Grammar checkers on word processors are unreliable and can change correct words to incorrect ones. Fiction writers may have more issues as they use unconventional language. Proofreading is still necessary to catch errors. Grammar checkers can be helpful for short documents but may make unintended changes to formatting.
Many writers are often tempted to simply hit the grammar check button on their word processor when they finish writing a document and call the document ready for reading. Unfortunately, the grammar checkers on word processing software tend to be unreliable in many cases, sometimes going so far as to change a word that was correct in the first place to a wrong word. Sometimes these grammar tools are enough to thoroughly check the document for errors, but in most cases, a writer will need to proofread the document even after the grammar tool has been used.
Writers who are composing a work of fiction are more likely to run into problems with grammar checkers. Fiction writers tend to use sentence fragments, words that imitate sounds but aren’t actually words at all, or even misspelled words on purpose. A grammar checker will attempt to correct all of these errors because he assumes that conventional writing rules are being followed. These grammatical tools cannot tell the difference, in other words, between a work of fiction and a work of non-fiction; they cannot tell the difference between figurative and literal language, and they cannot tell when the writer is purposely using poor grammar and syntax or when he is making mistakes.
Some words are spelled similarly, and grammar checkers may not know which word the writer intended to use. The proofreader can, therefore, change the word from one that the writer intended to write to one that was not meant to be written. The proofreader can’t read the word in context with the rest of the sentence in some cases, which means he’ll make corrections that end up being mistakes. The writer will need to carefully check the grammar check to make sure these errors do not occur, and once the proofreader has finished his work, the writer will still need to proofread the document to look for errors.
Sometimes grammar checkers are exceptionally helpful. Extremely short documents can be proofread quickly with the proofreader, and the reader can then scan the document quickly to make sure it is ready for others to read. The writer will still need to proofread to make sure the grammar checker hasn’t made any unintentional mistakes. Grammar checkers can also make corrections to layout and formatting that the author did not anticipate; the extra spaces between words will be reduced, even if the writer doesn’t want to, and the extra spaces between paragraphs can also be changed.
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