Writing Links

 

    The Internet teems with useful information (and some flimflamery).  Explore topics like "writing style," "grammar," and "English usage," but take what you find with a grain of salt.  In the meantime, here are some  reliable sites you may find useful.  Each of them can draw you further on to an endless series of other sites.  Take a lunch!


A Complete Grammar Course

The essence of Daniel Kies' English grammar course from the College of Dupage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.  Anyone could profit from this efficient look at English grammar in a nutshell. 

  WWWebster Dictionary

Look up definitions or synonyms online.  No pages to flip!  A great collection of links!  Crossword puzzle fans: enter a word with wildcard asterisks.  For example or****rd gets you orchard!  Based on Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition.

          OnLine Etymological Dictionary

Etymonline! Great browser's dictionary of etymologies and abstruse word connections. Take a lunch and dinner!

A Directory of Grammar Hotlines

Could be to exactly what you need, but if you contact a hotline, try to gauge the expertise of the person you're talking to.  Like anything else free, the quality of the advice you get will vary.

Paradigm: Online Writing Assistant

Solid advice on almost any writing problem from Chuck Guilford of Boise State University.  Perhaps the easiest on-line guide to navigate.  

Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab)

One of the best on-line writing labs in the country.  Over 130 handouts on various writing topics, links, and on-line help.  Over half a million requests processed to date.

Modern Language Association Style Guide

Includes directions and model entries for citing all manner of research, including on-line and electronic sources.

APA Guide from the Purdue Owl

Detailed help with APA documentation.

WordCalc

Offers to count syllables and calculate ratios for you, but double-check. I've found it seriously inaccurate at times.

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