Enhance your language skills – free online resources

"Words are the most powerful drugs used by mankind." Rudyard Kipling

Words can motivate you to conquer the world. Words help you to show the world your gifts, sell your products or services and influence your tribe. (Words can bring you down in matter of seconds, too, of course. I am sure we all remember many occasions when that happened to us.)

Without good language skills we would be lost in the world, we wouldn't be able to learn any new skills. What's more, research shows that there is a strong correlation between people's range of vocabulary & ability to use those words and their success in their chosen area of expertise. Why? If you can express yourself clearly and well, you are regarded as more intelligent and of higher status. Unfortunately we seem to give up on enhancing our language skills after we learned speaking, writing and reading at an acceptable level.

When was the last time you discovered new words? Or played with words? Or read a challenging book? Or written just for your own fun without reason and destination? It is never too late to sharpen your skills. I gathered a few online resources that I use nearly every day. And they are fun, too!

No more bulky dictionaries! I love the online dictionary http://dictionary.reference.com/ There is a practical toolbar that you can download to access not only the dictionary, but the thesaurus http://thesaurus.com and other great services like http://www.reference.com from your browser.

Looking for a thesaurus with more pizzazz? Take a look at the visual version at http://www.visualthesaurus.com. Great if you want to get a quick overview; perfect for visual types. Unlike the other resources I gathered here, this is not free, but you can have a free trial and it costs only $19.95 for a year.

Are you into discovering new words? The "word of the day" option will be perfect for you. http://dictionary.reference.com/wordoftheday Challenge yourself to use the new word in a few sentences. You can use this world as a journal or ideation prompt, too.

My absolute favourite is http://oneword.com. You get the word of the day and 60 seconds to write anything you want. About the word, around the concept, as an explanation, whatever you wish, really. Wild associations are welcome.

Or create a 60-second story around the word. Or a poem? You have endless possibilities. Perfect for lovers of words. Not one of them? Try this site anyway. It will get you out of your usual thinking patterns. You have the option to publish your 60-second creation if you want; and you can read what others written, too.

Which of these fab online resources becomes your favorite?