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Resources for Writing

These resources were collected or created by the Tutors at the Kent State University Writing Commons.

Resources for ESL Writers

Kent State University ESL Center: Practice Your English
A collection of resources from the Kent State University ESL Center for practicing English.
Singular and Plural
Some nouns can be both countable and noncountable. This resource shows some examples of those words with practice sentences to edit.
Sentence Structure
This resource goes over subjects and prepositions. It includes example sentences and practice sentences to edit.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Subjects and verbs must always agree in number. This resource has example sentences and practice sentences to edit.
Verb Form
Some verbs must always be followed by infinitives and/or gerunds. This resource has example sentences about this and some practice sentences to edit on your own.
Verb Tense
This resource goes over examples of verb tense (types of past, present, and future), with examples and practice sentences to edit.
Word Form
Some words, depending on their form, have different meanings, like bored/boring or interested/interesting. This tutorial shows more of these examples and gives sentences for practice editing.
Sentence Patterns
This resource describe 10 common grammatical patterns in English sentences and includes examples.
Articles in English (a, an, the)
Explains how each article is used in English.

Outside Resources

Kent State University International Students LibGuide
Resources on how to use the library for international students.
Dave's ESL Cafe
Lots of grammar lessons, quizzes, and resources to find a job or an ESL teacher.
Self-Study Grammar Quizzes (ESL Friendly!)
A great resource for practice quizzes on nearly any grammar concept! You can start out with easier quizzes to see what you need to practice more, and you can also take quizzes on specific grammar aspects like articles, prepositions, verbs, and more!

Online Dictionaries

The Oxford English Dictionary
Can be searched for both current and historical definitions of a word, as well as provide quotations and the ability to search for the occurrence of a word in any definition. Updated periodically.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary/Thesaurus
Find definitions and synonyms for every word.
CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
The Carnegie Mellon University Pronouncing Dictionary is an open-source machine-readable pronunciation dictionary for North American English that contains over 134,000 words and their pronunciations.