Proper English

https://feed.podbean.com/properenglish/feed.xml

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Episodes

If you're learning English and you want to know the correct word to use in a particular situation, if you get stuck thinking of the right preposition, if you are puzzled by definite and indefinite articles, then Proper English is the podcast for you!

Episodes

Tuesday Sep 01, 2020

Proper English S2 E8: Tea for Two

Tuesday Sep 01, 2020

This week, we're all about Alison's favourite drink: tea! The Brits love their tea with milk, but should you put it in the cup before or after the tea? And who cares? This week's idiom is 'Not for all the tea in China'. Oh, and if you know Ali is quoting right at the very end, let us know and we'll give you an honourable mention in next week's episode!

Like us on Facebook (properenglish2019), and follow us on Twitter (@properenglish4) or YouTube . Oh, and if you have a burning English grammar-related question, why not ask us on Instagram (properenglish2019), and we'll do our best to answer - or, if you're an email kind of person, and you have any feedback or suggestions for future podcasts, you can always contact us at properenglish@sapo.pt.

You can find us on italki at

https://www.italki.com/alisondaviskurley or https://www.italki.com/davekurley.

This podcast uses the following sounds from Freesound and music from Incompetech:

CarStartSkidCrash.wav by musicmasta1

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

Steam kettle boiling and whistling by Jagadamba

This work is licensed under the Attribution Noncommercial License.

Bright Wish by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3458-bright-wish

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Tuesday Aug 25, 2020

Proper English S2E7: Collective Nouns

Tuesday Aug 25, 2020

We're back after a week's break - in this episode, we're all about the collective nouns. Ever wondered what you call a group of apes? Wonder no more, as Ali becomes a contestant on a strange game show - or is it all a dream? The Idiom of the Week is 'A different kettle of fish.'

You can find us on italki at

https://www.italki.com/alisondaviskurley or

https://www.italki.com/davekurley.

This podcast uses the following music:

Village Consort by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4585-village-consort

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Happy Happy Game Show by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3856-happy-happy-game-show

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Tuesday Aug 11, 2020

Proper English S2 E6: The Trouble with Translation

Tuesday Aug 11, 2020

This week, we're looking at the perils and pitfalls of translation, and asking: just how accurate are translation apps? We're talking about a number of different idioms this week - and what happens when you translate them from one language into another and then back…

You can find us on italki at

https://www.italki.com/alisondaviskurley or https://www.italki.com/davekurley.

This podcast uses the following music:

NewsSting by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4124-newssting

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

and uses the following music as the opening and closing themes:

Bright Wish by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Tuesday Aug 04, 2020

Proper English S2E5: Get to Sleep!

Tuesday Aug 04, 2020

Do you know what the average person spends about 26 years of their life doing? Sleeping, that's what! This week, we're talking about words and phrases associated with sleep. It'll keep you awake at nights…
There are two Idioms of the Week: 'Burning the candle at both ends' and 'Counting sheep'. You'll need to do one, if you're doing the other!

You can find us on italki at

https://www.italki.com/alisondaviskurley or https://www.italki.com/davekurley.

We used the following sounds from Freesound in this week's podcast:

Male Snore 3.wav by mattyharm

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

Howler Monkey call on the Yucatan Peninsula by bmccoy2

This work is licensed under the Attribution License.

Sheep_Bleat.wav by n_audioman

This work is licensed under the Attribution License.

Music box lullaby by csnmedia

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

Tuesday Jul 28, 2020

Proper English S2E4: Who Said That?

Tuesday Jul 28, 2020

This week, we open by talking about list sentences and conjunctions - but the real subject is the truth about the clever things that famous people have said - can we believe everything that we read? The Idiom of the Week this week is 'To talk the hind legs off a donkey' - but we're not going to go on about it…

You can find us on italki at

https://www.italki.com/alisondaviskurley or https://www.italki.com/davekurley.

This week’s podcast features incidental music from Incompetech:

Danse Macabre - Big Hit 2 by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3590-danse-macabre---big-hit-2

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Tuesday Jul 21, 2020

Proper English S2E3: A Few More of our Favourite Things

Tuesday Jul 21, 2020

This week, we're talking about some more of our favourite things: singers, drinks (regular listeners will already know Ali's favourite drink) and one of Dave's favourite things - poetry! The Idiom of the Week is 'to bite off more than you can chew.'

You can find us on italki at

https://www.italki.com/alisondaviskurley or https://www.italki.com/davekurley.

This week’s podcast features incidental music from Incompetech:

Danse Macabre - Big Hit 2 by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3590-danse-macabre---big-hit-2

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Tuesday Jul 14, 2020

Proper English S2E2: Phrasal verbs in the family

Tuesday Jul 14, 2020

This week, we're back on the subject of phrasal verbs - and this time, we're keeping it in the family! This week's featured idiom is 'Born with a silver spoon in one's mouth.'

You can find us on italki at

https://www.italki.com/alisondaviskurley or https://www.italki.com/davekurley.

This podcast uses the following music as the opening and closing themes:

Bright Wish by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

...and this is used as incidental music:

Danse Macabre - Big Hit 2 by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3590-danse-macabre---big-hit-2

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Tuesday Jul 07, 2020

Proper English S2 E1: What we did on our holidays

Tuesday Jul 07, 2020

We're back with a new season and a rejuvenated logo! This week, especially for our student Joaquim, we're going to tell you all about our holiday! Also, we're chatting about childhood holidays and we have not one, not two, but *three* Idioms of the Week!

You can find us on italki at

https://www.italki.com/alisondaviskurley or https://www.italki.com/davekurley.

This podcast uses the following music:

Bright Wish by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Supernatural Radio A by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4445-supernatural-radio-a

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Danse Macabre - Big Hit 2 by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3590-danse-macabre---big-hit-2

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Tuesday Jun 16, 2020

Proper English Episode 59: Cats

Tuesday Jun 16, 2020

This week we're talking about cats - the cats we've shared our houses with, and the cat-related vocabulary that we use. We're also looking at the difference between 'In the end' and 'At the end' and the Idiom of the Week is 'Let the cat out of the bag.'

You can find us on italki at

https://www.italki.com/alisondaviskurley or https://www.italki.com/davekurley.

This podcast uses the following sounds from Freesound:

Cat, Screaming, A.wav by InspectorJ

cat meow by tuberatanka

Cat purr.wav by Trautwein

Tuesday Jun 09, 2020

Proper English Episode 58: Mnemonics

Tuesday Jun 09, 2020

This week, we're all about… what is it we're all about this week? Ah yes, ways to remember things - from remembering the names of the planets in our Solar System to jogging your memory about the number of days there are in the months of the year - we've got a mnemonic for that! And this week sees the return of our intrepid detectives, Davidson and Roberts, on the trail of the Rainbow Burglar. But who is the mysterious Roberta?

You can find us on italki at

https://www.italki.com/alisondaviskurley or https://www.italki.com/davekurley.

This week’s podcast features incidental music from Incompetech:

Danse Macabre - Big Hit 2 by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3590-danse-macabre---big-hit-2

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Hidden Agenda by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3872-hidden-agenda

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/