Guides: Writing Center / ESL: Overview of Resources

Writing and ESL Help

Writing Center Updates!

The Writing Center will be closed Monday, September 5, 2022, for Labor Day.

We hope you will join us in welcoming Hadis Ghaedi as Co-Director of the Writing Center and ESL Services. Hadis will be available on campus and can meet with you in person or via Zoom. Nora Streed will continue to be available via Zoom only.

Make appointments or check availability here: https://uncsa.libcal.com/appointments/writingcenter-esl

All posted hours are subject to change without notice; check on the appointment calendar to book times and ensure available appointments.

For further information about the Writing Center at UNCSA, or to request alternative meeting times, send us an email at writingcenter@uncsa.edu.

English as a Second Language (ESL)

University of North Carolina School of the Arts provides tutoring in English as a Second Language (ESL) for admitted students who want or need support. In addition to language instruction, we also offer help and support for any international students experiencing culture shock or struggling to adjust to life on campus, in North Carolina, and/or in the US. There are currently no ESL courses offered. Make appointments via the Writing Center https://uncsa.libcal.com/appointments/writingcenter-esl.

For further information about the ESL program at UNCSA, send an email to us at ESL@uncsa.edu.

Writing Resources

Download PDFs with helpful information on the following topics:

Quick Writing Tips for Every Writer
A few tips to help you get started.
Proofreading Guide
Some helpful hints for more effective proofreading.
Tips for Writing Good Emails
Don't waste your time -- or your readers' time -- with poorly written emails.
The Formatter
By UNCSA School of Filmmaking Professor Joy Goodwin. This is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to format their screenplay properly. I for one can't wait for the movie :)
MFA Thesis Guide.
Please meet with someone in the Writing Center and/or the Library to discuss your thesis plans. We're here to help! This handout offers a quick overview of some common formatting conventions for certain types of thesis projects.

ESL Resources

Use of Articles in English
A useful and concise overview of the rules about the use of definite and indefinite articles in English, from our colleagues at the UNC-Chapel Hill Writing Center's website.
ESL Learning Apps
If you'd like an online ESL learning app, all UNCSA staff, faculty, and students have access to TRANSPARENT via NCLive. There is an English Immersion version for everybody, and special apps aimed at speakers of Chinese (Mandarin), Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, Spanish (both Castilian & Latin American), Urdu, and 26 other languages.

The English Grammar Workbook for Adults by Michael DiGiacomo
ISBN: 1646113195
Publication Date: 2020-06-02
On reserve in the UNCSA Library, this is an engaging, self-guided way to improve your English grammar. The workbook has everything you need to learn essential elements, including nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, tenses, and beyond. Then, you'll apply what you've learned to everyday situations you could encounter at school, at work, social situations, creative writing, online, and more. This clear, concise book is useful for ESL/EFL and other grammar students who want to work on writing English.

Helpful Links

UNC Chapel Hill's Writing Center's website has excellent, relevant, and helpful guides.
George Orwell's classic 1946 essay Politics and the English Language offers some simple strategies for making your own writing stronger, clearer, and more useful to your readers.
Purdue OWL is an excellent resource for MLA formatting guidelines and contains a great deal of high quality reference material.
Grammar Rock videos are fabulous learning tools for basic grammar information. No, really. You might not be able to get the songs out of your head, but that's kind of the idea.
Merriam-Webster's online dictionary is easy to use and contains many helpful articles & videos about word use issues as well as a fun "Word of the Day" app and of course a fully functional online dictionary and thesaurus.
The Story of English. This PBS documentary from 1986 is available here on a YouTube playlist broken up into many 10-minute segments. The companion book is listed below. It's a very good overview of the history of the English language and its proliferation throughout the world. Helps sort out some of the confusion about why English is the way it is.
Free Language Learning Apps! All UNCSA students, staff, and faculty have access via NCLive to TRANSPARENT Language Learning Apps. Go at your own pace and learn one (or more!) of over 100 languages in the app, from Afrikaans to Dakota to Latvian to Quechua to Welsh and Zulu! Also includes English learning apps for non-native English speakers.

Writing Center / ESL