Written by 
Learn English Language & Practice Listening with Authentic News Content
What if everything you thought about learning British English was holding you back? This lesson will challenge your usual learning approach and show you a more effective way to speak naturally and confidently.
A reminder that we have launched our podcast subscription service. For the price of just one nice coffee a month you can listen to 8 new subscriber only episodes. So if you enjoy the podcast and want more! Please consider joining my premium podcast subscription. Your support will help me continue to create the fascinating English listening content you enjoy. We have a FAQ explaining the paid subscription and how to sign-up here: http://adeptenglish.com/faq/subscription-faq/
Ready to take your English to the next level? In today’s lesson, we’re diving into real-world news stories that will introduce you to fresh, practical vocabulary you’ll actually use in conversations. By the end of this lesson, you’ll not only understand new words, but you’ll also know how to apply them naturally in your daily life.
Stick with us until the end, because there’s a powerful tip coming up that will help you retain and use these new words with confidence. Don’t miss it—this could be the key to making your English sound fluent and natural!
Freedom means the freedom to disagree.
⭐ Angela Merkel
✔️ Lesson transcript: https://adeptenglish.com/lessons/learn-english-language-news-for-language-learning/
Follow and subscribe to our FREE English language podcast, wherever you listen or watch your podcasts.
More About This Lesson
Want to speak English more fluently? Then listen to real native news stories from the UK. This is a fun way of learning and helps you learn new words and improve your English comprehension with engaging and interesting lesson content.
Art is how we decorate space; music is how we decorate time.
⭐ Jean-Michel Basquiat
This lesson will make your English stronger and more natural.
- Expand vocabulary with real-life news stories.
- Learn and use vocabulary in real-life conversations.
- Hear proper pronunciation and natural speech patterns.
- Understand cultural context through current events.
- Reinforce learning by repeated listening.
- Improve fluency by listening to native speakers.
- Get exposure to a variety of accents and dialects.
- Engage with a variety of English expressions.
- Practice listening comprehension with diverse topics.
- Learn new words in the context of real situations.
Learning English from real news stories is really helpful. You’ll hear how people really speak in the UK and learn some new vocabulary. Learning a new language is not about learning from old text books. Learning through news stories helps you understand how British people talk about work and their free time in 2024. This helps make the English you learn sound more real and helps you when you use your English with others.
Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.
⭐ Brené Brown
So are you ready to improve your English the interesting way? Follow our podcast for weekly lessons that bring real English to life! You’ll learn more words and understand British culture better. Don’t miss out – start listening today!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- What is the best way to expand my English vocabulary?
Listening to real-life news discussions, like those in this lesson, helps you naturally absorb new words and phrases. By hearing vocabulary used in context, you improve both your understanding and your ability to use the words in conversation. - How can I improve my English speaking fluency?
Practice speaking regularly, using the phrases and vocabulary you learn from these news discussions. Mimic the native speakers’ pronunciation and rhythm to help you sound more natural and confident in conversation. - How do news discussions help in learning British English?
News discussions expose you to authentic British English as it’s spoken in everyday life. You hear a range of accents, idioms, and expressions, giving you a deeper understanding of the language as it’s used in the UK. - Is this lesson suitable for beginners in English?
Yes, this lesson is designed for learners at all levels, from beginner to advanced. Beginners benefit from hearing simple, clear language, while advanced learners can focus on the more complex vocabulary and nuances in the discussions. - How does listening improve my English conversation skills?
Listening to native speakers helps you understand the flow and structure of natural English conversation. It improves your ability to follow and participate in real conversations, making you more fluent and confident in your speaking skills.
Most Unusual Words:
- Allegiance: loyalty to a group, person, or cause.
- Foiled: prevented something from happening.
- Radical: very new and different from what is traditional.
- Stoic: showing calmness and no complaint in a difficult situation.
- Rudder: a part of a ship that helps steer or guide it.
- Estate: all the money and property someone leaves behind after they die.
- Smokers: people who regularly use cigarettes or other forms of tobacco.
- Campaign: a series of activities to achieve a goal, often in politics.
- Moaning: complaining about something in a low, sad tone.
- Plot: a secret plan, usually for something harmful.
Most Frequently Used Words:
| Word | Count |
|---|---|
| People | 13 |
| Which | 11 |
| Their | 11 |
| About | 9 |
| Trump | 9 |
| Three | 8 |
| Means | 7 |
| There | 6 |
Listen To The Audio Lesson Now
Transcript: Adept English Explains How To Use News Stories For Language Learning
Practice English Listening Skills with Authentic News Content
Hi there and welcome to this video podcast from Adept English. Today let’s enhance your vocabulary by listening to news discussions in real English. It’s a while since we did a news podcast. I think the last one was 661 on ‘positive news stories’. Today I’m just going to do a round-up of a number of items of news which caught my interest. You’ll notice I don’t cover heavy topics like Israel and Gaza or Russia and Ukraine. It’s not that I don’t care about those topics, it’s just that if I give an opinion on them then someone is going to be offended. And it’s probably best not to offend your listeners. So I stay off those big topics. So these are just news items that caught my interest. This is an English lesson on a variety of news items to give you a variety of vocabulary. Things that you can use in real life conversation.
Hello, I’m Hilary, and you’re listening to Adept English. We will help you to speak English fluently. All you have to do is listen. So start listening now and find out how it works.
Subscription to ‘save the day’
Just before I start a quick word in case you’re missing our normal Thursday podcast. We’ve decided to put our energy into a new subscription service to make Adept English more sustainable and ensure that we’re here for the long term. Do you like what we do? We certainly enjoy producing it. But there’s a limit to how much we can give our time for free. And there’s a financial cost to doing Adept English which continues to increase. The solution? We are offering a low cost subscription service. So you get eight extra audio podcasts per month for a very small monthly fee. And we still provide you with a free video on a Monday. That’s this one.
Boost Your Learning With Adept English
We’re hoping that this is a good solution and one that allows us to bring you even more quality content. Without adverts dominating our podcasts. I hope you’ll agree that this is a good idea. And I hope you subscribe. Sign up for our subscription service. You know that your English will really benefit as a result. Here goes on the news stories for today.
Abba and Donald Trump – not a good mix!
The first item of news which caught my attention and which amused me. Swedish group ABBA. That’s ABBA wanting to ban Donald Trump from using their songs at his campaign rallies. Apparently ABBA’s music has been used at various Trump rallies without their permission. And they are not happy. Apparently ‘Winner Takes It All’, ‘Money Money Money’ and ‘Dancing Queen’ were used at a Trump rally in Minnesota in July this year. I can well imagine that the Swedish group’s politics are not going to be the same as Donald Trump’s. What’s more a spokesperson for ABBA said any royalties that’s R O Y A L T I E S that means ‘the money paid to ABBA if someone plays their songs publicly’ – any royalties from music used at Trump’s campaign will be donated to Kamala Harris’s campaign. That makes their allegiance quite clear, doesn’t it?
Singers who object to their music being used!
And apparently ABBA are only the latest in a number of bands who’ve said they don’t want Trump using their music in his presidential campaign. Apparently the Foo Fighters complained on social media that they hadn’t given permission for use of one of their songs. And Celine Dion’s spokesperson condemned Trump’s use of ‘My Heart Will Go On’. As did the late Isaac Hayes’s family. ‘Late’ L A T E means that someone has died. His song ‘Hold On I’m Coming’ was also used in the campaign. Isaac Hayes family want three million dollars for the use of this song.
Also weighing in the estate of late singer Sinead O’Connor who objected to the Trump campaign using ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’. One of my favourite songs. The family said that Sinead O’Connor would have been ‘disgusted, hurt and insulted’ to know that Donald Trump was using her song. And the list of other artists, musical artists who’ve specified the same? Well it’s quite a long list, if you include previous Trump campaigns. Adele, REM, Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith, Queen, Rihanna and Black Sabbath. Prince or Prince’s estate. The Rolling Stones. Elton John and even the Village People have objected to Trump using their music.
Whether there is the legal power to stop Trump using this music is unclear. But I find myself intrigued to see the photograph of the ABBA foursome. I haven’t seen Agnetha for some time. They’re now all in their 70s and very recognizable and they look very good I’m pleased to say.
Did you know banning smoking outside pubs could be next? Learn the language behind this debate
Next news item. I’ve discussed the bans on smoking in the UK before and in particular in podcast 737 recently. Rishi Sunak’s policy to ban people under a certain age from ever being able to purchase tobacco. My son, age 16, is the last generation of people who will ever be able to buy tobacco products. That’s a radical idea isn’t it? Well, new Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, is weighing in on the act too. He’s talking about further bans on smoking. Smoking was banned inside public spaces in the UK some years ago. And actually this has had a really beneficial effect. It was a good idea in other words. Staff working in bars and restaurants no longer have to breathe in smoke during their working day. And the overall number of smokers reduced in response to this measure.
British PM Sir Keir Starmer wants to ban even more smoking
Well, Sir Keir Starmer wants to take things even further. He’s talking about banning people from smoking outside the pub. Even in the pub garden. Even in the fresh air. It’s not been fully set out but smoking could be banned in pub gardens, outdoor restaurants and outside hospitals and sports grounds. People concerned about health are welcoming this move but those in the hospitality industry are not. That word is ‘hospitality’, H-O-S-P-I-T-A-L-I-T-Y. A bit like ‘hospital’. But at its basic level that word means ‘a warm welcome and the good care that you offer your guests’. People who come to your house could be said ‘to enjoy your hospitality’. So the ‘hospitality industry’ means restaurants, pubs, bars and the art of welcoming people into these spaces. So understandably the hospitality industry are concerned about this measure.
Would you like a pack of 10 with your lunch?!
I’m rather ‘on the fence’ as we say in English. Another phrase, ‘I’m in two minds’. I’m undecided about this one. I can see both sides. On the one hand I’m very much for personal choice and personal freedom. If you want to smoke then that’s your choice as an adult. As long as I’m not having to breathe your smoke with you, which inevitably would happen if I’m inside a pub and you’re smoking. But maybe it’s a different matter in the open air outside. However, the other side of it – one of my very happy memories from this summer is my trip to Switzerland with four of my old school friends. Or should I say ‘my friends who have been friends of mine for a long time’?! Maybe that’s a better way to put it! On our long weekend in Switzerland we ate out for lunch in a number of restaurants. On one occasion a woman at the next table – this is in the centre of Lausanne – was chain-smoking. That means ‘smoking one cigarette after another’. Very strong smelling, long brown cigarettes. And her cigarette smoke was drifting across our table. On that occasion I felt as though I’d smoked a pack of 10 with my lunch. If they still do packs of 10 that is!
So outside smoking I think is OK. As long as it’s done considerately, with consideration for other people and you don’t impose your cigarette smoke on others. Especially not when they’re eating.
A threat at a Taylor Swift Concert this summer
Another definitely negative news story – the terrorist threat recently at a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna. Apparently the American CIA, the Central Intelligence Agency, have said that they prevented a terrorist plot – a ‘plot’ is a plan – to attack the audience at a Taylor Swift concert. A quote from the BBC news article said ‘Three male teenage suspects were arrested in connection with the foiled attacks, allegedly inspired by the Islamic State group’. ‘Foiled’ there means ‘it was stopped, it was prevented from happening’. Their pledge was to kill as many people as possible at this concert, which was planned to be attended by 200,000 people. That’s a lot. And the plans made by the three were said to be ‘advanced’. There were meant to be three concerts in the Austrian capital, Vienna. But because of the CIA information, working with the Austrian authorities, the first concert was cancelled on the 7th of August, the day before it was due to be staged.
‘Swifties’ being targeted
Well, a great thing that the plot was foiled and the three people were arrested. But it is disturbing to think that there are people around you who have this sort of intention. And what is it with Taylor Swift and her fans? The Southport attack in the UK, where three little girls were killed, and which sparked the riots, was a Taylor Swift-inspired dance class. That one wasn’t terrorism-related, of course, but the action of an individual with severe mental health problems, despite what was circulated on social media. But to target Taylor Swift fans, or ‘Swifties’ as they’re known, you couldn’t get a softer, more vulnerable target than that, could you? And it makes you think there is evil in the world.
Patient Cruisers in Belfast
The last news item which I thought was interesting, have you heard about the cruise ship, which has been stuck in the port at Belfast for three months? Going on a cruise, that’s C-R-U-I-S-E, it’s both a noun and a verb. It means ‘going on a luxurious voyage or trip on a ship’. And you might associate cruise holidays with elderly people. But the round-the-world cruises, which of course cost quite a lot of money, lots of younger people go on those.
Opportunity for Guinness and Greenland
And they can last a long time, for instance, a whole year, or in this case, a whole three years. Apparently, this cruise ship has been stuck in Belfast, the Northern Irish capital, for three months. The ship is confusingly called Villa Vie Residences. Presumably, the ‘Vie’ is V-I-E, meaning ‘life’ in French, so maybe it’s Villa Vie ‘Residences’. And the ship has problems with its rudder, that’s R-U-D-D-E-R, the bit that steers the ship and its gearbox. The passengers who are generally wealthy and come from all over the world are proving remarkably stoic and are just living on the ship and spending their days in the city of Belfast, and unexpectedly enjoying what it has to offer.
Practice English with Me | Changing My Life Through Frugality
One American lady, travelling with her cat, commented that all the usual meals and the entertainment are provided, so ‘it’s just like cruising, except we don’t leave the dock’! She said that the rainy Irish weather had come as something of a shock. Not sure where in the States she lives, but obviously somewhere sunny! Another couple from Nicaragua, also due to travel the cruise, have used the opportunity of a base in Belfast to tour in Europe. They visited Spain, all sorts of places in England and Greenland. One half of the couple commented, ‘We’ve eaten in every restaurant and had a Guinness in every pub.’ He said, ‘It’s all just part of the adventure!’ ‘What a stoic attitude’, I thought. And how well people have adjusted and made the most of the delay. I guess if you’ve lots of money and no place to be because you’re about to go on a long cruise, it’s just an extension to your holiday. And you make the most of it. But still refreshing to hear this instead of constant moaning and complaining, which you might get in some circumstances.
Download The Podcast Audio & Transcript
Solve The Maths Problem To Download Podcast & Transcript
Anyway, that’s my news round-up from last week. I hope you enjoy and it gives you some new vocabulary to practise with. Don’t forget to listen a number of times so that your brain has chance to really learn those new words. Enough for now. Have a lovely day.
Goodbye
Speak to you again soon. Goodbye.
Thank you so much for listening. Please help me tell others about this podcast by reviewing or rating it. And, please share it on social media. You can find more listening lessons and a free English course at adeptenglish.com
Links