ESL and International Students: Reading

Alexander Street Video - Series
Learning a language is hard. So we're here to help by making it fun! Watch our videos to practice grammar, listening, speaking, pronunciation and vocabulary. We like to learn by playing games and having fun, so watch what we do and then try it yourselves!

Alexander Street Video - 59:00
Lesson 1 - Subject Entries:
- The names and the sounds of the 26 letters of the English alphabet (the short and the long sound)
- The Subject Pronouns (or Personal Pronouns)
- Introduction to the parts of speech
- The 26 letters of the alphabet acting as consonants and vowels
Lesson 2 - Subject Entries:
- The vowels and the three vowel rules - The A sound, when M or N follows A - Y and W behaving as vowels - Syllables - R controlled vowels - The vowel U not acting as a vowel in QU
- Present simple of the auxiliary verb to be
- English as a subject-verb-object language (SOV)
- Present simple negatives for questions and answers, using the verb to be

Alexander Street Video - 1:11:00
Lesson 1 - Subject Entries:
- Contractions (or the short forms of the verbs)
- Blends and Diagraphs
- Discrepancies between speech and writing
- The Object Pronouns
Lesson 2 - Subject Entries:
- The soft sound of C and G
- Diphthongs (or Vowel Teams)
- Y and W acting as vowels, and Y and W acting as consonants
- Sight words
- Words and expressions commonly misused
- Stress (or Accent) rules

(The Britannica Dictionary) Our editors have identified 3,000 English words that are most important to know. Study this list to improve your vocabulary.

(BBC) A website with many up-to-date articles and videos on a variety of topics

(Sean Banville) 2, 516 free English lessons in 7 levels

(CNN) Find written transcripts for CNN video stories.

(ManyThings.org) Find more than 280 common American slang expressions.

(British Council - Learning English) Here you can find activities to practise your reading skills. Reading will help you to improve your understanding of the language and build your vocabulary.

(ManyThings.org) Listen and read along with VOA articles for ESL students.