LingualNet: films and animations with English subtitles and tests
August 11, 2007 | English with video | 2 Comments
Look how cool: Lingual.net is a collection of short films and animations in English with additional resources for learners: subtitles and interactive tests. The films aren’t produced with English learners in mind, so what you’ll hear is mostly native English spoken at regular speed. But what teachers Keiko and Michael Rost want is to help you learn so there’s even a video to guide you through the process (see their suggestions).
In short:
After you pick a movie, click Subtitles OFF before you watch it for the first time;
Watch the movie a second time, but click Subtitles ON to be able to read a transcript in English;
Close the film window and click Take the Quiz to test your comprehension (a few movies don’t have a quiz.)
See, for example, the pilot episode of the Superman cartoon series and a Budweiser commercial.
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Simple English News, in text and audio
August 1, 2007 | Intermediate mp3 / audio | Leave a Comment
Created by journalist and English teacher Sam Margolis, Simple English News is exactly what the name says: a website with news in simple English. You’ll find sports, business, technology and other areas commonly found in newspapers, each one with a short text and the audio. Recommended for high-beginners and pre-intermediate, Simple English News is ideal for students who would like to have a quick daily practice. And if you’d like to keep up to date, Simple English News also offers an RSS feed.
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Children stories by Beatrix Potter and other authors, with English text and audio
July 30, 2007 | English for kids, Intermediate mp3 / audio, Intermediate reading | Leave a Comment
Nine children stories in English by writer / illustrator Beatrix Potter are available for reading at Kid’s Corner. Click on the images at the homepage to see the text for Peter Rabbit, Two Bad Mice, Timmy Tiptoes and more, all with the original artwork.
Further down the page you’ll find another two stories with audio: Squirrel Nutkin and Two Bad Mice.
And at the bottom of the page, Lewis Carroll (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland), brothers Grimm (The Frog Prince), Charles Dickens (A Christmas Carol) and other stories (text + audio.)
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CNN transcripts: read while you listen to the news in English
July 24, 2007 | Advanced mp3 / audio, Advanced reading | Leave a Comment
A very nice resource for upper intermediate English students who have the habit of watching CNN to practice their English but still get lost, or would like to go beyond simply “getting the general meaning”: CNN offers a number of transcripts for several shows, including Larry King Live, CNN Presents, Business Traveller and many more. The transcriptions aren’t in PDF format, but are easily printable. Everything is organized by date and easy to find - it’s worth recording a few shows to watch later with the text in hands. Está tudo organizado por data, bem fácil de achar - vale a pena gravar alguns programas para ver depois com o texto.
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Tons of flashcards, basic English worksheets and vocabulary at MES-English
July 23, 2007 | Basic vocabulary, English for kids, English teachers | Leave a Comment
Teacher Mark Cox is responsible for MES-English, a must-see site for teachers who work with children or even with adults. In the flashcards area, there’s a huge list (over 90 sets) that covers not only basic vocabulary but also grammar topics like adjectives, question words, prepositions and pronouns.
After you pick a flashcard set, you may download worksheets with specific exercises for that flashcard set. That’s right: ready-to-use worksheets are available for every topic! (see menu on the right)
In Talking Worksheets, you’ll find activities for speaking practice with like, can and adjectives. Introduction Worksheets offers more grammar: this/that, he/she, be doing and past are a few examples. If you’re looking for coloring activities for 
kids, Coloring Worksheets is the place to go. Check Phonics for materials with the English alphabet for classroom use.
And there’s more: in Projects, Mark offers five ideas of longer projects for your English students. A step-by-step description and downloadable materials are available for each one, including samples of what his own students have made in the past.
Games offers over ten ideas to stimulate English usage, again with detailed descriptions and ready-to-use materials.
From what I’ve seen, MES-English is a busy place - looks like it’s frequently updated so it’s really worth visiting often. One piece of advice: because of their high quality, some files will take a while to download. Start with the small ones!
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Download English grammar and irregular verbs reference to your computer
July 7, 2007 | Advanced grammar, Basic grammar, Intermediate grammar | Leave a Comment
Using English offers two free software programs to make the lives of English students easier. The first one is English Language Glossary Browser, with a comprehensive list of grammar terms. The glossary will be useful for learners of all levels since it explains how to use each language function from basic to advanced, and even presents cross-reference entries for further learning.
After you download the software you’ll need to unzip it. In the unzipped folder, click GLOSSARY to install.
The other program is Irregular Verb List Viewer which shows the past and participle forms for a ton of English verbs, as well as the verb definitions.
This one also needs to be unzipped after downloading. To install, open the unzipped folder and click on SETUP (Setup Launcher.)
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Translation
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