Online Resources
Explore these websites for tips on English skills.
- Purdue Owl
- Writing Practice
- NGL Cengage Learning (featuring vocabulary and listening, pronunciation and other essentials)
- MyEnglishLab Grammar Tutorial (to accompany Focus on Grammar books 2, 3, and 4)
Practice Tests
- ETS (Practice GRE, TOEFL, and other tests)
- Activities for ESL Students (Quizzes for grammar and vocabulary, and more)
Watch or Listen to the news in English
- National Public Radio (look for "Hourly News")
- CBS Philly: KYW1060 Radio (news radio)
- CNN International Edition (video)
- NBC Philadelphia (video)
Understanding Slang
Americans use a lot of slang. From common greetings (wassup, yo and hey), to farewells (see ya, later, talk at ya and bye), most Americans commonly use slang in both casual and formal conversation. However, slang is not as common when written, and doesn't always belong in academia. Use these sites to help you learn the difference between professional and casual English words.
Online English-English Dictionary and Thesaurus
- Heinle's Newbury House Dictionary of American English
- Merriam-Webster Dictionary & Thesaurus
- Merriam Webster’s Visual Dictionary*
- The Online Slang Dictionary (American and English Slang)
*The Merriam-Webster’s Visual Dictionary shows pictures instead of word definitions.
Online English/Multilingual Dictionary
