Why you need grammar check
All writers, professional or not, need a proper grammar check methodology. An effective grammar check routine is essential to professionally conveying your thoughts. The quality of your writing will be perceived based on your language, simplicity, and correct use of grammar. Whether you like it or not, your grammar will leave an impression about you on your readers. The quality of your grammar will influence how seriously your readers take you and how they react.
In short, grammar check is absolutely required if you want your audience to take you seriously.
Avoid grammar check at your own peril
Here is a list of reasons why you should never forget to do a grammar check on your writing:
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- Incorrect use of grammar can alter your message
- Incorrect use of grammar can prematurely influence opinions about you or your message
- Incorrect use of grammar will make you look unprofessional
- Incorrect use of grammar can have financial or legal liabilities when binding agreements or contracts are involved
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The multitasking myth
There is no such thing as multitasking. Our minds can only do one thing at a time. The perception of multitasking is really our minds doing one thing at a time, but switching between tasks to give us the impression that we are multitasking.
Let’s apply this to writing and grammar check. When you write content, your mind is working to formulate ideas and translate that information to your hands so they can put your ideas on paper. It is impossible to simultaneously grammar check while writing. Simply impossible.
Experience doesn’t excuse you from grammar check responsibilities. Even professional writers make grammar mistakes. In fact, ask a professional writer how many drafts they go through before publishing or sending out their final content. You’ll be amazed.
Grammar checklist
Check for the following things when you do a basic grammar check:
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- Grammar
- Punctuation
- Spelling
- Sentence structure
- Paragraph structure
- Formatting consistency with punctuation
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Author
Gramlee is a proofreading and copyediting service that employs professional editors. We edit with your audience's amygdala in mind. If you don't know what that means, we invite you to visit www.gramlee.com, scroll to the bottom, and read the small paragraph on Readability. We promise it's a worthwhile read that may even change your outlook on writing.