Web Links

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.

Using appropriate language

• 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.

Colloquial language

• Diction
  Discusses of clichés, connotation, and denotation, with a review quiz, from the University of Ottawa.

• Eliminating clichés and euphemisms
  Information on clichés, with links to lists, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.

Denotation and connotation

• Connotations and denotations
  Overview and examples of denotation and connotation, from the University of Ottawa.

Idioms

• Two-part (phrasal) verbs
  Information on idioms, from Purdue Online Writing Lab.
  

• Self-study idiom quizzes
  Quizzes on idioms, two-word verbs, and slang, from The Internet TESL Journal.

Using dictionaries

• Directory of dictionaries
  Links to many of general and specialized dictionaries, from Yahoo!
  

• Guide to online dictionaries and other language resources
  Links to many 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 many of online dictionaries, glossaries, and encyclopedias, including many for technical fields, from Encyberpedia.

Building vocabulary

• Building a better vocabulary
  Strategies and quizzes for improving vocabulary, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
  

• Vocabulary lists
  Vocabulary resources, from Reference.com.
  

• English vocabulary quizzes
  Vocabulary-building exercises for ESL writers, from The Internet TESL Journal.
  

• Links about etymology
  Information on the sources of words, from Reference.com.

• Vocabulary quizzes
  Especially for ESL students, from The Internet TESL Journal.

Spelling and the hyphen

• Some rules and suggestions about spelling
  Tips and quizzes for improving your spelling, including a list of commonly misspelled words, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
  

• Spelling
  Tips and quizzes on four standard spelling rules, from the University of Ottawa.

Commonly misspelled words

• Alan Cooper's Homonyms
  An extensive list of easily confused words.
  

• Notorious confusables
  Lists of frequently confused words, with quizzes, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.

Hyphens in compound words

• Using hyphens
  Five rules for using hyphens, illustrated by examples, from the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
  

• Compound words
  Tips on creating, spelling, and punctuating compound structures, especially adjectives and nouns, with many examples, from the Guide to Grammar and Writing.