Start learning–and remembering–more words with our English lessons about current events and trending topics
If that sounds like you, then you need a better tool for building your English vocabulary.
Lucky for you, we have one!I'm not commuting . I'm sleeping well. I don't have to run from place to place; no more 4:00 a.m. wake-up calls to go to the airport. My meetings are all online, which I take from the comfort of my own home . There's plenty of good coffee to keep me going. So why am I so tired every afternoon?
It turns out that in-person meetings may be boring , and they may be a waste of time , but they're not nearly as draining as Zoom calls are. In fact, video calls require a lot more of our mental energy than simple phone calls or in-person meetings do. These calls are draining the energy of homebound office workers the world over , in a way that in-person meetings rarely do. Why is that?
For one thing, nonverbal communication is seriously impaired on a video call. In a face-to-face meeting, we give nonverbal cues all the time. Here is just a partial list of nonverbal cues we give one another in face-to-face encounters : we make eye contact ; we take a deep breath before we say something; we cross our arms ; we face toward or slightly away from another person; we lean back in our chairs ; we stare up into space ; we blink ; we gesture ; we fidget with something in our hands. All these nonverbal cues contribute to the conversation in one way or another.I'm not commuting . I'm sleeping well. I don't have to run from place to place; no more 4:00 a.m. wake-up calls to go to the airport. My meetings are all online, which I take from the comfort of my own home . There's plenty of good coffee to keep me going. So why am I so tired every afternoon?
It turns out that in-person meetings may be boring , and they may be a waste of time , but they're not nearly as draining as Zoom calls are. In fact, video calls require a lot more of our mental energy than simple phone calls or in-person meetings do. These calls are draining the energy of homebound office workers the world over , in a way that in-person meetings rarely do. Why is that?
For one thing, nonverbal communication is seriously impaired on a video call. In a face-to-face meeting, we give nonverbal cues all the time. Here is just a partial list of nonverbal cues we give one another in face-to-face encounters : we make eye contact ; we take a deep breath before we say something; we cross our arms ; we face toward or slightly away from another person; we lean back in our chairs ; we stare up into space ; we blink ; we gesture ; we fidget with something in our hands. All these nonverbal cues contribute to the conversation in one way or another.I'm not commuting . I'm sleeping well. I don't have to run from place to place; no more 4:00 a.m. wake-up calls to go to the airport. My meetings are all online, which I take from the comfort of my own home . There's plenty of good coffee to keep me going. So why am I so tired every afternoon?
It turns out that in-person meetings may be boring , and they may be a waste of time , but they're not nearly as draining as Zoom calls are. In fact, video calls require a lot more of our mental energy than simple phone calls or in-person meetings do. These calls are draining the energy of homebound office workers the world over , in a way that in-person meetings rarely do. Why is that?
For one thing, nonverbal communication is seriously impaired on a video call. In a face-to-face meeting, we give nonverbal cues all the time. Here is just a partial list of nonverbal cues we give one another in face-to-face encounters : we make eye contact ; we take a deep breath before we say something; we cross our arms ; we face toward or slightly away from another person; we lean back in our chairs ; we stare up into space ; we blink ; we gesture ; we fidget with something in our hands. All these nonverbal cues contribute to the conversation in one way or another.I'm not commuting . I'm sleeping well. I don't have to run from place to place; no more 4:00 a.m. wake-up calls to go to the airport. My meetings are all online, which I take from the comfort of my own home . There's plenty of good coffee to keep me going. So why am I so tired every afternoon?
It turns out that in-person meetings may be boring , and they may be a waste of time , but they're not nearly as draining as Zoom calls are. In fact, video calls require a lot more of our mental energy than simple phone calls or in-person meetings do. These calls are draining the energy of homebound office workers the world over , in a way that in-person meetings rarely do. Why is that?
For one thing, nonverbal communication is seriously impaired on a video call. In a face-to-face meeting, we give nonverbal cues all the time. Here is just a partial list of nonverbal cues we give one another in face-to-face encounters : we make eye contact ; we take a deep breath before we say something; we cross our arms ; we face toward or slightly away from another person; we lean back in our chairs ; we stare up into space ; we blink ; we gesture ; we fidget with something in our hands. All these nonverbal cues contribute to the conversation in one way or another.I'm not commuting . I'm sleeping well. I don't have to run from place to place; no more 4:00 a.m. wake-up calls to go to the airport. My meetings are all online, which I take from the comfort of my own home . There's plenty of good coffee to keep me going. So why am I so tired every afternoon?
It turns out that in-person meetings may be boring , and they may be a waste of time , but they're not nearly as draining as Zoom calls are. In fact, video calls require a lot more of our mental energy than simple phone calls or in-person meetings do. These calls are draining the energy of homebound office workers the world over , in a way that in-person meetings rarely do. Why is that?
For one thing, nonverbal communication is seriously impaired on a video call. In a face-to-face meeting, we give nonverbal cues all the time. Here is just a partial list of nonverbal cues we give one another in face-to-face encounters : we make eye contact ; we take a deep breath before we say something; we cross our arms ; we face toward or slightly away from another person; we lean back in our chairs ; we stare up into space ; we blink ; we gesture ; we fidget with something in our hands. All these nonverbal cues contribute to the conversation in one way or another.
It turns out that in-person meetings may be boring , and they may be a waste of time , but they're not nearly as draining as Zoom calls are. In fact, video calls require a lot more of our mental energy than simple phone calls or in-person meetings do. These calls are draining the energy of homebound office workers the world over , in a way that in-person meetings rarely do. Why is that?
For one thing, nonverbal communication is seriously impaired on a video call. In a face-to-face meeting, we give nonverbal cues all the time. Here is just a partial list of nonverbal cues we give one another in face-to-face encounters : we make eye contact ; we take a deep breath before we say something; we cross our arms ; we face toward or slightly away from another person; we lean back in our chairs ; we stare up into space ; we blink ; we gesture ; we fidget with something in our hands. All these nonverbal cues contribute to the conversation in one way or another.I'm not commuting . I'm sleeping well. I don't have to run from place to place; no more 4:00 a.m. wake-up calls to go to the airport. My meetings are all online, which I take from the comfort of my own home . There's plenty of good coffee to keep me going. So why am I so tired every afternoon?
It turns out that in-person meetings may be boring , and they may be a waste of time , but they're not nearly as draining as Zoom calls are. In fact, video calls require a lot more of our mental energy than simple phone calls or in-person meetings do. These calls are draining the energy of homebound office workers the world over , in a way that in-person meetings rarely do. Why is that?
For one thing, nonverbal communication is seriously impaired on a video call. In a face-to-face meeting, we give nonverbal cues all the time. Here is just a partial list of nonverbal cues we give one another in face-to-face encounters : we make eye contact ; we take a deep breath before we say something; we cross our arms ; we face toward or slightly away from another person; we lean back in our chairs ; we stare up into space ; we blink ; we gesture ; we fidget with something in our hands. All these nonverbal cues contribute to the conversation in one way or another.I’m Jeff, the founder of Plain English.
When I was first learning Spanish, I picked out a children’s book to read. I decided I’d look up every unfamiliar word in the dictionary. That’s how you learn words right?
I lasted ONE CHAPTER before I gave up!
It’s no fun if you have to keep stopping to look up words and phrases. That’s why Plain English transcripts have highlights to give you the definitions you need to understand each lesson.
Our lessons are about current events, people, places, technology, business, health, the environment, and much more. You’ll always find a lesson that’s interesting to you.
Conquer English expressions and phrasal verbs with our library of over 250 audio lessons all about the words and phrases English speakers use every day.
Full transcripts of all lessons include instant translations of difficult words and phrases into seven languages, including Portuguese, Spanish, German, Japanese, Italian, Chinese, and French.
Learn five new words with each lesson! Practice the flash cards on our web site or via the Quizlet mobile app.
This is entirely up to you. We know that everyone has a different schedule and a different life. That’s why we made Plain English as flexible as possible.
For most members, we recommend spending about an hour with each lesson set. We produce two new lesson sets per week.
You always have access to the full history, so you never have to worry about missing lessons.
Every learner is different and every little bit counts. Come join us!
Short answer: Try it! If it’s not right for you, we’ll refund your money within 30 days.
Long answer: A Plain English Starter membership is for English learners who are looking to build their vocabulary via listening and reading.
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Quizlet is a fun flash-card app for learning vocabulary. Each Plain English lesson set includes five flash cards, which you can study via Quizlet.
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Never!
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We will occasionally release special courses as a bonus to Starter members. If you join today, for example, you’ll get access to a special five-day writing challenge about the coronavirus.
Over the course of a week, you’ll learn to write about your experience with the coronavirus quarantines.
We will periodically add new challenges or courses to the membership as a special bonus.