English Grammar Check

When students begin writing in English as a second language, they generally do so by constructing sentences in their native language and then translating them into English. While this method is common to those just starting to learn a new language, it can cause difficulties when the grammar of the original language and English significantly differ. This is most apparent in the use of idioms as well as in the metaphorical mental gymnastics needed to sort out prepositions—how some concepts are “in,” “on,” “around,” or “under” others. Students often try to find online English grammar check software, but this can be problematic because computers are not able to match the judgment of a human brain.

Language is fluid and can best be judged by a human being, not a machine. If you rely too heavily on the English grammar check built into word processing software or English grammar check websites, you run the risk of producing sentences that are incoherent or say something you don’t mean. This is because English grammar check software uses mathematical probabilities and fixed rules to flag sentences it deems incorrect, but this exacting method cannot account for the richness and fluidity of English sentences. English does not always follow through with mathematical precision, and some sentences that are perfectly grammatical can get flagged as incorrect, while some that are incorrect the software might assume are really right.

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