Two Simple Reasons Why Grammarly Is Trash! Written By Amechi Okoli

Gone are the days when the likes of William Shakespeare and Mark Twain wrote from the bottom of their hearts. In those times, their writings were read, criticized, and loved by humans alone. Not goats, not cows, not machines, but humans!

Fast forward to 2021, and our writings aren’t read or criticized by humans anymore. We now have apps and software that tell us if our writings are good or not.

Can you imagine that? A non-living thing telling a living thing what’s good and what’s not?

Most freelance writers know what grammar checkers are, the most popular of them being Grammarly. They can also attest to how their clients demand that each write-up must pass a Grammarly check before they can be deemed worthy of a publication. In fact some clients hold back a writer’s pay, just because a software as dumb as Grammarly, flagged one or two errors (I’ll explain why Grammarly is dumb later on).

While it is VERY important to get your writings on-point before you publish, it is also important to remember that the final consumers of your written work are humans, not software. Which means your writing should aim to please the person, not the machine!

This is not to say grammar checkers are bad, it just means that our over-dependence on them in judging the quality of a writer’s work has done more harm than good.

It’s true a grammar checker can help point out some mistakes in the area of spelling, punctuation, and the likes, but so can a human!

There is no product in the world that is 100% perfect. Which is why I will list out two simple reasons why I think Grammarly is trash!

Keep reading!

1. It Is Dumb & Cannot Understand Context

One of the biggest issues I have with grammar-checkers is that they are dumb and cannot understand context!

If you wrote something like – “Whales fly in the water”, Grammarly will pass it off as correct grammar because there are no spelling or punctuation errors. Whereas in the real world, we all know that whales don’t fly!

But hey, who are we to argue with the almighty grammar checker!

You will also notice that these mumu apps flag many non-English names as spelling errors. Just run the name Chopard De Rigo Mouawad through Grammarly and you’ll see red!

Somebody’s name again?

This just goes to show that Grammarly is dumb, and incapable of determining 100%, if a person’s writing is good or not. So why is everyone so hung-up on it?

2. Your Writing Can Pass Grammarly, But People May Still Not Like It

Why do you think millions of people around the world love books like Romeo & Juliet, The 3 Musketeers, Game Of Thrones, and Harry Potter? Do you think it’s because those books passed Grammarly?

The f**king software didn’t even exist when these great works were being written.

The reason the above-mentioned books are loved is because of the value they offer the consumer, and nothing else.

Holy books like the Bible and the Qur’an have been around for centuries, and they are still very relevant to this day. And it’s not because of Grammarly, it’s because of their religious significance, and how they help us live better lives.

Speaking of the Bible, if you run “maketh” or “believeth” through Grammarly, the motherf**ker go flag you offside!

So because of Grammarly I shouldn’t talk like the Jews abi? Rubbish!

Do you know that article of yours about Bleep may pass all the grammar checks in the world but no one would give a f**k about reading it?

Do you know that the average human would rather read a “captivating” piece than a “grammatically perfect” piece?

The sooner you figure that out tbe better.

Conclusion

No one here should get me wrong, it is important to write correctly. And as I have unbiasedly said earlier in this article, grammar checkers can help with spelling errors and minor grammatical issues. But they must NEVER be used as a yardstick to measure the over all quality of a written piece!

If you enjoyed reading this piece, which I hope you did, then hit the like and share buttons. Someone else out there needs this.

My name is Amechi, and I am a professional writer and content creator. You can reach me via the WhatsApp number in my signature.

Your comments, questions, and criticisms are also welcome.

Stay safe!

If you wrote something like – “Whales fly in the water”, Grammarly will pass it off as correct grammar because there are no spelling or punctuation errors. Whereas in the real world, we all know that whales don’t fly!

I think the op is asking too much of a grammar checker. As he himself said,

This is not to say grammar checkers are bad, it just means that our over-dependence on them in judging the quality of a writer’s work has done more harm than good.

And I doubt anyone here checks the quality of what they read on Grammarly, or what they write, for that matter. I sure never used it.

Your first reason holds no water. Grammar check is not a lie detector. It's meant to check grammar as the name implies and not to detect lies. OP is expecting the software to flag sentences like:
Goodluck Jonathan is the president of United States of America!

Grammar checkers are not lie detectors nor fact checkers. They are simply meant to guide writers. It's not everywhere it flags that even requires correction. The flag simply means you should check the underlined and be sure you know what you are doing.

Enskynelson:
Your first reason holds no water. Grammar check is not a lie detector. It's meant to check grammar as the name implies and not to detect lies. OP is expecting the software to flag sentences like:
Goodluck Jonathan is the president of United States of America!

Grammar checkers are not lie detectors nor fact checkers. They are simply meant to guide writers. It's not everywhere it flags that even requires correction. The flag simply means you should check the underlined and be sure you know what you are doing.

Thanks for your contribution. But my first reason holds tons of water. If Grammarly is all they hype it to be, then it should be able to pick that out.

“Whales fly in the water”

Seriously?

You have a problem with grammarly.com for not flagging “Whales fly in the water”

Kilode?

I know grammarly is a thorn in the backside sometimes, but this example is an insult to everything grammarly stands for.

Haba!

Then, complaining that your work isn't interesting after checking with grammarly is just like a farmer blaming the innocent palm-oil for the bad taste of his rotten yam.

Grammarly.com is bae. It depends on the user.

However, you should be proficient in English to make better use of it.

amechi213:


Thanks for your contribution. But my first reason holds tons of water. If Grammarly is all they hype it to be, then it should be able to pick that out.

Well, I understand you had to add that because of the hype. Spell checkers are basically enough for a good writer.
What will grammarly say of Shakespeare's works?

You've a point bro

amechi213:


Thanks for your contribution. But my first reason holds tons of water. If Grammarly is all they hype it to be, then it should be able to pick that out.

You are funny. If you are hyped you for one thing you must be hyped for all things?

Okay, I'll hype you. You hold tons of water.

Pick that out.

budaatum:

You are funny. If you are hyped you for one thing you must be hyped for all things?

Okay, I'll hype you. You hold tons of water.

Pick that out.

Bad grammar

amechi213:


Bad grammar

You don't say, lol.