Even those of us who do not depend on it for professional needs to write sometimes — reports, correspondence, reviews and blogposts — we might have to call upon our inner wordsmith on various occasions. Leave alone the reluctant ones, even the most hardened of writers sometimes need a little bit of help.

In-programme help

Make the best use of in-programme spelling and grammar checkers. Most present-day applications like browsers and word processors come with spell check built into them. Browsers such as Firefox, Safari, Chrome and Opera already come with native spell check. For Internet Explorer 9, native spell check can be supplemented with an add-in. Word processors also have spell checking options, while adva-nced tools such as Microsoft Word co-me with a grammar checking option that looks out for common errors. If you’re an OpenOffice user, consider the extension After the Deadline, which includes a grammar, style and contextual spelling checker that points out — among other things — passive voice, misspelt or misused words, and clichés. A common oversight that leads to embarrassing ‘mistakes’ is using the wrong language with your programmes. For instance, American and British English spell many words differently, such as ‘paralyse’ and ‘paralyze’ or ‘tranquility’ and ‘tranquillity’. In word processors, it is easy to change the default language; in case of browsers, it is possible to use a language pack. See your browser maker’s site for more details.

Proof-reading tools

There are many web-based proof-reading tools, such as SpellChecker Plus.com. This comes in both free and paid versions. Free version is ad-supported and have a limit of checking only 500 words at a time. It finds common spelling and grammar errors, including misspelt words, incorrect usage of terms (such as ‘you’re’ and ‘your’), wrong capitalisation, as well as erroneous punctuation. Though SpellCheckerPlus appears to be better than the competition in catching contextual errors, it doesn’t have options for different versions of English. The Pro version costs approximately $15 (Rs 850) for one year, and includes a writing portfolio and word exercises.

Dictionaries

Sometimes there is no other option but to consult the dictionary. Mac OS X users are lucky enough to have a built-in dictionary app, which can look up the Oxford dictionary for both British and American English, as well as the Apple dictionary and wikipedia. However, for other operating systems, the Oxford dictionaries are freely accessible at Oxforddict-ionaries.com. For frequent users, it is recommended to set up a custom keyword search on their browser. Apart from meanings of words, Oxford dictionaries provides word games, and other resources for learners and teachers of English. Stuck for the right word or worrying that your vocabulary is limited? Bookmark Thesaurus.com and preferably use a browser keyword search for faster access. Word processors such as MS Word and OpenOffice Writer also have built-in thesauruses.

A foolproof solution?

Well, it doesn’t exist. Even with the best online and offline tools, it is next to impossible to guarantee 100 per cent error-free text. At the end of the day, the human eye and clarity of expression is what counts. Spelling and grammar checkers will (to a great extent) ensure your text doesn’t have embarrassing typos, and dictionaries and thesauruses may jazz up the work to sound better, but for best results, one has to read one’s work through carefully.

(Payal Dhar is a freelancetechnology writer)