All good writers check their grammar and spelling as a part of the editing process. The question is, do you use the grammar and spell check programs that come with your word processing programs to do part or all of that work for you? The grammar and spell checkers are a great resource when used in conjunction with the writer's own common sense and creativity.
How Grammar and Spell Checkers Work
Spell checkers highlight the words that are misspelled. Grammar checkers highlight the words, phrases, and sentences that appear to be grammatically incorrect. In both cases, older versions of grammar and spell checkers, may not offer suggestions to correct the highlighted portions. Newer versions of grammar and spell checkers usually do offer suggestions for modifications.
For writers who's spelling and grammar knowledge leave room for improvement, this tool is an essential. For those whose writing skills are quite good, and whose writing rarely receives suggested changes, the grammar and spell check is more of a back up tool.
Knowing When to Ignore Suggested Changes
Sometimes the grammar and spell check suggestions get in the way. The words, phrases, or sentences that are highlighted as mistakes, are not actually mistakes, but the writer's creative license. When running the check, if the grammar or spell check makes suggestions that run counter to the writer's creative license, it's time to ignore the suggestion. For instance, in a piece of fiction, the grammar check may suggest changes to make a character's speaking parts more grammatically correct. However, if the character wouldn't normally speak that way, then it's time to ignore the grammar check and let the character speak the way they should speak. As another example, if the spell checker highlights a word that appears to be misspelled, the writer could choose to correct it. However, if there is a good reason for spelling the word differently (it's a company logo, it's the way a character pronounces the word, the writer is using the misspelling to coin a new phrase or as part of an explanation of a new concept), then the writer can choose to ignore the suggested change.
Grammar / Spell Check - Not for Australian and British English
Many grammar and spell checkers are programmed from an American English point of view. So they offer suggestions for writers using American English. For Australian and British writers, this must be taken into account. Check and see if there is a way to change the grammar and spell checker from American to British English as the language of choice.
The best advice is: "When in doubt, run the grammar and spell check." Then decide for yourself whether a change in grammar or spelling is necessary or desirable, and make changes accordingly.
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