These sites can be helpful for the "nuts and bolts" of writing. Try out the tools and find your favorites. You might want to pick the 3 or 4 you like best and make them available to students on-line as they are doing Internet-based reading/research assignments or as they write/revise/edit their compositions. There are several ways of making resources available to students. One way would be a "Writing Tools" link on a Class Web Page which students could have open as they work in the computer lab.
Mac and PC users can now instantly convert documents into HTML for posting the the Web. File formats supported include: PDF (Portable Document Format), RTF (Rich Text Format), TXT (Simple Text Format), DOC (MSWord(R) Format), XLS (MSExcel(R) Format) and PPT (MSPowerPoint(R) Format). Try Gohtm.com , subscription is free, at http://www.gohtm.com/
The "mother" of all research tools = Research-It! which has links to research tools for Language, Library, Geographical, Financial, Shipping and Internet. Many of the sources listed below are included in this site. http://www.iTools.com/research-it/research-it.htmlDictionaries - There are many, but these three I find most useful:
Newbury House On-Line Dictionary of American English - Definitions, sample sentences, idioms, cultural facts and figures. Soon to be linked to a 50,000 photo database (when this is implemented, it will be a terrific resource) at http://nhd.heinle.com/ Designed by teachers, it has a simple, easy to use format. Also includes a link for the "Cultural Note of the Day" which happened to be "baseball" on the day that I checked-- defined the term, gave a couple of paragraphs of cultural information, and a line drawing of a field--this was a worthwhile resource in and of itself. http://nhd.heinle.com/The Wordsmyth English Dictionary-Thesaurus (WEDT) - is a dictionary AND a thesaurus integrated into one work . When you look up a word, you'll get several useful pieces of information in one easy-to-read screen: syllables, pronunciation, part of speech, definition, synonyms, similar words, and derived words. http://www.lightlink.com/bobp/wedt/wedt-artfl.html
The Quotations Page - Need a quote to introduce your composition? You can type in a key word and quotes will be provided for your choosing. http://www.starlingtech.com/quotes/index.html
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations - Searchable electronic version of Bartlett's Famous Quotations 1901. Also other great books online http://www.bartleby.com/index.html
Proverbs Page - Get 236 commonly-used proverbs in alphabetical order or randomly chosen in groups of 10 at http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~itesls/proverbs/
The Semantic Rhyming Dictionary - No more excuses for verses which don't rhyme! Just type in the target word and you'll get a list of rhyming words. http://www.link.cs.cmu.edu/dougb/rhyme.html
WWW Acronym and Abbreviation Server - A searchable index of acronyms and abbreviations used across the Internet. http://www.ucc.ie/info/net/acronyms/acro.html
A Guide to Grammar and Writing by Charles Darling. Quite extensive. Java-enhanced grammar lessons with accompanying computer quizzes. Includes a hypertext index so you can find what you need quickly. Grammar questions can be posed for answers by return e-mail. http://webster.commnet.edu/HP/pages/darling/grammar.htmAn Elementary Grammar - From the English Institute, created for English as a Foreign Language students, this site contains clear explanations of basic grammar concepts along with example sentences. A quick reference which will appeal to many students coming from a deductive, rule-based orientation to grammar study. http://www.hiway.co.uk/~ei/intro.html
Purdue OWL Web Handouts Purdue's Online Writing Lab - (OWL) staff has a number of handouts on all areas of grammar, usage, and mechanics. This site also has handouts on writing issues-- both specific (such as business communications, resumes, research paper) and general (such as overcoming writer's block, invention and planning strategies). This page introduces these handouts by category. You may also view the list in outline form or by title. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/writers/by-topic.html
Grammar and style notes w/ explanations and examples linked with hypertext from U. of Penn. Includes rudimentary search tool. If students look for answers to their grammar questions, they will also get lots of reading practice as they follow hyperlinks in the grammar explanations. http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/
The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. - The classic style guide online and indexed by chapter.http://www.bartleby.com/141/index.html
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Created by: krauss@lclark.edu
Updated: 4/14/02