Grammatik III Provides The "Write" Stuff Copyright 1988 David W. Batterson A spelling checker and thesaurus are necessary features for word processing programs, and the good ones now include them. Not so long ago, these were only available as add-on software products. The next step beyond these programs is the style checker. Previously, we reviewed one called Readability. This review takes a look at Grammatik III, published by Reference Software; the company also publishes Reference Set. Grammatik III is more than a style checker, since it proofreads your copy, looking for mistakes pertaining to usage, grammar and punctuation. It also has a built-in spelling checker; this can be disabled if you don't need it. The program is an excellent teaching aid. For new writers, it will point out exactly what they are doing wrong. It is also useful for good writers too, because it catches things you overlook while proofreading your copy. Probably the best use of Grammatik III is for improving business communications: correspondence, brochures, news releases, training manuals and electronic mail. Many companies, including the accelerating number of home offices, must make the best possible impression with written communication. Grammatic III uses sophisticated Artificial Intelligence to do its work. So what specific kinds of errors does the program find? It will catch double words (such as the the) or double punctuation. It looks for incomplete sentences, subject-verb disagreement, improper possessive use, capitalization errors, wrong use of articles and homonyms, and omitted punctuation. It also locates various words and phrases that are clumsy, misused, redundant, pretentious, and otherwise inappropriate. It counts sentences, the number of words in sentences, and average word lengths. As an option, it will create a list of all the words used in a document, either alphabetized or arranged by frequency of use. It also flags split infinitives, transposed letters, and use of the passive voice (it caught me many times on that one!). An interesting addition is Grammatik III's ability to catch sexist terms such as "businessman," "salesmanship," or "mankind." It conforms to usage found in the "Practical Guide to Non-Sexist Language," published by the National Organization for Women. One error I see constantly in print is the misuse of "its" and "it's." Grammatik catches these mistakes. It flags things like "their/there," "a/an" and double negatives, such as "she didn't do nothing." Pull down menus make using the program a snap. The interface and command structure are excellent, so you won't spend a lot of time learning it. You have choices of how to deal with the suggestions Grammatik comes up with. You can ignore them, and let it proceed. You can stop and edit the word, phrase or sentence in question. Or you can mark it for later correction in your word processor. I liked the ability to customize Grammatik III's "search and destroy" missions. In writing about computers, you regularly use spelling and punctuation which seem out of the norm. Examples: dBASE IV, *.TXT, , CONFIG.SYS, BIOS, H-P LaserJet, 1.44MB floppy, OS/2 and DRAMs. The program kept flagging these as errors. By editing items in the "Phrase Dictionary," you have total control over what the program looks for. I disabled such things as "Capitalization," "End of sentence punctuation," "Homonyms," "Comparative usage," "Punctuation usage," and "Jargon, Technical, Esoteric." That helped things considerably. In a separate option window, I enabled "Recognize DOS file name as noun." Otherwise it would flag filespecs such as ARTICLE.TXT as a punctuation error. Another option allows you to change the sub-dictionaries the program uses. In addition to "Standard," there is "Strict," "Business" and "Gender Specific." For example, if you don't do business writing, you would disable that sub-dictionary. Several times Grammatik III flagged my use of "there's," and suggested "there is" instead, as more formal and businesslike. The options are an important part of Grammatik III, and buyers should make full use of them for best results. Grammatik III supports all popular word processors, or works with ASCII files. Grammatik III Power Pack is a new add-on utility. It makes the program RAM-resident, and lets you edit the Phrase Dictionary. It also lets you compare your writing to standard works. Registered owners will pay $29 for the option. Grammatik III has a suggested list of $99. For more information or orders, contact Reference Software, Inc., 330 Townsend St., Suite 123, San Francisco, CA 94107; (800) 872-9933, (415) 541-0222, FAX: (415) 541-0509, MCI MAIL: 288-1979. # David W. Batterson writes about computers, software and online systems for various publications. He also does business writing and editing. Send remarks via MCI MAIL: DBATTERSON.