Lesson 117 of 1570
Revision With Grammarly and ProWritingAid (Without Losing Your Voice)
Grammar tools make writing cleaner - but too much 'polish' kills your voice. Here's how to use them and still sound like you.
Lesson map
What this lesson covers
Learning path
The main moves in order
- 1Revision is its own skill
- 2revision
- 3Grammarly
- 4ProWritingAid
Concept cluster
Terms to connect while reading
Section 1
Revision is its own skill
Writing the first draft is one skill. Revising it into something great is a totally different skill. AI revision tools like Grammarly and ProWritingAid are surgical tools. Used well, they make you a sharper writer. Used badly, they sand away everything that made your voice yours.
The tools, compared
Compare the options
| Tool | Strengths | Weaknesses | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grammarly | Most students use it, catches 90% of errors | Suggestions can be generic | Free basic; Premium $12/mo |
| ProWritingAid | Deeper style analysis, genre settings | Steeper learning curve | Free basic; Premium $10/mo |
| Hemingway Editor | Shows readability, sentence complexity | Misses some grammar | Free (online) |
| Claude / ChatGPT | Best for content feedback, not just grammar | Can cross into rewriting | Free tier |
The three layers of revision
- 1BIG PICTURE: Does my essay make sense? Is my thesis clear? Do my paragraphs flow?
- 2SENTENCE LEVEL: Are my sentences varied? Clear? Not too long?
- 3WORD LEVEL: Any typos? Right word choice? Any grammar errors?
Grammarly is great at layer 3 and okay at layer 2. It is bad at layer 1. You still need YOUR brain for big-picture revision. Or a human teacher or peer. Or Claude with a careful prompt.
Feedback, not replacement - keep the revising yours.
Prompt for big-picture revision with Claude:
'I wrote an essay about [topic]. Please give me feedback on:
1. Is my thesis clear and specific?
2. Does each paragraph support my thesis?
3. Do my transitions flow?
DO NOT rewrite any sentences. Give me questions I should ask myself.
I will do the actual revision.'The voice-killing trap
Every time Grammarly says 'this sentence is too long,' accepting the suggestion sometimes kills your voice. Long sentences can be beautiful. Fragments can be powerful. Dependent clauses make some writers. Ignoring Grammarly is a skill.
When to accept, when to reject
Compare the options
| Accept usually | Reject often |
|---|---|
| Typos and spelling | Voice changes |
| Clear grammar errors (subject-verb) | Sentence length 'too long' |
| Comma splice fixes | Replacing strong words with weak ones |
| Repeated words | Formal replacements for casual phrases |
ProWritingAid's genre thing
ProWritingAid lets you set your document as 'creative writing' or 'academic' or 'blog.' This is actually useful. A creative story gets different feedback than a research paper. Set your genre before you let it analyze.
The read-aloud test
Before submitting anything, read it aloud. Your mouth catches weird sentences your eyes miss. If something feels clunky when you say it, it is clunky. Fix it. This catches what Grammarly misses AND what Grammarly broke.
“Substitute 'damn' every time you're inclined to write 'very'; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.”
Key terms in this lesson
The big idea: revision tools are sharp. Use them surgically, not wholesale. The goal is to fix errors, not to let a robot homogenize your writing. Your voice is worth protecting.
End-of-lesson quiz
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