How to Use Grammarly: Step-by-Step Guide for Better Writing

grammarly

Grammarly is an AI-powered writing tool designed to make your writing experience more efficient and accurate.

With its robust features, such as grammar, spelling, punctuation, and tone improvements, you can elevate your writing skills regardless of the platform you’re using.

Whether you’re composing an important email or crafting a social media post, Grammarly has got your back.

Incorporating Grammarly into your daily writing routine is easier than you may think.

All you need to do is install the Grammarly app or add the browser extension to start receiving writing suggestions on your computer or mobile device.

As you type, Grammarly actively checks your text, providing real-time feedback that you can choose to accept or ignore, making the editing process a breeze.

What sets Grammarly apart from other writing tools is its ability to provide tailored recommendations based on your specific needs.

As you use the app, it learns your writing style and preferences, ensuring the suggestions it offers are not only accurate but also align with your unique voice.

Getting Started

Creating an Account

To start using Grammarly, first, you need to create an account.

You can do this by visiting the Grammarly sign-up page and entering your email address, creating a strong password, and adding your name.

If you prefer, you can also sign up with your Google, Facebook, or Apple account.

Choosing Your Version

Grammarly offers three different versions to match your needs:

  1. Grammarly Free: This basic version provides you with essential spelling, grammar, and punctuation checks. It’s a great option if you’re looking for a tool to help with basic writing improvements.
  2. Grammarly Premium: For a more comprehensive experience, Grammarly Premium offers advanced grammar checks, vocabulary suggestions, readability improvements, and more. This version is ideal for writers who want to elevate their writing with additional features.
  3. Grammarly Business: This version is designed for businesses and teams. It includes all the features of Grammarly Premium, plus centralized billing and team management tools.

To choose between Grammarly Free and Grammarly Premium, simply log in to your account.

You’ll be presented with the option to upgrade to Premium if you’re currently using the Free version.

For Grammarly Business, visit their business page to get started.

Now that your account is set up, you can begin using Grammarly across various platforms, such as web browsers, Microsoft Word, or even your smartphone.

Installation and Setup

Browser Extension

Installing the Grammarly browser extension is easy. Simply visit the web store of your preferred browser (e.g., Chrome, Firefox, or Safari) and search for “Grammarly.”

Click “Add” or “Install” to integrate it into your browser.

Once installed, Grammarly will automatically check your writing on supported websites, such as email clients and social media platforms.

Desktop App

To use Grammarly on your desktop, you’ll need to install the Grammarly app by following these steps:

  1. Download: Visit Grammarly’s website and download the appropriate app for your operating system (Windows or Mac).
  2. Install: Open the downloaded file and follow the prompts to complete the installation.
  3. Sign In: Once installed, open the app and sign in using your Grammarly account. If you don’t have an account yet, you can create one for free.
  4. Start writing: You can now create and edit documents directly within the app, or you can use the Grammarly widget in your other text-based apps like word processors and email clients.

Mobile Keyboard

In addition to the desktop app, Grammarly offers a mobile keyboard for both iOS and Android devices. Here’s how to set it up:

  1. Download: Visit your device’s app store and search for “Grammarly Keyboard.” Download and install the app.
  2. Enable: Follow the in-app instructions to enable Grammarly as your default keyboard.
  3. Start using: The Grammarly keyboard will automatically check your text while you type in any app on your device.

Integrations with Writing Software

Grammarly offers an add-in for Microsoft Word on both Windows and Mac. To install it, follow these simple steps:

  1. Visit: Navigate to the Grammarly for Microsoft Office page.
  2. Download: Click on the download button to get the add-in,
  3. Install: Open the downloaded file and follow the installation prompts.
  4. Sign In: Once installed, open Microsoft Word, and you’ll see the Grammarly tab in the toolbar. Click on it to log in with your Grammarly account.
  5. Use: After signing in, you can enjoy Grammarly’s features while writing and editing documents in Microsoft Word.

Keep in mind that an internet connection is needed for the browser extension, desktop app, mobile keyboard, and Microsoft Word integrations to work properly, as they rely on Grammarly’s online resources to provide writing suggestions and corrections.

Using Grammarly

Grammarly Editor

The Grammarly Editor is a web-based writing tool that helps you improve your documents.

By using powerful algorithms, it analyzes your text and provides suggestions based on context.

To get started, you can either create a new document or upload an existing one into the Grammarly Editor.

When writing or editing, the system offers real-time suggestions for:

  • Spelling
  • Grammar
  • Punctuation
  • Word choice
  • Sentence structure

These suggestions help you write more accurately and efficiently.

You can also use the Grammarly browser extension for correcting your writing in various online platforms like emails and social media.

Performance and Goals

To optimize Grammarly’s performance for your specific needs, you can set goals.

These goals give the algorithms better context on the type of audience, formality, domain, tone, and intent of your document.

Here are the categories to adjust your goals:

  • Audience: General, Knowledgeable, or Expert
  • Formality: Informal, Neutral, or Formal
  • Domain: Academic, Business, General, Technical, or Casual
  • Tone: Any desired tone such as confident, friendly, urgent, etc.
  • Intent: Describe, Inform, Convince, or Tell a Story

Customizing your goals allow Grammarly to provide tailored suggestions based on your specific preferences, making it a more useful tool for your writing needs.

Grammarly Cards

When Grammarly detects an issue or suggests an improvement, you may see a Grammarly Card appear.

These cards provide explanations of the issue and offer alternative suggestions.

For example:

OriginalSuggestion
They is going to townThey are going to town

You can choose to accept a suggestion, ignore it, or request more information about it by clicking on the card.

Cards are designed to not only correct your mistakes but also help you learn and improve your writing skills over time.

By integrating the Grammarly Editor, setting desired performance and goals, and utilizing Grammarly Cards, you can enhance your writing skills and create polished, professional documents.

Improving Your Writing

Grammar and Punctuation

Using Grammarly can significantly enhance your writing by identifying and correcting grammar and punctuation errors.

It examines your text for incorrect use of commas, apostrophes, and more, helping you to maintain a high level of accuracy.

Clarity and Style

Grammarly goes beyond basic grammar and punctuation; it also focuses on improving your writing clarity and style.

By identifying vague language, jargon, and repetitive phrases, it ensures your text is concise and easy to understand.

Reading widely and practicing often are great ways to naturally absorb writing tips and improve your skills with Grammarly.

Tone Detection

Another useful feature Grammarly offers is tone detection. It analyzes your writing and suggests adjustments to meet the desired tone, such as casual, formal, or authoritative.

This way, you can tailor your message to your audience effectively.

Plagiarism Checker

Grammarly’s plagiarism checker helps ensure the originality of your work.

By comparing your text with billions of web pages and academic papers, it detects any potential instances of plagiarism.

This feature is indispensable for submitting high-quality, original content in academic or professional settings.

Personalization

Language Preferences

To help you write more fluently in your preferred language, Grammarly allows you to set your Language Preference.

You can do so by navigating to your account settings and selecting your desired language.

This ensures that the suggestions provided are in line with your preferred writing style.

Setting Writing Goals

Grammarly lets you set Writing Goals to tailor your experience and adapt its suggestions to suit your needs.

By setting a specific goal, you help Grammarly understand the context and purpose of your writing.

You can set your goals by selecting various options such as tone, formality, and audience. This ensures that you receive relevant suggestions that align with your intended writing style.

Adding to Personal Dictionary

The Personal Dictionary is another fantastic feature that allows you to add unique words or phrases specific to your writing.

Say you often use jargon, technical terms, or even made-up words; just go to your account settings and add them to your dictionary.

This way, Grammarly recognizes these terms and won’t flag them as errors or provide irrelevant suggestions.

While writing, you can also personalize your experience by using your Style Guide.

It lets you customize Grammarly’s suggestions to match your team’s writing style.

By enabling or disabling specific types of suggestions in the Writing Preferences section, you can create a more focused and relevant writing experience tailored to your needs.

Advanced Features

Grammarly for Business and Education

Grammarly Business and Grammarly for Education are tailored solutions for organizations and educational institutions.

They provide teams and classrooms with advanced features like style and tone suggestions, clarity-focused sentence rewrites, and tone adjustments.

These solutions help improve writing consistency while ensuring a professional tone throughout all communications, making them ideal for business and academic settings.

Managing Account Settings

To get the most out of Grammarly, it’s essential to manage your Account Settings effectively. Here’s how:

  • Custom Dictionary: Add unique or industry-specific words to your custom dictionary to prevent Grammarly from flagging them as errors.
  • Language Preferences: Select your preferred English variant (American, British, Canadian, or Australian) to receive appropriate suggestions.
  • Goals: Set goals for your writing by choosing from options such as intent, audience, style, and emotion. This helps Grammarly tailor its suggestions to suit your needs.

Using the Grammarly Keyboard

The Grammarly Keyboard is a handy tool that allows you to get real-time writing assistance on your mobile device. Here’s how to use it:

  1. Install the Grammarly Keyboard app on your iOS or Android device.
  2. Open the app and follow the prompts to enable Grammarly as your default keyboard.
  3. Start typing in any app, and Grammarly’s suggestions will appear as you type, helping you correct mistakes and improve your writing.

By exploring these advanced features, you can streamline your writing process and communicate more effectively with your audience.

Troubleshooting

Experiencing issues with Grammarly? Don’t worry, here are some solutions to common problems you may encounter.

Installation: If you’re having trouble installing Grammarly, make sure you meet the system requirements for the platform you’re trying to use it on.

Check their official support page for more information on the requirements.

Additionally, try downloading the installer from a reliable source, such as the Grammarly website or app stores.

Grammarly Icon: If the Grammarly icon doesn’t show up in your browser or text editor, make sure the extension or plugin is installed and enabled. To do this:

  1. For browser extensions, check the add-ons or extensions page in your browser settings.
  2. For Microsoft Office, ensure the Grammarly plugin is installed by looking in the Add-ins section of the software.

General Troubleshooting Tips:

  • Keep your Grammarly application updated, as new versions often come with bug fixes and improvements.
  • Clear your browser’s cache and cookies, then restart your browser.
  • Disable other browser extensions or plugins that could conflict with Grammarly, then restart your browser or text editor.
  • If you’re experiencing issues with Microsoft Office, disable any antivirus or firewall applications and re-run the Office application. Disable all add-ons in Word except Grammarly.
  • If nothing works, reach out to the Grammarly Support team here for assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I integrate Grammarly into my Google Docs workflow?

To integrate Grammarly into your Google Docs workflow, start by installing the Grammarly extension for Google Chrome.

Once installed, you’ll see the Grammarly icon in the bottom-right corner of your Google Docs document.

Click on the icon to activate Grammarly, and it will automatically begin checking your document for grammar and spelling errors.

What steps are involved in checking a document using Grammarly?

To check a document using Grammarly, follow these steps:

  1. Open the document you want to check.
  2. Click on the Grammarly icon (in your browser extension, desktop app, or other integrations).
  3. Grammarly will scan the document and identify grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors.
  4. Review the suggested corrections and apply them as necessary, either by clicking on the suggestion or by manually editing the text.

Can I use Grammarly on my Mac computer and if so, how?

Yes, you can use Grammarly on your Mac computer. You have two primary options:

  1. Install the Grammarly browser extension for Safari or Chrome, which will work with web-based services like Google Docs.
  2. Download the Grammarly desktop app for Mac, which allows you to use Grammarly as a standalone application or with popular applications like Microsoft Word.

Is it possible to employ Grammarly on my Android device?

Yes, it is possible to use Grammarly on your Android device. Simply download the Grammarly Keyboard app from the Google Play Store and enable it in your device’s settings.

This allows you to use Grammarly’s features while typing in any app on your Android device.

What is the process for applying Grammarly’s suggestions to improve my writing?

When Grammarly identifies errors or areas for improvement, it provides suggestions in the form of underlined text.

To apply these suggestions, simply click on the underlined word or phrase.

Grammarly will show you the suggested correction, and you can either accept it by clicking on the suggestion or make your own edits.

How can I utilize Grammarly in Outlook for email proofreading?

To use Grammarly in Outlook, download and install the Grammarly for Microsoft Office add-in.

Once installed, you’ll see a Grammarly tab in the Outlook ribbon. Click on this tab, and then click on “Enable Grammarly” to activate the service.

Grammarly will automatically check your emails as you compose them and provide suggestions for improvements.