ENGLISH IN LIFE

English learning has evolved as years go by. As students sometimes feel discouraged or stacked about their real learning; this blog has been designed to support them in this "painful" process when they consider they need to practice more and do not know where to find out material to improve English language skill. Following the CLT, the activities recommended are related to improve all language skills as well as Use of English but, the bolg also has games and test to cover all needs your as learner could have.....So let go to practice English language as English language is for life!!!!!

TESTS AND GAMES

Probably you want to have funny time while practicing and developing English language skill or, you want to test your self before applying a real text. If so, just click on next links where you will find funny games to practice English language as well as FIRST, CAE and Proficiency test.
http://www.garfield.com/fungames/scavengerhunt2/scavengerhunt2.html
http://www.plastelina.net/
http://www.mysterynet.com/see/
http://www.english-at-home.com/
http://www.business-english.com/bushangman.html.
http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/fce/students/index.htm
http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/cae/students/index.htm
http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/cpe/students/index.htm

SPEAKING AND PRONUNCIATION

Communicative competence refers to L2 learners’ ability to apply and use grammatical rules as well as forming correct utterances knowing how to use these utterances appropriately. Swain and Canale (1980) have defined communicative competence according to next four components:
Grammatical competence or words and rules usage.
Sociolinguistic competence or appropriateness.
Discourse competence or cohesion and coherence.
Strategic competence that means appropriate use of communication strategies.
As the influence of communicative language teaching has been accepted since the main aim is language education, focused on good classroom practice (Savignon, 1998). As the main aim of this blog is to provide you the opportunity to improve your English skills by yourself, the following websites have been chosen to improve your speaking and pronunciation skills.
http://www.englishforeverbody.blogspot.com/
http://www.cambridgeenglishonline.com/Phonetics_Focus/
http://www.shiporsheep.com/
http://speechinaction.com/
http://writefix.com/ieltsspkg/
http://english-at-home.com/speaking/

LISTENING

Developing listening skill in not easy as teacher cannot be inside of learners hearing system to identify weakness and strengths. This work is focused in applying listening evaluation under taxonomic point of views. Fortunately, enabling and enacting skills offers to teachers the option to make listening more profitable in front of more global enabling and enacting skills (Rost).This listening development must increase knowledge (quantitative), and it also must involve the appropriate group of responses (qualitative) (Rost). To develop listening skill requieres your will as well as a self. studied attitude; therefore I have some websites you can check if you want to improve your listening skill:
http://www.englishforeverbody.blogspot.com/
http://www.elllo.org/
http://www.parapal-online.co.uk/listening.html
http://www.world-english.org/listening_exercises.htm

WRITING

As Byrne (1991) suggests, to integrate skills is very important when teaching a foreign language since each skill contributes to develop the others in different ways but the main benefit when developing writing skill is that although during the process mother tongue can be used; the final result is totally in English. Byrne (1991) and Harmer (2004) let us know some useful strategies but emphasizing they can be followed using cooperative work. I consider that suggestions as “Newsmag, interviews, writing for analysis, imaginary or real planning” (Byrne, 1991) can be complemented by copying, following models as well as using collective imagination, collective brainstorming (Harmer, 2004); always taking into account SS characteristics and context, giving them the opportunity to express their own ideas by writing development and personalizing spelling rules plus using other skills as they need them. The activities suggested by the authors present the opportunity to integrate skills, providing input and defining the task what improves SS motivation giving them the occasion to face meaningful and relevant writing. But as the main pourpose of this blog is to provide activites can be done in self-studied way; my favorite websites to do this are as follow:
http://englishforeverbody.blogspot.com/
http://parapal-online.co.uk/newcloze/letters/index.html
http://parapal-online.co.uk/eap.htm

READING

Reading is one the most important skills not only in foreign languages, but also in learners’ mother tongues as trough it they can increase vocabulary, understanding how sentences are made and spread their mind. As Harmer (1998) and Nuttall (2000) explain us, it is necessary to take into account that purposes for reading are as rich as the sort of need that the reader has.
Some students can consider reading as a passive skill but if it is analyzed carefully (Harmer,1998) (Grellet,1996)(Nuttall,2000) reading skills involved more than only identify specific vocabulary or over look words in a piece of paper and it is necessary to developed some sub skills to be a successful reader; understanding meaning though context, linking ideas as well as linking them whit sentences, skimming and scanning, prediction and even reading speed are some of the most important basic sub skills what readers should know and improve when they face a text (Harmer, 1998).For further English reading practice I reccomend you next websites:
http://www.englishforeverbody.blogspot.com/
http://depts.gallaudet.edu/englishworks/exercises/main/reading.html
http://www.the_english_dept.tripod.com/exos.html
http://www.esl-efl.webpark.pl/reading_comprehension.html

USE OF ENGLISH

Grammar or Use of English is an important part of English language learning, Grammar has to be taught through an inductive approach, as well as pedagogical to increase students’ interest to approach to the target language. There are many strategies to be developed at class, and teacher guidance to make students learn grammar effectively and meaningful tively and meaningful.In fact it is considered to be that in order to develop students’ ability to communicate; the grammar has needed to be under task-based teaching learning. The following web-sites provide you practice enough if what you want is to improve your Use of English as well as undertanding in an easy way how English Grammar works.
http://www.englishforeverbody.blogspot.com/
http://www.mansioningles.com/gramatica.htm
http://www.nonstopenglish.com/lang/es/allexercises/grammar/
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises_list/alle_grammar.htm
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar