I'm not a perfectionist. I don't think anyone needs to be 100 percent accurate when it comes to spelling, punctuation and grammar. There is, however, a perfectly good reason to use a spell checker and a grammar checker whenever you write something for online publication. It's the readability issue. You may have the most fantastic article in the world ready to be published and yet, half of the people who read it will simply glaze over it or ignore it completely because they won't understand it. It all boils down to being able to process the information from your text in a way your readers can understand.
English as a Native or Second Language
I accept a lot of guest articles and see a lot of simple mistakes. Believe it or not, those who speak English as a second language tend to submit articles which are more grammatically correct than those who speak it natively. I believe it's because those who speak English as a second language tend to put more effort into spell checking and grammar checking their articles.
I can only assume that native English speakers, regardless of the form of English (American, British, etc.), are more confident in English usage, but I really can't be sure. I just know that I have to "fix" more of the articles written by native English speakers than the non-native English speakers.
Probably one of the most annoying things that I come across is when the writer switches from first person writing to third person writing intermittently and sometimes within the same sentence. This can be avoided by using a grammar checker of some kind – natural writing should be read naturally.
Spell Checkers and Grammar Checkers
The majority of the people who write online use one version or another of the Microsoft Windows operating system. This means that the best spell checkers and grammar checkers available are designed to run on Windows. Spell checkers seem to be included with every kind of text editor whereas grammar checkers (ones that actually work right) seem to only be included in specific text editors, like Microsoft Word. There's even a spell checker built into the Firefox web browser.
I like using Ubuntu as my preferred flavor of Linux. Unfortunately, the grammar checker built into OpenOffice.org (and the forked LibreOffice) leaves a lot to be desired and I have yet to find anything for Linux that compares to Word. It is for this reason alone that even if I use Ubuntu, I will run Windows under VirtualBox just so I can use a grammar checker that works well. Now, Word isn't even close to being perfect but so far, it's been better than no grammar checker at all. I fully intend to buy WhiteSmoke to replace Word because from what I've seen of it, it's much more accurate.
Types of Online Writing
How professional do you want your online writing to appear? If you're writing on a personal blog, for example, it probably doesn't matter if you're even close to perfect. Of course, how many visitors do you really expect to read it?
I won't even get into the types of writing that social networks find acceptable. That's a whole different ballgame. Professional online writing is designed to get a lot more readers. It's what I try to do all the time. Even if I use a colloquialism, I need to make sure it's spelled correctly and if I use a cliché of some kind, it needs to be in the right context. Spell checkers and grammar checkers help a lot in this regard.
Nothing can replace traditional proofreading completely, but using the right tools can reduce or eliminate most of the errors so that proofreading doesn't take as long.
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This article is published as: Why Spell Checking and Grammar Checking is Important for Online Writing
I'm bookmarking this for future reference. This article deserves more then just one read. I agree that those who speak English as a second language are more likely to put more effort into grammar then natives to the tongue. I've found myself slipping up articles on occasion due to influences from cell phone texting and the like. Those who speak English from birth take advantage of that fact and don't always notice that they are writing improperly.
-Robert
WoW Guide
I use microsoft spell checker for publishing the text in the internet, but the biggest problem is that when i want to write on the papers for my school exams, i couldn't use click right for correcting the mistakes! :D
budget web hosting recently posted..Explanations And Functions Of Name Server And Domain Name Server
I like using Ubuntu as my preferred flavor of Linux. Unfortunately, the grammar checker built into OpenOffice.org (and the forked LibreOffice) leaves a lot to be desired and I have yet to find anything for Linux that compares to Word.
You could try the "After the Deadline" plugin for WordPress. I'm getting ready to install it as a part of the JetPack plugin that I had mentioned to you a couple of weeks ago.
Or, you can wait a few weeks after I've had a chance to play with it and I'll tell you want I think.
Tim G. recently posted..Evidence for Faith
I tried ATD. How many levels of hate do I have to express?
You shouldn't be so bashful … Tell us how you really feel :-)
Tim G. recently posted..Original Thought for the Day
I used to find the spelling a problem when writing online, but then I started using the dragon program for voice recognition. I was really surprised at how well that works.
It's not just articles that need to be written reasonably well, research shows that tweets are more likely to be retweeted if they contain good spelling and grammar.
jane from faux floral arrangements recently posted..Easter Basket Ideas
I tried the after the deadline plugin and it was helpful. I have a nasty habit of missing out words. What I was taught was to proof read by reading backwords, that helps you check the spelling. Then read forwards aloud, that helps you find missing words.
Ann from Unusual Floral Arrangements recently posted..Masculine Floral Arrangements
I think your opening paragraph nailed the issue right away. Punctuation, spelling and grammar becomes important whether you want it to or not because that's the structure you need to use to provide the readability the reader is looking for.
I've worked as a freelance editor for publishing companies for many years and sometimes see truly dreadful mistakes in emails coming from in-house editors. If professional editors can't get it right, what hope is there for everyone else? Your suggestions are very good ones, and I also like the advice from Ann about reading things backwards and reading aloud to spot errors and omissions.
Agreed with Helen. I've seen a lot of professional editors make mistakes — everyone has, if they've picked up a recently published novel.
No matter the professional credentials or qualifications, if someone is too proud or too lazy to check and double-check, mistakes will creep into their work.
In response to Jane, IVR technology is indeed marvellous, but it can lead to poor content when it's used for blogs or other professional writing.
Last but of course not least, this article raised an interesting question for me: is it "proof read" or "proofread"? I've seen both used, but I don't know which is considered more correct.
can you suggest any other grammer checker? because white smoke is too costly for me. MS word is not that good.
LibreOffice Writer.
I use MS spell checker but I find it annoying when the recommended spelling is the same as I've written but with a space between the last two syllables
MIke recently posted..Excellent work by ITC
I don't like most spell checkers for that very reason. I'm using LibreOffice's spell and grammar checker now and it appears to be more accurate than the one for Word.