TOEIC, or Test Of English for International Communication, is run by ETS, or Educational Testing Service.  It is used by businesses world-wide to determine the English level of candidates for employment and promotion.

TOEFL, or Test of English as a Foreign Language, is also run by ETS, or Educational Testing Service.  It is used by universities in North America to determine if candidates from non-English-speaking countries have sufficient English skills to study at their university.  TOEFL is now "iBT", i.e., "Internet-Based Test", in many countries.  It focuses on all four language skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

IELTS = British English
TOEFL = North American English
TOEIC = International English

Please be sure that you know the RIGHT English for the RIGHT EXAM !!!

II.  Content-Based English Education

Content-based education is learning a language by studying some topic in the target language, which is this case is English.

III.  Color words  (Do you know all English Colors/Colours?)

If one thinks that English has only 8 to 10 color words, one would be so very mistaken.  There are literally thousands of color words in English used by artists, illustrators and interior designers, and I cannot teach them all, but I do teach the main color words used in daily English conversations.

IV.  Crazy English (This is especially good for speaking section)

NO Language on Earth is completely logical, yet English seems to take the cake for its craziness.  I elucidate some of English's crazy, illogical, words.

V.  Dictionary Errors (for Koreans)

To completely trust any bilingual lexicon / dictionary would be a BIG mistake.  Some words cannot be translated into other languages, and yet the authors of bilingual lexicons attempt the impossible, much to detriment of international communication.  Having lived in Korea and having studied Korean for ten years, I have come across lots of translation errors in the English-Korean and Korean-English lexicons.  This page lists those errors and corrections.

VI.  English Pedagogy / Second Language Acquisition

This page is for TEACHERS of second or foreign language learners.

VII.  Essays

My personal essays might help one prepare for the written portion of above tests.  But, one should also visit my page for "written examinations".

VIII.  Grammar

My grammar page is for advanced learners and one should be an advanced learner if one wishes to do well on the tests (above) of English.

IX.  History of English

My history of English page explains why English has so many words (from many different languages).

X.  Humor

What better way to learn English than through humor?

XI.  Intonation  

Teach YOURSELF English intonation!  I teach you how to teach yourself.

XII.  Konglish

Korean English-learners would do well to check this page.  Konglish is mostly not acceptable on the exams.

XIII.  Language Competence

If one thinks that grammar is the only thing you need to know about how a language works, then one would be very sadly mistaken.  There is also textual competence, illocutionary competence, and sociolinguistic competence.  Students and Teachers of English would do well to check out this page.

XIV.  Leon's Literature Review

What better way to prepare for a reading comprehension test that to read.  I review some classic literature for you to delve into.

XV.  Metaphors (and other figures of speech)

It is estimated that English is 70% metaphorical [Lakoff & Johnson, 1980].  So, no English language program would be complete without this page.  This is especially good for TOEFL !!!

XVI.  Morphemes (Vocabulary Building!)

The best way to improve one's English vocabulary is through the study of English morphemes.

XVII.  Myths of learning English

Some people have some ideas about how to learn a language that are not always correct.  One of my favorite myths is that there are "short-cuts" to learning a language.  Sorry, but there are none.

XVIII.  Phonics (For your speaking section)

If you're having trouble articulating some of those more difficult English phonemes, such as the vowels: /i/ & /i:/; OR /e/ & /æ/; OR the two 'th' phonemes:  & , then you've come to the right place, my friend.

XIX.  Proverbs (Prove you have excellent English by using English proverbs!!!)

To demonstrate your knowledge and mastery of English proverbs on the speaking and writing portions of the tests above would go a long way to impressing the markers.  This is good for both writing and speaking sections!!!

XX.  Similes (Get high scores on vocabulary using similes!!!)

Some common English similes to add to your vocabulary knowledge.

XXI.  Slang (Words to avoid !!!)

English slang is fun to learn, but should be avoided on the speaking/writing portions of the tests.

XXII.  Songs (Popular English Songs)

Practice your listening skills by listening to English songs (with lyrics)

XXIII.  Synonyms (Vocabulary building)

English synonyms can be difficult to navigate mentally, because it is not often known (by the non-native speaker) when to use which synonym.  I, Leon, teach usage of some popular synonyms in English.

XXIV.  Teachers

Page for teachers who prepare students for the tests above.

XXV.  Tongue Twisters

...for practicing English pronunciation and intonation.  This is good for both LISTENING & SPEAKING.  (I have audio!)

XXVI.  Vocabulary

I teach vocabulary through morphemes.  (The best way).

XXVII.  Written Exam

This page is designed to prepare one for the written portions of the tests above, where one has to write essays or short answers.  If one doesn't know anything about style, register, nor cohesiveness, then one had better visit this page.