“There” for “their” in paragraph two. A client once forwarded my draft back with just that word highlighted — no comment needed. Spellcheckers catch typos; they miss wrong-word errors, tangled modifiers and tone-deaf phrasing. This grammar check before publishing is the self-editing checklist that catches what automation skips, in 15 minutes per post.
Part of the word counter guide. Run drafts through the grammar checker, then readability in the readability checker.
The 15-minute pre-publish checklist
- Automated pass: grammar checker for spelling, agreement, punctuation — accept 90% of flags, interrogate the rest (tools misread style as error).
- Readability pass: FRE 60+, grade ≤8 for general posts; split 25+ word sentences; cut nominalizations (“make a decision” → “decide”).
- Read aloud (or TTS): ears catch missing words and rhythm breaks eyes skip — full method in listening workflow.
- Facts and names: verify every number, name, date and link — grammar tools never check truth, and wrong facts outrank typos in damage.
- Student/blogger extras: citations formatted, plagiarism self-check on quoted passages, headline promises matched by body content.
Top 7 blogger errors (with fixes)
| Error | Example | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Their/there/they're | “There audience…” | Possessive/place/contraction drill |
| Its/it's | “Its a guide…” | Expand to “it is” mentally |
| Dangling modifiers | “Walking home, the idea struck…” | Name the walker first |
| Comma splices | “It works, trust me…” | Period, conjunction, or semicolon |
| Affect/effect | “The affect was…” | Verb vs noun test |
| Passive pile-ups | “Was written by…” ×10 | Keep ≤10% per Yoast guideline |
| Then/than | “Better then…” | Time vs comparison check |
No comparison with paid tools here and no affiliate picks — this checklist plus our free checker covers student and blogger needs; professionals add human editors for books and legal copy. Not academic advice; follow institutional style guides where they exist.
Style guides: pick one, follow it (AP vs Chicago vs house)
Grammar arguments usually mask style-guide differences: Oxford commas (Chicago yes, AP no), numbers under 10 spelled out (both, mostly), headline casing (AP sentence-case evolving, Chicago title-case traditional). Solo bloggers: adopt AP-lite (web journalism standard) and note deviations once. Teams: one shared house guide — even 2 pages — ends more arguments than any checker; tools flag inconsistencies, guides resolve them. Academics: the institution's mandated guide outranks all general advice, including this page. Record the choice in the project README so future collaborators inherit decisions instead of relitigating commas.
General writing guidance only. Test with real readers; formulas ignore tone and expertise. SEO outcomes vary.