I like Punctuation Made Simple (http://punctuationmadesimple.com/). The name does not mislead. The site is easy to use. It provides straight forward information about punctuation. That’s it. This week in my quest for grammar resources on the web, I’ve been reviewing online handbooks and databases. Most of them are not simple, to say the least. For one thing, those not affiliated with academic institutions often restrict certain resources to members who register and pay for an enhanced version of their site. For another, the organizational schemes of many of these commercial sites is baffling at best.

Besides reviewing basic principles of grammar and usage, one site also offers ideas for teachers, self tests, a description of American holidays, poems by Shakespeare and Shel Silverstein, dictionaries, worksheets, jokes, a game that lets users win cyber-bananas, and advice on telling time and reading traffic signals. (Honestly, whoever organized this site has the universally inclusive sensibilities of a medieval dramatist.)

After navigating through such sites, Punctuation Made Simple seemed a miraculous find. Calling itself “the most comprehensive punctuation resource on the web,” this site identifies its target audience as “writers of novel-length fiction and nonfiction” and bases its information on the Chicago Manual of Style. Not only could instructors refer students to this site, but they could also, perhaps, build lesson plans around using it. The site simply reviews the standard usage of punctuation marks. Yes, this information is basic, but many college students need such introductory instruction since they persistently use punctuation marks incorrectly. (My own students have a number of creative and fanciful ideas about what to do with the semi-colon.)

The site also offers clarification of terms students must know in order to understand the punctuation rules. For example, it briefly defines "appositive," "conjunctive adverb," and other essential gramamtical concepts. Students seeking help with grammar issues not related to punctuation would have to look elsewhere, of course.