Assistance needed with one's grammatical skills

dora

Anybody know of any websites that would help me improve my english grammar?

Please?

Marc.B

Yes Dora, you need this. I mean, a question mark after your please - what's that about? :)

Dwight

I'm afraid I can't help you with a website, Dora, but there are other TBers who will when they see your appeal tomorrow. But if you feel it is an area of shortfall, you are dead right to want to see to it. It is vital. Treat it as a matter of urgency, because agents/editors won't want to know otherwise.

Lolli

have you tried googling 'English Grammar' ? That should bring up loads of sites from which you can pick out those that offer what you want.

Jay Mandal

Oh, Lolli, I was just about to post this!

Liz

Grammar things on the internet tend to be for people who don't speak English, and are heavily instructive on tenses etc...

I would go into charity shops and see if I could find a good second hand Grammar book... Fowler's Modern English Usage is very good, but when I was trying to explain stuff to my daughter, who missed out on a good grammar teacher, I bought several children's books on the subject, and found they were so clearly written I often looked up things in them myself instead!

dora

Thanks guys.

Yes I did google and was inundated with loads of info for "how to get by in holiday english" type thing and "how to read instructions." I know how to order a beer in an english pub, thanks very much google, it's the knowing when to stop I've always had a problem with.

I'm going through some of my children's coursework at the mo for some ideas. And I buy them those books with english exercises in and do them myself. (Am I sad, yes I am!)

I have tried revisewise but it seems very limited.

Carol

Try having a look at the reference section in Smiths or a bookshop- in the area where you find dictionaries. Penguin did a set of books and I have the one on punctuation, so you may find something to help there.

dora

Yes, spelling and punctuation I'm okay on, its adjectives and verbs and whathaveyous that confuse me.

Tessadragon

http://spogg.org/
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/
http://www.askoxford.com/betterwriting/classicerrors/
http://www.grammartips.net/
gcse revision books on English language are useful too.

Jenny

Dora - try your local library (if it's still got any books!).

Carol

(If it's still open!)

dora

Tessadragon - thank you so much.

Yes my library is a good un. I practically live there. :)

Tessadragon

no prob. i'm still looking around for a good grammar website i once stumbled upon.

Tessadragon

here are a few more while i'm looking for the one i liked

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar

This one seems good for improving writing in general as well as grammar, http://www.lousywriter.com/
In the lousywriter website, there are examples of bad grammar and how they should be, and the grammar page has an explanation of parts of it, such as nouns, adverbs, adjectives etc.
http://www.lousywriter.com/grammar_mistakes_attraction.php

Rivington

Another useful link to add to those already mentioned:
http://www.economist.com/research/styleguide/
Rob Crompton

dora

Thank you TD and Rivington. I'll go have a look at these.

dora

I've been having fun.

Been playing the vocab games, wow, am I short on a word or two.

Working on it now.

caro

If you look on Amazon you'll find some books that can help you.

dora

thanks caro

Smaug

If you want a portable guide to grammar (and spelling rules) I can recommend the Ladybird Book of Spelling and Grammar - it's slim, sturdy and lightweight and covers a surprising amount in 63 pages - I just wish it had been around when I was at school!

dora

Thanks Smaug, but are Ladybird books still in print?

Stan2

^

Jay Mandal

For Dora:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_w_h__0_17?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=the+ladybird+book+of+spelling+and+grammar&sprefix=The+Ladybird+Book

dora

Now that is interesting, thank you Jay.

Stan2

Thank you.

dora

Ay? You wot Stan?

Stan2

^

dora

UP yours as well mister Stan. :)

Alana

Don't feel alone Dora. I am in my early thirties and was always very good at spelling and punctuation at school but my language/grammar was awful. Yet I love to write.
So what I have been doing is learning one new word a week and having a dictionary next to me when I read or write.
As others have said visit the library for any help. I probably need to do the same.
So don't feel upset as you are not the only one with the problem!

Stan2

I have the spellcheck and grammar/style check always on when writing. It picks up bad spelling, passive verbs, split infinitives etc. Sometimes it is annoys me but on the whole it's useful. I think you get at it via options in Word.

Carol

Or just click on Tools (when you have a Word document open) and choose spelling and grammar option, and go from there. But do remember it sometimes tells you things are wrong when they are correct because it can be one of those quirks of English language.

Stan2

True Carol and that's why it can be irritating.

Carol

I hate those because I stop and read it and think, is that right? No, no what I've put IS grammatically correct...

Stan2

It's good that the checker makes us check - sometimes it is right!

Carol

Yes, most of the time my spelling and grammar is okay, but it will suggest a ; instead of a , .

Stan2

My spelling is a bit wobbley at times.

dora

Alana that is really kind of you. Thanks for your helpful tip.

Stan/Carol I have "Works" not "Word" and I have pulled down the Tools option, but it isn't on this.

Carol

Does it have a Help option Dora? Somewhere that allows you to look up how to do something. It may just be you need to turn something on.

OverActress

Dictionary.com is great - it also has a thesaurus if you're repeating yourself...

Grammar books - there's a great one that came out called "i before e (except after c)" - also, one of these 70s' books called "Write Right". (I really had to debate where that apostrophe in 70s went then, and I do this for a living!)

dora

Hi Rickshaw. I have a book I received when I enrolled on teh short story course years ago called Write Right (at least I think that's what it's called) but thanks for the tips.


Carol, oooh don't get me started turning things on just now. It's too early me dear. :)

Carol

:D

Amanda

This is a good thread dora, thanks. I'm the same, i really need some help but not terribly good at asking.

Lolli

[quote=Carol]But do remember it sometimes tells you things are wrong when they are correct because it can be one of those quirks of English language.[/quote]

Actually, Carol, it's generally because the grammar checker supplied by Microsoft is an AMERICAN English grammar checker, rather than a BRITISH English grammar checker, and it really annoys me when wot i ave ritten is gramaticly koreckt. I wish they would do different English Grammar checkers, as I am sure our friends down under have the same problems with the only one available in windows.

Carol

Yes, it's a right pain.

dora

Or according to the wordprocessor

It;s a roit pine.

Carol

:)

Betsie

I find the synonym facility within Word very helpful when hunting for an alternative word escpecially when struggling with a poem. Put your cursor in the middle of a word, then click the right hand mouse button. Choose 'synonym' and it gives you a list of alternative words. Click on the word and it puts it in.

Carol

That's very useful to know Betsie.