English

Resources in this category:

The American Heritage Book of English Usage
http://www.bartleby.com/64/

"A lively and accessible introduction to English usage provides a close-up look at--and explanations of--a range of grammatical problems, including grammar, style, diction, pronunciation, word formation, gender, social groups, and science terms." Browsable and searchable.

Armchair Grammarian
http://community-2.webtv.net/SOLIS-BOO/Grammar1/

If you are looking for an Online Writing Lab then this website is a great place to start, since they have articles that explain and give examples of Grammar, and Punctuation, such as discussing nouns, pronouns and tenses.

The Book of Cliches
http://utopia.knoware.nl/users/sybev/cliche/

This source is all about cliches, how to use them and when to use them. It has extensive lists on different cliches for the same thought. This source has an introduction, lists of cliches, awards the site has won, about the author, links to other sites, and contact information.

(British) English Translated for Americans
http://www.uta.fi/FAST/US1/REF/engtran.html

This site translates British terms for Americans.

Cambridge Dictionary of American English
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/

Students and scholars of American English can use this site to search the full text of the Cambridge Dictionary of American English. The dictionary gives full sentence examples of how words are used in American English, and explains thousands of American idioms. Also find here the Advanced Learner's, the Learner's, Idioms, Phrasal Verbs, French/English, and Spanish/English dictionaries.

Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/

Students and scholars of the English language can use this site to search the full text of the Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms. The dictionary provides examples of over 7,000 idioms currently used in American, British and Australian English. Includes thousands of example sentences, and etymological information to help readers understand the meanings of the idioms.

ClicheSite.com
http://www.clichesite.com/index.asp

Alphabetical listing of commonly used English phrases and expressions. An explanation/definition is given for each expression. Cliches are also indexed by topical category.

The Columbia Guide to Standard American English
http://www.bartleby.com/68/

"A vigorous assessment of how our language is best written and spoken and how we can use it most effectively, this guide is the ideal handbook of language etiquette: friendly, sensible, reliable, and fun to read. Its 6,500 entries contain thousands of examples, both descriptive and prescriptive, and feature 4,300 hyperlinked cross-references." Searchable.

Common Errors in English
http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/

This is a very comprehensive site, that does a very good job of exhaustively covering errors in English. Paul Brians, a professor of English at the Washington State University, maintains this site. The main thrust of this site is covering the most common errors in English usage.

English Grammar FAQ
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jlawler/aue.html

This site is a compilation of the Questions and answers that a Linguistics professor posted to alt.usage.english over the past few years. John Lawler is an Associate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. This is a great resource for those who enjoy reading newsgroup postings, and are wanting to learn more about grammar and its proper usage.

Internet Anagram Server (I, Rearrangement Servant)
http://www.wordsmith.org/anagram/index.html

A form-based resource which will create anagrams ("a word or phrase made by transposing the letters of another word or phrase"). Fun but also revealing: includes an FAQ on how it works, fun facts about anagrams, and a Hall of Fame submitted by users. Also supports an email-based service: "Send a blank message to the wordserver at wsmith@wordsmith.org to get the instructions on using Anagram/by/Mail."

LangCanada
http://www.langcanada.ca/public/index.html

Educational resources aimed at teaching English and French as second languages. The site is available in both English and French and provides teaching and learning materials, research on bilingualism and a list of accredited training organizations.

The Middle English Compendium
http://ets.umdl.umich.edu/m/mec/

"The Middle English Compendium has been designed to offer easy access to and interconnectivity between three major Middle English electronic resources: an electronic version of the Middle English Dictionary, a HyperBibliography of Middle English prose and verse based on the MED bibliographies, and an associated network of electronic resources." This resource is sold on a subscription basis to institutions, but a free trial month-to-month use is available by entering the Middle English Dictionary. Then, click on the link "trial access for individuals". Click on "our terms and conditions and the latest username and password". You will be provided with a username and password good for that particular month.

Middle English Search
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/mideng.browse.html

Allows you to search for words and/or phrases in the University of Virginia's Middle English Collection. The works may also be browsed.

Online Etymology Dictionary
http://www.etymonline.com/

A free, online dictionary showing the origins of words or "explanations of what our words meant." A good, free alternative to those who do not have a subscription or access to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). Sources for the overall work are cited.

Origin of Phrases
http://members.aol.com/MorelandC/Phrases.htm

"Phrases usually have meaning that goes beyond the words in the phrase. This page investigates how common phrases came to be. "

The Phrase Finder
http://www.phrases.org.uk/

This "phrase thesaurus and searchable database of a large collection of English phrases and sayings" can be used to find phrases related to a particular word, learn the meaning of a phrase, or determine the origin of a phrase. Also includes a book list of dictionaries, thesauri, and word phrase and origin books.

Repeat After Us
http://www.repeatafterus.com/

Online language lab with a library of English language text and audio clips intended to help people with their language skills.

Strange & Unusual Dictionaries
http://www.blueray.com/dictionary/

Features three unique dictionaries: The White Queen's Dictionary of One Letter Words, Dictionary of All-Consonant Words, and The Dictionary of All-Vowel Words. Other features include: Catalog of Dictionary Songs, link to other alternative online dictionary resources, and a list of recommended print sources.

Take Our Word for It
http://www.takeourword.com/

This weekly web-zine provides origins to words and phrases. Back issues are searchable.

Traditional Grammatical Terminology
http://www.library.utoronto.ca/utel/language/Grammar.htm

"A comprehensive, authoritative grammatical reference document. This document offers a detailed, highly structured treatment of grammatical terminology."

Vocabulary Training
http://www.vokabel.com/

Use this site to help you learn words in French, Spanish, or German. You can work on verb tenses or you can just build your vocabulary in various subject areas. Categories include: Food, Business Vocabulary, and Useful Words.

Word and Phrase Origins
http://www.ipl.org/div/pf/entry/48468

This IPL pathfinder is designed for anyone interested in the origin of words and/or phrases, also called etymology. Both print and Internet sources are included.

The Word Detective
http://www.word-detective.com/

The headline on this page is sure to capture your attention: "Puzzled by posh? Confounded by cattycorner? Baffled by balderdash?" If this describes you, then the Word Detective-something of an "ask the expert" service on word origins-might be just what you need. Word expert Evan Morris writes a weekly column on the origin of words and phrases based on questions e-mailed from the public. An archive of old columns is also available.

Word Spy
http://www.wordspy.com/words/logophilia.asp

This site is focused on new words, old words, and words that are enjoying a renaissance. It features a new word, definition and citation each day and provides background information about the word and its usage.

The Word Wizard
http://www.wordwizard.com

"We offer you a range of carefully-selected resources, news about words and writing, contributions from well-known writers about aspects of the English language, information about word or phrase origins, a selection of coinages, quotes and insults, as well as our Slang Street, Public Scribe and other areas where you can participate yourself."

WordCount
http://www.wordcount.org/main.php

WordCount™ presents the 86,800 most frequently used English words and ranks them in order of commonality. Data is colleceted from the British National Corpus®, a 100 million word collection of written and spoken language from a wide range of sources, designed to represent an accurate cross-section of current English usage.

WordNet
http://wordnet.princeton.edu/

"WordNet is an on-line lexical reference system whose design is inspired by current psycholinguistic theories of human lexical memory. English nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs are organized into synonym sets, each representing one underlying lexical concept. Different relations link the synonym sets." You can search for synonyms, antonyms, hyponyms, troponyms, familiarity, and other relationships. Requires a Java-enabled browser.

World Wide Words
http://www.worldwidewords.org/

The author provides 1400 pages on this site to talk about English words and phrases: "what they mean, where they come from, how they evolved, and the ways in which people sometimes misuse them. World Wide Words is actually a free newsletter, updated weekly, on words, origins, and meanings. The author considers himself a "researcher of English Language", and Library Journal describes the site as "being for anyone who loves language."