Start Learning English

By Kenneth Beare, About.com Guides to English as 2nd Language

Use this page as a starting page for working on English basics including ABCs and 123s, spelling rules. English tenses and important grammar points are explained with follow-up quizzes. Other resources will help you build your vocabulary and practice your English with reading, listening comprehension and practice speaking dialogues.

1. ABCs and 123s
2. The Basics - Quizzes
3. Verb Forms and Tenses
4. Tense and Verb Form Quizzes
5. What Type of Word?
7. Important Differences

8. Important Exceptions and Rules Quizzes
9. Essential English Phrases and Vocabulary
10. Listening Practice
11. Speaking Help for Beginners
12. Reading Comprehension Practice
13. Review the Basics
14. Helpful Learning Products

ABCs and 123s

The ABCs and 123s are the building blocks of English. These include letter and number pronunciation, spelling rules, the parts of English speech, the verb "to be", basic prepositions and the use of A, An and The.

• ABCs - introduction to the alphabet
• ABCs Song
• 123s - Spelling and Pronunciation
• A, An, The
• Spelling Rules in English

• Spelling Problems in English
• Hello! My Name is Ken - The Present Tense of "to Be"
• Where Were You Yesterday? - The Past Tense of "to Be"
• Prepositions - The Basics of Time and Place
• Eight Parts of Speech in English

The Basics - Quizzes

Use these quizzes to test your understanding of the basic building blocks in English. These quizzes include listening, grammar and vocabulary recognition.

• Understanding Numbers Listening Quiz
• Spelling Listening Quiz
• Is, Was, Were, Am, Quiz
• Basic Time Prepositions Quiz

• Basic Prepositions of Place Quiz
• A, An or The Quiz
• Parts of Speech Quiz

Verb Forms and Tenses

These are the basic tenses to express things that happen in the present, past and future. Important topics such as auxiliary verb use (do, did, have, will, etc.) and time expressions are also discussed.

• Present Simple - He works in a bank.
• Present Continuous - What are you doing?
• Past Simple - What did you do last weekend?
• Future - What will the weather be like?
• Future Forms - Going to or Will?

• May, Can, Should - Modal Forms
• Non-Continuous Verbs
• Auxiliary Verb Usage in English
• Time Expressions and Verb Tenses
• Verb Forms Chart

Tense and Verb Form Quizzes

Use these quizzes to test your knowledge of correct tense conjugation and verb forms.

• I work on Saturdays. - Present Simple Quiz
• Tom‘s watching TV. - Present Continuous Quiz
• She‘s working or She works? - Present Simple vs. Present Continuous Quiz
• I worked yesterday. - Past Simple Quiz

• Simple Past Irregular Forms Quiz
• Future Forms Quiz
• To Play or Playing? - Gerunds and Infinitive Quiz

What Type of Word?

These pages help you use other important words in English such as adjectives (hot, big, fast, etc.) and adverbs (carefully, always, sometimes, etc.), as well as the comparative (good - better, happy - happier, etc,) and the superlative (the worst, the most difficult, etc.)

• Adverbs - Describing How Something is Done
• Adjectives - Describing What Something or Someone is Like
• Countries and Languages

• Comparing People, Places and Things - Comparatives and Superlatives
• Asking about Things - Question Words
• Adverbs of Frequency

Important Differences

English has many exceptions and special rules for plural forms, countable and uncountable nouns, gerund or infinitive forms and more. These pages will help you understand some of the most important special rules in English.

• Much or Many?
• A Lot of Cheese OR Many Cheese - Countable vs. Uncountable
• What are Pronouns?
• Plurals in English
• Have and Have Got

• Some or Any?
• Do or Make Explained
• Do or Make Explained
• This, That, These, Those, Here and There
• Playing or To Play - Infinitives and Gerunds

Important Exceptions and Rules Quizzes

Use these quizzes to test your understanding of important exception and rules in English.

• Countable or Uncountable Quiz
• Countable and Uncountable Nouns Quiz
• Make or Do?
• Some or Any?

• To Do or Doing?
• He, His or Him? - Pronouns Quiz
• Have or Have Got?
• Plural Forms Quiz

Essential English Phrases and Vocabulary

Build your basic English vocabulary using these resources. You‘ll find a list of the 1,000 most common English words with pronunciation examples, vocabulary lists focusing on weather, family and more. Use the picture dictionaries to help you learn food, sports and jobs related vocabulary.

• 1000 Most Commonly Used Words in English
• Asking for Help in Class
• Telling the Time
• What‘s the Weather Like? - Weather Vocabulary
• Dad, Mom, and My Aunt - Family Vocabulary

• What‘s 1 1? - Vocabulary Used for Math
• Picture Dictionary - Food
• Picture Dictionary - Sports
• Picture Dictionary - Jobs

Listening Practice

Improve your listening skills with these beginning level listening comprehension quizzes. These listening selections concern everyday subjects such as understanding numbers, making plans and asking about prices.

• Man Taking a Survey
• How Much Does It Cost?
• Making a Dinner Reservation
• Making Plans for the Evening

• Understanding Numbers 1
• Understanding Numbers 2
• Telling the Time

Speaking Help for Beginners

These pages will help you with speaking skills including pronunciation and basic dialogues that you can follow for role-playing.

• Basic English Conversations
• Saying Hello
• Introducing Yourself and Friends
• I‘d Like a Sandwich - Restaurant Dialogue
• Going Shopping

• Ask and Answer Questions - 50 Basic English Questions
• Introduction to Phonetics
• English Pronunciation Exercises
• Pronunciation - Consonants
• Pronunciation - Vowels

Reading Comprehension Practice

These short reading selections will help you with your reading skills. The topics include basics such as working in an office, cooking and friends.

• A New Office
• Cooking
• Filling in a Form

• Introductions
• The Meeting
• My Friend Peter

Review the Basics

These tests will help you review beginning level English grammar and vocabulary.

• Beginning English Grammar Review Quiz
• Beginning English Fill in the Gap Quiz - Key Words

Helpful Learning Products

These recommended books and dictionaries will help you continue to learn English in the classroom and at home.

• Recommended Books for Beginning English Learners
• English Grammar Workbooks
• English Learner Dictionaries