Grammar & Vocabulary

The Book of Idioms from A to Z lists a broad range of familiar idioms in one place. It is hosted on the Easy Pace Learning website, where additional free downloads include grammar lessons, exercises and dictionaries.

English Media Lab:  ESL, English grammar exercises, video lessons, quizzes, vocabulary exercises.

ESL Lounge is complete with ESL Games, lessons plans and other support materials for teachers.  Some free lessons.

ESL-Galaxy:  Free ESL Worksheets, English Teaching Materials, ESL Lesson Plans (esl-galaxy.com)

This online game is sponsored by the United Nations World Health Organization. Learners can choose from 60 levels of vocabulary. By selecting the correct meaning for the selected word, 10 grains of rice are donated to a country in need.

There is built-in audio to hear the correct pronunciation of the word as well. If a learner makes an error, the word is added back into rotation. Learners can play individually or teams can be set up for competition. It is a free log-in system.

This is a 284-page resource for literacy learners. Instructors are welcome to pull from the activities, worksheets, learning strategies and ideas included in the collection.  Clear and easy to use.

The Khan Academy is an American non-profit educational organization that provides free lessons, courses and practice for students on a variety of topics.  Additional resources are available for educators.  Their "A Brief Introduction to Grammar" course teaches parts of speech, punctuation, syntax and style through videos (with transcripts) and knowledge assessment challenges.  This course would be a useful supplement to in-class teaching, and could be recommended to students for independent learning.

Larry Ferlazzo is a well-known American high school English teacher-blogger whose website offers numerous resources and reference materials that are useful to teachers who work in adult settings.   He offers: English themes for beginners, intermediate and advanced learners, bilingual exercises, and academic reading and writing.

This listening activity playlist compiled by the University of Oregon's Centre for Applied Second Language Studies is ideal for independent learning for students both outside and inside the classroom.  The YouTube videos consist of the following nine topics:

• Summarize What You Heard with A Friend;
• Research a Topic Before Listening ;
• During Listening: Document What You Understand ;
• After Listening: Listen Again and Again ; 
• Familiarize Yourself with Sounds - Listen While Reading a Transcript ;
• Pay Attention to What you Know and Need to Know ;
• Slowing Down Online Videos ; Listening Strategy: Predict What You Will Hear ; and
• Connecting Sounds to Written Language .

While geared toward the language learner, the content of these videos is also a helpful refresher for teachers planning listening activity lessons.

MemRise is a "platform that leverages memory techniques, deep understanding of neuroscience and novel approaches to second language acquisition to make learning a language dramatically easier and faster."

This link provides access to academic resources for both teachers and students including grammar practice, workplace writing, and information on academic integrity.  Recommended for CLB 6+.

Learn English with EF podEnglish, bite-sized 5 minute English lessons. Perfect for beginners, intermediate and advanced students, these video lessons are as good as having an English teacher in your pocket! Created by EF, the world's largest language school with over 400 schools in 50 countries worldwide.

For a limited time, teachers and students will have free access to Spelling City. (Use code: VSCFree90. ) This website provides interactive vocabulary and spelling activities for English learners and mainstream students.  Spelling City allows teachers to create and customize their own spelling/vocabulary lists for classes, which are turned into enjoyable learning activities for student practice. The activities were designed to meet the needs of all learners, including those with learning challenges. The website also has pre-set  lists and games that students can also access.  Premium accounts can be purchased schools.  Free basic memberships with limited access are also available.

This is a site for teacher-created resources to be purchased and downloaded  by other teachers.  Prices are reasonable (e.g. $4.00 for a conversation activity on 'annoying things' that consists of an editable powerpoint slide deck, teacher notes and 2 student worksheets for reproducing.  Lessons and materials are available for K-12 as well as for adults.  This link will take you directly to the adult ESL section  secondary level materials as many would be suitable for adult classes as well.

Using English provides Online English as a Second Language (ESL) tools & resources for students, teachers, learners and academics, covering the full spectrum of ESL, EFL, ESOL, and EAP subject areas.

This American website provides material at three levels: basic, intermediate and advanced. There are multimedia lessons covering a variety of topics such as English in a Minute and Everyday Grammar, as well as features on health and lifestyle, arts and culture, science and technology and more.