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Bad grammar makes me [sic]

If in doubt, ignore the grammar checking tool in Word!

Grammar can be a sticky subject. Unless you're hot on punctuation and the correct use of written English the whole thing can be baffling. But even if you're desperate, steer very clear of Microsoft Word's grammar checker. A recent article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer included some dreadfully bad advice from Word's grammar check facility. 'Marketing are bad for brand big and small' was approved without a murmur. And it advised someone else that 'Bill Gates do good Marketing job in Microsoft' is grammatically correct. Blimey. And it rarely picks up missed apostrophes.  

There are loads of free non-Microsoft grammar checking solutions available online. But they all suffer from the same big problem. They have to interpret a language that isn't always logical. Many words have several different meanings. The context of a word can make a huge difference. Despite all the technology at our fingertips these subtleties are almost impossible for software to fully understand.

So what's the solution? I recommend you use a human grammar checker. Find someone who knows what's what and let them read through your text, letters and marketing copy before you release it. More than one pair of eyes helps enormously. And just keep it simple. If you go rambling off into all sorts of complicated concepts and explanations you risk coming a cropper. Write the way you speak (within reason!), use short sentences and simple words and you'll avoid most of the scariest grammar pitfalls.

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