Grammar

Barbara J. Feldman

My 1979 edition of Strunk and White's The Elements of Style reigns over my workspace from its place of honor on my bookshelf. It's a slim volume because, like all good writing, the needless words have been omitted. The original, written as a college textbook in 1918 by Professor William Strunk, Jr., is available at Bartleby.com. The following recommendations bring the study of grammar into the Internet age with their use of email, forums, and the Web.

11 Rules of Writing

4 stars

Today's first site condenses English grammar down to just eleven rules. Drawing heavily from The Elements of Style, an anonymous college teacher created these rules based on his experience grading freshman papers. Each rule is hyperlinked to examples of correct and incorrect usage. For questions not covered by the eleven rules, peruse the Frequently Asked Questions page. And for extra credit, click on the New Word of the Day (at the bottom of the page) to scroll through some high-school level vocabulary.

Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation

4 stars

"Effective Writing. Rule 1. Use concrete rather than vague language." As the title implies, Jane Straus's guide is divided into two sections: grammar and punctuation. Each is further organized into rules with examples (navigate these with the drop-down menus), exercises and tests. The quizzes are not interactive (try printing them instead) and include answer keys on the same page. A print edition of The Blue Book is also available for purchase.

Common Errors In English

4 stars

From "AM/PM" to "your/you're," this clickable alphabetic list of errors is fun to peruse. Sometimes the easiest way to learn proper grammar, is to learn what NOT to say. For example, did you know a "pompom" is a large gun, but the fuzzy end of ski hat is a "pompon"? And a narrow confining garment is a "straitjacket" not a "straightjacket." Just click on any phrase for the complete skinny.

Daily Grammar

4 stars

Although all of Bill Johanson's grammar tips are organized into an online archive, Daily Grammar is primarily an e-mail service. Five days a week, a new lesson is sent, and on Saturday, a quiz. The current series started in September, but feel free to join at any time. Best of all, teachers are granted permission to use the lessons in the classroom, as long as the copyright is intact. To get a feel for the level of the lessons, click around in the archive.

Guide to Grammar and Writing

5 stars

This comprehensive grammar guide from Professor Charles Darling, is organized into topics at the Sentence Level, Paragraph Level and Essay Level. If you're not sure where to find your subject, try the Index or search function. You'll also find 170 interactive quizzes, corrected instantly for immediate feedback. Have an unanswered grammar or writing question? Professor Darling's alter ego Grammar English (she's the one in the rocking chair) will be happy to answer queries posted via the Ask Grammar! form.