English webpages to keep learning outside the classroom

Howdy!

Here I am again with yet another my interesting posts ! (hehe). This time I want you to learn some webpages so that you can keep learning English outside the classroom. You can find the links to these wepabages on the right-hand side of the blog. Here you have them. :

1. Pages to improve your listening skills: 

a) If you are an upper beginner, maybe http://www.listenaminute.com/ is your best choice. There you can find short listenings on familiar topics with easy exercises. In addition, the tapescript is provided so that you can check your answers. You can even download the listenings and listen to them on your way to work.

b) www.esl-lab.com is a a great webpage that offers different listenings ordered in three levels: easy, medium and difficult. Then, you can do multiple choise and fill-in-the-gaps exercises. You can also check the script if you need further help.

c) If you want to listen and watch at the same time, www.eslvideo.com is your best shot. You will have multiple choice exercises based on listening comprehension, but at the same time, you'll be allowed to watch funny, entertaining videos (and songs). It's perfect ! 

2. Online dictionaries:

a) www.wordreference.com is a good online dictionary where you'll be able to consult the meaning of some English words (and French, Italian and many other languages). Furthermore, you can use this webpage as a monolingual English dictionary and you can ask all your doubts in the forum section.

b) www.linguee.es is also an outstanding dictionary. What makes it unique is that you can not only look for the meaning of words, but also whole expressions. This webpage will show you the expressions in REAL contexts using different real texts. A good alternative to Google translator, don't you think ?

c) http://www.thesaurus.com/ is a dictionary for synonyms and antonyms, which is key to enhance your vocabulary. Besides, you can use it as a translator ! 

3. Grammar webpages: There are hundreds -or even thousands- of grammar-based webpages. The one I recommend you is www.ego4u.com, a webpage that displays a great deal of grammar exercises, with good explanations. It has also other sections of vocabulary and tests worth visiting.

4. Learning English through songs: As I mentioned in my post about the use of songs in the classroom, all of us enjoy English and American songs. They are a great way to keep practising our English in a motivating way. To do that, you have http://es.lyricstraining.com/. This interactive webpage will allow you to listen to a song and complete its missing words. There are different levels: beginner, medium and advanced, and you can listen to the songs as many times as you like before completing it. Why don't you have a go at it ?

5. Improve your pronunciation: Maybe you have sometimes wondered how a word is pronounced in English. If you find it difficult to understand the phonetics symbols in your dictionaries, all you can do is to type http://www.oddcast.com/home/demos/tts/tts_example.php and listen to a native speaker pronounce it. That will definitely clear out all your dobuts. Moreover, you can hear the word in British, Scottish or American English among others, so you'll be able to understand the different accents of English.

6. Some miscellaneous engaging exercises designed by an English teacher herself, that is what you can find in http://www.isabelperez.com/. Her exercises are varied ranging from webquests, songs and projects to grammar, reading and writing exercises. A compulsory stop in your English route.

7. Webpages to practise the reading skill: Reading is very important. The more you read every day, the better. http://www.thebigproject.co.uk/news/#.Vi-i5rerTIU offers the possibility of reading different English newspapers. www.mansioningles.com  is yet another interesting webpage for this. It also has some very good listening exercises.

8. English blogsites: Well, there are many teachers with educative blogs. For example, you can use my blog to keep learning the quirks of English and improve your reading skill on the way. Here you can also visit my educational blog, that is, the blog I'm using with my students in Calisto y Melibea high school. Anyway, blogs are a good way to keep learning English ! Don't you think so ? 

Here concludes my humble selection of webpages to keep learning English outside the classroom. Every day, more and more webpages for the learning of English spring up. Fear not, for I will be including them in the recommended links (that you can find as the right-hand side of my blog). Are there any other webpages that you use and are worth mentioning ? Please, share them in a comment. I will be pleased to include them in my post.