Grammar And Spell Checking Software

A grammar checker tries to assure that a given text meets the standard grammatical rules of English or another natural (as opposed to programming) language. This functionality is increasingly integrated into word processing programs. The first such programs were available back in the 1970s and were usually limited to verifying punctuation and style. I remember another feature, the program would analyze the text using some simple rules and generate a “readability index.” It might for example report that such and such a text is understandable for a typical ninth grader.

Given the complexities of natural languages such as English true grammar checking is hardly a simple operation. For example, does the word read describe a current or a past activity? To answer this question and many more difficult ones, the program must carefully analyze not only given words but also the surrounding context.

One example of a stand-alone grammar checking program.

In the early 1980s simple grammar checking programs became available for the popular microcomputers in stand-alone versions. The grammar checking and related functions were not available as part of the word processing program. By the early 1990s this functionality was integrated into the popular Microsoft Word and WordPerfect word processing programs. Integration meant greater ease of use and the increased likelihood that people would actually make use of these features.

Spell checkers are programs identifying words that may be incorrectly spelled. What if you meant to use the word form but erroneously typed farm or firm? The spell checker would not see a problem, while a grammar checker might or might not see a problem. You should never fully rely on spell checkers but use them to help uncover your spelling errors.

Not all spell checking is in English.

The history of spell checkers pretty well mirrors that of grammar checkers. Some web browsers such as Firefox 2.0 and Opera offer spell checking for user-written content as do some email and chat programs. The best programs offer suggestions for misspelled words and enable users to add words to their own dictionaries. This enables people to customize the program to meet their specific needs and specialized vocabularies.

If you think that it’s complicated to create an effective English-language spell checker, you’re right. But for technical reasons such as word endings, proper spell checking is even a greater challenge in many other languages. Some educators and others are critical of these programs saying that they render users lazy. Why should I check the spelling, the computer will catch my mistakes? On the other hand these programs may catch typographical and other error that even a careful person could miss.