Podcast: The English We Speak – Photobomb

In The English We Speak podcast series from BBC World Service, listeners are presented with a 3-minute introduction, including a description and many examples, of an everyday English phrase or piece of slang. In the episode Photobomb, we hear a few examples and a natural explanation of the term “photobomb”, all contextualized in a (scripted) conversation.

I think English language learners would respond really well to this episode in class. Students always ask to learn slang words, and this episode gives them a fun new term: photobomb. Disguised as a lesson on slang, I would use this podcast to practice listening strategies. Starting with a pre-listening prediction phase to activate students’ background knowledge using images of photobombing, I would ask students to listen to the podcast episode and find characteristics of the new word, such as meaning and part of speech, based on how it is used. This episode is only 2:36, the recording is clear and consistent, and the speech is casual but slow for learners. It would make for good listening material for students to practice skills to determine the meaning of a word in the context of a conversation.