Grammarly is a popular grammar-checking tool that many writers use to help them produce clean, consistent text. But does Grammarly always fix inconsistencies? In this post, we’ll take a look at some of the most common writing inconsistencies and how Grammarly can help. As a bonus, we’ll even cover some key tips on how to use this grammar checker more effectively.
Common Consistency Issues
Before we explain how Grammarly can help your writing, let’s review some of the most common areas which cause inconsistency in writing.
1) Punctuation
Apostrophes: Nothing says “I’m an amateur” like incorrectly using an apostrophe. If you want to come across as a professional, stick to using full words. Study these apostrophe rules to avoid making silly mistakes.
Commas: Overusing commas is a surefire way to make your writing look sloppy. When in doubt, leave them out. One exception to this rule is when listing items – in this case, use commas to separate each item. Comma rules can be tricky, so make sure to study up.
Periods: It’s tempting to use periods liberally, especially when you’re trying to make a point. A well-placed period can add emphasis to your writing, but too many periods will just make your writing look choppy. Use them sparingly, and only when absolutely necessary.
Periods and Quotation Marks: This is one area where inconsistency can really trip up your reader. When quoting someone else, be sure to use quotation marks correctly.
2) Numbers, times, and dates
There’s nothing more frustrating than inconsistency in writing Numbers, times, and dates.
First, you write “2” and then you turn around and write “Two.”
Then there are the different ways to write times: 12:00pm or 12 p.m.? 10:00 a.m. or 10:00am? military time or regular time?
Then we have dates. Is it MM/DD/YY or DD/MM/YY? Or is it YYYY/MM/DD?
If you want your readers to take you seriously. Then you need to be consistent with the formatting of your numbers, times, and dates. Also, pay close attention to the singular and plural forms of words. Grammarly is a great tool to help with this!
3) Hyphenation
Hyphenation is a delicate art that requires a light touch and a keen eye. Unfortunately, hyphenating words incorrectly can lead to all sorts of problems, from confusion to inconsistency in your writing.
So what’s the right way to hyphenate words? Well, there are a few things you need to keep in mind.
- Hyphens are used to join words or parts of words. They’re not interchangeable with other punctuation marks like commas or periods.
- Hyphens are used when a word is broken up at the end of a line of text. This helps to prevent awkward spacing and makes the text easier to read.
- Hyphens are used to create compound words. For example, the word “blackbird” can be written as “black-bird” or “black bird.”
When in doubt, let Grammarly guide you. Grammarly does a great job of pointing out issues with hyphenation inconsistencies.
Text Inconsistencies Grammarly – Does It Work?
Grammarly can help you find text inconsistencies in your writing and even offer suggestions on how to fix them. The English language is very complicated. It’s full of inconsistencies and exceptions. Grammarly can even help fix complicated & intricate text.
Sometimes, English grammar seems to break its own rules! Grammarly is a great tool for helping writers learn best practices for grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
By following consistent numbers, punctuation, and hyphenation, documents appear more polished. So, even if English isn’t your first language, you will still come across as professional in your communication thanks to your Grammarly editor.
Maintaining Professionalism and Consistency
Remembering each grammar rule, nuance, and punctuation can be challenging if not daunting. Grammarly Premium allows users to check for:
- Clarity,
- Accuracy
- Writing consistency
This grammar checker’s writing suggestions alert users to variations in their use of quotation marks and apostrophes, among other punctuation errors. It will flag inconsistencies and provide suggestions for improvement.
Grammarly Premium acts as a dedicated editor for your writing needs. Since most of us don’t remember every grammatical rule we learned in school, like the difference between Engrained or Ingrained, the Grammarly desktop app tracks the details for you.
When we type a quick email or document, we may not have time to read through it word-for-word. Thankfully, Grammarly automatically does this for us and provides suggestions to correct any grammatical or spelling errors.
Not only will you appear professional, but you can also check for different writing styles like business, academic, general, technical, casual, and creative. It offers a range of writing suggestions based on your type of writing and target audience. Inconsistent writing can be extremely distracting for an audience. Grammarly is a very effective tool that can help make your message clear & uniform.
10 Tips on How to Use Grammarly
Grammarly offers different versions. There is the basic version and the advanced version. The basic version, Grammarly free, can be installed in your browser, slack, or Microsoft Word or outlook. The Grammarly Chrome extension is likely the most popular.
Note: Functions on the basic package may be limited, but it will underline text inconsistencies for you. However, it will be up to you to figure out how to fix them.
The premium version does everything for you, including making suggestions for how to correct grammatical errors and spelling mistakes.
Yet Grammarly extends beyond just being a spelling and grammar checker. Here’s how to make the most of everything Grammarly has to offer.
1. Examine Language Preferences
Common errors result from not selecting the correct language. The U.S. and U.K. are known to be two countries separated by a common language. This means that while both countries use English, each has different grammar and spelling rules. Grammarly allows you to pick between American English, Australian English, British English, and Canadian English.
2. Add the Grammarly App to Chrome
You don’t have to visit Grammarly.com to check a document. The free Chrome extension allows you to automatically check your documents. Plus Grammarly is a safe app that will not harm your computer. Whether you are writing a post, an email, or anything online, Grammarly is there to guide you.
3. Download Grammarly for Microsoft Office and Windows
You aren’t stuck with using whatever tools are bundled with Word or Windows. While these programs do offer basic suggestions, their feedback isn’t as comprehensive as Grammarly’s. All you need to do is go to My Grammarly, select the proper app, and install it.
4. Add Specialized Terms to Your Personal Dictionary
While Grammarly contains preloaded terms, it doesn’t have specialized jargon. You can avoid common words being flagged by adding them to the dictionary. Open the Grammarly profile, type in your new word, and select “add.” Just be sure there are no typos!
5. Find the Proper Tone
When sending messages or emails using Grammarly in Gmail, it may be challenging to determine whether it has the correct “feel.” Sometimes, we come across as too formal or informal in certain emails.
Additionally, the tone may sound aggressive if you’re angry. The tone detector in Grammarly uses rule combinations and machine learning to analyze the message for tone. Grammarly will make sure your don’t use terms like mam or ma’am in a formal writing piece!
6. Learn to Develop Consistent Styles
While some forms of punctuation are technically correct, it may appear sloppy if there are style inconsistencies in the same document. Grammarly Premium checks for consistency, allowing you to use the same punctuation and spelling throughout the document.
7. Write for the Proper Audience
Grammarly tailors writing suggestions based on your specific audience and goals. You can select a general, knowledgeable, or expert audience. Formality can also be established as informal, neutral, or formal so that you get the right tone each time. You can also match the venue for creative, casual conversation, business, or academic.
8. Suggestions Can Make You More Diplomatic
Grammarly automatically detects harsh words and provides alternatives that people may find less abrasive.
9. Avoid Unintentional Forms of Plagiarism
No one wants to accidentally copy another person’s writing. To ensure that you aren’t using someone else’s work or incorporating phrases heard elsewhere, use the plagiarism checker before sending.
10. Make Your Writing More Fluid
Fluid writing makes reading both easy and pleasurable. Wordiness and poor sentence construction make the document sound choppy and unnatural. Grammarly Premium contains a fluency feature that offers suggested word choices to help improve your word flow.
Grammarly quickly scans over text to locate any spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors so that writers can start building better habits within their own work. In addition to improving the overall quality of writing, Grammarly helps streamline the creative process by making it easier to express ideas more fluidly.
FAQs – Grammar Checker
When a writer contradicts himself or herself, it can create text inconsistencies. This happens when the writer’s statements are internally inconsistent with one another, and as a result, it becomes difficult to follow the argument or story that is being presented.
If you have a sentence that is too long and complicated Grammarly will give you an intricate text warning. To fix intricate text, you can try splitting it into shorter sentences. This will help improve Grammarly’s performance since it can more easily identify errors in shorter chunks of text. You can also try simplifying your language to make it easier for Grammarly to understand.
After our Grammarly review, we determined that this tool is accurate for identifying basic spelling and grammar errors. The Grammarly app is a very effective tool for catching a variety of English grammar mistakes. It can help catch writing style & spelling inconsistencies that you would have otherwise missed.
If you want to avoid inconsistency in your writing, you need to use one indicator throughout your entire written work. This will help maintain a consistent tone and voice, and prevent your readers from becoming confused or annoyed. There are a few different ways you can go about doing this. Start by choosing ONE register for your writing. This can be formal, informal, or something in between, but once you’ve decided on a style, stick with it throughout the piece.
Final Words
When it comes to text inconsistencies, Grammarly will help you pick them up in an instant. It provides suggestions on more than just grammar and spelling. This tool encompasses things that many applications do not. It helps with the overall tone, audience, and flow, allowing you to perfect all forms of communication for a smoother delivery. It provides the entire package for writing. If if you’re looking for other options, check out the Quillbot grammar checker. It’s a great alternative to Grammarly!
