Grammarly calls itself the “world’s most accurate grammar checker.” While this paid online service does a very good job of notifying you of mistakes in your writing, we wanted to figure out how accurate it truly is compared to other sites.
While Grammarly isn’t technically software, this online grammar check service features Microsoft Office integration, which allows you to check your writing in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint or Outlook. After downloading this add-in, a menu toolbar will appear in the Office program you choose to use. However, Grammarly is still, primarily, an online grammar check service with limited offline functionality. It doesn’t compare well to other writing enhancement software we reviewed.
During our review, we used a test paragraph to determine the accuracy of this grammar checker. This writing sample featured a variety of intentional grammar errors. While this service did better than some software, such as Word Q, it wasn’t able to catch as many errors as WhiteSmoke or Writer’s Workbench. This automated proofreader quickly identified spelling errors and simple grammatical errors, but it didn’t do much more than Microsoft’s spelling and grammar checker would have done on its own.
The plagiarism detector on this editing program is oversensitive. It would claim commonly used phrases were plagiarized from random websites. Nonetheless, this editing service offers helpful suggestions on how to cite the “plagiarized” section, if needed. It also focused on when our sentences ran on a bit long, but it didn’t notice when we used the same word over and over again. Most of the grammar software we reviewed noticed redundancy, which is good, because redundancy will quickly cause people to question your credibility.
Your grammatical errors are highlighted in red. Each time you click on an error, a card will pop up with information about the error. While helpful, these cards tend to be fairly wordy themselves and could cause some to feel overwhelmed. Writing enhancement software is supposed to be a tool to help people improve their writing, but if it gives you a three-paragraph explanation for a simple typo, users will stop reading the explanations. Thankfully, there is an option to “See Less” off the explanation card, and there are also “thumbs up” and “thumbs down” buttons to give feedback for their feedback.
Unlike some software that only necessitates a single purchase, this service requires a monthly subscription. In addition, since this is only an add-in application for Microsoft Office, it doesn’t have the functionality of a software package. No writing templates or tutorials are available. No real dictionary is offered and it doesn’t allow you to specify what type of paper you are writing. While there is email support and telephone support for the online service, there is no live chat and no user manual.
The layout of Grammarly is quite simple. There is a box for your text and a “Start Review” button to start the scan. The application then goes through a thorough grammar checking process. As it scans, the checker informs you of what grammar rule it is checking for. The scan says it may take up to five minutes, but none of our scans took that long. At the end of the review, your writing is given an overall score and you’ll see a list of all the mistakes that were found.
Accuracy:
Grammarly checks for a large number of grammar errors, but it still isn’t as accurate as a human editor. When the error list pops up, it displays a list of grammar categories such as “Plagiarism,” “Contexual Spelling Check,” “Grammar,” “Punctuation” and “Style and Word Choice.” These categories are then broken down further in the next column. If no error is made, the application shows a blue check mark. If there are errors, then it shows a red “x” next to the broken rule.
Our test paragraph featured a variety of hand-picked grammatical errors. Out of the 14 different common grammar issues we were testing, Grammarly identified 10. The other grammar check services we reviewed caught an average of six. This automated editor did quite well at identifying problems with prepositions, subject/verb agreement and run-on sentences, but it missed when we incorrectly used negatives or numbers. Sentences such as ” I didn’t not want to never see her not alive again” and ” 1 shots was all it took” apparently merited a blue check in the detailed report.
Also, we noticed an odd quirk where the Grammarly seemed to catch more errors when we were logged in. When we plugged in our test paragraph without logging in, it would ignore a “commonly confused word” it found when we were logged in, or it would have a lower percentage of plagiarism than before. Usually, it was only a variation of three to five mistakes, but it seemed unusual to us that this would make a difference at all.
Feedback:
When Grammarly detects errors, it presents them to you one at a time. The erring word or sentence is highlighted in light red, and a text box with an explanation appears just below it. These text boxes give an explanation about the error, show correct and incorrect examples and offer suggested corrections. After reading the feedback, you have the option of letting Grammarly know if the card was helpful or not with a simple “thumbs up” and “thumbs down” format. Then you can click “Next” to see the next editing suggestion.
The information in the correction card seems crowded and general. Instead of simple feedback, this service tries to cram a broad writing lesson into every correction. This box discusses the specific error and suggested changes, but then it gives a lengthy explanation, pre-made incorrect and correct examples and even exceptions to the rule mentioned. There is an option to “See Less” in this correction box, but even the summarized correction is fairly wordy. While all this corrective information may help some writers, it may overwhelm those who just want a quick edit.
Editing Tools:
Grammarly does a thorough check for spelling and grammar. It also offers synonyms to help vocabulary enhancement. In addition, this online service noticed that our test paragraph was wordy and needed to be cut down. These tools are essential in creating a well-written paper. This online editor also offers MS Office integration functionality, which is available at no extra cost.
The plagiarism check is impressive. It links to the where similar material was found. It also shows a variety of ways to cite the plagiarized material, if needed. However, the plagiarism function seems to be a little oversensitive. The grammar checker said there was some copied material in our original writing. Our original phrase “is a time to go to the cemetery” was flagged as plagiarism. Grammarly linked it to a magazine article written in November of 2001 where that same phrase happened to be used. It also noticed our copied line from Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, but it said it was plagiarized from a textbook on strategic management. In summary, when using the plagiarism detector on Grammarly, make sure to do some research before you make any judgments or adjustments.
Ease of Use:
This grammar checking application is very easy to use. The interface is simple and well-designed. It does take longer than some other online grammar services that we reviewed, but that seems to be because it’s doing a thorough scan. Also, during the scan, Grammarly lists the various grammar rules that are in their database as they are being checked.
When correcting your text, this application calls out each correction one by one, but it also allows you to jump to a specific editing category. This can be helpful if you’re looking for a particular error, or if you want to go back and double check a correction. You can also correct your writing while it is highlighted for errors. However, there is only a “Next” button in the correction box, so you’ll have to use the sidebar if you want to look at a previous error.
Help/Support:
Clicking on the “Help” link at the top of the page will take you to the Grammarly Helpdesk. This page features FAQs as well as contact information. Grammarly offers telephone support and e-mail support. There is also a section where you can check your existing requests to see if your questions have been answered. These are all very helpful features when using any online service.
Summary:
The Grammarly online grammar checker is a competent, thorough and accurate application. It is easy to use and provides useful feedback, even if the corrections are cluttered and somewhat overwhelming. However, you should check your own work even after you’ve put it through the automated editor. This service recognizes a variety of common grammatical errors, but it does not catch every one. Grammarly should not be considered the final word in spelling, syntax and grammar, but it is a very helpful aid when you need a quick spelling and grammar check.
Grammarly is best used as an online service. Their site is among the best grammar checking services available online. As a simple add-in, however, they can’t compete with complete writing enhancement software packages. Software offers tutorials, templates and other learning experiences, while this downloaded toolbar gives only a slightly more thorough check than what Microsoft Office already features.
If you want a detailed and comprehensive edit of your writing along with a variety of learning tools, this is not the service for you, stylewriter plian english writing software will be a good choice!
