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Burton Manor Learning Web: Internet Resources for Writers
Reference Resources for Writers
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Links are provided in good faith, but Burton Manor cannot be responsible for the content of external websites.)
- Writer Free Reference an amazing collection of links to all sorts of resources that just may be of interest to writers, including
How Far is it? site giving the distance between 2 places, Kings & Rulers lots of countries, Currency conversion and historic events on today's date
Some more conventional reference works are also covered, such as Webster's Dictionary the Electronic Map Collection at the University of Texas, Newspapers from around the world etc, Language Dictionaries etc. And some specifically for writers : Robin' Nest for Writers (collection of resources) The Writers Page "a showcase for writers", listing of Literary Agents etc Quotations Page also Literary terms From the University of Victoria, Canada. English Grammar rules & Copyright Info also Free feedback on poems & short stories
Literary Agents "This is a free list of e-mail addresses for non-fee literary agents in the U.S., Canada, England, Australia and other countries"
http://www.writers-free-reference.com (Writer Free Reference)
- A Web of On-line dictionaries, almost certainly the first, and probably still the best if you are looking for links to free 'word' resources - and advert free! Developed by Robert Beard of Bucknell University
"Reference books and webs have enjoyed a long and happy history together. This website indexes on-line dictionaries, thesauri, and such like containing words and phrases. Preference in selection has been given to free online dictionaries of high quality. However, downloadable and Visit the world of educationsubscription materials are listed if exceptionally rare and/or unusually well-executed. A few inceptive word lists of languages otherwise not represented have also been included, as encouragement to continued development."
Includes:- Language Dictionaries from Afrikaans to Xhosa, via Albanian, Eskimo, Latin, Latvian and many, many more.
- Multilingual Dictionaries These tend to be in specialised areas, such as 'European Medical Dictionary', 'Euterpe--Terminology of the European Parliament', but there are some more general ones too, e.g. 'ITRANS Multilingual Indian Dictionary (Telugu, Tamil, Hindi and Marathi', ' ZAZ Multilingual Dictionary (English, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish)' and other translation aides.
- Specialised Dictionaries in English a developing resourc currently (April 2006) covering 66 categories from Advertising to Travel via Art, Environment, Fishing, Philosophy etc., etc, and including Dialects, or Slang
- Language Identifiers & Guessers also called 'A Web of Morphology'
"This page contains links with works on the morphology of various languages around the globe. The links are selected both for their theoretical significance and the empirical data that they contain. However, most are very useful tools for language-learning." - Thesauri & Other Vocabulary Aids and including Acronyms, Synonyms, Phrase Dictionaries, Quotations, Pronunciation and Rhyming Dictionaries and Lexicography etc. as well as both specialised and general Thesauri
- Multiple Dictionary Search Engines
- A Web of On-Line Grammars
"This page maintains links with on-line grammars of as many languages as can be found on the Web. It includes all types of grammars: reference grammars, learning grammars, and historical grammars. Grammars are selected for their accuracy and effectiveness for learning the language they describe. All are free unless otherwise indicated. Comments and suggestions may be directed to the compiler via the e-mail link at the bottom of the page." and
- Unfortunately the 'Web of Linguistic Fun' no longer seems to be available (most links give 'File not Found' errors) but Other Linguistic sites, hidden away as a tiny link, 'Linguistic Sites', on the bottom navigation bar, leads to many other useful resources (although some of the links don't work)
"Linguistics is a relatively new science which few people know about. A linguist is not a polyglot, who speaks a lot of different languages. A linguist studies the structure of language and the way we learn it and use it in discourse."
http://ling.kgw.tu-berlin.de/call/webofdic/diction.html (A Web of On-line dictionaries)
- Your Dictionary.com, "the last word in words", carries an infuriating amount of advertising (much of it animated to make it even worse) but is also home to some treasures, such as Endangered Languages and
"yourDictionary.com is a language products and services company that maintains the most comprehensive and authoritative language portal on the web with more than 2500 dictionaries and grammars in over 300 languages, games that build language skills, and a forum (The Agora) for discussing language issues with the logophile community. More than 1,000,000 people a month visit our website."
Includes Speciality Dictionaries covering a host of subjects from 'Accounting' to 'Wine' (all only in the English Language currently. Usually there are several dictionaries listed under each heading.
http://www.yourdictionary.com (Your Dictionary.com)
- Wordsmyth essentially an (American) English Dictionary with a thesaurus integrated with the Dictionary structure. This may be searched in a variety of ways including reverse lookup (i.e. by definition), by example, synonym etc. and may be restricted to a particular part of speech (optional). The results may also be displayed in a variety of ways, e.g. to include/exclude pronunciation, synonyms, cross-references etc. There are some Hints on How to construct a Wordsmyth search.
For more details see Origin and Development of The Wordsmyth English Dictionary-Thesaurus under the 'About' button.
The Dictionary-Thesaurus is the main resource on this site, but there are also a number of Tools that use this resource, e.g. to generate Glossaries or Mini-Dictionaries (this is very straightforward and seems to produce excellent results), a Vocabulary Quiz Builder, an Anagram Solver and a Crossword Puzzle Helper (the latter seems a little less impressive)
There is also a Vocabulary section a Forum (currently not working), a rather small On-line Store, a FAQ and a short, but useful set of Links (however several are not working)
There is also a Children's Dictionary-Thesaurus accessible from a search box towards the bottom left of the main website.
"Wordsmyth proudly introduces the first real Web-based dictionary made expressly for elementary-school-aged children. This new electronic dictionary from the Wordsmyth Collaboratory features over 30,000 entries and an array of multimedia, including spoken pronunciations, animations, and colorful illustrations. The unique Word Explorer allows browsing by topic, and hyperlinked synonyms help students find exactly the right word. Animated self-teaching modules bring every dictionary entry to life. Word histories, language notes, and homophone notes round out this outstanding children's reference. Every element of the web-based Wordsmyth Children's Dictionary-Thesaurus has been designed to enhance a child's learning experience."
http://www.wordsmyth.net (Wordsmyth)
- Reference collection from Bartleby
"Bartleby.com combines the best of both contemporary and classic reference works into the most comprehensive public reference library ever published on the web"
As with other Bartleby resources these are all available in full text, and free of charge, on the website - wonderful!
http://www.bartleby.com/reference/ (Reference collection, from Bartleby)
- A Glossary of Rhetorical Terms with Examples from the Classics Department at the University of Kentucky.
http://www.uky.edu/AS/Classics/rhetoric.html (A Glossary of Rhetorical Terms with Examples)
Please note: there is also a guide to more General Reference Resources
Burton Manor runs a wide range of Lifelong Learning courses, including Writing courses, throughout the year. Please see the Courses Menu at the top of this webpage for details.