I am always trying to learn. Sometimes I’m not so humble, but I try. While teaching a grammar lesson on run-on sentences and sentence fragments I had a student ask what type of phrase was used in a particular example. What?? Later in class he came up to me and proudly stated that it was an appositive. Ok kid, you made your point. I expect to read your papers one day. But also, thanks for the reminder that I’m still learning, too.
Sometimes as a teacher I would recommend that students get in some extra grammar practice to improve their writing skills. Skills like writing complete sentences instead of run-on sentences or fragments. Now that schools are about to open, and a lot of folks are deciding to learn online, it’s important to have some go-to resources to help with your writing skills.
There are a few places I go to when I need help understanding or explaining something grammatical. Grammar is a skill: the more you work with it, the stronger your skills become. Over the years there are some sites that I have come back to again and again because they are approachable and relevant. And some of them offer exercises to help you build your skills.
Grammar Girl has been such a helpful resource for me over the years. I love how the writers use plain language, give a lot of examples, and even write/talk more broadly about grammar and language in general. These folks love grammar!
When I was teaching, I loved to send students (and parents) to the chompchomp.com website. Grammar Bytes! is a great resource to learn and practice grammar. They have been in the grammar education business for years and I trust their work. They have SO MANY ways to improve your grammar. From Twitter challenges, to online courses, to activities and quizzes, to YouTube videos. This is an excellent resource.
Another fun grammar resource is Grammar Monster. They also have lessons, information, and they even have a section on tattoo fails (which brightens my day a little each time I look!). Like Grammar Bytes, you can learn and test your skills on this website.
Once you start writing university/college level papers, the resources for APA, MLA, and Chicago style are super helpful. Writers’ guides (the physical books) are things of the past because things change so fast, so be sure to look at the guides online.
A lot of sites have a social media page, so you can quickly learn and test your knowledge while you scroll through your tweets. And, anytime you find a good grammar website in your travels online, bookmark it! All the best for beefing up your grammar skills. You’ve got this.