A selection of English ESL word recognition printables

Culture, intercultural communication, cross-cultural communication

Adjectives to describe feelings, emotions

Adjectives to describe personality and character

Adjectives: Gradable / Non-gradable adjectives

Articles: Definite or indefinite article (a, an or the)

BE + infinitive structures (e.g. he was to become famous)

Clauses of contrast (e.g.  although, while)

Clauses of purpose (e.g. in order to, so that, so as to)

Clauses of reason (e.g. because, because of, due to, as, since)

Cleft sentences (e.g. It's Joey we're looking for)

Comparison: Comparative adjectives and structures

Comparison: Superlative adjectives and structures

Conditional 2 (second conditional) - would

Conditionals: Conditional phrases (e.g. unless, provided that, as long as)

Conjunctions (aka connectives, e.g. and, but, or, so, then)

Contractions (shortened forms, e.g. don't, aren't, etc.)

Determiners (words that can come before nouns)

Formal and informal English (politeness or colloquial language)

Future perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Future perfect simple and continuous (progressive) tense

Future phrases (e.g. be about to, bound to, likely to, due to, set to + INF)

Homonyms (two words with the same pronunciation - homophones and homographs)

It as preparatory subject (e.g. it's raining, it's nice of you to)

Linking verbs (aka copulas, e.g. I am a student)

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how to accuse somebody of something in English

how to apologize, say sorry, forgive and express regret in English

how to ask for information and make inquiries in English

how to ask for something, make requests in English

how to blame somebody for something in English

how to defend yourself from criticism in English

how to deny or admit something in English

how to describe things or people in English

how to emphasize important things in English

how to encourage or discourage people in English

how to evaluate people or progress in English

how to express agreement /disagreement in English

how to express approval and disapproval  in English

how to express cause and effect in English

how to express interest in something in English

how to express likelihood, probability in English

how to express likes and dislikes in English

how to express sequence and chronology in English

how to express shock and disbelief in English

how to express sympathy and condolences in English

how to give permission, authorization in English

how to inform somebody about some news in English

how to interpret what was said in English

how to keep a conversation going in English

how to make guesses about something in English

how to make, accept and refuse offers in English

how to order or make a booking in English

how to persuade, convince people in English

how to praise people and express appreciation in English

how to reassure somebody of something in English

how to refuse and object to something in English

how to remind people of something in English

how to rephrase, paraphrase what was said in English

how to say thank you, express gratitude in English

Nouns: Collective nouns (team, class, family, committee)

Nouns: Proper nouns (names of people, cities, companies)

Oxymorons (phrases with words of contradictory meaning, e.g. living dead)

Participles: Past participle (e.g. HAVING DONE)

Participles: Present participle (e.g. DOING)

Parts of Speech (aka word classes, e.g. nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs)

Past perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Phonetics (pronunciation, IPA, phonetic symbols)

Plural nouns: regular plurals with S ending

Prefixes (e.g. A, UN, IM, DIS, MIS, EN, etc. )

Prepositions vs adverbs (e.g. before me, saw him before.)

Prepositions: Double prepositions (e.g. out of)

Prepositions: Participle prepositions (e.g. pending, concerning)

Prepositions: Phrase prepositions (e.g. by means of)

Present perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Present perfect simple or present continuous tense

Present simple tense: S for third person singular verbs

Present simple vs continuous (progressive) tense

Pronouns: EACH OTHER, ONE ANOTHER (reciprocal pronouns)

Pronouns: Possessive pronouns (e.g. my, mine)

Pronouns: Reflexive pronouns (e.g. myself, yourself))

Pronouns: SOMEBODY, ANYBODY, EVERYBODY, NO ONE, NOTHING, etc.

Pronouns: THIS, THAT, THESE, THOSE (demonstratives)

Pronouns: YOU and THEY to talk about people in general

Quantifiers (e.g. some, many, much, any, few, little)

Questions: WH questions (open-ended questions)

Reported speech: reported questions (indirect questions)

There is / there are / there was / there were / there will be, etc.

Verbs: Transitive or intransitive verbs (words that can or cannot stand with objects)

Working with Paragraphs: ordering, titling

Role play, miming, drama activity or improv game

Pictionary (picture dictionary) or picture matching

Writing an opinion essay (persuasive essay)

Learners who are Pre-A1 have just begun learning English and will first learn how to:<ul><li>Say the letters in the alphabet and numbers</li><li>Say hello, talk about names and age</li><li>Name the colors and dates, express likes and dislikes</li></ul>

Absolute beginners who have begun to learn the letters and numbers

Learners taking the A1 Elementary exam should be able to:<ul><li>Introduce themselves and ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, things he/she has, people he/she knows.</li><li>Communicate using very basic phrases as long as the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: common adjectives & adverbs of frequency, going to, how much/how many, imperatives, I'd like, 's – possessive, common prepositions of place and time, present simple & continuous, there is/are</li></ul>

A very basic tourist level, which is enough for buying food and a bus ticket

Learners taking the A2 Pre-intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand sentences and frequently used expressions (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment).</li><li>Complete tasks that are routine and exchange information about familiar matters.</li><li>Describe matters of immediate need in simple terms.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: countable/uncountable nouns, adverbs of frequency, future will/going to, much/many, present perfect, past simple, past continuous, common phrasal verbs, common modals: can/should</li></ul>

A tourist who can do basic conversations about the past, present and future

Learners taking the B1 Intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand points regarding family, work, school or leisure-related topics.</li><li>Deal with most travel situations in areas where the language is spoken.</li><li>Create simple texts on topics of personal interest.</li><li>Describe experiences, events, dreams, and ambitions, as well as opinions or plans in brief.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: question tags, intensifiers: too/enough, future tenses, past tenses, modals, conditionals, wh-questions in the past</li></ul>

Learners who can deal with both familiar and routine situations, in friendly and work contexts

Learners taking the B2 Upper-intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialization.</li><li>Interact with fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without difficulty for either party.</li><li>Produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain an opinion on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: perfect tenses, mixed conditionals, modals in the present, phrasal verbs, reported speech, wish, relative clauses</li></ul>

The level where you can be a tour guide for your foreign friends and talk about a lot of topics, even abstract ones, with ease and fluency

Learners taking the C1 Advanced exam should be able to: Express ideas fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts. Produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, using linking phrases (=words that connect ideas between sentences). Main grammar points to know: inversion, mixed conditionals, modals in the past, all passive forms, phrasal verbs (all patterns), wish/if only for regrets

Learners who can smoothly communicate in every walk of life, read long texts and write well

Learners taking the C2 Proficient exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand almost everything read or heard with ease.</li><li>Summarize information from a variety of sources into a coherent presentation.</li><li>Express themselves using precise meaning in complex scenarios.</li><li>Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations</li></ul>

Get here and you are ready to study in English at university

Recognition of short vowel a sound in the middle of a word. Fill in the vowel that makes the sound you hear; plus: color the pictures that have vowel a

Middle, short vowel a

A quick test for primary students covering the days of the week and some word recognition of words we covered in the term

Written Test

This handy worksheet helps pre-intermediate ESL students practise transportation vocabulary in context. Students complete sentences using transportation words from a word bank (e.g., train, plane, boat, taxi) by identifying the correct word based on clues. The activity encourages word recognition, spelling practice, and comprehension. An additional writing task allows students to create their own sentences using the transportation vocabulary, fostering creativity and reinforcing learning.

Let’s Travel Together!

This crossword puzzle is designed to help ESL learners practice using have got / has got while learning vocabulary related to animals. Each clue describes an animal using physical traits or abilities, encouraging students to deduce the correct word using context clues.


Students read the descriptions and fill in the crossword using the correct animal name. The clues are written using have got / has got to reinforce grammar patterns and support comprehension. This task is great for group work, pair activities, or individual practice. 


Level: A1–A2 (Elementary) 
 Focus: Vocabulary (Animals), Grammar (Have/Has Got), Reading Comprehension 
 Skills: Reading, Writing, Vocabulary Recognition 


Tip: After completing the crossword, encourage students to create their own animal descriptions using have got / has got and challenge their classmates to guess which animal they are describing!

Crossword – Animals, Has got

Completing the English learner crossword about animals is a fun and engaging way to learn new vocabulary while reinforcing language skills. In this task, learners will fill in the crossword grid with animal names based on clues provided for each horizontal and vertical space. Each clue describes a different animal, its characteristics, or its habitat. Learners need to use their knowledge of animals and their English vocabulary to find the correct answers.
As they work through the puzzle, students will improve their spelling, word recognition, and understanding of animal-related vocabulary. They will also practice interpreting clues, which may include synonyms, descriptions, or wordplay. This activity encourages critical thinking as learners make connections between the clues and the words that fit both the description and the crossword grid.
By completing the crossword, students will have fun while expanding their knowledge of animals and enhancing their English language skills, making learning both educational and enjoyable!

Animals- crossword (boardgame)

Worksheet for (very) young learners who have just started reading. Students look at the pictures and circle the correct word. If they don´t know a word, the teacher could tell them (as this is basically a word/letter recognition exercise). Older students should be able to complete this on their own. Can also be used as a phonics reading worksheet. Most words are three-letter words (CVC consonant-vowel-consonant).

Very Young Learners - Short vowels Test

Simple word search for young learners. Practice your Easter vocabulary and word recognition using the wordsearch. Teacher should review the words and their meaning beforehand.  format.Solution provided on page 2.

 Easter Wordsearch + KEY

Shape Flashcards or worksheet for young learners. http://www.yo-yee.com - Laminated Flashcards





Yo-Yee Education Shape Flashcards

This is a rhyming words exercise to help with pronunciation of vowel sounds and recognition of the  different spellings. there are 3 matching words (one blue, one green one red). Once the children (about age 8-12 but also used with adults) I have asked the children to choose one or two sets of rhyming words and write a short poem or limerick using the vocabulary. I write an example for them e.g kitty, city, pretty

there once was a lonely kitty

Who lived in a huge city

When she could

she wanted to look good

She thought she was ever so pretty



and then the kids write their own.



Rhyming words - vowel sounds

The activities are mainly focused on vocabulary and word recognition. Students have to read and match the words with the correct picture.  Some exercise are done with the objective that students write about their likes and dislikes.

Food and Drinks

THIS IS AN UPDATED SONG TO PRACTICE PRONUNCIATION AND SPELLING.  THE WORKSHEET HAS LYRICS COMPLETITION, PARTS OF SPEECH RECOGNITION, DEFINITIONS, ANTONYMS ADN IDIOMS. IT IS AN EXCELLENT ICEBREAKER TO START A LESSON OR PRACTICE DIFFERENT SKILLS.  

SONG: ALONE BY ALAN WALKER

The game works well for letter recognition. Different types are used to improve the skill. You can also ask your student to provide a word starting with the letter he/she is on. 

59 Word recognition English ESL worksheets pdf & doc