Can people with no special skills and only a basic to intermediate English make any money online?

Tell him to get involved with an affiliate program.  It's all online so he won't have to speak with anyone and it's a totally independent gig.  Best of all, if he builds up some decent traffic it'll continue to make him money passively down the road. To make it worth his time, have him go with an affiliate program that pays decent money.  Products that are business or finance related pay the best.  For example, http://profitpress.com/ pays out $100 for each sale.  Consumer product affiliate programs pay a lot less, so he should stick to the higher paying niches. After he's an affiliate for a while he'll naturally build up his sales skills and he can move onto something else if he wants.  The ability to sell is a valuable skill set.

I would say go for Mechanical Turk - can be a boring work but eventually your skill level will increase to take on more complicated work. However, the income bit is a function of where you are located in the world.

I  am a freelancer writer. I have been freelancing for five years  now. I can share what I feel are some useful habits which you should  cultivate to acquire writing skills which can help you to make money by  freelance writing: 1. Read: You must inculcate a good  reading habit. Read blogs, wikipedia, newspapers, books, reports,  opinions and everything else you can put your hands on. It builds  perspective and makes you smarter and more aware. Additionally it helps  you identify writing styles which are effective and which you would like  to incorporate into your own style of writing. 2. Start writing:  This one is a no-brainer. You have to be an expert at writing. There  are a million freelance writers out there and some of them are really  good and charge outrageously low rates. The only way a client will  choose you over them is if you can create content which stands out. My  advise is go after a niche and stick to it. Refrain from writing about  anything and everything. Ultimately freelancers who are paid the most  are usually experts who have a lot of experience in their field. 3.  Learn to research: This is a skill you must master. You should be  capable of researching topics from scratch. A good writing style help  you to mint words but the underlying content should be well researched  and should benefit your readers. 4. Build a portfolio:  Prospective clients will not take your word that you are an amazing  content creator. They will request you to show proof which showcases  your skills and quality. This is the reason you should spend  considerable time and effort in building a diverse portfolio which  reflects the style and quality which you would like to project. 4.  Be persistent: Do not give up. It will take you a long time before you  can grab an actual project which pays well. In this competitive market  you will have most of your initial bids turned down. Clients prefer  people with experience which and they are a bit apprehensive about  hiring first time freelancers. You will have to do a lot of convincing  and initially work for dirt cheap rates until you build some  credibility. Most wannabes will quit after a couple of unsuccessful  months because they lack patience and persistence which is required in  this industry. 5. Be impressive: You work does not end when  you win a client, in fact it just begins. You must be really committed  to ensure that you deliver the highest quality of work within the  promised timelines. This will help you build trust and also bring in  repeat work from clients who like your work. 6. Start on the  right platform: There are so many freelancing sites out there that is  very easy to be confused and strayed while choosing the right platform.  Although there are a lot of good portals but when it comes to quality  writing projects and high paying clients I personally recommend Elance https://www.elance.com/?rid=3BPXM . Freelancing  if done the right way can help you generate sustainable income and helps you to be self-employed. All the best :)

In addition to the excellent answer above by Andrew I'll add that he needs to be meticulous in his work and have timeliness.