Using Grammarly Won’t Make You a Better Writer
Philip Charter
?? Writing for ?itcoin leaders & companies (check my 'proof of words') | ?? Full-time Author, Editor & Ghostwriter | ?????? Part-time cat herder
Grammarly is not your editor.
Grammarly will not make you a better writer.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not against using AI to check texts for syntax errors and spelling mistakes. It’s incredibly helpful, especially for multilingual writers, as it makes work more accurate. Of course, it’s difficult for even the most diligent writers to spot their own inaccuracies.?Our writing brains have in-built auto-correct filters, and robots do not.
The purpose of this article is not to tell writers to consign Grammarly (or any other AI writing tool) to the bin, but to advise caution.
Nowadays, we have the tendency of grasping at any time-saving or labour-saving device.?Great, we think,?let’s get started and our problems will be solved.
The real issue here is Grammarly's claims. They proudly promote the tool as having 'coached' over 30 million users to 'elevate communication' and 'accelerate business results'.
Grammarly claims that it does the hard work so you don't have to. But the abdication of responsibility — leaving key decisions about your text to a computer — robs writers of key skills they need to succeed in 2023. While AI can only formulate data, writing is human.
Language is fluid and the meaning we take from words depends on context, audience, and purpose.
AI can’t assess the quality of the meaning you convey. It doesn’t know anything about your linguistic and cultural background, nor does it understand who your readers are. All it can do is follow the rules (and give advice as if it were the law). It knows nothing about who you are and the unique voice you offer. Yes, on the whole, it's useful for proofreading and finding your typical errors. But be careful! Sometimes, it gets things plain wrong.
When Grammarly gets it wrong
Here are seven examples of when this ‘editing’ software was not able to make the right call.
Grammarly spots some, but it missed this one.
I met her down at the?key. (incorrect)
I met her down at the?quay. (correct)
2.?Continuity mistakes?— AI cannot compute human errors such as switching character names or traits.
An example is describing someone as having blonde hair in one paragraph and brown hair in another.
3.?Tone of voice?— AI doesn’t understand writing context.
You write?‘Fancy a quick drinkypoo?’?to your partner. Grammarly suggests?‘Do you fancy a quick drink?’?(which is far less fun)
4.?Passive Voice?—?Grammarly hates it.
Sometimes the passive voice is essential to build focus in a sentence or avoid mentioning the subject.
e.g.?‘The victim?was shot?in the crossfire.’ vs. ‘A police officer shot?the victim by accident.’
5.?Tenses?— AI employs rigid style suggestions. e.g. Simple tense = preferable; continuous = less desirable.
There is a difference in meaning between?‘We?are facing?challenges’ (temporary), and ‘We?face?challenges’ (permanent).
6.?Spelling?— Grammarly makes suggestions based on frequently used words.
Sometimes it suggests words like ‘composting’ instead of ‘composing’.
I was composing my article, not gardening!
7.?Synonyms?— The app suggests switching out overused or repeated words.
Be careful! Synonyms have slightly different meanings. Sometimes, it’s not possible to avoid repetition. This can be a real issue for writers whose first language is not English. Perhaps they chose a word as it is more recognisable to their readers (rather than a more ‘natural sounding’ word).
All of these issues can be avoided if you use Grammarly as a final check.
Do not skip the human editing and proofreading stage. And most of all, don’t allow non-sentient software to influence your choice of vocabulary and phrasing. I haven’t even touched on some of the style suggestions (commands) that Grammarly Pro might make.?Having these tools?switched on during the drafting stage is likely to introduce doubt and mute your creativity and writing style.
Just before you are about to hit publish —?that is the time to check your work with AI. That way, you are more likely to make informed decisions about suggested changes, rather than letting it influence the creation stage.
How to use language AI effectively
As mentioned, the most important learning for both myself and my clients is this: only use AI as the final stage of the writing process.?In the Google Chrome browser, you can do this by switching the ‘data reading setting’ on Grammarly to ‘when you click on the extension’. This will require you to reload the page when you want to activate Grammarly’s suggestions. Make sure to save your work before reloading!
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Another important consideration is the ‘C.A.P.’ of your writing. Make sure to understand the?context, audience,?and?purpose?of what you aim to create.?AI doesn’t know whether you are writing a social media post or an academic paper, but you do.?Write what you want,and use your own voice. Trust yourself to make appropriate calls.
Finally, seek feedback. You may see messages such as ‘100% accurate’ or ‘great job!’, but Grammarly is not your editor. It’s crucial that writers learn techniques, continue to practise, and ask for considered feedback on their work. Whether that comes from your boss, a colleague, a friend, or a mentor,?we need other humans to guide us. If everybody used Grammarly as their editor, articles would become more homogeneous,?which defeats the purpose of online publishing being open to diverse voices.
By all means, use digital tools to aid your writing accuracy, but remember, Grammarly will not make you a better writer.
Only you can do that.
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Round up of the month's best posts
The final video in my mini-series on writing style .
Catch the replay of my insightful webinar discussing grammar (and Grammarly) with Paul Duke
Why I hate the word 'content '
The top 4 writing errors I see on social media
I found the 7 biggest liars on LinkedIn. Unfollow them now!
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Phil
Technical Writer | Communications Manager | Copy Editor
10 个月I've never read a good article about why grammarly is not making you a better writer. This was it! Great content.
Content Writer
1 年https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/lilian-iduh-804247202_buy-learn-how-to-prepare-smoothies-salads-activity-7109528826388373504-U-QU?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android
Visual Analyst ?? Humanize the branding ????Creative consultancy for courteous species? Content design for Brands with the aura??
1 年??While AI can only formulate data, writing is human. Language is fluid and the meaning we take from words depends on context, audience, and purpose. ??I haven’t even touched on some of the style suggestions (commands) that Grammarly Pro might make. Having these tools switched on during the drafting stage is likely to introduce doubt and mute your creativity and writing style. (2nd sentence!)
Coaching Communication-and-Language Fitness (CLF) + Performance enhancing AI ??+??=? | Writer | Applied Linguistics Researcher
1 年I have always been disapointed with grammarly, especially for my EFL students who would get 4 parts confusion, and 1 part help. Too many vague and hedged suggestions for corrections. Generative AI like gpt or bing chat is SO much more useful for corrections.
Freelance Health and Wellness Writer | I will help you write audience-satisfying health content for your health brand so you can build a loyal reader base and hit prime marketing goals. Email or DM me let's work together
1 年I agree with you on this ?? Grammarly is an awesome tool for a multilingual writer like me. I use it everywhere, on all my devices. I use it to spell-check while writing and for my last round of editing. Here's how I do my writing: First draft ? Offload ideas Second draft ? Coordinate ideas Third draft ? First self-edit Fourth draft ? Second self-edit Fifth draft ? Grammarly edit Final draft ? Proofread it myself to be sure You understand the context, audience and purpose of your piece better than Grammarly. So, you shouldn't leave all the proofreading and editing to it.