Essay Punch
Essaypunch.com takes users through the actual steps of writing a basic essay.

Guide to Grammar and Style
This site was put together by Professor Jack Lynch of Rutgers University. It contains lots of good advice, is easy to use (alphabetical listing, hyperlinked), and is extremely useful.

Guide to Writing a Basic Essay
This site takes students through a few simple steps for writing an essay.

HyperGrammar
HyperGrammar is an electronic grammar course at the University of Ottawa’s Writing Centre

How the Language Really Works: The Fundamentals of Critical Reading and Effective Writing
No quizzes here - but the information on how to read critically is good (for advanced learners, since it uses advanced vocabulary).

Modern English Grammar
Daniel Kies, Department of English, College of DuPage, maintains this complete and easy-to-navigate textbook.

Paradigm: Online Writing Assistant
A superb, nicely organized, and extremely helpful guide for Composition. By Chuck Guilford, an English Professor at Boise State University.

Reading Comprehension Connection
These interactive online lessons help to improve students’ reading comprehension and build their vocabulary skills.

Sentence Sense
Prepared by Charles Darling of Capital Community College in Hartford, Connecticut. This online textbook in basic writing offers students three approaches to becoming more confident writers. Part One examines how sentences work, giving students a structural understanding of the language they use every day. Part Two focuses on errors that commonly appear in written English. Part Three suggests techniques and topics for developing ideas in writing. Students may move back and forth among parts, using the resources collected in Part Four as support.

Elements of Style
A hyperlinked version of the venerable style guide written by William Strunk (not the E.B. White-edited version). Maintained by the Bartleby Project at Columbia University.

Purdue University Online Writing Lab [OWL]
Contains on-line exercises and links to other resources for writing assistance. One of the best academic sites for writing help.

Vocabula Review
Published on the third Tuesday of each month by Robert Hartwell Fiske, editor and author of The Dictionary of Concise Writing and The Dimwit’s Dictionary.

Vocabulary.com
An almost intimidatingly comprehensive wealth of vocabulary info - includes lessons on identifying word roots, and lots of fun quizzes, games, and puzzles for practice. Intermediate skill level.

Writer’s Web
This site is maintained by the Writing Center at the University of Richmond. The material here on getting started with writing projects and on peer editing is especially helpful. Visit, also, the material in “Focusing & Connecting Ideas.”