B2 English Podcasts (Listening Practice)

What is a podcast? A podcast is an audio file that you download from the Internet. After you download it, you can listen to it on your computer or on an MP3/portable music player (for example, an iPod or iRiver). You can subscribe to a podcast so that it is delivered to you automatically each day, just like a newspaper.

ESL Podcast is designed especially for people who are intermediate or advanced speakers of English, but want to improve their listening and speaking skills. We plan on providing a new podcast every day, Monday through Friday. The daily podcasts are always free.

There will be many different topics for our podcasts. We try to talk about topics that you will find interesting. All of our podcasts use “real English”—the normal, everyday English you will find among native speakers in the United States. ESL Podcast is not a textbook or a course. It is a way to listen to real native speakers talking as they do everyday in English. ESL Podcast tries to provide you with English you can understand. We speak at a slightly slower rate, but always use normal, native speaker English to help you improve.

There are two parts to every podcast: After a brief introduction, there is a discussion or dialog of the topic of the day. This usually lasts 3-6 minutes. In part 2, there is an explanation of the vocabulary and expressions used during part 1. We explain how certain words and phrases are used by native speakers, including both formal and informal expressions. All of the voices you will hear on ESL Podcast will be native speakers. We suggest that you listen to the entire podcast at least once, and then re-listen to Part 1.

ESL Podcast is currently produced by a team of volunteers. It is a production of the Center for Educational Development, in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Jeff McQuillan, who is the host of ESL Podcast, has been teaching English as a Second Language for many years both in the United States and in other countries. He received his Ph.D., his doctorate, in applied linguistics from the University of Southern California. He taught as a university professor for several years in California and Arizona, and he has written many articles and books on teaching English.