Introduction to Features: Writing labs and Journalism exercises

Theories & Links

If I Were a Carpenter: The Tools of a Writer...It is helpful at times to think that writing is like carpentry, where you work from a plan and use the tools you've stored on your workbench.

Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers... Frances Peck provides a good guide to one of the most common errors new writers encounter.

Parallelism....Parallel structure is really a matter of balance. Balancing a sentence can be compared to balancing a scale

Make it active.... The OWL guide to active and passive

Garbl's Concise Writing Guide...This free guide provides alternatives to overstated, pompous words; wordy, bureaucratic phrases; and verbose, sometimes amusing redundant phrases.

OWL: Strategies for Improving Sentence Clarity...Nine great tips from Purdue University.

Resources: Writing labs and Journalism exercises

Ron Hartung's Newsroom 101

A terrific set of interactive exercises that really help you come to terms with both basic and tricky areas of usage.

The Tounge Untited

An extremely comprehensive on-line guide to grammar, style and punctuation for journalists according to the Associated Press Style. Lots of good exercises and quizes.

Charles Darling: Guide to Grammar and Writing

An interactive site with lots of grammar and writing exercises and quizzes.

Garbl's Writing Center

A very comprehensive site with multiple resources on grammar and style.

Purdue's Online Writing Lab (OWL)

A comprehensive site with resources, guides, online tutorials and some interactive exercises on writing techniques and grammar.

Poynter NewsU

Free online revision courses in all aspects of journalism and editing practice.

Spelling

A test and a list of other tests and resources compiled by Mindy McAdams.

The Writing Tools

50 Writing tool tips from the workbench of Poynter's Roy Peter Clark. A great series to sharpen your basic skills.