Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary--online and free. Type the word you
are looking for in the search box and it'll give you the definition. It will
simultaneously search the thesaurus, the reverse dictionary, atlas, rhyming
dictionary and the unabridged dictionary. Beware, this site does have ads
but
this dictionary is highly respected and reviewed. Use it with confidence.
http://www.m-w.com/home.htm
yourDictionary.com provides more than 1800 dictionaries with more than 250
languages online. Dual-language dictionaries and word-of-the-day are cool
features available on this page. The page can be a little overwhelming since
dictionaries are only listed by the title. You have to bop around a little
to
find what you want but there's no other service who offers so many different
dual-language dictionaries for free.
http://www.yourdictionary.com
Roget's II: The New Thesaurs (3d. ed.), provides synonyms (words with the
same meaning) and antonyms (words with opposite meanings). It also provides
definitions and examples so you can find out how the synonyms might have
little differences in their meanings.
http://www.bartleby.com/62/
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations
A Collection of Passages, Phrases, and Proverbs Traced to Their Sources in
Ancient and Modern Literature. This tenth edition of Bartlett's Familiar
Quotations from 1919 contains over 11,000 searchable quotations.
The newer 16th edition is available at your local library or for purchase
for
about $47.00. It is not available online for free. The newer version
contains
many non-traditional sources for quotations; new additions represent
television, movies, politics, pop and rock music, advertising slogans, and
even street slang. The sixteenth edition contains over 20,000 quotations,
representing 2,550 authors, 340 of whom are new to Bartlett's.
http://www.bartleby.com/100/
Quotationspage.com, established 1994. Searchable database of over 15,000
quotations from popular culture. Indexed by Author and by Subject. Very ad
heavy and not considered authoritative but quotes can be interesting and fun.
http://www.quotationspage.com/
Almanacs are places to find accurate, factual information
about politcal, historical and current events. Use an almanac to answer
questions such as:
What is a hurricane?
How many calories are in a tablespoon of butter?
Who was the youngest president of the U.S.?
What is the address of the American Heart Association?
What percentage of adult Americans smoke?
Where can one find a map showing international time zones?
What is the population of Australia?
How many seasons was Michael Jordan a scoring leader in the National
Basketball Association.
Almanacs are not necessarily published every year.
Informationplease.com is an online almanac that has a good reputation, but
of
course, it isn't as authoritative as the The World Almanac that can be found
at your local library or online in subscription databases.
http://www.infoplease.com/world.html
Encyclopedia:
Although works resembling encyclopedias were known as far back as ancient
Greece, a Frenchman named Denis Diderot (1713-1784) is generally regarded as
the father of the modern encyclopedia. In his work, entitled Encyclopedia,
he defined his purpose in preparing his encyclopedia:
�The aim of the encyclopedia is to gather together the knowledge scattered
over the face of the earth, to set forth its general plan to the men with
whom we live, and transmit it to the men who will come after us, in order
that the labors of past centuries may not have been in vain.� (Tash, Steven.
Lecture Notes. SJSU. 2003)
Although the most authoritative Encyclopedia for students is the
Encyclopedia
Brittanica, it is only available at the library or by subscription database.
Encarta by MSN is available online. Although the articles are limited, they
are searchable and free. Use an encyclopedia for a broad overview of your
topic. These are questions you might expect to answer using an encyclopedia:
How big are tigers when they are born?
Where can I read the overall history of Mexico?
How do I throw a boomerang?
Why is the sky blue?
Where was the Declaration of Independence signed and in what year?
Use the index in a printed encyclopedia or type in the keyword if it is in a
searchable database. Check with your local and school library to access the
subscription database encyclopedias available to you. Try encarta online if
you have nothing else available to you.
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/artcenter.aspx
Searching the Net in San Diego. Page has city and state agencies as well as
categories with links on a lot of different topics from the Librarian's
Index
on the Internet.
http://www.sannet.gov/public-library/searching-the-net/
Quick Grammar Slammer: Online usage featuring common grammar mistakes and
more. They try to sell the book at the bottom of the page but the resources
are organized so well I think it's worth putting on my site anyways.
http://englishplus.com/grammar/index.htm
Behind the Name: Type in your name to find out what it means or search for
names using the A-Z index.
http://www.behindthename.com/
Dictionary: A to Z of Alternative Words. Keep it simple. Use this dictionary
to replace pompous (stuck up) words with simple ones. By keeping your
writing
concise, it will be easier to understand.
http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/A-Z.html
IPL online librarians can answer your questions about reading, research or
facts. Try it out. If you need a question answered faster than three days
then try the 24/7 Virtual Reference link listed on this page. Not super fast.
http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/ask/
24/7 Virtual Reference. Answerlibrarians questions in real time. It's a chat
format. They won't do your research for you but will point you to the best
resources they know. Sometimes a few minute wait to get connected with a
librarian but then they answer your questions quickly.
http://www.247ref.org/portal/access2.cfm?lib=Public
Ask an expert. Do you want to talk to an expert on Math, party games,
airplane, or college admissions expert.
http;//www.askanexpert.com
APA or MLA? Use the Citation Machine to create a reference, bibliography or
works cited page. Just type in information such as title, author, publisher,
and the page gives you your completed citation to cut and paste into your
document. Cool, fast and easy. Can only do one at a time. Must open a
document in Word then toggle between the two.
http://www.landmark-project.com/citation_machine/cm.php
FactMonster: This site serves as a reference center. FactMonster is
searchable by keyword or subject. The site is colorful, eyecatching, and
easy to use. Included are instructions for referencing the site, and
sections on homework help. From InfoPlease
http://www.factmonster.com
KisClick: Websearch by Librarians
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/KidsClick!/
Links for Teachers and Parents looking for great U.S. information from
Internet Public Library: KidSpace
http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/browse/usa9800/
Find an Expert on topics from astronomy to college admissions or being a
reporter.
http://www.kn.sbc.com/wired/fil/pages/listexpertsje.html
According to the Moon, when should you cut your hair to make it grow faster?
Find out from the Old Farmer's Almanac.
http://www.almanac.com
WORLD ALMANAC BOOK OF FACTS: Not all articles are available for free but you
can check-out what happened on your birthday and much more.
http://www.worldalmanac.com/
WORLD ALMANAC FOR KIDS ONLINE SITE
http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com/index.html
SAN DIEGO INFORMATION: DEMOGRAPHICS, ANCESTRY, MARRIAGE RECORDS, NEWSPAPERS,
HISTORICAL MAPS AND MUCH MORE.
http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=10812