• Studylib.net -- Reliable grammar checking tool: copy/paste

• Grammarly  A widely used writing assistant that provides real-time grammar and spelling suggestions. It also offers suggestions for improving sentence structure, clarity, and style.

• ProWritingAid  A comprehensive writing tool that analyzes text for grammar, style, and readability. It provides detailed reports and suggestions for improving writing.

• Hemingway Editor Helps simplify and clarify writing by highlighting complex sentences, excessive adverbs, and other areas that may need revision.

• Reverso  Offers a free online grammar and spell checker for English and several other languages. It also provides suggestions for enhancing sentence structure.

• Purdue OWL Excellent resource fo guidance on grammar, citation styles, and various aspects of academic writing.

• easybib.com Helps with citations also helps with grammar. they will try to get you to pay if you check for plagiarism, but the freebie version conducts a legit grammar check with feedback. Go to the site and click "Check Your Paper" and copy/paste the essay. 

• Readable  Assesses the readability of your text and suggests improvements to make it more accessible and understandable to a wider audience.

• Slick Write  A free online tool that provides real-time feedback on grammar, style, and more. It also includes a feature to analyze sentence structure.

• LanguageTool  An open-source grammar and style checker that supports multiple languages. It provides feedback on grammar, punctuation, and style.

Those pesky VBOs (vague, boring, overused words)

• WordHippo -- Synonym Assistance (helps you find another word for...)

• TwinWord Writer -- a tool with a built-in thesaurus that suggests alternative words when you pause in your writing. P.S. It has a tone generator, where you can see if you have negative or positive tone in your writing! 

• WordTune: "Everyone has tons of work to get through. Some accept the frustration. Others choose Wordtune Generative AI to speed up their tasks" (site's description).

• *editminion --FINALLY! A VBO detector! Sort of. This tool analyzes your writing and picks out weak and over-used words. It can also tell you if your sentences are too short or long. ***Update 9 October 2023: this site is no longer usable. I emailed the creator to see if it will ever be available again...waiting for reply.

For Narrative Essays:

• AutoCrit  Designed for fiction writers but can be useful for students working on narrative essays or creative writing. It analyzes writing for style and helps improve pacing, dialogue, and more.

• Cliché Finder Helps identify and eliminate clichés, making your prose more original and engaging.

Works Cited and In-Text Citations

• The Google Chrome Extension Mybib Citation Generator. It stores all your sources as you work through your project and completes the Works Cited page for you! 

• Easy Bib  

• Citation Machine 

• Cite This For Me 

• Mendeley (helps you organize your research)

• MLA handbook online

• OWL Purdue

• SMMRY.com An Online Summary Tool --> R U flng lzy? SMMRY's mission is to provide an efficient manner of understanding text, which is done primarily by reducing the text to only the most important sentences.

• Citations and Formatting MLA format and citation rules, the format required in most English courses (APA format used for science, philosophy, and journalism; Chicago Manual of Style used in History courses).