RESOURCES ON ENGLISH AND ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES

Ton Ammerlaan Applied Linguist Nijmegen This page conveys a selection of links to English homepages on issues like Learning English Courses, Linguistics, Literature, Translating sites (see also Dictionaries), Style, Grammar, Spelling, Pronunciation, Fluency, Idioms, , Reading English, Writing English, Speaking English, Listening to English
US English, US versus UK English, Australian English / Aboriginal English , Kiwi English / Maori English , Legal English, Business English, Taxation English, English for Life Sciences, English for Life Sciences, Chemistry, Nutrition and Dietetics, English for Builders English for Medical purposes and Dictionaries (see also translation), Newspapers in UK, On line Writing assistants, multilingual writing tool and marking tool,
To be added are Indian English, Sri Lankan English, Black US English and Kiwi English.

Books and other useful materials can be bought on-line from In association with Amazon.com

LANGUAGE SKILLS


Tests
  • Language Net - Some interactive exercises for ESL/EFL students (people learning English). Allows you to create your own exercises.
  • BBC world Service Many resources for ESL/EFL students.
  • Digi School teaching and learning materials.
  • Enchanted Learning materials on various levels.
  • English Club - Some interactive grammar exercises, handouts, games, background for people learning English).
  • Using English: resources including online exercises with teachers handouts.
  • Common Errors in English - By Paul Brians. A growing list of common English mistakes (grammar, spelling, etc.) and short explanations of each.
  • MC diagnostic test for grammar errors, each with its own exercises .
  • English Learner tests from english learner dot com
  • Exercises in all sorts from englishforum.com
  • Grammer interactive tests for business English
  • English exercises from Englishpage.com
  • Grammar tests in word2word.com also offering an online grammar course
  • Interactive tests, also TOEFL from learnenglish
  • interactive at various levels
  • On TOEFL
  • by Bas Trimbos who made a lot of English exercises
  • Dutch sites with lots

  • EFL net provides on-line courses on writing, reading speaking with each week new sounds, newsflashes and articles to practice with.
  • ESL Independent Study hosts many reading and listening and grammar activities from beginner (100) to advanced (400).
  • Johan Graus' MA thesis on Internet in the EFL classroom as well as useful sites on EFL learning.
  • The Virtual English Language Center - resources for English as a second language (ESL) students and teachers.
  • Cutting Edge CALL Resources - ESL/EFL and ASL multimedia language aids (quizzes, practices, tutorials) using the latest Web plug-ins (Shockwave, mostly).
  • The Instant Access Treasure Chest - Guide to learning disabilities and foreign language learning.
  • SOON - News in Worldwide English - Site written using "easy-English" as an aid to those learning English. Current events, stories, English help and teacher's pages for students/teachers of English.
  • Homepage for TESL-EJ - Teaching English as a Second Language Electronic Journal. (Partial American mirror.)
  • The ELT Two-Cents Cafe - Site for English (EFL/ESL) teachers and students to communicate about books, approaches, programs, lessons, and more regarding learning English. Includes a keypal (penpal) service.
  • Word Play - Index of sites that feature "fun with words". Includes anagrams, cool words, poetry, and more.
  • The Word Wizard - English education and entertainment site. Periodic contests, questions & answers about English, word-a-day, and more. Requires free registration.

  • Internet TESL Journal - articles, news, papers, ideas, and links about teaching English as a second language.

  • Aprender Inglés - From Lingolex. Index of links for Spanish speakers learning English.
  • Taiwan Teacher - English as a Foreign/Second Language (EFL/ESL) site with English trivia, grammar exercises, forums, and information about teaching English in Taiwan.
  • The English Institute - English as a foreign language (EFL) resources in France and England.
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    EXAMINATIONS

  • Frequently used exams like IELTS, TOEFL, GRA

    Reading English


  • Alex electronic text archive/index

  • The Best Fiction and Poetry from CSUN: 1962-1988 - Online fiction (stories) and poetry from California State University, Northridge.

  • The Mythopoeic Society - Organization for the study, discussion, and enjoyment of fantasy and mythic literature. Activities calendar, how to join, news, and more.

  • CETH - Center for Electronic Texts in the Humanities.

  • The Children's Literature WWW Page

  • Inkspot Children's Writer's Resource Page

  • Electronic Library - from Book Stacks Unlimited. Many free and used-with-permission electronic texts.

  • Electronic Text Center at the University of Virginia - SGML-encoded texts including the Oxford English Dictionary, Old, Middle, and Modern English works, and some Shakespeare texts. The commercial texts are only local-access from the University of Virginia, but others are freely available.

  • English and its History - Documents many of the changes which have occurred in the English language, from Old English to Middle English to Modern English.

  • Litrix Reading Room - Collection of online English books and stories that are either out of copyright or whose authors have allowed electronic distribution. Lots of great books to read online, organized by genre.

    Short Stories Uk Short Stories GSR Back to top
    Consult files listed with EuroCALL on the UK.
    writing English
    For Chemistry and Nutrition issues, go to Nutrition
    Consult files listed with EuroCALL on the UK.

    Writing English


  • Comenius on Writing subjects ideas for writing tasks
  • Online Writing Lists of internet facilities for students. May move regularly or be closed to non-fee paying users.
  • A list of writing tools by Ammerlaan
  • World Wide Writing online in many languages including English
  • Friend Abroad are one example of brokers who help language learners correspond with natives and othere languages learners in English.
    Also see sites listed in Learning English, such as stepwise instructions to writing a biography among others..
    Comprehensive are online writing centers, particularly Kansas University guides to writing strategies, spelling, style, grammar, correspondence, doing research, theses, critical thinking

    Listening English


  • Try the list on Listening to English MP3 fils some with the transcripts attached
  • General listening skills are found on ESL lab,
  • Voices from the 20th century eyewitness accounts,
  • English Listening, also try listenBBC and the related World Service Learning English. An attractive podcast (iTunes) archive is found on BBC Podcasts. Try the podcasts on Daily Mayo interviews but also Fridayy Night Comedy and Point Of View .. Does Stephen Fry need pomotion?
  • More podcasts on animals in PetLifeRadio.
  • Wired For Books has authors read various books on Real Audio
  • Digital Tales lists personal accounts supported by video and images on a range of topics
  • EFL Net hosts Com Audioprogrammes for listening to stories
  • ESL Sounds provides free listening exercises and quizzes
  • Link2English.com has many listening activities for students
  • Free resources are also listed on Free
  • Resources for Learning ESL Online from the L2 Information Center
  • Ready made lessons on Science texts and transcripts
  • Similar Listening texts based on CNN reports are found on CNN educational
    Consult files listed with EuroCALL on the UK.
  • Use the lecture series on TED.COM for practice on academic classes.

    Speaking English


  • Pronunciation and intonation can be observed and practised on various sites, like those on English pronunciation pairs on ManyThings.Org
  • Try Sounds of English or collections on Internet College
  • Good practise, suggestions and useful tools to plan your public speaking on Allyn and Bacon Public Speaking
  • Free resources are also listed on Free
  • Resources for Learning ESL Online from the L2 Information Center
  • Fluency Through Fables - by the Comenius Group - teaching English through the use of fables.
  • The Tongue Twister Database - Dozens of English tongue twisters collected by C.T. Staley.
  • Pronunciation assistant in Hong Kong as well as other tools.
    Also consult files listed with EuroCALL on the UK.

    Resources

    STYLE

  • English Grammar and style Guide - by Jack Lynch.
    Free and many fascited, using video and exercises to appeal to the surfing home student is Learn Gratis . Com
  • The Curmudgeon's Stylebook - By Bill Walsh. Very interesting English usage and style guide.
  • World Wide Words - "Articles on Aspects of English". Essays on English usage, phrases, words, etc. Also includes "Turns of Phrase" - a weekly new word and definition (with archives), and "Usage Notes" on the proper use of English.
  • Bibliographies in style SourceAid is a new free writing and research tool and resource. SourceAid's main function is to help punctuate, format, and produce bibliographies in all four standard styles (MLA, APA, Chicago, & CSE)
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    GRAMMAR

  • HyperGrammar - English grammar on-line course. From the University of Ottawa.
  • Online Grammar exercises by Rob Wilson including idioms, jokes and phrasal verbs
  • ZoZanga.com on Grammar online and more
  • Online Grammar and exercises
  • Online Grammar references and exercises on EduFind
  • Online Writing tools and off line on the HAN Off line on the HAn site
  • An Elementary English Grammar - From the English Institute. Descriptions and examples of aspects of English grammar.
  • English Grammar classes - From the English Institute. Descriptions and examples of aspects of English grammar.
  • Teaching Fish ESL for students and teachers: articles, online grammar, teaching ideas.... New
  • English Club Grammar and other ESL help
  • On-Line English Grammar - By Anthony Hughes. Extensive online English grammar site - information about English grammar, practice and question-and-answer pages, and more. Probably more than you ever wanted to know about the English language.
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    FLUENCY

  • Many of the ESL and EFL sites listed above offer SMS or other exchanges (see Learning).
  • Fluency Through Fables - by the Comenius Group - teaching English through the use of fables.
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    SPELLING

  • Little Explorers - by Enchanted Learning Software. Click on an English letter and see words that begin with that letter (click on a word for an activity).
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    PRONUNCIATION

  • Homograph List - By Mark Brader. Large list (but not as much detail) of homographs in English.
  • Sounds of English or collections on Internet College
  • The Homograph Page - List of over 30 homographs (heteronyms) - words with the same spelling but different pronunciation/definitions.
  • The Tongue Twister Database - Dozens of English tongue twisters collected by C.T. Staley.
  • Tongue Twisters - Collection of English tongue twisters from Santheep Singh.
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    TRANSLATORS' SITES

  • collection of tools, glossaries, translators and dictionaries
  • Automatic Online translation dictionaries
  • Babelfish translates texts and webpages....
  • From Dutch to... translation and language courses.
  • NewsTran automatically translates any online newspaper, Free
  • Online translator of websites and texts from various language pairs
  • glossaries and dictionaries in agriculture, chemistry, economiccs, law and management .
  • Medical Online glossaries and dictionaries 1270 links to health, medical and science related websites, in English and 16 other languages. Divided per illness, discipline and per language.

    DICTIONARIES

  • OneLook Dictionaries - Searchable index of over 100 Internet-accessible online dictionaries/glossaries. Dictionaries are arranged by topic, but you can search them all at once.
  • dictionaries specialised in English, Medecine, Chemistry etc....
  • Organic Chemistry DictionaryEnglish Dutch, including E labels
  • Online translation dictionaries by Trav Lang (language pairs).
  • Antagonyms - Words that have different and contradictory meanings (i.e. bad = 'bad' and 'good').
  • Free Dictionaries.com
  • ARTFL Project - A searchable forms-based Roget Thesaurus.
  • Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing (mirror) - Dictionary of acronyms, jargon, technology, etc. dealing with computing.
  • Bookbinding and Conservation Terminology Dictionary - From Conservation OnLine (CoOL) at Stanford University.
  • Botanical Glossary from GardenWeb - Searchable English glossary of botanical/gardening terms (words and their meanings).
  • Medical Online glossaries and dictionaries 1270 links to health, medical and science related websites, in English and 16 other languages. Divided per illness, discipline and per language.
  • The Heteronym Homepage - Good list of heteronyms (words with the same spelling but different meanings) with explanations of the different pronunciations/meanings.
  • Wordsmyth English Dictionary-Thesaurus - Large searchable English dictionary (words and definitions are in English). Includes pronunciation guides and separation of word senses (different meanings of a word). By Robert Parks and the ARTFL.
  • Slang in encyclopedia - English slang from around the world and their meanings. Add your own slang while you're there.
  • The Oxford English Dictionary Online
  • Dictionary of Cell Biology
  • WordNet Search - Interface to the WordNet database to search for synonyms, antonyms, etc. of words you enter.
  • English Dictionary (Gopher) - Another keyword-searchable English dictionary.
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    BUSINESS ENGLISH

  • Business Writing Today
    Syllabus, calendar, and links to related materials. By Lorne Daniel, Red Deer College, Canada.
  • Catering Operations and Sales
    Continuing education course on catering, tourism, convention and hotel administration. Syllabus. Lecture notes. Assignments. Links to related materials. By Patti Shock, University of Nevada, Reno.

    For MBA students. Discrete event systems simulation. Syllabus, calendar, lecture notes, assignments, and links to related materials. By Hossein Arsham, University of Baltimore.
  • Télécommunications pour les affaires (Business Telecommunications)
    In French. But général de préparer des gestionnaires d'organisations dans le domaine des technologies de l'information de sorte qu'ils puissent maîtriser les concepts et les appliquer dans une entreprise au niveau de la direction de la fonction télécommunications. Syllabus. Rréférences bibliographiques et sur Internet. Projets de trimestre. Syllabus. Calendar. Student work. Links to related materials. By J. M. Poulin, Université Laval, Québec City, Qc, Canada.
  • Using the Internet for Business

    Internet resources for economics, marketing, accounting, finance. Students develop their own Web pages for potential business use. Syllabus, assignments, student work, and links to related materials. By Rajshree Agarwal, University of Central Florida.

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    LEGAL ENGLISH

  • Language in the Judicial Process - Language and the law, legal issues involving language.
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    TAXATION ENGLISH

  • Tax World Homepage - includes The Language of Tax, taxation terms from all around the world.
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    ENGLISH FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES

  • English for Medical purposes ,
  • Multimediatraining for medical English Dialogues,
  • Medical interviewing, history taking etc,
  • Case presentations
  • Medical Dictionary ,
  • Hyperdictionary - Medical,
  • Medical terminology,
  • Medical training,
  • Vates' Guide to Physical Examination ,
  • On-line Medical Dictionary - List of Gray Cancer Institute medical dictionary.
  • Dictionary of Cell Biology
  • Life Sciences Dictionary - From BioTech (Indiana University). Searchable dictionary of scientific terms (biology/microbiology/life sciences mostly).
  • Medical Online glossaries and dictionaries1270 links to health, medical and science related websites, in English and 16 other languages. Divided per illness, discipline and per language.
  • dictionaries specialised in English, Medecine, Chemistry etc....
  • Organic Chemistry DictionaryEnglish Dutch, including E labels

    IDIOMS

  • Flashcards for learning idioms, creating own words lists, text analyser and weekly additions
  • The Weekly Idiom - a weekly English idiom (expression) with explanation and sample usage. From the Comenius Group.
  • A.Word.A.Day server
  • Focusing on Words - A series to improve your vocabulary by learning the Greek/Latin roots of English words.
  • Cool Word of the Day - new word each day, with definition. See past words, or add your own.
  • The Wordmonger - weekly, 7 new English words with definitions.
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    LINGUISTICS

  • A huge site is Linguist in Tuebingen, Germany.

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    LITERATURE

  • Literary resources on the Net
  • Book Lovers
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    US ENGLISH

  • American Memory - Online collection of historic documents, photographs, etc., from the Library of Congress.
  • Amerindian Words in English - By Mark Rosenfelder. List of American English words that came from Native American words. Includes source language of each word.
  • The Climbing Dictionary - English dictionary of climbing terms.
  • The CMU Pronouncing Dictionary - Look up pronunciation of American English words. (Dictionary is also available to download.)
  • Slangcity Hopme of slang, alsouseful in interpreting songs.
  • Project Bartleby Archive - Searchable archive of about 30 electronic texts of classic American authors. Includes John Bartlett, W.E.B. Du Bois, Robert Frost, Gertrude Stein, and others.
  • Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - 1913 edition. Searchable English dictionary. From the ARTFL Project. Back to top

    USA AND UK ENGLISH

  • BritSpeak - cultural and linguistic differences between British English and American English. Includes "problem words" for English speakers.

  • British English translated for Americans

  • British/American English dictionary

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    AUSTRALIAN SLANG

  • Good practice from the Australian Network with cool videos.
  • Australian
  • Oz Slang
  • Slang
  • Australian
  • Oz Slang
  • Aboriginal English and Kriol

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    KIWI SLANG

  • Guide to New Zealand
  • Maori Law review
  • New Zealand Information
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    English for Builders

  • DIY and Builders glossary if you do not wish to use a online dictionary or Encyclopedia (e.g. Wikipedia. Back to top

    NEWSPAPERS IN THE UK

  • To Go list of Papers in the UK Comprehensive list.

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