The English We Speak is a weekly podcast from BBC Learning English which looks at a different everyday English phrase or piece of slang in a fun three-minute programme. You can subscribe to the podcast here.
COMMENT
Podcasts are a great way to improve your listening and vocabulary skills. I'm always encouraging my students to use them. You can find a list of English learning podcasts in the sidebar on the left.
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Voice of America Learning English is a news and information service used by English learners and teachers worldwide. Reports are written in VOA Special English, which is read one-third slower than regular English.
VOA Special English has its own YouTube channel, where you can find over 500 videos. This recent report about using the internet and social media to find a job gives a good idea of what to expect.
COMMENT
The subtitles are very useful, but I'm not really sure about the slower delivery. Shouldn't learners be getting used to hearing English spoken at normal speed? What do you think?
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Based on the best-selling Sound Foundations, Macmillan's new Sounds app helps you study, practise, and play with pronunciation wherever you are.
COMMENT
To get all the features in the video, you'll need to get the premium version, which costs £3.99. The free version just gives you access to the Interactive Phonemic Chart and an introductory video. Still, £3.99 seems quite reasonable for what you get.
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I got an email from Yves Bangerter, head of marketing at TeaTime-Mag, telling me about his free online English language magazine. Here's how he describes it:
TeaTime-Mag is a free online English language magazine that is designed for you to maintain and improve your language skills while learning about the life and culture of the English-speaking world! All articles have highlighted vocabulary help and are accompanied by an integrated audio version, allowing you to read along as you listen to the correct pronunciation. And the best part is: this resource is completely free of charge!
Watch this video to find out more:
TeaTime Video [No Subs] from Lingua Group on Vimeo.
COMMENT
TeaTime-Mag is available in three languages: German, French, and Spanish. And there's also a Teacher Edition with extra resources for teachers. All good stuff!
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Express English is a new course from BBC Learning English. Every week, people in London are asked questions on a specific topic. You can see their answers in a short video. You can also post your own answers to the questions on the BBC Learning English site. This week's questions: Have you ever had dancing lessons? When do you dance?
COMMENT
A good way to improve listening and writing skills.
LESSON IDEA
Show a video to students (earlier episodes are available on YouTube). Get them to answer the questions (and come up with more questions on the same topic).
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LearningChocolate.com is a website which aims to help children to memorize English vocabulary in an easy and efficient way, by using images, pronunciation and games. The words are divided into nearly 80 categories such as Animals, Clothing, House, Numbers, etc.
WHAT I THINK
Although the site is aimed at children, older learners could certainly benefit from doing some of the activities. (I doubt that my students wouldn't know much, if any, of the Cookware vocabulary!) The fact that you can hear the pronunciation of all the words is a big bonus.
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Voice of America has had its excellent Special English section for a while now, offering accessible news stories for learners of English. They've now added a new feature: The Classroom.
Here you will find Articles and Activities at 3 different skill levels, as well as an Idiom Dictionary and a Wordbook.
VERDICT
A very attractive site, which makes good use of Flash animation and sound. In fact, I'm so impressed that I'm adding it to my list of Top ELL Sites (see sidebar on left). The only quibble I have is that all the articles (including Advanced level ones) are read in that slow VOA speak, which can be a bit off-putting.
[via Larry Ferlazzo]
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I've talked about Road to Grammar before, and I've still no idea who's behind the site. However, I thought I'd mention it again because it has some really good resources for both students and teachers, yet also seems to be something of a well-kept secret.
As the name suggests the main focus is on grammar, with 365 grammar quizzes linked to explanatory notes. But there's plenty of other useful stuff such as games and downloads. I particularly liked the Flash-based game Fluent, which allows 2 students to play. Meanwhile, the Downloads section has some great PDFs including an e-book with 25 factoids for EFL teachers and another with 100 conversation questions.
The only thing I did find a bit annoying was the navigation, as there's often no link back to the homepage from within the site. This could easily be solved by adding a link to the header.
FOOTNOTE
I got an email from the creator of Road to Grammar. Here's what he told me:
My name is Emile Alexander Dodds and I am currently working for an e-learning company in Malaysia. I am originally from Scotland and I have a background in TEFL and about 15 years of experience in teaching, training and also e-learning. I started roadtogrammar.com as a hobby, basically, and as a place to put useful activities for my own students. I did absolutely everything on the site myself. I'm a self-trained programmer. The roadtogrammar site has been around for about 5 years now and I get around 600 or so visitors a day.
Emile has plans to expand the site and make some of the activities accessible on mobile devices. I look forward to seeing the results.
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How To ... is a course on the BBC Learning English site where you can discover and practise phrases and expressions which you can use in all kinds of different situations, whether it's to order a drink in a restaurant or have an argument with someone. Each unit has audio and texts you can download or you can subscribe to an audio podcast. There are also quizzes and exercises to help you practise what you have learnt. Great stuff!
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WordStash is a free online vocabulary builder built on top of a dictionary. It has an automated study tool that asks multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank questions and uses spaced repetition for efficient learning. The site also has contextual examples from real online news sources for each word.
WHAT I THINK
WordStash allows you to create your own vocabulary lists or view those created by other users. Useful for preparing exams like the GMAT or TOEFL, but not so good for business English—the word 'brand' was defined as 'a piece of red-hot wood'!
FOOTNOTE
Free Technology for Teachers also has a review of WordStash.
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This latest post in a series about iPhone/iPod Touch apps for English learners (see below for previous posts) looks at vocabulary and spelling apps. Although there are quite a few apps for preparing SATs tests and the like, there are very few, if any, specifically for EFL/ESL. Here are a few worth checking out.
• Word List 101 ($0.99) Over 1800 words, their meanings, synonyms and examples of usage on flashcards. The words tend to be the sort you need for admission tests (GRE, GMAT, SAT), and some would flummox many native speakers, e.g., abrade, gainsay, pellagra.
• Vocabulary Cartoons ($0.99) Uses mnemonics based on humorous cartoons and rhyming words to present 580 words. Once again, some words are ones you do not come across every day (peccadillo, chattel, bilk). A free 'lite' version is also available.
• My Word Coach ($4.99) Offers a fun and challenging way to improve verbal skills through a series of engaging activities and exercises. Activities include word recognition, spelling challenges and vocabulary definition, including 16,800 words from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary. My Word Coach also adapts its difficulty level to match your skills, and monitors and rewards your progress to help you express yourself better.
• TOEIC Master Vocab Guide ($5.99) Contains over 2,500 vocabulary items drawn from past papers. All words come with detailed definitions, explanations, IPA & example sentences. Other features include:
EARLIER APP REVIEWS
• Grammar Apps
• Dictionary Apps
• News Apps
• e-Book Apps
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The Business of English from Australia Network is a 15-part series for intermediate to advanced English language learners which looks at the language used in everyday business situations such as meetings, presentations and negotiations. Each episode comprises video and audio versions plus a full transcript, a quiz and useful tips.
VERDICT
An excellent resource for professionals who need English for their jobs (or students preparing for exams like the TOEIC).
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The web offers a world of quality videos for our enjoyment and enlightenment. However, for learners of English some videos can be difficult to understand. Captioned videos are an answer. The problem is they are generally scattered and/or mixed with all other videos across the Internet. Until now, there was no central place to easily and reliably search for captioned videos across multiple video hosts. 22frames was built, in part, to provide such a place.
Although not originally created with language learners in mind, 22frames now has an ESL section with videos which illustrate specific examples of idioms and slang.
COMMENTS
Opinions are divided as to whether captions are 'a good thing' or not for language learners, because, the argument goes, the tendency is to read the captions and not listen to what's being said. My own view is that if captions enable learners to enjoy DVDs or videos which they wouldn't otherwise understand, then that must be positive. In any case, you can usually turn them off if you want. On the other hand, watching DVDs or videos with foreign language subtitles is definitely not a good idea if you're trying to learn a language.
MORE VIDEO RESOURCES
Russell Stannard has an excellent screencast in which he reviews a number of ESL/ELT resources that have quizzes, subtitles or translations.
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As far as free/cheap apps go (the type we prefer!), the choice is disappointing. Or rather, there are plenty of apps, but very few worth the trouble of downloading. Here are a few which are.
• 10 Minute English teaches intermediate-level learners of English using realistic audio dialogues between native speakers of English (British English and American English). The dialogues are structured around grammar points which intermediate learners usually have difficulty with. The grammar used in the dialogues is fully explained in simple and clear terms. The free 'Lite' version has three lessons, while the 'full' version costing $4.99 has ten.
• Grammar Girl Podcast App ($1.99). One of the very best ELL podcasts delivered right to your iPhone along with a weekly bonus audio file that covers an additional grammar or writing topic. Bonus tips are only available through the app. You'll also occasionally receive free book excerpts. Of course, you could subscribe to the podcast on iTunes for free, and transfer it to your iPhone, but $1.99 is a small price to pay to avoid all that hassle and get direct access to over 200 podcasts.
• Mobi Bac Terminale Anglais (free). Excellent grammar reference app for French speakers. Covers all the main grammar points and gives tips on preparing for the Baccalauréat oral and written exams. No exercises, however.
To get a grammar app with a full range of practice activities and exercises, you're going to have to pay a bit more.
• English Grammar in Use Activities ($9.99) Based on the best-selling grammar book by Raymond Murphy. Designed for intermediate level learners of English. Over 2,800 questions, divided into 16 grammar sections. Features a variety of activity types. Audio recordings of all the exercises. Record and play back function.
• English Grammar in Use Tests ($4.99) This app preceded the 'Activities' one and has fewer questions (1,700) and no audio. For a more detailed comparison see here.
CONCLUSION
There's definitely a gap in the market for a decent grammar reference app.
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