Making Microsoft Word’s spell and grammar check work for you
The best way to make Microsoft (MS) Word’s spell check and grammar check work for you is to customize it to meet your needs. The default settings are not usually best for formal writing.
To customize these tools:
- Open MS Word
- At the top of your screen click on Tools
- Click on Options
- Click on Spelling and Grammar
Spell check works best if you check the box that says: Check Spelling as you type
To customize Grammar check:
- Check the box that says: Check grammar as you type
- Click on Settings
- Under Grammar, check ALL the boxes
- Click OK
With these settings, MS Word will check for all possible errors. As those errors appear underlined in your text, you can right click to see MS Word’s suggestion for fixing the error.
Do not just make every change MS Word suggests. You will need to decide if that change is appropriate in the context of your sentence and paper. Be aware, MS Word does not find all grammar errors and some of what it finds are not actually mistakes. For example, it will not necessarily pick up all instances of passive voice; however, not all uses of passive voice are incorrect. Again, you will still need to assess what changes make sense in the context of your writing. Still, MS Word will help you find many of the most common grammar errors.
