Hi Rod: I just turn the grammar checker off and trust in my somewhat non-professional knowledge of grammar, because half of the time, I have no idea of what the grammar checker is objecting to. (Oops! I just ended a sentence with a preposition and I just used the dreadded exclamation mark.) (smile) It's a good thing I don't write professional documents for a living. eh! Kevin Huber
On 9/17/15, Rod Hutton via Talk <talk@lists.window-eyes.com> wrote: > Hi Tom, and all, > > And, if I may say, that was beautifully written and I agree with your > assessment. Oops, did I start the previous sentence with a conjunction? I > can't speak in minute detail as to your use of punctuation, since I have my > punctuation echo turned off, but, if Window-Eyes phrasing with respect to > punctuation can be trusted, as I usually do, that was done superbly as > well. > I wonder what those fancy grammar checkers would do to my "eloquent" prose. > smile > > All the best, > > Rod > > -----Original Message----- > From: Talk > [mailto:talk-bounces+rod_hutton=hotmail....@lists.window-eyes.com] On > Behalf > Of Tom Kingston via Talk > Sent: September 17, 2015 11:41 AM > To: Diana Kube <k...@netspace.net.au>; Window-Eyes Discussion List > <talk@lists.window-eyes.com> > Subject: Re: Professional level robust Punctuation/grammar/proofing tools > that work with Window-Eyes. > > Hi Diana, > > I don't at all mean to sound arrogant. But in my opinion the best thing > to do for yourself is learn how to do it right yourself. No program is > going to be perfect. And editors don't mind making minor corrections. > That's their job. Also, part of it is simply their personal preference > or that of the publication. > > When it comes to punctuation there isn't a set of rules carved in stone > for the English language. And that is what a program works best with. > > Editors and writers will always disagree over things like the use of > semicolons instead of separate sentences, too many or too few commas or > clauses, the latter of which may or may not also involve semicolons. > Then there's the timeless debate over the serial comma, which is also > referred to as the Oxford or Harvard comma. I have no idea what a > program would do with that. Do you know the difference between a > parenthetical statement enclosed in parentheses and one enclosed in em > dashes? No program can. > > One consensus among editors is a raw hatred for the exclamation mark. > Why this is is a mystery. But it's been preached from the bully pulpit > for as long as I can remember. So I suppose a program could simply > blacklist the exclamation mark. Then again, under just the right > circumstances it is just the right mark for the occasion. Still, whether > the editor agrees or not is a roll of the dice every time. > > So it's a combination of developing your own style and knowing that of > the publication you're submitting to, because, as I said, they're not > all hard and fast rules. I say the publication rather than the editor > because often it's the publication's rules the editor wants you to > adhere to, which aren't necessarily one and the same. Professional > publications typically desire consistency throughout. So it may be more > the publications rules you and the editor are working toward rather than > either of your own personal preferences. > > Academia is pretty well set but there's still wiggle room even there. > "professional" is an open field on what is right or wrong depending on > the particular genre or sub-genre. And again, there's the matter of the > editor's/publication's preference. No reasonable editor is going to have > a problem with preferential edits. They know they're forcing their style > on your writing. These are the cases wherein you simply have to learn > and write to that predefined ideal. > > When you say "Word misses a high percentage of unusual errors including > punctuation with narrated and quoted text in the same sentence," I read > that as pretty much everything. If you meant something more specific > please feel free to elaborate. > > Good luck, > Tom > > > On 9/17/2015 7:05 AM, Diana Kube via Talk wrote: >> The default spell/grammar check that comes with word is not robust enough >> for large, professional or academic manuscripts. Is anyone aware of a >> high > quality, professional >> level tool that works effectively with Window-Eyes? >> >> >> >> I have tried both "Grammarly" and "Ginger" but although they work well >> for >> my sighted husband, they are not effective using Window-Eyes. I am >> getting > a >> lot of negative comments regarding errors in manuscripts that reviewers > and >> editors believe should be addressed prior to submission. Any >> suggestions?? >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Any views or opinions presented in this email are solely those of the > author and do not necessarily represent those of Ai Squared. >> >> For membership options, visit > http://lists.window-eyes.com/options.cgi/talk-window-eyes.com/tom.kingston%4 > 0charter.net. >> For subscription options, visit > http://lists.window-eyes.com/listinfo.cgi/talk-window-eyes.com >> List archives can be found at > http://lists.window-eyes.com/private.cgi/talk-window-eyes.com >> > _______________________________________________ > Any views or opinions presented in this email are solely those of the > author > and do not necessarily represent those of Ai Squared. > > For membership options, visit > http://lists.window-eyes.com/options.cgi/talk-window-eyes.com/rod_hutton%40h > otmail.com. > For subscription options, visit > http://lists.window-eyes.com/listinfo.cgi/talk-window-eyes.com > List archives can be found at > http://lists.window-eyes.com/private.cgi/talk-window-eyes.com > _______________________________________________ > Any views or opinions presented in this email are solely those of the author > and do not necessarily represent those of Ai Squared. > > For membership options, visit > http://lists.window-eyes.com/options.cgi/talk-window-eyes.com/huber.kevin7%40gmail.com. > For subscription options, visit > http://lists.window-eyes.com/listinfo.cgi/talk-window-eyes.com > List archives can be found at > http://lists.window-eyes.com/private.cgi/talk-window-eyes.com > _______________________________________________ Any views or opinions presented in this email are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Ai Squared. 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