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AskOxford.com
For questions on English grammar, spelling, and usage; to search a dictionary of words, names or quotations; for help with writing; for crosswords and puzzles.
http://www.askoxford.com/
Jargon Finder
The use and abuse of jargon. From The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation.
http://www.emcf.org/pub/jargon/words/index...
Bartleby.com: Strunk's Element of Style (1918)
For use in English courses in which the practice of composition is combined with the study of literature. It aims to give in brief space the principal requirements of plain English style.
http://www.bartleby.com/141/
WordWizard
Learn about word meanings, slang, quotations, insults, and famous authors.
http://www.wordwizard.com/
The Economist Style Guide
Guide based on the style book given to all journalists at The Economist.
http://www.economist.com/research/StyleGui...
Braintique: The Natural Way to Write
A process and system for helping people become better writers. The site includes exercises, examples, and information about descriptive writing and metaphors.
http://www.braintique.com/barticles/writin...
Good Grammar, Good Style
Articles and answers to frequently asked questions about grammar, mechanics, and style. Links and bibliography.
http://www.protrainco.com/info/grammar.htm
Yale Web Style Guide
A manual covering graphic and information design, page layout, graphics, site navigation, and multimedia content.
http://www.webstyleguide.com/
Right Words
A series of short articles about grammar and punctuation, with light hearted examples of common mistakes.
http://www.rightwords.co.nz/backnews.html
Writing For Multimedia
Michael Butzgy's style guide for multimedia.
http://home.earthlink.net/~atomic_rom/cont...
11 Rules of Writing
A concise guide to some of the most frequently violated rules of writing, punctuation, and grammar.
http://www.junketstudies.com/rulesofw/
Lingo Factory
A cooperative effort to coin useable terms and then trick people into using them regularly as though they are real words.
http://lingofactory.tribe.net/
The Word Centre
Consulting firm dedicated to training businesses to use plain English. Free newsletter and professional editing services.
http://www.wordcentre.co.uk
Slang City
Writing about American slang.
http://www.slangcity.com
Common Errors in English
An explanation of common English usage errors and how to avoid making them.
http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/
The Word Nerds
A weekly podcast about words, language, and why we say the things we do.
http://thewordnerds.libsyn.com/
Top20Composition.com
Online directory for grammar, spelling, puncuation, research, creative writing, and proofreading resources.
http://www.top20composition.com
The Word Detective
Words and language in a humorous vein. The online version of The Word Detective, a newspaper column answering readers' questions about words and language. Written by Evan Morris.
http://www.word-detective.com/
CBC News: Words, Woe & Wonder
An in-depth look at the words we use from CBC News.
http://cbc.ca/news/indepth/words/
Just Language
A casual and contemporary look at how we humans communicate with each other both at home and abroad.
http://justlanguage.blogspot.com/
Cliche
List of 2000 English cliches with some statistical and literary notes on their use.
http://www.angelfire.com/nd/danscorpio/wor...
The Tongue Untied
Grammar, punctuation and style for journalists.
http://grammar.uoregon.edu/
The Wonderful Writing Skills Unhandbook
An interactive site that uses the writing process to teach writing skills.
http://www.wonderfulwritingskillsunhandboo...
Word Spy
Collection of recently coined words, existing words that have enjoyed a recent renaissance, and older words that are now being used in new ways.
http://www.wordspy.com/
Web Typography
The elements of typographic style applied to the web.
http://webtypography.net/
How to Write an Explication
Step-by-step directions to writing an explication. Good and bad examples provided.
http://www.geocities.com/lrampey/2131/expl...
SoYouWanna Avoid Common Writing Errors
We compiled a list of the most common writing errors people tend to make. This is not a primer on grammar or essay-writing. This is a checklist of things which you might well do and which you must stop doing.
http://www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/wrerro...
Word Fugitives
An interactive column by The Atlantic's Barbara Wallraff. Discovers needs in our language and recommends new words to fill them.
http://www.theatlantic.com/unbound/fugitiv...
The Visual Thesaurus
An exploration of sense relationships within the English language. By clicking on words, you follow a thread of meaning, creating a spatial map of linguistic associations.
http://www.visualthesaurus.com/online/inde...
Grammar Slammer
This help file indexes style and usage, capitalization, abbreviations, punctuation, letter writing, common mistakes and a grammar glossary.
http://englishplus.com/grammar/index.htm
University of Minnesota
Department of Rhetoric provides a B.S. and M.S. in Scientific and Technical Communication and a M.A. and Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Scientific and Technical Communication.
http://www.rhetoric.umn.edu/
Macedon's Taberna: The Craft of Writing
Commentary on various technical aspects of writing: the nuts and bolts of narrative.
http://members.aol.com/MacedonPg/writing.h...
Modern Language Association (MLA)
Nonprofit membership organization that promotes the study and teaching of language and literature. Includes bibliography, style guide, job board.
http://www.mla.org
Word Files of Confusing English Words
A presentation of English words that are often confusing with definitions and context examples.
http://www.wordfiles.info
LousyWriter.com
A free online resource to improve your writing skills. Learn how to write, how to use words, how to write sentences, and how to communicate effectively.
http://www.lousywriter.com/
The Archive of Endangered, Special, or Fun Words
Writing about and classifying words and language.
http://www.13d.org/esofword/
Pseudo Dictionary
The dictionary for words that wouldn't make it into dictionaries.
http://www.pseudodictionary.com/index.php
Plain English Campaign
Working internationally to try to get public information written in plain English, instead of using gobbledygook, jargon and legalese. Includes examples, with annual awards for the worst offenders.
http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/
WritingDEN
Interactive site created to help students improve English reading, writing and listening skills.
http://204.244.141.13/writ_den/
Dr. NAD's Prig Page.
Tests of usage, built interactively.
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/522...
Richard Lederer's Verbivore
Linguistic fun from, Richard Lederer, the best-selling author of The Word Circus and the new Sleeping Dogs Don't Lay, a helpful guide for grappling with vexing grammar questions.
http://www.verbivore.com/
Urban Dictionary
U.S. slang dictionary whose submissions and various definitions are subject to votes for inclusion.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/
World Wide Words
Michael Quinion writes about International English from a British viewpoint. Hundreds of pages on the history, origins, evolution and idiosyncrasies of English, with features on new words and words in the news.
http://www.worldwidewords.org/
Focusing on Words
An advanced Latin-Greek-English vocabulary source of etymologies with thematic units of roots, prefixes, and suffixes, and vocabulary quizzes.
http://www.wordfocus.com/
Society for the Preservation of English Language and Literature
Bimonthly publication, SPELL/Binder, contains articles on grammar, usage, word origins, and other subjects of interest to language lovers.
http://www.spellorg.com/
Plain Language Center
Articles and information on writing and evaluating plain and target-appropriate language for business publications and websites.
http://www.gopdg.com/plainlanguage/
AllInfoAbout: English Language
Lessons and information about everything related to English as it is used around the world.
http://englishlanguage.allinfoabout.com/
Wordelizer
Delve deeply into a word or subject. Quick search of several word and language related sites.
http://www.emse.fr/~yukna/kahula/wordelize...
Tribe: Word Freaks
Group for people who love discussing words and writing style.
http://wordfreaks.tribe.net/
Bartleby.com: The Columbia Guide to Standard American English
Kenneth G. Wilson's handbook includes descriptive and prescriptive examples with hyperlinked cross-references.
http://www.bartleby.com/68/
Guide to Grammar and Writing
Contains scores of digital handouts on grammar and English usage, computer-graded quizzes, and recommendations on writing in various issues. [Acrobat Reader, sound card, and PowerPoint recommended but not required.]
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/
Writer's Dreamtools
A series of useful tools to enhance writers' and students' creativity, spark ideas and fight writer's block.
http://www.writersdreamtools.com/
E-dition: Dictionary of Concise Writing
A look at word usage in popular culture. The Dictionary of Concision is a complete manual of several thousand wordy phrases.
http://www.e-dition.net/dictionary.html
The Well Bred Sentence
This book offers an intensive course in sentence construction and punctuation.
http://www.englishgrammartutor.com/Grammar...
Ralph's Manual of Style
A guide to style, grammar, usage, and more by a guy named Ralph.
http://www.rms.hung-sun.com/
Ewriting
Easy to learn electronic writing style that will speed up email and online chatroom discussions.
http://www.e-writing.info
The Sports Cliche List
A searchable collection of cliches used by American teams, fans, coaches and commentators, with humorous comments and sound clips.
http://www.sportscliche.com
Illiterate Businesses
An unabashed rant blog featuring English-language business signs with grammatical, spelling and/or punctuation errors. Includes a free sign editing offer.
http://www.illiteratebusinesses.ca
NLRB Style Manual
A guide for legal writing in plain English.
http://www.nlrb.gov/nlrb/legal/manuals/sty...
A Glossary of Rhetorical Terms with Examples
Basic definitions of rhetorical concepts, arranged alphabetically. Presented together with an example.
http://www.uky.edu/ArtsSciences/Classics/r...
The Glossarist
Searchable directory of glossaries and topical dictionaries containing terms and definitions on hundreds of subjects.
http://www.glossarist.com/
Crazy Colour Writing Skills Handbook
Includes useful tips to help your spelling including homophones, words often misspelled, a dictionary search, an introduction to fingerspelling. Grammar, spelling and writing style guide.
http://www.crazycolour.com/os/hb05.shtml
Pataphysics, Pataphors and Pataphorology
An extended metaphor that creates its own context. A science invented by P.A. Lopez and derived from the science of 'pataphysics as described by Alfred Jarry.
http://www.geocities.com/pataphysician1/
Verbage
If you are looking for just the right word, you may find it here. If not, you can suggest your own.
http://www.oceansiderevolution.com/verbage
Cliche Web
Thousands of cliches. Fully searchable and interactive. Formerly Steve's Cliche List. Since 1995.
http://www.cambiaresearch.com/clicheweb/
The MLA Bibliography Composer
Free service that simplifies the process of creating and editing MLA-style bibliographies.
http://www.noodletools.com/noodlebib/
Suite 101: Workplace Communications
Archive of articles covering writing and speaking skills, with emphasis on clear communication, basic design, communicating with international and multicultural audiences.
http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/commun...
Correct Punctuation
A brief guide to correct English punctuation.
http://www.correctpunctuation.co.uk
Plain Language
A guide to help writers avoid confusing language and long-windedness. Can be viewed online or downloaded as a PDF.
http://www.plainlanguage.gov/
The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing
Popular, award-winning online writing guide. Authoritative help with research, style, structure, major citation styles, mechanics, and revision.
http://www.nutsandboltsguide.com
Wordiness
A list of words and phrases to purge from your writing.
http://web.uvic.ca/~gkblank/wordiness.html
Cliche Finder
A searchable database of overused expressions, with a fun feature creating a random list.
http://www.westegg.com/cliche/
Suite101: Word Play
Archived discussions and articles concerning words.
http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/words
The Philosophy of Punctuation
Paul Robinson's classic essay on periods, commas, semicolons, dashes.
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago...
Linguistic Phenomena/Devices
A list of lesser-known features in English writing. Hendiadys, holonyms, and hypernyms.
http://www.csi.uottawa.ca/~kbarker/ling-de...
Consulting First, Inc.'s Dictionary
Dictionary, thesaurus, translation, and spelling checker.
http://www.dovatu.bxc.com
Paradigm Online Writing Assistant
Offers step-by-step tips for various writing assignments. Includes organizing, editing, rewriting, documenting, and help for specific types of essays.
http://www.powa.org/
Word Rogues
Tips on writing, English, and grammar. This site also contains active community college English syllabii and links to other writing, grammar sites.
http://www.lanzbom.org
Wordlab
Creating meaningful names from ordinary words.
http://www.wordlab.com/
Phrases Thesaurus
A resource for writers. Enter a single word and it will return a list of phrases and sayings that are related to the word in some way. In English.
http://www.phrasefinder.co.uk
Exploring English
An online tutorial for the parts of speech with style notes for the English Language.
http://www.shared-visions.com/explore/engl...
Findaphrase.com
Free phrase database to help journalists, copywriters and content editors search common phrases.
http://www.findaphrase.com/
Word News
Efforts have been made to provide some of the best thoughts, ancient and modern, that are particularly appealing for our time and to promote a greater appreciation for the English language.
http://www.wordnews.info
Tribe: Linguistics
Group for discussions of words and language.
http://linguistica.tribe.net/
Guide to Grammar and Style
The information ranges from copy editing to elements of style to discussions. Practical information about the writing craft.
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writi...
Frequently Asked Questions about English
Answers to common questions about usage, style, grammar and punctuation.
http://www.alexcommunications.com/faq.htm
Tribe: Words of Power
For people who love words, use them, feel them in their mouths as flavorful bursts of energy. This is the tribe for fun with words and receptive learning.
http://powerwords.tribe.net/
Garbl's Editorial Style Manual
Provides advice on abbreviations, capitalization, grammar, numbers, plurals, possessives, punctuation, spelling and word usage.
http://garbl.home.comcast.net/stylemanual/
Guides for Better Science Writing
Bibliography of style manuals for scientific research, writing, and presentation. Guides for biology, medicine, chemistry, engineering, geology, and mathematics.
http://www.indiana.edu/~cheminfo/14-05.htm...
Word Info
An English vocabulary dictionary with free searches of words from Latin and Greek sources.
http://www.wordinfo.info
Word Quests for Word Seekers
Searchable dictionary of word origins, organized in cross-referenced thematic lists by Latin and/or Greek roots. English entries are also defined.
http://www.wordquests.info
Beverly Lucey: Language Wrangler
Beverly Lucey's articles on education, marriage, society, consumers, politics, media, and language. Playful and serious work.
http://www.languagewrangler.com/
SecretariesUSA.com
Reference for the home and corporate office, including capitalization, punctuation, spelling, grammar, sentence structure, forms of address, abbreviations, letter styles, and business forms.
http://secretariesusa.com/
Suite101: English Grammar
Archive of articles about English grammar and style.
http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/englis...
Plain English at Work
Online guide to using plain English and changing the corporate style. Produced for Australia's Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs and the Australian National Training Authority.
http://www.dest.gov.au/sectors/training_sk...
A.Word.ADay
The music and magic of words. This is the website for the mailing list A.Word.A.Day (AWAD), which sends a vocabulary word and its definition to the subscribers every day.
http://www.wordsmith.org/awad/index.html
The Book of Cliches
A compilation of common phrases, euphemisms, and rationales for times of trouble. Organized by occasion.
http://utopia.knoware.nl/users/sybev/clich...
Einfoweb: Punctuation and Grammar
Help on punctuation and another page on grammar.
http://www.einfoweb.com/punctuation/
Cliche Site
Clichés, sayings or phrases listed with definitions and explanations. Clichés are organized by subject and alphabetically and you can use the search function.
http://www.clichesite.com/index.asp
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2006