Language Arts Resources

There are probably more fillable gaps in anyone's language arts knowledge than any other area of study. Language is constantly evolving, changing its face and sometimes even its innards to accommodate the dictates of the Academy and society. Who can keep up with it all? who even has enough foundational knowledge to know what all those changes are?

Keeping up with all the trends isn't necessarily the point, though. The ultimate aim of all language arts instruction is communication: for the student to be capable of communicating, and able to be communicated to. As far as that is accomplished, language arts education has been successful; that doesn't mean there isn't always room for improvement.

It also doesn't mean that there aren't reference works you should keep around at all times. Everyone needs a good dictionary; when you encounter words you know, how else are you going to know what they mean? You could just head to the Internet, but there's so much misinformation there, having a hard copy of Webster's is a much safer (and more reliable) bet.

A compact but comprehensive thesaurus is also important. Here's a word of advice: don't overuse it. Roget's Thesaurus has lots of words you've never heard of, and while sometimes they turn out to be exactly the word you're looking for, it's not a good idea to throw million dollar words into your writing if you're unfamiliar with them.

The two best uses for a thesaurus: using it to remember a word you already know, or scanning it to build your vocabulary when you aren't writing. A good cook doesn't use spices she's never heard of just to make food interesting, and a good writer doesn't throw around strange verbiage just to make people think he's smart, or because he's already overused a simpler term.

Much of what you'll find here is designed to help with spelling, expand vocabulary, or assist writing. Everyone has particular strengths and weaknesses, and you'll have to ultimately decide what your students (or you) need. For specific elements of the language arts (grammar, rhetoric, phonics, etc.) take a look at our subject-specific resource sections; the books here are pretty broad and reference-oriented.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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73 Items found Print
Active Filters: New Books & Materials
1001 Commonly Misspelled Words
by Robert Magnan & Mary Lou Santovec
from McGraw-Hill
for 10th-Adult
in Spelling Resources (Location: REF-SPE)
$15.00
American Heritage Dictionary
by Houghton Mifflin Company
5th edition from Dell Publishing
for 7th-Adult
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$9.99
American Heritage Student Thesaurus
by Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries
Reprint from Houghton Mifflin
for 7th-12th grade
in Thesauruses (Location: REF-THES)
$18.99
Art of Fiction
by John Gardner
from Vintage Classics
for 9th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$14.95 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Behind the Mask
by Ruth Heller
from PaperStar Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Blended Structure and Style in Composition
by James B. Webster
2nd edition from Institute for Excellence in Writing
Writing Curriculum for 2nd-12th grade
in IEW Resources (Location: WRI-IEWRES)
$35.00
Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
by Jane Straus with Lester Kaufman & Tom Stern
11th edition from Jossey-Bass
for 6th-Adult
in Grammar Reference (Location: REF-GRA)
$16.95 $12.00 (2 in stock)
Cache of Jewels
by Ruth Heller
from PaperStar Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$8.99
Chocolate Moose for Dinner
by Fred Gwynne
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Complete Rhyming Dictionary
from Dell Publishing
for 1st-Adult
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$8.99
Comprehensive Composition
by Kathryn Stout
from Design-A-Study
Writing Curriculum for Kindergarten-12th grade
in Design-A-Study (Location: HSR-DAS)
$14.00
Concise Roget's International Thesaurus
by Barbara Ann Kipfer
7th edition from HarperTrophy
for 7th-12th grade
in Thesauruses (Location: REF-THES)
$7.99
Creative Writer Level 2
by Boris Fishman
from Well-Trained Mind Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Creative Writer (Location: WRI-CREATE)
$18.95
DK Merriam-Webster Children's Dictionary
from DK Publishing
for 2nd-4th grade
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$29.99
Eats, Shoots & Leaves
by Lynne Truss
from Gotham Books
Grammar Reference for 9th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$15.00 $7.50 (3 in stock)
Elements of Style
by William Strunk & E. B. White
4th edition from Allyn and Bacon
Writing Handbook for 9th-12th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$9.99
Elements of Style (Illustrated)
by E.B. White, William Strunk Jr.
from Penguin Books
for 7th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$18.00
Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters
by Mark Dunn
Reprint from Anchor Books
for 8th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$14.95
Grammar Land
by M. L. Nesbitt
from Yesterday's Classics
for 3rd-6th grade
in Grammar Reference (Location: REF-GRA)
$10.95
Grammar Songs - DVD
by Kathy Troxel
from Audio Memory
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Reference (Location: REF-GRA)
$15.00
Grammar Songs with CD
Audio Memory CDs
by Kathy Troxel
from Audio Memory
for 3rd-8th grade
in Grammar Reference (Location: REF-GRA)
$22.95 $15.00 (1 in stock)
Harvey's Elementary Grammar and Composition
Harvey's Language Course
by Thos. W. Harvey
from Mott Media
for 4th-8th- grade
in McGuffey's Readers & Workbooks (Location: REA-MCG)
$15.00 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Harvey's Revised English Grammar
Harvey's Language Course
by Thos. W. Harvey
from Mott Media
for 4th-8th grade
in McGuffey's Readers & Workbooks (Location: REA-MCG)
$17.50 $10.00 (2 in stock)
Harvey's Revised English Grammar - Answer Key
Harvey's Language Course
by Thos. W. Harvey
from Mott Media
for 4th-8th grade
in McGuffey's Readers & Workbooks (Location: REA-MCG)
$4.50 $3.00 (1 in stock)
How to Develop a Brilliant Memory Week by Week
by Dominic O'Brien
from Duncan Baird
for 9th-Adult
in Research & Study Skills (Location: REF-STUDY)
$12.95
How to Write Clearly
by Ruth Beechick
from Mott Media
for 9th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$6.99
How to Write Irresistible Query Letters
by Lisa Collier Cool
from Writer's Digest
for 9th-12th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$12.95
King Alfred's English
by Laurie J. White
from Shorter Word Press
for 7th-12th grade
in History of Books & Language (Location: HISV-BOOK)
$15.60
King Who Rained
by Fred Gwynne
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Kites Sail High
by Ruth Heller
from PaperStar Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Little Grammar People
by Nuri Mass
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in Grammar Reference (Location: REF-GRA)
$14.99
Lively Art of Writing
by Lucile Vaughan Payne
from Mentor Books
Writing Reference for 10th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$8.99
Many Luscious Lollipops
by Ruth Heller
from PaperStar Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$8.99
Merriam-Webster Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms
from Merriam-Webster
for 9th-Adult
in Thesauruses (Location: REF-THES)
$5.99
Merriam-Webster Thesaurus
from Merriam-Webster
for 9th-Adult
in Thesauruses (Location: REF-THES)
$6.50
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
11th edition from Merriam-Webster
for 9th-Adult
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$22.95
Merriam-Webster's Elementary Dictionary
from Merriam-Webster
for 3rd-5th grade
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$19.95
Merriam-Webster's Rhyming Dictionary
by Merriam-Webster
2nd edition from Merriam-Webster
for 9th-Adult
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$15.95
Merry-Go-Round
by Ruth Heller
from PaperStar Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Mine, All Mine
by Ruth Heller
from PaperStar Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$8.99
Old Hat New Hat
Bright & Early Books
by Jan Berenstain, Stan Berenstain
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$9.99
Organizing Thinking Book 2: Graphic Organizers
by Howard Black, Sandra Parks
from Critical Thinking Books
for 5th-8th grade
in Old Edition Logic (Location: ZCLE-LOG)
$26.39
Our Mother Tongue
by Nancy Wilson
2nd edition from Canon Press
for 7th-10th grade
in Miscellaneous Grammar Curriculum (Location: GRA-MISC)
$23.99
Painless Grammar
by Rebecca Elliott Ph.D.
5th edition from Barron's
for 4th-6th grade
in Grammar Reference (Location: REF-GRA)
$16.99
Painless Writing
by Jeffrey Strausser
3rd edition from Barron's
for 6th-10th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$9.99
Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever (Giant Golden Book)
by Richard Scarry
De Luxe edition from Golden Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$16.99
Richard Scarry's Busy, Busy Town
by Richard Scarry
from Golden Books
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$17.99
Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things That Go
by Richard Scarry
from Golden Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$17.99
Right Word
by Jen Bryant
from Eerdmans
for 1st-4th grade
2015 Caldecott Honor Book, 2015 Robert F. Sibert Medal winner
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$18.99
Roget's International Thesaurus
by Barbara Ann Kipfer
7th edition from Collins
for 7th-Adult
in Thesauruses (Location: REF-THES)
$22.95
Seeker of Knowledge
by James Rumford
from Sandpiper Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$7.99
Someday You'll Write
by Elizabeth Yates
2nd edition from Bob Jones University Press
Non-fiction for 5th-9th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$5.00
Spelling Dictionary for Writers Book 2
by Gregory Hurray
from Educators Publishing Service
for 3rd-4th grade
in EPS Spelling (Location: SPE-EPS)
$17.09 $7.50 (1 in stock)
Student's Guide to Writing College Papers
by Kate L. Turabian
Fourth Edition from University of Chicago
for 10th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$17.00
Synonym Finder
by Jerome Irving Rodale
from Warner Books
for 11th-Adult
in Thesauruses (Location: REF-THES)
$20.00
Synonym Finder
by Jerome Irving Rodale
from Rodale Press
for 7th-Adult
in Thesauruses (Location: REF-THES)
$25.56
Trivium Tables: Rhetoric
from Classical Conversations
for 7th-12th grade
in Classical Conversations (Location: CUR-CC)
$12.00 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Uncovering the Logic of English
by Denise Eide
2nd Edition from Logic of English, Inc.
for 9th-Adult
in Logic of English (Location: PHO-LOE)
$14.99
Up, Up and Away
by Ruth Heller
from PaperStar Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
What Do People Do All Day?
by Richard Scarry
from Random House
Richard Scarry Picture Book for K-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$17.99
Word Write Now
by Loranna Schwacofer
3rd edition from Institute for Excellence in Writing
for Kindergarten-12th grade
in IEW Resources (Location: WRI-IEWRES)
$35.00
Wordsmith Craftsman
by Janie Cheaney
3rd edition from Common Sense Press
Writing Curriculum for 10th-12th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in Wordsmiths (Location: WRI-WORDS)
$18.00
Wordsmithy
by Douglas Wilson
1st edition from Canon Press
for 9th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$14.00
Write Source 2000
by Patrick Sebranek, Dave Kemper & Verne Meyer
4th edition from Houghton Mifflin
Writing Reference for 6th-8th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$26.95 $15.00 (2 in stock)
Writer's Guide to Perfect Punctuation
by Victor C. Pellegrino
from Maui arThoughts Company
for 9th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$14.95
Writer's Guide to Powerful Paragraphs
by Victor C. Pellegrino
from Maui arThoughts Company
Writing Reference for 6th-12th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$24.95
Writer's Guide to Transitional Words and Expressions
by Victor C. Pellegrino
from Maui arThoughts Company
Writing Reference for 6th-12th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$16.95
Writer's Toolbox
from Bob Jones University Press
Writing Handbook for 9th-11th grade
in BJU Writing & Grammar (old versions) (Location: OBJU-GRA)
$34.00
Writing a Research Paper
by Edward Shewan
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$10.00
Writing a Research Paper (old)
by Edward Shewan
from Christian Liberty Press
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$4.00
Writing Magic
by Gail Carson Levine
Reissue from HarperCollins
for 4th-6th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$7.99
Writing Strands - Teaching Companion
Writing Strands
by Dave Marks
from Master Books
Writing Curriculum for Preschool-12th grade
in Writing Strands (Location: WRI-WS)
$8.79 $5.00 (3 in stock)
Writing Strands: Evaluating Writing
Writing Strands
by Dave Marks
from National Writing Institute
Writing Curriculum for Preschool-12th grade
$14.00