A Writer’s Guide to Grammarly: Perfecting Your Craft Without Sacrificing Style
Whether you’re drafting a blog post, working on a white paper, or sending a professional email, writing well takes effort. Grammarly, an AI-powered writing assistant, helps smooth the process by offering corrections on grammar, spelling, tone, and more. But how much should a writer rely on an AI tool? And how can you use it without it flattening your unique style?
This guide breaks down how to get the most out of Grammarly—without losing your voice along the way.
What Grammarly Can (and Can’t) Do
Grammarly may be a tool that helps you spot mistakes and improve readability in your written work, but it’s definitely not fool-proof. It works by scanning your writing for common issues like grammar mistakes, punctuation errors, and awkward phrasing.
The free version covers grammar, spelling, and basic tone detection. It’s great for catching little errors that can slip through the cracks. I particularly love having it as an extra set of eyes when I’m drafting an email.
The premium version offers more advanced features, like style suggestions, fluency improvements, and a plagiarism checker. While I don’t always accept the suggestions, the paid version can feel a bit more like a thought partner, offering up alternative ideas.
While neither version is a substitute for a thoughtful human editor, I’ve found the tool can be a great safety net for ensuring you’ve covered all the basics.
Grammarly for Different Kinds of Writing
Not all writing is the same, so Grammarly doesn’t work the same for every genre or project. Here are some examples of where it can add value across different content types and formats:
Creative Writing
Grammarly can be a helpful tool for catching typos and awkward phrasing, but when it comes to creative writing, it’s best used as a suggestion rather than a rule enforcer. Creative writing often involves playing with sentence structure, voice, and tone in ways that Grammarly might flag as “incorrect.” For example, if you’re writing a sentence like, “She ran through the door, her heart pounding like a drum, and her thoughts were a blur”, Grammarly might flag the sentence as “wordy” or suggest breaking it up for clarity. But if you like the rhythm, you might choose to ignore that suggestion.
I like to use Grammarly to catch basic mistakes (like typos or repeated words), but I don’t let it dictate my creative decisions. Trust your instincts!
Blogging & Content Writing
Grammarly can really shine when you’re working on blog posts and website copy. These types of writing require clarity, directness, and engagement, which Grammarly excels at. For example, in a blog post about tips for better time management, Grammarly might recommend tightening a sentence like “One of the best things you can do to increase your productivity is to learn how to prioritize your tasks effectively” to something like, “To boost productivity, learn to prioritize tasks effectively.”
Being more concise without losing meaning is exactly the kind of suggestion I’ve found to be useful when writing content.
Formal Writing
If you’re working on an academic paper, white paper, or another formal deliverable, Grammarly Premium can help with tone and passive voice—common pitfalls in these areas. It can also help ensure consistency in citation styles, though it won’t check your references for you.
Business and Email Writing
For emails and business communication, Grammarly can help streamline your language—making it more professional and polished without sounding robotic. Imagine you write an email to a client that says: “I wanted to check in to see if you had a chance to look at the proposal I sent over last week.” Grammarly might suggest a change for tone and clarity, offering something like, “Checking in to see if you’ve had a chance to review the proposal I sent last week.”
Notice the difference? It’s still polite, but more to the point.
How to Use Grammarly Without Losing Your Voice
Set Exact Goals
Grammarly lets you customize your writing goals based on style, tone, and formality. For example, if you're writing a blog post, set the tone to "conversational" and the formality to "informal." This will help Grammarly make suggestions that align with your goals.
Review Suggestions
Never hit “accept all” without reading through the proposed changes. I like to ask myself, “Does this suggestion improve my writing, or is it taking away my voice?”
Turn Off Distracting Features
If you prefer writing without interruptions, turn off Grammarly’s suggestions while you draft! Once you have your ideas down, use it for a round of editing.
Customize Your Dictionary
If you use unique names, jargon, or even invented words for creative projects, add them to your personal dictionary. This will prevent Grammarly from flagging these terms as errors.
A Few More Pro Tips for Writers
Install Grammarly’s browser extension for real-time help on emails, social media posts, and website copy.
Use tone detection for emails, especially when you’re unsure if your message sounds too long or formal.
Track your progress! Grammarly’s Premium version lets you track improvements over time. You can see how your writing style evolves and whether your clarity and fluency scores are improving.
Overall, Grammarly is a fantastic tool for catching mistakes, improving clarity, and tightening your writing. But like any AI writing tool, it’s only as good as how you use it. Let it polish your work—but trust your voice more than its green underline. Happy writing!
