Podcast
The Clark and Miller English Podcast
Hosted by Clark and Miller · EN
The Clark and Miller English podcast is a fun, innovative and exciting way to learn English. Join us and see English in ways you've never seen English before. Follow Gabriel's English "hot takes" and really FEEL English naturally and comfortably. Listen to interviews with some of the world's best teachers. Get involved and join the community ... and have a laugh while you're doing it.
11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Episode 46 - Create "A-ha" Moments in your Classroom with Simple Drawings
Jun 800:47:19Tap to summarizeIn this episode I look at how you can use images effectively in the classroom and give your students more of those "a-ha" moments. Through a job posting in a small Russian village, via a polyglot war hero, past split brain experiments and behaviourist studies, into Atkinson's Keyword Method (a vocab-learning approach) and out into the magic formula for "a-ha" moments, we look at what makes a perfect image. At the end of the episode there are suggestions for different images you can use in the classroom today to teach various vocab and grammar points.
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Episode 45 - The Wizard of Oz, Ingroups and Outgroups, and How Language Reveals What We Really Think
Dec 12, 202300:37:47Tap to summarizeHave you ever really thought about how some words you use to describe others are a bit ... rude? Have you ever noticed the words you use to describe groups of people you don't like? Have you ever noticed that the word for Germany in your language is different from the word Germans use? Have you ever seen the Wizard of Oz? And what's up with Chavs? In this episode I explore the world of exonyms and endonyms. We look at how language, and these language features in particular, reveals our nasty, tribal side. The side that makes us see ourselves us superior and our neighbours as inhuman. We see how words can be used to create enemies. And why "Paris" is pronounced oddly.
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Episode 44 - The Quest for the Holy Grail of English Grammar | An Interview with Christopher Walker
Jan 1, 202301:20:53Tap to summarizeIn this interview, I talk to Chris Walker, a long-serving teacher at International House and author of English is a Simple Language. Join us on our quest to “get to the bottom of it all,” examining and uncovering the underlying structures of English, following in the footsteps of Michael Lewis. During this engaging conversation, we ask: “Can we get to the heart of the meaning of modal verbs?” “Can we summarize conditional sentences in a single sentence (or maybe two)?” “Can we divide English grammar into either subjective or objective forms?” But I also ask whether there really is a “Holy Grail of English grammar.” Is there a system behind it all? Is there something that unlocks the way grammar works? Or is it more complicated than that? At the end, and for a bit of a laugh, we also have a look at some badly-written test questions and how they can help you and your students understand these deeper, underlying dynamics at work in the language. Don’t forget to check out Chris’s blog/archive at: www.closelyobserved.com Music: bensound.com
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Episode 43 - Some, Any, Metal Bands and Why You’re Not Talking To Someone’s Leg
Dec 3, 202200:21:11Tap to summarizeThey lied! They all lied to you! Well, some of them did. What am I talking about? I’m talking about the people who told you that “We use ‘some’ for positive sentences and ‘any’ for negative and question sentences.” Sure. We do. But what about: “Would you like some tea?” and “It’s just some kid.”? Find out how “some” and “any” really work...
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Episode 42 - When is a Mistake a Mistake? Errors, Innovations And Angloversals
Oct 19, 202200:15:38Tap to summarizeHave you ever corrected your student for making a "mistake" that you make yourself? In that case, is it a mistake? Are they mistakes when the same features are used by speakers of English in Kachru's outer and even expanding circles of English? In this episode, I check out a fascinating paper by Elina Ranta on student mistakes, innovations and Angloversals. Whatever they are...
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Episode 41 - ’90s Slang vs ’40s Slang | A Chat With My Dad in the Garden
Sep 30, 202200:17:20Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I talk to my dad, Peter, about slang. We also play a game where I try to guess the meaning of slang terms from the ’40s (his generation), and he tries to guess the meaning of slang terms from the ’90s (my generation). The game was fun, but we also end up talking about all sorts of other things like the Hindi, Arabic and Turkish origins of some English words, how words changed over the years and what a potato is. (It's not what you think.)
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Episode 40 - 2 English teachers, 10 phrasal verbs. English with Rob Interview
Sep 13, 202201:24:14Tap to summarizeA very phrasal verby chat with Rob from English with Rob. We talk about: - the best way to learn phrasal verbs; - our favourite bands and whether auto-tune is evil or a really good idea; - the dreaded pandemic and how we adapted to it (and how we're still adapting to it); - reality TV (and why we don't get it); - how "get" and "be" are cousins; - what stability and certainty in 2022; - capitalism and global warming. (Yep! We went there!)
Transcribe →Episode 39 - The Cat and the Cornflakes - 5 English Pronunciation Hacks
Sep 1, 202200:40:35Tap to summarizeFree eBook "Learn New Words 5 Times Faster": https://www.clarkandmiller.com/learn-english-fast/ ______ Improve your pronunciation AND your listening skills with these 5 English pronunciation tips. Learn about: 1. Jump to the potato! (stress-timed vs. syllable-timed languages) Is your first language stress-timed or syllable-timed? What does that mean for your English pronunciation? How does it affect the hip-hop in your country? 2. Always contract! It might feel like the smart thing to do. But don't do it! Never "decontract"! Unless you want to really emphasize something. 3. Look out for "tits" and "dits" I'll say no more about this here ... :) 4. Watch out for the difference between "can" and "can't" With a lot of American English pronunciation, "can" and "can't" sometimes sound the same. This hack will give you the skills to understand whether that American guy is saying that you CAN borrow a hundred bucks or whether he's saying you CAN'T borrow a hundred bucks. 5. Look out for "therza" It's more common than you might think ... ______ www.clarkandmiller.com
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Episode 38 - Tithead! Swearing with Emma from the Procrastination Podcast
Aug 8, 202201:17:28Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I talk to the super-thoughtful Emma from The Procrastination Podcast and Pronunciation with Emma. And, yes! We talk about swearing in English. Lots of f***ing swearing! Join us in this fascinating conversation and ... - learn some really useful English swearing, - find out which swear words are strong and which ones are weaker, - see how swearing can work as a painkiller, - explore the question "Should English learners learn how to swear? Or is it too vulgar?" So, what are you waiting for, tithead? Let's get going!
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Episode 37 - Three Hot Takes About English (And Why We Use "Some")
Jul 18, 202200:32:11Tap to summarizeToday, I share three of my "hot takes" about English. - Do we ever use "will" with "if" (e.g. “If I will be at the party …”)? When? And when can't we use it? Why? - Why do we use “some” in sentences like “I got some bread”? Do we need it? Can’t we just say “I got bread”? What’s going on with this word? Are there other words like this? Are they really meaningless? And if they are meaningless, why do we keep using them? - Why do we have verbs like "decide" as well as collocations like "make a decision"? Why do we have "run" and "go for a run"? What about “risk” and “take a risk”? What's the difference? Let's take a look at these features of English that are, when you think about it, actually pretty weird. Hopefully, we can uncover some interesting stuff (or at least walk away with some steaming hot takes!).
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