Since grammar and spelling feel so mechanical, it seems as though machines should be able to fix all of our grammar and spelling mistakes. And indeed, technology can catch many common errors. Learning to use technological tools efficiently and effectively will improve your proofreading immensely. However, there are a lot of mistakes that technology can’t identify; unfortunately, there’s no substitute for careful human reading.

Spellcheck

Clearly, spellcheck is your first stop when it comes to proofreading. Its a great way to catch mispellings misspellings and typoa  typos. However, its not going to help with correctly spelled but incorrectly used words (like the second word in this sentence, which should have been it’s!).

Grammar Check

Both Microsoft Word and Google Docs have grammar checks that can pick up some errors of grammar and usage.

Grammar check in Google Docs. The misused “its” is underlined in blue and the misspellings are underlined in red. A bigger problem is the “by” in the phrase “correctly spelled by incorrectly used,” which should read: “correctly spelled but incorrectly used.”

Grammarly and similar websites allow a user to either embed software in their computer or copy and paste entire assignments into their programs. They automatically search through writing and highlight errors that typical word processing programs may miss. In addition, Grammarly looks for potential tone errors and provides suggestions on how to correct them. Grammarly is a subscription service, however, so you’d have to decide if it’s worth the money for your particular needs.

Text-to-Speech

One often-overlooked proofreading tool is the built in text-to-speech option in word processing programs or on a computer. The computer or program will read the text selected out loud, so that you can hear the way the words flow.

Text-to-speech in Microsoft Word, in the Review menu.

You can also cut and paste your text into the Natural Reader website. This is a free online site that uses natural voices to read the writing out loud.

Friends, Peers, and the Writing Center

If you’re lucky enough to have a friend who loves to line-edit, perhaps they’d be willing to help track down sneaky errors in your paper. Or you might agree to trade papers with someone in your class and proofread each other’s work. Also, your school’s writing center or writing tutors may offer help in creating the most polished final version of your paper. However, DO NOT take your paper to someone else for proofreading before you proofread it carefully yourself, including using some of the electronic tools above. When it comes to proofreading, another set of eyes can help immensely, but it can be very annoying to proofread a paper that hasn’t even had a rudimentary spellcheck.