Editing Software
I am looking for something that can correct my writing.
Can Easy Writer correct my writing?
At Software for Students, we did a casual study.
We went to each chapter our student workbook and took sentences that
had a cross-section of errors in them; we then looked to see how many
times a widely used word processing software identified the presence
of an error. We were quite surprised, and would like to share
those results with you.
For example, in the Verbs
chapter, we took 100 sentences with verb errors (and this included subject-verb
agreement, verb form, modals, etc.). Of these, only 36 errors
were identified and edited by the computer’s grammar editing software
correctly! The computer was not able to identify as incorrect
any sentences in which the writer used the wrong verb
tense for the context.
From the Adjectives and Adverbs
chapter, of the first 40 errors that we subjected to the grammar editor
(and these included adjective and adverb form, noun/adjective word order,
etc.), only eight errors were identified and given correct alternatives.
One sentence was even given an incorrect alternative.
The
Punctuation and the Sentence Structure chapters were even
less encouraging! Of the 62 Punctuation sentences we chose
(including “run-ons”, sentence fragments, sentences with faulty use
of commas), the computer picked up five as certain errors and three
as possible errors but offered no solutions. Of the 47 sentences
from the Sentence Structure chapter that we entered, none were
correctly identified as having an error, and one sentence was identified
as having an error but was given an incorrect solution!
What does this mean for you?
This means that
the computer is letting most (anywhere from 60% – 100%, depending on
the type of error) of your grammar, punctuation and sentence structure
errors slip through! This also means that if you thought
that you could rely on grammar editing software, you may be putting
your professional and educational success at risk. A résumé
with even one serious error can sometimes eliminate a person from consideration
for a job position he seeks.
On the other hand, this
also means that you are smart to be doing what you are doing – learning
to improve your grammar and your editing skills, and making the decision
to become a more independent and resourceful writer of English.
A grammar editing software program is a good and helpful
aid, but if it will not remove the obstacles to good writing, nor will
it make you a good writer or fluent with English. By
using Easy Writer
,
the Grammar
Help!
Student Handbook
and other resources available to you, you will become a more
resourceful, independent and successful writer. Then your language
skills will help you, rather than hinder you, in your pursuit of your
academic and career goals.