grammarly

Grammarly - Grammarly is a wonderful little Chrome extension.  You can also install it in Windows 10, but I am personally running Linux with no backup OS, so cannot write on the aesthetics or functionality of this version.  I personally only use the free version but have read great reviews on the full version.  However with anything as complex as grammar it is going to be near impossible (at this point, at least,) to have a program that can spot every single issue that might arise without your noticing.  Grammarly is no exception.  I've seen forums full of screenshots and examples where 'Grammarly fails miserably.'  Frankly, it doesn't.

Sure, it will miss little things at times and this too is an issue for some.  But I intentionally made the typo you can see in the screenshot below to show just how intuitive and precise it can be on the fly.

Not only does it find these issues, it draws attention to them without completely distracting the author from their work with a small indicator at the bottom right corner of the screen their typing in.  And as you can see (well you could if you were watching my screen as I typed this,) it doesn't catch that I've used "their" instead of "they're".

And if you cannot figure out your error by the notification alone, clicking the icon will pop up a small window for you to work in that contains the text you are editing and the rule you've broken with a full explanation of why it may be wrong (as shown in the first image above.)  Tapping escape or clicking the top-left button will take you back to your writing with any changes you've requested already made.

This plugin is feature rich and very useful with a very simple interface and easy learning curve.  I have it running during any blog post I write just in case I might miss something obvious in my hurry to get this new content out to my viewers.  If you're not worried about grammar but try to keep spelling errors at bay, you can disable the grammar portion of the plugin and just leave the spellcheck feature running.  Below is a screenshot of the settings screen available by clicking the icon in Chrome's extension buttons at the top-right of the window (also shown below.)

One last feature I've fallen in love with is a very simple one.  If you double click a word in your browser window it will pop up a list of synonyms for many words.  If you're like me and don't like redundancy in your writing, it's a nice little go-to to have at a double-click's beck and call.  It is by no means the most extensive thesaurus in the world, or even on the Web, but it is convenient and useful in a pinch.

Now if you are a serious blogger making money from your words and the full expanse of Grammarly's tool chest would be worth a monthly fee to you, their prices range from the package you select.  For a single month, it is $29.95 at the time I type up this page but packages go as low as $139.95 ($11.66 a month,) if you buy annually.

One issue I have come across while using Grammarly is that from time to time it loses connection.  This may be my system to blame and not their software, but in either case, if you run into it, there's an easy fix.
 If you happen to notice this icon in the corner of the document/page you're working in, Grammarly has lost communication with their servers.  Simply click on the Grammarly icon to the right of your Address/URL Bar, select disable for any features you have in Grammarly, then re-enable them.  This can be done in one shot; no need to come back out of Grammarly just to go back in and do it again.  then you'll have your happy little green icon back working its magic as seen below.