Leslie's Favorite Listening and Idiom Web Sites

Fatima’s Computer/Internet Class
By Leslie Weaver for the Advanced Class Fall Term 06 #11 – Dec 8, 2006

I. Leslie's Favorite Listening Sites (for Intermediate/Advanced students)
These are the best listening sites that I have found on the web. They are not in any particular order. I listed the URL (address) of the homepage, so you can see the variety offered. (I only included listening sites that use American English.)

1. Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab
Address: http://www.esl-lab.com/
Some people find the “Randall’s Basic Self Study Guide” much easier to use.
Address: http://www.esl-lab.com/guide.htm
Many short dialogs in life skill topics, at all levels, with a few comprehension & vocabulary questions each. Also vocabulary lists, and some academic topics.

2. Adult Learning Activities from California Distance Learning Project
Address: http://www.cdlponline.org/
Many long stories, advanced level, from lots of different topics with 5 or 6 activities after each one. You listen as you read these news-type stories.

3. 5 Minute English - Listening Lessons
Address: http://www.5minuteenglish.com/listening.htm
Similar to ESL-Lab, but not as much variety. Intermediate level, variety of topics.

4. English Listening Lounge
Address: http://www.englishlistening.com/
This site divides its guest material into 3 levels (New, Regular, Advanced). It has only monologues, each with just a few follow-up activities. Of you like this site, you can pay to have access to more material ($20 per month!)

5. Takako's Great Adventure
Address: http://international.ouc.bc.ca/takako/index.html
Ten episodes in a very exciting, continuing story. Each episode of 5 – 15 minutes has vocabulary and comprehension questions, as well as inference and deduction questions. You can see the narrative as you hear it, and some words are defined by using the mouse.

6. NetGrammar
Address: http://netgrammar.altec.org/Units/menu.html
Almost like a textbook on the web with 15 Units, each with listening as well as grammar, reading, and writing. The listening parts are short and have multiple choice questions.

7. English, Baby!
Address: http://www.englishbaby.com
Short individual conversations, rated and with short intros, on real topics, that you can read as you listen. They have comprehension and discussion questions, but you must sign up, for free they say, to get the vocabulary quizzes.

8. Free ESL Stories and Exercises
Address: http://www.rong-chang.com/qa2/index.html
100 Stories that you read as you listen, with comprehension questions and dictation to follow. They seem like news stories.

9. English Listening Language Lab Online (elllo)
Address: http://www.elllo.org
A huge collection of conversations, monologues, listening games, etc. in a variety of accents, which is added to regularly.


II Using the Internet to Learn and Practice Idioms

1. The Idiom Connection
Address: http://www.idiomconnection.com
A list of idioms, phrasal verbs & proverbs, with explanations; no exercises.

2. ESL Idiom Page from ESL Café
Address: http://www.eslcafe.com/idioms
Again, lists, definitions & examples, but no exercises.

3. Business English Lessons on Idioms and Phrasal Verbs
Address: http://www.business-english.com/index.html
Many examples and exercises of idioms and phrasal verbs. Some British vocabulary.

4. Self Study Idiom Quizzes from a4esl.org
Address: http://a4esl.org/q/h/idioms.html
A long list of idiom quizzes, phrasal verb quizzes and slang quizzes.

5. Cleaning Idioms Quiz – by John Graney http://admn.santafe.cc.fl.us/~jgraney/reading/cleaningidioms.html

6. Longman Language Update – Idiom Adventure
http://www.longman.com/adult/students/activity-archive/lang-update.html
Please read the directions carefully so you don’t get them all wrong!

7. About ESL – Action Idioms Quiz
Address: http://esl.about.com/library/quiz/bl_actionidioms1.htm
Scroll down and click on the other links about Idioms, Confusing words, Phrases.