As one of the million content writers for hire, you can’t afford to sit back and expect perfectly written pieces to appear out of thin air. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Get a grip and get your grammar game on, all without spending any more money than you already are on your Gateway to the Galaxy—the World Wide Web. Fortify your writing skills by taking 30 minutes a day–that half an hour you are supposed to be exercising but instead are sitting on your ever-expanding haunches–to study a grammar rule or two. Long gone are the days when you had to weigh your desk down with hefty grammar guides and style books in order to be considered a real writer. Look up these grammar goodies online for free tips, exercises and reference guides, so you aren’t left in the gerund gutter, or worse, the comma splice catastrophe.
Get with the grammar program thanks to Grammar Girl, who has come to the rescue of countless content writers. Her Quick and Dirty Tips are exactly what you need. She’ll even read the tips aloud to you in her chipper voice. Learn about everything from tuxedo verbs to the difference between burnt and burned. Grammar Girl also gives advice for dyslexic writers and information about Google Ngram Viewer 2.0.
Paradigm Online Writing Assistant
Give your grammar muscles a good stretch with the Paradigm Online Writing Assistant. This freebie hooks you up with guidelines for everything from the most basic of sentence structures to confronting common problem areas. Forge through the short lessons, and fortify your experience by completing the included exercises. Prefer to get the material in your hands? Print these sparkling guides for grammar on the go.
Dr. Grammar at the University of Northern Iowa
If Grammar Girl fell in love, it would be with Dr. Grammar. Rather than a lesson plan or exercise opportunity, Dr. Grammar supplies writers with resources and tools for the almighty writer’s toolbox. Mull through the links provided for grammar advice, and stop in at the Potpourri section for a world of word whimsy. Got a grammar question that has no obvious answer? Ask Dr. Grammar and he’ll be your guide.
In case you are just starting out in the online environment of content writers for hire, you may not be aware of the grammar gods’ guide: “The Elements of Style.” Written by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White aka Strunk and White, this book predates every content writer on the block having been published in 1918. Yet the lollipops it offers keep content writers employed on a regular basis. Take a moment, right now if you are a newbie, and read through the free online version of this visionary verbiage.
Other places to go to find groovy grammar tips and exercises include almost any of the college and university websites. Look for English and creative writing pages, in particular, to find a wealth of information. At the very least, these sites typically include a resource box that will provide you with links to online guides, such as to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary or the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL).
Miranda B is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.
