ESL Basics

Did you know ESLbasics has been visited by 152 countries since launching one year ago?

Check out our top 20 countries:

1. United States

2. India

3. Canada

4. United Kingdom

5. Spain

6. China

7. Brazil

8. Ukraine

9. Thailand

10. South Korea

11. Australia

12. France

13. Italy

14. Saudi Arabia

15. Japan

16. Turkey

17. Mexico

18. Germany

19. Poland

20. Russia

If you don't see your country on the top 20, pass us along to your friends.

Watch and Learn with ESLbasics.com!

A friend of mine recently sent me an article entitled, "Writing English as a Second Language". It raises the questions of how our native languages affect the way we articulate our thoughts into writing. Perhaps you are an English language learner who has yet to grasp the English writing style. I will encourage you to check out this article and take note of how your culture informs your writing. In essence, languages value written thought and organization in their own unique ways. When you come to understand how your native language organizes writing, you can be released to write in another mode. This doesn't discredit your own language's way of writing and putting thought to page. It simply opens you up to an awareness that can positively impact your writing in English. The key sentiment in the article that enlightens ESL and EFL students to the ways of English writing is the author's affection for his native language. He writes, "I'm hopelessly in love with English because it's plain and strong." May you come to discover the "clarity, simplicity, brevity, and humanity" of English. 

Want to learn more about writing styles across cultures and how to write in an English mindset? Read William Zinsser's article, "Writing English as a Second Language."

Happy 2010! 

Every year, as the ball drops it's way down to a new year, people all over the world recognize the passing of another year, and celebrate the coming of a new start. This year was no different. 2009 has represented a challenging year for some, and a year of change for others. Personally, 2009 was the most dramatic year I have ever experienced. It began with a new niece, springing into our family with joy. The month of May brought 4 babies into my best friends' families: a set of bouncy twin girls, a sweet water-birth baby, and an adopted treasure from Ethiopia. June swept me off to Europe, and the greatest adventure of my life: traversing 12 countries in 30 days. (Click here to read about my 2009 Europe trip) July said goodbye to a dear friend getting married, and August brought me the greatest surprise of all: my soon-to-be-husband. October was goodbye to my brother, sister-in-law, and precious niece, as France called them away. Finally, December, the most dramatic of all, started with a proposal, and then saw me through a whirlwind 3,000-mile journey via relatives in Illinois, a fabulous passage through Canada, my new in-laws in New Hampshire, a snowstorm in Pennsylvania, and Christmas in Illinois. 2009 took me on a journey I never believed was possible at the starting line. I wonder: What will 2010 bring? 

Happy anniversary, ESL Basics!

Today, we released our 400th video. This marks a significant milestone for the ESLbasics.com community. Your English language learners now have access to hundreds of vocabulary, idioms, tongue twisters, phrasal verbs in mass. Check back each day for the video of the day, as we add a fresh new video every morning to inspire you to teach, and your students to learn.

In case you've missed it, check out some of our favorite recent additions to the video library:

"Flash Message": a hilarious and helpful tongue twister

"Consecrate": an advanced vocabulary word

"Tree trunk": a vocabulary word for beginners

"Fight for Understanding": a business English blog to get you thinking

"Sell Out": a phrasal verb you shouldn't sell out on