http://www.englishtenseswithcartoons.com/
This is another site that makes English grammar more enjoyable. This site focuses on verb tense, a higher-level skill that requires a certain level of language comprehension, either in a native language that also has verb tenses to differentiate between past, present, and future, or in English. The site is divided into two main parts, exercises and basic subjects. Exercises are subset by sixteen lesson headings, such as past perfect or future continuous. Another section aims for experts of these subjects including a version of the popular video game Asteroids. Every game employs an animated cartoon illustration of some kind, many interactive and many utilizing a thought or conversation bubble. The basic subjects section is a compilation of lessons explaining over ten lessons, providing reference materials for the games.
This site is a little rough. After navigating around the advertisements, some of which are very difficult to discern, some of the animations are difficult to figure out. The material is advanced and the site may serve best as a review rather than an introduction. I expect even self-directing students would have a tough time. While the animations are detailed and professionally made, their purpose is not always clear. The asteroids game for example is disconnected from learning material. The game itself is an exercise in hand eye coordination solely. The sentences that describe actions taking place may be easily disregarded. Other examples are quite successful, such as the quiz about the boy who “goes around Egypt.” An animation lasting only seconds is displayed and the user must choose from sentences describing what was just seen. This is an example of an activity that promotes engagement. While this site is great for direct instruction, spelling it out for English language learners or any learner, it will need to be balanced with more than a novel animation.
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