I am looking for the most authoritative grammar sites on the Web.  I
want to be able to plug in a phrase to see if it's grammatical, like
you can do on www.grammarstation.com.  The latter is the only site
I've found that has this functionality, but I have no idea who's
behind
this site, i.e. the credibility/authority of the site.  So, I'm hoping
Google Answers can provide me with the most authoritative websites to
check the grammar of a given sentence/phrase.

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Request for Question Clarification by justaskscott-ga on 22 Mar 2003 13:19 PST

I have not found an online grammar checker other than Grammar Station.
 (It seems to have a good reputation, given its high position in the
following category of the Google Directory:

"Arts > Education > Language Arts > English > English as a Second
Language > Student Resources > Grammar and Vocabulary"
Google Directory
http://directory.google.com/Top/Arts/Education/Language_Arts/English/English_as_a_Second_Language/Student_Resources/Grammar_and_Vocabulary/
)

I have come across grammar checkers that you can download and/or
purchase.  Would you be interested in such grammar checkers as an
answer?

---

Clarification of Question by kayrie-ga on 26 Mar 2003 09:51 PST

Yes, I would be interested in the best grammar checkers to download or purchase.

Hello kayrie-ga,

I have not found an authoritative ranking of the best grammar
checkers.  The reason is probably that many experts view grammar
checkers as, at best, reasonably good, and at worst, inappropriate for
the typical user.  The Google Directory page on grammar (and spelling)
software contains links to three reviews that indicate the range of
criticisms.

"Arts > Writers Resources > Software > Spelling and Grammar"
Google Directory
http://directory.google.com/Top/Arts/Writers_Resources/Software/Spelling_and_Grammar/

"MS Word's grammar and style check: A step-by-step customization
guide", by Ron Scheer
Say What You Mean on the Web
http://www.ronscheer.com/html/readingroom17.html

"Do grammar checkers work?", by Yu Hong Wei and Graham Davies (1996)
Camsoft Educational Software
http://www.camsoftpartners.co.uk/euro96b.htm

"Computer Grammar Checkers and Teaching ESL Writing", by C.J. Wong
(1996)
Chi James Wong's Home Page
http://tiger.coe.missouri.edu/~cjw/portfolio/grammar-checker.htm

Of course, two of these articles are seven years old, and so you might
hope that the situation has improved.  But recent articles are also
critical.

"Evaluating Grammar Checkers", by Daniel Kies
Papyr.com
http://papyr.com/hypertextbooks/engl_126/gramchek.htm

"Grammar checkers helpful or harmful?", by Russell Shaw (07/15/2002)
USA TODAY
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2002/07/15/tech-grammar-full.htm

However, if you are aware of the limitations, these articles also
suggest that grammar checkers can be of some use.

A few of these articles consider the grammar checkers bundled into
Microsoft Word and WordPerfect.  If you have worked with these
programs, then I presume that you are familiar with these grammar
checkers already.  If not, you might want to check them out, despite
the shortcomings mentioned in the articles.

In the absence of authoritative comparative reviews, a reasonable
measure of popularity and credibility is PageRank in the Google
Directory category for grammar software (cited earlier).  There are
two grammar checkers specifically mentioned in that category: Grammar
Slammer and Grammarian.

Grammar Slammer and Grammarian are also popular downloads for grammar
software on Download.com, a reputable software download site.

"Search results for grammar"
Download.com [CNET]
http://download.com.com/3120-20-0-1-4.html?qt=grammar

Grammar Slammer is available from English Plus+.

"Grammar Slammer"
English Plus+
http://englishplus.com/gramslam.htm

Grammarian (a Macintosh program) was discontinued by its original
maker.  However, it is still being produced by Linguasoft.

"Discontinuation of Grammarian X and Grammarian 2"
Casady & Greene
http://www.casadyg.com/products/grammarian/2/default.html

Linguisoft
http://www.linguisoft.com/

Another popular download, which I have also come across on some pages
mentioning grammar checkers, is Grammatica, available for English or
French texts from Ultralingua.  You can view information on the
Windows and Mac versions here:

"Grammatica Grammar Checker (English): Windows 95, 98, 2000, Me, NT,
XP"
Ultralingua
http://www.ultralingua.com/prodinfo/wingrame.html

"Grammatica Grammar Checker (English): Macintosh OS 10.x"
Ultralingua
http://www.ultralingua.com/prodinfo/macgrame.html

Finally, I should mention a style checker, mentioned on several pages
that discuss grammar checkers.  StyleWriter checks not only for
grammar, but also for style -- for example, for wordy phrases or
complex words.  It is available from My Byline Media.

StyleWriter
http://www.stylewriter-usa.com/

I hope that this information is helpful.

- justaskscott-ga


Search terms used on Google:

grammar [also searched for this term in Google Directory]
"grammar checkers"
"grammar checker"
linguisoft
stylewriter

Unless you are always using the computers of others, why the need for
an online solution?

Hi Kayrie,

While this doesn't automate the process, 
Judy Vorfeld's WebGrammar does offer some marvelous resources
http://www.webgrammar.com/

Incidentally, if you have ever used any software's
grammar checker, you do realize that it's utility is
limited. It really doesn't understand the context
or many words and phrases. 

So, don't go about relying on automated grammar, or
even, spell checkers. 

For instance, they will allow words like 'their' and 'there,'
which are used in the wrong context, but spelled correctly.

It really helps to already have good grounding in grammar
and a good grammar book at hand.

Your TaxMama-ga