Spelling & Grammar Checker

SHNAGFNAY

Jedi Master
Some time ago when I wrote a post on the forum there was a green zigzag underline as I wrote the text and clicking on it showed suggestions on how to rephrase it. Then next time I wrote a post there weren't any suggestions or green lines anymore.

I was impressed and thought it could be good for learning grammar as I am not good at it.

I have searched the web for this and the only app having those green underlines are a function for Microsoft word, I think, it is Microsoft editor - and I suppose only if you have a subscription for it to work.

Could it be that my Microsoft Editor which comes built in with Microsoft edge web browser had a glitch and activated the paid form 'refinements'?

You have 3 options to choose from in Microsoft Editor 'spelling' 'grammar' and 'refinements'. And 'refinements' can only be activated with a paid subscription.

Does anyone here have a paid subscription that can confirm those green lines?
 
Hi Shnagfire,

I really don't know much about Microsoft Edge, but I know you can turn on the spell check on Google Chrome, Brave, etc., so I suppose it might be possible with Microsoft Edge too.

Maybe this article can help:

 
Sometimes I think that my way of formulating sentences isn't good enough, that I won't be fully understood. The "Rephrasing" as I call it and mentioned in the original post, the green zigzag underlines, gave suggestions, how to restructure a sentence. But I only got to use that particular feature once and I am not even sure if it was the spell checker on Edge or some other program, that maybe interfered, hence my question on what those green zigzag lines were coming from. But I am using spell and grammar check with Edge, and have for some time and still is. It checks for mispelled words and also a little grammar but it isn't sophisticated in my opinion. I have tried another checker addon but I didn't find it any better.

Maybe this article can help:

Looking at it, that article seems outdated. The options looks like this in Edge nowadays:
2.png

Micrsoft edge has a spell checker installed by default. But you don't get the full benefits without a monthly subscription. That subscription includes unlocking refinements, more cloud storage, and I think it also gives Office windows apps.


So here is what I meant by spelling grammar and refinements. Refinements is grayed out and I can't turn it on without a subscription:
1.png

Looking at pictures on the web I couldn't find any photo with those zigzag green lines I am talking about.
 
I'm sorry for not understanding correctly.

I've also heard of the app grammarly. I haven't used it but some people told me it really helps them to write better on the internet. The website says it has a free version, although I'm sure you can get more things with the paid one, so I don't know if the free version does what you're looking for. Maybe you can check it out.

 
I will try it. But I will try it on my defective laptop so I don't have to fuss around with my current configurations on my current laptop. Thanks!

Speaking of Premium Editor features, why pay for something you only use a little, since I never use Microsoft 365 or don't need more cloud storage.

I don't feel good with monthly fees at the price they have set for programs I think should be free or at least cheaper when only using some part of it.
 
If so, yes, it would be helpful. It is Laura's forum after all, so it's her decision, in my opinion. Hmm, when I come to think of it, it can be helpful to learn but it can also have negative effects I suppose. "Abusers/trolls" coming on who aren't literate "coming off" as something they aren't? Or something along those lines?
 
According to a XenForo developer (XenForo being the tech this website forum is built on), if you are using a modern web browser, you shouldn't need a custom spellchecker - It should be built in :

The Froala editor, plus the previous editor we used in XF1, doesn't have a spell check built in, and it shouldn't be required. All modern browsers have their own spell checker built in.


Maybe if you can remember which web browser you were using @Shnagfnie when you had the green squiggly lines ?
 
Sorry - I should have read what you wrote more closely. So we have a classic Microsoft acting as the drug dealer - Giving you a product until you are reliant on it, then making you pay for it.

In that case I would go with Grammarly as @Yas suggested.

Be aware that using them probably sends every keystroke to some offshore server and recorded - including logins and passwords :-/

If you have the know how I would first profile it and see if it is in fact sending what you type to some ip address, then I would block it from doing so.
 
I tried Grammarly to see what it was like. And basically, it blocks 'correctness' 'punctuation' 'conventions' in the free version which to me makes it somewhat of a pain. The solution? €12 a month for premiumship, then you get those basic functions. :headbash:The only thing I found good was that it does 'rephrasing' but overall, I didn't like the software.

Microsoft Editor is cheaper - $6.99 a month. So, the free version doesn't 'rephrase' sentences but punction and those "other things" work.

Here are some snaps to show you what I mean with Grammarly software:

grammarly1.png
grammarly2.png

grammarly3.png
 
There are many free online spelling and grammar helpers so I don't think spending money to pay microsoft or any tech giant is worth it. No program is perfect, which is good because a perfect program would prevent learning.
By doing a quick search I found for example this one: .https://writer.com/grammar-checker/
not only it highlights the errors, proposes corrections, but also shows the nature of the error.
Another method lots of people use to improve their writing is to use a translator. The trick is to write something in English, translate it to the native language, check the grammar and meaning in the native language, and then translate the corrected text back to English, and compare the final result with the first draft. Surely there are other useful tricks out there.
 
@mkrnhr

That's a fine way to get around the prices, I think. Still, you have to copy and paste around too much with an online helper if you want constant checking. But it is a good site you have there, I tried it.

They also have it for installation in the chrome browser, google docs and Microsoft word, but those cost 18 dollars a month. :headbash:
 
Signed up for a month free trail with Microsoft Editor (which really is a Microsoft 365 Home-prenumeration with increased cloud space and office applications etc. that can be shared with five people for a juicy sum of money payment once a year over a 1000sek.)

BTW the "etc." is underlined blue for some reason in my previous sentence. And 'some' too. Must be a setting I activated; I think.

This being my first text post with refinements switched on. So far, I don't get the green wavy underlines like those I got 'that one time' which I posted about earlier. There are checking boxes in the settings so perhaps it is a combination with that - I don't yet have configured right and I randomly checked a bunch of them - but what I do get is straight blue spaced underlines along with green highlights and red wavy underlines for spelling correction.

Must end the subscription after 30 days or I will be charged on my payment method and refund is possible within 30 days after that.

Not really impressed so far. But there are lots of ('lots of' highlighted here) boxes in settings for grammar correction which I haven't tried yet.

As I typed this message, I had to correct wrong formulations that weren't marked by the software.
 
Signed up for a month free trail with Microsoft Editor (which really is a Microsoft 365 Home-prenumeration with increased cloud space and office applications etc. that can be shared with five people for a juicy sum of money payment once a year over a 1000sek.)

BTW the "etc." is underlined blue for some reason in my previous sentence. And 'some' too. Must be a setting I activated; I think.

This being my first text post with refinements switched on. So far, I don't get the green wavy underlines like those I got 'that one time' which I posted about earlier. There are checking boxes in the settings so perhaps it is a combination with that - I don't yet have configured right and I randomly checked a bunch of them - but what I do get is straight blue spaced underlines along with green highlights and red wavy underlines for spelling correction.

Must end the subscription after 30 days or I will be charged on my payment method and refund is possible within 30 days after that.

Not really impressed so far. But there are lots of ('lots of' highlighted here) boxes in settings for grammar correction which I haven't tried yet.

As I typed this message, I had to correct wrong formulations that weren't marked by the software.

Try Libreoffice. It is free, has spell checker and can do more things than you want to do.

Do you really want to share your documents with Microsoft??
In recent months it did happen that people who sent their document into clouds did not get them back.
 
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