Skip to content
Melo Podcasts Home
CategoriesLanguagesFollowing

Episode notes

What did you know how to cook before you learnt properly? Maybe it was a simple cake, or you could boil an egg and put bread in a toaster! Pippa and Phil talk about how they learnt to cook, and our grammar guru Georgie explains how to use adverbs like 'finally', 'previously' and 'once before' with the past perfect tense. TRANSCRIPT AND WORKSHEET: Find a full transcript for this episode and a worksheet ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/learning-english-grammar/251202 THE Reading ROOM: ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/the_reading_room FIND BBC LEARNING ENGLISH…

Learning English Grammar

by BBC Radio · English · Learning

Practise your English grammar with these short programmes. Each week we explore a new piece of grammar you need to improve your English. Hear how grammar is used in everyday situations, and test what you’ve learnt with games and quizzes. Find more at bbclearningenglish.com Follow us at…

More from Learning English Grammar

  1. 21 Jul 2026 · 9 min

    Highs and lows

    What's the most unusual food you've ever eaten? Or the furthest you've travelled in one day? Beth and Phil answer questions like this and our grammar guru explains how to form and use superlatives. Test yourself with the worksheet on our website and find a full transcript. https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/learning-english-grammar/251223 Get our latest programmes. Subscribe to our free email newsletter. https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/newsletters

  2. 14 Jul 2026 · 8 min

    Holiday habits

    Are you the kind of person who plans a trip last minute? Or do you prefer to build a spreadsheet months in advance? Pippa and Phil talk about what they tend to do when they're planning a trip, and our grammar guru Georgie explains how to use the phrase 'tend to' and modal verbs 'will' and 'might' to talk about usual behaviour. Find a worksheet to test yourself and the transcript of this episode on our website. https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/learning-english-grammar/251216 Get our latest programmes. Subscribe to our free email newsletter.…

  3. 7 Jul 2026 · 7 min

    Gossip

    What language can you use when you're gossiping? Pippa and Phil talk about some office gossip, and our grammar guru Georgie explains language we can use when we're speculating about something which may or may not be true. Learn about reported speech, and how to use 'may' or 'might' to speculate. TRANSCRIPT AND WORKSHEET: Find a full transcript for this episode and a worksheet ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/learning-english-grammar/251209 THE READING ROOM: ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/the_reading_room FIND BBC LEARNING ENGLISH HERE: Visit our website ✔️…

  4. 23 Jun 2026 · 8 min

    Secrets and surprise

    What language can you use when you notice or see something suspicious? Pippa and Phil talk about surprises they've had in their life, and our grammar guru Georgie explains language we can use when we're curious about what's happening. TRANSCRIPT AND WORKSHEET: Find a full transcript for this episode and a worksheet ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/learning-english-grammar/251125 THE LISTENING ROOM: ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/the_listening_room FIND BBC LEARNING ENGLISH HERE: Visit our website ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish Follow us ✔️…

  5. 16 Jun 2026 · 8 min

    Life advice

    How to give advice using the verb 'try'. Grammar guru Georgie explains. Find a free worksheet, quiz, transcript and a summary for this episode: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/learning-english-grammar/251118 Got exams coming up? Try our skills page, including reading and listening exercises with exam-style questions: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/skills And if you haven't signed up for our newsletter yet, what are you waiting for? https://www.bbc.co.uk/send/u178220599

  6. 9 Jun 2026 · 8 min

    Emotions

    What does it mean to be on the verge of crying? And what are some other ways we can talk about our emotions? Learn 'make someone do or feel something', 'on the verge of' and 'about to' in this episode, with Pippa, Phil and grammar guru Georgie. TRANSCRIPT AND WORKSHEET Find a full transcript for this episode and a worksheet ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/learning-english-grammar/251111 THE ENGLISH WE SPEAK: Learn English phrases and expressions here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/the-english-we-speak FIND BBC LEARNING ENGLISH HERE: Visit our…

  7. 6 Oct 2026 · 9 minNew

    Fixing problems

    Have you fixed anything recently? Phil fixed his garden gate and Becca fixed her bike. Listen to Pippa and Neil talking about fixing problems and grammar guru Georgie explaining how to use 'itself', 'by itself', 'in itself' and other reflexive pronouns for emphasis. Read along with the transcript and practise using the worksheet: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/learning-english-grammar/260317 And try our most popular podcast series, 6 Minute English. Learn about the world and learn interesting vocabulary here:…

  8. 29 Sep 2026 · 10 min

    Stories from the past

    Phil attended a party on a boat on the River Thames and Pippa had a student radio show while she was studying at university. Learn how to use different tenses to tell stories from the past. Have you signed up to our newsletter yet?! Get weekly tips and updates by signing up here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/send/u178220599 To practise what you've learnt in this episode, don't forget to try the free quiz, or read along with the transcript: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/learning-english-grammar/260310 Follow us on social media @bbclearningenglish

  9. 22 Sep 2026 · 9 min

    An interesting sight

    George thought he was witnessing a crime and Phil thought a town in India was quiet until he came across an exciting festival. Neil and Pippa, and our grammar guru, Georgie teach you to use 'seem', 'it was as if' and 'it was as though' when you see something happening and you're not sure what's going on. Have you signed up to our email newsletter yet? If not, what are you waiting for?! Get weekly tips from your favourite presenters: https://www.bbc.co.uk/send/u178220599 Get a free worksheet for this episode here:…

  10. 15 Sep 2026 · 6 min

    Making suggestions

    Do you know how to make suggestions in English? Learn how to use 'let's', 'might I suggest', 'got to' and the past continuous to make suggestions sound more polite. Listen to Neil and Becca make suggestions for a new programme, and Phil, Pippa and grammar guru Georgie walk you through the language. Get a free worksheet and transcript to help you get more from this episode: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/learning-english-grammar/260224 Get weekly updates and tips for improving your English here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/send/u178220599 And check out our new website…

Every episode of Learning English Grammar →

Take it with you

The Melo app keeps playing with the screen off, works in the car and on your watch, wakes you to your station, and browses the whole catalogue offline. Free, no ads, no account.

Get it on Google Play