Grammar Checking

Tips, Tricks, and Answers

The following articles are available for the 'Grammar Checking' topic. Click the article's title (shown in bold) to see the associated article.

Changing How Word Flags Compound Words
It is not uncommon to add hyphens between words to help clarify the meaning of your prose. You might even add non-breaking hyphens so that the two connected words stay on the same line. But if doing so means that Word flags your connected words as somehow in error, then you might rightly question what is going on. This tip examines the problem and discusses a couple of ways you can try to get around it.

Checking for Number Usage
When do you use digits in your prose and when do you spell out the numbers? Why not let Word help you make the decision? Here's how.

Flagging Sentences that Begin with Conjunctions
In my English classes in junior high, I would get marked down if I started sentences with a conjunction. ("There's a reason they are called conjunctions," said the teacher. "They serve as a junction between two independent phrases.") If you are tired of getting mark-downs for a grammatical bad habit, here's how Word can help.

Handling Repeated Words
There are times when you need to repeat a word in a document, but doing so triggers an "error reaction" from Word's spelling checker. Here's some ways that you can force Word to accept your intentional repetitions.

Making Sure Superscripts aren't Proofed
When you add superscripts to words in your document, you may not want those superscripts to be spell-checked. Here's how to disable the checking of your superscripts.

Marking Gender-Specific Grammar
Some people feel that your writing can be better if you remove gender-specific language it may contain. Here's how you can enlist Word's help in tracking down potential violations so you can get rid of them.

Spacing after a Period
Do you put one or two spaces after the end of a sentence? Word can enforce either spacing rule you desire; here's how.

Turning Off Checking for a Style
There may be some paragraphs in a document that you don't want Word to spell- or grammar-check. You can "turn off" the checking for those paragraphs by following the steps in this tip.

Turning Off Checking for Passive Voice
When you have Word do grammar checking on your document, it typically marks everything it considers wrong with the way you write. This includes marking sentences that appear to use "passive" voice. You can, however, turn off this grammar rule so that Word ignores whether you use passive voice or not.

Turning Off Error Marking
If you find the green and red squiggly underlines that Word adds to your document distracting, you might want a quick way to hide them. Here's the absolute fastest way to get them out of your sight.