Language support services and resources

If you find it a challenge to produce academic writing that's as fluent and accurate as you would like, there are plenty of resources available to help you further develop your skills.

A grammar reference book is a handy tool for those writing in English as their second language. Some classics are:

• Murphy, Raymond (1985) English grammar in use, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
• Swan, Michael (1995) Practical English usage, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

If you are already fairly confident writing in English but are looking to further develop your writing style, there are some helpful books available:

• Strunk, William & White, E.B. (1999) Elements of style, Allyn and Bacon, Boston.
• Venolia, Jan (2001) Write right: a desktop digest of punctuation, grammar, and style. 4th edn. Ten Speed Press, Berkeley.
• Williams, Joseph (2000) Style: ten lessons in clarity and grace, Longman, New York.

A good English-English dictionary is essential - as a start, why not bookmark http://dictionary.cambridge.org/ or http://www.ldoceonline.com/.

Many more online resources are worth exploring. Online Writing Labs (OWLs) are a great place to develop your language and writing skills. One of the most comprehensive is Purdue University's long-established and very reputable Online Writing Lab: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/

Finally - don't forget to investigate the services and resources provided by the English Languge and International Services Directorate.