Meaning & use
ESL
Last updated
Meaning
abbreviation
English as a Second Language: the teaching or learning of English by people whose first language is not English.
Grammar: Used as a noun or before another noun: an ESL class, ESL students.
Patterns
- ESL class
- ESL teacher
- ESL program
She teaches ESL to adults who have recently moved to Canada.
The school offers free ESL classes on weekday evenings.
He improved his English quickly by taking an ESL course.
Common combinations
- ESL teacher
- My cousin works as an ESL teacher in Chicago.
- ESL student
- ESL students often need extra help with writing.
- ESL program
- The university runs a summer ESL program for international students.
- teach ESL
- After college, she decided to teach ESL abroad.
Synonyms and how they differ
- EFL
- EFL means English as a Foreign Language and is used when English is not spoken in the learner's community, while ESL is used when English is the main language of daily life.
- ESOL
- ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) is common in Britain and often covers the same learners as ESL.
- ELL
- ELL stands for English Language Learner and refers to the student rather than the subject or program.
Commonly confused: ESL or EFL?
ESL vs EFL
EFL is for learners in countries where English is not the everyday language; ESL usually means learners surrounded by English.
Practice
The school hired a new teacher to work with ______ students who just arrived from other countries.
Choose one answer.
ESL means English as a Second Language, which fits students learning English in an English-speaking country. ESP (English for Specific Purposes) is about specialized English, ESQ is a title for lawyers, and EST is a time zone.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ESL”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.