TED-Ed
The Power of Simple Words
Eschew obfuscation! The message to writers in this short, humorous video is to choose simple, punchy language rather than supercilious, paunchy diction. After all, Dorothy does not say, “No coordinates exist like one’s domicile.”
TED-Ed
The Case Against "Good" and "Bad"
Good and bad are put on trial for covering up the truth with vague descriptions. How dare they lie like that! See if the presenter can convince your class to ban these words and replace them with more precise, descriptive, and...
TV411
Avoid Mushy Writing: Be Specific
Replacing, bland, inexact generalizations with specific statement and precise information is the focus of a worksheet that models how to transform general statements into specific ones. After examining four models, learners have an...
Yossarian the Grammarian
Parsing a Sentence: English Grammar Lesson
This video lesson from Yossarian the Grammarian explains how to analyze the different words' functions within a complex sentence.
Yossarian the Grammarian
English Composition Manifesto: Normal Prose
This video lesson from Yossarian the Grammarian explains the different types of sentences in prose. [8:59]
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Revision Techniques: Eliminating Excess
This video lesson focuses on eliminating wordiness in writing. It offers strategies to make your writing more concise and precise: using precise language, reducing clauses to phrases, removing excess phrasing, and removing words that...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Writing Effective Topic Sentences
This tutorial focuses on the purposes of topic sentences and how to write effective ones. It provides 2 videos: the first reviews the two purposes of a topic sentence, and the second shows how to write an effective topic sentence. Real...
BBC
Bbc: Skillswise: Punctuation
This Skillswise site focuses on punctuation. Included are a video about why learning the different kinds of punctuation is important, fact sheets and worksheets for instruction, quizzes on the information presented, and several games to...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: The Colon as a Separator
The colon can separate parts of a title, citations of religious texts, and the hour and minutes in the time of day. Paige explains how!
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Linking Function of the Colon
KA grammarian Paige introduces an important piece of punctuation that helps link items in a sentence: the colon!
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Semicolons and Complex Lists
We use semicolons to punctuate a complex list, which is when list items contain commas. For example, "I visited Paris, France; Paris, Texas; and Paris, Illinois." Paige explains.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Writing: Within Sentence Punctuation Basic Example
In this video [1:33] watch Sal work through a basic within-sentence punctuation question from the SAT Writing and Language Test.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Writing: Within Sentence Punctuation Harder Example 1
In this video [2:16] watch Dave and David work through a harder within-sentence punctuation question from the SAT Writing and Language Test.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Writing: Within Sentence Punctuation Harder Example 2
In this video [2:04] watch Sal work through another harder within-sentence punctuation question from the SAT Writing and Language Test.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Punctuating a List
Learn how to use commas to punctuate a written list of people, things, actions, or events.
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Common Issues With Word Choice: Lesson 3
This lesson introduces common issues with word choice. W.9-10.2d lang/voc