English language resources – Language Links Database

English is a West Germanic language first spoken in early medieval England, which has eventually become the leading language of international discourse in the 21st century. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the area of Great Britain that later took their name, England. Both names derive from Anglia, a peninsula on the Baltic Sea. English is most closely related to Frisian and Low Saxon, while its vocabulary has been significantly influenced by other Germanic languages, particularly Old Norse (a North Germanic language), as well as Latin and French.

More information: Wikipedia

Official Language in: 67 countries

Native speakers: 360–400 million (2006)
L2 speakers: 750 million;
as a foreign language: 600–700 million

English Grammar and Pronunciation


English Reading Materials


English Dictionaries


English Listening and Video Resources


TV / Video / Movies



Podcasts / Audiobooks



Online Games


  • Fast English- "This is a simple game for learning basic English vocabulary. Primarily, it is aimed at ESL (English as a second language) learners, but other learners may find it useful too. To play, just listen to the words and click on the matching images."
  • Fast Phrases - "This is a basic sentence formation game for learning English - specifically ESL (English as a second language). You look at the image and the click on the options to form a matching phrase."
  • Hangman - "This is version of the classic letter guessing game called Hangman. You are shown a set of blank letters that match a word or phrase and you have to guess what these letters are to reveal the hidden word. "
  • Bubbles - "This is a game for practicing English sentence formation. It is primarily aimed at ESL (English as a second language) students. To play, you select a set of content to play with, and then make sentences by clicking on word bubbles. As you make sentences, the bubbles disappear and slowly the board is cleared."
  • Spelling Bee - "This game is very simple: you just look at the image and then spell the word. "
  • Big Describer - "This is a simple game for practicing brief reading comprehension. To play, you read the brief description and then click on the image that it most accurately describes. The aim is to practice understanding for short English sentences in a fun way. "
  • Concentration - "This game is a version of the classic game concentration. Intended here to help students learn vocabulary items by matching images and words. You can also listen to the audio when you look at the images. The game is simple and hopefully fun. You click on pairs of squares and match the words to the pictures. If you reveal a matching pair of picture - word then you get points and those squares disappear. You have to match all the images and words as quickly as possible. The concentration part comes in remembering where the images or words are. "
  • Phrase Making - "This is a simple game for practicing English and learning how to form sentences correctly - specifically ESL (English as a second language). To play, you have to click on the options to form a sentence that matches the image shown."
  • Animal Mystery - "This game is useful for practicing animal related words and phrases."
  • Falling Clouds - "The idea for this game is to allow players to construct accurate sentences and acquire language in an engaging way. It is hoped that this game can facilitate language acquisition by having players associate the language seen with the meaning of the image that is presented."
  • Speakeasy - "The primary aim of this page is to be a demonstration of voice recognition and how it can be used in ESL learning. It is not intended to be pronunciation practice; rather, it is intended to practice spoken production of vocabulary items."
  • GameZone - "Below are some English Language games that you can play online."
  • Vocabulary.co.il
  • Word Games at Pogo.com - "Do you have a way with words? Then you’re in the right place! Give yourself a mental workout with free online word games on Pogo™. Word games are one of the best ways to improve brain function and bolster key language skills. From popular spelling games like SCRABBLE and Word Whomp to classic crosswords and word searches, we’ve got you covered. Who knew games could be both fun and rewarding!"
  • Tracy Boyd's Quia - "Welcome, everyone! Please enjoy my language games that are located at the links below."
  • ESL Fun Games Online - "We provide a variety of interactive games and exercises for total esl fun. Our free ESL fun games here include : Snakes and Ladders, Hangman, Spelling games, Wheel of Fortune, TV Games(Betting Game), Mazes, Memory Games, Matching exercises, Sequencing exercises, Picture Quizzes and more."
  • EnglishClub ESL Games - "Thousands of online crossword puzzles, matching pairs, jumbled words, hangman games and many, many more. You can play all these games online, on any device—from phone to desktop. Enjoy these games and make progress in English!"
  • Word Games at Games for the Brain 
  • Word Games at Merriam-Webster - "Word Games & Quizes"
  • Language Art Games at Mr.Nussbaum - "This section contains more than 50 language-arts themed games."
  • Word Girl - "Language Games for Kids and their Parents."
  • LearnEnglish Kids - "Do you like learning English and having fun? In this section you can play games and practise your speaking with our fun tongue twisters. There are funny jokes in English to learn and tell your friends. "
  • Freerice.com - "Freerice is an educational trivia game that helps you get smarter while making a difference for people around the world. Every question you answer correctly raises 10 grains of rice for the World Food Programme (WFP) to support its work saving and changing lives around the world."
  • Games by BritishCouncil - "Play Wordshake or Sushi Spell to help you practise your vocabulary and spelling. Have fun!"
  • Vocabulary Spelling City - "VocabularySpellingCity’s online spelling and vocabulary games are fun for students of all ages! Our spelling games pair with teachers' word lists to give relevant vocabulary practice for kids that is fun, engaging, and retainable. We offer some free online spelling games with pre-populated lists to allow users to sample our games."
  • Memrise.com - "Phrases useful in everyday life. Taught with video clips of real locals."

Mobile App Games


  • FluentU - "FluentU's learn mode teaches you through scenes from videos that show real life and culture."
  • Busuu - "Looking for the best way to learn a new language on your phone? Consider your search over. You’ve just discovered Busuu, a Chegg service – the award-winning app that makes mastering languages easier, more entertaining and effective for all."
  • Memrise Easy Language Learning - "We get to the heart of learning a language: showing you how native speakers speak and teaching you how to do it yourself. Video clips of real people in local streets, coffee shops, karaoke bars and at work help you understand and speak languages the way they’re actually used in real life situations."
  • Duolingo - Language Lessons - "Duolingo is the fun, free app for learning 35+ languages through quick, bite-sized lessons. Practice speaking, reading, listening, and writing to build your vocabulary and grammar skills."
  • Voxy - "Voxy is an innovative digital English solution that has been used successfully by hundreds of organizations around the world. Our AI-driven platform allows each learner to follow a personalized course of activities and live classes, designed to help them reach their individual goals in one-third of the time of traditional courses."
  • Babbel - Learn Languages - "Babbel is a premium, subscription-based language learning app for web, iOS and Android. Babbel currently offers 15 different languages from seven display languages (German, English (US + UK), French, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Italian and Swedish)."
  • English Grammar by Zayan - "This application is the best way to improve your English Grammar at home, on the move, anywhere! Grab it and Master it."
  • Quizmaster by British Council - "Beat the clock and answer as many grammar and vocabulary questions as you can in 60 seconds! Hosted by quizmaster Johnny Grammar, this app features beginner to advanced level questions."
  • Test Your English by Martin K. - "This application helps you to improve your English skills. It contains more than 300 multiple choice tests."
  • Grammar Games Lite by Ranvic labs 
  • LearnEnglish Grammar (UK ed.) - "LearnEnglish Grammar is a free grammar practice app designed to help improve English grammar accuracy. The app offers 1000s of questions to help practise and reinforce your English grammar skills."

Slow English


  • Breaking News English - Level 0, Level 1 - "This site is for ESL and EFL students wanting to learn news English. The site has English news readings and listening. There are two news lessons every week on news stories from across the world."
  • Multi-Speen Listening Lessons - "Try these lessons to improve your listening. You can also learn something about the news. There is a listening text for different levels. Each text is in five listening speeds, from slow to fast."
  • Englishclass101.com - "Want to start speaking English from your first lesson? You will! Our lessons take you by the hand and guide you through real English conversations. Our teachers slow down and explain every word and phrase."
  • Eslfast.com - "Free Online English Teaching and Learning Materials with over 2,500 conversations with audio and 3,000 short stories and essays with exercises, you are guaranteed to find something that's right for you."



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