Short spoken forms

Short spoken forms

Author: BBC Radio July 28, 2025 Duration: 6:22

Gonna, wanna, dunno, whatcha… are these really English words? Who uses them and why?

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If you've ever felt stuck searching for the right word, Learning English Vocabulary from BBC Radio is a practical companion. This isn't about dry lists or grammar drills. Instead, each episode focuses on a specific, useful theme, breaking down the language you need for real situations. You'll hear how to describe changing weather, discuss different professions with confidence, and understand the subtle rules of adjective order, all through clear explanations and examples. The podcast also includes quicker segments, like English in a Minute, designed to deliver a compact and memorable tip in sixty seconds. It’s a straightforward way to gradually build a more robust and nuanced vocabulary, episode by episode. Tune in for a direct, focused approach to learning, where every topic is a step toward speaking and understanding English more naturally.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 391

Learning English Vocabulary
Podcast Episodes
Word stress [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:11
How to pronounce the words 'photographer' and 'photograph'? Learn about word stress.
Compound adjectives [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:10
Learn how to use compound adjectives (e.g. low-fat yoghurt, high-quality carbohydrates).
Lexical sets [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:10
Finn and Catherine give you some tips on how to remember new words.
-ing and -ed adjectives [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:06
Boring or bored? Interested or interesting? We'll tell you the right adjective to use.
Binomials [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:02
Learn how to use these short English phrases made of two words that go together.
Chunks of language [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:11
Find out how you can sound much more natural by learning and using chunks of language.
Prefixes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:03
Have no fear... Finn and Alice are here and they'll teach you everything about prefixes!
Adjectives and adverbs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:05
Fashionable? Fashionably? We teach you adjectives and adverbs.
Suffixes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:12
Finn and Alice look at a very important part of word building – suffixes.
Academic Vocabulary [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:18
Do you have to write academic texts and essays? Finn and Neil give you some tips.