6. A Review of an Online Resource "Manythings"

Manythings.org targets ESL or EFL learners. It is non-commercial and does not contain any advertisements. Covering the macro-skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing, it offers various CALL activities, including quizzes, word games, word puzzles, proverbs, slang expressions, anagrams and a random-sentence generator. TESOL teachers, especially those who teach English pronunciation, may find it practically useful for English language teaching and use the exercises provided in the website in teaching pronunciation to their students. Teachers of English pronunciation will find the website beneficial for their students and helpful in pronunciation instruction. The website’s section that aims at pronunciation practice is accessible through the link provided “http://www.manythings.org/pp/”. It is appropriate for ESL students of all levels. The front page is well-organized, presenting the contents of the website. Teachers and students can directly access the interested contents, including game-like minimal pair practice and quizzes and “listen and repeat” videos with which students can practice segmental and suprasegmentals of pronunciation, such as consonants, consonant clusters, r-controlled vowels, diphthongs and stressing two-syllable words. What is more, it has some fun activities, such as tongue twisters, song and poems. Also, the opening page supplies the instructions on how to use the pages of the activity for minimal pair practice. There are several additional, intriguing, embedded videos varying in the selected elements of English pronunciation. As there are many sets of minimal pair exercises, teachers can choose one set of the minimal pair exercises related to sounds in the present lesson and have the students practice such sounds through the selected set of exercises. Alternatively, teachers may recommend the website to their students so that students can access the website to practice at any time.