Maybe you find those visual flags distracting and would rather run the checker manually. Spelling errors are underlined with a red squiggle, while grammatical errors are underlined in blue ( Figure A). Right off the bat, the checker may be set to automatically flag words that it doesn't understand or believes are incorrect. Launch Word and open a document that contains words and terms that you're sure will stump the grammar checker for spelling or grammar. SEE: 44 simple ways to sharpen your writing skills (free PDF) (TechRepublic) The check itself runs in the right pane where you select the option for Spelling or Grammar to review each flagged word. In the latest version of Word, the icon is called Check Document. The spell check then pops up as a floating window on the screen. With Office programs such as Excel, the toolbar icon to run the check is called Spelling. The grammar checker's dictionary is shared across the suite, so any changes you make in one Office application applies to the rest, but the actual command and process to run a spelling and grammar checker differ across the suite. You can turn automatic checking on or off, tell the checker to ignore certain items, and add words to the dictionary so they don't get flagged in the future.įor this article, I'm using Microsoft Word via Office 365. The grammar checker might also try to fix items that don't need fixing, which is why you may need to view and modify certain settings.
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Office's grammar checker may automatically flag words it thinks are wrong, and this visual clue can become distracting.
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Microsoft Office comes with a grammar checker to proof your documents and correct mistakes and typos, but sometimes the checker is more intrusive than helpful.