20 Classic Style and Grammar Resources for Writers

Let’s cut straight to the point.

You consider yourself a writer, a wordsmith, a poet of sorts.

And you have a unique voice and a message to share.

You’re actively building a platform for your words.

But you’re hiding a dirty little secret:

Your grammar, style, and punctuation skills need work, but you can’t bear to admit it.

I know.

Admitting it would show weakness, making you feel like a fraud, or worse.

After all, you publish a lot of content on the web.

Admitting your little secret might damage your already-fragile self-esteem, your social standing among peers.

I’ll bet you’ve tried every trick in the book to avoid detection: using dashes instead of commas, relying on emoticons, slang, lols, and ellipses whenever possible…

You probably abuse the sentence fragment daily.

But you knew this day would come, the day when you had to finally admit the truth.

You know your readers deserve the best product you can deliver: clear, compelling prose from someone who takes the craft seriously.

So, what can you do, considering the limited space available on your human hard drive?

How can you, the stressed-out multitasker, make good on your promise to publish the best writing you can offer?

You can arm yourself with resources, and remember this important, simple truth:

You’ll never remember all of the grammar rules out there.

It’s time to join the ranks of professionals and mere mortals.

When in doubt, LOOK IT UP!

Read on to discover 20 style and grammar resources for writers like yourself, writers like all of us.

Grammar Resources for Writers:

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips

Explore detailed, yet easy-to-understand, rules regarding English grammar. Throughout this immense database of grammar tips and tricks, you’ll find detailed information regarding story creation, common spelling mistakes, synonyms to take your writing to the next level, and detailed explanations for the most commonly-misused grammar rules.

The Purdue Online Writing Lab

Gain access to over 200 writing and grammar resources, ranging from various style guides, sentence mechanics, writing methods, and even job boards for professional writers. This is the go-to source for many professional and aspiring writers as its verticals are monitored by the award-winning Purdue University Writing Lab.

Guide to Grammar & Writing

If you’re searching for a simple, yet powerful, database for all-thing grammar related, this is the resource for you. Immediately upon entering this grammar portal, you’re given access to grammar quizzes, research papers, phrase and sentence rules, and a host of other resources overseen by the Capital Community College Foundation.

GrammarBook.com

Touted as the #1 resource for punctuation and grammar, GrammarBook.com features a massive database of grammar rules, punctuation rules, and other rules, such as capitalization and commonly-confused words. Along with various grammar rules, this resource offers the informational videos and quizzes designed to enhance even the most advanced-level literary genius.

Daily Writing Tips

Want your grammar tips to be easy to access, yet extremely powerful? Daily Writing Tips offers an ever-evolving database filled with grammar and spelling tips. Log in each day to find a new and effective, grammar tip, such as preposition mistakes, spelling information, and sentence structure techniques and methodologies.

Grammar Apps for Writing

Grammarly

Expand the proofreading capabilities of your word processors with this free, yet powerful, grammar application. Upon installation, Grammarly inspects writing in real-time for 250 of the most common grammatical mistakes, along with identifying poor vocabulary usage and misspelled words. Grammarly works in all online text boxes including Gmail, Twitter, Facebook, and more.

Ginger Software

Proclaimed as the #1 grammar checker, Ginger Grammer Checker utilizes patent-pending technology to correct myriad grammar, punctuation, and spelling mistakes. Its ever-evolving database ensures all writing follows best practices in terms of grammar, English syntax, and punctuation.

WhiteSmoke

White Smoke integrates with your favorite online or offline word processor. Its advanced-level technologies automatically detect and offer suggestions as you write. This complex system identifies advanced grammar and style errors, as well as offering effective writing tools and usage examples to improve adjective use as well as other contextual issues.

After the Deadline

After the Deadline is an open sourced language processing system designed to monitor grammar and spelling. Its advanced technologies offer contextual spell checking and intelligent grammar checking. It reviews content while conforming to various style guides.

PaperRater

This free online grammar checker swiftly reviews content for proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Since it’s hosted online, there’s no software to download. The optional plagiarism checker is essential to ensure content is not only properly written, but also unique. After reviewing content, PaperRater offers grammar/spelling suggestions along with a “grade” based upon your chosen writing level and audience.

Hemingway App

Hemingway App is perhaps one of the easiest and most effective grammar checker applications on the market. Its intuitive interface utilizes color-coded highlights to identify common and advanced English syntax and spelling mistakes. Along with identifying errors, Hemingway App offers customized suggestions and tips based on specific writing errors and content style.

Blogs on Writing Style & Mechanics

The Chicago Manual of Style Online

The Chicago Manual of Style Online is the go-to resource for professional writers seeking clarification for specific grammar and style rules. Along with a searchable database, this resource offers a Chicago Style Q&A blog, which houses thousands of useful and entertaining tips.

WSJ Style & Substance

The Wall Street Journal Style & Substance journal is filled with professional-level tips and guides. Designed to sharpen writing skills through effective articles and essays, this is the ideal source for aspiring journalists and others wishing to create compelling content that’s pleasing to the eye. The database is continually updated.

Writers and Editors

Writers and Editors features a searchable database regarding writing and editing techniques and methods. Topics such as basic style guides, editing basics, citation rules, pronunciation guides, and grammar exercises are designed to increase your working knowledge of the modern English language.

The Tongue Untied

The Tongue Untied is unique among grammar blogs because it operates like an online classroom. Within its database, you’ll find short-and-simple grammar and punctuation tips. However, it’s most interesting quality is the 10-week writing curriculum, which is a powerful resource for those who cannot afford a college-level language/writing course. This free 10-week writing course covers essential topics all writers, both amateur and professional, need to master.

Books on Writing Style and Mechanics

Writing with Style: Conversations on the Art of Writing

This bestselling manual is designed for the casual and professional writer seeking practical writing tips. Unlike other manuals, Writing with Style offers effective techniques in a lively, easy-to-understand tone. Insights within this manual include how to generate writing ideas, writing critically, punctuation, and invigorating writing techniques.

Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style

Considered a must have for any writing professional, The Elements of Style offers charming and effective insights into various writing rules and techniques. With comprehensive coverage of common grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes, you’ll find information to help you write professionally.

AP Stylebook

This fully-revised edition of The Associated Press Stylebook features over 500 pages of unique and updated writing information. While standard writing techniques are covered, you can explore lesser-known writing standards regarding medical, science, and religious terms.

Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation

In addition to offering fascinating historical facts, Eats, Shoots & Leaves provides valuable grammatical tips.  If you’ve ever struggled with sentence-level structure or punctuation, Lynn Truss’s book will make a fine addition to your work desk reference books.

A Pocket Style Manual

A Pocket Style Manual is a straightforward reference guide to provide quick access to a variety of writing techniques. This professional-level reference guide offers an uncluttered design capable of providing instant access to the most common grammar, punctuation, spelling, and syntax errors. This new edition is designed to answer questions the modern writer faces every day.

Get ready to learn!

On to you…

What’s your favorite go-to writing resource?

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