The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)

The Department of English Language and Literature endorses The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL). Below are some of the most useful resources on OWL, which students should consult as they complete their writing assignments for their English courses.

Grammar and Punctuation

• Making Subjects and Verbs Agree
• Count and Noncount Nouns: Basic Rules
• Brief Overview of Punctuation
• Rules for Using Commas
• Run-ons, Comma Splices, and Fused Sentences
• The Apostrophe
• Punctuation Exercises

MLA Style

• MLA Formatting and Style Guide
• MLA General Format
• MLA Formatting Quotations

Use of Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism

• Overview and Contradictions
• Best Practices
• Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing
• Using In-text Citations

Writing and Argumentation

• Academic Writing
• Argumentative Essays
• Writing About Literature: Argument and Thesis
• Introductions, Body Paragraphs, and Conclusions
• On Paragraphs
• Introducing Quotations
• Evaluating Sources
• Annotated Bibliographies