National Animal Interest Alliance
Online -- mission is "to promote a more abundant life for all the people
of this planet through a wise and compassionate human relationship with
animals and the environment."
Common Errors in English
Usage -- not really a dictionary, this list helps you avoid some of
the common mistakes people make when writing or speaking American English;
for example, learn the difference between "accede" and "exceed", or the
use of redundancies.
The Devil's Dictionary
-- if you prefer your definitions to be verbose and unusual, check out
this site which defines an auctioneer as "the man who proclaims with a
hammer that he has picked a pocket with his tongue." Based on a book first
published in 1906.
OneLook Dictionaries -- find definitions
or translations in hundreds of dictionaries
Wiktionary -- "a collaborative
project to produce a free, multilingual dictionary with definitions,
etymologies, pronunciations, sample quotations, synonyms, antonyms and
translations"
yourDictionary.com -- subject
dictionaries, foreign languages, thesauri and even a translation feature
Encyclopedias
Britannica.com -- current news
topics as well as the expected encyclopedia; also has a dictionary
The online Catholic Encyclopedia
-- a volunteer effort to put the original 1913 edition of the Catholic
Encyclopedia onto the internet
Wikipedia -- a free online encyclopedia
with nearly 2 million entries in English and counting; note that articles can be
written and edited by anyone, anywhere in the world: readers should verify
information by checking another source
General Reference Materials
Bartleby Library -- Great Books
Online; find titles like a translation of The Odysseys of Homer, poetry
by T. S. Eliot and Robert Frost, a definition from a dictionary or an entry
from an encyclopedia
Old Farmer's Almanac -- has only
some of the information available from the print edition; registration or
purchase may be required for some sections
Simpson's Contemporary Quotations,
The Most Notable Quotations 1950-1988 -- more than 10,000 quotations, from
people like Henry Kissinger and Frank Sinatra
The Writing Center at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison -- Not sure how to write your paper or cite your
sources? Guidelines for APA and MLA styles, how to write common types of
assignments, and how to improve your writing can all be found here.
Ye Olde English
Sayings -- ever wonder why people say "mind your own beeswax"? Check
here for some of the answers...
Statistics
FedStats -- the best place to
look for federal statistics on almost any topic