Vocabulary
New Vocabulary
Learn to communicate better by learning new words and know how to use them in context.
(Source - https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/vocabulary)
Learn new vocabulary (beginner to upper-intermediate), British Council - Learn English
Vocabulary quizzes (beginner - upper-intermediate) - English Club
General dictionaries
Online dictionaries for general vocabulary
Content-specific dictionaries
Online dictionaries for subject-specific vocabulary
Law (The Free Dictionary Farlex)
Finance (The Free Dictionary Farlex)
Thesauri
Useful for finding synonyms
Academic Word List
Meaning, pronunciation, synonyms, collocations and usage of academic words.
Academic wordlist - Oxford Learning Dictionaries
The 10 Academic word sub-lists - Oxford Learning Dictionaries
Test A: Academic Word List (Victoria University Wellington)
There are 10 wordlists.
Test B: Academic Word List (Victoria University Wellington)
Check your academic word score. Complete tests A and B.
Test A and B Answer Sheet (Victoria University Wellington)
Check your answers for tests A and B here.
Prefixes and suffixes
English Learning Tips: Prefixes and Suffixes (Cambridge English YouTube)
A video introduction to prefixes and suffixes
4.4 Prefixes and Suffixes (Writing for Success Uni of Minnesota)
A list of prefixes and suffixes, rules, and exercises
Prefixes and Suffixes in Academic Writing (UEFAP.com)
A list of prefixes and suffixes commonly used in academic writing
Suffixes to Know in Academic Writing (Gallaudet Uni)
A list of noun, adjective,verb, and adverb suffixes
Collocations
Collocation Tool: Flax - Flexible Language Acquisition (Uni of Waikato)
Enter a word. Select the type of 'academic English'. Click 'go'.
Flax Web Phrases (Uni of Waikato)
A tool for testing the frequency of word combinations
Texts at various levels of difficulty that can be used to make language learning resources.
Collocation Tool: SkELL Collocations (Sketch Engine)
Enter a word. Select one of 'Examples', 'Word sketch' or 'Similar Words'. Click 'go'.
Context Clues
You may not always need to refer to a dictionary to check the meaning of unfamiliar words. Context clues can help you with this.
Reading Strategically: Context Clues (Lumen Waymaker)
Types of context clues and how to recognise them in a text
Vocabulary: Context Clues (Cuesta College)
Strategies (steps) to unlock the meaning of unfamiliar words.
4.6 Using Context Clues (Writing for Success Uni of Minnesota)
A list of three context clues and two exercises.
Instructional vocabulary
Instructional vocabulary, also known as task words
Instructional Words (Fed Uni of Australia)
The list here provides examples of some of the most commonly used instructional words and explains their meaning.
Glossary of Task Words (UNSW Sydney)
Understanding task words helps you to know exactly what is being asked of you in your assignment questions.