Regardless of where you live, learning the English language is a highly useful skill. English is the first language for most of the people in the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. It is used as a secondary language in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and South Africa. English is one of six official languages used by the United Nations and a common language in many global business organizations. In all, at least one billion people have a basic understanding of the English language.
Although English is technically no more complicated than any other language, it does have a few features that present problems for many learners. For example, English allows for up to three consonants before a vowel and four after it as part of its syllable structure. This is a fairly unique characteristic that causes difficulty for speakers of languages in which all words end in vowels.
Finding Free English Courses Online
If you are interested in learning English as a second language, you'll be pleased to discover that finding free English courses online is a relatively simple task. The Internet has made it easier than ever before to master the English language. Websites offering English lessons and tutorials let you work on improving your language skills at a time that is most convenient to you. With online learning, you are free to work as quickly or as slowly as you need to develop a complete understanding of the material.
Free ESL courses are available from the following websites:
- Learn English Online: At this site, you'll find 50 short lessons aimed at beginning ESL students. Some of the topics covered include introductions, colors, numbers, people, places, time, asking for directions, and ordering food in a restaurant. Simple examples and colorful illustrations make learning English fun.
- ESL Go: This great website offers a variety of free English courses for beginning, intermediate, and advanced students. The site also provides lessons that are divided into content areas such as English for traveling and English for business. All lessons explain grammatical concepts in simple language and many provide clever examples that use American pop culture references as an instructional aid.
- Practical American English: This free course features audio clips that help you master basic conversational English. However, it should be noted that the speakers used in the lessons are international voice actors who do not consider English to be their native language.
- Study English Online for Free: This site, created by a college professor specializing in linguistics, aims to provide basic lessons for international visitors who wish to improve their English skills.
- Study.com: This site provides both email and real-time courses for ESL students. Although it is somewhat difficult to navigate, it's well worth the effort if you're in need of direct assistance.
- Dave's ESL Café: Although this site does not provide English courses directly, it does feature a handy list of courses from around the web. Not all are free of charge, however.
Other sites of interest for ESL students include:
- Using English: Take the free tests on this site to help determine your knowledge of the English language. You must complete a short registration process before you begin, but you'll be able to save your scores for future reference.
- ESL Monkey: Teachers and students can use this site to help find ESL resources from across the web.
- ESL Teacher Board: Find a pen pal who will help you practice your English.
- ESL Forum: Chat with other students and post questions for an ESL teacher to answer.
Additional ESL Resources
Although free English courses and ESL websites can be valuable instructional tools, there are many different resources available to those who wish to enhance their English language skills. Most libraries carry ESL books, DVDs, and CDs in their foreign language learning section. Many community colleges also offer free language courses for immigrants who are interested in improving their English. In larger communities, private tutors may even be available for a small fee.
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