Listen and read - grammar

Learn grammar through listening and reading

In this section, I have listed all the grammar listenings on this site. Reading about grammar is fine, but if you can listen too, you will be able to hear the pronunciation of the compound verbs, adjectives, adverbs, nouns and tenses so that using correct grammar in spoken English becomes easier. You can listen with or without the audio script. I recommend you listen first and take notes on what you understand. You could then check what you understood in the written audio script. Alternatively, you could listen with the audio script in front of you but look to one side and take notes. Only look at the screen if you get lost and don't understand something important.

Listening to grammar

B1 level grammar

Podcast 276 - B1 Linking Words (B1): B1 level linking words you need for speaking and writing.

Podcast 245 - B1 linking words: Discovering linking words as I read a story - A Strange Night!

Podcast 243 - B1 adjectives: I'll put all these useful adjectives into a story - Don't forget your toothbrush!

Podcast 238 - If so, if not, B1 level: Using these simple structures will impress the examiners - comes with a fun dialogue too.

Podcast 231 - Emphasis with auxiliary 'do' - (B1 level): Placing more emphasis on the message by using auxiliary 'do' plus my dialogue: I do like to be beside the seaside.

Podcast 229 - Hyphens and slang - (B1 level): B1 adjectives with hyphens like good-looking etc. I also include some British slang words.

Podcast 195 - B1 use of SO and REALLY: Do you use SO (very) too much? Possibly. Listen to this podcast, and learn how to use SO properly.

Listening 110 - B1 Use of definite article 'the'.: Article 'the' and generality.

Listening 112 - B1 so and such.: The meanings and uses of 'so' and 'such'.

Listening 121 - B1 Future Forms.: 'Will', 'going to' and present continuous for future.

Podcast 104 - B1 IELTS 4.5 Too and Enough: This podcast is about the words too and enough and how they are used in sentences and the syntax depending on whether they are used with nouns, verbs or adjectives.

Podcast 101 - B1 IELTS 4.5 Talking about order of adjectives.: How adjectives must go in a certain order before the noun. There is also a description of different types of holiday accommodation.

Podcast 98 - B1 IELTS 4.5 Linking words: Linking words: also, as well as, too, despite, in spite of, although, though and however. I'll explain how we use them and what they mean and their position in the sentence.

Listening 92 - B1 IELTS 4.5 Used to.: Used to - structure and examples.

Podcast 87 - B1 IELTS 4.5 words of obligation.: The words that we use to express obligation are: must, have to and then similar words, not necessarily obligation, but strong advice: should and ought to.

Listening 86 - B1 IELTS 4.5 The infinitives: The full infinitive and infinitive with 'ing' or gerund.

Listening 73 - B1 IELTS 4.5 Intensifiers (quite, fairly, really, extremely etc.): Intensifiers or modifiers: not exactly, fairly, quite, pretty, really, extremely.

Listening 65 - B1 IELTS 4.5 Some and any: Some and any and how we use them and the rather confusing cases of when they're used in negatives, questions or affirmative statements.

Listening 56 - B1 IELTS 5 Introduction to the past perfect: Past perfect (she had already left). I explain its structure and why we use past perfect and compare it to past simple.

Listening 53 - B1 IELTS 4.5 Introduction to the third conditional: Structure and use of the conditionals in English. This is the third conditional.

Listening 52 - B1 IELTS 4.5 Introduction to the second conditional: The second conditional - If I were a rich man...

Listening 22 - B1 IELTS 4.5 Zero and first conditionals: Zero and first conditionals, the structure, how to use them.

Podcast 15 - B1 IELTS 4.5 - Verbs come and go: Two verbs: go and come.

Listening 9 - B1 IELTS 4.5 - past continuous: Past continuous and unfinished actions in the past. An introduction or revision for B1 students.

B1 to B2 level grammar

Podcast 246 - B1/B2 The extended family of there is/are: There is and there are, there may be, there should be - let's meet the family.

Podcast 236 - Complex sentences B1, B2 level: Sentences with long noun clauses: I want you to tidy your bedroom. Verbs without following 'to' in the infinitive: make, let and help.

Podcast 233 - Use of the adverb 'rather' - (B1, B2 level): Rather and its B1 and B2 uses in spoken or written English with a short dialogue of a man who wants to buy a house.

Podcast 232 - Used to and would - (B1, B2 level): How to use used to and would for past with short story to illustrate use.

Podcast 227 - Talking about the Future - (B1, B2 level): Discussing 'going to', present continuous and will for future.

Podcast 226 - Verbs of Movement 2 with Story. - (B1, B2 level): Use of get with verbs of movement plus a story to show these uses.

Listening 123 - B1/B2 Use of the adverb 'long'.: The different uses and meaning of this word.

Podcast 105 - B1 B2 IELTS 4.5/6.5 Comparatives and superlatives exceptions: B1 and B2 revision English listening podcast to talk about comparatives and superlatives in English and the exceptions there are to the usual rules.

Podcast 76 - B2 IELTS 6.5 Expressions with 'mind': The word 'mind' is common, and it's used in a lot of different expressions and has several meanings.

Listening 67 - B1 B2 IELTS 6 Imperatives: Talking about the imperatives and lots of examples.

Podcast 64 - B1 B2 IELTS 6 The verb to get 3: The verb 'to get' with the meanings: get your car fixed, get talking to someone, get to do something, get into, get the top off, get the phone and it gets my goat!

Podcast 62 - B1 B2 IELTS 6 The verb to get 2: Description of the verb 'to get' with the meanings: find, fetch, arrive, reach, illnesses and taking a boat down the river.

Podcast 61 - B1 B2 IELTS 6 The verb to get 1: Talking about one of the most common verbs in the English language - the verb to get.

Listening 40 - B1 B2 IELTS 5 Introduction to the passive: An introduction to the passive voice, the structure, changing from active to passive, and why we use the passive.

Listening 38 - B1 B2 IELTS 4.5 Going to for predictions: Going to, which is to talk about predictions in the future.

Listening 37 - B1 B2 IELTS 5.5 Have something done: 'Have something done'. When you ask somebody else to do it something for you.

Listening 35 - B1 B2 IELTS 5 or 6 subject and object questions: Subject and object questions. Questions with and without inversion and auxiliaries: do, does or did.

Listening 19 - B1/B2 IELTS 5 - Indirect questions: Direct and indirect questions and why and when we use them with lots of examples.

Listening 8 - B1/B2 IELTS 5 - Reported speech and direct speech: Using questions, adverbs and imperatives with reported speech.

Listening 5 - B1/B2 IELTS 5.5 ability in the present and past: Can - when we want to use this modal auxiliary as an infinitive, or as a past participle.

B2 level grammar

Podcast 277 - B2 Formal language: B2 formal and informal language.

Podcast 247 - B2 Future Continuous: Future continuous for B1 and B2 levels with story - The Last Train Ride.

Podcast 235 - Future Perfect B2 level: Future Perfect exam with examples in the short story Georgia on my Mind.

Podcast 234 - Time adverbs B2 level: Essential time adverbs you should use in your Cambridge FCE exam.

Listening 120 - B2 'wish' and 'if only'.: Revision of structures with 'wish' and 'if only'.

Podcast 109 - B2 IELTS 6.5 Polite language with modal auxiliaries 2 (restaurant).: Polite language in English and the importance of intonation. This time we'll hear typical phrases in the restaurant used by the waiter and the responses from the customers when ordering their food.

Podcast 108 - B2 IELTS 6.5 More advanced use of auxiliaries.: More advanced uses of auxiliaries in English such as 'do' and 'did'. They're not only used for making questions and negatives but have several other important uses too.

Podcast 106 - B2 IELTS 6.5 Polite language with modal auxiliaries.: Examples of conversations using polite language in English. Most of this language depends on the modal auxiliaries like: would, could, can, may, and lots of please and thank yous.

Podcast 102 - B2 IELTS 6.5 Deductions with modal auxiliaries.: I'm going to talk about how to make deductions in English in different ways but especially with the use of the modal auxiliaries: can't, may, could, might and must. I'll give you a little audio quiz and you must deduce (or guess) what the sounds are.

Listening 91 - B2 IELTS 6.5 Uses of the passive and active: The use of the passive in more detail.

Listening 89 - B1 IELTS 4.5 Will and Going to.: The use of 'will' and 'going to' for predictions and their ambiguities.

Listening 83 - B2 IELTS 6.5 Prepositions: The importance of prepositions (prepositions after adjectives and verbs).

Listening 55 - B2 IELTS 6.5 Mixed conditionals: Mixed conditionals. This happens when we make references to both past and present in the same sentence.

Listening 50 - B2 IELTS 6.5 Comparatives and their modifiers: Modifiers we use with comparatives: so, such, slightly, a good deal etc.

Podcast 43 - B2 The rhythm of English: English is a language we call a stress-timed language - only key, meaning words receive stress. There are some important tips here about improving intonation.

Listening 25 - B2 IELTS 6 - future continuous and future perfect: Future continuous and future perfect.

Listening 16 - B2 IELTS 6.5 - Extreme adjectives: Extreme adjectives, and the adverbs that qualify them or that go with them.

Podcast 13 - B1/B2 IELTS 5.5 Formal and informal English 1: Tthe difference between formal and informal English.

Podcast 26 - B1/B2 IELTS 5.5 Formal and informal English 2: Hhow to identify the formal and informal words and how to use them and when we use them.

Podcast 31 - B2 IELTS 6.5 Formal and informal English 3 (complaints): Formal and informal English is the third in this series and follows episode 13 and episode 26.

Listening 11 - B2 IELTS 6 Hypothesizing: Hypothesizing in English, using words like 'wish' and 'if only'.

Podcast 10 - B2 IELTS 5 large numbers: Talking about very large numbers, how to use them.