Grammarly Review
I have been using Grammarly for more than a year now. I used both paid and free versions. Grammarly is easy to use. In this post, we shall see if Grammarly is worth using!
Just a background, I write every day - be it emails or content for this blog. My English is not the best around. So, in this review, I will give an overview as a layperson.
Content
Like the name suggests, the software has something to do with grammar. Grammarly is a digital writing assistance tool. The tool is based on artificial intelligence and helps to scan the text for common grammatical errors.
2. Why should you use Grammarly?
Do you struggle with grammar? If yes, you need a grammar checker. Even I need one. Everyone must be able to convey their messages in their writings. Readers will understand you, and naturally, they will have a better impression of you.
3.1. Sign up for an account with Grammarly.
3.2. Create a new document.
This is the landing page.
I prefer to use the application online. It's because I can see my work on another platform.
Click on the "New" icon or you can upload the essay that you are working on by using the "upload" function.
3.3. Copy and Paste your essay onto the blank page. Start editing!
I am using this article as an example. After you pasted the text, the app would prompt you to set your goals. I like this function a lot. You can set the formality of the message, the tone and the intent. I think that this is very helpful. The AI can tell me how the level of "friendliness" of the message.
Screenshot from Notion.
However, please note that the tone detection doesn't seem to work in the app.
Grammarly will underline the mistakes that you have made in your writing. Grammarly picks out the issues in different colours.
Red - it's most likely spelling errors.
Blue - The sentence may be too long or vague.
Yellow - You need to pay to see these issues. However, they will give you an overview of the mistakes. Pro Tip! You can refer to the list and edit the text accordingly. Hence, one reason why you can enjoy using the free app.
After you edited the article, you can check out the performance. I like that you get to see the reading and speaking time. Writers, who are preparing a speech, can use Grammarly to find out the time taken to read all the text.
I prefer to look at the readability and vocabulary segment. I try not to use bombastic vocabulary or jargon. I want my articles to be as simple as possible so that majority of the audience can understand them.
3.4 Other Functions
Under the menu, you can choose to upload, download or print the documents. I think the most important function is the "Language Preference". You can set to either of the following:
American English
British English
Australian English
Canadian English
You can install Grammarly to use in Microsoft Office, Windows, Chrome, your phone and iPad.
Pros of Using Grammarly
It's faster than a human editor.
You get a lot of value from the free version. For instances, you can set the tone of the message. You can do a quick check on the reading and speaking time. Word document can't do that.
You can learn from Grammarly's suggestions too.
Cons of Using Grammarly
Sometimes Grammarly does not work on third-party apps. I downloaded Grammarly, and I wanted to sync it with my Outlook. I can't seem to make it work.
At times, Grammarly makes mistakes too. You can't rely on Grammarly. You would need to proofread and edit your work. After all, the tool is based on artificial intelligence.
Some of the functions work on the extension but not on the app. For example, tone detection. While some functions, such as goal setting, is only available on the app, but not on other Microsoft. It can be quite troublesome when one has to copy and paste the entire chunk of document from Word to Grammarly to do a check. This is why I am copying, pasting documents and using Grammarly as a standalone app.
The free plan provides some suggestions. However, the Premium plan allows a more comprehensive package. In the paid plan, you can set the purpose and the tone of the message. It can also help you to detect if there is any form of plagiarism.
Differences between the free and paid version
I had paid for the annual subscription previously. The main difference between the free and paid version is the premium suggestion. The premium plan would highlight all the writing issues and provide advice to make it better.
After using the premium suggestions for a year, I do learn from them. Hence, I did not continue with the subscription. I do think that the free version is sufficient for me, at least for now. It's always good to have another pair of eyes to check my work. Moreover, the free version provides far more value than the other well-known grammar checker.
However, the paid version is handy for writers or non-native speakers. Not only could you use Grammarly as a grammar checker, but you can also treat it like a teacher and learn from it.
I tried to ask my friends to proofread and edit some of my posts before, and I find that a human editor is better than AI. An editor can correct your grammar, sentence structure and identify the parts that require further edits. At times, we need the extra pair of eyes to realise the blind spots, and this is the main component that Grammarly is unable to provide. Grammarly can help to correct common mistakes. Nevertheless, there are times when Grammarly's suggestions are not accurate. Of course, humans make mistakes too.
The main perk of using Grammarly is that it can check your work at the speed of light. It can spot grammar mistakes, errors in punctuation and sentence structure faster than a human. You don't need to wait for days for an editor to reply to you.
It's always good to have a grammar checker regardless of how good you are at writing. In my opinion, Grammarly works better than Microsoft's. I would use both grammar checkers for most of my work. Previously, I used the paid version for a year. Grammarly would provide explanations for the mistakes. Now, I am using the free version as I could roughly guess the mistakes and edit accordingly. Clearly, the paid version of Grammarly is worth it. You can learn from your mistakes. Once you have a better understanding, you can downgrade to the free version.
Content creators, I would highly recommend that you get Grammarly. It can help to cut down on the cost of hiring a copywriter. Even If you are an SEO writer, Grammarly can help to correct your grammar. So long as you write regularly, be it for work or personal projects, you can give Grammarly a go. The free version is good enough. You can explore the paid version if you wish to learn from your mistakes.
I hope this review has been helpful to you.
x, Esther
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