meanings of "Draw"

• [02:14] Michelle kicks off by stating:
  “The word draw is not just limited to making pictures on a piece of paper. There are so many more interesting uses of this word.”
• [02:49] Lindsay and Michelle laugh about their lack of artistic skill, using this as a segue to explore abstract meanings of “draw.”

---

2. "Draw" as “Extract” – Pulling Out Ideas, Feelings, or Lessons

• [03:14] Michelle introduces the first metaphorical meaning:
  “So the one is to extract. Yeah. Right. So think about you're pulling something out from something else.”
• Common Collocations (with examples):
  • Draw conclusions
    • “Before we draw any conclusions, let’s take a look at the facts.” – Lindsay [04:03]
  • Draw inspiration from something
    • Michelle: “I drew inspiration from three of my favorite artists.” [04:29]
    • Lindsay asks Michelle if she draws musical inspiration from anyone in particular, leading to a mention of Alanis Morissette and Rosé.
  • Draw strength
    • “During her period of unemployment, she drew strength from her spouse and her kids. Some people draw strength from religion or spirituality.” – Lindsay [05:56]
  • Draw insights
    • “If you look at this chart, there are a few main insights we can draw that will help us make the next move.” – Michelle [06:27]
  • Draw lessons
    • “I wish I could draw some lessons from this experience, but I don't think I can.” – Lindsay [06:32]

Personal Tie-ins:

• [07:06] Michelle: “Sometimes I draw inspiration from things I see online…I drew inspiration from the Internet.”
• [07:40] Lindsay: “For this show, I think I draw inspiration from my everyday conversations out in the world.”

---

3. "Draw" as “Attract” – Pulling In People or Attention

• [09:39] Michelle:
  “You can use draw to mean attract or pull closer...So the first one is draw a crowd. We’re not extracting a crowd. We’re getting a crowd to come closer.”
  • Example: “When walks in, she will draw a crowd. So we need to be prepared with extra security.” [10:00]
• More Examples:
  • Draw customers
    • “I think we’ll really draw a lot of customers in if we have some free giveaways.” – Lindsay [10:27]
  • Draw attention
    • “I’d like to draw your attention to the picture on…” – Michelle [10:32]
    • Lindsay shares a travel anecdote: “People always say, ‘don’t wear your wedding rings when you travel. Don’t draw attention to yourself.’” [10:45]
  • Draw interest
    • “We drew a ton of interest by sending out gift bags.” – Michelle [11:14]

Context Matters:

• [11:51] Michelle:
  “Because, like, if you hear ‘draw customers,’ we’re not actually drawing customers on paper…you have to pay attention to the context.”
• Lindsay: “It’s a metaphorical way to talk about the word draw.” [12:03]

---

4. Role Play – Using “Draw” in Conversation

• [12:16] The hosts role-play as bandmates planning a festival, using different “draw” expressions:
  • Michelle: “I think we can really draw interest if we use social media a couple months before.” [12:28]
  • Lindsay: “We can draw inspiration from that festival we saw in California.” [12:34]
  • Michelle: “I think we are really going to draw a crowd.” [12:39]
• Discussion:
  • Lindsay points out that “draw” stands in for other verbs:
    “It’s kind of interesting because in each case, the draw stands for different verbs. Right. Draw interest is to attract interest. Draw inspiration is to gain inspiration.” [13:14]
  • Michelle:
    “It's a very versatile verb.” [13:27]

---

5. Encouragement & Learner Challenge

• [13:31] Lindsay suggests a learner activity:
  “It would be a great activity for you to go through the episode again and see how many other verbs you can come up with in each scenario.”
• The goal is to boost conversational range and help listeners connect rather than aiming for perfection.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On irony:
  • “You only know irony when it hits you in the face.” – Michelle [05:44]
• On context and learning:
  • “We really have to use special ears for this one because it could get a little confusing.” – Michelle [11:52]
• On ESL learning philosophy:
  • “Today we’re talking about expanding our English, making it more interesting, guys, which always leads to connection.” – Lindsay [14:08]
• On the verb’s flexibility:
  • “It's a very versatile verb.” – Michelle [13:27]

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:14] – Introduction to broader meanings of “draw”
• [03:14] – “Draw” as extract: common collocations
• [05:56] – “Draw strength,” “draw insights,” “draw lessons”
• [07:06] – Personal sources of inspiration
• [09:39] – “Draw” as attract: crowds, customers, attention
• [12:16] – Roleplay with “draw” in various contexts
• [13:31] – Activity challenge for listeners
• [14:08] – Final encouragement on using versatile expressions

---

Episode Tone and Style

Lindsay and Michelle’s conversation is informal, upbeat, and friendly. They use humor, personal stories, and practical language tips, always emphasizing connection over perfection. This episode is highly interactive, encouraging listeners to practice, notice context, and experiment with advanced vocabulary in real-life situations.

---

Takeaways for Learners

• “Draw” is a highly useful and flexible verb in English, key to sounding more natural and expressive.
• It can mean either to extract/pull out (conclusions, inspiration, lessons) or to attract/pull in (crowds, customers, attention).
• Context is critical—listen closely to determine meaning.
• Practice using “draw” in new ways and notice similar advanced verbs for richer conversations.
• Connection is the goal: experimenting with varied language leads to deeper communication.

---

Recommended Next Step:
Go back through the episode and jot down alternative verbs for each usage of “draw” as suggested by Lindsay and Michelle. Then, try them out in your next English conversation!

Transcript

[Narrator]

This is the All Ears English podcast.

[Sponsor Voice]

Draw a crowd with this high level use of a verb.

[Narrator]

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

[Lindsay McMahon]

New York radio girl.

[Narrator]

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.

[Michelle Kaplan]

The word draw is not just limited to making pictures on a piece of paper. There are so many more interesting uses of this word. Listen in to get a few of them today.

[Narrator]

Who are you in your native language? Confident, Funny, Opinionated. Now, who are you in English? If you feel smaller, quieter or less expressive, that's not because you're bad at English. It's because fluency is tied to identity. When you're unsure, you hold back. And when you hold back, people don't see the real you. You don't need perfect grammar. You need clarity about what is holding you back. In just two minutes, you can discover your English level and what's slowing your progress for free. Go to allersenglish.comfluencyscore or that's allearsenglish.com F L U E N C Y S C O R E.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Hey there, Michelle. What are you doing today?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Oh, nothing much. Lindsay, do you like to draw?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Oh my gosh, no. I'm such a bad drawer.

[Narrator]

Drawer.

[Lindsay McMahon]

That's a weird.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Oh, I am, I am too.

[Lindsay McMahon]

I hate when, when it's like Pictionary or something. Oh, I'm so bad at it.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Like there are three year olds.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Great. If I can do a stick finger, like it's, it's really.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Stick figures are like advanced for me.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I mean, yes, exactly. I, I, I'm the same way. I just not very artistic in, in that way. But yeah, today we are going to talk about how to use the word draw.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Okay.

[Michelle Kaplan]

That doesn't have anything to do with putting crayons or pencils to paper. We're going to talk about it in a different way.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, I mean it's, it's very relevant to our language in so many different ways. Not just playing Pictionary, thank goodness. Right? Because my, my Pictionary drawings, if I'm trying to draw a horse, it ends up looking like an elephant or a giraffe. Or something.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I don't know.

[Lindsay McMahon]

It's just terrible, Michelle. It's so embarrassing.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I, I, I, I'm the same. We would be a horrible team. So, but, but it'd be funny. So that's good. So, yeah, guys, hit the follow button and so, but we're going to talk about two ways that we use the word draw. Two main definitions. Okay. They're pretty similar. So the one is to extract. Yeah. Right. So think about you're pulling something out from something else.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Okay.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Okay. So these are some really common collocations, expressions that you might hear with this idea in mind. Lindsay, what's the first one?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, so the first one draw conclusions.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right.

[Lindsay McMahon]

So no, wait.

[Michelle Kaplan]

No, the first one is.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Right, Come back to that one.

[Michelle Kaplan]

We can, we'll go back to it.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, I'll come back to it. That's okay. So let me give an example for draw conclusions. Before we draw any conclusions, let's take a look at the facts, right?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yes.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Oh, so common in English, that phrase, right?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yes, exactly. So, you know, ex. We're pull out any conclusion. Something has happened before we take anything from that. Let's look at the facts. So draw.

[Lindsay McMahon]

And what else can you draw from something?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Draw inspiration from something. So you can basically pull out inspiration from something. So I drew inspiration from three of my favorite artists.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Would you say, Michelle, for your music, you draw inspiration from any particular singer?

[Michelle Kaplan]

I mean, I haven't been writing in a long time, but for singers that I like that I, that I'm inspired by, I mean, of course, Alanis Morissette, you know who I've been listening to now? Just in, in the car earlier. Ros.

[Lindsay McMahon]

I don't know.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Do you know who that is?

[Sponsor Voice]

She.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Well, she, she sang Apita with Bruno Mars. She. And, and I just been listening to her solo stuff because I think she's from Blackpink and she. And it's very good. So I was all excited about that. Yeah. That's funny.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah. I mean, I know Alenis Morissette for sure. Her song Ironic is one that I've used in classrooms for E, of course, to learn about irony. But I feel like when I try to teach that, it's always hard. Like I get to the end and I'm like, do I even understand irony? I'm not sure.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I know it's irony. I think we've talked about it on the show. It's one of those things that it's. I remember and I had to make examples of irony and it's like, so it's it's one of those things where it's so hard to make an example. You only know irony when it hits

[Lindsay McMahon]

you in the face. It's true. That's right. Just like, just like all those examples from the song. So guys, check out Alanis Morris that in her song Ironic. Really fun song. Okay, Another thing we can draw is draw strength.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right?

[Lindsay McMahon]

So this is. So during her period of unemployment, she drew strength from her spouse and her kids. Some people draw strength from religion or spirituality. Right?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Community, all sorts of things we draw.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right, exactly. That's where you get strength from. You know, you could also say I, I got strength from or I took strength from. Right. So draw strength is just a different way of saying it. Yeah. So then there's draw insights. So like, basically things that you're learning. If you look at this chart, there are a few main insights we can draw that will help us make the

[Lindsay McMahon]

next move or draw lessons. So very similar to the first one. I wish I could draw some lessons from this experience, but I don't think I can. You remember all the sitcoms from the 90s. There was always like a, you know, sit on dad's lap and learn the lesson.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Full house. Yep. Yep. That moment, the music, the close up on the camera.

[Lindsay McMahon]

So funny how TV has changed so much, you know?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, yeah. You don't get that so much anymore. No, it's changed for sure.

[Lindsay McMahon]

So, Michelle, where do you draw inspiration from outside of music? Just in life in general, outside of music.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I mean, my friends, I mean, I, you know, just like the, like, I think I draw I. Well, or I'll say I'll draw. I draw strength from like my community. And then, yeah, I'm in. I'm. In spite of inspired. Oh, sometimes I draw inspiration from things I see online. Like, I just revamped my kids lunch. So I'm making. I, I just, I bought these new lunch boxes and I'm trying to. Because the lunch was getting so boring for them. And so I, you know, I drew inspiration from the Internet, so.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Very cool.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Very cool. Yeah. What about you?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Well, for this show, I think I draw inspiration from my everyday conversations out in the world, whether it's friends, family, community members, whatever it is. I like to observe language and listen to what I'm saying and what other people are saying. And the question is, why did they

[Sponsor Voice]

say what they said?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I definitely have those moments too.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, for sure.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yep.

[Narrator]

Great.

[Lindsay McMahon]

So we all draw inspiration from somewhere. So this would be kind of a cool conversation connection moment to open up with Someone guys to ask people, where do you draw inspiration from in your life?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. This is a great one.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Really good.

[Sponsor Voice]

If you're a small business, the right hire can be make or break. Hoping the right people see your job. Posting isn't the best growth strategy when the pressure's on and you need the right hire. This is a job for Sponsored Jobs. Indeed Sponsored Jobs is a boost whenever you need to find quality talent. Indeed Sponsored Jobs gets you the quality candidates when you need them. Most people are finding quality hires on Indeed right now. In the minute I've been talking to you. Companies like yours made 27 hires on Indeed according to Indeed Data Worldwide. Spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Less stress, less time, more results when you need the right person to cut through the chaos. This is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs and listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to help get your job the premium status it deserves@ Indeed.com podcast. Just go to Indeed.com podcast right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. That's I N--E-E-D.com podcast terms and conditions apply. Hiring headache. This is a job for Indeed Sponsored jobs.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Okay, Michelle, so let's talk about a similar way to use the word draw. So what do we need to know here?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Okay, so this is similar, but it's not exactly the same. So you can use draw to mean attract or pull closer. Right. So one was more about like pulling out something, like to get something, and now we're doing more. You. You draw in like it's like you're pulling in.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Interesting.

[Michelle Kaplan]

So this is interesting. So the first one is draw a crowd. We're not extracting a crowd. We're getting a crowd to come closer. So we know when walks in, she will draw a crowd. So she. So we need to be prepared with extra security. So what are we saying here? She will try.

[Lindsay McMahon]

It means that the. The crowd will come, right? Will appear. Yeah, when she appears. So we. We should expect that. I mean, draw customers also, I think we'll really draw a lot of customers in if we have some free giveaways. That means more customers will enter the store.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right. Draw attention to something. I'd like to draw your attention to the picture on. So I'm pulling you to this, you know, pulling your attention.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah. This makes me think of when I travel. You know, people always say, you know, don't wear your wedding rings when you travel. Don't draw Attention to yourself. You know, I think when I was traveling in my 20s, it was always like this dirty backpack and staying in hostels and, you know, but even now, like, I definitely dress very plainly. Jeans and a T shirt, basic pack, nothing fancy whatsoever. And it just. It's like, if you look like you have nothing to lose, you have nothing to lose.

[Michelle Kaplan]

You know what I mean?

[Lindsay McMahon]

It's just so much easier. That's funny.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. No, I'm. I'm the same. Or you could also draw interest. So we drew a ton of interest by sending out gift bags. So you can see how these definitions are a little bit different. One, we're kind of taking something out, and one, we're attracting something. We're pulling it closer. So. But the important thing is, you know, you don't. You know, it could get confusing. Right. Because we do use draw a lot in ways that aren't about drawing. And so I could see that you have to pay attention to the context.

[Lindsay McMahon]

You really do.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Because, like, if you hear. Draw customers, we're not actually drawing customers on paper. Right. So we really have to use special ears for this one because it could get a little confusing.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, special. It's a metaphorical way to talk about the word draw a little bit. Right. So. But this is showing you guys how to use language in a much more interesting way than just playing Pictionary, right?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yes.

[Lindsay McMahon]

So we're going to. Let's go into a role play, Michelle. Here we are bandmates, meaning we're both in the band and we're planning a music festival. Okay.

[Michelle Kaplan]

All right, so here we go. I think we can really draw interest if we use social media a couple months before. Good idea.

[Lindsay McMahon]

We can draw inspiration from that festival we saw in California.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yes. I think we are really going to draw a crowd. Okay, so we're not going to use draw like this all the time, but, I mean, that's a little much.

[Lindsay McMahon]

But it's probably just to give you a normal conversation. But these are examples here, right?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yes, exactly.

[Lindsay McMahon]

You started off by saying, I think we can really draw interest if we use social media. So what are you saying again? Draw interest.

[Michelle Kaplan]

We can attract interest. We can get interest, you know? Yeah. And then I. You said, we can draw inspiration from that festival. So we're going to get inspiration. We're pulling out inspiration.

[Lindsay McMahon]

It's kind of interesting because in each case, the draw stands for different verbs. Right. Draw interest is to attract interest. Draw inspiration is to gain inspiration or to get inspiration. Right, Right.

[Narrator]

So this would actually very.

[Michelle Kaplan]

It's a Very versatile verb.

[Narrator]

It really would be.

[Lindsay McMahon]

It really is. And guys, it would be a great activity for you to go through the episode again and see how many other verbs you can come up with in each scenario. Mean the same thing. It's essentially what is it saying?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right? Yeah, that's. I like that idea. That's a great exercise.

[Lindsay McMahon]

What about the last one, Michelle?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, And I said yes, I think we are really gonna draw a crowd. So we are going to attract a crowd, right? People. A lot of people are going to come.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Or there could be some phrasal, phrasal verbs that our listeners might come up that mean the same thing. Like pull in a crowd.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yes.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Love that.

[Lindsay McMahon]

So good. This is a great one. Today we're talking about expanding our English, making it more interesting, guys, which always leads to connection.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Okay? Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Very useful one for today. Also, another really good one to check out is episode 2588. That was. We wish for you to master English.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Nice. All right, guys, go ahead and do that activity that I mentioned and then go out in the world and use these phrases to build connection in your next conversation.

[Michelle Kaplan]

All right.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Really good stuff.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Awesome.

[Lindsay McMahon]

All right, Michelle.

[Michelle Kaplan]

All right, Lindsay, thanks for chatting about this with me today and I will talk to you soon.

[Lindsay McMahon]

All right, take care. Bye.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Bye.

[Narrator]

Thanks for listening.

[Lindsay McMahon]

To all ears. English.

[Narrator]

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 make sure you don't miss anything. See you next time.

[Sponsor Voice]

I'll be honest. Shopping for clothes is not my favorite thing. I just want to look good without overthinking it. Stitch fix makes it easy. You take a quick style quiz, your size, your vibe, your budget, and a real human stylist sends a box with clothes that actually fit your life. Try it on at home. Keep what works, Send back the rest. Shipping's free. No subscription required. Get $20 [e-mail] podcast.