Over the years I've collected a few good grammar books, like The McGraw-Hill Handbook of English Grammar and Usage, and Strunk and White's classic The Elements of Style. But the source I find myself checking most often in my everyday writing life is Paul Brians' simple website, Common Errors in English Usage. What I like about this site is that it lists common errors alphabetically, making it easy to scroll through and find what you need quickly, whether it's checking the spelling of "mother lode" or looking up the difference between "discreet" and "discrete."
Another good online resource is Purdue University's Online Writing Lab, which has sections on grammar, punctuation, and academic writing. I use this one frequently as supplemental reading for my grammar class.
So, what's your favorite grammar/writing resource?
I will probably look into these for use in my classroom next year. Right now my grammar teaching is lacking. It's really an issue of finding a way that I can do it where I don't feel stupid while I'm teaching it. The overly repetitive nature of teaching grammar is just too painful for me. But, I will continue to find new ways to teach it in order to make it meaningful and useful.
ReplyDeleteI love Common Errors in English Language. It is great that koala/koala bear is in there. Of course, I am disappointed that ape/monkey is not also in there :)
ReplyDeleteIsn't it a great website? I always go there when I need to check my grammar. What I have the most trouble with though is figuring out whether or not to hyphenate certain phrases. I need to find a good website that will help me with that.
ReplyDeleteJeff, what my grammar teacher does is follow the chapters in The McGraw-Hill Handbook of English Grammar and Usage. Every week we read a chapter or two, then she has us do a few exercises to practice what we've learned. I dunno if that would work for teaching kids, but it works pretty well for me (and according to that facebook quiz my true age is 8).