Online Study Links

The ILC has selected these links as useful for ITU prep students.  / ILC’nin siz İTÜ öğrencileri için yararlı olacağını düşündüğü online kaynaklardır.

There are many more English language learning sites online, so if you know a good one, please let us know!

ITU STUDENTS can access Rosetta Stone, an excellent language learning tool. Entered your e-mail (with the @itu.edu.tr) and password in the tab that opens when you click the link. Then choose the language you want to learn.  Note: The Rosette Stone database 3-year subscription will end at the end of 2020.  There is no information about its renewal yet.

Grammar – Diagnostic Tests
Diagnostic tests are useful to IDENTIFY YOUR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES. THESE TESTS All have follow-up STUDY RESOURCES.
Grammar – Other Sources
Try A Diagnostic Test first if you don’t know what to study.
Grammar – Collections of Links FOR specific topics USEFul for ITU PREP students
Reading
  • ReadTheory.org A great site for improving your reading skills. If you create an account, it will follow your progress and give you gradually more difficult texts/questions. Available for mobile devices so you can study on the bus. Strongly recommended!
  • Read World Literature These lessons use famous stories to help upper-intermediate students improve their vocabulary and reading comprehension skills.
  • Reading Passages – All Levels Practice your reading comprehension by reading and answering questions.
  • www.eslfast.com/eslread 365 reading texts, one for each day of the year, that get gradually harder. Each one has vocabulary check questions, comprehension questions, and includes audio to listen while you read.
  • usingenglish.com A selection of reading texts at all levels, with comprehension check questions.
  • LitToGo A free collection of stories and poems in PDF and mp3 format. Each reading passage and audio file can be downloaded so you can read/listen with your mobile device.
  • Voice of America Learning English VOA has intermediate level short texts with listening related to the current news of the world.
Vocabulary
  • Vocabulary Notebook Strategies 
  • quizlet.com Quizlet is a useful vocabulary study tool with a lot of flexibility and options, with mobile apps and a desktop site.
  • News on the Web Corpus A corpus lets you search through a huge data source for sentences that use a specific word or phrase. A corpus shows how words are used in natural language sentences.
  • freerice.com A fun site to gradually improve your vocabulary.
  • duolingo.com Duolingo includes useful daily life vocabulary in a lot of different contexts. Requires a membership.
Dictionaries
  • Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary A useful dictionary for lower-level students of English, because it provides short and clear definitions. It also includes example sentences and pronunciation of the words.
  • Collocation Dictionary Collocations are common word combinations such as ‘bright idea’ or ‘talk freely’. This dictionary shows all the words that are commonly used in combination with the main word.  Very useful for making your language more fluent.  There is also a Collocation Dictionary App.
  • Longman Dictionary A great site for word learning. You can find the explanations of the words in English, you can listen to the pronunciations of the words in British and American accents, and you can reach a lot of example sentences from the Corpus at this site. Also, you can learn the word family of the word which you are researching.
  • Macmillan Dictionary The site includes definitions and synonyms for words. You can reach word forms in almost all tenses and related words. The definitions and pronunciations are both British and American. If you look up a verb, you can learn what kind of verb (transitive or intransitive) it is too.
  • Cambridge Dictionary The site is very useful for improvement of word knowledge. You can choose an English-only dictionary or an English-Turkish dictionary. Also, there are some sentences for reinforcement. You can listen to the pronunciations of the words in British and American accents and learn the sort of verb (transitive or intransitive). You can find the present participle, past tense, and past participle forms of verbs.
  • Collins English Thesaurus What is the difference between a dictionary and a thesaurus? A thesaurus groups words by similarity of meaning (synonym and sometimes antonyms). Unlike a dictionary, a thesaurus does not give the meaning or the pronunciation of a word.
Speaking & Pronunciation
  • English pronunciation problems common for Turkish speakers Find a sound that you have problems with, open the examples and record yourself saying the words. Use a site like forvo.com to hear the correct pronunciation and compare.
  • ESLFast.com Many sample English conversations in text and audio form. Listen/read and then practice with a partner.
  • forvo.com A great pronunciation dictionary. Listen to various people say the same words.
  • howjsay.com Use this site to check your pronunciation of a word or a set of similar words. Available for mobile devices.
  • Train your accent A site for English accent training and conversational English practice. Listen/read and then practice to improve your spoken voice.
  • Speech Accent Archive (English) Listen to hundreds of different English accents from around the world.
  • Say large numbers Type a number and see it written in text. Use the site with a friend to test each other or practice together.
  • Numbers in English A useful list showing how numbers in many different forms (money, years, fractions, etc.) are pronounced.
  • Fotobabble.com Use any image you like to record yourself talking about it for one minute, and then save or share. Also available for iOS devices.
  • SpeakEnglish App A mobile app (free to try) that helps you improve your pronunciation. It reads a phrase to you. You repeat the phrase and record yourself. Play your recording back and compare your pronunciation.
  • Audacity & Vocaroo Many of the speaking/pronunciation activities are improved if you record yourself and then listen to yourself to check and practice. These are two free recording tools, but you can also use the recording app on your mobile.
  • IELTS Speaking Exam Overview & Strategies These are audio programs that cover the important points of taking the IELTS Speaking Exam.
  • englishspokencafe.com An Istanbul-based organization for meetups to speak English. Information in Turkish.
Writing
ACADEMIC WRITING
Listening

How to Be a Better Listener

Pay attention to the purpose of your listening. You may listen to understand another person in a conversation, get specific information, or do well on an exam. These require different kinds of practice, so use resources designed for your purpose.

Figure out your own weaknesses: Some of us get stuck with accents. Some of us find it difficult to follow fast conversations. Some people have number problems. Knowing your weaknesses can help you focus on areas that need work.

Listen for more than just the words: Pay attention to pronunciation and intonation. Even the pauses between phrases can be important. These will all help you understand how English is used naturally and improve your own spoken English.

Diagnostic Listening Test

Listening Test (from Exam English) This test has 15 questions. Once you complete it, you’ll be given a level between A2 (upper-beginner) to C2 (most advanced). Knowing your level will help you choose practice materials of the right difficulty. This is a self-adjusting test, meaning the questions can get easier or harder based on your responses.

Listening Practice – Numbers
Listening Practice – Short Audio
  • Test English (A1, A2, B1, B1+)
  • elllo A wide variety of short listenings with transcripts and comprehension questions.
  • Talk English This site has a variety of short listening exercises sorted by skill level (basic, intermediate and advanced). Listen to the audio file and then view and solve the quiz questions. You can also see the transcript of the dialogue afterwards.
  • Listen a Minute 1-minute listenings with quiz questions and other activities.
  • BBC Six Minute English A weekly podcast for ESL listening practice from the BBC. Each podcast includes vocabulary help and a reading text.
Listening Practice – Longer Audio
  • Cambridge English ListeningURL At this site you can filter by level and length. You can practice listening for information, distinguishing different sounds, and getting implied meanings from context.
  • Voice of America Learning English VOA has intermediate level short texts with listening related to the current news of the world.
  • TED Talks “Ideas worth spreading.” Authentic English presentations on a huge variety of topics. Reading texts and subtitles available for most of these videos. Listen and join the conversation in the comments area.
  • TED-Ed Video lessons on a wide variety of topics with comprehension and discussion questions. English subtitles available if needed.
  • All Ears English Regular 10-15 minute podcasts for American English conversation and IELTS practice.
  • IELTS Practice Tests For IELTS-style exam practice, this website has sample listening tests, along with questions and transcripts. Answer keys are provided so you can check your mistakes.
  • TOEFL Practice Tests This site contains one full TOEFL listening sample test and dozens of shorter practice tests. 

Listening Practice – For Fun

  • lyricstraining.com Try to type the words of a popular song while listening to it. Choose the level that’s right for you.
  • VOscreen Watch and listen to short clips from movies and TV shows.  Set your native language to English to get restatements. Many options to choose by level, grammar focus, length, etc. Created by an ITU graduate!
Study Techniques
  • Study Timer
    This timer tool can help you keep your study/break time in balance.