Review of ESL Websites
by Margaret Troyer
The following websites are roughly in rank order,
from best to least helpful.
Probably the best one I found. This has some great handouts
on prepositions, with pictures and written explanations. It
also has exercises for some categories (which you need to
print out, not do on the computer), and it includes answers
to the exercises on a separate page.
Includes grammar stuff ranging from simple to complex (i.e.,
spelling, irregular verb charts, even a brave attempt at explaining
prepositions), as well as “writing for American academic
audiences,” which explains how to write a thesis-driven
essay.
This is a very disparate website with a lot of good material
including:
A “hint of the day” – a confusing word demystified,
an explanation of common problems such as article use. You
can also search or just read through past hints of the day.
Pages of idioms, phrasal verbs and slang (in alphabetical
order) with definitions and examples.
Self-correcting grammar quizzes on a wide variety of topics.
You can also post questions which will be answered by an ESL
teacher, usually on the same day.
Excellent if you’re looking for something specific -
go to “grammar book” and type in your search words.
Includes interactive or printable exercises with each tutorial.
Also has top 10 grammar lessons, vocab lists and crossword
puzzles.
Excellent ToEFL practice. (Also a lot of advertising –
click on one of the “ToEFL grammar tests” on the
right under “Cool Stuff.”) Interactive – allows you to take parts of the test, scores them instantly
and tells you what your approximate score on the ToEFL would
be based on your performance on this section.
Most importantly, this site gives excellent explanations in
the answers section.
The quizzes are not interactive
or self-correcting. May be interesting to students who want
to learn idioms (a few are obscure or outdated, especially
in the “difficult” section.)
Karin's ESL PartyLand
The Quiz Center
ESL Partyland! Interactive quizzes about colloquial English – some are very good. One warning – this site
is meant to teach about American culture, and some of the
assumptions are a little offensive, i.e. a quiz about weddings
with a very traditional focus, or “girl talk,” which is all about boyfriends.
This is a silly poem full of English words whose pronunciation
makes no sense. Not the most useful teaching tool (although
the rhyme scheme does help you figure out some of the words)
but fun for tutors!
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