A Guide to Clear Thinking (Read-Along)

Strange news is back!In this episode, we’re reading three bizarre news stories from around the world while picking up plenty of useful English vocabulary along the way. A flight from New Jersey to Mallorca gets turned around because of a suspicious Bluetooth device name, Uber reveals the strangest items passengers have left behind in their cars, and a man in China attempts a highly questionable cure for constipation involving a live eel.Along the way, you’ll learn expressions like pull a U-turn, offbeat, roll out, poke fun at, catch a break, and more.

Here's an article I came across from that had a good lesson to teach. It's about self-serving bias, and how we protect ourselves and blame others when we feel like the idea we have of ourselves is challenged. As always, we'll mine it for vocabulary, so make sure you write down the words that catch your eye. Let me know what you think.

I really enjoyed putting this episode together. I've lived both in the U.S and Europe, and I've always been intrigued by the cultural differences. I thought it would be interesting to explore some of these differences, specifically around work. I think there's a fundamental difference in philosophy when it comes to this topic and understanding where it comes from gives us a good idea of how we can navigate it.  + We'll explore how the idea of "The American Dream" really became so widespread, by understanding how the events of the Second World War shaped the world.Let me know if you enjoyed it!

Your English is fine. But something still feels a bit off, right? In this episode I want to show you something I learned at university that completely changed the way I understand how language works. It's one of those things that once you start paying attention, you'll see it everywhere. This episode is all about something I like to call "pre-loading" and how you can use to really refine what you say and how it is recieved. 

Let's talk about the things that make your English sound natural without you having to think about grammar every two seconds. The phrases that carry tone, attitude, and meaning way beyond the literal words. We're going to cover "chunking", "discourse markers", and the hidden layer of communication that controls tone, intention, and flow.

Episode TranscriptI started teaching again and I noticed a common mistake that people make regardless of level. I think it's because it feels like it's just a minor detail, but minor or not, I don't want you to make this mistake anymore. + We read a short article about an interesting topic that happens to be packed full of useful vocabulary, so get ready to level up.

Three bizarre news stories from around the world that are sure to give us a bunch of new vocabulary. A man who accidentally hacked into 7000 robot vacuums, a man who introduced a WW1 era bomb into his body, and Draco Malfoy goes viral in China. I swear I didn't make any of these up. Controlling 7000 robotsFrenchman with lodged projectileMalfoy viral in China

CLASSES I have a list of stuff that I keep adding to, of words, expressions, phrases, etc that I want to talk about on the show. This episode is me going through this list and telling you all about how to use them, the nuances behind each one, and giving you ways in which you can incorporate them into your day-to-day with practical examples.

GROUP SESSIONSI LOVE THIS EPISODE. It's really strange to hear myself like this. This was one of the first every episodes of English with Dane and you can definitely tell. I was listening to old episodes, to see if I noticed much of a difference, and wow. It feels like a totally different person. This episode talks about stuff that we don't really consider in our day-to-day but that I find fascinating. I hope you enjoy it, and if you haven't heard early episodes of the podcast I recommend that you do. It had a different vibe. Not better or worse, just different. Let me know what you think.

TRANSCRIPT (follow along while you listen)A fun, varied little mix. We're starting off with the first Human vs Machine chess duel (1996), followed by the story of a family that tried to scam a restaurant in Sydney by putting armpit hair in their food, and then we're finishing off with questions from listeners who are understandably looking for advice. A bunch of great vocabulary and expressions in this one, too.