The real English of standing your ground at work, in slow, clear English — speak up, push back on, stand your ground, be taken seriously, overlooked and passed over. An English learning podcast episode you can follow on a commute or a long walk, with no screen needed. Taught through Hidden Figures.

This episode covers the story of Hidden Figures, the drama about three Black mathematicians whose work mattered to America's early space missions while Virginia law kept them in a segregated department, with separate canteens, libraries and bathrooms — plus a vocabulary lesson built right into that story: the English of standing your ground at work, from “speak up” and “push back on” to “stand your ground”, “be taken seriously” and “passed over”.

A note on the film: it compresses timelines, merges real people into invented ones and writes scenes for the screen, so the episode separates what is on the record from what the film dramatises.

Perfect for English learners who enjoy movies and want a slow, clear, podcast-friendly way to improve their English listening comprehension and vocabulary on the go — no video required.

Free interactive learning materials for this episode are also available at engmoviereviews.com.

Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to this English learning podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts for more movies reviewed in slow, clear English, or catch the video version on YouTube (EngMovieReviews).