Tip of the Week: This Free Extension Helps You Get to the Bottom of Your Grammar Mistakes

To become a grammar expert takes years of education--a luxury that few modern workers have. Thankfully, there are tools available online that can make anybody a grammar expert. One such tool is Grammarly, a free Chrome extension and web-based app.

Whereas most basic word processing programs have a spellcheck feature and not much in the way of grammar help, Grammarly checks spelling, grammar, and goes even further by explaining why it’s suggesting the correction in the first place. By taking just a few brief moments to read Grammarly’s suggestions (which appear on the right side of the screen), users will be able to better understand their mistakes, and thus, make fewer errors in the future. Compare this to mindlessly right-clicking squiggly lines and you can see what makes Grammarly the better tool for the job.

To use Grammarly, users can upload their document to edit it in the app, or Grammarly will automatically check work in your browser for websites that support it. When using Grammarly in your web browser like this, just be sure which webpages are compatible. Take for example Google Drive apps like Docs, Spreadsheets, etc.; these are not compatible with Grammarly.

When using Grammarly, keep in mind that its suggestions are just that, suggestions. It’s not a perfect program and because language can be such a screwy thing, what you typed may actually be grammatically correct, given the context. However, Grammarly does its best to take context into consideration, and it will even go so far as to provide alternative examples so your message can be more concise and accurate.

Like most free apps, Grammarly offers a premium edition for a monthly fee. Grammarly’s Premium edition includes:

• Microsoft Office integration
• 24/7 support
• Complex grammar error detection (sentence structure, style issues, vocabulary suggestions, etc.)
• Contextual corrections
• A seven-day money-back guarantee

While using Grammarly is still not the same as taking an actual English language course, for the business owner, it’s probably the next best thing. And by far, the best part of using this tool is that your writings will have far fewer mistakes, making it seem like you’re a grammar expert (when you know that, deep down, you’re not).

What are your favorite tips and tricks to keep your spelling and grammar in check? Let us know in the comments.