Links
Passionate about the passive voice
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103709904
How dictionary-makers decide which words to include
Modern dictionaries are descriptive, not prescriptive. Words are included based on usage
https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2014/08/27/how-dictionary-makers-decide-which-words-to-include?fsrc=scn/fb/te/bl/ed/
English has a traditional solution to gender-neutral pronouns
https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2017/03/31/english-has-a-traditional-solution-to-gender-neutral-pronouns?fsrc=scn/fb/te/bl/ed/englishhasatraditionalsolutiontogenderneutralpronouns
PowerThesaurus
https://www.powerthesaurus.org/
NYT Copy Edit This Quiz
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/11/11/insider/copy-edit-this-quiz.html
Test Your Readability
https://readable.com/text/
VitalSource: Digital textbooks
https://www.vitalsource.com/
Dictation Web App
https://dictation.io/
Grammar cheat sheet for clean, clear, and compelling writing
30 tips to tighten up your grammar skills
https://medium.com/swlh/grammar-cheat-sheet-for-clean-clear-and-compelling-writing-a466d8416da6
Google Ngram Viewer
https://books.google.com/ngrams/
Capitalization
https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/capitalization/index
Corpus of Contemporary American English
https://www.english-corpora.org/coca/
Modern States College Composition Course
https://modernstates.org/course/college-composition/
Modern States College Composition Course Slides
https://courses.modernstates.org/courses/course-v1:ModernStatesX+Composition+2016_T4/f4be115bde1547e5a66bdf5420933887/
Applications for Practicing Grammar
https://i2cw.github.io/
Slides for Writing
https://learningengineer.com/slides/
Drivel Defence Text by the Plain Language Campaign can simplify your writing.
http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/drivel-defence-text.html
Grammarly: I use this program every single day of my life. It also tracks how much you write.
https://app.grammarly.com/
As a Google Chrome Extension
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/grammarly-for-chrome/kbfnbcaeplbcioakkpcpgfkobkghlhen
Countdown timer. I use this to take intermittent breaks to get some exercise and to help with learning.
https://learningengineer.com/timer/
SelfRestraint is a program that blocks websites for a set period of time. I use it to avoid distractions.
https://github.com/15d23/selfrestraint
https://github.com/15d23/selfrestraint/raw/master/SelfRestraint.exe
Natural Reader. I use this because it reads web pages to me. It helps prevent eye strain and provides for better comprehension and retention.
As a Chrome Extension
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/natural-reader-text-to-sp/kohfgcgbkjodfcfkcackpagifgbcmimk
Anki Flash Cards
I use these because quizzing yourself with flashcards is the most effective method of learning.
https://apps.ankiweb.net/
Wavemaker is an online writing program designed for long documents like novels.
https://wavemaker.cards/
Oxford Learner’s Dictionary (prescriptive dictionary)
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/
Merriam-Webster Learner’s Dictionary (prescriptive dictionary)
https://learnersdictionary.com/
Legal Dictionary
https://dictionary.law.com/
Harvard’s Medical Dictionary of Health Terms: A-C
https://www.health.harvard.edu/a-through-c
CHEMM Dictionary (Chemical Hazards Emergency Medical Management)
https://chemm.nlm.nih.gov/dictionary.htm
NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms
https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms
A dictionary of cancer and biomedical terms defined in non-technical language. Terms and definitions are reviewed by a multidisciplinary panel of reviewers and new terms are added each month.
NCI Dictionary of Genetics Terms
https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/genetics-dictionary
A dictionary of more than 150 genetics-related terms written for healthcare professionals. This resource was developed to support the comprehensive, evidence-based, peer-reviewed PDQ cancer genetics information summaries.
NCI Drug Dictionary
https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-drug
The NCI Drug Dictionary contains technical definitions and synonyms for drugs/agents used to treat patients with cancer or conditions related to cancer. Each drug entry includes links to check for clinical trials listed in NCI’s List of Cancer Clinical Trials.
USGS Dictionary of Water Terms
https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/dictionary-water-terms?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects
Linda’s Culinary Dictionary
https://whatscookingamerica.net/Glossary/A.htm
Food Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
https://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/food-dictionaries-and-encyclopedias
Definitions of Health Terms: Nutrition
https://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/food-dictionaries-and-encyclopedias