English Language Skill-Building

Transition Words by Category (U of Wisconsin Madison): Use this guide to help you logically and strategically vary your use of transition words in all kinds of writing!

The Paramedic Method (Antioch University Writing Center): The "Paramedic Method" is a classic strategy for making your writing more concise, clear, and active. Practice the steps here a few times, and you'll soon notice, and subsequently avoid, some of your wordier writing habits. 

500+ English Phrases (Espresso English): A helpful list of common English phrases for all situations.

Phrases for Presentations (TJ Taylor): A categorized list of phrases used during presentations and speeches.

Academic Phrasebank (University of Manchester): This resource provides examples of phrases you can use to define terms, compare and contrast ideas, signal transitions, and more. This phrasebank is especially helpful for students who have been told their writing is choppy or lacks flow.

L2 Resources (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill): A list of language resources and guides about US academic communication and culture. You'll find dictionaries, pronunciation guides, advice about talking with instructors, and more.

Multilingual Resources (Purdue OWL) Resources for students and instructors including grammar and mechanics, practice and exercises, and workplace writing.

English grammar quizzes for multilingual writers: Quizzes and exercises to help teach English usage, grammar, and vocabulary.

Verb Tenses Chart (Azar): A visual representation of the tenses in English.

Grammar Bytes! This humorous site features an exhaustive list of definitions, examples, and grammatical terms with both interactive and printable exercises and handouts to develop, maintain, and practice your grammar knowledge.

Guide to Grammar (Capital Community College Foundation): This resource index addresses a variety of grammar concerns. It also provides access to quizzes, PowerPoint presentations, and other materials concerning grammar.

Grammar Girl: Grammar Girl is an online resource that provides grammar tips of the day and podcasts of grammar discussions to stream or download. This is a helpful site when you have a specific grammar question such as “affect vs. effect,” “who vs. whom,” or “lay vs. lie.”