English Links
Train Times UK |
Express Coaches |
London Transport |
Sussex Links | search The Guardian Newspaper | World Clock |
Live Rail Departure Boards: London Road Brighton | Brighton Station | Three Bridges | Gatwick Airport | London Victoria
Bus Times for routes in Brighton & Hove: Index | 1 | 2 | 5 and 5A | 5B | 6 | 7 | 25| 27 | 49 | 26 46 and 46A | 50 and 50A
-------BBC TV Weekly Schedules:---------1 ---------
2---------
3---------
4---------
News---------
Parliament
----------------Films on ITV & BBC TV:-----------This week--------------Now & soon--------On iplayer
----------------BBC Radio Weekly Schedules:----- 4---------
7---------
World Service------Sussex
----------------Watch British TV: BBC iPlayer | All | Current---------Smart TV links to content in: English / French / Spanish
- Online stores with search engines-------------------------------------------------------------BBC 4 TV Schedule
- Search for an English language school or English language coaching in the UK
- Long Distance Travel
- UK Rail, Express Coaches and Buses
- Specification of language syllabuses and levels
- Examination Boards & Bodies for Learners and Teachers of English
- Internationally Recognised (Cambridge) Examinations for English Language Teachers and LT Managers
- ELT and Applied Linguistics magazines
- Higher Education and Career Development in the UK
- English Encylopedia, Dictionary, Thesaurus and Vocabulary Acquisition
- Resources for Translators (especially French-English & Anglais-Français)Postgraduate Training (MA or Diploma) in Translation
- Writing - paragraph and essay construction for students planning to go to UK universities
- Speaking - Common pronunciation problems, phonology and phonetics
- Newspapers, Radio and Television
- ELT Authoring Software
- Royal Mail: postage rates and tracking---------------------------Listen again to BBC Radio 4
Brighton and Hove Community Radio | www.youtube.com | Brighton Gumtree | What's on at The Duke of York's
Keeping bees: BBKA | Sussex BKA | Lewes | Hassocks | Eastbourne | Central Sussex | Forum | Magazine
Bee-bay: National bee hive | beekeeping | beekeeping equipment | honey extractor | beekeeping hives
Thorne beekeeping kits: ebay | Thorne Catalogue | Thorne.co.uk----Honey: www.pyreneeshoney.com from Brighton
SEARCH ENGINE: use the input box below to search The Internet TESL Journal, which includes self-correcting exercises.
You can enter search strings such as "phrasal verbs" (exercises by different authors) or "Ted Power" (links to my own!).
01 Online stores with search engines
Amazon Stores: Amazon.co.uk [UK] | Amazon.com [USA] | Amazon.fr [France] | Amazon.de [Germany]
Used Books: Abebooks.co.uk | Abebooks.com | Adall.com | Hay-on-Wye | Fetchbook | ibuk.com | justbooks.co.uk
Ebay Books: Home | English Language &/or Grammar | ELT | TEFL | Language Study | Book info: ISBN / ISSN = Title?
CDs LPs Vinyl: Gemm | Alt Vinyl | Musicstack | Cheap Or What CDs | MusicOnTheWeb
02 Search for an English language school or English language coaching in the UK
Course search: English UK or try my old school The English Language Centre in Brighton & Hove.
[ Over 10 years since I left - mention me and I'll continue to get invited to the Christmas party! ]
www.findcourses.co.uk - allows you to search more than 500 course providers ready to give free information on the hundreds of different training courses (e.g. Coaching, Leadership, Health / Work environment, Pro IT courses, Financial Management, Law / Legal, Executive MBA, Project Management, Sales, Instructor courses & Teacher Training.
Language coach: Corballis Communication can offer online coaching or face-to-face (1:1 or small group) coaching based in London. Tony Corballis is widely experienced in teaching English in many overseas locations and at tailoring English language coaching to specific requirements. Other services offered by his company are Copy writing, editing and proofreading.
Tourist information: Visit Britain | S.E. Tourist Board | National Trust Events Diary
Up Your Street – statistics and comparisons for your area: find out everything you could want to know about an area.
03 Long Distance Travel
The Man in Seat Sixty-One - How to travel by train & ship. Maybe you don't like flying, or are concerned about air travel's contribution to global warming. Or perhaps you just prefer real travel by train or ship, where the journey is part of the adventure... Either way, The Man in Seat Sixty-One will tell you how to travel overland comfortably & affordably where you might think that air was now the only option. (a) within the UK & Ireland. Train times & fares for train travel in the UK: UK page How to travel from the UK to Ireland by train+ferry: Ireland page. (b) from the UK to Europe. How to travel by train from London to almost any country in Europe: Europe page. (c) in Asia, Africa, America, Australasia.
Airports: London Heathrow | London Gatwick | London Stanstead | London Luton | East Midlands | Scottish
Airlines: | Easyjet | Ryanair | BA Dep + Arr | Monarch | Flybe | British Midland | Opodo [access to 500+ airlines]
'Make a pledge not to fly' at www.lowflyzone.org
04 UK Rail, Express Coaches and Buses
Train journey planning: UK Rail Planner | The Train Line [bookings] | Mobitix: London (Euston) to Manchester | Eurostar
UK coach travel: National Express Coaches | Multimap (UK)
Buses in UK Cities: UK Public Transport | Transport in London | Brighton & Hove buses
05 Specification of language syllabuses and levels
The Common European Framework of Reference uses six levels (A1 to C2) to describe language ability.
Introduction---------264-page PDF complete document---------Levels
Waystage 1990: Council of Europe---------Threshold Level 1990: Modern Languages
Where can I find clues to syllabus content?
See 3.6 Content coherence in Common Reference Levels (pages 33-36) of 264-page PDF complete document or read some of the Cambridge ESOL examination handbooks (downloadable from their resources for teachers section).
Why will I only find clues?
It has become fashionable to specify language syllabuses in terms of communicative language competences, a vague phrase which invites pages of tedious explanation, often of little practical use to teachers and learners. Cambridge ESOL Exams sensibly refer to these competences as 'Can Do' statements.
Why does the current Common European Framework of Reference avoid specifying topics, settings and vocabulary areas?
It is argued that a common framework scale should be context-free in order to accommodate generalisable results from different specific contexts.
In what ways were previous Council of Europe syllabus specifications better than today's Common European Framework of Reference?
Earlier Council of Europe specifications such as Waystage 1990 (at pre-intermediate level) and Threshold (at Intermediate level) attempted to link the Notional/Functional approach to structural syllabus design. They were shorter, more manageable documents. They also gave greater practical help to teachers and learners by providing detailed lists of microfunctions, grammatical forms, and vocabulary. No teacher or learner operates in a context-free environment, and those following general English courses or examination syllabuses such as Cambridge ESOL's FCE should expect topics such as Meeting and Greeting, Home Life, Education and Work, Free Time, Leisure and Entertainment, The Media, Holidays and Travel.
Why should learners be careful when language schools describe their approach as 'communicative'?
Pinning down the perfect communicative syllabus requires a model as complex as John Munby's Communicative Syllabus Design. The model is so detailed that few language schools would have sufficient resources, time or skills (among their teaching staff) to deliver it. This kind of approach, too frequently hyped as Communicative Language Teaching when only general English is really on offer, comes into its own in the field of English for Specific Purposes in one-to-one classes or small groups when teachers are already very familiar with the particular variety of English required and the context in which it is used. This usually needs an overseas posting of at least two years on-site within specific settings e.g. a telecommunications company or an advertising agency.
If given the choice between the King's new invisible clothes and a suit which you can touch, take the suit!
If you really require general English you should look for teachers with a good knowledge of the structural syllabus (covering several different levels of proficiency) and the ability to represent syntax by picking out useful language functions. An experienced teacher also ought to be able to anticipate the most useful (survival) topics and to have rehearsed the vocabulary syllabus. A teacher who advertises their approach as 'communicative', 'authentic', 'task-based', 'learner-centred' or 'tailored to your needs' may not be able to meet any of the real requirements. Buzz-words and marketing terms will rarely lead you to a good teacher. It is better to look for one who has an interest in language as syntax and semantics.
06 Examination Boards & Bodies for Learners and Teachers of English
Using the levels of the Common European Framework of Reference,
KET is A2 (BASIC); PET is B1 (INDEPENDENT); FCE is B2 (INDEPENDENT); CAE is C1 (PROFICIENT); and CPE is C2 (PROFICIENT).
Learners' exams: Cambridge ESOL Exams---------KET | PET | FCE | CAE | CPE | skills for life
Exam handbooks: Cambridge ESOL Exams--------KET | PET | FCE | CAE | CPE | skills for life
Teacher resources: Cambridge ESOL Exams-------KET | PET | FCE | CAE | CPE | skills for life
Teacher Training Examinations:----------------------CELTA | DELTA | Trinity College
International bodies: The British Council | IATEFL
English language examinations: UK Examination Boards
07 Internationally Recognised (Cambridge) Examinations for English Language Teachers and LT Managers
ELT to Adults: CELTA [Certificate] | DELTA [Diploma] | Language Teaching Management: IDLTM [International Diploma]
08 ELT and Applied Linguistics magazines
EL Gazette | Free ESL Resources downloads | ELT Journal | Applied Linguistics | Journal of Semantics
09 Higher Education and Career Development in the UK
Hobsons Postgraduate Courses | www.postgrad.com | LearnDirect.co.uk. | Hot Courses
Open University: Distance Learning Open University | OU Business School
Careers Advice Service Home | Help with Funding | The Educational Grants Advisory Service (EGAS) | Research Councils UK
Search for funding by UK organisation you wish to attend or subject you wish to study: www.studentmoney.org
10 English Encylopedia, Dictionary, Thesaurus and Vocabulary Acquisition
Wikipedia encylopedia | Wordsmyth Dictionary/Thesaurus
British National Corpus | Lexical Analysis Software
Top 1000 English words | Easy Word Java Hangman | Anagram Server
Wiktionary | Cambridge Dictionary Online | Webster's Online Dictionary
yourdictionary.com | A comprehensive directory of bilingual & multilingual dictionaries | yyy
Slang & Colloqialisms | From British slang to American English | From Internet and mobile slang to English
BBC websites: Voices: English accents | International English | Poetry: Poetry Archive
Bartleby provides free online access to books.
11 Resources for Translators (especially French-English & Anglais-Français)
---------Useful links for Translators
Word Reference French-English dictionary | English-French dictionary | Linguistics and phonetics : Glossaire typographique et linguistique
Français-Français: définitions, synonymes, conjugaisons: Dictionnaire de la langue française | 16th-19th centuries: Dictionnaires d'autrefois
Synonyms, Antonyms and Frequency : Dictionnaire des synonymes | Dictionnaire des synonymes (410,000 synonymes)
Verb Conjugator: French-English (ARTFL Project)
Acronyms Acronymes de l'école | First names: Le guide de prénoms | Crosswords: Dictionnaire de mots croisés
Jargon, slang, insults and special registers: Le jargon français | Petit répertoire pour les mal-parlants
French cultural terms: http://franceterme.culture.fr/FranceTerme | la Délégation générale à la langue française
Computing: English-French Word List of Common Computing Terms | Glossaire informatique | Dictionnaire de l'informatique et d'internet
Finance: Dictionnaire Anglais-Français des Termes de la Microfinance (PDF file) | Lexique de l’assurance insurance
Food and drink: Lexique de la bière | French-English Wine Glossary
Medicine: Glossary of medical terms: French | Lexique français-latin des remèdes homéopathiques
Maths and Science: Lexique de mathématique | Glossaire de biochimie | Glossaire genetique moleculaire
Dictionnaire chromatique | Dictionnaire Français d'Hydrologie | Thesaurus D'Astronomie (Français) | An English-French Aeronautical Glossary
Recreation, Sport and Culture : Dictionnaire des termes d'escrime | Glossaire Héraldique | Lexique le golfeur
Lexique des sports olympiques d'été | Lexique des sports olympiques d'hiver
Spanish dictionary | Spanish Dictionary - (Real Academia Espanola) | Translation corpus based on parallel Portuguese and English texts
Free Translation | Systran to translate a block of text | Translators' Café | www.nakedtranslations.com
Postgraduate Training (MA or Diploma) in Translation--Useful links for Translators | Funding: www.studentmoney.org
Institute of Linguistics: Diploma in Translation
University of Portsmouth: MA in Translation Studies (Distance Learning) strong on commerce and professional applications
University of West of England: MA in Translation (Distance Learning via the Blackboard UWE online computer conferencing system)
London Met University: MA in Applied Translation Studies (Full; Part-time = 2 days or 2 evenings per week)
University of Westminster: : MA Bilingual Translation (Full; part-time = day) strong on language technology
Imperial College / University College London: MA in Translation Theory & Practice (Full; part-time = day)
Swansea University: Translation | MA Translation with Language Technology | MA in Literary Translation | Useful links for Translators
Newcastle University: MA in Professional Translating for European Languages strong on medical applications, language technology and research.
12 Writing - paragraph and essay construction for students planning to go to UK universities
Lower levels: BBC Skillwise: writing | Higher levels, including students at university: The Royal Literary Fund
English for Academic Purposes (UK Univ of Hertforshire) | The Centre for English Language Teacher Education (UK Univ of Warwick)
Writing Lab - The OWL (univ of Perdue) The Virtual Language Centre | Writing at the Univ of Toronto
13 Speaking - common pronunciation problems, Phonology and Phonetics and Intonation
Online English Pronouncing Dictionary
English vowel sounds: | RP 1 | English RP 2 | Northern | The vowel machine
English consonant sounds: RP 1 | RP 2 | Transcriber - phonemic transcription
Phonetics: V Grid - vowel quadrilateral | IPA Consonant Sounds | Phonetics Tutorials
Phonology materials from: John Maidment | Univ College London | Virtual Language Centre
Intonation: Intonation practice drills | Plato - 'Place the tonic' | Toni - 7 tunes (days of week) | Toni - 7 tunes (sentences)
Unicode & Fonts: IPA in Unicode | Free IPA FONTS | Unicode Home Page
14 Newspapers, Radio and Television
Brighton UK: The Argus | News Archive | Letters Page | London: Time Out [London]
UK News: The Guardian | Guardian Crosswords | The Times | Electronic Telegraph | British Library: newspapers 1800-1900
UK Economy: The Financial Times | The Economist | UK Government Information
BBC Television---------1 --------- 2--------- 3--------- 4--------- News--------- Parliament
BBC Children's TV--------- CBBC--------- CBEEBIES
ITV Television: ITV 1,2,3,4 | Radio Times
BBC Radio---------4--------- 7--------- World Service
UK Radio: BBC Radio Listen Again | BBC World Service | BBC Radio Home
UK Education: English Language Gazette | Times Educational Supplement | Higher Education Supplement
15 ELT Authoring Software
For making tests (gap-fill, multiple choice etc) &/or crosswords which correct themselves: Hotpot
See Isabel Perez's English Language web site for good examples of how to author with the above, and a lot more.
Language Lab - Schoolshape Language Lab is a free service to help language teachers improve their students' listening and speaking skills. Teachers set multimedia activities for students to complete on-line. Choose resources from the community library or create your own using sound, video, pictures, quizzes, essay questions and more. Used by over 300 schools in the UK and US.
International call charges for phone calls made over the Internet
BT Talk Broadband | BT Communicator | Skype
16 Royal Mail: postage rates and tracking
Prices for post within UK | International prices for Airmail and Surface Mail | Royal Mail - track and trace
Address Finder - enter "postcode" and get "road, street, etc".
RSS webfeeds 1.
-- Easy Access to the key parts of English language learning and teaching
2.
-- Published resources for English language learning and teaching (Ted Power's recommendations):
This feed is intended for learners/teachers/Directors of Studies wishing to review or select books/CDs/CD-ROMs on English language learning and teaching including areas such as teacher training, pronunciation, listening to spoken English, oral fluency, grammar, vocabulary, reading and writing (including handwriting & basic literacy).