I sometimes think I am the Dear Abby of the writing world. As a professional writer, my friends and colleagues assume I can get the answer to just about any language-related question they dream up.

And, most of the time, they are right.

So, how do I do it? Am I blessed with total recall? Anyone who knows me would laugh at that suggestion. No, I just have great reference tools.

For those of you interested in improving your grammar (obeying the rules), diction (choosing the right word), syntax (properly organizing the words) and style, this article is for you.

When it comes to style guides, the reference of choice is The Chicago Manual of Style. Used by editors in the public and private sectors all over Canada and the U.S., it will tell you everything from how to punctuate vertical (bulleted) lists to whether the second word of a compound adjective should be capitalized.

It's available online at www.chicagomanualofstyle.org for just $35 a year for up to five users. You can get a hard-copy version, but the online version is convenient, searchable and easy to use.

As for dictionaries, we use the Oxford dictionaries, including the Canadian version. We pay $150 a year for this service but there are lots of options. Check it out at www.oxfordreference.com.

If you like real books, here are a couple of gems. Not only are they great language books, but they are also fun to read (if you can believe that!).

Delightfully witty in a very proper British manner, Eats, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation was written by Lynne Truss and spent considerable time atop the New York Times bestseller list.

Equally entertaining are a couple of books by Karen Elizabeth Gordon. The first, The Deluxe Transitive Vampire: A Handbook of Grammar for the Innocent, the Eager, and the Doomed, is described as the grammar book you can't wait to use. And I agree.

Just as much fun to read is her book The New Well-Tempered Sentence: A Punctuation Handbook for the Innocent, the Eager, and the Doomed.

Can't get enough of this stuff? Visit our website where you can download a free copy of our e-booklet, 50 Reference Books Guaranteed to Improve Your Marketing and Communications.

Have fun. And don't stay up too late.