A - Z Index

Click on the first letter of the word you are looking for:

A B C D E F G H  I  J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

 

A


Academic Essay Example - an essay about designing Internet navigation in which the referencing is highlighted so that you can see when and how to quote, summarise and paraphrase.

Academic Report Writing - CILL materials

Academic Style Guidelines - an explanation and a correction exercise.

Academic Vocabulary - lists of academic words. You can click the links for definitions, example sentences and pronunciations.

Academic Word List hangman game

Academic Vocabulary Crossword

Accountancy Students - list of useful CILL Materials

Address of CILL:
Centre for Independent Language Learning
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Hung Hom
Kowloon
Hong Kong

N.B. To get to CILL on foot, go to 'A' core (by the fountain steps), 3rd floor. After that, follow the signs.

Adjective order - what order to write or say adjectives in, and a technique to help you to memorise them.

Adjustment, Letter of (Reply to a Letter of Complaint) correction exercise.

How to write adjustment letters - includes the stages of dealing with complaints, some useful expressions, some example letters, and an exercise.

Adjustment Letter Constructor - build a letter of adjustment by selecting the right phrases.

Advanced Dictionary Skills Program

Advert Writer - for writing job adverts

Agreement - Subject-verb agreement - an explanation and an exercise.

Aliens - Prepositions and collocations for job application letters in a Grammar Aliens game

Alphabetiser - a program that puts words into alphabetical order

Andy Morrall - CILL Senior Lecturer

Apologise / apologises / apologies - the grammar of apologise

Approximation - an exercise in describing numbers in an easy-to-understand way

Approximation Correction exercise - to check that you can use the language of approximation correctly

Articles and Geography - a quiz which teaches you the correct articles to use before countries, cities, islands, mountains, lakes, seas and oceans

Articles - List of useful CILL Materials - e.g. a, an, the

Assessment Two Checklist for EAP 1999 - Short Academic Writing

Assessment Three Checklist for EAP 1999 - Extended Academic Writing

Assessment Four Checklist for EAP 1999 - Presentations

 

B


Because or Due to the fact that - an explanation and an exercise.

Beliefs, opinions and attitudes : vocabulary.

Beliefs, opinions and attitudes crossword

Bibliographic References:

Referencing Resources on the Internet

Bronze Certificate

Bruce Morrison - Director of ELC

Building and Real Estate - useful materials for BRE students

Business - useful Internet links for Business Students

Business - useful materials for business students

 

C


Categorisation - this exercise introduces the vocabulary and grammar needed for the function of categorisation, and includes a short exercise to help you check that you understand.

Cause and Effect - this exercise introduces the vocabulary and grammar needed to describe causes and effects. Includes an exercise.

Certificate - how to get a CILL Attendance Certificate

Change and continuity: nouns and verbs table

Change and continuity: nouns and verbs gap fill

Change and continuity: nouns and verbs multiple choice

Checklist for Job Interview Panels - print this out and use it during the interview to record details of the applicants

Chu, Sunny - CILL Language Instructor

Chinese and Bilingual Studies - useful materials for CBS students

Citation:

Referencing Resources on the Internet

City - how to find the right city to put in your bibliography for books and edited books.

Civil and Structural Engineering - useful materials for CSE students

Club - website of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University English Club

Coherence in a Text on Palmistry

Collocations - contains links to the vocabulary; e.g. 'meet', and a matching exercise

Collocations - contains links to the vocabulary; e.g. 'express' and a matching exercise.

Collocations - contains links to the vocabulary; e.g. 'empirical' and a matching exercise.

Collocation: Set Phrases

Collocation: Verbs and Nouns 1

Collocation: Verbs and Nouns 2

Communication Studies One course - useful materials

Common Confusions - a developmental vocabulary and grammar quiz with feedback.

Common Error Detector - a program to check your grammar. Paste in your text and this program will check for many common errors. It is an aid to proof-reading, not a replacement.

Company Profile Form - EIW groups should fill this in to give to job applicants

Comparison and Contrast - exercise on the functions of comparison and contrast and definition.

Complain / complaint / complained - the grammar of 'complain'.

Complaint letters - describes the content, language and organisation of letters of complaint, and includes examples and an exercise.

Complaints - list of useful CILL materials

Concern - how to use concern correctly

The Conclusion section of a report - an explanation, an example and an exercise.

Concordancer - a program to find example sentences containing words you choose

Conditional Clauses

Confusing words - exercise on the differences between some commonly confused words. Includes links to pronunciation, definitions and examples.

Contact Information: Centre for Independent Language Learning

Contrast Clauses - in spite of the fact that, etc.

Contrast clauses - sentence patterns

Contrast sentences

Correction Code

Covering Letters in Job Applications - how to answer questions when filling in forms

Covering Letters - Job Application Letter Writer - fill in the spaces and this program will write your job application for you!

Covering Letters in Job Application Letters - list of useful CILL materials

Covering Letters in Job Application Procedures - list of CILL materials

C.V. / Resume Writer - fill in the boxes and this program will write your resume for you.

 

D


Data Collection Methods - CILL materials

David Wong - CILL Lecturer

Definitions - exercise on the functions of definition, comparison and contrast.

Departmental-specific materials in CILL (for ACCT, BRE, BUSS, CBS, CSE, EE, HTM & ITC)

Department of English home pages

Describing Numbers - an explanation, a program to write and speak a number, and an exercise

Describing Trends - this exercise introduces the vocabulary and grammar needed to describe trends.

Diagnostic Grammar Test: find out your grammar problems and how to solve them - click here if you have a PolyU student ID, or else click here

Diary

CILL EAP Diary Frequently-asked Questions

Dictionaries

Dictionary Skills Program

Dictionary Usage - CILL materials

 

E


E-mail Pen-pals

English for Academic Purposes (EAP)

CILL EAP Diary Frequently-asked Questions

EAP-related tasks:

EAP: Lists of CILL materials to help with EAP (English for Academic Purposes):

EAP Homework Suggestions

EIW (English in the Workplace)

Effects and Causes - this exercise introduces the vocabulary and grammar needed to describe causes and effects. Includes an exercise.

Electrical Engineering - useful materials for EE students

E-mail of CILL

E-mail - how to write e-mails

E-mail Pen-pals/Pen-friends

English Club - website of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University English Club

English Language Centre home page

Enquiry letters - describes the content, language and organisation of letters of enquiry. Includes an exercise.

Enquiry letter replies - describes the content and language of letters of enquiry, with example letters. Includes an exercise.

Common Error Detector - a program to check your grammar. Paste in your text and this program will check for many common errors. It is an aid to proof-reading, not a replacement.

Essay Introductory Paragraph Techniques - identify four basic techniques for composing the opening statement of your introductory paragraph: the general statement, the rhetorical question, the impact statement, and the anecdote

The Order of an Essay - putting paragraphs in the correct order

Essay Writing - list of useful CILL materials (Early-intermediate and Intermediate)

Essay Writing - list of useful CILL materials (Intermediate and Upper-intermediate)

Error Detector - the Error Detector finds some common problems in academic essay writing and gives you tips how to solve them.

Example Academic Essay - referencing is highlighted so that you can see when and how to quote, summarise and paraphrase.

Exercises - a list of the exercises on the CILL site

 

F


FAQ - Frequently-asked Questions and their answers

Fax Number of CILL: (0852) 27745172

Films - how to learn English using films

Final Year Projects website

Final Year Projects - CILL materials

Formality:

Frequently-asked Questions

French

Functions - exercise on definition, comparison and contrast.

 

G


List of games on the CILL site

General Service List of vocabulary

General Service List vocabulary hangman

Replacing 'get'

Gold Certificate

Good point! - An ELC site for sharing your ideas on topics that you are interested in, and for reading about topics that you can use in discussions, seminars, presentations, papers and essays.

Grammar

Diagnostic Grammar Test: find out your grammar problems and how to solve them - click here if you have a PolyU student ID, or else click here

Grade Calculator

Grammar - Infinitive and -ing (Intermediate) - list of useful CILL materials

Grammar - Passive Voice (Intermediate) - list of useful CILL materials

Grammar - >Common Problems - list of useful CILL materials

 

H


Hangman for the 2000 most common words in English

Hangman for the 2000-5000th most common words in English

Hangman for the Academic Word List

HASALD - presentation about the CILL site

Hedging

Help

Hong Kong Polytechnic University home page

Hours of Opening

How Can I Learn English on the Internet?

How Can I Plan My Work?

How Can I Test Myself?

How Do I Use This Site?

Hotel and Tourism Management - useful materials for HTM students

Ho, Rosana - CILL Language Instructor

 

I


Workplace Idioms - Explanation and Examples, Exercise 1, Exercise 2.

Replacing idioms with formal verbs

IELTS - International English Language Testing System Organisation web site

IELTS - the ELC's IELTS information and practice exercises

Important or Importance? Explanation and exercise on which word to use.

Importance and Unimportance

Informal English names; e.g. Bill=William

Instructions - CILL materials

In-text referencing - error correction exercise.

Interview Panel Discussion - example phrases and an ordering activity

Interview Panel Checklist - print this out and use it during the interview to record details of the applicants

Interview Quiz - questions and advice on the content and grammar of job interview answers

Interview simulation - practice interviews in an animation

Interviews (Early-intermediate and Intermediate) - list of useful CILL materials

Requesting an interview about a company - the organisation and content of a message requesting an interview to find out details of a company.

Internet - Searching

Introductions in Reports - a page to help you understand the content and grammar of report introductions. It contains explanations, an example and an exercise.

Introductory Paragraph Techniques for Essays - identify four basic techniques for composing the opening statement of your introductory paragraph: the general statement, the rhetorical question, the impact statement, and the anecdote

Institute of Textiles and Clothing - Useful Internet Links for ITC Students

Institute of Textiles and Clothing - useful materials for ITC students

Investment Phrases- matching exercise

IPA Chart of the sounds of British English

IPA Typewriter

It is because and this is because - an explanation and an exercise

ITC Vocabulary Hangman:
- Design Styles
- Kinds of Clothing
- Kinds of Textile
- Surprise Me

 

J


Japanese

Job Advert Writer

Job Applications - how to answer questions when filling in forms

Job application letters prepositions and collocations in a Grammar Aliens game.

Job Application Knowledge Game

Job Application Letter Writer - fill in the spaces and this program will write your job application for you!

Job application letter checklist

Job Application Letters - list of useful CILL materials

Job Application Procedures - list of CILL materials

Job Interview Panel Discussion - example phrases and an ordering activity

Job Interview Panel Checklist - print this out and use it during the interview to record details of the applicants

Job Interview Quiz - questions and advice on the content and grammar of interview answers

Job interview simulation - practice interviews in an animation

Job Interviews (Early-intermediate and Intermediate) - list of useful CILL materials

Job-seeking Process - listen and put the steps in the right order

Peter Johnson - CILL Instructor

Journalistic Questioning

 

K


Key Words in University Study - Nouns - Crossword - area, aspect, category, class, component, compound, division, domain, element, entity, field, group, portion, sphere

 

L


'Lack' or 'Lack of'? - an explanation and an exercise

Learner Diary

Learning Strategies

Learning Styles

Letters

Adjustment letters:

Legal Documents - CILL materials

Links to other useful sites for learning English

Listening

Listening to Lectures - list of useful CILL materials

Lists of useful materials in CILL - Index

 

M


Make-a-word pronunciation game

Manuals - CILL materials

Map of the CILL Internet Site

Materials Lists of CILL Materials

Meetings

Memos

Mind-maps

Modals and tentativity

Morrall, Andy - CILL Senior Lecturer

Mortgage Phrases - matching exercise

Mortgage vocabulary - definitions and a gap fill exercise

Movies - how to learn English using movies

 

N


Names - Informal English names; e.g. Bill=William

Names - List of other names

Needs Analysis - finding out what English you need to learn

Note-taking - list of useful CILL materials

Note-taking from Written Texts - CILL materials

Nouns - countable, uncountable and special cases

Numbers - an explanation, a program to write and speak a number, and an exercise

 

O


On-line Dictionaries

Opening Hours

Oral Presentations - CILL Materials

Organisation Tool - type your ideas into the boxes in this program, then re-order them with the 'Up' and 'Down' buttons. You can then print out the re-ordered ideas. Saves you time because this is easier than doing it on paper.

Orientation Video

Orientation Video Quiz

Overview of Our Centre

 

P


Panel Discussion - example phrases and an ordering activity for a panel discussion in a job interview.

Pathways - lists of useful materials in CILL

Paraphrase, Summary or Quotation?

Paraphrase - how to write and reference a paraphrase

Passive Voice

Pen-pals/Pen-friends - e-mail pen-pals / pen-friends on the Internet

Phone Number of CILL: (0852) 2766 7526

Phrase comparison - compare example sentences for two phrases

Planning

Planning Form

Positive Tone in Adjustment Letters

Precise Words

Prefix Meanings - a matching exercise

Prefixes Crossword

Problem areas: prepositions

The Use of Prepositions in Job Applications

Prepositional phrases

Presentations

Problem words - exercise on the differences between some commonly confused words. Includes links to pronunciation, definitions and examples.

Project Proposals - CILL materials

Promotional Material - CILL materials

Pronunciation

Pronunciation - Intonation and Stress - list of CILL materials

Pronunciation - Individual Sounds - list of CILL materials

Pronunciation Program - 'Sounds'

Pronunciation - IPA Chart of the sounds of British English

Proofreading - the Error Detector finds some common problems in academic essay writing and gives you tips how to solve them.

 

Q


Questionnaire design errors

Quotation, Summary or Paraphrase?

Quotation - how to write and reference a quotation.

Quiz - CILL Orientation Video Quiz

 

R


Reading

Reading Skills - CILL materials

Report Recommendations - an explanation, an example and an exercise.

Referencing Resources on the Internet

Reference Letter Writer - fill in the boxes and the computer will give you a correctly-formatted reference letter

Relative clauses

Reply to a Letter of Complaint (Letter of Adjustment) correction exercise.

Reply to an enquiry letter - describes the content and language of letters of enquiry, with example letters. Includes an exercise.

Report Writing

Content and Organisation

Introductions

  • Report Writing: Introductions - a page to help you understand the content and grammar of report introductions. It contains explanations, an example and an exercise.
  • Report Introductions - a text-reconstruction exercise to help you remember the language of the introduction to a report.

Method / Methodology / Procedure

Findings and Discussion

Conclusion

Recommendations

Practice Materials

Resume Writer - a program to help you with the content and format of resumes - fill in the boxes, press a button, and the program will make a resume for you

Rosana Ho - CILL Language Instructor

 

S


Sales Letters - an explanation and an exercise

Satisfaction - choosing between 'satisfy', 'satisfied', 'satisfying' and 'satisfactory', etc.

Silver Certificate

Speaking Assistance Programme (SAP)

Scanner - a program that highlights the words in a text that are easy for a reader to find. Use it to improve the organisation and reader-friendliness of your writing.

Searching the Internet

Seminar Skills - CILL materials

Sentence Types - dependent and independent clauses

Sentence structure of simple sentences

Socialising: Meeting a new colleague - example phrases, video and an exercise

Social English Conversation - list of useful CILL materials

Social English: Introductions and Greetings (Early-intermediate and Intermediate) - list of useful CILL materials

Sounds - Pronunciation Program

The Sounds of British English in the IPA (International Phonemic Alphabet) chart

Sounding out i, e and ?sounds

Speaking

Spoken Business Communication - CILL materials

Spoken Opinions (Early-intermediate and Intermediate) - list of useful CILL materials

Spoken Opinions (Intermediate and Upper-intermediate) - list of useful CILL materials

Staff who work in CILL

Staff or Staffs? Using the right part of speech for 'staff'.

Strategies for Learning

Studying

Styles of Learning

Subject Headings - how to write correct subject headings

Subject-verb agreement - an explanation and an exercise.

Suffixes

Suffixes for Meaning and Word Class

Suffixes for New Words

Summary, Quotation or Paraphrase

Summary - how to write and reference a summary.

Summarising (Intermediate and Upper-intermediate) - list of useful CILL materials

Sunny Chu - CILL Language Instructor

Synthesis - gives information and examples of how to describe different opinions in the same text, how to analyse them, and how to give your own opinion.

Synonyms for nouns

Synonyms for verbs

 

T


Telephone Number of CILL: (852) 2766 7526

Templates for Documents - Modify these Microsoft Office documents to do different types of writing such as reports, certificates and letters of adjustment.

Testing Yourself

Theoretical Background to this Site

That-clauses

Thinking Tools

  • Organisation Tool - helps you to re-organise lists; e.g. lists of topics to put in essays.
  • Idea Web - helps you to organise ideas for essays and presentations etc.
  • Pros and Cons Calculator - helps you decide which side of an argument is stronger

Times of Opening

Tone in Adjustment Letters

The transition from school to university - a reading and categorisation activity.

Transitivity - transitive and intransitive verbs

Trends - this exercise introduces the vocabulary and grammar needed to describe trends.

Trends Headings - this exercise shows how to use headings when describing trends. Includes an exercise.

Trends in line graphs

 

U


Useful links to other useful sites for learning English

 

V


Verbs, formal

Verbs of Academic Communication - Crossword - categorise, classify, compose, comprise, consist, constitute, cover, embrace, encompass, incorporate, form, include, involve, make up.

Verbs of Knowledge and Opinion - this exercise is to help you to avoid common confusions between the uses of the verbs know, learn, understand, think and believe.

Video Orientation

Virtual Language Centre's home page: learn English here.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary (Intermediate) - list of useful CILL materials

Vocabulary: Common Confusions - a developmental quiz with feedback.

Academic Vocabulary - lists of academic words. You can click the links for definitions, example sentences and pronunciations.

General Service List of vocabulary

General Service List vocabulary hangman

Vocabulary to express similarity and difference - fill in the blanks

Vocabulary to express similarity and difference - common mistakes

Vowel game - for groups to practise IPA vowel sounds; e.g. /I/, /i:/, /e/ and /?

 

W


What is Independent Learning?

David Wong - CILL Instructor

Words - exercise on the differences between some commonly confused words. Includes links to pronunciation, definitions and examples.

Words: Academic Vocabulary - lists of academic words. You can click the links for definitions, example sentences and pronunciations.

Word Roots - gap fill

Word Roots - matching

Worksheets

Written Business Communication - CILL materials

Writing

Writing and Presenting Final Year Projects - CILL materials

Writing Complaints - list of useful CILL materials

Writing for Academic Purposes - CILL materials

Writing Notices - CILL materials

Workshop for Staff on authoring pages for the Internet (January 1999)

 

X


No Record.

 

Y


No Record.

 

Z


No Record.

 

Last updated on: Wednesday, June 07, 2023