ESL Self-Study Activities
Learn important words and phrases while listening to sound clips to hear the correct pronunciation. Then answer questions about how you would use the new vocabulary. Type your answers in and find out instantly if you are right!
Here are some MICASE-based self-study materials. In each lesson, there are interactive exercises that will give you feedback based on your own input.
Title: Clarifying and Confirming
Authors: Sheryl Leicher & Yung-Hui Chien
Date: September, 2007
Summary: This lesson will help you learn how to ask questions or ask for more information if you don’t understand something. It will also give you ideas for how to respond when you finally do understand. Answer the questions in each activity, and see if you got the answers right!
Start the Lesson: Clarifying and Confirming
Title: Spoken Academic English Formulas
Authors: Rita Simpson, Sheryl Leicher, & Yung-Hui Chien Date: January, 2007
Summary: This lesson helps you learn common phrases that people say in academic conversations, like ‘more or less’ and ‘as a matter of fact’. The meaning of these phrases cannot be easily found in a dictionary. Use this interactive activity to answer questions about these phrases, and find out instantly if you are correct! (Please note that the newest version of RealPlayer is required for audio files.)
Start the Lesson: Spoken Academic English Formulas
MICASE online is a great tool to help you learn the English language. Learn how to search for words and phrases that you may be having trouble with.
Learn important words and phrases while listening to sound clips to hear the correct pronunciation. Then answer questions about how you would use the new vocabulary.
The sound files for many of our MICASE recordings are available here for you to listen to. They provide great examples of authentic speech and help you improve your listening skills!
These small research projects give you a look into the way people are talking in academic settings. Do you for example know how professors correct themselves after they have misspoken?
When you look at our transcripts of conversations, they don’t look like they are written in standard English. Learn what the colors and punctuation mean, and how they can help you.