Many writing instructors urge authors to avoid using the passive voice because it can weaken a piece of text. However, avoiding the passive voice completely is not always feasible or desirable.
In active writing, the subject performs the action. In the passive voice, the subject appears after the verb, often surrounded by prepositional phrases.
Grammarly’s Grammar Checker
Grammarly is one of the leading grammar-checking software tools. It helps you write better by correcting grammatical errors and strengthening your writing. It also improves your vocabulary and sentence structure. It also identifies passive voice and other issues in your writing. However, it has its critics. Some writers believe that Grammarly is too rigid and does not understand context. For example, it flags adverbs and adjectives that are commonly used in everyday speech as errors. It also misses the fact that some of the best writers have used passive voice.
Grammarly is available for free or with a subscription. Its free plan includes basic writing suggestions and a passive voice checker. The Premium version costs $12 per month and it provides more in-depth corrections and improvements. It can also be integrated into web browsers and Microsoft applications. It can even detect plagiarism and provide suggestions for rewriting sentences. It offers a free trial for new users.
Grammarly’s Spelling Checker
Grammarly’s linguistic software goes beyond traditional spell-checking. It is designed to detect contextual errors in your writing and give you suggestions on how to fix them. This can help you write clear and concise text that is easy to understand.
It will also alert you to overused words like “just,” “really,” and “that.” This can make your writing sound repetitive and lazy. Grammarly will also suggest alternatives to these overused words.
Another feature that makes Grammarly stand out from other writing tools is its ability to identify passive voice in your writing. Passive voice is a common error that can weaken your sentences. Grammarly will catch instances of passive voice and suggest ways to rewrite the sentence.
Grammarly is a great tool for anyone who writes regularly. It can help you with your blog posts, social media posts, emails, and proposals. It can even correct the tone of your writing based on the intended audience.
Grammarly’s Punctuation Checker
The Grammarly software is a tool for all types of writers, but it’s especially useful for non-native speakers of English. It can help them correct mistakes in their writing and make it more readable for their audience. It is available in both free and paid versions.
Grammarly will point out errors and suggest corrections for punctuation, vocabulary, and style. It also analyzes the tone and intent of a piece of writing and makes suggestions accordingly. For example, it will recommend changing the passive voice to active if you are talking about “refinement of laws” and not about “organized crime.”
Grammarly also offers a business edition that allows teams to edit documents together. The subscription costs $12 per month for individuals and $29 per month for businesses. It has a streamlined interface and can be used on a variety of devices. Users can email or call customer support for assistance. The company also has an online help center with articles and tutorials.
Grammarly’s Style Checker
Grammarly has a lot of features that can improve your writing. For example, it can catch passive voice in your sentences by identifying words like is, were, or have been that indicate the subject is receiving the action of the verb.
It can also flag overused words and look for clumsy sentences. It can also propose rewrites and other fixes. It can also adjust its settings and rules based on your preferences and style guide. This feature makes it a good choice for writers who take their writing seriously.
It can even help you write more compelling emails and social media posts. It can detect if your sentences are too long or too short. This can prevent your readers from getting bored or distracted. It will also identify if you use passive voice too often or whether you have too many similar-sounding words. The explanation it provides for each issue can help you understand why it’s a problem and how to fix it.