In praise of Grammarly!
You need Grammarly.
At Moore College, you will write a lot, and Grammarly will make you a better, clearer writer. Even if you already write well or are an experienced academic writer, you need Grammarly.
Why?
Because it will make you a better writer, even if you already are a good one.
‘Ah!’ you think, ‘With a name like “Grammarly,” it is obviously just another spelling and grammar checker. I’ve already got one of those on my Google Docs, Word, or Pages, and it works just fine for my spelling and grammar.’
‘True enough, but Grammarly does those even better. And it does much more besides.’
What else will it do for me?
Grammarly will help you with:
Clarity
However good your writing is, you can be even more clear. For me, Grammarly regularly flags three of the biggest hindrances to clear writing: wordy writing, passive voice verbs, and overlong sentences.
Clear writing is hard work. Grammarly makes it easier.
Tone
Grammarly will send you a weekly email (you can cancel it), giving you feedback on your tone, with scores on what percentage of your writing is, e.g., informative, confident, direct, or formal. And for writing sermons or training seminars, you might pay attention to tones such as appreciative, friendly, and direct. For writing academic essays, you can pay attention to direct, confident, and formal.
Correctness
Although I am a grammar boffin, I always rely on this feature. Grammarly points out my ungrammatical phrasings, typos, and not-so-obvious mistakes. And it is usually right, making life easier for me and my readers.
Fluency (or, “English is not my first language.”)
If English is not your first language, you can turn on Grammarly Fluency Assistance. It will help you write English that is more native-like, avoiding awkward phrases and word combinations.
I have marked well over a thousand business and technical reports. Clear, well-written work stands out, is more readily understood, and earns better grades. It gets the attention of those marking your work because good communication is in short supply.
I already write clearly, so why do I need Grammarly?
The great Sydney evangelist John Chapman used to say of preaching, ‘The first 50 years are the hardest.’ So are the first fifty years of writing well. ‘Chappo’ started out as a very good preacher, no doubt, but he never stopped working hard at his preaching, and ended up an outstanding preacher.
Likewise, with Grammarly you will become a clearer communicator, a more engaging writer, and a more incisive thinker and student. Grammarly helps you develop your writing, especially at the essential level of phrases and sentences. And that good writing will improve your spoken communication.
What Grammarly won’t do
Grammarly will help you write better sentences (important!), but it won’t help you write better paragraphs, structure your argument in an essay, or teach you how to think (also crucial!). You must learn those skills through hard work, feedback, and practice.
Let Grammarly take much of that sentence-level load off your mind so you can focus on those other vital aspects of writing.
How do I get Grammarly?
If you are a Moore College student, then College buys you a Grammarly subscription, and that version does much, much more than the free Grammarly Basic. Fill out the Moore College Grammarly Request Form, and our IT team will review your application. Then follow the instructions on A1 - Course Information and Resources/Academic Support on our LSS. Versions are available for Windows, Apple, and Google Docs (and for Linux if you are a computer nerd.)
If you are not a Moore student, try submitting a couple documents to their online checker or install and try out Grammarly Basic for free. See how they can help. Both do less than the paid version, but they are still valuable tools to add to your kit. (Or consider encouraging your employer or institution to subscribe to Grammarly.)