English Language
BBC Bitesize
This site for GCSE English Language includes material on revision, poetry, reading non-fiction texts and writing non-fiction texts. The material leads you through typical exam questions and provides hints on how best to answer.Cliché Finder
Looking for the right well-worn phrase or trying to explain the meaning of 'cliché', then this is the site for you. Enter a word or phrase and the search engine will attempt to find a cliché containing it. Dictionary.com
Like the OED, Dictionary.com has a word of the day, but a Doctor Dictionary is also available to answer questions about language. His answers are rather hit-and-miss - the question 'When should the subjunctive be used in English?' elicited over a hundred replies. Typing in 'subjunctive' was more helpful. The site also links to an online version of Roget's Thesaurus, which is likely to be more useful than the thesauri provided by Word and other programs. English to Go
Daily lesson plans based around Reuters news stories. Although aimed primarily at students learning English as a second language these lessons are excellent for developing reading comprehension, with pre-reading and post-reading exercises. English Resources
Several of the lesson plans here examine aspects of language use. Free Resources for English Teaching
Recently described by an anonymous reader as "extremely helpful and inspirational", this site provides readily printable lesson plans, schemes of work and resources for KS3 literature and language onwards and the Welsh curriculum in English. GCSE Answers
A very comprehensive site that includes syllabuses and interactive materials. The materials cover all aspects of the syllabus from coursework, orals to exam techniques. The interactive tutorials for fact and Opinion and Basic Ideas require your computer to be Java enabled. History of the English Language
Everything you need to know about the development of the English Language. Links to essays from Indo-European to Modern English. This site also has a discussion forum for all areas of the history of English. Internet Grammar of English
Free for anyone logging on from a UK educational institution, this excellent site offers a detailed and clear course in English grammar for undegraduates. As well as a glossary and guide to every aspect of grammar, there are simple but effective tests to help reinforce learning, making it of use for TEFL and A-level students as well as teachers. The research group which created the site also has its own site, Survey of English, offering a corpus of spoken and written English. OED Word of the Day
Understandably, you can't consult the whole of the OED online unless you have a costly subscription. However, they do release one word a day. Lexicographic fans and those studying etymology will find it compelling, while the complete definition could make a good case study for older pupils. Origin of Phrases
This site explores the origins of everyday figures of speech. For each phrase a meaning is given along with an example of its common usage. Its origin is then explained. A fun way for students to learn about language. The Shakespeare Insulter
An excellent way to introduce Shakespeare and his language. This site provides quick fire insults from Shakespeare's plays and is very easy to navigate. Students will soon be taunting each other Elizabethan English. Spelling and Pictures
Mark Twain blamed poor spelling on the non-phonetic (or 'non-fonetic', as he put it) nature of English, and believed that it made it harder for immigrants to the US to obtain citizenship. He even appealed for the Associated Press to adopt a phonetic spelling system in this 1906 speech. Wacky Web Tales
If you just want to encourage children to lose their inhibitions about writing, try the Wacky Web Tales for KS2. Visitors are prompted to type in different parts of speech in order to create an automatically-generated story. Where's that from?
An interactive quiz on the origins of words. You are given ten words and have to choose the correct answer from a multiple choice. The quiz, although fun, is quite difficult and is therefore probably better used with older students. A World of Words
Links and advice brought together for a first-year undergraduate course at the university of Michigan. The page includes sections on the origins of English, metaphor, linguistics and offbeat sites such as the ChomskyBot. See www.yourdictionary.com/fun.html for a more irreverent approach to the language.
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