GRAMMAR CHECK SOFTWARE: TO WHAT EXTENT IS IT HELPFUL?

Hey Guys! Tell me truly… You all have taken a sign of relief on the day you all have come to know about different grammar check apps and software. Right?

You do not have to sit back with your grammar books again!!!

Most of you do suffer from the pain of remembering the brain-storming grammatical rules and regulations. Hence, these Apps have come up as boons. Those head scratching days are over! It seems that

You have forgotten your algebraic formulae while doing your sums and then somebody comes and peeps in your ears: a²-b²= (a+b) (a-b)

Well, a Grammar Check App/Software may be useful but to a certain extent:

• Helps in identifying the typo errors
• Contributes in resolving spelling errors
• Detects the basic grammar errors

So it is great! Isn’t it?

Hey wait! Give it a second thought. Do you think these Apps are really helpful??

Try using it once and you will know the entire truth! These Apps check the grammar errors but DO NOT help to correct sentence construction. Sentences are found to remain poorly constructed because of which they do not have any meaning. This is because machines are unable to recognize whether the sentences are able to make senses!!!

1) Concentrate on tenses: Do not mix between PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE tense. If you have started your assignment in present tense, then continue doing it. By no means should you change it to past or future tense.

Suppose you are writing in present tense and all of a sudden you need to refer to an incident that has occurred in the past. What will you do? Will you use past tense suddenly?

The answer is NO. You can definitely use Present Perfect tense instead of using Past tense directly. For example, instead of writing “The researcher undertook a primary research”, you can surely write “The researcher has undertaken a primary research”.

Reading an assignment with mixed tenses is as terrible as tasting a food dish which is a mixture of Italian, Afghani and South Indian cuisine. Just try it out! Bet you!

2) Use Active Voice instead of Passive Voice: Instead of writing “The dissertation is done by the researcher…” it is better to write “The researcher has done the dissertation.” This makes the work much more impactful and a well-knitted approach! Except in few mandatory cases, it is advisable not to use it.

Using passive voice is like:

Holding your nose in a round-about manner behind your head although you can hold it straight at your face!

3) Agreement of Subject with Verb: Just like you make proper agreements with your friends as to who will do which part of a group assignment, similarly sentences need to maintain an agreement between subject and verb. Do not forget that if you do not work according to the agreement made between your friends and you, the entire group presentation may fail. Similarly, if you do not follow the subject-verb agreement, the sentence construction fails, thereby leaving no meaning. For instance, REMEMBER single subject should have plural verb and vice-versa!

4) Read the content over and over again: You will understand in case there is any construction error if you revise your work. The weaklings will emerge in front of your eyes easily. So next time you read, make sure to read carefully. Run your fingers through the lines and read them loud. It will help.

Come on ya! Be proud to be a human… There are definitely some differences between the machine and human mind. Be proud of the grey matter instead of the mere codes of the apps!