Blackmask Online Online books you can download for free in various formats. Categories include Australia, Biography, Fiction, History, Mystery (Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie) and loads more.
Wordwizard This website is intended mainly for discussing English word origins, phrases or idioms. There are also many links to word-related resources. You can also download WordWeb, a free utility which allows you to look up the meaning of words from within another program.
Using English for Academic Purposes - A Guide for International Students Andy Gillet of the University of Hertfordshire has produced an essential resource for anyone who following academic courses in English. All the key skill areas are covered including vocabulary, reading, writing and speaking. The site has a wide range of activities as well as lots of clear explanations.
Language Tools This page full of language tools, developed by Google, will be most helpful to persons looking to translate short passages of text or entire Web pages. First, the page provides an engine that allows users to search for pages composed in over thirty languages. The most helpful feature, though, is a translator that lets users translate text passages and Web pages from English into five different languages, and several different European languages back into English.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary: Home Page Apart from the online dictionary, the resources on this site include a News Reader featuring articles on people and events that have recently been in the news, crosswords and vocabulary exercises.
OM Personal A great site from Argentina with plenty of listening and reading material as well as over 200 grammar exercises. Although the main focus is on Spanish-speaking learners of English, the material here can be used by anybody.
VOA Special English Special English uses a vocabulary of 1500 words, spoken in short, simple sentences with no idioms, at about two-thirds the speed of standard English. The broadcasts include ten-minute news segments, alternating with features about various topics including: science, development, agriculture, environment, news events, American idioms or culture, history, medicine, space, important people, and short stories.
You can listen to the latest programme or search the archives. And last but not least, scripts are available for nearly all programmes going back 2 years! A fantastic listening resource.
