Learn English
In my work at Grammarly, I keep an eye on writers and analyze the tools they use to enhance their English and improve their work. I use this collected information to inform the product strategy team, so that they can stay on top of current trends and provide intuitive solutions for our end-users.
These days, everyone?s a writer, so it?s important to set your writing apart from everyone else's by making it as polished as you can. Luckily, there are several tools online that can help you clean things up and put your best work forward. Here are some of my tried and true solutions for editing that novel, document, or report.
Read up! A writer is a reader, first.
First, and most importantly, writers must read?think of it as subliminal research. You pick up on important things that will help improve your craft every time you read, so you should consider putting some time into reading about writing and grammar. This way you?re bound to improve by default. If you?re not a fan of reference books, there?s plenty of information on the web that?s incredibly easy to read. Blogs like the New York Times After Deadline are a great way to sneak in these bite-sized elements of style.
Write-up! Pick your writing tools and get to writing.
A good word processing program is key for any writer. Whether you?re using Word, Scrivener, or Google Docs, these programs can point out misspelled words and sentence fragments that you might otherwise overlook. Each offers their share of pros and cons, so find something you like and stick with it?or keep looking until you find what works best for you.
While I?m not as impressed with Internet Explorer, you can find a wide variety of apps and browser extensions for Firefox and Chrome. Most of these are free and can give you that editing edge:
- Grammar Apps and Extensions for Chrome
- Firefox Add-ons
Buddy-Up! Another set of eyes will do you good.
The internet is open 24/7, so finding someone to look over your work at any hour is very likely?well, if you?re connected to the right people. Join a few writers? groups, critique groups, or editing groups on your favorite social network?Facebook, Goodreads, and LinkedIn?all have plenty of writers eager to connect with you. By actively participating in these groups, you can almost guarantee an extra pair of eyes when you need it most. Be prepared to return the favor, though, especially when the help is given freely.
Sometimes, all you need is an hour or two away from your project, to give it those last editing touches. You can come back to it fresh and ready to look at it objectively?you?d be surprised at the number of mistakes that will jump out at you after you?ve had a break and time to clear your head.
Wrap it up! Cover your assets.
Before you press publish, consider using a plagiarism checker like the one at Grammarly?not because I think you?re intentionally trying to take credit for someone else?s work, but because if you?re reading (like you should be), you may have been subconsciously influenced by another writer?s words. You might have accidentally quoted something you read earlier. This last check will give you the opportunity to further edit your work or consider properly quoting the source, adding credibility to what you?ve written.
Like everything, practice makes perfect, so the more you write and use these or any other editing tools, the easier it will get. Don?t give up, there are lots of people rooting for you, and technology will always be there to ensure your success.
This is a guest post written by Nikolas Baron
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Learn English
Tool up to improve your writing!
In my work at Grammarly, I keep an eye on writers and analyze the tools they use to enhance their English and improve their work. I use this collected information to inform the product strategy team, so that they can stay on top of current trends and provide intuitive solutions for our end-users.
These days, everyone?s a writer, so it?s important to set your writing apart from everyone else's by making it as polished as you can. Luckily, there are several tools online that can help you clean things up and put your best work forward. Here are some of my tried and true solutions for editing that novel, document, or report.
Read up! A writer is a reader, first.
First, and most importantly, writers must read?think of it as subliminal research. You pick up on important things that will help improve your craft every time you read, so you should consider putting some time into reading about writing and grammar. This way you?re bound to improve by default. If you?re not a fan of reference books, there?s plenty of information on the web that?s incredibly easy to read. Blogs like the New York Times After Deadline are a great way to sneak in these bite-sized elements of style.
Write-up! Pick your writing tools and get to writing.
A good word processing program is key for any writer. Whether you?re using Word, Scrivener, or Google Docs, these programs can point out misspelled words and sentence fragments that you might otherwise overlook. Each offers their share of pros and cons, so find something you like and stick with it?or keep looking until you find what works best for you.
While I?m not as impressed with Internet Explorer, you can find a wide variety of apps and browser extensions for Firefox and Chrome. Most of these are free and can give you that editing edge:
- Grammar Apps and Extensions for Chrome
- Firefox Add-ons
Buddy-Up! Another set of eyes will do you good.
The internet is open 24/7, so finding someone to look over your work at any hour is very likely?well, if you?re connected to the right people. Join a few writers? groups, critique groups, or editing groups on your favorite social network?Facebook, Goodreads, and LinkedIn?all have plenty of writers eager to connect with you. By actively participating in these groups, you can almost guarantee an extra pair of eyes when you need it most. Be prepared to return the favor, though, especially when the help is given freely.
Sometimes, all you need is an hour or two away from your project, to give it those last editing touches. You can come back to it fresh and ready to look at it objectively?you?d be surprised at the number of mistakes that will jump out at you after you?ve had a break and time to clear your head.
Wrap it up! Cover your assets.
Before you press publish, consider using a plagiarism checker like the one at Grammarly?not because I think you?re intentionally trying to take credit for someone else?s work, but because if you?re reading (like you should be), you may have been subconsciously influenced by another writer?s words. You might have accidentally quoted something you read earlier. This last check will give you the opportunity to further edit your work or consider properly quoting the source, adding credibility to what you?ve written.
Like everything, practice makes perfect, so the more you write and use these or any other editing tools, the easier it will get. Don?t give up, there are lots of people rooting for you, and technology will always be there to ensure your success.
This is a guest post written by Nikolas Baron
- 10 Tips To Proofread Your Own Work
Writing is one of the most comprehensive features of modern civilization and its marvels are inexplicable. There are many who look at writing as a science and others who think writing is an art. Even then, what many people don?t realize that, to make...
- 3 Wonderful Google Chrome Extensions For English Language Learners
Learning a new language is one of the most difficult tasks you can take on once you enter adulthood. There are few things you can learn that will add more to your professional resume or enlighten you more culturally. While learning English as a second...
- Tips For Reading English As A Non-native English Speaker
One of the greatest ways to learn English as a non-native speaker of English is to spend your time reading books in English. By simply trying to read an unfamiliar language, you will be immersing your brain in the visual and physical sense of the language...
- Improve Your Intermediate Level Of English Through Reading
In the blog we want to help everyone who may be learning English, whatever their level. That's why, after writing some guides for learning English from scratch, we present a guide for those people who have an intermediate level of English. Do you...
- One Who Is Good At English Grammar Can Write Well In English?
Is it true that one who is good at English grammar can write well in English? (Acquisition of good writing skills requires more than Mastery of English Grammar) In the English language teaching writing is called a productive skill because it is concerned...