Do grammar checkers work?


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Do grammar checkers work?

The Problems with Grammar Checking Software

Grammar checkers do not understand what is written, and this is the main reason why they do not work very well. Below are some simple examples that demonstrate how this affects grammar checkers:

Can't Spot Erroneous Apostrophes

I have one dog. My dogs' kennel is green.

Even in this simple example, the grammar checker is unable to determine that the kennel belongs to one dog (i.e., it should read: "My dog's kennel is green.") This is because it does not link the sentences.

Can't Help with Capital Letters

The church is near the tube station.

In this example, the church refers to a pub called "The Church". Therefore, "church" should start with a capital letter. With no context, however, there is nothing wrong grammatically with the sentence, and a grammar checker would ignore it.

Can't Help with That and Which

He has selected the model which Tony developed on Monday.

The latest grammar checkers would recommend the use of that instead of which in this example. (Both are correct.) However, grammar checkers would also wrongly suggest , which (with a comma) as an option. This subject is covered in more detail in the lesson Which and Who with Commas. In summary:

"which" = "that"
", which" does not equal "that"

Therefore, if the grammar checker can force you to use "that", then it wins and offers a correct version. On the other hand, it cramps your style by preventing you from using "which" (without a comma) or, even worse, offers you ", which" (with a comma) regardless of whether it is correct or not.

Confuses Meanings of Simple Words

Sandra was seen by the bridge.

In this example, your PC is likely to suggest the version "The bridge saw Sandra". This is because it does not realise that the word "by" is being used to mean "near".

These simple examples illustrate some of the flaws in grammar checkers.

See also:

On line grammar checker
Glossary of grammatical terms
Common errors and FAQs about grammar
Easily confused words