#256 Spending 10 Days in Silence - Stories with Bree Aesie

Do you love the rambling episodes? Well this might be for you! Today, I go over my recent trip to Japan and discuss some of the things I did, but mostly reflect on the language experience I had there.

Learning Japanese, it was great to go back and practice. In this episode, I share the positives and the negatives and tie it up into some takeaways that should benefit all language learners.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast263

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Textbook English is different from spoken English, and a big part of this comes down to pronunciation and how things are said in real conversations. 

This is Part 2 in my series on pronunciation, where we first looked at Linking in Episode 255, and now we're looking at Elision. These are both features of connected speech that share some similarities.

In this episode, I share an example of elision followed by a question or challenge for myself that I also ask you (the listeners) to do as well!

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast262

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I get a few requests to continue my series on Phrasal Verbs, and specifically, I had one recently to cover phrasal verbs that use the verb 'turn'. 

I thought of as many common ones as I could and made a list, and then I went through my memories to recount some memorable travel stories from my life.  While doing so, I used these 'turn' phrasal verbs in a natural context.

I encourage you to do the same too! Practice like this is the best way to learn.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast261

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Dylan (from the YouTube channel British Education) joined me for a fun games session today. We're using games to have a conversation and practice English, and we encourage you to play along too. If you have a teacher or language partner, we also encourage you to try these games for yourself.

We actually recorded for about 2 hours together, but I cut it down a lot to fit into this week's podcast. We played 20 Questions, Would You Rather, Riddles, and 2 Truths and a Lie.

We also spoke for a long time about travel, language learning, and self-improvement, but this was cut out of the episode. I'm posting the full conversation on the website for members. Click below to join!
 
Where to find Dylan

• YouTube - youtube.com/channel/UCEGuZlXpfQjsALYlGVCyv-Q
• Instagram - instagram.com/britisheducation_
• Website - dylaneducation.co.uk

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast260

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Since this episode falls on Valentine's Day, let's discuss the topic of Love and Relationships.

I'll be basing this episode around a group class I taught before where we discuss some questions related to relationships, such as having a long and happy marriage, and how to break up with someone. 

I also have the help of Chat GPT who gives some brilliant advice for all relationships out there. There will also be a few phrases you can use to talk about relationships . I'm sure at least one will be new for you.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast259

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Just a few days into 2024, I already made 2 very big and expensive mistakes.

In this episode, I share what happened and exactly why I made these mistakes, and then I talk about some possible lessons that I should learn from these mistakes.

I also spend a bit more time discussing the importance of making mistakes and the right mindset to have when it comes to mistakes in life and in language learning too. 

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast258

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In this episode, we're taking a deep dive into Blue Zones - 5 areas around the world where people live a long time with great health.

I'll be sharing my uneducated views on why this might be, but also looking at the Power 9 - 9 reasons why researchers believe life expectancy is so long in these places.
  
For those of you who want to learn some new English along the way, I'll also be trying my best to include some dependant prepositions and their phrases too. I'll explain more about this in the episode.

Don't forget to join in the conversation on the show notes page below.

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast257

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By becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.

Bree Aesie from Into The Stories Podcast joins us today for a conversation about meditation and stories. This was one of my favourite conversations yet, packed with lots of life lessons as well as English learning tips and motivation.

Since Bree's podcast is all about looking at stories, we start by turning the tables on Bree and I ask her to share a meaningful story for her. We talk about her 10-day silent meditation retreat in Thailand and some of the difficulties and lessons from that experience. 

We delve into topics around meditation and mindfulness, and also why learning a language through stories is such a powerful and effective method. 

 By the way, I also appeared on Bree's podcast! You can listen to our episode here where I talk about a challenging and personal experience in my 20s. 

• Into the Story Podcast - Michael's Episode - https://pod.link/1522715603

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast256

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By becoming a member, you can access all podcast transcripts, listen to the private podcast and join live lessons and courses on the website.

Textbook English is different from spoken English, and a big part of this comes down to pronunciation and how things are said in real conversations.

You may understand English learner material easily, but then really struggle when it comes to watching TV or movies. What I discuss in this episode may be the reason why.

This is the first part of a series I’m going to do on pronunciation, and this episode will be about something called Linking.

Linking is when a consonant sound connects from the end of one word to the beginning of the next word. Listen to find out more!

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast255

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I answer listener questions on all sorts of topics - ranging from British culture to the fairness of life! And of course, English language questions too.

It was a fun episode and you all gave great questions.  I always enjoy these episodes because they feel a bit more casual and laid-back compared to the usual ones.

If you want to ask a question for next time, the best place to do that is on my Instagram - @englishwithmichael

Show notes page - https://levelupenglish.school/podcast254

Sign Up for Free Lessons - https://www.levelupenglish.school/#freelessons

Join Level Up English - https://courses.levelupenglish.school
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