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Adjectives and adverbs
Appropriate and exact language
Case of nouns and pronouns
Comma splices and fused sentences
Complete sentences
Emphasis
Misplaced and dangling modifiers
Mixed sentences
Parallelism
Pronoun-antecedent agreement
Pronoun reference
Sentence fragments
Basic grammar
Shifts
Standard American English
Subject-verb agreement
Variety
Verbs
Writing concisely
Adjectives and adverbs
Good overall sites
- Adjective or adverb?
Information on adjectives and adverbs, including examples and exercises, from the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
- Adjectives
In-depth information and quizzes on adjectives, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
- Adverbs
In-depth information and quizzes on adverbs, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
- Adjectives and adverbs
Information on adjectives and adverbs, from the Langley Research Center
Articles and other determiners
- Articles, determiners, and quantifiers
Information on using articles and other determiners, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
- Articles
Quizzes from The Internet TESL Journal. (Note: You'll need to select "Articles" from the Page Content menu.)
Comparatives and superlatives Double negatives
- Double negatives
Guidance on avoiding double negatives, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
Participles as adjectives
- Participles
An online quiz covering the use of participles as adjectives, from The Internet TESL Journal.
- Participles
Practice for ESL writers on using participles, from The Internet TESL Journal.
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Appropriate and exact language
Good overall sites
- The best word
Tips for choosing the right word during the revision process, from the Paradigm Online Writing Assistant.
- Style, voice, and tone
General advice and brief examples related to word choice and style, from the University of Maryland.
Cliches Colloquial language
- Diction
Discusses clichés, connation, and denotation, and includes review quiz. From the University of Ottawa.
Denotation and connotation Dictionaries
- Directory of dictionaries
Links to dozens of general and specialized dictionaries, from Yahoo!
- Guide to online dictionaries and other language resources
Links to dozens of online writing sources, including dictionaries, citation guides, thesauruses, style guides, and others, from Colorado State University.
- Dictionaries
Links to general and specialized dictionaries in English and other languages, from the Internet Public Library.
- Links to dictionaries and encyclopedias
Links to dozens of online dictionaries, glossaries, and encyclopedias, including many for technical fields, from Encyberpedia.
Idioms Slang
- ESL Slang Page
Extensive list of slang expressions in English, from Dave's ESL Café.
- Jargon
Advice on avoiding jargon, from the University of Victoria.
Standard American Language
- Diction
Guidelines on when to use formal English, including words and phrases to avoid in Formal English, from Red Rocks Community College.
- Common errors in English
Extensive list of frequently misused words, arranged alphabetically, from Washington State University.
- Common Usage Problems
A list of commonly misused forms, including nonstandard dialect forms, from Liberty High School.
Unbiased and gender-inclusive language
- Unbiased language
Advice on using unbiased language, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
- Non-sexist language
Advice on avoiding sexist language, from the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
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Case of nouns and pronouns
Good overall sites
- Using pronouns clearly
Tips on pronoun agreement and reference, with examples, from the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
Who versus whom
- Who vs. whom
Help with correct use of who versus whom, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
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Comma
splices and fused sentences
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Complete
sentences
- Sentence fragments
Explanations of common causes of sentence fragments with review quizzes, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
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Emphasis
- Adding emphasis
Tips for adding emphasis through visual effects, punctuation, and style, from the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
Coordination and subordination
- Subordinating ideas
A discussion of stating ideas clearly with subordination, from the University of Richmond.
- Coordination and subordination
List of coordinating and subordinating words, with practice sentences, from St. Ignatius College Prep.
- Coordination and subordination
Tips on combining sentences and punctuating them using coordination and subordination, with practice sentences, from Butte College.
- Coordination and subordination
Extensive discussion of how and when to use coordination and subordination, including practice sentences and paragraphs for revision, from University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
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Misplaced and dangling modifiers
Misplaced modifiers
- Modifier placement
Tips and examples illustrating misplaced, dangling, and squinting modifiers, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
- Modifiers
Tips and review exercises on various types of modifier problems, from the University of Ottawa.
- Misplaced modifiers
Tips on revising misplaced modifiers, including a review test, from Big Dog's Grammar.
Adjective order
- Adjective order
An exercise on adjective order, from The Internet TESL Journal.
Adverb order
- Adverb placement
A chart on adverb placement, from the University of Washington.
Dangling modifiers
- Dangling modifiers
Advice on recognizing and revising dangling modifiers, with a review test, from Big Dog's Grammar.
- Dangling modifiers
Discussion of strategies for revising dangling modifiers, with several "before and after" examples,
from the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
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Mixed sentences
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Parallelism
- Parallel form
Numerous examples of faulty parallelism, with suggested revisions; includes two review quizzes. From the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
- Parallel structure
Writing and proofreading strategies to achieve parallel structure, from the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
- Parallelism
Discussion of simple parallelism and parallelism using common connectors,
from St. Cloud State University.
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Pronoun-antecedent agreement
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Pronoun reference
- Using pronouns clearly
Tips on agreement and clear reference when using pronouns, from the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
- Pronoun reference
Seven tips for clear pronoun usage, including review exercise, from the University
of Ottawa.
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Sentence fragments
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Basic grammar
Good overall sites
Adjectives and adverbs
- Adjective or adverb?
Information on adjectives and adverbs, including examples and exercises, from the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
- Adjectives and adverbs
Information on adjectives and adverbs, from the Langley Research Center
- Adjectives
In-depth information and quizzes on adjectives, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
- Adverbs
In-depth information and quizzes on adverbs, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
Appositives
- Appositives
Information and exercises on appositives, from the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
- Appositives
Definitions and examples of several types of appositives, from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Coordinating and correlative conjunctions
- What is a conjunction?
Definitions and examples of coordinating, subordinating, and correlative conjunctions, from the University of Ottawa.
- Conjunctions
Discussion of using conjunctions to combine parts of sentences, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
Parts of speech
- Parts of speech
Information and exercises covering the parts of speech, from the University of Ottawa.
- Diagramming sentences
Examples of basic sentence patterns, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
Phrases: absolute, prepositional, and verbal Sentence types
- Building sentences
Discussion of forms and classes of sentences, from the University of Ottawa.
Predicate patterns Subordinating clauses
- Clauses: the essential building blocks
Discussion of several different types of clauses (such as dependent and independent clauses), with three review quizzes, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
- Building clauses
Tips on identifying clauses and using clauses as nouns, adjectives, and adverbs; includes two review quizzes; from the University of Ottawa.
Subordinating conjunctions
- English conjunctions
Information on coordinating and subordinating conjunctions, from Georgia State University.
- Subordinating ideas
Discussion of stating ideas clearly with subordination, from the University of Richmond.
- Sentence-combining skills
Discussion of using subordinating conjunctions and other ways to combine sentences,
from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
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Shifts
- Verb tense consistency
A discussion of avoiding shifts in verb tense, with exercises, from the Purdue Online Writing Lab..
- Avoiding needless shifts
Tips and exercises on avoiding needless shifts in tense, number, person, voice, mood, discourse, and point of view, from Firebelle Productions.
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Standard American English
Good overall sites
- Diction guidelines for standard English
Defines formal English and includes guidelines on words and phrases to avoid in formal English; from Red Rocks Community College.
- Common errors in English
An extensive list of usage errors and commonly confused word pairs, arranged alphabetically, from Washington State University.
Adjectives and adverbs
- Adjective or adverb
Online quiz especially for ESL writers, from The Internet TESL Journal
- Adjectives and adverbs
Additional practice on adjectives and adverbs , from The Internet TESL Journal.
- Adjective order
Practice for ESL writers on adjective order, from The Internet TESL Journal.
Articles and other determiners
- Articles, determiners, and quantifiers
Information on using articles and other determiners, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
- Articles
Quizzes from The Internet TESL Journal. (Note: You'll need to select "Articles" from the Page Content menu.)
Case of nouns and pronouns
- Who vs. whom
Information about who versus whom, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
Double negatives
- Double negatives
Help with avoiding double negatives, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
- Double negatives
Review of words and phrases that can create double negatives; includes sentences to revise. From St. Cloud State University.
Idioms
- Idiom quizzes
Dozens of quizzes to review the correct choice between easily confused idiomatic pairs, or to review the correct meaning of idioms. From The Internet TESL Journal.
Mixed and incomplete sentences Sentence fragments Sentence grammar Subject-verb agreement
- Agreement
Discussion of subject-verb agreement, from the University of Victoria.
- Subject-verb agreement
Twelve tips and three quizzes on avoiding problems in subject-verb agreement, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
- Making subjects and verbs agree
Eleven tips on avoiding problems in subject-verb agreement. Includes a link to a quiz with suggested answers. From the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
- Subject-verb agreement
Discusses ten common writing situations, with examples, that cause problems in subject-verb agreement; from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
Verb forms
- Auxiliary verbs
Information on helping verbs, from the University of Ottawa.
- Irregular verbs
Discussion, quizzes, and links on irregular verbs, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
- Helping and modal auxiliary verbs
Information and quizzes covering helping verbs, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
- Modal verbs help
Exercises and links to resources on helping verbs for ESL writers, from the Grammar Help page.
Verb tense
- Verb tenses
Includes brief definitions and examples of nine active and nine passive verb tenses, from the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
- Tenses
Brief discussion of tenses, with link to a more extensive Directory of English Tenses and a quiz on identifying tenses, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
- Verb tenses help
Help with verb tense, especially for ESL writers, from the Grammar Help page.
Verb voice
- The passive voice
Detailed advice on how to form and recognize the passive voice; includes a quiz on recognizing and changing the passive voice. From the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
- Actives vs. passives
Exercises for ESL students, from Brigham Young University in Hawaii.
Vocabulary
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Subject-verb agreement
Good overall sites
- Agreement
Discussion of both subject-verb and pronoun agreement, from the University of Victoria.
- Subject-verb agreement
Tips on handling twelve writing situations that often lead to subject-verb agreement problems, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
ESL and dialect help
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Variety
- Sentence variety
Includes guidelines for varying sentence structure and length, including two quizzes, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
- Sentence variety
Tips and examples for varying short, choppy sentences or repetitious sentences, from the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
- Combining sentences for variety and clarity
Guidelines for using subordination and coordination, include many "before and after" examples, from St. Cloud State University.
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Verbs
Good overall sites
- Verbs and verbals
Extensive discussion of types and forms of verbs, with quizzes throughout, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
- Using verbs
Detailed site on verb forms and types, with several review exercises, from the University of Ottawa.
- Auxiliary verbs
Information on helping verbs, from the University of Ottawa.
Active and passive voice
- The passive voice
Detailed advice on recognizing and forming the passive voice, with quiz on recognizing and changing passive voice, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
- Actives vs. passives
Exercises for ESL students, from Brigham Young University in Hawaii.
Gerunds and infinitives Helping verbs Irregular verbs
- Irregular verbs
Discussion, quizzes, and links on irregular verbs, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
Verbs forms
- Gerunds and infinitives
An extensive list of verbs with gerunds and infinitives, from Grammar When You Need It.
- Using verbs
Explanations of verb tenses, forms, and moods, with review exercises throughout, from the University of Ottawa.
Verb moods
- Using verb moods
Definitions and examples of indicative, imperative, and subjunctive mood, with link to a review exercise, from the University of Ottawa.
- Mood
Discussion focusing on subjunctive mood, including a quiz, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
Verb tense
- Verb tenses
Definitions and examples of nine active and nine passive tenses, from the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
- Tenses
Links to a Directory of English Tenses and to a quiz on identifying tenses, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
- Verb tenses help
Verb tense help for ESL writers, from the Grammar Help page.
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Writing concisely
Good overall sites
Sentence combining
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