Grammarly provides a comprehensive writing tool that can help you correct spelling, grammar, and style errors. It also helps you identify potential plagiarism issues.
It is available as a browser extension for Chrome and Microsoft Edge, as well as on smartphones with its dedicated keyboard app. It is also integrated with Microsoft Word as an add-on.
How They Work
Grammarly is a popular writing assistant that helps you correct grammatical errors and improve the clarity and engagement of your text. It’s available as a browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and other Chromium-based browsers as well as a standalone Windows or Mac app.
You can also check your writing directly on the Grammarly website, although some of the original formatting may be lost in the process. Just paste your text into the box, and the software will analyze it for errors.
While the accuracy of Grammarly’s corrections is impressive, it’s still a machine, and mistakes are sometimes inevitable. The context of a sentence, the meaning of a phrase, and the tone of a paragraph are all things that a computer cannot understand, and therefore, they’re often missed by Grammarly. A human editor, on the other hand, can catch these errors. It is, however, possible to limit the number of mistakes that Grammarly flags for correction by changing your preferences in the Settings menu.
Grammarly’s Basic Features
Grammarly works in “real-time”, highlighting errors as you type and offering suggestions. Each error is accompanied by a description, making it not just an editing tool but also an educational one.
It also checks for plagiarism, comparing your text against billions of other documents on the web. And, with its keyboard integration and app availability, it’s easy to use on any device.
The Premium version takes things a step further by considering your intent and audience. It will change words to make your writing more informal or formal, depending on the tone you’re going for.
It will also highlight repetitive phrases, suggest alternatives, and give you context-based vocabulary suggestions. And, for those who are prone to overusing the passive voice, it will point out when you should switch to active voice. And, as mentioned earlier, it will also check your spelling. It will even flag homonyms (like viola and villa). It will also alert you when a word is not appropriate for the tone you’re trying to convey.
Grammarly’s Premium Features
Grammarly offers a premium version of its software with more comprehensive checks. It can help you correct inconsistencies, provide suggestions on how to improve your vocabulary, and detect plagiarism. It can also suggest a better tone for your writing depending on who the audience is.
Its premium features include a browser extension and application integrations. This makes it easy to use Grammarly anywhere, even while writing emails or social media posts. It can also help you ensure that your content is consistent by highlighting when your spelling or grammatical rules change.
The software can be a helpful tool for any writer, but it is important to remember that it does not replace a professional editor. It is best used as a tool to help you improve your writing and catch errors that you might have missed. It is not recommended to use it for legal documents, business proposals, or other important pieces of writing. It should also not be relied upon to catch all grammatical or stylistic issues.
Microsoft Editor’s Basic Features
While the free offering does not include Grammarly’s robust features, it equips you to spot and correct misspelled words and imperfect grammar. The software also spots contextual mistakes, such as using the wrong tense or missing a comma (it hates that Oxford comma).
It will highlight these issues in your writing and provide suggestions for corrections. Each suggested correction is accompanied by an explanation of why it’s an issue. You can even ask Grammarly to ignore specific corrections if you prefer.
Grammarly’s browser and application integrations enable it to work in real-time, identifying mistakes as you type. This can help you avoid embarrassing situations when composing emails or documents.
In addition, it can detect plagiarism by comparing your text to billions of web pages. However, this feature is only available in the premium version. The price is not cheap, but it’s probably worth it for professional writers who want to produce flawless content. Moreover, the subscription fee is tax-deductible for businesses.