Hey, SE Readers. Joan here today. I’ve known of some writers who refuse to use any time of spell check or grammar aid when writing. I’m not ashamed to admit I need all the help I can get.

While these tools are not a substitute for proofreading, they can help detect things such as using the wrong spelling of words. Some examples are there vs. their, its vs. it’s, or two vs. too. Many have settings that allow you to catch passive voice, incomplete sentences, repeated words. You can accept or reject the suggestions.

I’ve used Grammarly for a while. There is a free version and also a paid subscription. I have no affiliation and am not recommending the product. I only mention it for this post. Grammarly catches my use of tautologies. I’ve learned it hates the word “own” when used in a certain context.

“I’m closer to Nell…