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10 resources to improve your grammar and writing skills
Julie Petersen
This article features a list of study resources that will help improve your grammar and writing and help you get better grades on your essays and dissertations. There is a very mixed list of websites that can be helpful both for young and experienced students. Besides, several resources can be easily used by people that have English as their second language. All the mentioned websites have quite different approach, quality and content, so the list cannot be ranked in any way.
1. Grammar Monster
If you want your grammar lessons to be broken down into easy-to-use chunks, then this is the website for you. This website is perfect for people that have a smattering of English writing and grammar knowledge, and need to improve and tighten up it. If you are already quite advanced, then this is a place where you may check your skills to see if you are on the right track. Maybe you need to remind yourself of a concept or two. This resource is also free and is both child and adult friendly.
2. Guide to Grammar and Writing
This website was made mostly for adults and older students because it can be difficult for younger students to navigate. It is a very detailed and knowledgeable resource, but the work is not broken down in a way that suits children. It is similar to reading a book on grammar, which means it can get quite heavy in some places, and that is probably not suitable for people with a limited attention span.
3. EssayMama’s Essay Writing Guide
The Essaymama’s Essay Writing Guide is great for students – for beginners, intermediates and advanced students. It offers a wide range of tips and advice that will help you improve your writing generally and improve your writing in a structural and grammatical sense. Using this guide you can get practical pieces of advice and make your writings better.
4. The Writing Center for Writing Studies
This is one of the most advanced resources and would actually be suitable for people studying specific English functions and styles. It is an in-depth resource, but still has features that will suit younger and less-experienced writers. For example, you can do in-depth research into English concepts, but you can also read about the basics of speech, writing and how these two interact.
5. Using English
This is a website that is meant for people with English as their second language. It is actually very good at helping people test their own knowledge though its biggest strength lies in its English reference section. It has lists of English Idioms, English Phrasal Verbs, English Irregular Verbs and it has a Grammar Glossary. All of these reference sections are vitally important for new English speakers/writers that want to write with the same flow and format as people with English as their native language. It teaches things that your college and tutors are not going to tell you.
6. Exam Time
This website has some problems that you may find annoying, but it does have a nice range of quizzes. If you are the sort of person that revises better with the use of quizzes, then this is the resource for you. Most of the problems revolve around website loading and sketchy content. If you would prefer to research instead of test yourself, then this is not the most needed website for you, but you can use it as a supplementary one to the main resource that you choose for studying grammar.
7. Get Revising
This is a website that is set out to help both younger and older students. It starts out with information and advice for younger students and people with limited English skills, and it moves all the way up to people studying English in college and University. It is a great place to find study resources and to find new ways of studying and improving your English skills.
8. Study Guides and Strategies
This is certainly not a website for beginners. This is a website for people that have plenty of English and studying skills and are now aiming for higher marks and grades. If you are looking for more than just a passing grade, then this should be your first port of call. What is great about the website is that it deals with a lot of concepts instead of only focusing on raw knowledge you have to memorize. It gives you help on studying, classroom learning, learning and learning with others. It helps you become a better learner before it helps you become a better writer. It is an unusual approach, but is very effective and will be a big help to anyone looking to overachieve.
9. English Practice
This has to be the most aptly titled website of all times. It gives you full access to all the functions of English practice you will ever need. It is not a place to learn your English skills. It is a place to test and improve your English skills. Once you feel you have learnt enough to get you through your exams, you should take a look at this website. Use what you know to test your knowledge, find your weak spots and then improve your writing with this website.
10. A Research Guide
If you are writing an essay and want to get a few extra points, then this is the website for you. It has writing guides that show you how to correctly create different sections of your paper. It helps you write in a way that professors prefer, plus it has literature guides that you would normally have to pay for.
Sources:
EssayMama’s Essay Writing Guide
The Writing Center for Writing Studies
About the Author
Julie Petersen is a young writer and language tutor with 4 years of experience. At present time she is working on her first fiction novel.
