Is Grammarly Worth it?
Writers in all professions have a lot of responsibility. They have to string together clear, catchy and coherent pieces on tight deadlines. They also have to edit and proofread their work — two tasks that require a second pair of eyes. But in today's world, most writers have to do all three. Even the most veteran wordsmiths make mistakes, but small errors can add up throughout a piece. When they do show up, these errors can damage a writer's credibility and the credibility of those they write for.
But in 2009, Silicon Valley graced us with an AI-powered editing tool called Grammarly.
Grammarly has become popular among professional writers. Many content marketers, journalists, copywriters and freelancers use it to clarify their messages and catch all the little mistakes they make along the way.
How Grammarly works
For those who haven't used it, you write your rough draft and then upload it to Grammarly. Before you begin editing, it gives you a selection menu with several different options. These options help you establish the purpose, tone and style of your piece. Once you select these options, Grammarly will highlight spelling and grammatical errors and make other suggestions to enhance your writing. Once your corrections are made, you can download your work onto your computer and make any further edits if necessary. Grammarly also provides a plagiarism checker to make sure you don't have duplicate content.
However, you may have to purchase the premium or business version to get this type of feedback. There is a free version of the app too, but that will only check for basic mistakes.
Grammarly has some fantastic features
I use the app for just about every blog or article I write. These are some of the things I enjoy most about it:
· It helps you craft the appropriate voice: It can be hard to write in different voices. All writers have quirks that can get in the way of compelling copy. Luckily, one of Grammarly's greatest advantages is that it can give your piece a more human touch. If your writing style tends to be sophisticated, but your audience prefers a more casual tone, Grammarly can identify replacement words and phrases. That way, your message can resonate better with them.
· It's not complicated to use: Grammarly comes with some complex features. However, it's incredibly user-friendly. This can make it easier for writers of all ages to take advantage of its benefits. Whether you're young and tech-savvy or grew up with a typewriter, you don't need to watch hours of tutorial videos to master it.
· You can use it for multiple edits: People like to edit their work in different ways. When I write, I like to do at least three waves editing before I hit publish. Once with Grammarly, another on my own and then another with Grammarly again. What's nice about Grammarly is you can use it on multiple content management platforms. For instance, once I edit an article using the app, I can put it onto a word document to make any extra changes I see fit. Depending on the CMS I use, some have Grammarly extensions that allow me to make a third and final edit.
It’s not always perfect
Grammarly is one of the best online editors you can use. However, like a lot of other apps, it comes with flaws. Sometimes when I'm editing, it gives me synonyms for words that don't always match. I've also run into issues where Grammarly tries to correct a run-on sentence or fragment and misstates what I'm trying to say. There are also some very basic writing errors it won't catch, so it's often best to run a final check after you run your piece through it.
A tool that every writer can and should use
No matter where you are in your writing career, Grammarly can help your best work become even better. While it can never fully replace the expertise and direction of a human editor, it can help all writers increase the quality and quantity of words they churn out.
