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Learning English Vocabulary

Build your English vocabulary with these short programmes. Each episode explores a new topic to improve your English.

Radio,366 episodes

Episodes

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English in a Minute: Phrases with 'cake'
Learn four phrases that use the word 'cake'.
07 Jan 2026,1 min
Silent letters
We talk about letters in English that we see in words but don’t actually pronounce.
05 Jan 2026,6 mins
Onomatopoeia
Learn about words that sound like the thing they describe.
29 Dec 2025,6 mins
Multi-word verbs
Do you ever 'meet up with' your friend in the park? We talk about multi-word verbs.
22 Dec 2025,6 mins
English in a Minute: Phrases with 'lose'
Learn four phrases that use the word 'lose'
17 Dec 2025,1 min
Adjectives ending with -ic and -ical
'Classic' or 'classical'? Learn about adjectives ending in -ic and -ical.
15 Dec 2025,6 mins
English in a Minute: Phrases with 'wind'
Learn four phrases that use the word 'wind'
10 Dec 2025,1 min
Strong adjectives
'Terrified', 'fantastic', 'amazing' - learn how to use strong adjectives.
08 Dec 2025,6 mins
Male and female job words
Policeman/policewoman, actor/actress - learn about job titles and gender.
01 Dec 2025,6 mins
Weather words
The British love to talk about weather! Learn some useful vocabulary about it here.
24 Nov 2025,6 mins
English in a Minute: Phrases with 'gold'
Learn four phrases that use the word 'gold'
19 Nov 2025,1 min
Homophones
Mail and male... Learn about words that sound the same but have different spellings.
17 Nov 2025,6 mins
English in a Minute: Phrases with 'light'
Learn phrases that are commonly used with 'light'
13 Nov 2025,1 min
Compound nouns
Ice cream, popcorn... Learn about nouns made up of a combination of two words.
10 Nov 2025,6 mins
English in a Minute: Phrases with 'pull'
Learn four phrases that use the word 'pull'
06 Nov 2025,1 min
Adjective order
This is a big, old, smelly dog! Learn which adjective has to come first.
03 Nov 2025,6 mins
English in a Minute: Phrases with 'clock'
Learn phrases with the word 'clock'
29 Oct 2025,1 min
Contractions
"I've run a marathon." Look at the shorter form 'I've'. Learn how to use contractions
27 Oct 2025,6 mins
English in a Minute: Phrases with 'home'
Learn phrases that are commonly used with 'home'
22 Oct 2025,1 min
Job suffixes
What's the connection between a teacher, a driver and a presenter? We explain.
20 Oct 2025,6 mins
English in a Minute: Phrases with 'look'
Learn phrases that use the word 'look'
15 Oct 2025,1 min
Word stress
How to pronounce the words 'photographer' and 'photograph'? Learn about word stress.
13 Oct 2025,6 mins
English in a Minute: Verbs that go with 'resource'
Learn verbs that are commonly used with 'resource'
08 Oct 2025,1 min
Compound adjectives
Learn how to use compound adjectives (e.g. low-fat yoghurt, high-quality carbohydrates)
06 Oct 2025,6 mins
English in a Minute: Verbs that go with 'task'
Learn verbs that are commonly used with 'task'
01 Oct 2025,1 min
Lexical sets
Finn and Catherine give you some tips on how to remember new words.
29 Sep 2025,6 mins
English in a Minute: Phrases with 'hit'
Learn phrases that are commonly used with 'hit'
24 Sep 2025,1 min
-ing and -ed adjectives
Boring or bored? Interested or interesting? We'll tell you the right adjective to use.
22 Sep 2025,6 mins
English in a Minute: Phrases with 'red'
Learn phrases that use the word 'red'
17 Sep 2025,1 min
Binomials
Learn how to use these short English phrases made of two words that go together.
15 Sep 2025,6 mins