Grammarly is an online site that checks your grammar, vocabulary, and style. It has free and paid versions.
The free version grades your writing out of 100 points and gives you a list of areas where you’ve made mistakes and how many. It doesn’t, however, tell you what exactly those mistakes are so you’ve to keep guessing.
When you’re using the paid version, it points out your mistakes and why, as well as offering its correct suggestions. Of course, not all mistakes are necessarily mistakes but stylistic choices you’ve made. You still get graded over 100, and your point gets higher when you correct the mistake or ignore it. (It gives you the option to ignore.)
Now, Grammarly is not perfect. It’s also not human. It’s allergic to passive, for instance. It’s also fond of more formal writing, so it sends out warnings when you end sentences with a preposition or use numbers instead of spelling them. And it doesn’t catch every mistake though it catches a good percentage. Sometimes it suggests you use articles when you shouldn’t or don’t have to.
I don’t recommend using Grammarly without looking at your text once or twice with “editor eyes” yourself. Combine it with the read-out-loud option of your computer or free software like Natural Readers, and you’re golden.
It has saved me a lot of time and increased my productivity. I’ve also recently discovered that you can adjust your settings as creative (novel, script, and other options), so it evaluates accordingly.
Happy Editing!
Hi Pinar,
I use grammerly, but find it doesn’t catch everything like you mentioned. I still have my husband read anything I write before I publish it.
I’m terrible at editing my own writing, even when I read it out loud, wait a day or two or edit as I write.
Elna
Hi Elna,
Thanks for commenting. Editing someone else’s stuff is indeed easier. I don’t have someone who can read/edit for me, so I combine Grammarly with a bunch of other methods.:)