StyleWriter 4 License Keys will improve you an author – we promise it. A striking case we know, however that is the thing that our clients let us know. A large number of individuals download StyleWriter 4 pro Keygen consistently and utilize it to alter promoting duplicate, business reports, contracts, manuals, pamphlets or website pages. Jun 24, 2015 - Tags: Louise Harnby, proofreading aids, software for proofreading, StyleWriter4. If I have a PDF, I copy the text from the PDF proof and paste it into a Word file. Go to the Add-Ins tab and click on the StyleWriter icon.
Have you ever wanted a magical editing wand?Just imagine: A flick of the wrist would be all that stood between you and the end of editing your writing. No frustration. Minimal time investment. An amazing manuscript or blog post.Alas, no such magic wand exists.But we do have grammar checker tools, which are the next-best things.Just remember that grammar checker s are designed to make editing easier, not to eliminate the work completely.
Putting the best grammar checker tools to the testDuring self-edits on my latest manuscript, I experimented with six editing tools, both free and paid, to determine which could be most beneficial to The Write Life’s audience. Besides being an author, I’m an editor, so I also weighed each tool against what I’d look for when editing.Since editing has a broad definition — basically anything that improves your writing — it’s not surprising that the tools I tried had different functions, from checking grammar and style, to eliminating unnecessary words, to identifying areas for improvement.What you want in a grammar checker or editing tool will influence which one(s) you choose. No one tool can do it all — nor can one of these tools wave away the work and critical thinking necessary for a well-edited blog post, magazine article or book.A grammar checker doesn’t replace a human editor. Because language rules and elements of a good story can be so flexible, human eyes will always be superior to the rigidity of automatic tools.Here are six of the best grammar checker tools. 1.What It Does: Grammarly is a grammar checker and proofreader.Price: A limited version is available for free, and Grammarly also offers a number of other free services such as a plagiarism checker and various plug-ins. The full-featured premium service costs $29.95 per month, $59.95 per quarter or $139.95 per year.Who It’s For: Anyone, including writers, business people and academics.How It Works: Copy and paste or upload your text into the online dashboard and let Grammarly work its magic. It flags potential errors, gives suggestions and provides an explanation so you can learn why it suggests the change.
There’s also a free Grammarly Add-in available for Microsoft Word and a Grammarly for Chrome extension.The Best Part: Grammarly is easy to use and pointed out a vocabulary issue or two that none of the other tools did. It’s superior to Microsoft Word’s grammar checker.What Would Make It Better: As an editor, I’ve found many people don’t understand or care to learn the technical explanation for why something’s wrong. Plain language (or as plain as you can get) explanations for mistakes would make it accessible to more writers.Our Recommendation: Grammarly is best for the final proofreading stage, or for people who want to learn more about the technical aspects of grammar. If you’re an editor or strong writer, you might find yourself ignoring more flagged items than you fix.More Details: For an in-depth explainer of Grammarly’s free and premium versions, check out our full. 2.What It Does: ProWritingAid analyzes your writing and produces reports on writing style, sentence length, grammar, and repeated words and phrases.Price: There’s a limited free version. If you upgrade to the premium membership, you can edit in Google Docs or Microsoft Word, access a desktop app and Chrome add-ins, and — best of all — lose the word-count cap.A year’s membership is $60. Or get two years for $90, three years for $120, or go whole hog and buy a lifetime membership for $210.Who It’s For: AnyoneHow It Works: Click on “Editing Tool,” create a free account, then paste in your text.The Best Part: Though ProWritingAid has a premium option, most of the areas you’ll want checked are available for free.What Would Make It Better: Though ProWritingAid checks grammar, I slipped in a your/you’re mistake without getting flagged.
I wasn’t overly fond of the website design, but its overall functionality is hard to argue with.Our Recommendation: Use ProWritingAid in the self-editing stage to guide your edits.More Details: For an in-depth explainer of ProwritingAid’s free and premium versions, check out our full. 3.What It Does: Like Grammarly, After the Deadline is a grammar checker.Price: Free for personal useWho It’s For: AnyoneHow It Works: Click “Demonstration,” paste the text you want to check, and click “Check Writing.” After the Deadline underlines any potential issues and explains its reasoning.The Best Part: It’s free! You can also use it on your self-hosted WordPress site, as an extension or add-on for Chrome or Firefox, or with OpenOffice.org.What Would Make It Better: A definition of passive voice that explains how you construct it grammatically.
After the Deadline rightly explains what passive voice does, but it seems to focus only on the “be” verb, which occasionally leads to falsely labeling non-passive constructions as passive.Our Recommendation: You get what you pay for with After the Deadline. Use it for a final proofread, but exercise good judgment and don’t make every change it suggests — it’s not as sophisticated as Grammarly.4.What It Does: AutoCrit analyzes your manuscript to identify areas for improvement, including pacing and momentum, dialogue, strong writing, word choice and repetition. Depending on what level you choose, you can also compare your writing to that of popular authors like J.K. Rowling or Stephen King.Price: Three different levels are available: the “basic” for $10 per month, the “professional” for $30, or the “Elite” for $80 per month. Both of the latter offer a 14-day trial for $1.Who It’s For: Fiction writersHow It Works: Paste your text into the online dashboard or upload a document and click on AutoCrit’s tabs to see their analysis.The Best Part: I spent the most time in the “Compare to Fiction” tab, which provides a comprehensive look at common issues. It highlighted my tendency to start sentences with “and” and “but,” and identified my most repeated words. I felt like I learned something about my writing, and that’s something I don’t think I could say about some other tools.What Would Make It Better: A more accurate definition of passive voice. It highlights any use of the “be” and “had” verbs, neither of which fully capture passive voice (you need a past participle in addition to a “be” verb), and many active voice constructions were falsely labeled as passive.Our Recommendation: AutoCrit is great to guide your edits in the self-editing stage.
It’s best used for developmental edits, rewrites and avoiding common writing no-nos. 5.What It Does: Hemingway App provides a readability score — the lowest grade level someone would need to understand your text — and analyzes your writing to identify areas for improvement.Price: Free online, and $19.99 for the desktop version, which is available for both Mac and PCWho It’s For: AnyoneHow It Works: Paste your text into the dashboard and scan for highlighted sections of text. The highlighted text is color coded depending on your area of improvement, whether it’s hard-to-read sentences, the presence of adverbs, or passive voice.The Best Part: In addition to providing examples on how to fix passive voice or complex phrases, Hemingway App also identifies how many “-ly” adverbs and passive voice constructions you’ve used and suggests a maximum number based on your word count.In my prologue, for example, I had one use of passive voice, and Hemingway App suggested aiming for six uses or fewer — which I nailed.
These recommendations reinforce the idea that not all adverbs or passive voice constructions are bad, and that’s something other tools miss.What Would Make It Better: Hemingway App was the cleanest and easiest to use of the free editing tools, but it’s not a true grammar checker or proofreader. Even though it’s not meant to catch grammar and spelling mistakes, any editing application that catches those mistakes is instantly more attractive.Our Recommendation: Use Hemingway App to increase the readability of your writing and identify problem sentences during the copyediting stage, but supplement your efforts with a grammar and spell checker. 6.What It Does: WordRake cuts out the unnecessary words or phrases that creep into your writing. It works with Microsoft Word and Outlook, depending on which license you purchase. I tested the Microsoft Word version.Price: The Microsoft Word version is available for Mac or Windows, and you’ll pay $129 for a year or $259 for three years. The Microsoft Word and Outlook package version is only available for Windows, and it costs $199 for a year or $399 for three.Who It’s For: Bloggers, authors and editors using Microsoft Word or OutlookHow It Works: WordRake is an add-in for Microsoft products and requires you to install the program before using it, though it’s as easy as following the instructions. Select the text you want to edit, then use the WordRake add-in.
It uses track changes to suggest edits, which you can accept or reject.The Best Part: WordRake is as close as you can get to an automatic editor. It appealed to me more as an editor than writer, but it’s great at eliminating unnecessary phrases and words — and it’s those words that bog down your writing.What Would Make It Better: I threw a your/you’re mistake in to see if WordRake would catch it. It didn’t, even though Microsoft Word flagged it. If WordRake could catch common writing mistakes like your/you’re or their/they’re/there in addition to unnecessary words, it’d be a hard tool to beat.Our Recommendation: WordRake is a great tool for the copyediting stage.
Verbose writers, authors wanting to cut down on editing costs or editors looking to speed up their editing process will most benefit from WordRake. Watch out if you’re running Word on a slow computer: WordRake could increase your load time.This post contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase through our links, you’re supporting The Write Life — and we thank you for that!The original version of this story was written. We updated the post so it’s more useful for our readers.Photo via rCarner/. I’ve used both AutoCrit and Grammarly (am currently a Grammarly subscriber) and have been disappointed with both.
AutoCrit offered some good insights, particularly overuse of words but I found far too many false positives with both products. Reviewing the reports and investigating potential errors as opposed to stylistic differences is very time consuming and it’s frustrating to go through that process only to learn/decide there are no problems. I should mention that I am focusing on fiction and creative nonfiction. I think investment in something like the online Chicago Manual of Style and a rigorous self-editing routine would take less time and be more cost effective. As with spellcheckers, “outsourcing” editing to software can result in flabby language and grammar muscles.
When it comes to the final draft of my novel, I’d rather apply the steep fee I pay to Grammarly to hiring a good living, breathing editor. Keith, I think you’re hitting on something important here, that “automatic” doesn’t necessarily mean faster and easier, as counter-intuitive as it sounds. A lot of these tools are good starting points, but not replacements.
Nothing beats the human eye and brain.Have you used macros with MS Word? I think if you create them to highlight known issues, it would function a lot like AutoCrit (and others) and would be a good supplement to a self-editing routine — one that would easily flag potential words/phrases to address.
Especially since you can customize it. Thanks so much for the tips! This is a helpful list. I am just starting out on writing my first draft on my first novel. I need all the help that I can get when it’s time to revise.
My problem is not having the money for much as I am on disability now, and I honestly don’t have extra to even save at this point. I am curious about Smart Edit.
Have you heard of it or tried it? I have downloaded it, but I haven’t tried it yet.
I have heard of Auto Crit, and of course, Grammerly. One of the Grammerly writers was a guest blogger on my blog.
Thanks for your help. I’m not sure that I could proof/edit my stuff without some kind of assistance. My main tool currently is volunteer readers.
My main problem is I get engaged in the story and forget about editing! I suppose in a way that’s a good thing and some who have read my work tell me that they don’t notice “errors” because the story keeps them moving. I strongly suspect they are just being kind. I’ve also found that starting at the end of the work and going backwards helps with a lot of things. And as a professional I feel that I have to do the best work I can, so I’ll be looking at some of these starting with Paper Rater.Another “problem” I have is that I’m not really a writer. I’m a story teller – which is a whole different thing and I approach the writing from a much different angle.
And yes you CAN write an 80k or 90 k word “story.”;-D. You seem to think much like I do. You may disagree with some points, but this all sort of supports my growing understanding that:1) Rules are only generic guidelines.2) Rules are made to be broken if you understand the rules and why you might choose to break them.3) Most of the rules are very basic and generic and were designed to support the cottage industry of Creative Writing ‘educators’ as a way to get the very basic concepts imparted to beginning, unskilled writers.
I use Auto Crit. I liked the previous version that I paid for MUCH better. This new version doesn’t give grade level of the writing, which I used. I also agree with the previous commenter in that it gives a LOT of false positives, especially on things that shouldn’t ever come up. For example, yesterday I copied a chapter of my work-in-process into Auto Crit and used the Compare to Fiction – Overused Words tab, which is the one I most commonly use. It flagged 12 occurrences of initial “ing” and 30 occurrences of initial conjunction.
For some reason, the program divides my sentences in the middle in odd places, so more than half of those occurrences were false positives. The “ings” and the conjunctions were words in the middle of sentences, not the first word. I review all my flagged items anyway, so I don’t just take the Auto Crit suggestions as required changes, but it’s really frustrating to have paid money for the service, then in the middle of the year I paid for, they make “improvements” and now the program makes mistakes that should be fixable with simple coding parameters like if the word isn’t following a period, it is not an initial word. I just looked at the Smart Edit site and I think I’ll download the trial version this weekend and see if it works better for me. Thanks for this informative page. Lori, the trouble I had with Grammarly is the limit on how many pages you can upload. I think it’s 60 pp now, before only 20.
Another issue is that the export/import process to/from Word can be bumpy, and you can’t add a significant number of words or paragraphs in edit mode, because when you download back to Word, the formatting becomes crazy.Right now, I’m not sure if I should just dump the auto-editor idea. I’m a published author, but I think I have some bad habits.
I’m not sure if the auto-editor is helping me much. Hi, Amanda,You and your readers might be interested in the results of an extended comparative study of 20 grammar checkers I did using published sources as test documents. Among other things, I tried to find out how many false positives the checkers delivered and how many writing problems they “corrected” with new mistakes. The checkers in Word and WordPerfect are included.
The test documents included more than 360 mistakes and problems in grammar and contextual misspelling (the ones that spelling checkers can’t catch) and another 360+ problems with style (redundancies, tautologies, wordiness, cliches, pretentious and outmoded terms, etc.).Spoiler alert: I am co-author of a grammar checker on the list, but the results for it can be ignored if the reader suspects bias. Results for the other 19 checkers are comparable, because they all analyzed the same documents.
There are comments about “readability” scores, about the use of passive voice (a necessity in scientific and legal writing), and about beginning sentences with “And” or “But”–all mentioned by your commenters as problems, but all long ago debunked by editors, teachers, and good writers.The study is at. I think you’ll find it interesting.
Hi Daniel,Yes, we have lots of users that use the software for technical and academic writing. All I can suggest is giving it a try. You can paste into the online editor for free and it has about 90% of the functionality of the paid version.Or, the annual licence is only $35.
You can test it out for free for two weeks and see if you think it’s worthwhile. The good thing about the paid version is that it has add-ins for word, google docs and wordpress.Let me know if you have any questions or need any help.Warmest,Lisa. Hi Mike,I’m in the UK and licence/license is one of those annoying words that has different rules in American English versus British English.
In American English, license is both a noun and a verb. In British English, licence is the noun and license is the verb. So, you are licensed to drive a car but you have a driver’s licence.ProWritingAid doesn’t really mind whether you use American or British English, but its Consistency Report will check to make sure that you are consistently using only one or the other.Warmest,Lisa. What I really like about ProWritingAid is its ability to link into Scriviner.
This is essential for me and it does not change the formatting of the orrignal text “once saved”, meaning that it intially changes it in the ProWritingAid for enhanced readability but will revert to the original formatting.However, there are many grammar issues that it will not pick up. I ran a grammar check on the below and it failed to pick up on any thing wihin this passage as being incorrect.“He children were here to stay.
Between you and me, there was something hear. I went to the shops and brought a milk. Having gone back home.
There was many things that looked like it would be helpful. You’re here to stay. Me think its going to be a very bright day?”Clearly there are issues here with pronouns, captials, verb noun agreement, unacountable nouns, possesives etcHaving said this, the way it automatically reformats the text ( it will revert to correct formatting once saved ) enables you as an author to pick up on mistakes that you would likley miss. It left-flushes the text that enhances focus as your eyes are not darting back and forth from indented text to left flush etc.
Good article, especially the notes that say when these tools are most useful.I came across your page because I’m deluged with adverts for Grammarly, and when I see so many adverts, I have to do some research. I conclude from this that Grammarly is slightly better than Word’s own spelling/ grammar/ Fleisch score, and I’m not going to pay for that small an improvement.I’ve used StyleWriter for years. It seems to address most of the above concerns (in the comments as well), as1) it identifies the obvious process errors (spelling, grammar), but2) before it tries to tell you how to improve, it lets you define your audience and then tells you how well your current piece matches what it thinks your audience will find most persuasive. Examples: How long and sophisticated should the sentences and words be (the reports of a professional association should be a little more demanding than a book for children, or the readers will feel insulted)? Are there Sticky words that slow down your reader or interrupt their train of thought?What I particularly like is the graphical report. It can display my whole document in terms of sentence length and sentence complexity, so I can spot the super long and super short sentences, and by clicking on the graphical representation, get taken straight to them to make whatever corrections.Of course it isn’t live – once I’ve made a series of corrections/ improvements then I have to rerun the report.
And it doesn’t correct for me – I have to make the corrections. But my readership seems to find the results impressive.By the way, none of the other tools are live either. This may be not what you meant by ‘live’ (Grammarly does not correct my Scrivener or iBooks Author docs — I have to repaste), and I don’t want to sound like a cheerleader fanboy for Grammarly, but it is ‘live’ in one particular way, which is that it is ‘live’ for me right now, suggesting corrections for this very paragraph I am writing, right now.That is a documented feature, but one often overlooked by reviewers. Anything I write on the web is ‘live’ corrected by Grammarly, which can be very helpful. While I read about ‘econometric algorithms’ and software writing entire books I still must type all I am then blamed for. Doing it the pretty old-fashioned way, though on a notebook and no longer with a typewriter or handwriting, seemed the way it is to me.I tested software, and online software embedded into websites.
I found the time learning to handle them is often better invested into either writing or researching, as those skills remain with the author.Still thanks for your overview, it is, besides others, an appreciated shortcut to restart research!
Table of Contents.Some writing-enhancement programs are full of bells and whistles. Sometimes those bells and whistles are justified, sometimes they are not.
Is one of the most straightforward, non-BS pieces of writing software there are, and this is part of what makes it so unique. Its goal is simple: to make your English text plainer, simpler, and more understandable.
It is a program which was created with a single concept in mind: the idea that using plain English is the best way of conveying ideas and transferring meaning. The key is efficiency. Using written communication effectively to get your message across. This is what StyleWriter offers. History of StyleWriter 1, 2, 3Created by Nick Wright, Rosemary Tilly, and Peter Stanton, StyleWriter’s earlier versions have always been compatible with Microsoft’s Word (check out, too), and were used as an add-on to the world-famous word processor.
The 4th version is still used in this way, as an addition which complements – but does not replace – Word’s spelling and grammar checkers.StyleWriter’s origins are rooted in the United Kingdom in the 1990’s. At that time, Wright decided to create a piece of software which could help out those in need of a more comprehensive tool than Microsoft Word. Wright had many years of experience as an editor, software designer, lecturer, and instructor under his belt. You can say that he knew precisely what he was doing when he set out to create StyleWriter. He wanted to build a tool which could be used by everyone.Over the years, there have been three, each picking up where the other left off, and improving on its predecessor. With each new version, the interface became more intuitive and user-friendly, the algorithms became more sophisticated, and the results became more pronounced in people’s work.
StyleWriter 4 Review 2017. StyleWriter 4StyleWriter is a copy-editing tool. It is meant for writers and readers of the English language, all over the world, and it comes in several different versions. Depending on your intended use, you will choose the one which is best for you.First off, there is the. Get this done, and see what it is all about.
I could go on and on about the program and its innerworkings, but the best way to get a true feel for it is to actually use it in action. Nothing else comes close.The Starter Edition is meant for homes, students, small businesses, and the like. It provides the user with ways to use English correctly, locates any, and suggests edits when relevant.
This is the basic version, and I feel it completes Microsoft Word in a big way.The Standard Edition includes stats and graphs, all meant to help you proofread and edit on a higher level. Every document is logged, and the data obtained while using this edition is used to help the writer improve over time. This is a version recommended for larger businesses, offices, and establishments.The Professional Edition boasts what is called the Editor’s List – it is a feature which scans every single word in the text, and provides a list of words which are complex, too technical, unusual, passive, or generally misused within the context and genre. It is the version designed for professional writers, and it is true to its name.StyleWriter can seem a little frightening at first, with all of its stats and graphs, splitscreen capabilities, and bars of all kinds. It can be a little overwhelming, but you get used to it quickly if you just start writing. Remember, this is a tool which emphasizes clarity and straightforwardness.
It would be counter-productive – not to mention hilariously ironic – to create such a tool in a way which no one can follow. Features Unique To StyleWriter. StyleWriter FeaturesStyleWriter does not require an internet connection to function. This could be seen as a positive by some, and a negative by others. Its clearest advantage is that it can actually guarantee the safety and security of your documents, since they are never created, edited, or formatted online.
On the other hand, some people out there enjoy the security of having their text on a cloud. This is a judgement call, but I always saw it as an advantage.You can switch between US, UK, and Australian English – an option which many writing-enhancement pieces of software will not provide. You can choose to customize and further personalize the interface’s windows. The text, the bars, graphs, and suggestions can all be moved around or even hidden, so as to create the perfect writing experience for you.StyleWriter runs through your text with lightning speed, and pits your words against different lists of words, looking for errors or discrepancies in usage, style, phrasing, and context. The software then generates a number, a grade, for your text, thus making the editing process easier and more manageable.There are twenty (or so) different genres or tasks which a user can choose from. This is a necessity, since legal writing is nothing like creative writing, for instance.
Other writing programs offer similar options, but StyleWriter goes much further.Not only can a writer choose the style in which the writing is being done, there is also the option of choosing the audience. In other words, the program asks: who will be reading this document? And, according to the options (general public, in-house, specialist), the use of technical terms is more permissible within the text, and is then used to greater effect. It makes the user aware of medical jargon overkill, for instance, in a document meant for the general public. This is a huge upgrade, in my opinion.StyleWriter also offers companies and organizations the “House Style” option.
It is a way for a company to unify its templates and style guides, thus making things a lot easier for anyone who is writing on the company’s dime. Consistency counts for a lot in business, and it goes a long way in making texts more understandable.Creating certain things a standard – built right into the word processor, no less – can save a lot of time and energy. Names, dates, titles, terms, phrases, etc.
– all written properly, with no errors. It is all about giving people and employees the tools they need to get their message across in the best possible way, and keep things uniformed. What’s New In StyleWriter 4The biggest changes in StyleWriter 4 are found in the improved Editor’s List, the choice of newer categories and analysis options, the “pep” list (a feature which encourages positive writing habits), and in the audience options.StyleWriter’s older versions are good, but the 4th version is what really put it on top of many other pieces of writing software. StyleWriter may cost more, but it is good enough to earn that extra fee.
It offers features which no other program has. StyleWriter vs. Grammarly, WhiteSmokeAs you have no doubt gathered, StyleWriter is a unique piece of software, even in a world where many other high-quality writing-enhancement programs are already in circulation. It is NOT a mere spelling. No, sir.There is a lot to be said in favor of programs like (and, too!), and StyleWriter is right up there with them, though it does have a different apporach. I am not about to rank these programs, mind you.
I feel they are all good, and that they each have their time and place. It could be you will download the new version of Grammarly, and find that it fits you better. It is a personal choice. But yes, I believe those three are on top, and probably ahead of many other similar programs.StyleWriter has many advantages, but the one main drawback (or rather, what could be considered a drawback compared to those two) is that StyleWriter works only with Microsoft Word, while and are more standalone.
They can be integrated, at least partially, into Word, Notepad, or Outlook – but they also maintain a strong internet presence, and this could be a deal-maker for some. There are many people who want a broswer extension and online platform, which work together with their chosen writing software.Grammarly and WhiteSmoke are also great tools.
Grammarly, for instance, has a plagiarism checker (something which the other two lack). WhiteSmoke has a dictionary and translation option, though it does need some more work, in my opinion.
StyleWriter was not created as competition for other spelling and grammar checkers. It may do that, too, but it is working on a whole other level. ConclusionStyleWriter is a tool for laymen and professionals alike. Choose the right kind of edition, and you will be writing more clearly and concisely than ever before. Over time, you will gain more confidence and find that you are making less errors. This is because StyleWriter aims not only to fix your texts, but also help you educate yourself on proper writing.
Developing your skills as a writer can give you a great boost, whether in your personal or professional life. Written English is always in demand, no matter where you are. It is an internationally-spoken language, and having a good handle on it can open many doors.Check out our and reviews while you're here at.