Proofreading tools such as Grammarly and Ginger are rising in popularity and are a great help with common grammar, punctuation and spelling mistakes. Grammarly promotes that it “eliminates most writing mistakes.”  Most is the operative word because proofreading cannot offer flawless communications.

While these tools are not flawless, they are a good solution if you struggle with ending sentences with prepositions or you can’t stay away from empty modifiers. These tools can give you the extra check that you need to gain confidence in your writing.

Does it replace an eagle-eyed human proofreader?

If you are a frequent writer and need help finding typos, missing commas and run-on sentences, then definitely invest in an online proofreading tool. BUT keep in mind, these tools are not a replacement for a keen editing eye.

Here are a few real-life scenarios that an online proofreading tool would not have caught:

1. Ms. Buchanan was referred to three times in an essay and the fourth time Mrs. Buchanan was typed. This could have been an embarrassing mistake for the writer and Ms. Buchanan.
2. A cookbook’s recipe called for 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, but 2 tablespoons was mistakenly typed. That dish may not have turned out very tasty.
3. 2012 was mistakenly typed on a resume as the start date at a company that wasn’t in business until 2015. An innocent mistake like this could have appeared deceptive.
4. A link to Facebook in a blog post was mistakenly typed as facemook.com, a scam site. This could have caused a lot of effort cleaning up from a scam.

What about editing?

If you need help with style consistency, making sure your message is clear and that your writing is cohesive, then you need a human editor to check your writing for flow and standard. This is something a software program cannot do for you. It can give you recommendations for word usage and suggest that you re-word a sentence, but this will not get you to a flawless communication.

What about new language and slang?

As language evolves and new words and styles are adopted daily, software updates may not be as fast as the ever-changing world of evolving language. A proofreading tool may not be able to check your hashtags, emojis, text-speak or the new meaning of deliciousness. This kind of writing needs someone who is familiar with your and your audience’s vernacular.

What if English is your second language?

If you are writing in English and it isn’t your native language, then a proofreading tool could be your best friend. It will help you write with confidence knowing that it CAN catch word use errors and misspellings. What it CANNOT do is offer you the colloquialisms that exist in every language and make your writing familiar and interesting. You don’t want your writing to get skipped over just because it wasn’t relatable and you definitely don’t want your writing to read like it was written by a machine.

Now that we know what a keen editing eye can do for your writing, let’s put it into action.