Resources for ESL Students

Words of Wisdom

There are books so alive that you're always afraid that while you weren't reading, the book has gone and changed, has shifted like a river; while you went on living, it went on living too, and like a river moved on and moved away.

— Marina Ivanova Tsvetaeva

On-Campus Resources

In addition to the University Writing Center, there are a number of other on-campus resources that provide academic help that may be of interest to students for whom English is a second (or secondary) language.

Center for Teaching Excellence (English Language Proficiency)
- Oral communication assistance for current and future international graduate teaching assistants
- https://cte.tamu.edu/Graduate-Student-Support/English-Language-Proficiency
POWER Writing
- Academic writing support for graduate students and faculty, with the goal of more productivity and publishing
- http://power.tamu.edu/
3 Minute Thesis Competition
- An international research communication competition for graduate students
- http://ogaps.tamu.edu/Buttons/Professional-Development-Opportunities/3-Minute-Thesis-Competition.aspx
The International Student Association
- An on-campus group that represents the interests of international students at TAMU
- https://isa-aggies.tamu.edu/
Texas A&M University Libraries
- Variety of academic support services such as one-on-one research consultations and EndNote training
- https://library.tamu.edu/

Online Self-Study Resources

Aside from on-campus services, many online resources offer English language support and training. The following resources, separated into six categories (writing, speaking, listening, reading, grammar, and vocabulary) may be helpful in your English self-study efforts. Be sure to check out the UWC's resources as well, including both web pages and videos: https://writingcenter.tamu.edu/Students/Writing-Speaking-Guides

Writing

Purdue Online Writing Lab
- General writing tips, advice for ESL writers, and style guides
- https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/purdue_owl.html
Michigan Corpus of Upper-Level Student Papers
- Database of undergraduate and graduate papers that is searchable by discipline and textual features (abstract, literature review, etc.) and provides models of successful writing
- http://elicorpora.info/
Writing for Assignments E-Library (WrAssE)
- A guide to academic writing with examples of successful university-level writing from a variety of disciplines
- https://wrasse.plymouth.ac.uk/
The University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Library: Concept/Mind Mapping
- A library guide to using concept/mind mapping to plan academic writing projects with links to additional online resources
- http://campusguides.lib.utah.edu/c.php?g=160673
ESLflow
- Advice for writing paragraphs and essays
- http://www.eslflow.com/AcademicWritng.html
Writefix
- Preparation for writing tasks on the TOEFL and IELTS exams
- http://writefix.com/

Speaking

Rachel’s English
- YouTube channel for pronunciation advice
- https://www.youtube.com/user/rachelsenglish
Color Vowel Minute
- One-minute videos about pronunciation and spelling
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL40At9EEsnl_zOZqOvkQhpppjHTtFCDwd
Youglish
- Searchable YouTube database of English words being pronounced by different speakers in a variety of contexts
- https://youglish.com/
Pronuncian
- Information about suprasegmental (ex: intonation and stress) aspects of English phonology
- https://pronuncian.com/

Listening

English Listening Lesson Library Online (ELLLO)
- Conversations about language and culture with audio and transcripts
- http://www.elllo.
TED Talks
- Hundreds of short speeches on a variety of topics for listening comprehension practice and models of successful public speaking
- http://www.ted.com/talks
Voice of America News: Learning English
- News and current events, audio with transcript, and short videos teaching English
- https://learningenglish.voanews.com/
National Public Radio “This I Believe” series
- Audio with transcripts by a variety of voices
- https://www.npr.org/series/4538138/this-i-believe

Reading

News in Levels
- News site that offers 3 versions of each article: Level 1 (beginner), Level 2 (Intermediate), and Level 3 (Advanced)
- https://www.newsinlevels.com/#
Using English for Academic Purposes
- Reading advice and exercises for university-level work
- http://www.uefap.com/reading/readfram.htm

Grammar

Grammar Girl’s Quick & Dirty Tips
- Practical grammar tips and interesting explanations of frequently misused English words
- https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl
Guide to Grammar and Writing
- Grammar explanations, sentence/paragraph/essay writing tips, and interactive quizzes
- http://guidetogrammar.org/grammar/index.htm

Vocabulary

Academic Phrasebank
- From the University of Manchester, hundreds of phrases and idioms for everything from introducing academic work to classifying and listing and writing about the past, and a lot in between.
- https://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/introducing-work/
Oxford Advanced American Dictionary for Learners of English
- Meaning, usage, frequency, grammar, common errors, and pronunciation of new words (free and paid versions)
- http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/american_english
Word and Phrase Info
- See frequency, meaning, part of speech, and usage of words
- http://www.wordandphrase.info/frequencyList.asp
Using English for Academic Purposes
- Lists of academic vocabulary and subject-specific vocabulary, plus exercises
- http://www.uefap.com/vocab/vocfram.htm
The Free Dictionary by Farlex (Idioms and Phrases Dictionary)
- Searchable database of English idioms with meanings, examples, and videos
- http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/

Editing

English BCS
- EnglishBCS is an team of former English Language Institute TAMU teachers who can edit as well as tutor you on improving your writing skills in English. They have worked with students from all over the world and are familiar with language patterns and error analysis. They edit all types of manuscripts in the Bryan/ College Station area and offer a 30 minute consultation with each editing assignment to review comments and corrections. Their goal is to build fluency for second language writers. They charge $16 per page for editing.
- https://englishbcs.business.site/