Loyola University Chicago

Writing Center

ESL/ELL Support

The Loyola Writing Center is committed to helping English-language learners achieve their writing goals. Check out the links and content below (click on the titles in red) for learning materials designed by LUC and others to support ESL/ELL clients writing, listening, and speaking in English.

LUC Opportunities for ESL/ELL Students

  • English Language Learning Program: LUC's ESL program supports students' English language learning at the university through the certificate-based IEP (Intensive English Program) and Summer Pre-Collegiate Language Learning (SPELL) Program. 

  • The Literacy Center: Students who feel that their English has improved may wish to help other adult Rogers Park ESL learners learn to read and speak English by volunteering with this LUC organization, which can fulfill the Core Engaged Learning-Service Learning Internship requirement. 

Grammar Presentations and Practice Exercises by our ESL Specialist, Dr. Michael Slager

To access each presentation, select a title below, download and open the presentation, and click "play" to hear Dr. Slager's voice-over.

Summary Writing Presentations

Grammar and Vocabulary Websites

  • Activities for ESL Students: This site contains quizzes, tests, exercises, and puzzles to help students learn English as a Second Language (ESL)

  • English Club: This site provides resources for teachers and students for English grammar learning such as spelling and pronunciation rules, games, and podcasts.

  • English Current: This site provides ESL Lesson Plans, Tests, & Ideas.

  • EnglishforEveryone.org: This site contains useful worksheets for English language learning and grammar.

  • English With Jennifer: This is a site for language learners, containing guides to all parts of English grammar with practice exercises.

  • Butte College Writing Lab: This site provides Tip Sheets describing all parts of speech.

  • Dave’s ESL Café: This resource provides extensive worksheets and guides to all kinds of grammar and parts of speech.

  • David Applyard.com: This site contains tutorials, word games, quizzes, links to the free English literary classic Ebooks on Many Books, BBC iPlayer Radio, and many other resources for learning and listening to English. It also contains a page specifically for teacher support with links to blogs and instructor resources.

  • GrammarBook.com: Besides helpful online quizzes, this site contains information about and examples of English grammar and punctuation rules.

  • Perfect English Grammar: This site contains extensive English grammar explanations and exercises.

  • Talk English.com: This site teaches English for Business writing and conversations.

  • ThoughtCo: This site teaches English for Business writing and conversations.

  • Towson University Online Writing Support: This Online Writing lab provides guides to Parts of Speech and Sentence Structure, among other Self-Teaching Units.

  • Vocaboly – Innovative Vocabulary Builder: This site offers vocabulary tests for ESL students and/or those taking the SAT, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, or VOA test.

Essay Writing Worksheets

Listening Practice

  • BBC “Learning English”: This is a site run by the BBC providing links to podcasts and programs that help ESL learners master the language.

  • English Listening Library Online (ELLO): This resource contains multiple study plans and worksheets for ESL learners at all levels of proficiency.

  • Randall’s ESL Cyber Listening Lab: This site contains multiple general listening quizzes and recordings of everyday conversations in English on all topics.

  • StoryCorps: On this site for podcasts you can listen to the life stories of people of all backgrounds told in English, representing the spectrum of humanity’s living experiences.

  • VOA: Learning English: Besides videos on all political, historical, and economic topics in English, this site also contains video lessons in English at all levels of proficiency.

Conversation Practice