Give your text a spell and grammar check with Grammarly 1.5 for Windows and Mac
Correct spelling and grammar is something of a dying art these days. Rather than embark on a rant, however, let us gently direct you towards a superb online tool for helping to bring your language skills up to scratch with the minimum of fuss.
Grammarly 1.5 takes this online spellchecker and grammar correction tool on to your Windows PC or Mac -- now you can keep on top of all your documents.
Grammarly -- also available as a browser add-on for the likes of Firefox and Chrome -- requires you to first sign up for a free Grammarly account. This will give you access to the core checking and spelling tools you’ll need (it’s also an indication that this is a cloud-based app -- you’ll need to be connected to the internet whenever you wish to use it).
The native app lets you type directly into the program window -- just like you would in online forms after installing the extension -- you can also import text via the clipboard or by simply dragging compatible files (all major types -- Word, .odt, plain text, HTML and RTF -- are supported) into the program window.
Grammarly then quickly scans through the document and flags potential problems with suggested solutions displayed to the right of the text.
Click a potential solution to select it -- you can also expand the suggestion for more information, click the X button to ignore it or click the + button to add the spelling from your original document to your Grammarly user dictionary.
A handy summary button provides an overview of potential issues found (as well as allowing you to choose what types of problems to look for).
You’ll also see the first of many prompts suggesting you upgrade to the Premium subscription for a wider set of checks along with additional tools such as plagiarism checker, vocabulary suggestions and even the services of a professional proofreader.
The Premium package comes with a premium price point -- $29.95 a month, or $139.95 if you pay for a whole year. Given the services offered, it’s good value, but for the average user, the free tools should be sufficient to give your prose a polish before you submit it.
Grammarly 1.5.28 is available now as a free download for PCs running Windows 7 or later and Macs running OS X 9 or later. It’s also available as a browser plugin for Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Internet Explorer/Edge.