Be a better writer in 15 minutes: 4 TED-Ed lessons on grammar and word choice There’s no denying it — the English language can be mighty tricky. When writing a paper, a novel or even an e-mail, you might look at a sentence you just wrote and think, “Is that comma supposed to be there?” or “Is that really the best word to use?” Fear not! TED-Ed has put together a list of four of our favorite grammar and language lessons to get your next piece of writing in tip-top shape. First, let’s look at the often-confusing comma. What about the Oxford comma? Now, take an adjective such as “implacable” or a verb like “proliferate” or even another noun “crony,” and add a suffix, such as “-ity” or “-tion” or “-ism.” Finally, when it comes to good writing, don’t take the easy route!
The 100 Best Books of All Time Many publishers have lists of 100 best books, defined by their own criteria. This article enumerates some lists of "100 best" books for which there are fuller articles. Among them, Science Fiction: The 100 Best Novels (Xanadu, 1985) and Modern Fantasy: The 100 Best Novels (Grafton, 1988) are collections of 100 short essays by a single author, David Pringle, with moderately long critical introductory chapters also by Pringle. Lists[edit] See also[edit] References[edit]
Poetry 180 - Home Page Welcome to Poetry 180. Poetry can and should be an important part of our daily lives. Poems can inspire and make us think about what it means to be a member of the human race. By just spending a few minutes reading a poem each day, new worlds can be revealed. Poetry 180 is designed to make it easy for students to hear or read a poem on each of the 180 days of the school year. I have selected the poems you will find here with high school students in mind. Listening to poetry can encourage students and other learners to become members of the circle of readers for whom poetry is a vital source of pleasure. Billy Collins Former Poet Laureate of the United States Learn more about Billy Collins More Poet Laureate projects
Newspaper Map We have indexed all newspapers and plotted their correct locations, in 39 countries. Might have missed some. And most newspapers in another 199 countries, a bunch of them not in their correct locations. Add new ones here: add/correct "The immediate usefulness of Newspaper Map is readily apparent." Jared Keller, The Atlantic "News of the World, One Click Away" Sam Grobart, New York Times "I think this mash-up of Google Maps & every online Newspaper in the World is very, very cool" Bill Gross, Founder of Idealab & UberMedia A boatload of more press here OWL Coming Soon: A new look for our same great content! We're working hard this summer on a redesign of the Purdue OWL. Worry not! Our navigation menu and content will remain largely the same. If you are having trouble locating a specific resource, please visit the search page or the Site Map. The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University houses writing resources and instructional material, and we provide these as a free service of the Writing Lab at Purdue. For more information about services for the Purdue University community, including one-to-one consultations, ESL conversation groups and workshops, please visit the Writing Lab site. Mission The Purdue University Writing Lab and Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) assist clients in their development as writers—no matter what their skill level—with on-campus consultations, online participation, and community engagement.
POETRY PAIRINGS - The Learning Network Blog This week’s Poetry Pairing features “A Poem of Changgan” by Li Po and the Sunday Review article “Romance at Arm’s Length” by Daniel Jones. After reading the poem and the article, tell us what you think — or suggest other Times content that could be matched with the poem instead. Read more… Sara Krulwich/The New York TimesThis painting of two women preparing a Passover meal (seder) is called “The Washington Haggadah” and was painted in 1478. This week’s Poetry Pairing features “Paschal” by Robert Pinsky and the article “Put Yourself in the Story of Passover” by Edward Rothstein. After reading the poem and the article, tell us what you think — or suggest other Times content that could be matched with the poem instead. Joshua Bright for The New York TimesZoe Feldman, the founder of Lisa Frank Mixtape, at MUD coffee in the East Village, the last place that she saw her girlfriend, who died in 2012. Chang W. Paul HoppePeople tend to pick up on the vocal trends they hear others use.
Shakespeare Unbound - ABC Splash Add this to your favourites Shakespeare Unbound Like Shakespeare's stories but think the tights are boring and the old-fashioned language is hard to follow? Splash and Bell Shakespeare bring you some of Shakespeare's most famous scenes set in the modern day. About this digibook What is Shakespeare Unbound? watch Credits Who is this for? Secondary The Arts, English Years: 9, 10 Source: Bell Shakespeare Find more resources from Bell Shakespeare Copyright information Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Belongs to the topic: Shakespeare Related keywords: Othello | The Tempest | Julius Caesar | Bell Shakespeare | William Shakespeare | Romeo and Juliet | Macbeth | Hamlet | John Bell What to view next: The value of Shakespeare English Years: 9,10 English: an evolving language English Year: 10 Shakespeare words: the process of language ch ... English Year: 9 Send me more stuff like this! Explore ABC Splash Follow us:
My Feed How to be a writer - Myke Bartlett - ABC Splash I write a lot. I always have. A character in David Mitchell's fantastic new book The Bone Clocks describes writing as a pathology (basically, a medical condition) and that's a description that sounds all too familiar to me. When I don't write, I get quite unpleasant to be around. Or so I'm told. Writing has long been an addiction but, these days, it's also my job. I'm often asked how I manage to switch from one sort of writing to another. Boredom I can't stress how important this is. Unplug the headphones, put your phone in your pocket. Story Not quite. Discipline There's a great Thomas Mann quote that says writers are people who find writing more difficult than everybody else. Deadlines Years ago, I asked an editor friend why he kept using a not-very-good writer in his magazine. Image: Drew Coffman / Flickr CC
6th Grade Language Arts apps for iPad, iPhone, Android, Windows 8 iTooch 6th Grade Language ArtsApp Store4.9 Discover our Language Arts app for sixth graders In the sixth grade, the Common Core Standards stress the importance of understanding the conventions of standard English (e.g. grammar usage when writing and speaking), the knowledge of the language (e.g. tone and style), vocabulary retention and strategies for learning new words and understanding figurative language and nuances in various text genres. Ideally, students are empowered with strategies to break reading texts down for a more critical and in-depth understanding. In the iTooch 6th Grade Language Arts app, critical reading and composition skills are introduced through 50 chapters and over 1,500 interactive exercises that test the user’s knowledge. See the complete list of chapters Reading Writing and Composition Communication Sequencing Ideas‘Hey’ vs. Grammar Vocabulary Booster Common PrefixesCommon SuffixesWords in MotionWords of PowerVocabulary in Context Features Nina Berler Nikita Ganatra
English & English as an Additional Language (EAL) Page Content Accreditation period The accreditation period for Units 1 and 2 will expire on 31 December 2015. The accreditation period for Units 3 and 4 will expire on 31 December 2016. Curriculum Study Design (pdf - 1.26mb) (Updated January 2013)Details on areas of study, outcomes and assessment for English/ESL Study Design ErrataAs published in the VCAA Bulletin (Updated July 2007).2015 English/EAL Text List (pdf - 128.28kb) The approved English/EAL Text List for study in 2015VCAA Principles, guidelines and procedures for prescribed VCE text lists (pdf - 223.52kb)2016 English/EAL Text List The approved English/EAL Text List for study in 2016Study Summary (doc - 66.5kb) (Updated January 2013)A summary of the reaccredited VCE English/ESL Study Design. Back to Top Assessment Support Material Awards Plain English Speaking AwardProvides opportunities for students to build self-confidence and extend their skills in oral communication, speech writing and research. Revised Study Design
Unusual Words Unusual Words A by no means exhaustive list of rare, obscure, strange and sometimes funny words and their meanings that only seem to crop up in crosswords and dictionaries. Words that are used so seldom, you wonder who invented them and why. Home ~ The Stories ~ Diversions ~ Links ~ Contact