Grammarly

Use Grammarly as a tool to proofread, improve and edit your copywriting – it’s like having your own writing assistant!

This is the ideal tool if you want another source to proofread of your work. It’s still vital that you read through what you’ve written yourself so that you can check the copy makes sense and meets the client brief, and there may be the odd error the software didn’t flag. You could use it as your first or final check, so find out which order works for you. There are also other features available, such as plagiarism detection and clarity suggestions to make your work easier to read.

Grammarly allows users to upload documents directly so that you can edit the copy and apply changes before exporting it again. However, if you find this a hassle, or it doesn’t support the program you’ve used, simply copy and paste the words into a blank Grammarly template. You can’t automatically apply changes this way, but if you find there are only a few edits to make, it can be quicker to make these in the original document yourself. This is also a handy option when you want to check over something like an email saved in your drafts.

There’s also a Grammarly add-in for MS word and outlook so that you can use it while writing in documents and emails, but you’ll need to check if your system is compatible with it.

Some people like to ‘Adjust goals’ (see ‘Goals’ at the top of the template). You can alter these for each piece of work you check, including the Audience and Formality. However, many tend to keep these on default settings (which you can reset to at any time) unless the piece demands greater attention to the tone used.

No! Disagree with Grammarly or just want to use it to catch major errors? Trust your own instincts – you’re the expert human here. This editing tool will make suggestions, but whether you implement them or not is up to you! You can even turn off certain types of suggestion if you don’t want to see them.

Some writers get hung up on the overall score Grammarly applies to their piece, but unless it’s something which has been specified by your client, don’t focus on it too much. It’s a good benchmark for the general quality of the piece (Above 90%? High five!) and for tracking your own standards, but it’s more important to read the suggestions they’ve made and implement only if you feel them necessary – not for the sake of improving the score.

Know your colors from your colours? Recognize or recognise? Pavement vs sidewalk?

If you’re writing for a client in a different English speaking country and have no idea how this will affect the spelling and grammar, don’t panic. Grammarly has the option to switch language preferences whenever you need.

It has 5 English language options – British, American, Canadian, Australian and Indian. It’s handy to know some of the key differences beforehand and keep a note of these for easy reference, but Grammarly can help you catch some of the intricacies you’ve missed.

PRO TIP – Don’t forget to switch back to your usual language preference afterwards!

Grammarly does have a free option for very basic checks, but if you’re writing paid work for clients, I think the premium version is worth it for its additional features.