4 Web Sites to Help Writers Improve Grammar and Writing Skills for Free

I think most writers would agree that English grammar is a double-edged sword. If the grammar rules are ignored and misused, the writing is incomprehensible to the reader. On the other hand, if a writer attempts to strictly follow every grammar rule, his writing becomes stilted and boring. Although I confess to being a hardcore Grammar Geek, I do appreciate the creative process and the wiggle room sometimes needed to express a thought without the constriction of tightly woven rules. Yet, I also believe that every writer, even the grammar-phobic, can benefit from an occasional review of the basic English rules. I have found several helpful websites that provide simple review material as well as comprehension checks--aka--quizzes and tests.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print/index.html#parts

This site provides review material and tests on parts of speech, punctuation, spelling and capitalization, all of which are broken down into more specific categories. Also included are topics concerning the writing process: "General Writing Concerns (Planning/Writing/Revising/Genres), "Research and Documenting Sources" and "Professional Writing (and Writing in the Job Search"). A sample resume can be found under the professional writing heading.

The information can be accessed as a web page or in PDF format. Permission is granted to download and print copies of all sheets--quizzes, tests and answer keys included--provided the institution information on the bottom of each page is clearly visible on the copies.

http://wwwnew.towson.edu/ows/index.htm
This site covers parts of speech, sentence structure, punctuation, and usage and includes self-teaching units as well as exercises. The web site is easy to navigate and the user has no problem finding specific topics. Good, simple explanations are given for each grammar/writing issue. Clean, colorful graphics are used for emphasis which makes the material reader-friendly.

http://www.edufind.com/english/englishtests/list_of_english_tests.cfm

The layout of this site's content page is very helpful. At first glance it is obvious that there are many tests from which to choose. The tests are listed according to level, from beginning to advanced. Areas of content include general English, vocabulary, writing, and verbs. The pages are simple to navigate and the reader receives immediate feedback on answers--correct or incorrect.

http://www.grammarbook.com/interactive_quizzes_exercises.asp

A pretest and mastery test, consisting of 50 questions each are included on this site. Many of the topics are usage-driven: lay vs. lie, advice vs. advise, etc. One interesting quiz is the "Effective Writing Quiz". Most of the quizzes contain from 10-15 questions. Feedback is given after completing the entire quiz. After completing each quiz, a score is given, as well as an explanation for each answer.

For all you writers out there--Grammar Geeks as well as Grammar Phobics--I hope these web sites will enhance your grasp of basic grammar so you can continue to make the world a better place by sharing your unique perspectives.