Today's story: Across the English-speaking world, the cost of housing (to buy or to rent) has far outpaced increases in incomes. That has caused governments to take a critical look at policies that have limited homebuilding, especially apartments. From Lo

Today's story: Netflix recently released season four of its hit show ""Emily in Paris."" Television critics in France and the U.S. panned the show for its unrealistic, Instagram-worthy fantasy of life in Paris. But audiences love it: the show reached numb

Today's story: America’s complicated system of choosing a president can be traced back to its origins as a union of individual states. The process involves two elections: a popular vote by citizens and an electoral vote by states. This indirect system pla

Today's story: Most American families are confronted with the decision to buy or rent a home at some point. This decision is a common one around the world, but the specific pros and cons can be different, depending on the country. Here's what the decision

Today's story: American office culture isn't exactly what you see on TV. In this story, learn about the typical workday, including what time people arrive, what they wear to work, how much time they have for lunch, and how they get to the office from thei

Today's story: It starts with a notice from a court: ""You have been summoned."" American citizens are occasionally required to appear for jury service. Most people called don't have to serve on juries. Here's what the experience is like, for selected jur

Today's story: There are over 50 million retirees in the United States, about the equivalent of the entire population of Spain. Every person's retirement is different, but today, you'll learn about what retirement is like for most people in the U.S.Learn

** Enjoy this fast version of Episode #701. Listen to the fast audio of our lessons at PlainEnglish.com during this free trial week, August 12-18, 2024. Sign up at PlainEnglish.com to enjoy this free week.Today's story: Train travel is famous in Europe. I

Today's story: Train travel is famous in Europe. In the United States, though, it's a little more complicated. But with some planning, you can make train travel part of a U.S. vacation (if you plan ahead and leave plenty of time).Learn this English expres

This workshop teaches you how to use "even as" to present a potential contrast in a sentence.Full workshop: https://plainenglish.com/videos/even-asVideo Workshops give you all the tools you need to express more complex ideas.Workshops include:Video lesson