4 ms·

You're assuming a oot about the people who use these programs. If you wanna hate on the program itself, sure, be my guest. But, please, don't insult their users

You're assuming a oot about the people who use these programs. If you wanna hate on the program itself, sure, be my guest. But, please, don't insult their users. It achieves absolutely nothing, and only makes you come off as rude and presumptuous. A large audience for these types of tools is people for whome English is not their first language (this includes me, so please forgive any spelling/grammar mistakes you may find). This audience may be very eloquent and stylistic in their native language, but learning languages (especially when you have passed your teens) is hard, and sounding professional and sleek requires a lot more effort than you might think. Here's where Grammarly comes in. It reformats your sentences to be more consistent with your projected attitude, removing a ton of work for some people.

bradwood 4y ago
I'm sorry but I agree with the essence of the TP on this. The best way to learn grammar and style is to develop your own. Regardless if you're writing in your first language or not, getting a good command of a language is going to come from personal effort, not relying on some piece of software to correct you.
- jfim 4y ago
  It really depends on how one uses the software. If it's used as a learning aid to reinforce certain patterns (eg. "I went to office" -> "I went to the office"), it's fine in my opinion. After all, everyone started as a beginner. If it's used to fix whatever ESL word salad one writes, without using the corrections as a hint to improve one's command of the language, then I agree with you.
wmorse 4y ago
I found the comment slightly witty, not insulting. I mean, you have to be able to take (or get) a joke! I know plenty of people for whom the tool is really useful -- my foreign-born wife for example. But were she to limit her native expression with the same kind of "simplifying" that the tool offers, I am sure she would not be perceived as having any kind of personality at all. For me, when I write -- and I like to write -- I choose to break convention often. The tool frustrates me and wastes my time. Sure there is an audience for this, but I don't want to sound like everybody else. That's MY attitude. ...and reading the comments does make it sound like a key-logger ... so no, I can't say I trust the extension.

bradwood 4y ago

I'm sorry but I agree with the essence of the TP on this. The best way to learn grammar and style is to develop your own. Regardless if you're writing in your first language or not, getting a good command of a language is going to come from personal effort, not relying on some piece of software to correct you.

jfim 4y ago
It really depends on how one uses the software. If it's used as a learning aid to reinforce certain patterns (eg. "I went to office" -> "I went to the office"), it's fine in my opinion. After all, everyone started as a beginner. If it's used to fix whatever ESL word salad one writes, without using the corrections as a hint to improve one's command of the language, then I agree with you.

wmorse 4y ago

I found the comment slightly witty, not insulting. I mean, you have to be able to take (or get) a joke! I know plenty of people for whom the tool is really useful -- my foreign-born wife for example. But were she to limit her native expression with the same kind of "simplifying" that the tool offers, I am sure she would not be perceived as having any kind of personality at all. For me, when I write -- and I like to write -- I choose to break convention often. The tool frustrates me and wastes my time. Sure there is an audience for this, but I don't want to sound like everybody else. That's MY attitude. ...and reading the comments does make it sound like a key-logger ... so no, I can't say I trust the extension.