Awesome

Awesome English

A curated collection of high-quality resources for learning English, focused on practicing the core skills — listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Includes resources for grammar, vocabulary, and media to enhance your English studies. This list is for:

• ESL Learners at all levels
• Self-study enthusiasts seeking structured practice
• Educators looking for student resources
• Professionals improving English for work, study, or travel

Contents

• Listening
• Speaking
• Watching
• Reading
• Writing
• Grammar
• Vocabulary
• Tools
• Exercises and Tests
• Online Classes
• FAQ or Common Questions
• Contribute

Listening

Podcasts

Podcasts provide an engaging medium to enhance listening skills through diverse topics and formats. Many include transcripts, enabling simultaneous listening and reading, which aids comprehension.

• All Ears English - Learn advanced conversational American English.
• ESL Podcasts - Ideal for those looking to improve English speaking and listening skills.
• Culips Podcast - Focuses on conversational English for everyday use by native speakers.
• Luke's English Podcast - Hosted by a qualified language teacher and stand-up comedian, providing an engaging podcast series.
• A Way with Words - Explores language through history, culture, and family on a public radio program.
• This American Life - A popular podcast featuring journalism, comedy routines, and essays.
• 6 Minute English - Teaches useful English language for everyday situations with the BBC.
• CNN 10 - A 10-minute digital news show explaining global news to a worldwide audience.
• English Learning for Curious Minds - Features episodes on history, politics, and unusual stories, complete with transcripts and vocabulary aids.

Tech Podcasts

Tech podcasts improve English skills and keep you updated on technology. They introduce new vocabulary and industry terms, enhancing comprehension and listening.

• Hard Fork by The New York Times - Each week, journalists Kevin Roose and Casey Newton explore and make sense of the latest in the rapidly changing world of tech.
• Talk Python To Me - Podcast on Python and related technologies.
• The PHP Roundtable - Podcast of web developers discussing PHP, JavaScript, community, and open source.
• Google Cloud Platform Podcast - Weekly discussions covering various topics on Google Cloud Platform, from App Engine to Big Query.

Interview Podcasts

Interviews are great for learning real English conversations and mastering communication skills.

• Lex Fridman Podcast - Conversations about the nature of intelligence, consciousness, love, and power.
• Joe Rogan Experience - Official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan featuring moments from episodes.
• The Tim Ferriss Show - Deconstructing world-class performers to extract actionable tactics, tools, and routines.
• The Knowledge Project - Interviews with world-class doers and thinkers, packed with lessons and insights for better decision-making.

Live Radio Stations

Online radio stations are a great way to improve your English listening skills and get used to the speed and tone of native speakers.

• NPR - National american radio with transcripts.
• Fox News Talk - News New York radio station.
• WNYC - Public radio stations located in New York City.
• BBC London - News and talks radio station from London.
• LBC - London Broadcasting Company - Independent news/talk radio station in London.
• WBAP 820AM - Dallas, Texas - News/talk radio station in Dallas, Texas.
• KRLA 870AM - Los Angeles, California - News/talk radio station in Los Angeles, California.
• KTRH 740AM - Houston, Texas - News/talk radio station in Houston, Texas.
• KJCE 1370AM - Austin, Texas - News/talk radio station in Austin, Texas.
• KRLD 1080AM - Dallas, Texas - News/talk radio station in Dallas, Texas.
• KGO 810AM - San Francisco, California - News/talk radio station in San Francisco, California.
• WOR 710AM - New York, New York - News/talk radio station in New York, New York.
• Bloomberg Radio - Financial markets news radio.
• KOA 850AM - Denver, Colorado - News/talk radio station in Denver, Colorado.
• WBBM 780AM - Chicago, Illinois - News/talk radio station in Chicago, Illinois.
• KMOX 1120AM - St. Louis, Missouri - News/talk radio station in St. Louis, Missouri.

Sites

• Spotlight - Spotlight is a daily 15 minute radio program for learning English.
• ESL Lab - Different levels of conversations.
• EngVid - Free English Video Lessons.

Speaking

The list includes language exchange platforms, apps for pronunciation, forums.

• Tandem - Language exchange app connecting users with native speakers for text, voice, and video chats.
• HelloTalk - App that links you with native speakers for language exchange through text and voice messages. Focuses on building conversational skills.
• Reddit's r/Language_Exchange - Reddit community where users can find language exchange partners to practice speaking with.
• Discord Language Learning Servers - Communities on Discord where you can join voice chats for real-time language speaking practice.
• Elsa Speak - AI-driven app that helps improve pronunciation by offering detailed feedback on speaking.
• TalkEnglish - Site with speaking exercises and conversation topics to improve fluency through practice.
• Rachel's English - YouTube channel focusing on pronunciation and clear speaking in American English.

Watching

YouTube

Watching YouTube helps learn English by providing exposure to authentic language, visual context, diverse content, subtitles, and opportunities for interactive learning.

• Learn English with Ronnie - Funny english videos with Ronnie.
• BBC English Grammar - Short videos by BBC.
• BBC English HowTo - Useful english phrases that you can use immediately.
• Anglo-Link - Useful grammar lessons.
• Daily Dictation - Daily dictation for students who want to improve their listening comprehension skills.
• Learn English with Let's Talk - On this channel different experts will tell you how to expertise in the different consequences in daily life and in which situation what type of phrases you should use.
• Learn English With TV Series - A truly enjoyable and effortless method to enhance listening comprehension and grasp native speakers through TV shows, movies, and talk shows.
• RealLife English - Videos discussing various learning methods and the mindset required to embark on your English learning journey.

Live TV Channels

Watching live TV helps learn English by exposing viewers to real-time conversations, diverse accents, cultural context, and immediate vocabulary application, and you can watch TV in the background for deeper immersion into the language.

• ABC7 Eyewitness News - TV station licensed to Los Angeles, California.
• ABC News - ABC news TV channel.
• Bloomberg - Bloomberg business TV channel in New York.
• CBS News - CBS news is the news division of American TV and radio network CBS.
• KTLA 5 - TV station located in Los Angeles, California, United States.

TV Talk Shows

TV talk shows help learn English by providing exposure to conversational language, diverse accents, and cultural references, while engaging viewers with entertaining discussions that enhance listening skills and vocabulary.

• Jimmy Kimmel Live! - Very popular american late-night talk show with famous people.
• The Wendy Williams Show - American syndicated infotainment talk show hosted by Wendy Williams.
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon - American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon on NBC.
• Late Night with Seth Meyers - American late-night talk show hosted by Seth Meyers on NBC.
• The Late Late Show with James Corden - American late-night talk show hosted by James Corden on CBS.
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert - American late-night talk show by Stephen Colbert on CBS.
• The Daily Show with Trevor Noah - American late-night talk show by Trevor Noah on Comedy Central.

Tech Shows

Tech shows help learn English by offering insights into industry-specific vocabulary, concepts, and trends while featuring expert discussions that enhance comprehension and listening skills in a relevant context.

• Marques Brownlee MKBHD - A channel offering in-depth tech reviews and discussions, presented in clear, understandable English, focusing on consumer electronics and emerging technology trends.
• Linus Tech Tips - A channel that provides tech reviews, build guides, and technology discussions, using straightforward language accessible to a wide audience.
• Unbox Therapy - A channel showcasing unboxing and reviews of the latest gadgets, using conversational and clear English, making it approachable for a wide audience.
• TechLinked - A channel offering bite-sized tech news and updates, presented with humor and clarity, making it easy to follow for learners of English.
• Bloomberg Technology - Bloomberg Technology focuses on the topics of technology, innovation and business.
• BBC Click - BBC Click is the BBC's flagship technology programme.
• Sky News Swipe - Sky News`s tech show.

Reading

News

Reading is a core skill for learning English, as it builds vocabulary, enhances grammar, and improves comprehension, providing exposure to diverse writing styles and contexts that are essential for mastering the language.

• Breaking News English - Breaking news listen, read and write.
• Short Stories - Short stories for every day reading.
• Reading Room - Newspapers, magazines, books and libraries.
• Reading Comprehension Exercises - 3 Levels of texts with exercises.
• IMDB scripts - The internet movie script database.
• Today I Found Out - Daily interesting fact articles from various authors.
• Newsy - Short news with transcriptions.
• Engoo - Daily news for english learners.

Books

These books vary in complexity and genre, allowing learners to choose according to their interests and reading levels while improving their English skills effectively.

• Harry Potter Series - Harry Potter is a great choice for English learners because the series features a gradual increase in complexity from one book to another, allowing readers to develop their language skills progressively.
• Pride and Prejudice - Although the vocabulary can be challenging, this classic novel offers rich insights into English literature and culture, making it a rewarding read for advanced learners.
• Animal Farm - A short allegorical novella that uses simple language to convey complex themes about power and society.

Writing

Tip: Practicing writing every day, even for just a few minutes, will help you improve faster. Utilize ChatGPT to improve your writing by getting instant feedback on grammar, structure, style, and vocabulary, along with prompts and personalized suggestions.

• 750 Words - Encourages daily private writing by providing stats and gamification mechanics.
• Write & Improve by Cambridge - Offers daily writing tasks at various levels.
• ThoughtCo's ESL Writing Exercises - Offers various writing prompts and exercises.
• ChatGPT by OpenAI - Engage in text-based conversations, ask for writing prompts, get grammar explanations, and receive feedback on your writing.
• Claude by Anthropic - An AI assistant designed to be helpful, safe, and reliable. You can use Claude for engaging conversations, writing feedback, and practicing English.
• Hemingway Editor - Helps simplify and clarify your writing.

Grammar

• Book: English Grammar in Use by Raymond Murphy - The world's best selling grammar book for learners of English.
• Ego4u - Grammar and tests.
• My English Pages - Online grammar reference guide.
• English Club - Another online grammar reference guide.

Vocabulary

Word lists

• Ogden's Basic English - 850 simplified Language Basic English Words by Charles K. Ogden. It was released in 1930. With just 850 words everything may be said for all the purposes of everyday existence. Simple English Wikipedia is based on these 850 basic English words.
• Book: Verbal Advantage by Charles Harrington Elster - This book for advanced levels and will help you learn more words. It's highly recommended book which not just informative but also interesting and fun to read.

Flashcards

• Anki - Anki is a program which makes remembering things easy. Because it's a lot more efficient than traditional study methods, you can either greatly decrease your time spent studying, or greatly increase the amount you learn.
• Memrise - Flashcard platform to build vocabulary with user created lists of words.
• Quizlet - Simple tools that let you study words.

Online Dictionaries

• Forvo - Find out how any english word is pronounced in different countries.
• Dictionary - The world's leading digital dictionary. It provides defenitions, spellings, audio pronunciations, example sentences and word origins.
• Thesaurus.com - The world's largest online thesaurus by Dictionary.com.
• Oxford Dictionaries - Dictionaries with meanings, definitions, pronunciations and pictures.
• Linguee - Dictionary with many examples of usage and pronunciation.
• ReversoContext - Translate word in context.

Tools

• Play Phrase - Tools allows to search and play specific soundbites from movies.
• Lyrics Training - LyricsTraining is the new way to learn english and other languages through music and the lyrics of your favourite songs.
• Grammarly - Grammarly makes you a better writer by finding and correcting up to 10 times more mistakes than your word processor.
• Test your vocab - Measure your vocabulary sizes.
• YouGlish - Improve your pronunciation.
• Visuwords - To visualize words and its related lexicon.

Exercises and Tests

• ETS - English tests.
• Duolingo - Free language-learning platform that includes a language-learning site and app, as well as a digital language proficiency assessment exam.
• LingoRank - Test and improve your english listening skills with TED talks.

Online Classes

• Preply - Connects students with tutors for personalized lessons. Great for finding skilled tutors and tailoring learning to individual needs.
• iTalki - A popular platform for finding one-on-one language tutors.
• Verbling - A well-known resource for connecting with one-on-one language teachers.
• Lingoda - Offers group and private classes with native-speaking teachers, a fixed monthly fee, and an easy-to-use scheduling system.

FAQ or Common Questions

This section features popular Reddit and Quora posts addressing common language learning challenges.

• How one user learned 10,000 words - A user's journey to mastering 10,000 Korean words over three years.
• How to learn a language - Effective methods for future language learners.
• How can I improve my English listening skills? - Tips for enhancing understanding of spoken English.
• How can I learn to speak English well in a non-English environment? - Strategies for practicing English outside of English-speaking contexts.
• How can I make significant improvements to my spoken English in one month? - Actionable steps for quick progress in spoken English.
• Are English-speaking courses helpful? - Discussion on the effectiveness of English-speaking courses.

Contribute

Contributions welcome! Read the contribution guidelines first.