| Grammar Help |
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O.W.L. (Online Writing Lab)
O.W.L., the Online Writing Lab, is a virtual goldmine of information on grammar and writing. You'll want to explore its many features – printable handouts, pointers on writing, links to other resources, and many others – thoroughly. This link is to the entry page. Because it is a very large site, I provide separate links to subsections below.
Content: 5; Ease of Use: 4.5 Highly recommended.
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O.W.L. Handouts Index
Starting point for handouts from the Online Writing Lab (see above).
Content: 5; Ease of Use: 5
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O.W.L Handouts Index 2
Online Writing Lab's second index links to handouts by topic.
Content: 5; Ease of Use: 5
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O.W.L Internet Links
The Online Writing Lab's comprehensive index of links to Internet resources. The first page lists general categories; subsequent pages lead to more specific subcategories.
Content: 5; Ease of Use: 5
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Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips on Writing
A relatively new resource, Grammar Girl gives tips on grammar and usage with a fresh and invigorating style. She works primarily via podcasts (about which The Mudge is totally ignorant), but this site is an entree. You can take it from there. From what I've seen, it's highly worthwhile.
Content: 5; Ease of Use: To be determined.
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University of Colorado Writing Center
Offers some useful handouts on subjects ranging from MLA style to paragraph development to writing an effective thesis, with links to other resources. Designed primarily for students at the U. of Colorado but useful to others as well. Content: 3.5; Ease of Use: 4
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| Grammar Handbooks |
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Little, Brown Handbooks
This comprehensive site offers links to various handbooks by Jane E. Aaron. Each handbook site contains highly compressed versions of the handbook's contents, with other features and aids for both students and teachers. Some exploration is necessary, but the results are rewarding.
Content: 5; Ease of Use: 4
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LB Brief Handbook
A link from the above site, this is the online companion to LB Brief, the text that I use in my English Composition classes. It is no substitute for the printed text but does present most of the fundamentals, with links to supplementary material.
Content: 4.5; Ease of Use: 4.5
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| Style |
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The Elements of Style
Text of The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White. a book that every writer should read at least once a year.
Contents: 5; Ease of Use: 5 Highly Recommended
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Plain English Campaign
This site, based in England, declares: "We are an independent organisation fighting for crystal-clear language and against jargon, gobbledygook and other confusing language." An interesting feature (under Examples) is the gobbledegook generator, which will help you to write opaque prose just like a consultant, Content: 3; Ease of Use: 4
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| Grammar and Style |
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Common Errors in English
"Brian's Errors" covers many of common errors in English usage and grammar. You need to go to a list of errors (they're arranged alphabetically) and then find what you need to look up. However, the search can be very rewarding. The site also gives a list of other resources.
Content: 4; Ease of Use: 5
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Links from refdesk.com
A resource that may make my own listings redundant, this site gives links to 91 useful references on grammar, usage, and style, with seven links to resources specifically for proposal writers.
Content: 5; Ease of Use: 5
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Underground Grammarian
The essays and articles on this site discuss various topics related to grammar and language. Their author, Richard Mitchell, died in 2002, but the site remains as a memorial to him. It is not a reference source, but it does contain some very interesting material for people engaged in the writer's craft, including Professor Mitchell's complete newsletters, dating from 1977.
Content: 5; Ease of Use: 5
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| Word Reference |
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World Wide Words
Here's a gem of a site, viewing "international English from a British viewpoint," that explores words and contains some interesting and arcane facts. Recently revised in 2005, this site is even better than ever. True verbivores can subscribe to a free newsletter. There's also a link for sending questions about words, their origins, and their meanings. This huge site is maintained by Michael Quinion, an unquestionable authority on the English language.
Content: 5; Ease of Use: 5
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Fun with Words
Here's a site that is exactly what it says it is. Besides such useful sections as lists of commonly confused words, commonly misspelled words, and commonly mispronounced words, it has sections on grammar foibles (errors in grammar that produce humorous results), conflicting proverbs (wise sayings that contradict each other), a "glossary of fun words," and more.
Content 5; Ease of Use: 5 Highly recommended
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Wordspy
Wordspy's accurate self-description states: "This Web site and its associated mailing list are devoted to recently coined words and phrases, old words that are being used in new ways, and existing words that have enjoyed a recent renaissance."
Content 5; Ease of Use 5
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English (British) Slang Dictionary
A compendium of English (British) slang, from abdabs to zonk and Z's, with easy alphabetical access. Some entries are strictly British; others apply to both Britain and the U.S.
Content 4; Ease of Use 5
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Idioms & Axioms
Idiomatic expressions from American English are explained, giving their meanings and origins. Content: 3.5; Ease of Use: 5
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The Devil's Dictionary
Not really a reference and just for fun, Ambrose Bierce's The Devil's Dictionary is as amusing and witty today as it was when it was published nearly a century ago. Content: 5; Ease of Use: 5
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| Writing in General |
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Essay Writing Guide
A simple and straightforward presentation of the basic principles of constructing an essay – ideal for students who don't know how to begin. While this site does not presume to burden the beginner with details, it does give links to other, more advanced resurces for essay writers.
Content: 5; Ease of Use: 5
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| Reference: General |
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The Glossarist
Extremely useful site for locating glossaries of terms (and other information) via either a search or the site's extensive list of categories. Not just rhetorical, grammatical, and literary terms but a plethora of other subjects from "the arts" to "world, regions, countries, and travel."
Content: 5; Ease of Use: 5
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| ESL (English As Second Language) |
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Using English
A comprehensive source for learners of English as a second language. One outstanding section is the alphabetical listing of idioms. Content: 5; Ease of Use: 4.5
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ESL Quizzes
From usingenglish.com, some self-tests (with answers) on English grammar and usage, especially designed for ESL students. Content: 4.5; Ease of Use: 5
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ESL Self-Study Exercises
Contains interactive exercises for students of English as a second language: grammar, vocabulary, idioms, etc. May also be of interest to native speakers.
Content 4; Ease of Use 5 (but site may load very slowly)
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| Forums, Discussion Groups, Etc. |
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Grammarboard
A new board for discussion of grammar, the Grammarboard is inhabited by denizens of a now defunct message board, some of whom are participants on the Grammar Curmudgeon's own message boards. These are very knowledgeable people. We encourage anyone who is interested in grammar and language to register and paricipate. Content: 5; Ease of Use: 4.5
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Lydbury Grammar Clinic and Forum
Based in the UK, this site hosts a forum and chat room for people who are interested in the English language. To use all of the features, you'll want to register, an easy process with no cost.
Content: 5; Ease of Use: 5
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| Online Grammar Exercises |
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St. Martin's Guide Exercises
Excellent site with lots of exercises. Enter your name to log in to interactive exercises.
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Commnet Grammar Guide
Many quizzes and exercises, although a little complex to navigate.
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Grammar Bytes Interactive
Interactive exercises on subject-verb agreement, pronouns, comma splices, and more. Explanations are quite instructive.
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The Grammar Complex
Click "Grammar Workout" to get to interactive exrcises.
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Big Dog's Grammar
Gives the rules and then offers a self-test – separate exercise sections on various topics from agreement to parallelism.
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Grammar Review Resources
Interactive exercises. Requires Flash plug-in, which can be downloaded.
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Online Learning Center
Thirty-three chapters on various points of grammar. Each has interactive exercises. Find chapter; click on interactive exercise or diagnostic test. Lessons must be downloaded, though. Very complete but requires some practice to navigate.
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Blue Book of Grammar
Rules and exercises with answers.
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Grammar Review
Interactive grammar review exercises. Click exercise links on Web page.
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