Research Guides: #ESOL English for Speakers of Other Languages: Listening & Speaking

Talk Time

What: Practice your English-speaking skills with other ESOL students in an informal friendly atmosphere.

When: Monday-Thursday 12pm - 1pm

Where: SLRC 12.833

Featured Websites

VOA Classroom
Interactive English lessons from the Voice of America broadcasting service.
Forvo
Find uploaded recordings by native speakers pronouncing all kinds of words from around the world.
Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab
English language learning resource with several free listening exercises.
ESL BITS
Audiobooks and short stories for English language learners.
ELLLO: English Listening Lesson Library Online
Listen to samples of English speakers from around the world, quiz yourself on content and read transcripts.
engVid
Short English Language videos about grammar and culture.

Podcasts

The English We Speak
Fun, 3-minute-long podcasts which focus on English slang and idiomatic expressions. Published weekly.
This American Life
For advanced learners of English. This American Life documents human interest stories from around the United States. Try reducing the speed of the podcast by half for easier listening.
Voice of America Podcasts
Voice of America publishes numerous podcasts for ESL students. Learners of all levels can listen to podcasts on a variety of topics.

Online Radio

NPR
BBC Radio
This will be British English for the most part, which does have a few differences in pronunciation and word choice than American English.
Voice of America News
"Live Radio" button is in the top-right of the page.

Streaming Video from the Library

These video collections have both English captions and transcripts of everything being said in the videos, so you can listen and read at the same time!

Kanopy This link opens in a new window
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Streaming video source of classic cinema, indie films, and top documentaries. App available for iOS, Android, and Roku.
Films on Demand This link opens in a new window
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High-quality, educational streaming video from companies such as Films for the Humanities, BBC, and PBS.