Do Professionals Use Grammarly?

Discover the answer to the question, do professionals use Grammarly and how you can use Grammarly more effectively for professional writing.

I first signed up for the free version of Grammarly in 2014. Since then, it’s evolved from a grammar checker into a plagiarism checker and AI-powered writing assistant. I worked as a content writer for several years for a large British software company. I regularly used Grammarly to check marketing materials and website copy before publication, as did other team members. 

These days, I run a content publishing business. I use Grammarly Business regularly to check my work and the work of other professional writers. Writers who want to publish content for this site and others within the business must also use this tool. It helps our team write clearer, more concise articles. 

In a recent interview, Grammarly CEO Max Lytvyn explained how this tool can help people speak more concisely as they learn to avoid filler words and imprecise language. In short, most professionals can easily use Grammarly to write with confidence.

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Install the Grammarly Desktop App

Do professionals use Grammarly?
If you install a Grammarly desktop app, it works in the background as you write in Ulysses, Scrivener, or even Microsoft Word

Download Grammarly for Mac or Windows or install the relevant plugin for your writing application. If you install a Grammarly desktop app, it works in the background as you write in Ulysses, Scrivener, or even Microsoft Word. Then, press the Grammarly icon when you have finished working on the day’s draft or manuscript. 

It scans your draft for additional grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors that a traditional grammar checker misses. I also particularly like installing the desktop app, as I can connect any writing application to Grammarly rather than looking for a specific integration or plugin.

Use the Grammarly Chrome Extension

Many professionals like to write in Google Docs because it’s free to use and enables collaboration with their editors. It also works from anywhere. If you want to use Grammarly with Google Docs, install the Google Docs Grammarly extension. That way, you can check your documents in Google Docs with Grammarly. 

Try the Plagiarism Checker

Grammarly plagiarism checker
Grammarly plagiarism checker in action

The plagiarism checker in Grammarly is invaluable. I use it to find missing citations and check for unintentional accidental plagiarism. If you want to use a quote or statistic you sourced online but can’t find a relevant citation, take a few minutes to run the draft through the plagiarism checker. Then, it should surface instances where this has been previously used online. Read our guide to the best plagiarism checkers to learn more. 

Add Custom Words or Terms to the Grammarly Dictionary

If you use unusual character names, places, spells, odd words and terms, it’s annoying if Grammarly flags them. Add custom character names, places, spellings, technical terms etc., to the Grammarly dictionary. You could even set up rules so these are spelled consistently throughout your document. 

Create Text Snippets

One hidden feature of Grammarly many professionals don’t use is its ability to create text snippets. If you find yourself writing out a particular term, an acronym, a complicated name, a company name, or hard-to-spell locations frequently, you could create a text snippet for it. This snippet is essentially a shortcut, which Grammarly expands for you, reducing keystrokes. 

Set a Professional Style Guide

Set a professional style guide
You can share these style guides with team members if using Grammarly Business

Grammarly offers detailed settings that you can customize relating to a style guide for your company. Review all these and identify particular settings you want Grammarly to check your document for versus ignore. You can share these with team members if using Grammarly Business.

Create Company Writing Rules 

Take a few minutes to set the writing style rules in the Grammarly preferences section, where you can review rules relating to the passive voice, punctuation, spelling, versus writing out numbers etc. You can tailor the suggestions that Grammarly offers to your particular writing style and reduce the frequency of unnecessary issues Grammarly flags. 

I recommend picking a dedicated style guide inside Grammarly if you’re writing a formal document. Currently, Grammarly supports APA, MLA and the Chicago Manual of style.

Enable “Don’t Check Text Inside Quotes”

When I started using Grammarly as a professional, it kept flagging dialogue and interview quotes as full of potential grammar errors and punctuation mistakes when I cited an interviewee. Similarly, I can imagine how a professional would find it frustrating if Grammarly flagged quotes as grammatically incorrect. After all, people speak in grammatically correct sentences only sometimes. 

To avoid this issue, turn on “Don’t check text inside of quotes”. Then, Grammarly automatically skips any text that defines inside of quotes, and you won’t have to worry about red underlines.

Select the Right Version of English

Select the right version of English
Take a few minutes to set the particular version of English you want to use inside Grammarly before going further with your book

Are you publishing content for a US audience, a British audience, an Australian audience, or a Canadian audience? All of these versions of English have different spellings and grammatical rules. Take a few minutes to set the particular version of English you want to use inside Grammarly before going further with your book.

Check the Grammarly Security Settings

Check the Grammarly security settings
Grammarly offers several additional security settings including two-factor authentication (2FA) and single-sign-on (SSO)

Grammarly offers several additional security settings that professionals can turn on. These include two-factor authentication (2FA) and single-sign-on (SSO). A Grammarly Business user can also review how often team members use the tool and change how many seats they are paying for accordingly. For more, read our Grammarly Business review

Use The Tone Detector

Use the tone detector
Grammarly can amend the tone of the same text if it’s a formal email for a boss or a direct report

The Grammarly Tone Detector is a newer feature. It enables a professional to adjust the tone of their writing based on the audience and where it will appear. For example, a professional can amend the tone of a casual reply on Slack to sound more friendly, personable, and confident.

Similarly, they can amend the tone of the same text if it’s a formal email for a boss or a direct report. It only takes a minute to review these suggestions. For more advice like this, check out our guide to the most common types of users for Grammarly.

Author

  • Bryan Collins is the owner of Become a Writer Today. He's an author from Ireland who helps writers build authority and earn a living from their creative work. He's also a former Forbes columnist and his work has appeared in publications like Lifehacker and Fast Company.

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