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The Write Place: Resources
What Would You Like to Work On?
- Preparation (assignment comprehension, reading, ideas, research, etc.)
- Content (focus, argumentation, support, development, logic, quoting, etc.)
- Structure (organization, thesis, introduction, conclusion, transitions, etc.)
- Style (formality, person, clarity, concision, diction/phrasing, parallelism, etc.)
- Grammar (run-ons, fragments, tense, agreement, articles, prepositions, etc.)
- Mechanics (comma usage, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, etc.)
- Formatting (MLA, APA, Chicago, citations, cover page, header/footer, etc.)
- General (specific disciplines, test preparation, workforce needs, etc.)
| Preparation | |
|---|---|
| Issue | Resource |
| Brainstorming/Prewriting | Invention Techniques, Texas A&M University |
| Brainstorming, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | |
| Prewriting Strategies, KU Writing Center, University of Kansas | |
| Introduction to Prewriting (Invention), Purdue Online Writing Lab | |
| Critical Thinking | Handout: Critical Thinking and Argumentation |
| Literature | American Literature: Short stories and classic literature from around the world, all available for free! |
| Public Poetry: A Houston organization supporting local poets. | |
| Reading | How to Do a Close Reading, Harvard University |
| Somebody Wanted But So, All America Reads: A simply approach to narrative plot analysis. | |
| Reading Poetry | Reading Poetry: Some Hints to Help You Read with More Pleasure and Understanding, University of Pennsylvania |
| How to Read a Poem, The Writer's Handbook, University of Wisconsin - Madison | |
| Poetry: Close Reading, Purdue Online Writing Lab | |
| Research | Academic Research, Lee College Library |
| Basic Business Research Methods, Free Management Library | |
| The Writing Process | Handout: The Writing Process |
| Stages of the Writing Process, The University of Wisconsin - Madison | |
| Content | |
|---|---|
| Issue | Resource |
| Argumentation | Argument, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| The Toulmin Method, Colorado State University | |
| Critique/Review | Article Critique, Massey University |
| Book or Article Review or Critique Guidelines, Tidewater Community College | |
| Focus | Focus, The Five Features of Effective Writing, Learn NC |
| Focus, Colorado State University | |
| Logic | Logic in Argumentative Writing, Purdue Online Writing Lab |
| Fallacies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | |
| Support | Support and Elaboration, The Five Features of Effective Writing, Learn NC |
| Using Sources | Handout: Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing |
| Plagiarism, LSCS Libraries | |
| Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing, Purdue Online Writing Lab | |
| When Do I Directly Quote, Paraphrase, or Summarize?, Kathy McLain, Paradise Valley Community College | |
| How Students Plagiarize at GW, George Washington University | |
| Writing About Literature | Literary Analysis: Using Elements of Literature, Roane State Community College |
| Literary Analysis Guide, Goshen College | |
| Literary Analysis, Bucks County Community College | |
| Critical Approaches, Samantha Blackmon, Purdue University: A brief overview of several different approaches to literary criticism. | |
| Writing a Literary Analysis Presentation, Purdue Online Writing Lab | |
| Writing About Poetry | Writing About Poetry, Hamilton College |
| Poetry Explications, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | |
| Analyzing Poetry, Roxanne Kent-Drury, Northern Kentucky University | |
| Writing About Poetry, David Wilson-Okamura, Virgil.org | |
| Structure | |
|---|---|
| Issue | Resource |
| Basic Essay | Handout: Outlining Your Essay |
| The Five-Paragraph Essay, The Guide to Grammar and Writing | |
| Essay Planning and Structure, Massey University | |
| The Five-Paragraph Essay, Study Guides and Strategies | |
| Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due: On the Five-Paragraph Essay, Edge-Induced Cohesion | |
| Business Report | Business Report Structure, Massey University |
| Case Study | Case Studies, CQUniversity Australia |
| How to Write a Psychology Case Study, Kendra Cherry, About.com | |
| PDF: How to Write a Case Study, The Global Travel and Tourism Partnership | |
| PDF: Writing a Case Study, International Transplant Nurses Society | |
| Conclusion | Conclusions, Effective Writing Center, University of Maryland University College |
| Conclusions, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | |
| Introduction | Introductions, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Review of Literature | Learn How to Write a Review of Literature, The University of Wisconsin - Madison |
| Scientific Report | Scientific Reports, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Lab Report Structure, Massey University | |
| Speech | Sample Outline for a Talk, Nan Peck, Northern Virginia Community College |
| Thesis | Handout: The Thesis Statement |
| How To Write a Thesis Statement, Indiana University | |
| Developing a Thesis Statement, The Writer's Web, University of Washington: Several tutorials on the different stages of composing and refining a thesis statement. | |
| Tips and Examples for Writing Thesis Statements, Purdue Online Writing Lab | |
| Transitions | Handout: Making Smooth Transitions |
| Transition Signals in Writing, University of New South Wales | |
| Transitional Words and Phrases, Study Guides and Strategies | |
| Transitions, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | |
| Types of Essays | Handout: The Descriptive Essay |
| Handout: The Narrative Essay | |
| Handout: The Personal Essay | |
| Handout: The Process Essay | |
| Handout: The Compare and Contrast Essay | |
| Handout: The Classification or Division Essay | |
| Handout: The Cause and Effect Essay | |
| Handout: The Definition Essay | |
| Handout: The Argumentative Essay | |
| Handout: The Critical Essay | |
| Persuasive Essays, the Basics, Hamilton College | |
| Overall | Organization, The Five Features of Effective Writing, Learn NC |
| Style | ||
|---|---|---|
| Issue | Resource | |
| Clarity | Writing Clear, Concise Sentences, The Writer's Handbook, University of Wisconsin - Madison | |
| How to Make Sentences Clear and Concise, The Writer's Web, University of Washington | ||
| Confusing Pronouns, Writer's Web, University of Richmond: How to avoid mistakes in pronoun agreement. | ||
| Gender | "He or She" Versus "They," Oxford Dictionaries Online: A progressive approach to the problem of gender-neutral pronoun reference. | |
| Avoiding Sexist Language, Writing for Business and Pleasure: A professional writer's opinion column on dealing with gender-neutral pronoun reference. | ||
| Stereotypes and Biased Language, Purdue Online Writing Lab | ||
| Originality | Avoiding Cliches in Writing, Writer's Web, University of Richmond | |
| Putting Voice into a Paper, Krysti Sibley, Writer's Web, University of Richmond: Tips for developing your voice as a writer and letting your individuality shine through. | ||
| Parallelism | Handout: Parallel Structure | |
| Parallel Structure, Purdue Online Writing Lab | ||
| Person | Should I Use "I"?, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | |
| First, Second and Third Person Writing Examples, StudioKnow: A humorous look at the differences between first-, second-, and third-person writing. | ||
| First Person or Third?, Tara K. Harper, Writer's Workshop: Choosing between points of view in storytelling. | ||
| Tone and Formality | Handout: Maintaining an Academic Voice | |
| Editing for Formality: Find Your Academic Voice, Graduate Academic Services, Lincoln University | ||
| Levels of Formality, University of Texas at El Paso | ||
| Tone and Formality in Academic Writing, Temple University | ||
| Tone in Writing, California State University, Sacramento | ||
| Tone in Business Writing, Purdue Online Writing Lab | ||
| Video: Academic Voice: Using English's Biases For You, Ian Sherman, SlideShare: An eye-opening video presentation centered on vocabulary. | ||
| Variety | Sentence Variety, Guide to Grammar and Writing | |
| Voice | Voice: Active and Passive, Towson University | |
| Passive vs. Active Voice, DailyWritingTips | ||
| Changing Passive to Active Voice, Purdue Online Writing Lab | ||
| Wordiness | Nine Easy Steps to Longer Sentences, Plain Language Humor | |
| Overall | Style, The Five Features of Effective Writing, Learn NC | |
| Non-Errors, Paul Brians, Washington State University: A list of things that people keep saying are wrong but are actually standard. | ||
| Grammar | |
|---|---|
| Issue | Resource |
| Adjectives | Comparatives and Superlatives, ESL Base |
| Agreement | Subject-Verb Agreement, Towson University: A self-teaching unit with visual aids and exercises. |
| Subject-Verb Agreement, The Writer's Handbook, University of Wisconsin - Madison | |
| 20 Rules of Subject-Verb Agreement, YourDictionary | |
| Articles | Video: Articles: "The," "An," and "A," Part 1, Part 2, Texas A&M University |
| Conjunctions | Handout: Conjunctions and Conjunctive Adverbs |
| Handout: Subordinating Conjunctions | |
| Fragments | Sentence Fragments, YourDictionary |
| Sentence Fragments, Purdue Online Writing Lab | |
| Sentence Fragments, The Guide to Grammar and Writing | |
| Modals | Modal Verbs, Learn English |
| Parts of Speech | Handout: Parts of Speech |
| Parts of Speech, University of Victoria Study Zone | |
| Phrasal Verbs | Phrasal Verbs, English Club |
| The English Phrasal Verb, Ann Stephens, University of North Carolina at Pembroke | |
| Prepositions | Handout: Prepositions |
| Prepositions and Phrasal Verbs, Englishpage Advanced English lessons | |
| Prepositions: Locators in Time and Place, The Guide to Grammar and Writing | |
| Ending a Sentence with a Preposition, Grammar Girl | |
| Pronouns | Reflexive Pronouns, the Reciprocal Pronoun "Each Other," and Object Pronouns, Free English Grammar |
| Relative Clauses | Relative Clauses: A general guide with some information on appositives. |
| Using Adjective Clauses: Avoid These Mistakes!, Dave's ESL Cafe | |
| Run-Ons | Run-On Sentences, Comma Splices, The Guide to Grammar and Writing |
| Sentence Structure | Handout: Sentence Structure |
| Sentence Patterns, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | |
| The Structure of a Sentence, David Megginson, University of Ottawa | |
| Sentence Structure, Towsen Unversity | |
| Handout: Indirect Speech with Embedded Clauses | |
| Presentation: Identifying Incorrect Sentences, Wisc-Online | |
| Sentence Types | The Discourse Functions of Sentences, The Internet Grammar of English |
| Imperative, English Language | |
| Verb Forms | Handout: The Verb Forms of English |
| English Verb Conjugator, English Language | |
| English Verb Tenses, Georgia Southern University: A very brief overview of the traditional tenses. | |
| The Tenses, Learn English: A more in-depth look at English verb forms. | |
| Comparing Gerunds, Participles, and Infinitives, Purdue Online Writing Lab | |
| Infinitive or -Ing?, English Club | |
| Split Infinitives, Grammar Girl | |
| Overall | Grammar: How to Understand It, Mantex |
| Top Ten Grammar Myths, Grammar Girl | |
| Advanced English Grammar Exercises | |
| Grammar Lessons, Dave's ESL Cafe | |
| Grammar Exercises, Grammar Bytes | |
| Mechanics | |
|---|---|
| Issue | Resource |
| Abbreviations | Handout: Abbreviations |
| Apostrophes | Handout: Apostrophes: Possessives and Contractions |
| The Apostrophe, Purdue Online Writing Lab | |
| The Apostrophe, Punctuation Made Simple, Gary A. Olson, Illinois State University | |
| Capitalization | A Little Help with Capitals, Purdue Online Writing Lab |
| Capitalizing Titles, Grammar Girl | |
| Capitalization of Job Titles, YourDictionary | |
| Colons | The Colon, Punctuation Made Simple, Gary A. Olson, Illinois State University |
| Commas | Handout: Proper Comma Usage |
| Commas, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | |
| The Comma, Punctuation Made Simple, Gary A. Olson, Illinois State University | |
| Commas: Quick Rules, Purdue Online Writing Lab | |
| Rules for Comma Usage, The Guide to Grammar and Writing | |
| Hyphens and Dashes | Hyphen Use, Purdue Online Writing Lab |
| The Dash, Punctuation Made Simple, Gary A. Olson, Illinois State University | |
| How to Use a Dash in an English Sentence, WikiHow | |
| Video: Hyphens and Dashes, Texas A&M University | |
| Lists | Bulleted Lists: Capitalization and Punctuation, Judy Vorfeld, SiteTube |
| Quotations | The Rise of "Logical Punctuation," Slate: An article about whether periods and commas should go inside or outside of quotation marks. |
| "Dialogue Punctuation?" He Asked, "But Why?", My Literary Quest: Ten simple rules for dialogue punctuation. | |
| Punctuating Dialogue, Marg Gilks, Writing World.com: Use of quotation marks, commas, and periods in dialogue. | |
| Semicolons | The Semicolon, Punctuation Made Simple, Gary A. Olson, Illinois State University |
| Spelling | Spelling Rules, Reading from Scratch |
| Helpful Spelling Facts, Absolutely Ridiculous English Spelling | |
| Commonly Confused Words, Georgia Southern University | |
| Commonly Confused Words, Internet Accuracy Project: A fairly exhaustive listing of homophone and other easily confusable words. | |
| Spell Checker Fun, Internet Accuracy Project | |
| Enuf or Enough? Why Is English Spelling So Random?, The Hot Word | |
| Overall | Punctuation Guide, English the International Language |
| Chicago Style Q&A: Punctuation, The Chicago Manual of Style Online | |
| Formatting | |
|---|---|
| Issue | Resource |
| AMA Style | AMA Style, BioMedical Editor |
| AP Style | Associated Press Style, Purdue Online Writing Lab |
| APA Style | Handout: An Overview of APA Style |
| Handout: How to Cite a Source in APA Style | |
| APA Formatting and Style Guide, Purdue Online Writing Lab | |
| APA Citation Style (6th Edition), La Guardia Community College Library Media Resources Center | |
| APA: Objectives, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries | |
| APA Documentation Guide, The Writer's Handbook, University of Wisconsin - Madison | |
| Frequently Asked Questions About APA Style, American Psychological Association | |
| Templates for Writing, Walden University: Downloadable documents to get you started on various types of papers. | |
| APSA Style | Introduction to APSA Style, The Writer's Handbook, University of Wisconsin - Madison |
| ASA Style | Handout: An Overview of ASA Style |
| Formatting in Sociology (ASA Style), Purdue Online Writing Lab | |
| Chicago/Turabian Style | Handout: An Overview of Chicago Style |
| Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide, The Chicago Manual of Style Online | |
| Chicago Manual of Style 16th Edition, Purdue Online Writing Lab | |
| Chicago: Objectives, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries | |
| Turabian Quick Guide, A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations | |
| Sample Research Paper: Chicago Style, Research and Documentation Online, Bedford / St. Martin's | |
| Chicago Style Guide: Notes System, University Libraries, University of Maryland | |
| Turabian Footnote/Endnote Style, Georgetown University Library | |
| Citation Aids | KnightCite Citation Service, The Hekman Library, Calvin College: An educational citation generator for MLA, APA, and Chicago. |
| BibMe: An automatic citation/bibliography system, complete with online reference guides to MLA, APA, and Chicago. | |
| EasyBib: An authomatic citation/bibliography service, free for MLA only. | |
| Citation Help, LSCS Libraries | |
| Style Manuals and Writing Guides, California State University, Los Angeles: PDF guides and links to online references for various formatting styles | |
| Sources and Documentation, Hamilton College | |
| CSE/CBE Style | CSE Documentation Systems, Research and Documentation Online, Bedford / St. Martin's |
| CSE/CBE: Objectives, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries | |
| GSA Style | Geology Guidelines: Style, The Geological Society of America |
| GSA Style, The Dickinson College Library Wiki | |
| Microsoft Word | WordTips (Ribbon Interface): Helpful tips, tricks, and ideas for using recent versions of Microsoft Word, starting with Word 2007. |
| MLA Style | Handout: An Overview of MLA Style |
| Handout: How to Cite a Source in MLA Style | |
| MLA Formatting and Style Guide, Purdue Online Writing Lab | |
| MLA Documentation Style for "Works Cited," La Guardia Community College Library Media Resources Center | |
| MLA: Objectives, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries | |
| MLA Documentation Guide, The Writer's Handbook, University of Wisconsin - Madison | |
| MLA Style Papers: Step-by-Step Instructions for Formatting Research Papers, Jerz's Literacy Weblog, Seton Hill University | |
| General | |
|---|---|
| Issue | Resource |
| ACCUPLACER Test | ACCUPLACER Introduction for Students, CollegeBoard: Provides a brief overview and official sample questions. |
| ACCUPLACER Study Guides, Testing Center, Aims Community College | |
| COMPASS Test | Handout: Preparing for the COMPASS |
| Tips for Taking COMPASS Tests, ACT: Follow the links for more tips on the essay portion and building your writing skills. | |
| Sample Test Questions, ACT: Official samples of the test. | |
| Practice Central, Gainesville State College | |
| Cracking the Writing Section of the COMPASS, Becky Villarreal, Austin Community College | |
| COMPASS Test Questions: Provides a full unofficial practice test. | |
| Editing/Proofreading | Editing a Draft, University of Richmond Writing Center |
| Editing and Proofreading Symbols, The Essential Reference Guide, North Carolina Wesleyan College | |
| ESOL | Many Things: Fun ways to learn basic English skills. |
| The ESL Quiz Center, Dave's ESL Cafe | |
| Self-Study Quizzes for ESL Students | |
| Essay Exams | Handout: How to Take an Essay Exam |
| Handout: Sample Essay Exam Prompts | |
| HESI Exam | HESI A2 Test, Nursing Exam Prep Info |
| Journalism | How to Write a News Story, MediaCollege |
| Kilpatrick’s Rules of Newspaper Writing, Western Washington University | |
| Letter Writing | Letter Writing Guide: A thorough guide to many different types of letters, complete with examples. |
| Writing Cover Letters, The Writer's Handbook, The University of Wisconsin - Madison | |
| Online Textbooks | Online Guide to Writing and Research, Effective Writing Center, University of Maryland University College: An online textbook full of useful links and checklists. |
| Sentence Sense: A Writer's Guide, Capital Community College: An interactive online textbook covering grammar, usage, and writing. | |
| Practice | Writing Exercises, Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) |
| Online Exercises, Towson University | |
| Principles | Six Principles of Good Writing, Saint Vincent College |
| Habits of Effective Writers, Hamilton College | |
| Problems | Common Errors in English Usage, Paul Brians, Washington State University: An extensive listing of hundreds of tricky issues. |
| Twelve Common Errors, The University of Wisconsin - Madison: A checklist to aid you in editing your work. | |
| Common Essay Problems, Mantex | |
| The Seven Deadly Sins of Writing, Hamilton College Writing Center | |
| How to Write Good, Plain Language Humor | |
| Resumes | Handout: Resumes |
| Resume Workshop, Purdue Online Writing Lab | |
| THEA Test | Handout: Preparing for the THEA |
| Test Preparation, THEA | |
| THEA Test Preparation Quick Reference Guide, THEA | |
| THEA Test Skill Descriptions, THEA: A point-by-point explanation of which specific skills are evaluated by the THEA Test | |
| Vocabulary | Dictionary.com: Find not only the spelling and meaning of a word, but also its pronunciation, history, translations, and much more. |
| Books Ngram Viewer, Google Labs: Look up any word or phrase to see a chart of its popularity over time. | |
| Writing for the Web | Writing for the Web, Jakob Nielsen, UseIt.com: An impressive collection of research on how users read and therefore how authors should write. |
| Planning a Plain-Language Website, Plain Language: A brief guide to content, organization, and usability. | |
| Writing in Engineering | Writing Guidelines for Engineering and Science Students, Pennsylvania State University |
| Writing in Mathematics | How to Write Proofs, Larry W. Cusick, California State University, Fresno |
| Writing in the Sciences | The Writing Center, Department of Psychology, Georgia State University: Writing guides written with psychology students in mind. |
| Overall | Purdue Online Writing Lab: An extensive one-stop reference, often referred to as simply "the OWL." |
| Resources for Writers, Haverford College: A well organized collection of resources from various university writing centers. | |
| Writing Center Handouts, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | |
| Writer's Web, University of Richmond Writing Center | |
| The Online Writing Lab (OWL), Roane State Community College | |
| Writing Center Handouts, Hamilton College | |
| Writing Tips, University of Colorado: A collection of several writing tips, mostly in paragraph form. | |
Are We Missing Something?
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