Smarthinking Writer's Handbook

Chapter 5, Lesson 11

Using a Computer's "Checker" Tools

Objective

In this lesson, you'll learn about the advantages and disadvantages of using a computer's electronic "checker" tools. You'll also learn how to use the computer's tools more effectively by supplementing them with your own reference materials and your own manual proofreading efforts.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Using A Computer's Electronic "Checker" Tools

The electronic "checker" tools on a computer, such as a spellchecker, a grammar checker, and a thesaurus, can be quite useful for writers who are using a computer for word processing. A spellchecker can highlight words that are not spelled correctly and can offer alternative spellings for the misspelled words; a grammar checker can identify sentences in which the subject and predicate don't agree; and a thesaurus can provide a listing of words with meanings similar to the word investigated.

However, the electronic tools on a computer are in no way foolproof! A spellchecker can check only the spelling of words included in its dictionary, which is limited; a grammar checker often marks a sentence as "incorrect" without explaining why it is so or how to correct it; and a thesaurus can only provide words themselves, not their usage or definition. All of these electronic tools, therefore, have limitations, and writers must use them carefully, with a critical eye. In addition, there are times when a spell checker doesn't recognize a correctly spelled word or when a grammar checker flags an appropriate and correct (if unusual) sentence only to suggest a less clear or even incorrect version to replace it.

How To Use A Computer's Electronic "Checker" Tools More Effectively

The electronic "checker" tools on a computer can be used effectively if writers consult them along with their own reference materials, such as a hardbound dictionary and grammar handbook. Combining the efforts of the electronic and the print worlds is the best way to ensure that issues of spelling, word usage, and grammar are handled appropriately and according to established conventions.

(1) Using A Spellchecker More Effectively

A spellchecker is only as good as the electronic listing of words that's programmed into it. And, unfortunately, most electronic listings are rather brief. So, it's always advisable to supplement a spellchecker's "checking" of misspelled words with your own efforts, using a hardbound college-level dictionary as needed, particularly in the following situations:

• Checking Words That Sound Alike But Are Spelled Differently (Homonyms)

There are many words in English that, although they sound the same, have different meanings and different spellings. Some of these words are listed below:

There - a place
Their - belonging to them
They're - contraction of "they are"

Week - a period of seven days
Weak - not strong

No - not any
Know - to understand

To - a verb part (as in "to sit"), or a preposition (as in "to the house")
Too - also
Two - a number between one and three

Since a spellchecker doesn't know which of the homonyms a writer intends, or which "fits" with the meaning the writer is creating, it doesn't highlight these words. Therefore, a manual proofreading for the appropriate use of homonyms, used in conjunction with a hardbound dictionary to determine each word's precise meaning, is necessary.

• Checking Proper Nouns (Names of People, Places, Things, and Ideas)

There are numerous words in English that refer to specific people, places, things, and ideas. For example, the names of historical figures, such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, or little-known cities, such as Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, are generally not included in most standard spellcheckers. As a result, a writer needs to manually proofread for these words, checking with their listing in the "Biographical" or "Geographical" appendix of a hardbound dictionary, to make sure they're spelled correctly.

• Checking Typographical Errors

There are an infinite number of instances in which a writer, working at a computer keyboard, inadvertently types a word incorrectly. The writer may intend to type the word "abate," but instead types the word "bat." In this situation, the spellchecker will not highlight the word "bat" as incorrect, because it is correct, at least in its spelling; however, since the spellchecker can't read for meaning, it doesn't know that the word "bat," in terms of the writer's context, is incorrect. Therefore, writers need to manually proofread for intended meaning, particularly for words that "fit" the context of a sentence or a passage.

In addition, there are many instances in which writers' brains move much more quickly than their fingers. Consequently, although they may intend to type "growing," they may inadvertently type "grow"; or although they may intend "flowers" in the plural, they may inadvertently type "flower." Further, although they may intend to type "the flowers are growing quickly," they may mistakenly type "the flowers are quickly," or "the are growing quickly." As before, since the spellchecker can't read for meaning, it can't determine whether the form of a noun or verb is appropriate and fits the context of the sentence, or whether words needed for a complete sentence are missing. As a result, writers need to proofread themselves, preferably from hard copy, to ensure that all endings of nouns and verbs are present on those words, and that all intended words are present in a sentence.

(2) Using A Grammar Checker More Effectively

A grammar checker, like a spellchecker, is only as good as the program that's been written for it. And, since many principles of English grammar can't be reduced to a formula (which is needed to write a program) — and since, for almost every "rule," there's an "exception" or two — very few grammar checkers can check the grammar of a piece of writing in a reliable fashion.

For these reasons, if you consult a grammar checker (and consulting one is not usually advised), you must read its messages cautiously. Sometimes, a grammar checker highlights a subject-predicate pair, such as "the group of students is," as "incorrect" in agreement because it's comparing the verb "is" with the closest noun "students," rather than with the subject "group"; at other times, a grammar checker suggests a sentence is ungrammatical because it is "long" when, in fact, the sentence is grammatically correct (such as this very sentence!). In other words, a grammar checker can often be outright wrong in the suggestion it offers to a writer, so a writer needs to be able to examine the grammar checker's suggestion in light of a well-written grammar handbook, where the guidelines for grammatically appropriate usage are outlined clearly.

(3) Using a Thesaurus More Effectively

A thesaurus can, on the surface, seem like a writer's dream, for it offers synonyms — words with similar meanings — that can be used as alternatives for more commonly used words. For example, when the word "many" is looked up in an electronic thesaurus, words such as "legion," "innumerable," "myriad," "sundry," and "multitudinous" are listed as synonyms. However, the word "many" has a slightly different meaning than the word "innumerable," which again is slightly different from the word "sundry." Consequently, although all of these words are listed as synonyms for "many," their use depends upon the context of the particular sentence in which they are included, as well as the writer's intended meaning.

Therefore, a writer needs to use a great deal of care when consulting a thesaurus. In fact, a writer can probably use a thesaurus most effectively only in conjunction with a dictionary. That is, after a writer has consulted a thesaurus for the synonyms of "many," she then needs to consult a dictionary for the meanings of each of those synonyms; in doing so, she would find the following:

Legion: containing a great number (used in a military context)
Innumerable: not able to be numbered; countless
Myriad: an indefinitely large number
Sundry: several; various
Multitudinous: made up of a great number (used with a group of people)

If a writer doesn't consult a dictionary in conjunction with a thesaurus, she might choose the synonym "legion" or "multitudinous" when she really intends to communicate "several." And, since her choice of "legion" or "multitudinous" probably would not "fit" the context of her sentence, she likely would create confusion for her readers. As a result, a writer should always check the dictionary definition of a word suggested by a thesaurus before using it in the context of her writing.

How To Proofread More Effectively

The final stage of the writing process, proofreading, is time- and labor-intensive. And yet, because it is the last stage a writer must engage in, it often is given the least amount of a writer's attention. However, since proofreading is vital to ensuring that a piece of writing is free of surface errors, a writer should take this final step very seriously. In order to ensure that your proofreading efforts are as effective as possible, try some of the following suggestions:

(1) Impose An Early Due Date
Oftentimes, writers don't proofread as carefully as they can because they don't have sufficient time to do so. However, if you impose an early due date on yourself, such as two days before the actual due date, you will have given yourself two days' grace in which to finish, time that can be spent proofreading.

(2) Read A Hard Copy
Many writers find it difficult to read, for a sustained period of time, from a computer screen. If you print a hard copy of your writing, you can proofread as you probably always have, with pencil to paper; this process should feel more comfortable and, thus, allow for a more careful proofreading.

(3) Proofread in Cycles
In general, writers find it difficult to pay attention to everything at the same time. To deal with this, some writers proofread in cycles — first, reading their writing from beginning to end for end punctuation; then, reading their writing from beginning to end, again, for comma usage; finally, reading their writing from beginning to end for spelling. In this way, these writers are concentrating on one aspect of writing at a time; and, although proofreading in cycles takes more time, it usually results in a stronger piece of writing.

(4) Read Backwards
Many times, writers fail to notice seemingly obvious errors in their writing as they read from beginning to end because they mentally supply any word or mark of punctuation that's missing. What helps them, in this situation, is reading backwards — beginning with the last word of the paper, and working their way to the first word. Some writers supplement this backwards reading by cutting a window into a standard business card and using the window of the card to help them focus their attention on each individual word. This method can be particularly useful for writers who are easily distracted by other visual cues.

(5) Read Aloud
Usually, writers spend most of their time composing and revising in silence. That is, they work with their computer (or paper and pen) to "get their ideas down," and they continue to work with their computer to shape those ideas into a meaningful piece of writing. Therefore, it's often helpful, during the proofreading stage, for them to hear what they're saying by reading their writing aloud to themselves. By doing so, they are giving themselves the opportunity to hear what sounds right and doesn't sound right, which frequently alerts them to difficulties on the printed page. Moreover, it helps to ensure that what writers think is on their paper is truly on their paper, ready for their readers to "hear."

Exercise 1: The following sentence contains four italicized homonyms that the electronic spell checker itself cannot check. In the text box below, identify whether each word is spelled correctly; if a word is spelled incorrectly, supply the correct spelling, along with the meaning. Then, click to vcompare your answers to ours.

She wants to no whether the son will shine brightly in the mourning.

Exercise 2: The following sentence is one that the electronic grammar checker highlights as "incorrect" because it is "long." Determine whether the sentence is grammatically correct, and explain your answer in the space provided.

The family desperately wanted to visit the national park on their vacation to the West, but by the time they arrived at the park's entrance, the ranger told them no additional visitors were allowed; so, they set up their tent, made a fire, cooked dinner, and sang campfire songs while they waited — the first in line — for the next morning's dawn to break.

Exercise 3: The following sentence contains three groups of words provided by the electronic thesaurus. Choose the most appropriate word, given the context of the sentence, and explain in the space provided while the other choices are not as appropriate.

Julie and Chris (hiked/paced/wandered) several miles across the grassy plain before (attaining/fulfilling/reaching) their final (aim/destination/termination).

Summary

Using a computer's electronic "checking" tools can be productive if the tools are used with a critical mind that recognizes their limitations. More often than not, these tools need to be supplemented with a writer's own manual proofreading efforts. However, various strategies can be implemented to ensure that a writer's piece of writing is as polished as possible.