English as a Second Language
English learning materials and resources for students of English who are not native speakersAlthough most of my students over the years have been native speakers of English, I’ve also worked with a number of non-native speakers whose needs are quite different. This section of the site features resources I’ve found and materials I’ve developed for students who are approaching English as a foreign language. My fluency in Mandarin has been instrumental in helping my Chinese immigrant students, so some of these resources and materials are partly in Chinese or are tailored to the specific needs of native Chinese speakers.
以中文为母语而英文能力有限的访客，请参考本网站的中文板块。
This section of the site is under construction. I will add more information and resources as I have time.
Important ESL Resources
Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL), one of the best and most popular English learning websites on the Internet, includes helpful resources specifically designed for ESL students and ESL teachers.
Many ESL students will take the Test of English As a Foreign Language (TOEFL) at some point. ETS, the company that designs and administers the test, has made numerous materials available free of charge. There is also an official app for mobile learning.
There are three easily available book series for ESL learners that I have used and can recommend; they are all reasonably affordable, well designed, and useful. The first two series below also feature companion apps and online resources:
- English for Everyone (DK)
- Living Language (Random House)
- Practice Makes Perfect (McGraw Hill)
English As a Second Language Exercises
The exercises in this section cover basic aspects of English grammar; they are most appropriate for ESL learners. Some exercises have a separate link for a version of the exercise with instructions and explanations in Chinese. For more advanced exercises, see the Grammar Exercises and Quizzes page.
Sentence Pattern Exercises
Interrogative Sentence Patterns Exercise 1 | 中文版
Open-ended: Rewrite each declarative sentence (statement) as an interrogative sentence (question).
Interrogative Sentence Patterns Exercise 2 | 中文版
Open-ended: Rewrite each declarative sentence (statement) as an interrogative sentence (question).
Negative Sentence Patterns Exercise 1 | 中文版
Open-ended: Rewrite each affirmative sentence as a negative sentence.
Negative Sentence Patterns Exercise 2 | 中文版
Open-ended: Rewrite each affirmative sentence as a negative sentence.
Negative and Interrogative Sentence Patterns Exercise 1 | 中文版
Open-ended: Rewrite each negative or interrogative sentence as an affirmative sentence.
Determiners
Articles Exercise 1: Indefinite Articles (A or An)
Multiple choice: Choose the correct article to complete each sentence.
Articles Exercise 2: Indefinite Articles (A or An)
Multiple choice: Choose the correct article to complete each sentence.
Articles Exercise 3: Indefinite Articles (A, An, or Nothing)
Multiple choice: Choose the correct article to complete each sentence.
Prepositions
Prepositions Exercise 1: At, In, and On
Multiple choice: Choose the idiomatically correct preposition to fill in each blank.
Prepositions Exercise 2: About, At, For, and To
Multiple choice: Choose the idiomatically correct preposition to fill in each blank.
Verbals
Gerunds and Infinitives Exercise 1
Multiple choice: Fill in each blank with the idiomatically correct choice—an infinitive, a gerund, or the preposition to + a gerund.
Gerunds and Infinitives Exercise 2
Multiple choice: Fill in each blank with the idiomatically correct choice—an infinitive, a gerund, or a preposition + a gerund.