English Reference

Have you been to EnglishClub.com’s Reference section lately? When you do, you might be surprised to find a FREE resource with thousands of English words and expressions that are not typically found in language learning textbooks and materials. While many EFL resources these days do include everyday idioms, phrasal verbs, and slang, you’ll rarely find words and expressions that native English speakers use behind closed doors.

The Reference System
As with other EnglishClub.com resources, the English Reference section has a clear system that is user friendly for both teachers and learners. Terms and expressions are categorized as Idioms, Slang, Sayings, or Phrasal Verbs. Like any good reference system, entries are filed both alphabetically and by theme.  Each category is searchable, making it easy for learners to access definitions and explanations for words they hear in the media and out on the street.   Most importantly, entries are tagged with helpful symbols to show if they are American, British, Australian, offensive, or even vulgar. Beware of the chilies. While no word, saying, or expression is considered too hot or too rude for these reference pages, learners are warned about inappropriate use of terms that are considered taboo.

American English
As well as wanting to learn American accents, many students these days want to learn American slang and idioms. And why shouldn’t they? This is typically the language they are going to hear if they listen to English music or if they watch American movies, TV, or even YouTube.  Students learning English in North America will hear this language on campus, in bars and restaurants, and on subways, buses, and street corners. If your students are begging to learn American English, direct them to EnglishClub.com’s reference section where Quick Searches can be found to bring up only American terms.

Promote STT
The English Reference section is a great place to give students the opportunity to talk and teach.  Give your students the link to EnglishClub’s Reference section and assign a daily Show and Tell style presentation from a student or pair.  While you should explain that vocabulary, idioms, and slang are best understood in context, let your students come up with creative ways to teach the words they choose. (You may want to censor the slang, by recommending that terms with more than one chili not be brought into the classroom.)

Practice Makes Perfect
No matter how cheesy we teachers think idioms and catch phrases are, our language is full of them. EnglishClub.com has hundreds of reference quizzes (theme and mixed) that can be taken online or printed for classroom use to help learners master the lingo.  At the end of the month, term or unit, review the reference words you’ve covered with a writing assignment where students have to use all of the terms in a story, pair dialogue, or class play.

Students and non-native English teachers can also ask for extra help in the reference section via the English Vocabulary Help Forum. For more information on how to use EnglishClub.com’s Reference section and quizzes check out the Teacher’s Notes.