Do You Ever Use a Grammar Checker?
Is Good Grammar Important to You?
I thought I would pose this question to all you budding writers out there.
Do you, or have you ever used any form of grammar checking software to help you perfect your article writing?
I decided to go this route last year to avoid having a plethora of spelling mistakes and/or grammatical errors on my posts.
It's Worth the Effort & the Price
It has made such a difference to my workflow, as I feel confident that by ironing out these little errors - which can really annoy visitors making them leave prematurely - my articles now appear more fluent.
According to Webmaster Tools, I am keeping visitors on for longer than I was!
Apart from just checking the grammar, the program I use also checks for plagiarism which is more useful than you might think. You'd be surprised at how often certain phrases or sayings can be flagged up, you then get the chance to change or re-write.
There is still so much content on the web that could be rescued by means of cleaning up the mistakes, and getting the grammar right.
Then the visitors will stay and possibly buy!
For the record, this software I use is called Grammarly, and I've done a review on it here for everyone's benefit: http://makemoneyonacomputer.com/online-grammar-checker
Recent Comments
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No, I have never used anything like that.
Do not wish to be picky but near the bottom of the review:
"I like to pass every single article through Grammarly for piece of mind "
needs to be checked again:)
Hi Bernard, that's just what I enjoy - interaction! Yes, it does sound a bit muddled, Grammarly didn't write it, just checked my poor effort, I'll try again!
Thanks for joining in, and I don't mind pickiness!
"I like to pass every single article through Grammarly for piece of mind" should read "I like to pass every single article through Grammarly for peace of mind". Peace not piece. ~Marion
Hi giludi, I have noticed considerable improvement in your writing lately. It must be because of that plugin. ~Marion
Grammarly is good. Warning, though. As with any grammar checker, they only work well when you write in perfect English. If you write in a more folksy style, they can. . . . shall we say not work so well? I write in MS Word, so I use theirs. I wish you all the best with it.
Hi Carla, When you use MS Word does it conflict with any code? I heard this. Do you copy and paste from MS Word?
All the time. I know there used to be a little box where you could put your copy in, but they took that out on the last WordPress update. The only thing I've had trouble with since that time is sometimes the links disappear. So now I don't link things up until I'm in the WP Edit Screen. But I ALWAYS write in MS Word for all my articles and other writing assignments.
Not necessarily true! Grammarly has 6 different styles to check against, i.e. Business, Academic, Technical, Creative, Casual & General. I find I like the Casual style the best.
But, aren't we all trying to write better English? I know it's only a robot but it can be helpful - or at least I've found it very useful in ironing out stupid mistakes and sloppy grammar quickly.
Thanks Carla, appreciate the feedback.
I've been an editor for 20 years now. I'm all for anything that helps people write better! Grammarly is one of the best sites out there.
Hi Carla, If you use Microsoft Word may I suggest that you copy and paste into Notepad to strip out the formatting. You can then copy from Notepad and paste into your blog and then add the hyperlinks. ~Marion
I've heard great things about Grammarly and it looks like Paper Rater is running a very close second in popularity, mainly because it's free. Thanks for this great informative post, Rob!
I use Paper Rater for free. Another member on here mentioned it. The free version takes out about 95% of common mistakes. Understand the plagiarism aspect and the extra features might suit some. For those that can't or don't want to pay up. They could try Paper Rater. Not disputing your take on Grammarly friend, I just am a tight fisted git:)
I must try Paper Rater, not heard of it before. I watch the pennies too, but Grammarly is something that has passed the test!
It won't plagiarise check on the free version and doubtless the features will be humble, plagiarism isn't something I bother about for reasons I won't go into here. For a quick check of an article it works well for me. Grammarly is widely respected I know. I'm just cheap, cheap cheap :) no excuse you are doing the right thing.
I have used it during the free trial and I really did like it. Nice article and nice website!
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I don't use a grammar checker per se but I do like Hemmingway. That is a software that helps you to identify sentences, paragraphs, etc that need to clearer. It helps you to avoid wordiness too. That is one of my faults in natural speaking. Once you paste an article into Hemmingway it has you re-work it until it is very readable.
I like the sound of Hemmingway, must investigate, thanks Brenda.
Is there a charge for Hemmingway? Do you install it in your computer or WP?
you can use the free version online. I paid $5.00 for a download version.