Recent Posts
Fear of Speaking English: What Resilience in Language Learning Really Looks Like
If you have a fear of speaking English, it does not mean you are bad at it. Here is a more honest look at resilience in language learning, and why steadiness matters more than sounding perfect.
How to Ask for Help in English: 8 Useful Phrases for Real Life
If you’ve ever wanted to ask for help in English but were not sure what to say, these phrases will help. Here are 8 natural ways to ask for support, advice, or a listening ear in real-life situations.
10 British English Phrases That Help You Sound Emotionally Intelligent
Want to sound more warm, thoughtful, and natural in English? These 10 British English phrases can help you show empathy, disagree politely, and connect more genuinely in real-life conversations.
9 Natural English Expressions for Talking About Resilience
Resilience is something we hear about all the time, but in everyday English, people do not always talk about it directly. In this post, I’m sharing 9 natural English expressions for talking about difficult times, recovery, and slowly finding your footing again.
Bouncing Back: 10 English Phrasal Verbs for Resilience
This month’s theme is resilience, and in this post I’m sharing 10 useful phrasal verbs for talking about life’s harder moments in natural English. From push through to bounce back, these are the kinds of expressions native speakers use when describing setbacks, recovery, and finding a way to keep going.
Five tips for using Claude prompts to improve your English speaking practice
Using Claude to practise your English speaking is a great start. But there is a difference between having a conversation with an AI and actually making progress. A lot of it comes down to how you set the session up. Today I’ve got five practical tips to help you get more out of every conversation plus a PDF of twenty ready-to-use prompts to get you started.
How to Use AI to Practise Speaking English
Speaking practice is one of the hardest parts of learning English to do on your own. In this post, I’ll show you how to use Claude, a free AI tool, to practise speaking English on your own, get useful feedback, and build a simple regular habit.
How to Talk About AI in English: 15 Phrasal Verbs You Need to Know
AI is one of the biggest topics in the world right now, and if you want to talk about it confidently in English, you need the right vocabulary. In this post, I'm sharing 15 phrasal verbs for talking about AI, complete with definitions and natural example sentences. Perfect for upper-intermediate to advanced English learners.
How to Talk About Uncertainty in English
When life feels unsettled, it can be hard to find the right words. In this post and video, I’m sharing useful English phrases for talking about uncertainty in a natural, honest way, from everyday expressions like wait and see to more nuanced phrases like hang in the balance.
18 English collocations with ‘confidence’
In today’s blog you can learn 18 natural English collocations with confidence (build confidence, boost confidence, quiet confidence, lose confidence and more) with clear meanings and example sentences. Perfect for intermediate and advanced English learners who want to sound more fluent and natural.
8 Ways To Talk About Overwhelm in English
In today’s post, I want to share a few gentle, everyday phrases you can use when the news feels overwhelming. Not dramatic. Not overly formal. Just the kind of language people really use when they’re trying to make sense of a heavy moment.
What Does It Mean To Throw Spaghetti At The Wall?
You’ll often hear people say they’re ‘throwing spaghetti at the wall’ when they talk about work, creativity, or trying something new.
It sounds chaotic, slightly ridiculous, and not especially professional. Today’s blog explores what this English expression really means, why people use it and how to use it yourself.
My English Brain Dump Podcast - Episode One
In this post, I introduce Jo’s English Brain Dump, my new podcast for natural British English listening practice. This first episode is completely unscripted and designed to help you get used to real spoken English, just as it sounds in everyday life. You’ll find the full episode here, along with a word-for-word transcript you can read or download as a PDF.
![15 English Phrasal Verbs for Talking About the New Year [2026 Edition]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62cab5235faf47112727daa7/1df4ccd0-2da6-41c9-bfe0-358a2aec3361/newyearphrasal2026+-+1.png)
15 English Phrasal Verbs for Talking About the New Year [2026 Edition]
If you want to talk about the new year naturally in English, in a way that sounds calm, realistic, and human, then phrasal verbs are exactly what you need. These are the ones native speakers actually use when talking about habits, reflection, and change.
How To Swear In British English
British English has a reputation for politeness, understatement, and apologising far too much. And yet, quietly tucked into everyday conversation, there’s another layer of language that learners are often curious about but rarely taught properly: swearing.
Today’s blog explains the tone, context, humour, and cultural nuance of swearing in British English.
8 Things to Stop Doing If You Want to Improve Your English in 2026
Improving your English in 2026 does not have to mean longer study sessions or complex routines. Sometimes the most powerful changes come from removing the habits that slow you down. This post takes an honest look at eight things that many learners do out of habit or guilt, and explains why letting go of them can make your English feel lighter, more fluent, and much more you.
12 English Phrasal Verbs For Winter
Winter in Britain has a way of slowing us down and pulling us indoors. It is the perfect time to learn some cosy, practical phrasal verbs that English speakers genuinely use when the temperature drops. From wrapping up to snuggling up, here are the expressions you will hear all season long.
How to Say No Politely in English
In British English, we are masters at avoiding the word no. We soften it. We delay it. We apologise for it. And sometimes we are so indirect that people do not even realise we have said no.
But here is the thing. You can learn to say no politely, confidently, and without that familiar wave of guilt. And that is what I want to show you today.
15 Everyday British English Expressions You’ll Hear All the Time
Today I’m sharing 15 British English expressions that I personally use every single day. They’re simple, incredibly common, and perfect for intermediate and advanced learners who want to sound more fluent and confident.
English Idiom: To Nail It
Have you ever heard someone say ‘You nailed it’ and wondered what it actually means?
It’s one of those common English idioms that native speakers use all the time at work and in everyday conversations. You may have noticed it being used in reality TV shows like The Great British Bake Off. It’s short, snappy and positive and it’s a great one to start using if you want to sound more natural in English.