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Links to Learning Links to Learning will help you master English whether you're
a native speaker or an international student learning English
as a new language. Grammar and Writing Purdue's
OWL (Online Writing Lab) - Check out the Writing Lab Newsletter,
which now has volumes one through twenty of its back issues
available on-line. Also see the handouts for students and teachers
about general writing concerns (the writing process), English
as a Second Language (such as writing for an American audience
and help with English conventions), grammar, spelling, and punctuation,
research and documenting sources (including MLA and APA styles),
professional writing (such as resumes and cover letters), and
writing across the curriculum (incorporating writing into a
variety of disciplines.)
The
English Listening Lounge contains over 30 graded listening
quizzes based on authentic native-speaker dialogues. Topics
covered include family, travel, foreign customs and sports.
Learners may gain access to a transcript of all dialogues, and
answers to all the questions are also available. BBC English Learning Home Page encompasses a range of listening-based language-learning activities designed for intermediate-level learners. Most of the content is derived from BBC news and educational programs. Other areas of interest covered include sports, music and current affairs. Transcripts are provided. http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/index.shtml Voice
of America has two sites of interest to English language
learners. The first is their classroom (http://www.voanews.com/learningenglish/theclassroom/home/),
which features engaging articles for beginners and intermediates
with corresponding interactive activities. The second is under
Special English (http://www.voanews.com/learningenglish/home/),
which features articles with audio that use a core vocabulary
of 1500 words spoken at 2/3 the speed of standard English. Pronunciation /
Speaking American
English Pronunciation Practice has lots of game-like minimal
pair practice using Flash and MP3 Files Okanagan
University has 13 instructional units that use MP3, Shockwave,
and QuickTime to take you through the sounds of English. In
some units you listen, practice, and record your voice to have
a conversation with a native speaker. Phonetics
contains animated libraries of the phonetic sounds of English,
German, and Spanish. Available for each consonant and vowel
is an animated articulatory diagram, a step-by-step description,
and video-audio of the sound spoken in context. Caution: It
is intended for students of linguistics, so the jargon may be
daunting. Thank the University of Iowa for this wonderful site. Rachel's
English features videos, in slow motion no less, of every
sound of standard American English. Awesome! The
Sounds of English is designed for learners of English and
their teachers. It combines material made by both Sharon Widmayer
and Holly Gray. The site includes links, handouts from presentations,
activities and exercises for English pronunciation and listening,
tips for teachers, and listening exercises with printable worksheets
and teacher guides. Speech
Accent Archive contains over 349 samples of accented English
from Afrikaans to Zulu compiled by George Mason University. Speech,
Pronunciation & Listening Interest Section (SPLIS) of
TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) is
the Official Site of the TESOL Speech, Pronunciation, &
Listening Interest Section (SPLIS). On this site, you will find
information about the interest section, discussions of pronunciation
issues, information about pronunciation teaching and resource
books, pronunciation activities, articles, previous TESOL Matters
columns, and links to interesting websites. Vocabulary Building Vocabulary
and Spelling City is a child's webpage, but works great
for adults who have trouble with English spelling. It's also
great for mastering the sight words, the 220 most commonly used
words in English. The
Academic Word List can help you improve your English dramatically.
Use this page to master these commonly words used in school
settings. Free Rice
is a vocabulary game that makes a donation to end world hunger
for every correct answer. Warning: It can be addictive! Integrated
Skills Activities for ESL
Students provides quizzes, tests, exercises and puzzles
to help you learn English as a Second Language (ESL). This project
of The Internet TESL Journal (iteslj.org) has thousands of contributions
by many teachers. No Advertising, No Nonessential Images, No
CGI, No SSI, No PHP, No ASP, No CFM, Minimal HTML, No Nonsense.
The pages should work even if your browser is not compliant
with the newest web standards. At the
ESL Desk you will find vocabulary lists, grammar help, ESL
quizzes, spelling tests, reading help, and many other resources
useful in learning English as a Second Language. What I like
about it is that it is made by someone who is not a native speaker
of English.
TED is a nonprofit
devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out
(in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three
worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope
has become ever broader. On TED.com you can watch and read a
riveting TED talk for free. Each one is usually under 10 minutes.
What's great for language learners is the interactive transcript.
As you listen, pull up the interactive transcript. You can select
any text to have it repeated. Now TED has Lessons Worth Sharing
at TEDed. Following each lesson
are questions and other activities to supplement what you're
learning at school or on your own. Free Courses and lectures at universities around the world
Maestro, LLC
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