Write Right - Jan Venolia 2001
Web sites
Resources
The amount of information on the Internet can be daunting, and it sometimes comes in commercial packages primarily designed to sell books and services. Nonetheless, if you are selective in your searches, you will find much to help you.
Although I’ve explored each of the sites listed below, new ones appear and old ones disappear in the fluid world of the Internet, so I make no claims for completeness or accuracy. But even if a site is no longer available, along the way you may encounter just what you need. Enjoy the process!
Writing Guides
These sites, in addition to presenting useful information about writing (punctuation, grammar, usage) have links to additional sites of possible interest. When looking for help with a particular writing problem, start with one of these.
http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/
Paul Brians of Washington State University created and maintains this site with flair. In addition to the serious stuff, he includes Mr. Gradgrind’s answers to rhetorical questions, such as “What is so rare as a day in June,” and “Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf.”
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/writing/
Jack Lynch of Rutgers University has packed this site with information. Click on “Guide to Grammar & Style” to explore its many facets. And, should you want to know anything about a moose, click on “Moose Resources.” Never let it be said that an English professor doesn’t have a sense of humor.
http://www.robinsnest.com
Created and maintained by Robin Nobles, an author and teacher, this site has links to the above two sites, as well as many others of interest to writers.
http://www.theslot.com/
This idiosyncratic site is the work of Bill Walsh of the Washington Post. In segments with titles like Carets & Sticks, and Sharp Points, Walsh presents views on writing of special interest to journalists.
http://ccc.commnet.edu/grammar
Charles Darling of Capital Community College maintains this site, which presents half a dozen menus to choose from (e.g., Word & Sentence Level, Ask Grammar, Quizzes, and Index). Includes an extensive list of Notorious Confusables.
http://www.edufind.com/english/grammar/
The Online English Grammar, created by Anthony Hughes, provides free online English grammar resources.
Information about the web and the internet
http://www.northernwebs.com/bc
Beginners’ Central, where you will find basic information about downloading, advanced search techniques, and so on, plus Myths of the Internet and a glossary.
http://www.about-the-web.com
Topics include avoiding scams, Great Web Sites, glossary, and a free newsletter, “What’s New about the Web.”
http://www.learnthenet.com/english
Basic information for Web novices.
http://www.help.com
Includes the offer of a free Tweak Freak Newsletter to “show you how to squeeze every last drop of performance out of your system.”
http://www.hansenmedia.com
“Your Digital Media Reference Source.”
Dictionaries and glossaries
http://www.yourdictionary.com
Includes definitions and links to online resources, but not as rich a resource as a dictionary in print form.
http://www.acronymfinder.com
Decodes acronyms for you.
http://www.csgnetwork.com/glossary.html
Computer, telephony, and electronics glossary.
http://www.hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/guides
Glossary of Internet terms, such as HTML and ethernet, as well as abbreviations like nrn (no reply necessary) and rotfl (rolling on the floor laughing).
Reference sites/research tools
http://writetools.com/
“A one-stop reference center for anyone who writes, edits, or checks facts.” Sources include everything from Almanacs to Zip Codes.
http://www.powerreporting.com/
“Free research tools for journalists” include grammar and style guides.
http://www.thescratchingpost.com/wordsmithshop/writing.htm
Extensive information about writing for the World Wide Web.
http://www.sharpwriter.com/
Includes dictionaries, thesauruses, grammar and punctuation guides, quotations (one of the more commercial sites).
Plain language sites
The following two sites advocate plain language in writing (hear, hear!).
http://www.plainlanguage.gov
Includes a PDF version of “Writing User-Friendly Documents” and offers an Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this PDF version. Look for “Plain English Handbook.”
http://www.adler.demon.co.uk/clarity.htm
This site is maintained by Clarity, a “worldwide lawyers’ group campaigning for plain legal language.”
All of the above
www.verbivore.com
Well, maybe not quite “all,” but author Richard Lederer has come close to creating an omnipurpose language Web site. A click on “Language Links on the Internet” provides a host of choices: Etymology, Grammar & Usage, Language Columns (e.g., Grammar Lady, Word for Word), Puns, Word Games, Vocabulary Development, Dictionaries; “Other Language Reference Links” leads to yet another layer of word stuff (e.g., slang, clichés, new words, American vs. English usage). It also includes excerpts from Lederer’s books and information about his lecture tours.