Podcast #32 Frankie Goes To Brighton

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Frankie Goes To Brighton

Frankie and his best friend Sally lived and worked in London. One weekend, they decided to visit Brighton. On the train, Sally tried to educate Frankie about the difference between London and Brighton.

“Listen Frankie,” she said. “I don’t want you to start being all judgemental when we get there. You have to remember that the pace of life is very different in Brighton.”

“Is that a polite way of telling me they’re a bunch of dossers?” replied Frankie

“You are such a snob,” said Sally. “You’ve never left London, it’s time for you to broaden your horizons and see how other places work.”

Frankie laughed. “Work? That’s a funny word to associate with Brighton, I thought everyone just bummed around and got drunk.”

Sally ignored Frankie for the rest of the journey. When they arrived, Frankie took a deep breath of the fresh air coming up from the sea.

“Well I must admit, it’s nice to be out of the hustle and bustle for an afternoon. Come on, let’s go to the beach.”

“Wait,” said Sally. “We can’t go that way, there’s a man with blue hair vomiting in the road. And we can’t take that street, it’s blocked by that group yoga class.”

Frankie and Sally decided to take a taxi. Five minutes later, the taxi was stuck in a huge traffic jam. Hundreds of angry protestors were shouting and waving signs in the middle of the road.

“Oh no, another vegan protest,” said the taxi driver. “Where do you want me to go, I can’t get to the beach.”

“I’ll give you a grand to take us back to the big smoke,” said Frankie. “This has been wonderful Sally, but this place is bonkers.”

Further examples:

  • I wish I wasn’t so judgemental, it’s my worst character flaw!

  • I want to move to Sicily, they enjoy a much slower pace of life and the scenery is stunning.

  • James is such a dosser, why doesn’t he just get a job?

  • Brenda is a real snob, she only eats at the most expensive restaurants and she refuses to talk to anyone who didn’t go to a private school.

  • I think travelling is the best way to broaden your horizons. You can learn so much from meeting people and learning a new culture. Sadly, some people just want to bum around when they travel, they only want to get drunk and party.

  • I was sick of the hustle and bustle of New York so I moved to Texas to enjoy a slower pace of life.

  • Can you believe this traffic jam? We’ll be here all evening at this rate!

  • Tom is completely bonkers. He paid a grand for a pair of jeans yesterday because someone told him they were really fashionable!

  • We enjoyed our holiday, but returning to The Big Smoke wasn’t so bad. We’ve always loved London.

Common CAE Speaking Mistakes

If you were taking the CAE speaking test, would you bother to learn the best technique in order to achieve a high score? It seems like an easy question to answer, but not all students prepare properly for their CAE speaking test.

Let’s have a look at some of the most common mistakes made by English students who are taking the Cambridge Advanced English C1 exam.

CAE Speaking Mistake #1 - Using Basic English Adjectives

Many English students develop their skills to a good level, but seem to forget about their adjectives. As an experienced CAE teacher, I’m surprised at how often I hear the following things:

”My town is very big and nice.”

“I felt very happy when I passed my school exams.”

Remember, the CAE exam is advanced! You are expected to demonstrate your advanced English vocabulary.

“My town is a quaint and charming place, with a few disarmingly charming people!”

CAE Speaking Mistake #2 - Dead Air (Silence)

Say something! Even if you’re not feeling confident about your answer. The CAE speaking exam is a test of your English communication skills. Don’t worry about whether your answer is INCREDIBLE, just make sure that you are always communicating!

Learn how to give an answer, even if you’re not actually sure what the answer is:

How can the government reduce plastic pollution?

Well, that’s an interesting question. I’ve never really thought about that before. I don’t think of myself as an expert on this topic, but I do know that it’s critical we all work together in order to solve this crisis.

CAE Speaking Mistake #3 - Not knowing the CAE speaking exam structure or CAE speaking technique

The CAE exam has four parts. Each part has a different technique that is simple to learn.

The more you study the exam structure, the more comfortable you will feel on the day of your exam. The more you practice the techniques required, the higher your potential score.

Do you want to know all the details and techniques you need for your CAE Speaking test?

Try our video course ‘CAE Speaking Success’ to help you prepare for your Cambridge Advanced English speaking exam.

What Is Naked Idioms?

Naked Idioms is a book for students who want to learn common ESL idioms. It is unique. You will not find any other ESL book like Naked Idioms.

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The book features 35 illustrations, 10 stories and a quiz. Here are some common questions about Naked Idioms, with our answers.

Why are the people naked?

Because naked people are funny.

Why did you decide to do a book like Naked Idioms?

We wanted to create something that is 100% original, fun and therefore easy to remember for the student.


Will all your books feature naked people?

We haven’t decided yet.


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How can I buy a copy of Naked Idioms?


If you would like to start your naked adventure and learn some ESL idiom, then you can buy a copy using these links. We recommend using the Amazon.com link if you live outside of the UK.


Italian residents can use Amazon Italia without any problems.


Amazon Italia: https://tinyurl.com/n25yjaa3


Amazon.com : https://tinyurl.com/vthdp7ys


Amazon.co.uk: https://tinyurl.com/rfszz97u




3 Creative Ways To Practice English


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In this post we will look at 3 very simple and creative ideas to help you practice English. Remember, the only limit is your own imagination, so if you can improve on these ideas then please do!

3 Creative Ways To Practice English


Idiom / Phrasal Verb Stories (recommended for level B1 / B2 and above)

Select any idioms or phrasal verbs you would like to master. Don’t choose too many, as it will make your story a bit too difficult. A sensible number would be anything between three and six.

Keep your story short. This will help you to be concise, and avoid rambling. Remember, your focus is on using the idioms or phrasal verbs correctly.

This is a fun activity, because you’re free to use your own imagination and have fun. Here are some examples of Mr Vocab’s idiom stories:

The First Date

The Bag Of Bananas


Netflix with a difference (recommended for level A2 and above)

A lot of students simply watch English movies and TV shows assuming the language will magically sink deep into their brains. While there’s definitely no harm in watching things in English, it’s better if you set yourself a challenge.

Try watching 10-15 mins of a show, such as Friends (this is good due to the everyday language and situations). Note down any new phrases or words that you hear. When you have finished, try writing or simply speaking example sentences with your new words.

Alternatively, simply watch one small conversation or speech on the show, and press pause. Now stand up and try and repeat what you just heard.

Narrate your day (recommended for all levels)

If you have some privacy, try narrating everything that you do. For example if you are a lower level student you could simply describe your actions with simple sentences:

I am taking a shower

I am turning off the shower

I am brushing my teeth


If you’re a more advanced learner, you could have some fun and narrate your actions in real time (as you’re doing things).

While taking a shower, I noticed that I was narrating my day. This was strange. I turned off the shower, and grabbed a towel, thinking about my day ahead. After drying myself, I decided to make a coffee and check the news online.


5 Signs Of A Good ESL Teacher

This is a very brief summary of what we believe makes a good ESL teacher.

Do you want to learn advanced English vocabulary in just 3 minutes?

The Mr Vocab Podcast has short, easy to follow episodes that teach you English idioms, phrasal verbs, adjectives and more! It’s the perfect resource for students studying English as a foreign language.

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A good teacher is prepared

It’s obvious when your teacher is prepared. They have thought about how they will use the whiteboard (or smartboard) and they will have a defined objective for the class, i.e. when this class is finished, every student will know how and when to use the present perfect tense.

An unprepared teacher is quite easy to spot. They are the teachers who simply go through the class text book, page by page or they will jump randomly from one area of the language to another, with no obvious objective.

A good teacher can work without a textbook

Sometimes we all need to follow a textbook, but a good teacher is one who would be able to survive without it and still deliver a clear and easy to follow lesson.


A good teacher makes his/her own materials

This is a sign of enthusiasm for the job. A good teacher will take the time to design and produce unique learning materials such as a quiz, presentation or even a fun idiom story for the class to read together.


A good teacher can admit they don’t know the answer

Sometimes a teacher might be bombarded with various grammatical questions (or other questions) that they don’t know how to answer.

A good teacher will slow down, and decide whether they can answer the question effectively or not. If they can’t, they will apologise and admit it, but make a note to prepare a new lesson on this area.

Other teachers will try and explain something they don’t know, and confuse the class further, losing the confidence of the students.

A good teacher will be prepared to make a change to the original lesson plan

Not every lesson plan will work. A simple example would be starting a lesson and realising that it’s just too advanced for your class. A good teacher will recognise this early, and not be afraid to give up on the original plan.

Other teachers might stubbornly refuse to change, and end up with a wasted lesson and frustrated students.