Since this is a writing intensive class, the department has compiled a few text recommendations and online sites to help you polish the prose for this class and for all of your classes.

Classic Writing Guides

  • Rules of Thumb
     Jay Silverman and Elaine Hughes
  • The Elements of Style
    William Strunk, Jr.
  • AP Stylebook
    Associated Press
  • The Chicago Manual of Style
    University of Chicago Press Staff

Plug-Ins to Assist with  Grammar There are many software plug-ins to help you proofread and edit text, I recommend you make use of them or at least evaluate them during this class to see how they might be helpful to you. I use Grammarly but there are others. I suggest you download one for free to use with your blog.

Online Style Guides

ā€¢ Grammar Book.com This site has many resources to help with grammar and
punctuation

ā€¢ Top Twenty Undergraduate Errors From Stanford , the name says it all.

  • Grammar Girl We are visual people in the COMD department and so is grammar girl. Her writing tips are all introduced with some clever imagery. So, enjoy perusing her site and finding out if her style works for you.
  • The Owl at Purdue
    Purdue’s Online Writing Lab is perhaps the leading internet site for U.S. students for information on improving one’s writing. They have specific sections of the site to work on mechanics, on your grammar and punctuation. They also have a section of this site devoted to job search writing: resumes, cover letters, etc. so click here for that section of the Owl.
  • Harvard College Writing Center
    Why not visit Harvard right here from Brooklyn? This site has a good set of tips regarding avoiding common grammar mistakes.
  • Dave’s ESL Cafe
    This site has some excellent grammar tips

Creative Writing

ā€¢ Writing Forward focuses more on creative writing. This class is focused more on research papers but even within that format, you can develop a voice in your writing.