Professor Finds Fault with MS Grammar Checker

ChuckOp writes " front-page article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer states: "The University of Washington associate professor has embarked on a one-man mission to persuade the Redmond company to improve the grammar-checking function in its popular word-processing program. Sandeep Krishnamurthy is also trying to raise public awareness of the issue." He includes some twisted prose that the grammar checker fails to find fault with, such as: "Marketing are bad for brand big and small. You Know What I am Saying?" and "Gates do good marketing job in Microsoft". This last comment is disputed by retired Microsoft researcher Karen Jensen, who developed part of the underlying technology; "Only by knowing that 'Gates' probably refers to Bill Gates -- and not to the plural of the movable portion of a fence -- would the program know to suggest using 'does' instead." The professor also has several twisted examples available."

Comments

Microsoft do bad softwares?

[Neil Blender]

That's unpossible!

Not so

[spellraiser]

I double-checked this post using Word's grammar checker. I dare you find fault with it!

Re:Not so

[frank_adrian314159]

I dare you find fault with it!

OK. It's stupid.

There. Do I win?

Easy solution. Learn to write.

[tinrobot]

If someone has to rely on a grammar checker in order to write a decent sentence, then something is seriously wrong.

Re:It's only a simple tool! Use your knowledgebase

[DarkSarin]

I have to disagree--I think that making the grammar checker more intelligent is a very important part of the program.

I think that it is VERY annoying at this point, and I frequently turn it off because of that. Would I use an intelligent grammar check? Yes, by all means. It should also have an option for "story mode" or "dialogue", and ignore bad grammar within quotes so that I don't have hundreds of errors (alleged) popping up when I quote someone or when I choose to write about a character who uses bad grammar.

Re:Oh I See!

[dr_dank]

Yes they're laughing, but at the notion of hearing slashdot and grammar in the same sentence.

Re:Oh I See!

[AKAImBatman]

Yes they're laughing, but at the notion of hearing slashdot and grammar in the same sentence.

That's GRAMMER, you twit!

[...]

Err... wait a moment....

Re:It's only a simple tool! Use your knowledgebase

[cot]

"I don't know much about US high school education, but I would expect that students coming into college would know how to write grammatical English"

The latter part of this statement makes me really believe the former.

Re:It's only a simple tool! Use your knowledgebase

[ThosLives]

...ignore bad grammar within quotes so that I don't have hundreds of errors (alleged) popping up...

You should see what Word does to engineering specifications if you forget to turn off spelling and grammar checking...

Re:Oh I See!

[dsginter]

By visiting his site,

You must be new here. Welcome.

GRAAAH!!!

[flyingsquid]

Hulk work hard on Grammar Checker for Microsoft! Program many long hours. Very hard to type with huge green hands and puny little keys! Many times get angry and smash keyboard. Many keyboards broken. Hulk also get help with grammar from Yoda. Yoda very wise. Maybe not best work in world, but Hulk take pride in work. Why puny University of Washington professor criticize hard work of Hulk? Criticism hurt Hulk's feelings. Hulk angry! HULK SMASH!

Re:It's only a simple tool! Use your knowledgebase

[rpdillon]

I certainly wouldn't tell my students to use it if I was a professor.

That should be "if I were a professor". It's the subjunctive mood. Betcha you wish you had a better grammar checker now!

Interesting link on his website shows

[WillAffleckUW]

that he is speaking not to harm Ceasar, but to make Ceasar a better person:

From his Most common mistakes by students:

"10. Not running Microsoft Word's spelling and grammar check."

From this we gather that he does want people to use the spelinng and gramer czechs ...

and

"11. Assuming that Microsoft Word's spelling and grammar check will solve all writing problems."

Which leads us to believe that he has a purpose to this critique of MSFT Word grammar checking.

Re:Oh I See!

[AKAImBatman]

I submit that "definitely" is the most commonly misspelled word here.

Defenetely.

Re:Oh I See!

[HarvardAce]

I submit that "definitely" is the most commonly misspelled word here.

That's rediculous!

Deja Vue

[Anonymous Coward]

I like it best when the Word spelling/grammar checker gets in a loop.

Me: Type a word.
MS Word: Should be hyphenated.
Me: Change word.
MS Word: Shouldn't be hyphenated.
Me: Change word back.
MS Word: Should be hyphenated.
Me: *Arrrgh!!!*

ALL YOUR BASE

[gkwok]

I typed in the following text to Microsoft Word 2003:

In A.D. 2101 war was beginning.
What happen?
Somebody set up us the bomb.
We get signal.
What!
Main screen turn on.
It's you!!
How are you gentlemen!!
All your base are belong to us.
You are on the way to destruction.
What you say!!
You have no chance to survive make your time.
Ha Ha Ha
Captain!!
Take off every 'Zig'!!
You know what you doing.
Move 'Zig'.
For great justice.

The only things it flagged were "all your base are" (suggested "base is" or "bases are") and "for great justice" (sentence fragment).

Grammatical and sociological implications are left as an exercise to the reader.

Re:Oh I See!

[Dun Malg]

"for all intensive purposes" supplanting "for all intents and purposes." It's not just that it's a mistake, it's a mistake based on a pretentious attempt to sound sophisticated.

Sometime people trying to sound smart are too smart for their own good. The best example yet was related to me by a friend who teaches Photoshop at an adult school (pity him):

Student: "I guess they shouldn't take it for granite that (something or other)"
Teacher: "Take it for granite?"
Student: "Yeah, you know, like 'set in stone'."
Teacher: "...."