- Are you looking for a reliable online text checker?
Or would you like to find out
how to check for grammar errors in Word
beyond the basic spelling and grammar checker?
Then you'll want to hear more
about how to check for grammar mistakes
with the best free online grammar checker, Grammarly.
Stay tuned.
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Not too long ago,
I posted my candid thoughts in a review of Grammarly
and briefly covered the pros and cons
of the grammar checker.
But I didn't go in-depth about the grammar checker app
nor cover the Grammarly features,
including the huge reason why you'd want
to invest more in the Grammarly premium features.
After all, it's not enough to cover the features
with a blanketed statement of how you get more features
in the premium version versus the free version.
And it'd be rather unfair to say
the free version isn't adequate enough on its own.
Both are fantastic in their own right
and can serve a purpose based on your writing goals.
Also, it should be noted how Grammarly
upgraded some of its features
and gave the user dashboard
a bit of a facelift over the past year.
This came at no additional cost to the users
regardless of free or premium access.
Let's take a look at four ways to access the Grammarly app,
some of Grammarly features,
and what you get for the price of admission.
If you haven't done so already,
I highly recommend opening at least a free account
to follow along with this Grammarly tutorial.
Simply head to our affiliate link
at SelfPublishingWithDale.com/Grammarly
to open your free or premium account right away.
One, the website.
Access to the Grammarly website is available
for both free and premium members.
The main perk for holding a Grammarly membership
is the account doubles as a remedial cloud drive.
Grammarly limits uploaded file size up to four megabytes
or 60 pages with 100,000 characters including spaces
and accepts most any document type,
including doc, docx, odt, txt and rtf.
When you finish editing your document,
you can then export it
to your originally uploaded document type.
Keep in mind,
Grammarly does not store relevant document data
like images, headers, footers and page breaks.
So if you import a fully formatted document,
you'll lose the formatting after exporting from Grammarly.
Editing with Grammarly from their site can be tedious
if you're editing a larger document
and want to retain formatting.
This is where the premium features come in handy
that I'll discuss later.
Two, the desktop app.
This relatively new feature
provides the same neat features you've come to expect
from the website version of Grammarly.
Are you someone easily distracted by the internet?
Do you need a shortcut to get you
right into your Grammarly dashboard?
Then the desktop app is for you.
All you have to do is log into your Grammarly account
and select the Apps option in the menu on the left.
In the third option,
click the Install hyperlink of Grammarly for Windows.
Keep in mind, if you're a Mac user,
then it will say Grammarly for MacOS.
Once the program file downloads,
simply install it by double clicking on the icon.
The Grammarly program will open
and walk you through a brief tutorial.
Click the Get Started button after you're through.
You'll need to log in
to access your Grammarly account dashboard.
Then you get the same cool features
without the normal distractions of the internet.
Regardless of accessing your account
from your desktop or the website,
you'll still get the same documents and projects
in the order you've uploaded them.
Three, the chrome extension.
The Chrome extension is by far my favorite Grammarly feature
and is available for both free and premium members.
With the Grammarly Chrome extension,
you can check your spelling and grammar on Gmail,
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr,
YouTube and nearly everywhere else you write on the web.
To install the free internet browser extension,
simply log into your Grammarly account
and select the apps option on the left side panel.
Click the install hyperlink
in the Grammarly for Chrome option at the top.
You'll be redirected to the Chrome Web Store
where you can add Grammarly for Chrome to your browser.
Simply click the Add to Chrome button,
confirm your selection by selecting the Add extension
in the pop-up window,
and then you'll be redirected to the confirmation page.
Now click the Grammarly Chrome Extension icon
in the top right corner of the browser.
A dropdown menu will appear with a few options.
The first option is the
Check Grammar and Spelling on Grammarly.com.
If it's green, then Grammarly is on.
If it's gray, then the plug-in is off.
Every now and then,
you'll have to log in if you clear your browser history
or log out of Grammarly.
The next option is the Show Definitions and Synonyms
via Double Clicks All Sites switch.
This is a nifty feature you can use
when you don't know a word or need to change up word usage.
After the switches,
you can select the dialect you write,
including American English, British English,
Australian English or Canadian English.
If you have a free Grammarly account,
then you'll see a prompt on how many issues
are currently unresolved due to having the free version.
Does this make a difference?
Well, this depends largely on your writing goals.
If you simply want to have more readable social media posts,
then the free version is more than sufficient.
However, if you're wanting a deeper edit
and manuscript clean-up,
then the premium version is your solution.
Try the free version first
and then upgrade to the premium model
once you find it useful for your needs.
Just a small note,
every now and then,
Grammarly for Chrome does get a bit wonky.
I'd recommend you refresh the page
or toggle the on/off switch
in the Chrome extension for Grammarly.
And the browser extension doesn't work
with every site all the time.
I've found some issues
with the Grammarly for Chrome feature work in harmony
with my TubeBuddy for Chrome extension on YouTube.
You may have to shut off one extension or the other
for Grammarly for Chrome to work properly.
Four, Microsoft Word.
Do you want zero distractions from the internet?
And would you like to keep your formatting in your document?
Then you'll love this last feature
of Grammarly for Microsoft Office.
In my original Grammarly Review video,
I expressed my displeasure with the lack of Mac support.
But I've since acquired a PC,
so I'm able to use this option now.
This option is by far the best solution
by Grammarly for your editing needs
and cuts a lot of time
out of importing and exporting documents
via their site, desktop app or browser plug-in.
And something Grammarly recently added
was support for Microsoft Outlook.
I haven't used this option since I'm not an Outlook user.
But if the Grammarly for Outlook feature
functions as well as the Grammarly for Word option does,
then you'll be in for a treat.
To get Grammarly for Microsoft Office,
log into your account and select the Apps option
in the left side panel.
Then click the Install hyperlink
in the Grammarly for Microsoft Office box.
Once the file downloads,
double click the file to install it.
Select the Get Started button
and then tick the box for the options you want.
You'll see I deselected Grammarly for Outlook.
Feel free to choose that option
and let me know your thoughts
on how well Grammarly works with Outlook.
Click the Install button
and then log into your Grammarly account.
Once you're set, click the Finish button.
Now open Microsoft Word.
Select a document or start a new one.
You'll see the Open Grammarly option
in the top right of the Home tab.
Or you can select the Grammarly tab
next to the Search feature.
Grammarly will remind you that the undo feature
of Control plus Z is not available when Grammarly is on.
It really sucks not having this option
since I used it quite a bit.
But I've gotten used to this unavailable option
and I'm much more careful about corrections I make
with the Grammarly program.
Based on the Grammarly membership you have,
you'll see a number of tabs within the Grammarly option.
You'll notice a red number next to the tab
that needs corrections
and a green check mark next to the tab
that needs no corrections.
For Grammarly premium users,
you can select the type of document you're creating,
which includes the general default,
nine types of academic writing,
eight types of business writing,
four types of technical writing,
three types of medical writing,
five types of creative writing,
and three types of casual writing.
The red and green icons will change
according to the type of editing you select.
Corrections are necessary in some types of writing
whereas unessential in others.
If there is neither a red or green icon on the tab,
then this option is not active.
You'll want to select the option to turn it on.
In my one of my previous posts,
I discussed the last option of the plagiarism checker.
This option is only available
for premium Grammarly subscribers.
And if you hire freelance writers for work,
then this tool is a must-have.
When you select the option,
it'll most certainly have the red number icon on it.
You'll be able to see where the source is found online.
In most instances, the detected plagiarism
might be a commonly used statement or phrase.
I'd recommend clicking the cited source
and see what is considered plagiarism.
In the event you feel a bit overwhelmed
by all the options in Grammarly for Word,
select the View Tour option
and it'll walk you through everything step by step.
And if you're still a bit stumped,
select the Open FAQ option in the Help tab
to access the Grammarly Support page online.
Now you see why I'm such a huge fan
of the Grammarly grammar checker app.
I appreciate the app for how it optimizes my work process
and allows me more time to focus
on other areas of my business.
Rather than editing for hours at a time
only to discover I still have mistakes,
I can run my text through the Grammarly app
and be done with it.
Is it perfect?
No.
Is Grammarly an adequate replacement for a human editor?
Absolutely not.
But I can assure you,
your editor will appreciate you
cleaning up your document before sending it.
And if you aren't needing Grammarly
for writing or publishing a book
and just want to use it for everyday online activity,
then this is your app still.
Sure, the premium access might be a bit much,
but you'll learn a lot about your writing proficiency
with this neat little app
regardless of your membership level.
Hey, if you're interested
in setting up an account with Grammarly,
go to our affiliate link
at SelfPublishingWithDale.com/Grammarly
to get started today.
Till later, this has been Self-Publishing with Dale,
and I'll catch ya soon.