Help:Searching

Searching A.W.E. isn't difficult - though the project would be glad to hear of the difficulties you have. Suggestions for improving the way to search the guide are welcome. (See how to contribute to AWE.) Start by entering a term you want to find in the search box in the column on the left of the screen. It is best to start with a single word, but you may also search for phrases.

You may want a quick answer to an immediate question, perhaps as a result of proof-reading an assignment, or a question about a particular word. Start by entering what you are looking for in the 'search' box to the left. Sometimes the article that might help you best would be about the prefix or suffix of the word, such as -ing.

The word you are looking for may not be in the guide as an individual entry: it could be dealt with by a more general article. Or you may be looking for an answer to a more general question, such as the spelling rule for a particular sound or set of letters ('I before E', for example.) In this case, use your imagination to search the database. If you cannot find it, look in the list of categories. But the most important aid is that there is no specific article with the name that you have searched for, you will see a list of articles in which the word appears. You may have to scroll through a long list. It may be worth trying to search for a two word - or longer - phrase, which should result in a shorter list.

A category in AWE is a group of articles on a linked idea. To see if one suits the purpose of your search, click on the Special pages link towards the bottom of the left-hand column, and then click on Categories in the list. You should see two lists. One is a list of subcategories, and the other a list of articles in the category you are looking at. Either may give you hints about where to look.