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Grammar Links ¦ Online Writing Labs ¦
Dictionaries and Thesauruses ¦ Research Links ¦ Quotation Links
Writer's Resources on the Web

The following links can be extremely useful if you work on a class assignment and need an answer to a question on grammar, style, organization, vocabulary, research in general, and so on. Always ask me first (after all, I do enjoy my job), but if I'm not available or if you're desperate the night before the assignment is due, you might just find what you need right here, especially when you do specialized research. I cannot guarantee the accuracy or the quality of the information you'll encounter, but I surveyed everything briefly and had no cause for alarm.

Groovy Grammar

Grammar Links will help you find information on word usage, correct use of verbs and pronouns, subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement, use of prepositions and conjunctions, forms and use of adjectives and adverbs, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, etc. Here are some examples:

Grammar and Style Notes: A very exhaustive list of grammatical terms and their definitions; plenty of examples and suggestions on usage. Written by Jack Lynch from UPenn.
Strunk & White's Handbook: The online version of Strunk's well-known handbook with basic tips on grammar questions.
Grammar Resources on the Web: Charles Darling, a professor of English, wrote this document for students in his English courses (designed for all levels).
Grammar, Punctuation, and Capitalization: A guide to all the important grammar rules with many examples and explanations. Yes, this is put on by NASA. Maybe I should write a handbook on rocket fuel.
On-Line English Grammar: Answers to grammar questions with sample exercises and tests. Very exhaustive document. Popular worldwide English grammar source. You can even send them a question, and an English teacher will respond.
Big Dog's Grammar: This one hails from Arkansas. It's so good, you've got to see it.

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Outrageous Online Writing Labs

Online Writing Labs (OWLs) provide a complete range of services including handouts, online tutorials, and writing help via e-mail. Check them out to see which one works best for you. Here are some good examples:

OWL Handouts: An Outline of All the Documents

A topically arranged list of all the writing-related information made available by the writing center at Purdue University. You can find almost anything here. Includes many practice pages for grammar and writing courses. This is the granddaddy of them all, and it has a complete range of services.

The following two OWLs have excellent information on different types of essays:

University of Victoria Writer's Guide

St. Cloud State University Literacy Education Online Here's the best of the rest:

Dakota State University Online Writing Lab

Boise State University Paradigm

The Nesbitt-Johnston Writing Center at Hamilton College

University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center

University of Missouri Online Writery

Ferris State University Writing Center

Roane State Community College Online Writing Lab

Rensselaer Writing Center Handouts

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Dandy Dictionaries and Thesauruses

If you need the definition of a word, if you want to check the spelling of a word after your spell checker has failed yet again, or if you simply want to put more variety in your writing, the dictionaries and thesauruses sites can help you out quite a bit. By and large, they all work the same way: You type in the word you want to check, click a button, and the system will provide you with the desired information. No more endless paging through a dictionary (although I must admit that I still prefer the old-fashioned way).

Webster's Dictionary Searchable Index
Webster's Thesaurus Gateway
Dictionary Link
Roget's Thesaurus Searchable Index
Online Dictionary

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Rapid Research

The following links can help you a great deal if you wish to do some research for an essay or for a speech. They will provide you with a long list of links to all kinds of resources on the web where you can find the information you want or need.

Internet Encyclopedia Macro Reference: References to large areas of knowledge.
Internet Encyclopedia Micro Reference: Short bits of information and references to specific subjects.
University of California at Santa Barbara's Voice of the Shuttle: General resources, mainly in the humanities and liberal arts.
Internet Public Library: Navigable site to all kinds of resources on the net.
Research-It!: All kinds of tools to help you get information fast. Just type in a keyword and hit the search button.
US Federal Government Agencies: This will lead you to just about anywhere in the information archives of the government.
Virtual Reference Sites: A list of dozens of online encyclopedias and handbooks on all kinds of topics. Perfect for research! This site relieves me of having to list all the links myself.
The Electric Library: Access full-text magazines and newspapers along with scores of other materials.

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Quotable Quotes

The following links will be very helpful if you need to find a good quotation for your essay or speech introduction or conclusion or to back up one of your points. Remember that quotations can be a very powerful tool.

Yahoo's Reference Section: Searchable database of 6,500 quotes and 80 links to other Web sites.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations: The online version of the well-known handbook on quotations.
All the Right Words: Mega-quote site with, well, all the right words.
The Quatations Page: Another mega-quote site with a "quote search" engine and 1,500 quotes in a variety of categories.
The People's Cyber Nation Quotation Center: Over 10,000 quotations on 450+ topics.

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And for extra credit...

If the information you can access from these links still isn't enough, check out the following sites:

AltaVista Search: End the frustration of an overwhelming internet by using a search engine. All you have to do is type in a key word, and the system will search the entire net for files with this term. There are other search engines such as WebCrawler, Excite, Galaxy, HotBot, Go Network, Lycos, Yahoo, Ask Jeeves, Google, and . You may also try some all-in-one search engines such as Dogpile, Metacrawler, or Mamma.

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carsten@osu-okmulgee.edu