Free Language - learn english

addons.mozilla.org Experimental and Stable Mozilla Firefox Addons Extensions for Language Support

chapman — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:37:30 -0500

Summary

The Firefox web browser from Mozilla is not only a great open source web browser. It's also a fabulous tool for language learners! It would take a long time to list and go through all of the cool things you can do with the addons (extensions of Firefox's core functionality) in the language section of Firefox Addons. Several articles have already been published a few of articles on the topic (see related articles below), one of which contains a link to Firefox addons for translation.

However, another, cooler, resource has just popped up on the radar and anyone dealing with learning languages online, translation, researching and/or reading content in foreign languages on the Web is encouraged to check out this amazing repository for Firefox addons for Language support. The link has been pre-defined for showing the addons that have been updated most recently, both experimental and stable. Here are a few more pre-defined links that will sort the addons by number of downloads, rating and name.

There is a lot of them, but it's definitely worth the time to sift through and find the ones that work for you.

Cheers to CodePublic.org for the link! Below is an example of an addon listing for a Chinese pop-up translator.

From Website

Add-ons extend Firefox, letting you personalize your browsing experience. Take a look around and make Firefox your own.

Quick Translation Firefox Extension to Translate Single Words in 17+ Languages
Foreign Language Translation Extensions, Tools, Plugins, Add-Ons for the Firefox Web Browser
FoxLingo Free Firefox Browser Extension Software for Translating Web Pages

FreeLanguage.com.ua List of Free Online Translators/Translation Websites for Multiple Languages

chapman — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 19:27:26 -0500

Summary

The FreeLanguage.com.ua Online Translators page has 35+ resources listed for translating to and from many languages online - surprise - for free!

A list of these will be started here soon, but this is already a pretty comprehensive list of the freebie translators available online. Of course, some are better than others, but this site lists lots of them with brief descriptions that are helpful.

From Website

FreeLanguage.com.ua is a directory dedicated to language learning online. Browse free online language courses, language lessons, phonetic resources, language tutorials, language study centers, online dictionaries etc.

Visit the FreeLanguage.com.ua Online Translators Directory

JustVocabulary.com Just Vocabulary Podcast with ESL, TOEFL, SAT and GRE English Words Audio for iPod

chapman — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:33:38 -0500

Summary

Just Vocabulary is an English vocabulary audio podcast that introduces words from the GRE, SAT and TOEFL lists. The podcast has been going strong since 2005, which is more than most podcasts can claim! You can jump straight to the audio files here.

Just Vocabulary introduces two words per episode and explains them in detail including antonyms, synonyms and example sentences. There are literally hundreds of episodes to choose from, providing listeners with hours and hours of content and hundreds of vocabulary terms. It's really quite impressive. :)

Of course, it's free to subscribe and there is also a newsletter, study quizzes/games and a map of where listeners tune in from. Also available for a nominal price are very useful study guides for iPod.

These audio lessons aren't just for people learning English! With words like quixotic, immure, abstemious and surreptitious, these lessons are incredibly useful for native English speakers preparing for SATs, GREs, college level English courses or just interested in expanding their vocabulary.

From Website

Welcome to Just Vocabulary's new website. We added lots of great stuff, like the Just Vocabulary Map, our new iPod Study Tools, a new game "the quiz" and much more. If you are new to the Just Vocabulary podcast, read more about the show here

About Just Vocabulary

Coming to you from Cape Town, South Africa! Just Vocabulary is an online audio-show/podcast, that introduces 2 words per show. It's aimed at ESL (English as second language) students. It's free, it's short, it's portable and it's on demand. No matter where you are, you can improve your English on the go! Educate yourself and subscribe for free!

The Host

Jan Folmer (1979) is the host of the Just Vocabulary podcast. He lived most of his life in The Netherlands and he moved to Cape Town in South Africa end 2004. English is his second language, which is why he understands the need to improve your vocabulary beyond your basic high school vocabulary. If you have any comments or suggestions, e-mail Jan

Show Format

The duration of each episode is about 5 minutes. During each episode, we introduce 2 English words. First, we give 3 to 5 example sentences, followed by the explanation of the meaning of the word. Synonyms and Antonyms are given for most of the words, and if it useful we give you the history of the word. At the end of the show we always review 1 word from previous episodes.

Most of the words are from the GRE word list which makes Just Vocabulary ideal for study purposes.

Test yourself!

Just Vocabulary wants your to be successfull on the SAT, TOEFL or GRE. Prepare yourself with the online quiz.

Frequently asked questions

Here you find all our Frequently Asked Questions, structured per topic. The questions are ordered per particular topic. If your question is not answered below, email your question and we'll answer it within 24 HRS.

Testimonials

All over the world people are listening to Just Vocabulary. Read what our listeners say about the podcast. And please don't forget to let us know what you think of the show.

Study Tools

We are really chuffed about the Study Tools that we developed to make your learning even more effective, and a lot more fun.

Use our flash cards on your iPod wherever you go to test your vocabulary!

Visit JustVocabulary.com

Subscribe to Just Vocabulary Podcast.
View Just Vocabulary Podcast Feed on Free Language.

Verbbusters.com Verb Busters Free English Irregular Verbs Quizzes/Tests with High Regard for Privacy

chapman — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 20:06:35 -0500

Summary

Verbbusters is a sweet and simple web application for testing and learning over 175 irregular English verbs, some of which are even tough for a native English speaker!

This is a really cool utility that is fast to use, is fully searchable, has audio recordings of the verb conjugations, gives nice results sheets that can be saved and referred to later using a screenshot or "save as" function on your browser and, perhaps most importantly for many, is quite serious about preserving the privacy of users. No account is required and the results of tests/quizzes are only cached temporarily. Bravo on the privacy!

The site also has quick-reference "spreadsheets" which list all of the verbs and their infinitive, past and participle forms alongside the infinitive forms for French, Spanish, German and soon Turkish, allowing native speakers of those languages to easily review and prepare for the quizzes.

Overall, this is a great resource for the tricky irregular verbs for which English is so infamous. (Embarrassingly enough, I scored perfectly on the basic test, but missed two on the advanced test! Rest assured I will not make those mistakes again! ;) See results below to see an example of test results (and revel in my ineptitude).

From Website

Verbbusters is dedicated to the English irregular verbs and includes a competitive exercise with rankings, reports and searchable lists. The site is free and no registration is required.

Visit Verbbusters.com

Tutorial Video

For all the geeks out there, I'd like to point out that in this video, the creator of Verbbusters is using Ubuntu Linux with Beryl - note the slick 3D transition in the middle of the video. :)

Simple English Wikipedia Free and Open Encyclopedia for Learning and Teaching through Topics Written in Basic English

chapman — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:29:32 -0500

Summary

Wikipedia's Simple English Free Encyclopedia is an interesting concept that has actually created quite a following. The idea behind the wiki is to collectively create a free and open encyclopedia with articles that can be read by people with only a basic knowledge of English, and to help them learn and improve while discovering new topics.

I would recommend the Simple English Wikipedia for folks interested in learning about topics that intrigue them while simultaneously learning English. I enjoy this method because it is more meaningful to me than random texts that might not interest students, or have little information pertinent to what they are motivated to read about. Keep 'em interested!

When combined with the wonders of Wiktionary English, there is a lot of educational material and practice content to work with on Simple English Wikipedia. Enjoy!

From Website

About Us

This is Simple English Wikipedia. Wikipedias are places where many people work together to make encyclopedias in many languages. We only use very simple English words and simple ways of writing here.

There are tens of thousands of articles in this wiki. All of the pages are free to use. There is a discussion in the GNU Free Documentation License.

You are invited to help! You may change these pages and make new pages. Read the help pages and other good pages to learn how to write pages here. If you need help, you may ask questions at Simple talk.

What to Do

Use easy words and shorter sentences. This lets people with little English read them.

Write good pages, with care. The best encyclopedia pages have useful information. They are also carefully written.

Use the pages to learn and teach. These pages can help people learn English. You can also use them to make a new Wikipedia to help other people, if you change the words to your own language.

Visit Simple English Wikipedia.

Part of the content for this article was taken from another site of mine called Freestyle Language. If you are interested in reading about language bits and bobs that are "freestyle" in nature, have a look.

Free Language - learn english

addons.mozilla.org Experimental and Stable Mozilla Firefox Addons Extensions for Language Support

Summary

From Website

Related Articles

FreeLanguage.com.ua List of Free Online Translators/Translation Websites for Multiple Languages

Summary

From Website

JustVocabulary.com Just Vocabulary Podcast with ESL, TOEFL, SAT and GRE English Words Audio for iPod

Summary

From Website

Subscribe

Verbbusters.com Verb Busters Free English Irregular Verbs Quizzes/Tests with High Regard for Privacy

Summary

From Website

Tutorial Video

Simple English Wikipedia Free and Open Encyclopedia for Learning and Teaching through Topics Written in Basic English

Summary

From Website