The benefits of proof-readings apps written by someone who hates automation.

Graphic by Orthodox Girl via Pintrest

Skeptical Start
It started as a helpful suggestion on one of my articles from an Editor of the Illumination’s Mirror publication. She suggested I download Grammarly, so I decided to test it out.

I have been against using automation tools, as automation weakens our memory muscle and makes our brain work less hard. I’m sure you’ve encountered similar experiences. For example, using maps while driving until suddenly you can no longer recall the directions of routes you have previously gone on countless times.

Our brain starts to get lazy, and as a result, we learn or retain less when we do things manually. So I preferred manually looking up synonyms or grammar rules rather than having a software program do it automatically.

I plugged one of my articles into the app and was shocked to see typos my eyes previously missed, even though I re-read my article carefully. So here are the 7 benefits I found of using Grammarly.

1. ESL Mistakes
For authors that use English as their second language, an external grammar application for final article checks is crucial, even if your language skills are professional. The reason it’s so essential is due to different punctuation rules and the use of articles. Many Slavic languages don’t have indefinite articles (like ‘a’ or ‘an’) or definitive articles (like ‘the’). While bilingual speakers know when to use articles, they can be easily automatically missed by our brains during long text compositions. Our eyes don’t flag it as an error as quickly.

2. Punctuation Rules
In my language, the punctuation rules are very different than in English. I have always struggled with this, mainly regarding commas and semi-colons. When using the proofreading app, the most frequent mistake I need to fix is the correction of the comma placements. Semi-colons and the rules of joining sentences with a comma significantly differ in some languages.

3. Second Pair of Eyes
Our eyes can miss many mistakes due to being used to being on the computer for so long. In schools, a common practice for writing important papers was to print out the piece. While reading the printed version, it is easier for our eyes to see the mistakes. However, no one would have the time to do this for their daily blogs, so it is an excellent addition to having an app as a second pair of fresh eyes.

4. Recognizing a Pattern
Write your story first and then transfer the article to Grammarly. You can see your repeated mistakes more efficiently, rather than having the Grammarly plug-in working automatically as you type. It will help you realize the pattern of your most common errors.

5.Increased Confidence
Upon re-checking all of my articles using the app, I realized that I was repeating another pattern I would never have picked up on. My writing voice needed to sound more confident, which is prevalent among new writers. The app’s suggestions made me realize I was subconsciously coming off as vague rather than concise and that my writing voice sounded shy rather than confident.

6. Short &Sweet
Refrain from blindly trusting proofreading apps, as they make mistakes. In the 7 articles I reviewed, I caught many instances where the replacement word needed to be corrected due to the program not picking up exactly when I intended to write. The apps will also want to overly shorten your article to be more concise. This is helpful when wanting your work to be straightforward, but it means that your 4-minute piece will be narrowed down to 3 minutes instead.

7. Improved Publishing
When writing, you’re very focused on conveying meaning and delivering the story. As a result, your brain focuses less on a more minor task like catching every detail like a computer would. Even if you re-read an article several times, you will miss a mistake every time, which will delay your story from being edited or published. It creates extra work for the editors too. Using an app ensures your writing will be better accepted, saving time for those who have to review your work.