Word Processing Programs

[amybo82]

I usually use Microsoft Word when writing my reviews. It underlines spelling and grammar errors, and you can even set it to autocorrect commonly mistyped words (like when you type teh instead of the). However, I have noticed that it sometimes points out things as wrong that I am pretty sure are correct. For example, I just typed the following sentence:

"The author explains his theory that, like water and food, love is an essential nutrient of life." Word is telling me that it should either say "...theory that, like water and food, loves..." or "theories that, like water and food, love..." I think what I've typed is correct. What do you think?

Another one I've noticed is the use of a semicolon. Sometimes when I use one, Word will underline it and say, "reconsider use of semicolon."

Does anyone else have issues like these?

[bookowlie]

I am almost positive the phrase you wrote is correct. You seem to have a good sense of what's right, so just use the word processing program to highlight things. Then you can use your judgement after that.

[gali]

I also use Microsoft Word when writing my reviews and find it helpful in most cases.

I also think that the phrase you wrote is correct.

[zeldas_lullaby]

Yeah, I liked your sentence. When I use Microsoft Word and it underlines a word and says it's not in the dictionary, I look it up online (usually on dictionary.com, although I wish there were a better site!! Too many ads that slow down my computer). Anyway, if dictionary.com says it's a word, then I right-click it on MSWord and choose, "Add it to the dictionary."

My grammar check usually doesn't come on--I may have different settings--but often it tries to get me to change fold. (I fold the sheets. It'll try to make me change it to I told the sheets.) (HA HA, yeah, I talk to my bedsheets.)

I love the auto-correct feature, 'cause I'm a horrible typist! More often than not, when I mix up letters, it fixes it!

BTW, speaking of another thread on this same forum, BookOwlie used the British spelling of judgement!! (English is judgment!!)

[amybo82]

It's funny with Word. Sometimes I wonder how I survived without it, especially when I make little mistakes that autocorrect like nda instead of and. Other times, I think it's making me a little bit lazier because when I handwrite something, I often have to go look up how to spell words that I should really know. I also find myself shaking my fist at it sometimes because it really wants me to "consider revising" when I really don't want to. Oh, the perils of first world problems!

[DennisK]

The author explains his theory that, like water and food, love … a noun
The author explains that his theory loves ….. a verb
The author explains the his theory has many loves … a noun
Yuk! How can anyone code those kinds of subtleties in a program? You will need an IBM super computer for that. This reminds me of those security blocks that asks the user to enter the characters of an image of letters and numbers that are misaligned – only the human brain can manage that.

[bookowlie]

Yeah, I liked your sentence. When I use Microsoft Word and it underlines a word and says it's not in the dictionary, I look it up online (usually on dictionary.com, although I wish there were a better site!! Too many ads that slow down my computer). Anyway, if dictionary.com says it's a word, then I right-click it on MSWord and choose, "Add it to the dictionary."

My grammar check usually doesn't come on--I may have different settings--but often it tries to get me to change fold. (I fold the sheets. It'll try to make me change it to I told the sheets.) (HA HA, yeah, I talk to my bedsheets.)

I love the auto-correct feature, 'cause I'm a horrible typist! More often than not, when I mix up letters, it fixes it!

BTW, speaking of another thread on this same forum, BookOwlie used the British spelling of judgement!! (English is judgment!!)

I always knew either spelling was acceptable. Another one is traveled/travelled. I always use the travelled spelling. Should I start drinking English Breakfast tea?

[zeldas_lullaby]

HA HA!! Yes, you should!! Unless English Breakfast tea is not your cup of tea!

I too prefer judgement and travelled. (They follow spelling rules better than judgment and traveled do.) I'm a huge fan of British spelling!!

-- 08 Jul 2015, 21:47 --

To Amybo:
You could probably turn off that grammar feature...? My MSWord never does that! (I use Microsoft Office Word 2007.)

[Scott]

I don't use Word because I prefer Open Source software. Even when one has the money to throw away on licenses, I find the licenses software to be clunky and dysfunctional with all the trouble the DRM and licensing issues itself. I have even seen some devices that hardly function without an internet connection simply because none of the software will work without being able to get online to verify licenses. Similarly, I think development is slow on these programs because of the fact so much resources goes into intentionally making it unusable for proprietary reasons. If you spend too much time making a nice safe, you have nothing good to put inside.

With that said, the quality of the grammar and spelling dictionaries seem to be about the same to me.

Anyway... computer grammar and spelling checkers, at least with today's technology, are just assistants especially on the grammar side. A human person knows better than the grammar checker. The grammar checker acts more like a suggestion/highlighting tool that one can use while proofreading making it easier to spot your own mistakes.

We speak and write in informal languages. Applying grammar "rules" to an informal language--even in so-called technical or formal writing--requires a certain finesse that at this time is still uniquely human. Computer code is formal and cannot contain equivocation; it's literally binary. Love can be verb; love can be noun; and using semicolons is as rational as dancing.

The cool thing is the simple binary rule programmed into the grammar checker would usually be correct which we can pretty much figure out as something like:

• WRONG: The noun verbs his noun that, irrelevant subclause, verb
  SHOULD BE EITHER:
  A: The noun verb his noun that, irrelevant subclause, verb
  OR
  B: The noun verbs his noun that, irrelevant subclause, verbs

In the case in the OP, the binary rule gave a false positive because love is actually a noun in the sentence, which is hard to figure out without truly understanding the human meaning of the sentence. Without using the meaning of the sentence, usually the fragment "his noun that verbs" would be much more common than "his noun that noun".

Well I'll stop writing things now. I just wanted an excuse to complain about Word without being totally off-topic.

[DennisK]

I don't use Word because of the cost. I found that Open Office works well enough for me and it is free to download. The problem is my files are isolated in that I can't share what I have because most people use the Microsoft Office Suite. Granted, Open Office allows me to save my files in the Office format, but the conversion is often flawed – especially my spread sheet files.

[amybo82]

Scott-Haha! I, too like to complain about Word. It was one of my main motivations for starting this thread. I was lucky because I have a Mac. I had a friend who bought Office 2011 for Mac, and at the time, that version came with one license. For some reason, though, the Microsoft folks didn't put the same restrictions on the Mac version that they did the Windows version. Long story less long, she basically got an unrestricted unlimited license key for the software, and everyone she knows with Macs got it for free.

DennisK-I used OpenOffice for a long time, but when I went back to school to pursue my Master's degree, I had to switch back to Word. There were many things that I had to do that just weren't compatible with Open Office.

I also sometimes use Pages that came installed on my computer, phone, tablet, etc. I like it, but I sometimes have compatibility issues if I'm trying to collaborate with someone else.

[zeldas_lullaby]

You all seem to be implying that MS Word has to be paid for on a regular basis. Am I missing something? I bought MS Office Word 2007 back when I bought my Vista box computer. I haven't had to pay to use it since then. It's just there, on my computer. Did I luck out, or something?

Also, Scott, your post went straight over my head. You must be a freakalutin' computer and grammatical genius. I don't understand about open source software or irrelevant subclauses.

Anyways, are you all suggesting that MS Word is like virus protection, in that you have to keep renewing it? Because I haven't had to do that!

[amybo82]

You don't have to keep renewing older versions of Word. If you upgrade, I think you usually have to pay an upgrade fee, but I could be wrong about that. However, the original programs usually only come with one license, so you can use it on your computer, but you wouldn't be able to give it to a friend to use. Microsoft also has a new thing that's a subscription service called Office 365, so if you upgrade to that, it starts at around $70 annually.

[zeldas_lullaby]

Oh, that might explain it. I do everything here at my box computer. I did try to install it from disc to my mom's computer once, 'cause I was visiting, and there were limited days on it, and they wanted me to pay.

OK, now I understand.

Thanks!!

[DennisK]

Zeldas_lullaby, Take good care of your computer. If ever you need to buy a new one, I think you will also have to buy a new Office Suite. Like Amybo82 says, they don't license the person who buys the software, they only license the computer in which it is installed.