Does anyone here use a program to help with grammar?

1. 68

   mike102771posted 5 years ago

   
   A few years ago, I decided to self publish on my site. To help with this, I found a program called Grammarly to help with my terrible typing, and well, I needed help. The program links into this site and others such as Twitter. This is by no means an advertisement for the program. There are a lot of flaws. I'm just curious if anyone else uses a service like this, and does it help?

   replyreport
   1. 81

      Titiaposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      I use the grammar control in Word and sometimes the Hemmingway Editor.

      replyreport
      1. 68

         mike102771posted 5 years agoin reply to this

         IS Hemmingway any good? I don't trust Word at all.

         replyreport
2. 84

   Kenna McHughposted 5 years ago

   I use Grammarly and Hemmingway. Each one is not a cure-all, but it gets me to put on my editor's hat.

   replyreport
   1. 68

      mike102771posted 5 years agoin reply to this

      Is Hemmingway any good? The program, not the author.
      
      Below is my editor cap, as well as my thinking cap.
      
      

      replyreport
3. 92

   poppyrposted 5 years ago

   I had to use Grammarly (free version) on my laptop for work and I really like it. I’d recommend everyone to install it, especially non-native speakers or those who aren’t confident in their grammar and spelling.

   replyreport
   1. 79

      samanthacubbisonposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      I use Grammarly, but you should not trust it 100% of the time. As it does not always understand the context of your writing, it can make mistakes. (Punctuation suggestions can be a bit wonky, too.) It is a good tool to correct your spelling and catch the stuff you would have overlooked, though!

      replyreport
      1. 68

         mike102771posted 5 years agoin reply to this

         I'm right there with you on that. Grammarly seems to like commas, but it helps.

         replyreport
   2. 68

      mike102771posted 5 years agoin reply to this

      The free version is nice. But it only covers about a quarter of the issues. It also can change the context of what you are trying to say if you don't watch it close.

      replyreport
4. 94

   MizBejabbersposted 5 years ago

   Because I was an editor for 33 years, 30 of them as a legal editor, I had to learn grammar and punctuation on my own. Legalese is enough to give a grammar editing program apoplexy anyway. However, I worked with a couple of retired English teachers, one of whom highly recommends Grammarly. I've thought about getting that program for myself, but in my fiction writing, I'm a rule-breaker anyway.
   I do use the spell checker in word because it catches a lot of my typos. I've also discovered that at my age, sometimes I forget how to spell a word, so it helps me there, too. I used to think I was really great at English grammar, spelling and punctuation, but being an editor took me down a peg or two and showed me how much I didn't know. I always kept a dictionary handy on my desk.
   I found that my best helper was a little book called "Hodges Harbrace Handbook". I loved it because it was more like cliff notes to the Chicago Manual of Style. It cut out the deadwood and went straight to the chase. I notice that there is a pdf of it online. But most people want to use something that does their work for them, so I guess the next best thing is Grammarly. Just watch it because context is important to proper usage.

   replyreport
   1. 68

      mike102771posted 5 years agoin reply to this

      Dyslexia has made it difficult for me to read much less write, and if it weren't for such programs, I don't think I would have even tried. Having typed that I do agree with you, it's better to know what you are doing rather than rely on a program that might not understand the context of your message. The Word addon for Grammarly isn't as good as the one for Google (I think it's a direct connection to Grammarly). I'm finding this out as I add my crappy stories to Hub Pages.

      replyreport
5. 63

   psycheskinnerposted 5 years ago

   I have the subscription version of grammarly integrated into everything, even my emails.

   replyreport
   1. 68

      mike102771posted 5 years agoin reply to this

      Me too, but I still don't trust it.

      replyreport
6. 84

   Kenna McHughposted 5 years ago

   The Hemingway program is free and helps you get focused on editing. It categorizes specific aspects of a paragraph and sentences.

   replyreport