Just wondering if anyone has tried using online "grammar checkers" or software for their stories. If so, any recommendations?
Adom
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Anyone use web grammar checkers?
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Active Ink Slinger
I have not used on-line grammar checkers. However, I have used the trial version of Grammatica (for MacOS), but found it generated too many false alarms, often with acceptable sentence constructs. My preferred method to check myself is to have my computer "read" the story to me. This is easy to do with MacOS or Ubuntu (don't know about Windows). Our ears are excellent grammar filters and will often notice anything that sounds wrong.
"It seemed like a nice neighborhood to have bad habits in.” Raymond Chandler
The Gin Rickey Singularity -- Dirty Talk competition entry
Active Ink Slinger
I use a few online writing aids when writing My stories. One is a grammar checker, one is a word counting tool, and I use the hell out of Dictionary.com's thesaurus!
I have no trouble with the story ideas, it's getting My wild imagination down on "paper" that is a trick sometimes!
Here are some links:
Grammar Checkers:
http://www.grammarbase.com/
http://www.paperrater.com/
Word Counting Tools:
http://wordcounttools.com/
http://wordcounttool.net/
Here's an excellent source for all kinds of story info - this gives Me endless ideas for descriptive words and ideas!
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/wordlist/
I have no trouble with the story ideas, it's getting My wild imagination down on "paper" that is a trick sometimes!
Here are some links:
Grammar Checkers:
http://www.grammarbase.com/
http://www.paperrater.com/
Word Counting Tools:
http://wordcounttools.com/
http://wordcounttool.net/
Here's an excellent source for all kinds of story info - this gives Me endless ideas for descriptive words and ideas!
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/wordlist/
The Right Rev of Lush
Thanks for that list of 'helpers' Master J. I tend to stick with the ones in Word. However, any checker needs to be customized for your needs. For instance, Word comes set for 'Standard' usage. That's okay except for writing fiction. I've found 'informal' best for that.
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Home of the Lush "IN" crowd: indecent, intoxicated, and insolvent
a place to gossip, share news, talk sports, pimp a story, piss & moan, or just grab a drink. Check it out.
Writing is not necessarily something to be ashamed of, but do it in private and wash your hands afterwords. -- ROBERT HEINLEIN
Home of the Lush "IN" crowd: indecent, intoxicated, and insolvent
a place to gossip, share news, talk sports, pimp a story, piss & moan, or just grab a drink. Check it out.
Writing is not necessarily something to be ashamed of, but do it in private and wash your hands afterwords. -- ROBERT HEINLEIN
Testing The Waters.
I use this one in my final step before sending a story off for a second set of human eyes:
http://prowritingaid.com/
The reports it generates can be pretty useful. I'm especially fond of the repeated words report.
Can't speak to the "premium" features, as I only use the free ones.
http://prowritingaid.com/
The reports it generates can be pretty useful. I'm especially fond of the repeated words report.
Can't speak to the "premium" features, as I only use the free ones.
Good Will ---|--- You Serious?
Devil's Advocate
I mainly use the Microsoft Word spell check, with the grammar function turned off (otherwise every fucking sentence has a green line under it), and, like Visioneer, my ear.
I find that formal grammar rules don't really lend themselves to the relatively informal style of my first person narrative. But if I do find myself in a pickle from time to time, I just google it and take whatever answer best suits.
Honestly, I think the best way is to just learn it. Not necessarily studying grammar texts, although skimming a brochure or two might not be a bad idea, but reading widely from professionally published authors. If Tom Clancy, John Grisham or Suzanne Collins can get away with it, then chances are, so can you.
I find that formal grammar rules don't really lend themselves to the relatively informal style of my first person narrative. But if I do find myself in a pickle from time to time, I just google it and take whatever answer best suits.
Honestly, I think the best way is to just learn it. Not necessarily studying grammar texts, although skimming a brochure or two might not be a bad idea, but reading widely from professionally published authors. If Tom Clancy, John Grisham or Suzanne Collins can get away with it, then chances are, so can you.
My latest story is a racy little piece about what happens when someone cute from work invites you over to watch Netflix and Chill.
Classified
Of all our inventions for mass communication, pictures still speak the most universally understood language.
Walt Disney
Story Verifier
The only halfway decent grammar check I've found so far is MS Word's, though it needed tweaking to prevent it, as Wilful said, from complaining about every single sentence.
In the grammar settings, I've all but Negation and Subject-verb agreement checked, but in the Style setting, only Numbers, Punctuation, Sentence structure and Split infinitives are active. Nevertheless, it still tends to find false positives, often complaining about sentence fragments although they're completely valid clauses. For Lush, best set Punctuation required with quotes to "inside", Comma required before last list item to your personal preference (Oxford comma is fuzzy subject) and, something that almost gave me headache, Spaces required between sentences to "don't check" or you'll probably end up with double spaces after punctuation and all kinds of weird highlighted stuff spanning paragraphs.
In the grammar settings, I've all but Negation and Subject-verb agreement checked, but in the Style setting, only Numbers, Punctuation, Sentence structure and Split infinitives are active. Nevertheless, it still tends to find false positives, often complaining about sentence fragments although they're completely valid clauses. For Lush, best set Punctuation required with quotes to "inside", Comma required before last list item to your personal preference (Oxford comma is fuzzy subject) and, something that almost gave me headache, Spaces required between sentences to "don't check" or you'll probably end up with double spaces after punctuation and all kinds of weird highlighted stuff spanning paragraphs.
The Linebacker
I will use grammar checkers when I have a question. I'll get a lot of green underlines for dialogue wording which is fine as long as it is punctuated correctly. The text of the story does need to be grammar correct.
I do suggest that you don't solely rely on grammar checkers, which can be very inconsistent, but have your story proofed by a friend who is very grammar competent before you upload it.
I do suggest that you don't solely rely on grammar checkers, which can be very inconsistent, but have your story proofed by a friend who is very grammar competent before you upload it.
Orgasm Aficionado
Some may find this website interesting / useful: Write Like Hemmingway
As well as spelling mistakes, it highlights difficult-to-read sentences, adverbiage, passive voice and gives a 'readability rating'.
Best of all, it's free.
As well as spelling mistakes, it highlights difficult-to-read sentences, adverbiage, passive voice and gives a 'readability rating'.
Best of all, it's free.
Thanks for the advice, guys.
I didn't know these things existed.
I tried Spellcheckplus and found it to be very useful.
It located three grammatical errors in a two-thousand-word story and was correct in its conclusion.
http://spellcheckplus.com
It will only process two hundred and fifty words at a time, though.
I didn't know these things existed.
I tried Spellcheckplus and found it to be very useful.
It located three grammatical errors in a two-thousand-word story and was correct in its conclusion.
http://spellcheckplus.com
It will only process two hundred and fifty words at a time, though.
Hi I use grammarly.com and it's great. There is an annual subscription but if you write a lot it is reasonable.
I use this tool to change case of a given text It works fine enough and free: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/addon/case-change/
Active Ink Slinger
I'm still testing them out but I can tell you that the free program Ginger is only so so. It did catch some things but then I ran it through another one, WhiteSmoke, and it caught much more. I'm going to try grammerly next I think.