Product Review: Grammarly

I’m always on the lookout for any resource or product that makes my hectic life a little bit easier. I’m also always somewhat skeptical of any resources for already financially strapped students that cost money. I had seen television and online ads for Grammarly and decided to check out their site a few weeks ago. You would think that an English major should have little trouble with grammar and punctuation, but let’s face it, there are so many papers to write and so little time! While Word might catch spelling and some punctuation errors, it can leave a lot to be desired if you find yourself writing more than half a dozen lengthy papers each semester. It’s quite easy for tired eyes and an overtaxed brain to overlook errors.

I decided to give Grammarly a try. I began with the free, basic version. I was not particularly impressed with it to start. The only errors it seemed to be finding were with my quotes which contained lots of eye-dialect. I could see, though, that there were supposedly lots of other errors that I could only see if I was using the premium version. I very nearly packed it in then, but instead, I decided to have a look at their pricing since using the premium version was the only way I could give an honest review. The pricing is a bit steep unless you’re willing to commit to a quarterly or yearly plan. A month to month subscription is $29.99; a quarterly subscription is $59.99, and a yearly subscription is $112.99.

I was still a bit skeptical when I checked the prices, but I thought, that’s not much more than my Netflix subscription, and that’s not exactly boosting my grades. I decided to purchase a one-month subscription and give it a go before committing to a full year. Being and English major and a writer, it’s not a bad investment if it does what it claims to do. Speaking of which, I have so far, used Grammarly for three papers. It found a shocking number of errors, much to my chagrin. While not always one hundred percent accurate, mainly due to possible nonstandard usages in quotes, in addition to spelling, grammatical, and punctuation errors. Grammarly also points out repetitive word usage as well as catching questionable word choices that don’t seem to fit with the context of a sentence, and recommends different stylistic choices to keep your audience engaged. The Grammarly app, included in the premium subscription, will catch errors in your social media and blog accounts as well. What did my professors think of my papers? When I received my feedback, there were no comments or corrections for grammar or punctuation.

Overall I am satisfied with this product and would give it a 9/10 rating. If you find yourself writing lots of papers utilizing social media and blogging to promote projects, writing, or business I would agree that this is worth a little less than $9.50 per month.

Your Paper is great at the Prose Level BUT…

There is no fresher hell than that week or so between submitting a paper and receiving your graded paper with feedback from your professor. As an English major I suffer through this all semester long. I love, love, love to write and I like to think I’m fairly good at it. Being a good writer doesn’t mean that you’re going to ace those lit papers, though, much to my chagrin. I typically manage to get B’s on most of my papers, but now and again I get a big fat C with a comment like, “Your paper is great at the prose level, BUT…”  I interpret this as, “You’re a good writer, but you still suck,” and my graded papers often look something like this…

No, this is not actually one of my papers, but you get the idea. So, yeah, it’s a bit disheartening. I’m going to share a little something with you, though, that my literary studies professor said in class the other day. “When I mark up your papers like that, I’m showing you my love.” I know, it sounds like crap, but it’s absolutely true. Professors spend countless hours pouring over papers all semester long and when they take the time to sit down and tear your paper apart – and trust me new students, they will tear your papers apart – all those comments, no matter how harsh, are entirely for your benefit. Your professor is investing time and energy into pointing out to you exactly where you’re going wrong because they have faith that you have the necessary tools to use these criticisms to your benefit.

My advice to you? Read over the tattered remains of your paper and go ahead and be as angry and disgusted as you like.

Put it away and wallow in your martyrdom for a day or so. Then take out that paper and read it all over again. Make some marks of your own. Don’t understand exactly what your professor is saying? Circle any unclear comments, write down any questions you have, and then reach out. For me, reaching out to my professors was difficult at first, but that’s what they’re there for. Trust me, they are much more understanding when they know you’re taking their class seriously. Schedule an appointment with your professor, ask her if she would be willing to take another look at your paper if you take the time to sit down and revise it. Is this going to get you extra points? Maybe, maybe not. It will show your professor that you’re paying attention and it will most certainly put you on the right track for any future papers you write for that particular professor.