English & Other Languages
English
TRANSPARENT LANGUAGE ONLINE (formerly Byki) : 'Web-based Language Learning that's easy, fast, and effective! A powerful language-learning system that uses flashcards to teach you a set of words or phrases. It is the fastest possible way to lock foreign words and phrases into your long-term memory. Offers over 80 language options, ESL, personal progress tracking, pronunciation analysis, international language and cultural resources, and more!' NOTE: New users will have to set up a personal username and password by clicking on the 'Sign Up Now' button. If you're logging on at home, you'll need to enter your name, library card barcode number, and PIN to get started. From Recorded Books
PETERSON'S TESTING & EDUCATION REFERENCE CENTER : International Tools include free practice tests, study tips, test prep eBooks and related resources for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication). If you're logging on at home, you'll need to enter your name, library card barcode number, and PIN to get started.
UNIVERSAL CLASS : Free online non-credit courses in English language skills. Courses are accessible 24/7 via the Internet. You will have up to 6 months to finish each course, and each course has a real instructor you can communicate with by email! If you're logging on at home, you'll need to enter your name, library card barcode number, and PIN to get started.
Big Dog's Grammar - A fun and easy-to-follow guide to the basic rules of English grammar. (By retired English Professor Scott Foll)
Changing Language - 'The English language is vast, flexible, fascinating, frustrating, challenging, inspiring and endlessly changing... This website explores the way that the language has developed over hundreds of years.' Includes a timeline and a variety of learning activities; high school. There is also a related page, Why Write?, exploring how 'cultural, social, historical and personal circumstances influence the way we write and the scripts we create.' (British Library)
Commonly Confused Words - Lists dozens of commonly confused word pairs, such as affect & effect, discreet & discrete, and flaunt & flout, with tips on how to use them correctly (Oxford University Press; site includes advertisements).
Diagramming Sentences - Diagramming sentences is a way to visualize how the different parts of a sentence fit together. On this page, you can learn the process one step at a time, or jump to a particular section using the table of contents. (By Dr. Kip Wheeler, an English professor at Carson-Newman College)
Dictionaries and Thesauri - Links to general dictionaries and thesauri, as well as subject-specific dictionaries for art, business, clothing, computers, education, food & nutrition, humanities, language, law, medicine, health & psychology, photography, science, social science, sign language, and technology. Use the tabs to select a subject. NOTE : Resources marked with a round blue icon are only available to University of Wisconsin users.
Dictionaries : Merriam-Webster Online 
- Online dictionary, thesaurus, Spanish - English dictionary, plus word games, puzzles, podcasts and other features. Merriam Webster also hosts Word Central for younger students, with games, daily 'buzzword', and 'Build Your Own Dictionary' feature. All the above dictionaries provide pronunciation audio. Your Dictionary includes an English dictionary, thesaurus, abbreviations, legal & medical terms, word games and more. Use the OneLook® Dictionary Search to search dozens of web-based dictionaries from one site. (All sites includes advertisements)
Dr. Goodword's Word Wizard Club - Colorful vocabulary website designed for kids aged 7 - 13, featuring games, puzzles, and other fun learning activities. (Lexiteria LLC; site includes advertisements)
Dr. Grammar - This website provides answers many commonly-asked questions about English grammar (lay or lie? good or well? its or it's?) and also offers links to resources on grammar, word origins, English as a Second Language, citing sources, and more. (University of Northern Iowa)
Elements of Style - William Strunk's classic reference book on 'the principal requirements of plain English style... the rules of usage and principles of composition most commonly violated. (Bartleby.com; site includes advertisements, intrusive pop-up ads)
English/ESL links - Selected links from South Plainfield Public Library's Useful Websites : LANGUAGE links page.
Grammar and Writing Guide - This site on English grammar defines the different parts of speech (nouns, adjectives, etc.), explains sentence structure, and provides tips for composing good sentences, paragraphs, essays, and research papers. Also offers quizzes, FAQs, and other helpful tools. (Capital Community College Foundation, CT)
Grammar Bytes 
- Definitions of common grammar terms, fun quizzes, quick tips and rules. (By English Professor Robin L. Simmons, Valencia Community College)
Grammar Hotline Directory - Can't find the answer to your English grammar questions online? This site offers a listing of colleges and universities which will answer short grammar questions by telephone or e-mail. Updated in 2011. (Tidewater Community College, VA)
How to Write a Paper and Cite Sources - Selected links to sites offering guidance on planning, researching, and writing an essay or term paper. (South Plainfield Public Library)
Interesting Things for ESL Students - Word games, puzzles, quizzes, slang, proverbs and more, for students of English as a second language (by Charles I. Kelly & Lawrence E. Kelly, Aichi Institute of Technology, Japan). For more English/ESL links, see South Plainfield Public Library's Useful Websites : LANGUAGE page.
New Words and Senses - A sampling of new words and new definitions of words that were added to the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary in 2006, such as 'mouse potato', 'biodiesel', and 'supersize'. There are also pages with
new words for 2007, 2009, 2011, and
2012
(site includes advertisements). For much more frequent updates of new words and terms, see
Word Spy : The Word Lover's Guide to New Words (by author Paul McFedries; site includes advertisements).
Oxford Dictionaries Online : English Dictionary & Language Reference - An authoritative source of guidance for those wishing to write or speak English correctly. The site includes dictionaries, grammar, spelling, writing, crossword solver, and more. Choose 'US English' or 'World English' near the upper right-hand corner of the page; use the menu bar near the top to navigate. (Oxford University Press; site includes advertisements)
Proofreading Symbols - Meanings and examples of common proofreading symbols and abbreviations, with links to some online aids for proofreading and editing. (Capital Community College)
Sentence Sense - An online textbook on basic writing, examining how sentences work, reviewing errors that commonly appear in written English, and suggesting techniques and topics for developing ideas in writing. (Capital Community College, Hartford CT)
Spelling - Quick-reference spelling tips, covering plurals, common misspellings, and the differences between American and British spelling (Oxford University Press; site includes advertisements). Spelling Bee Hive offers spelling quizzes and related resources (Merriam-Webster; site includes advertisements). Vocabulary Spelling City includes more than two dozen interactive learning games & activities to help you learn vocabulary and spelling (Vkidz Inc., a family-owned educational software company; site includes advertisements).
Visual Dictionary Online - Detailed, labelled images and audio pronunciation (Merriam-Webster; site includes advertisements). A similar site is Visual Dictionary, which offers images labelled in English or French (by Bernard Déry et al.; site includes advertisements).
Visuwords™ - This online graphical dictionary can help you understand how words are related. When you look up a word, Visuwords will produce a diagram which graphically illustrates that word's associations with other words and concepts. Be sure to read the brief instructions at the bottom to get the full benefit of the site. (Author unknown; site includes advertisements)
Vocabulary Games - Fun quizzes to help you learn SAT / GRE words, improve your vocabulary context skills, and learn computer or medical terminology. (Sheppard Software; site includes advertisements)
Vocabulary University® - Word puzzles and other exercises to help build your English vocabulary. (By Jan Cook and Carey Orr Cook; site includes advertisements)
Word of the Day - Increase your vocabulary by learning a new word each day; site provides both definitions and usage examples. (New York Times; site includes advertisements)
Wordsmyth - A simple, easy-to-use online English dictionary and thesaurus. (Site includes advertisements)
Writing Resource Center - Online resources to help you learn about academic writing & research, business writing, grammar & punctuation, spelling & mechanics, and more (Empire State College). Links to additional writing resources, arranged by subject, are available from the University of Kansas
Writing Center and the University of Toronto / University College Writing Centre.
YourDictionary.com : Specialty Dictionaries - Links to online dictionaries for dozens of subjects in business, science, education, the arts, medicine, computing, and more. (Site includes advertisements)
Other Languages
TRANSPARENT LANGUAGE ONLINE (formerly Byki) : 'Web-based Language Learning that's easy, fast, and effective! A powerful language-learning system that uses flashcards to teach you a set of words or phrases. It is the fastest possible way to lock foreign words and phrases into your long-term memory. Offers over 80 language options, ESL, personal progress tracking, pronunciation analysis, international language and cultural resources, and more!' NOTE: New users will have to set up a personal username and password by clicking on the 'Sign Up Now' button. If you're logging on at home, you'll need to enter your name, library card barcode number, and PIN to get started. From Recorded Books
PETERSON'S TESTING & EDUCATION REFERENCE CENTER : International Tools include free practice tests, study tips, test prep eBooks and related resources for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication). If you're logging on at home, you'll need to enter your name, library card barcode number, and PIN to get started.
African Writing Systems - 'African artworks from a range of periods, regions and media testify to the rich diversity of scripts and forms of graphic communication. They challenge conventional understandings of the written word as something static applied only to paper, and they demonstrate the dynamic ways that artists from many African cultures have creatively used script, or the idea of script, in their works of art.' (Smithsonian)
Arabic Alphabet - Illustrated information on learning to read and write in Arabic. (British-Yemeni Society; content by British journalist / author Brian Whitaker; site includes advertisements)
ASL University 
- Extensive resources for learning American Sign Language, including a sign language dictionary with photographs and video (by ASL educator Dr. William Vicars, California State University; site includes advertisements). See also videos for Classifiers in American Sign Language (John A. Logan College); classifiers are used in American Sign Language to show movement, location, and appearance.
BBC Languages [Archived site] - Interactive online courses in French, Spanish, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, and Chinese, with audio and video. Also offers resources for learning Japanese, Polish, Urdu, and several other languages, plus
essential phrases in 40 languages,
facts, key phrases & alphabet for 14 languages, and news from BBC World Service in more than two dozen languages.
BBC Primary Languages - Basic lessons in French, Spanish, and Mandarin for younger kids, covering sounds, numbers, basic greetings, families, calendar, food & drink, school, and more; for elementary and middle school students.
Chinese : ZON - 'A multiplayer, online learning environment designed to teach Chinese language and culture through gameplay.' Registration required. (Michigan State University)
Foreign Language Resource Centers - A directory of language learning and teaching materials. You can use the Advanced Search to search for materials by Level (Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced), by Skill (Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking), by Audience (K-8, 9-12, University, Self-Study), and by Format (Print, Audio-Visual, Web), and you can limit your search to free resources only. NOTE : You must check at least one box under each category. (Michigan State University)
Foreign Language Guide - Interactive, sound-integrated language learning resources in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Russian Hebrew, Vietnamese, and Hindi. Choose your native language at the top of the page, then choose the language you want to learn. Select a category from the pictorial vocabulary guide, then place your cursor over an object or text to hear it pronounced aloud; on other pages, click on the speaker icon to hear the pronunciations. You can find the previous versions of the guides in the
archives. (By software developer & language enthusiast Tom Blackmon, et al.; non-profit organization)
Latin and Greek - Selected links to internet resources for students and teachers of Latin and Greek. The site has not been updated in a while, so expect some broken links (2004 - 2009, Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers). See also Latin I; some sections are available only to students from registered schools, but visitors have full access to most course materials without logging in; use the left-hand menu to choose a section (Kentucky Educational Television).
Learning Languages - Links to the best online foreign language resources for English-speaking K-12 students and teachers. Focus is on Spanish, French, and Japanese language & culture. (Internet Scout Project and University of Wisconsin)
Omniglot - Examples of all different types of writing systems and alphabets from around the world, plus tips on learning languages and useful foreign phrases. (By Simon Ager et al.; site includes advertisements)
Verbix - Conjugates verbs in over 100 languages. A list of sources is provided. (Non-profit organization; site includes advertisements)
Yiddish-Hebrew-English-German-Russian-French Picture Dictionary - Click on a word from the left-hand list to see the word written in all six languages, with a picture. (Ester-Basya Vaisman & Fishman Foundation for Yiddish Culture)
YourDictionary.com : Foreign Language Dictionaries - Links to online dictionaries for more than a hundred languages. NOTE : A-Z links don't work; scroll down the page to see the list of language links. (Site includes advertisements)
