This page connects students with valuable resources both online and in print. Below are links to sites where writers can find help with everything from basic grammar to playwriting. In addition, students can check out helpful reference books from the Writing Center.
Online Resources:
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Grammar Lessons and Exercises. The Purdue University OWL. This particular link will take you to the grammar lessons and exercises of Purdue's Online Writing Lab. The tutorials contain simple explanations and examples concerning many grammar and punctuation topics.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/index.html
- Guide to Grammar and Writing. by Charles Darling. This site has an extensive guide to writing at the word, sentence, paragraph, and global levels. Use the quizzes to test what you learn.
http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/
- The New Century Handbook Companion Website. by Christine Hult and Thomas Huckin. While it is not an online version of the book, this site contains exercises for various topics covered in the book. Click the book cover on the left, then on "Student Resources." Then, just under the masthead, select the area you would like to practice.
http://www.ablongman.com/hult
- Plagiarism. Plagiarism is a serious issue that applies to any writer, especially when it comes to research papers. USU's own penalties for plagiarism are strict. To learn more about plagiarism and how to identify and avoid it, visit Washington State University's Plagiarism Information Site.
http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/plagiarism/
- Playwriting (1010 Gender Remix) Assignment. Of all the types of writing, playwriting is one of the least used; therefore, many tutors and 1010 students find themselves rusty. View a list of quick tips from Playwriting101.com (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader).
http://playwriting101.com/
- St. Cloud State Unversity LEO. Literacy Education Online contains handouts about many types of writing topics, including the following: catching errors in your own writing, introducing quotes in a research paper, and making your writing nonsexist.
http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/index.html
Print Resources:
If you are looking for written help for your writing, we have dozens of books available. The New Century Handbook by Christine Hult and Thomas Huckin is a general reference for writers, and it includes material on grammar, punctuation, and citations. We also have the latest edition of The MLA Handbook, which goes into a good amount of detail about in-text citations and works-cited pages according to standards set by the Modern Language Association. The Chicago Manual of Style and Doing Honest Work in College are quick reference books that include such styles as Chicago (Turubian), MLA, APA, CSE, AMA, ACS, and Bluebook Legal.
Students can check out these or other books for up to two hours. Simply go to the Writing Center and ask the receptionist. Have an item ready, such as a student ID, to leave as collateral. Please do not take Writing Center books outside the Ray West building.
If you are interested in improving your grammar skills, another effective book is English Fundamentals by Donald Emery, John Kierzek, and Peter Lindblom. Chapters cover many grammar topics and include exercises for practice. Answers are included in the back so you can check yourself. To get a copy, go to the USU Bookstore in the Taggart Student Center's first floor; copies will be available on the English 1120 shelf.