Microsoft Word’s Grammar Check

Most of us are suspicious of the grammar check programs bundled with our word processors, but they can be valuable teaching tools. Grammar check programs are not very good at teaching grammar; what they are good at is breaking a text down into component units, then comparing these units to broadly defined stylistic conventions. What’s missing, though, is an awareness of context, and frequently grammar check programs will flag errors when usage is acceptable (for instance, passive sentences are almost always identified as errors).

On the other hand, a grammar check program can help writers become more attentive to specific patterns of language use and point out potential problem spots. A useful exercise would be to have students run their essays through a grammar check program, taking note of the types and numbers of errors identified by the application. The students then check a handbook for proper rules of use, and they conclude the exercise by writing a summary of what they discovered about their writing.

In many ways, Microsoft Word’s grammar check program works like spell check. First, open the document that you wish to check. Next, open the grammar check program. In Microsoft Word, the grammar check program is listed under the Tools Main Menu item. After you select Grammar, a dialogue box like the following will appear:

Note that Microsoft’s grammar check program identifies potential errors in the top of the dialogue box and offers possible suggestions in the bottom. User options are listed in the right side of the dialogue box. You can: ignore the error message; move to the next sentence; incorporate any changes offered by MS Word; ignore specific rule(s) in the future; cancel grammar check; or learn more about grammar check and its options. You also can get an explanation of a specific rule by clicking the Explain button located on the bottom of the dialogue box. Please note that by clicking Next Sentence, you’ll move directly to the next sentence of your text, even if there are additional errors in the previous passage.

When the grammar check program is done scanning the text, a readability dialogue box like the following will appear:

Note that the information in the readability dialogue box includes such data as the percentage of passive sentences and average reading level. Students can use this information to gain a more quantitative sense of their patterns of language use and how their writing might be received by different audiences.

An effective way to concluded their work with Microsoft Word’s grammar check is to have students review and summarize their patterns of error, and then write a brief paragraph documenting what they found. Sample errors and subsequent revisions could be included in such an analysis, as well as discussion of any points in which the writer disagrees with the suggestions offered by the grammar check function.

11/08/04