A Word to the wise

How to manage your grammar checker so it doesn't manage you

Grammar checkers are funny things. They can be very useful for preventing mistakes and avoiding embarrassment. But they can also be a bit like household fire alarms positioned too close to the toaster. If the alarm rings constantly, the homeowner gets fed up and just pulls out the battery. Similarly, if your grammar checker highlights too much stuff, then you’re likely to turn it off. In both cases, this means no protection.

Don’t do that! Instead, you can customize your grammar checker to suit your needs. Here’s how:

Step 1: Open a Word document, then go to your Tools menu and select Options.

Step 2: Choose the Spelling & Grammar tab. Then click on OK.

Step 3: In the  “Writing style” menu, make sure it says “Grammar & Style” option. If it says, “Grammar only,” click on the blue arrow and select “Grammar & Style” instead.

Step 4: Click on the settings menu.

Step 5: Place  tick marks beside the “mistakes” you WANT the grammar checker to highlight. Remove  tick marks beside the “mistakes” you DON’T want it to highlight.

I suggest you tick everything EXCEPT “contractions,”  “sentences beginning with And, But and Hopefully,” and “Use of first person.”

(To add or remove a check mark, just click on the box.)

(Note: the settings are in one long box, but my screen forced me to capture it in two parts.)

Step 6: When you're finished, be sure to click OK! (DON'T hit "cancel" or x).

Step 7: Run your spelling & grammar checker and from now it will look for only those mistakes you have highlighted.

My thanks to Seattle-based marketing expert Pat Cope for telling me how to customize the software.