Borland Educational

Grammar

English Grammar 101
Extensive collection of lessons covering topics in beginning through advanced English grammar. Online exercises for each lesson provide immediate feedback.

EnglishGrammar.org
Simple, accessible exposition of most English grammar rules, with lessons, exercises, writing guides, and more.

Grammar Glossary
Complete list of grammatical terms and definitions with convenient links to lessons relating to each one.

English for Everyone: English Grammar Guide
Good old-fashioned approach to English grammar. It's hard to find good modern grammar books This one does the job well.

UsingEnglish.com
A mega-site for students and teachers of English grammar at all levels. Includes forums, specialized vocabulary lists, resources, and writing and citation guides.

LearnEnglish Grammar (U.K. Edition)
#1 Apple Store grammar app presenting fun activities with four levels and thousands of questions to sharpen English grammar skills. More from the British Council here.

Five Grammar Apps for Kids
Scholastic has compiled this short list of apps for kids focusing on parts of speech, punctuation, etc. Find literacy apps for older kids here.

Sentence Diagramming
This old-school analytical technique trains practitioners to clarify the meaning and structure of sentences. See also SenGram, a popular sentence diagramming app.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary.com
Best vocabulary development site online. Fabulous dictionary, list creation/editing, and multiple question formats make it fun to learn new words.

Word Power Made Easy
Classic vocabulary development book. “Make words your slaves in 15 minutes a day.” A great way to stimulate and direct a word collection hobby.

Vocabulary Cartoons
Creating outrageous, hilarious pictures or stories is a great way to memorize new words. Additional volumes here and here help train students in this powerful technique.

Dictionaries

Merriam-Webster
Excellent dictionary/thesaurus. “Did You Know” section discusses etymology and word usage. Simplified definitions for kids, foreign English language earners, etc.

Dictionary.com
Basic online dictionary provides definitions, synonyms, word origin, pronunciation, and examples in context.

Thesaurus.com
Companion site to dictionary.com, provides antonyms and a comprehensive list of synonyms sorted by shade of meaning.

wordnik
Multiple definitions with etymologies from major online dictionaries. Includes pictures, comments, and related words (e.g. rhymes).

Online Etymology Dictionary
This resource provides short definitions and extensive information on the history and etymology of words, including related forms and expressions.

OneLook Dictionary Search
Reverse dictionary finds words with a given meaning. Searches dozens of online dictionaries simultaneously (returning a list of links to definitions).

Mnemonic Dictionary
Word lookup providing user-suggested mnemonics (with ratings) to aid memorization, along with basic definitions and synonyms.

Master Root List
Alphabetized list of more than 1000 Latin/Greek roots of English words, with examples. Learning Greek and Latin words is a well-trod path to expanding English vocabulary.

Other

20 AI Writing Tools
Impressive compilation of popular AI grammar checkers and writing assistants. Most cost money; some may be worth it. Check reviews before investing cash.

Reviews

“Standardized tests are a necessary step in applying to colleges, and, with his support, I was able to achieve the scores I needed to be competitive. I am currently finishing a degree in physics at the University of Chicago and am immensely grateful for his help four years ago. His test taking strategies have also been very useful on the GRE while applying to graduate school physics programs. Thank you again, Chris!”

Ben F. (Student: 2013)

"[Chris’s] methods are extremely effective and he is one of the kindest, most supportive men I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.

"Working with him has been one of my best academic experiences and I congratulate Chris on his hard work and dedication to the success of his pupils."

Harrison M. (Student: 2017)

“His competence, compassion and ethics as a tutor are exemplary.

"Chris is a wonderfully friendly, sincere and caring human being. His personality is delightful, making the sessions enjoyable.”

Judy S. (Client: 2006)

"The students benefited from [Chris's] assistance, and we found him very personable, helpful and eager to learn new teaching techniques and philosophies.

I feel he would be an excellent addition to any tutoring staff."

Linda N. (Employer: 1980)

"I enjoyed working with Chris because he could explain things I did not understand and make them clear to me. Chris was very patient when it took me a while to understand things."

Martha S. (Student: 1993)

“Chris is a phenomenal math, PSAT, and SAT tutor. I studied with him for over three years and am so grateful for all of his invaluable knowledge and the confidence that he instilled in me as a math student.

"Now, years later, the same standardized test-taking skills that he taught me for the PSAT and SAT are helping me immensely in my LSAT prep.

"Chris is patient and efficient in his teaching. I would highly recommend him to everyone!”

Gary C. (Client: 2016)

"Chris Borland tutored my son and did an excellent job. He obviously is a very well qualified teacher and I recommend him without reservation."

David C. (Client: 1980)

Chris is also incredibly supportive, and recognizes when confidence is lagging. He holds his students accountable by giving them specific work and challenges and also rewards their gains, and is able to pivot his teaching style if a certain way of explaining things isn't working.

"I highly recommend Chris to any student who is studying for a standardized test ..."

A.S.M. (Client: 2021)

Most importantly, you taught Joey to understand that hard work does reap its own rewards. Joey did well enough in school and on the SATs to gain acceptance to a number of UC Schools, of which he chose UC Davis to attend. Thanks Chris for you effort and diligent tutoring of Joey the last three years, we really appreciate all that you did for him.

Larry L. (Client: 2005)

"Chris tutored my son for the SSAT test and … it was worth every penny. My son responded very well to him and developed learning strategies that [he's] using to this day."

Michal V. (Client: 2014)

"[Chris] has a keen sense of the orderly nature of learning, and did a particularly good job of helping students with the organizational work needed to excel at math ... one of the best young teachers I've seen."

Bruce S. (Administrator: 1985)

"[Chris] is patient, understanding, enthusiastic and always guides Andrew in the learning process with a very positive attitude. If Andrew gets distracted, Chris is able to guide him back to the subject at hand by being assertive, yet respectful. His focus on Andrew's progress has resulted in a very noticeable improvement in Andrew's skill level in Algebra, his attention to detail, his neatness, and his self-esteem..."

Karen C. (Client: 1999)

"Chris Borland has provided test prep tutoring for two of our three children, one for the SSAT and then the ACT, and the other for the SSAT. They both dramatically improved their scores as a result of his tutoring and were accepted to their first-choice schools.

Jennifer C. (Client: 2020)

"Fantastic tutor. We set a goal for my SAT score, and with Chris's help I got there. Has years of experience and knows the test inside and out. Cannot recommend more highly."

Jack R. (Client: 2014)

Chris is patient, knowledgeable and was helpful in identifying my weaknesses and addressing them. My work with Chris on test prep also helped me in the classroom resulting in improved grades both my junior and senior years. He is easy to work with and never made me feel stupid. I highly recommend Chris Borland for test prep and math tutoring.”

T J (student: 2018)

"Chris Borland tutored my l4 year old twins for several weeks before they took the SSAT test for entrance into private schools. He has a very good rapport with kids and makes the sessions fun and interesting.

Chris's strategies about standardized test taking proved to be excellent. Both boys improved their scores significantly and openly attributed their success to their work with Chris..."

Anne C. (Client: 2003)

“Worth every penny!

"As the high school application process in SF is already stressful and time consuming, I was looking for an efficient strategy for my B/G twins to prepare for the SSAT. Chris has deep experience with test prep and presented a very clear, efficient, and effective strategy for the twins to follow. His approach resulted in a huge increase in test results.

"We would highly recommend him to anyone for standardized test prep!”

Irene L. (client: 2018)

Knowledge is Power