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Learning English

This provides a good collection of online resources for learning English, containing online English dictionaries, English tests, writing tips, listening practice, grammar lessons, vocabulary, idioms, quizzes, and video lessons. There are thousands of online resources designed to help learn English, from basic grammar lessons to creative essay writing. However, they are not in one place. They are somewhere on the Internet separately. And learning English involves various activities related to reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. Through this collection, we try to present a list of online resources in those four areas (reading, writing, speaking and listening) in a comprehensive and well-organized way.


Online Dictionary

Dictionary.com is a free online English dictionary that offers definitions and audio pronunciations of words.

The Phrase Finder is an archive of the meanings and origins of thousands of phrases, sayings and idioms. Users can access the database via alphabetical browsing or search tool.

BusinessDictionary.com features over 20,000 terms and over 115,000 links between related terms providing a clear and concise description of any and all business terms.

Eggcorn Database is devoted to collecting the kind of unusual English spellings that have come to be called eggcorns.


English Tests

Free English Tests for ESL/EFL provides lots of interactive grammar and vocabulary tests for TOEFL, TOEIC, GMAT, GRE, SAT, PCAT and MCAT.

Exam English provides free online practice tests for ESL/EFL exams such as IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC, and the Cambridge ESOL exams including CPE, CAE, FCE and PET.

Parapal Online offers a variety of interactive English exercises, which are designed to improve listening, writing, reading, vocabulary and grammar skills.

Activities for ESL Students offers a lot of quizzes, tests, exercises and puzzles to help ESL or EFL students learn English.

ESL partyland provides lots of English study resources for learning English, especially with interesting games and quizzes.

ToLearnEnglish.com helps people learn English through solving simple and fun quizzes.


Writing Tips & eBooks about Writing Skills

The Purdue University Online Writing Lab offers over 200 free resources on English writing, including writing and teaching writing, research, grammar and mechanics, style guides, job search and professional writing.

English writing skills for ESL/EFL classes at About.com brings a lot of articles on English writing, including English writing style, business writing, writing for work, and advanced writing.

Businesswritingblog.com contains a lot of articles offering business writing tips and guidelines. The articles tell how to write business messages, documents, or letters in a crisp, clean and efficient way.

Online Technical Writing is a textbook to introduce some of the most important aspects of writing in the worlds of science, technology, and business - mainly focusing on technical report.

Rhetoric and Composition is a wikibook that aims to provide a practical guide for those struggling to improve their writing to meet the standards expected of them by their professors, instructors, employers and co-workers.

The WAC Clearinghouse offers open-access, scholarly books, including original monographs and edited collections. To date, more than 60 books are available on this site.

The Writing of English. Author: John Matthews Manly, 1865-1940; Edith Rickert, 1871-1938. Subject: English language; Rhetoric. Publisher: New York : H. Holt and company.

The Oxford Essential Guide to Writing. Author: Thomas S. Kane. Publisher: New York: Berkley Books. Language: English. Collection: Opensource.

Talks on Writing English (Vol. I). Author: Arlo Bates, 1850-1918. Subject: English language; Rhetoric. Publisher: Boston Houghton, Mifflin. Book contributor: Robarts - University of Toronto.

Talks on Writing English (Vol. II). Author: Arlo Bates, 1850-1918. Subject: English language; Rhetoric. Publisher: Boston Houghton, Mifflin. Book contributor: Robarts - University of Toronto.

English Study and English Writing. Author: Henry Adelbert White. Subject: English language; Rhetoric. Publisher: Boston, New York [etc.] D. C. Heath and co.. Book Contributor: University of California Libraries.

Everyday English Writing. Author: William Leavitt Stoddard. Subject: English language; Composition. Publisher: New York, MacMillan. Book Contributor: Robarts - University of Toronto.


Listening Practice

BBC - Podcasts - Directory provides free downloadable podcasts about comedy, entertainment, learning, music, news, and sports from the BBC's Radio services.

ELLLO (English Language Listening Lab Online) provides a large collection of listening activities accessible on the Internet for free. Each podcast comes with its article and a set of quizzes helping develop listening compreshension skills.

ESL/EFL Reading - 365 ESL/EFL Short Stories provides free reading materials consisting of 365 short stories, as well as their audio files.

LoudLit.org is a website offering free text and audio books. This is helpful in learning English because readers can learn spelling, punctuation and paragraph structure by listening and reading the books.

ESLPod.com offers free podcasts that speak English at a slower speed and use everyday phrases and expressions. The topics of the podcasts cover daily life, business, shopping, entertainment, health, and relationships.

Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab brings lots of listening quizzes on various topics, which help ESL/EFL students improve their listening comprehension skills outside classroom.


General English Lessons
: Grammar, Vocabulary, Idioms, Phrases, and Quizzes

BBC Learning English provides listening and reading exercises, quizzes, English lessons on grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation, as well as general and business English lessons.

ManyThings.org is a website designed to help people learn English. This contains quizzes, word games, proverbs, slang expressions, listening activities, reading activities etc.

Learn Online with ESL Resources | Kent State Online offers basic learning resources about punctuation, spelling, grammar, usage, and sentence structure for ESL learners.

Breaking News English.com offers free English lessons based on stories currently in the news. All lessons are downloadable in word.doc and PDF formats for print, and in MP3 format for listening.

EnglishClub.com offers free online lessons and resources to help ESL or EFL students learn to speak English, covering grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

World English is an online resource for learning English, providing lots of English study materials on vocabulary, grammar, reading and writing, and quizzes.

UsingEnglish.com provides a large collection of resources for learning English, including English grammar glossary, idioms, phrases, English usage articles, and reading comprehension exercises.

Learn English Today offers free English grammar lessons and exercises, business English, vocabulary, idioms and proverbs, and word games including crosswords and quizzes.

Basic English Speaking offers free resources that can help you improve English speaking skills for daily use: Daily Conversation, Common English Phrases and Sentence Patterns, Common English Expressions, 102 Idioms, Basic English Grammar, etc.


Video Lessons

ESL Videos contains over 700 videos helpful in learning English, categorized into topics: grammar, history, idioms, interviews, news, travel, writing, and more.

BBC Learning English: YouTube Channel provides many videos that help people improve English pronunciation and learn English idioms in a fun way.

engVid.com brings free English video lessons which help improve exam skills for TOEFL, IELTS, and TOEIC, as well as general English skills including grammar, idioms, pronunciation, speaking, vocabulary, and writing.

Learn English | Language Learning Wiki offers a series of videos helpful in learning English, with an emphasis of English grammar and conversational English.