Learning Assistance Center — Writing Center
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Online Resources
Handouts
These are some of our most popular handouts in the Writing Center. You can find additional information for writers through the links below. Of course, you may also bring your questions to us in person!
Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling
Research Papers
Especially for History Students
English as a Second Language
- Rule of the First Verb
- Subject-Verb Agreement
- Two-Verb Combinations: Master List
- Count and Non-count Nouns
- A/An/The Explanation Sheet
- Prepositions: Time with in-on-at
- Prepositions: Location with in-on-at
Links
General Resources
Use these sites as references for your academic writing:
- Elements of Style, William Strunk, Jr.
- Strunk's original version of the classic guide, it includes rules of usage, stylistic principles, commonly misused expressions and words, and commonly misspelled words.
- Guide to Writing a Basic Essay, Kathy Livingston
- The author takes you through the process of writing an essay, step by step.
- College of Lake County's John C. Murphy Memorial Library
- If you're researching, this site shows the availability of books and audio-visual materials at CLC and other north suburban libraries. It also provides access to electronic databases of journal and newspaper articles.
- The Internet Public Library
- This site is another gateway to online magazines, newspapers, and books.
- A Guide to Writing Research Papers Based on MLA Documentation (PDF)
- If you're writing a research paper in Modern Language Association Documentation (MLA) style, you can refer to Capital Community College's site for explanations and examples of documentation.
- A Guide for Writing Research Papers
- If you're using APA instead of MLA, this site will help with your research paper.
Tutors' Picks
Some of our staff members recommended their favorite English-related sites:
The Nobel Prize Internet Archive: Literature Winners provides short profiles of Nobel Prize winning authors, as well as links to other sites that contain on-line excerpts of award-winning works. Stephanie frequents this page because, "Reading great writing tends to stimulate creative juices, and by viewing these links, I can obtain thought-inspiring quotes."
If you're considering a career as a writer, Kathy has two recommendations. The first, Writing-World.com, "offers tips, resources, and links for writers of every stripe, including business writers, poets, screenwriters, and journalists." The second, Writer's Digest is "another great source for aspiring professional writers. In addition to links and resources, Writer's Digest offers detailed information on writing markets, writing contests, and the writing life."
When Keith isn't browsing online book stores, he enjoys visiting Guide to Grammar and Writing. He says it, "provides very detailed discussions of writing at the sentence level, paragraph level, and essay level. It also includes interactive quizzes that allow you to test yourself on your understanding of the materials."
Dave Sperling's ESL Cafe is one of Linda's favorite ESL (English as a Second Language) sites because of the variety of topics and activities students (and teachers) can pursue when they get there. "Topics such as idioms and phrasal verbs are two of the favorites I've seen students enjoy."
Helen describes Grammar Slammer as a "practical site" for writers. It lets students access various subtopics, including style and usage, capitalization, abbreviations, punctuation rules, letter writing, and common grammar mistakes.
Tom suggests YourDictionary.com, which claims to be "the last word in words." It has links to not only typical online dictionaries, but also to thesauri, acronym finders, sources for quotations, and glossaries for specific fields.
