Top Ten ‘Free’ Learning English Sites

This is a personal selection of English language learning sites that I use and encourage my students to use.   Please feel free to comment or send me links of other sites that you recommend.

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1.  BBC Learning English.com

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Superbe site!  It’s huge!  Everything you need from business english to general english, the news to worldwide recipes, with grammar, vocabulary, podcasts, listenings, video clips, forums, blogs … etc etc.  The site is continuously up-dated with new material added every day.

Slight drawback:  Not so good for the ‘absolute beginner’.   Site aimed at pre-intermediate and plus.

2. Breakingnewsenglish.com

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Created by Sean Banville, this site really deserves recognition and credit.  An enormous archive resource containing texts, listenings and vocabulary consolidation exercises on a large variety of current affairs subjects.  The format is the same for all texts, and each text is accompanied by an incredible ammount of material which can be used to classroom/group learning or selected for individual learning.

Half-an-hour of english learning per day?  Listen, read, gap fill one of these texts.

3. British Council Learn English.org

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Elementary podcasts included on this site!  In fact, all level podcasts and video clips with interactive exercises and transcipts available.  An essential resource.   Learning is fun!

4.  Real English.com

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I like this site.  It may be a little difficult for elementary students, but by hearing the same question asked to many different ‘real people’ on the street you hear many different answers, voices and accents.  That’s important in learning English.

5.  elllo.org

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Semi-real conversations with transcipts and quizzes to help you learn new vocabulary and expressions.  An excellent choice for those busy  ‘ten-minutes-a-day’ type students.  But keep it in your favourites and do visit it for ‘ten-minutes-a-day’.   At least!

6.  Podcastsinenglish.com

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Another podcasts site strongly based on developing listening skills.  That’s so important, and does also help with developing speaking skills whilst building up vocabulary and strengthening grammatical structures.

7.  The English Blog

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There are many English blogs on the internet, but this is my favourite.  A new blog every day with cartoons, video clips and texts based on current affairs/news topics.   It also contains lots and lots of links to other very good English learning and English language blogging sites.

Perhaps for the more advanced students, but it’s fun.  A good way to learn what is happening in the world whilst also studying English.

8.  perfect-english-grammar.com

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A good site to work on your English grammar.  Clear explanations, exercises and video clips.

9.  e-anglais.com

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Another English grammar based site for French people who like to have English grammar explained in French.

10.  Onestopenglish.com

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This is an excellent site!  To access a lot of the material here you do need to subscribe.  However, I strongly recommend the freely available monthly news articles   (click on link) for reading practice, with comprehension and vocabulary building exercises, which can greatly help to expand your knowledge of the English language.

4 comments on “Top Ten ‘Free’ Learning English Sites

  1. english13 says:

    Apparently (?) I had subscribed to this podcast at some point. Well, anyway, on just receiving a posting I decided to put the link here because it actually looks pretty good. Have a look!

    http://www.listen-to-english.com/?cat=podcasts

  2. Hi There English13,
    This might be off topic, however, When you learn a new language the only way to improve is to practice, practice and practice! However it can often be boring to keep studying from books so I’d like to recommend some interactive learning methods and resources – all using the internet.
    Cheerio

    • english13 says:

      Hi, I’m sure you mean well and good luck in what you do and are selling, but my purpose here is to show what is FREE on the net in terms of learning english. Of course, interaction with a native english speaker/teacher is also highly recommended. That’s my job.

  3. english13 says:

    Just adding another: Exam English.

    http://www.examenglish.com/

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