Resources for English as a Second Language (ESL)
SkillsTutor Program
ESL Web Sites
Text Companion Websites
Many College of the Desert students are not native speakers of English. The ESL sites listed here are specially chosen to provide instruction and exercises to help our non-native English students. Keep in mind that new language skills are learned most quickly when you study for short periods (1/2 an hour) several times a day rather than for long periods once a week. So make a habit of using these sites regularly to improve your grammar, usage, vocabulary, and fluency in using the English language.
SkillsTutor is a fully interactive software package that offers instruction in reading, writing, ESL, and math. If you are enrolled in ESL 50B, your instructor may have given you specific assignments for this software. However, any COD student is welcome to use this software to brush up on grammar, punctuation, and writing skills. Click on the link below and follow the log-in instructions on the next page.
IMPORTANT:
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This software is paid for by COD and is only available to registered students of the college.
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At the end of each semester, including summer session, all students are deleted from this program.
SkillsTutor Log-In
Web Guide to SkillsTutor
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About.com's English as a Second Language Site - Contains vocabulary, grammar, listening, and pronunciation.
AulaFácil.com Cursos Gratis On-Line - CURSO DE INGLÉS El inglés es un idioma fundamental tanto para turismo como para negocios CURSO INTERMEDIO DE INGLÉS Con este curso podrás profundizar tus conocimientos así como resolver numerosos ejercicios
BBC World Service - Learning English - This site has Learning English: In the News, For Work, With Music, and Through Sport.
Business English Website - Grammar Explanations, Easier Exercises, Grammar Exercises Strong Collocations, Vocabulary Exercises, Multi Word Verbs Spelling exercises, Sentence Construction exercises Find the Pairs Exercises, Missing Words Exercise Business English Crosswords,Business English Hangman Matching Exercises,Text Exercises, Free Stuff, Intensive English language programs The Electric Library This is an excellent database of newspaper and magazine articles. Highly recommended.
California Distance Learning Project - Subjects include: News Stories, Family, Community, and Work, ESL Connection Online, Workplace ESL Online, How To Vote, How To Be Heard, Safe Streets, Employment Application, How to Get a Job in California, and an E-Mail Project.
Cambridge's Venture Arcade - Practice English at your level. Levels include: Basic, 1, 2, 3, and 4. There is also practice for U.S. Citizenship.
Dave's E.S.L. Cafe - A variety of sites are here including: Idioms, Phrasal Verbs, Quizzes, Slang, and a search forum.
Digital Dialects - Language Learning Games
E.L. Easton English Online - This site has links to: Grammar, Quizzes & Tests, Test Your English, Reading, Writing, Spelling, Vocabulary, Listening, Speaking, and Pronunciation.
ESL FLOW - Searchable source of thematically-based ESL lesson in grammar, speaking, vocabulary, pronunciation.
ESL Independent Study Lab - Links to Listening, Pronunciation, Vocabulary, Reading, Writing, Grammar, Fun and Games.
ESLhome.org - ESLhome.org is a welcoming place for students and teachers to explore the Internet world of learning.
Easy English - This site has Tests and the lessons go to sites for grammar explanations and practice.
English Club.com - This site has English lessons for Grammar, Pronunciation, Vocabulary, Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening.
English Learner.com - English lessons and tests on grammar, reading, and vocabulary. Has crossword puzzles and hangman.
English Page - Grammar, Vocabulary, Reading, and Listening. Grammar includes explanations and practice exercises. Weekly vocabulary lessons on various themes, including holidays.
English at Home - Learn English grammar,vocabulary, verbs and speaking with ESL games.
English Zone.com - This site has spelling, reading, verbs, idioms, conversation, writing, study skills, irregular verbs, and some fun activities, too.
FreeRice.com - For each English vocabulary word you answer correctly, they will donate 20 grains of rice.
Global Study Site - Has links to sites around the world to study English.
Guide to Grammar & Writing--Prof. Charles Darling, Capitol Community College. Easy to use and very comprehensive, this site is a guide to all aspects of college writing. There is plenty of reading here, but it is all very clear and excellent examples are provided. All lessons include exercises and/or tests and some include PowerPoint presentations to illustrate complex ideas. The opening page provides several very long drop-down menus with lists of terms like "adjectives" "Prepositional Phrases" or "Subordinate Clauses." You can simply browse till you find something interesting, but it helps if you know exactly what you are looking for before exploring this site.
Hello English - This website requires a membership for some activities, but there are several activities to work on that are free. Some of these are: Animals, The Calendar, Colors, Dictionary, Exercises, Letters (The Alphabet,) Numbers, Pronouns, and Time.
Hypergrammar - Hypergrammar has several exercises that will help you to understand: grammar, vocabulary, spelling, and reading.
Interlink's ESL Resource Center - Lessons and Exercises including: Grammar, Reading and Writing, Vocabulary and Idioms, Spelling, Pronunciation, and Listening.
LBCC E-ESL (Long Beach Community College's Electronic ESL) - The Big List - Web resources are grouped into categories such as Simple Present & Present Continuous, Simple Past & Past Continuous, Perfect Tenses, Future Tenses, Modals, Conditionals, Phrasal Verbs, Tag Questions, Nouns & Pronouns, Adjectives & Adverbs, Clauses, Articles, Prepositions, Conjunctions, Connectors & Transitional Expressions, and Punctuation. Reported Speech Passive Voice
Little Explorers Picture Dictionary - On-line dictionary. English-Spanish, English-French, English-German, English-Portguese. Famous explorers, rhymes and several activities.
Many Things.org - This site covers several skill areas including: grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, reading, spelling, and idioms; just to name a few.
Mousercise - This site gives the students an introduction to using the mouse. It is provided from The Ultimate Christmas Site.
Ohio ESL - Grammar, Listening, Writing, Reading exercises.
Okanagan University College's English Pronunciation/Listening Site - Minimal Pair Practice.
PIZZAZ! - PIZZAZ! is dedicated to providing simple creative writing and oral storytelling activities with copyable (yes, copyable!) handouts for use with students of all ages. Permission is given to use these resources for in-class, non-profit use only.
Pumarosa© - This site has 15 beginning and 15 intermediate grammar lessons for Spanish speaking students who want to learn English.
Purdue University's Online Writing Lab - This site has information on study materials, workshops, and tutorials all to assist you with writing topics. Handouts and resource pages are available for ESL. These cover writing, grammar and punctuation topics.
Randall's CyberListening Lab - Easy, Medium, and Difficult Levels of Listening Activities.
Selected Links for ESL Students - Grammar, Reading, Vocabulary, Quizzes that will help you to learn english better.
TESL Journal's Self-Study Quizzes for ESL Students - Grammar quizzes at Easy, Medium, and Difficult Levels.
The Online English Grammar By Anthony Hughes - The follow grammar explanations are included: adjectives, adverbs, determiners, direct & indirect speech, ING form, nouns, passive, possessive with 's and', relative clauses, the infinitive, to get, verbs & verb tenses.
Tower Of English - This site has links to the following: Culture, ESL Sites, Grammar, Holidays, Idioms/Slang, Listening, Mysteries, News, Poetry, Pronunciation, Puzzles, Quizzes, Reading, Tests, Vocabulary, Writing and more.
University of Iowa's-Phonetics (The Sounds of Spoken Language) - This site allows you to view/hear sounds being produced with the diagram, step by step descriptions, and an audio/video of a person pronouncing the sound.
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Focus on Grammar's Companion Website - Introductory, Basic, Intermediate, High-Intermediate, and Advanced writing activities that go with the textbook.
Focus on Grammar's Companion Website (The Blue Book {Level 2}) -
Houghton Mifflin's Textbook Companion Site For E.S.L - This site has grammar practice that goes along with the computer program Grammar Links that we use here in the Language Lab. Included are practice grammar tests and flashcards for vocabulary practice.
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