English With Kimberley

Welcome to English with Kimberley. As I sit here at Christmas in an Australian summer, with the sun shining and it being too hot to go outside, I start thinking how lovely it would be to be in a country like Britain at this time. Although I know many Australians wouldn’t want Christmas any other ... Read moreE029 Boxing Day

Welcome to English with Kimberley. In this episode, I want talk to you about a problem I’ve had while buying a home recently. The problem is that there are so many ‘conditions’! Before I tell you why, shall we have a quiz first? The sentence, ‘If you buy a house, you could get stressed out’ ... Read moreE028 In Good Condition

Welcome to English with Kimberley. As I write the script of this this episode on 11 November a few hours before 11.00 am, I want to tell you about this very special day in countries like Australia – and why we call it a ‘commemoration’ and not a ‘celebration’. On the 11th hour of the ... Read moreE027 Lest We Forget

Welcome to English with Kimberley. In this episode, I want to explore the idea that in English we have a lot of sounds that could be describe as hissing or exploding just like the ‘ssssss’ in ‘hissing’ and the ‘p’ and ‘d’ in the word ‘exploding’. So, to our first quiz of the podcast. Which ... Read moreE026 Freaky Fricatives

Welcome to English with Kimberley. In this episode, I want to talk to you about two containers we use every day for food and drink and how this can be confusing for everyone. For example, I can drink a bottle of water – but not a jar of water. Unless I’m happy with most of ... Read moreE025 A Lot of Bottle

Welcome to English with Kimberley. In this episode, I want to talk about the idea that at the heart of all English communication we are just trying to say ‘who’ or ‘what’ – ‘is’, ‘has’ or ‘does’ something to someone. For example, ‘I am bald’, ‘I have a son’ and ‘I teach English’. How about ... Read moreE024 Heart of the Matter

Welcome to English with Kimberley. In this episode, I want to talk to you about how it’s important to make sure that when you write your business emails or complete your study assignments everyone can understand you. Shall we start with a quiz first. The title of this podcast is ‘Gobbledygook’ – but was does ... Read moreE023 Gobbledygook

Welcome to English with Kimberley. In this episode, I want to talk to you about the colour pink and its importance culturally in English speaking countries. Pink has an interesting history as a colour. It’s said to be a lighter shade of red and as a colour has been used for the last 300 years ... Read moreE022 Tickled Pink

Welcome to English with Kimberley. In this episode, I want to talk to you about the way different words are used for the same piece of technology, or the way the same technological word can be said in two different ways. For example, ‘Wi-Fi’ can be said as ‘wee-fee’ or as ‘why-fi’. As always at ... Read moreE021 Wi-Fi

Welcome to English with Kimberley. In this episode, I want to introduce you to slang and especially Australian slang. For example, ‘strewth’. ‘Strewth’ is an Australian way of saying something like ‘wow’ or ‘gee’ when you’re surprised. So, in our first quiz, which one of these sentences uses ‘strewth’ correctly? a) He put his strewths ... Read moreE020 Strewth!

Welcome to English with Kimberley. In this episode, I want to talk about how easy it is to work out the difference between a verb that ends in ‘-ing’ and a verb that ends without ‘-ing’. For example, what do you think the difference is between, ‘I live in Australia’ and, ‘I am living in ... Read moreE019 Eternal Flame

Welcome to English with Kimberley. In this episode, I want to talk to you about how English has many words that sound very strange or amusing. For example, ‘wishy-washy’, ‘dollop’, odds and sods’, ‘gobsmacked’, ‘doodle’, ‘blubber’ and so on. OK, as always, a quiz to start with. What do you think wishy-washy means? a) A ... Read moreE018 Wishy-washy

Welcome to English with Kimberley. In this episode, I want to talk about how being a bit informal is much better than being formal if you want to communicate more effectively. For example, do you say or write, ‘I’ve been decorating my apartment’ (quite formal), or ‘I’ve been doing up my apartment’ (a bit less ... Read moreE017 Smart ‘n’ Casual

Welcome to English with Kimberley. In this episode, I want to talk about the anatomy of sentences. That is, how they are made up just like we are made up of heads, arms and legs. How about this little quiz first, as always – just for fun? Which of these is different from the others? ... Read moreE016 In the Beginning

Welcome to English with Kimberley. In this episode, I want to talk to you about two containers we buy food in and drink in, and how this can be confusing for both native English and non-native English speakers. For example, I can buy a can of soft drink or a tin of soup – but ... Read moreE015 Tinnie

Welcome to English with Kimberley. In this episode, I want to talk to you about how we tell people what something is made with or from while, at the same time, not say who made it. For example, a popular English poem says that all girls are made from sugar and spice, while boys, on ... Read moreE014 Sugar and Spice

Welcome to English with Kimberley. In this episode, I want to talk to you about the colour ‘red’ and how it is used in the English Language. But to start with let’s have a quiz! Which of these red ‘things’ are not Australian? a) Red Centre b) Red Square c) Red Dog or d) Redback ... Read moreE013 Seeing Red

Welcome to English with Kimberley. In this episode, I want to talk to you about the word ‘cooee’ which is used in Australian bush to help find your way, or let someone know where you are. How about a little quiz first? What is ’the bush’ in Australia, is it… a) a small tree that ... Read moreE011 Cooee

Welcome to English with Kimberley. In this episode, I want to talk to you about how English speakers ask people questions but don’t expect any answers. For example, if I ask you whether you are, ‘all right’ when we meet – do I really want you to tell me how you’re feeling? Let’s start – ... Read moreE010 Questions Questions Questions