Sometimes writers and scholars ask me about grammar and
spelling checkers, or tell me about a new one they discovered online. Sometimes
they pay for these services, and sometimes not.
My response is always to listen carefully with interest
because what they are really telling me is about what they know about writing
and writing tools. My first general reply is that I pay attention to spellcheck
and grammar check suggestions, but I always evaluate them critically. They are
not always correct. However, they can provide some insight into writing if used
thoughtfully. My second general reply is that I never pay for these services
because there is not an automated spelling and grammar tool for purchase that
is any better than free ones like MS Word’s or Google Docs’.
Today, I
read a brief but well researched and practical blog entry by Composition
scholar/professor Nick
Carbone that addresses this topic very well, and I thought it’d be of
interest to everyone who writes or teaches writing.
-Sara
