The internet has become an important resource in English as a Second Language, both for our client population in Houghton-Hancock and for our tutors. Rather than searching at random under ESL (over a million hits using Google and Netscape), I recommend going to the following site and navigating from there through the links provided:
www.rong-chang.com/book/ By ESL professional Rong-Chang Li, the author of the book Finding ESL Treasures on the Internet. Much of the information included in the very comprehensive book (which I own) is included in this web site in the form of links, including links where learners can ask grammar questions. Includes the slang word of the day and proverb of the day.
A number if our tutees are interested in taking TOEFL, the Test of English as a Foreign Language required by most institutions of higher education in this country. Their web site, www.toefl.org, is a treasure trove of information and downloadable materials.
www.cup.cam.ac.uk/elt/dictionary/ The Cambridge International Dictionary. The dictionary gives useful guidance with prepositions and co-occurrences (e.g., to insist on plus the-ing form of the verb), as well as other examples that help learners remember the word as it is used I would recommend it as the default online dictionary for our learners. (The Oxford ESL Dictionary is out of print, and neither it nor the Longman dictionary are available for use through the Internet. This site appears very useful otherwise, with many interesting links. Includes games that can be played with idioms. The Cambridge University Press is very active in teaching and testing English as a foreign language, especially in China.
The Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary can be accessed on line at
www.m-w.com/dictionary. A mouse click, and you can hear the word pronounced.
Since mid-2000, Atomica, formerly GuruNet, has been an important resource. Click on www.atomica.com. to access and install. Designed for companies in the private sector, Atomica has a free version for personal use. You must be on line to use it, but if you are reading something on line, you can leave the cursor over a word you want explained and ALT-click. If you have broadband, you can click on any word displayed on your screen. If you are off line, you can go on line and click. Atomica will bring up a definition or a short encyclopedic entry. With words as opposed to proper names, it will even bring up equivalents in Spanish, Russian, and both simplified and traditional Chinese. When I tested it, it even brought up equivalents to such an obscure word as ululate.
www.dictionary.msn.com. Encarta world English dictionary. By Microsoft. Useful but targeted at the schools. Flags obscenities and ethnic slurs and either refuses to bring them up or marks them as taboo.
www.englishclub.net/grammar/ Very extensive site with many links. Contains a student zone and a teacher zone. The student zone has many excellent grammar explanations. The teacher zone includes handouts and lessons that teachers can download and use. British.
www.focusenglish.com. By a veteran American ESL teacher. For learners rather than teachers. Learners from across the world, especially the Pacific Rim, submit questions to be answered. Includes audio input. Has a link to the Cambridge International Dictionary.
