Thursday, August 25, 2016

What can you read?

After learning the 360 high-frequency words from the Learn These Words First lessons, you will know more than half of the words you see on any typical page of English text. Then you can start finding articles you can read with a small vocabulary, such as:
  • Books written at an easy reading level for children or second-language learners (for example: Penguin Readers or Pearson English Active Readers).
  • Websites for English learners, written using simpler English vocabulary and shorter sentences (for example: the Simple English Wikipedia).
Tip: When you read sentences containing some unfamiliar words, you can type the words (or copy and paste whole sentences) into the Word Finding Tool. It can show you where to find a simple explanation for each word.

What books and websites have you found that are easy to read with a small English vocabulary?

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Monday, August 15, 2016

Merriam-Webster Learner's Dictionary

The Merriam-Webster Learner's Dictionary (learnersdictionary.com) is a monolingual dictionary for intermediate to advanced learners of English.


  • Headwords are defined using simple language for learners. (3000 "Core Vocabulary" words are identified here.)
  • You can listen to recorded pronunciations of headwords.

Read more...

Friday, August 5, 2016

Collins Cobuild English for Learners Dictionary

The Collins Cobuild English for Learners Dictionary (at www.collinsdictionary.com) is a monolingual dictionary for intermediate to advanced learners of English.


  • Headwords are all defined using a 3000-word defining vocabulary.
  • You can listen to recorded pronunciations of headwords.
  • You can see translations of the headword or look it up in several bilingual dictionaries.

Read more...