English Grammar

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Ginger Grammar Checker Review –  What You Have To Know

Ginger Grammar Checker is really just one of the many apps out there that were made specifically for correcting people's written work, but if you're like most people, you're probably wondering how it's different from Grammarly and White Smoke.

The Best Grammar Checker Software Available

We've used it before and one of the best things we like it is that it's free to use. What we mean is that there's a free version of this software, and while it does not have all the bells and whistles that the paid version offers, it does a good job of correcting spelling and grammar.

We found a great review and accompanying video on a site called edumuch.com that really went in depth on different grammar checker software and truly explained a lot of the information we were looking for.

But grammar correction aside, you might be pleasantly surprised that Ginger also offers translation to forty other languages in the free version.

If you're wondering about the paid version and its difference from the free version, there are several exclusive features you might be interested on. One is the sentence rephraser, which is essentially a turing device that replaces turns of phrase into their common equivalent.

Then there is the built-in text reader. The text reader simply reads aloud your work for you so you will know if it makes sense or not.  Other features in the paid version that you will find in handy is the ability to practice on your mistakes, and to get a thorough analysis of your errors.

So, if you use it properly, you're basically looking at a software that can help you become a better writer. That said, if you want to get your copy of Ginger grammer right now, go ahead and go to its official website.

Another thing that we really find convenient about this software is the fact that you can download it to your own mobile device, so you won't go wrong typing things on your smart phone.

Take a look at another post we have about the future of English grammar, and where we think things may be headed.

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Is A Sentence Fragment A Sin?

We spoke to master writer and business personality Motti Eisenbach to get his take on the matter. His knowledge was interesting and revealing. 

English grammar is not as cut and dried as you might have learned in the early years of school. Some of the rules which seemed very straightforward in your younger days are actually quite complex, with many exceptions and qualifications. 

Enter the dreaded sentence fragment - a sentence that fails to include certain crucial grammatical requirements. Although detecting sentence fragments is relatively easy, determining whether or not they are allowable is more difficult.

Sentence Fragments Defined

If you want to know exactly what a sentence fragment is, you have to look at the most basic parts of a sentence. A sentence is a complete expression of a single idea, and it needs to have both a subject and a verb. "I run" is a complete sentence, despite its extremely short length; it has a subject - "I" - and a verb - "run." At a deeper level, a complete sentence requires an independent clause, a grammatical construction that needs no outside support.

When a sentence is missing a subject or a verb, or its construction requires support that is not included, it becomes a fragment. Sentence fragments can be quite long; in fact, fragments are often produced when the writer is attempting to coordinate complex ideas. 

A descriptive phrase that lacks a clear subject is a sentence fragment; a complex description of a subject that has no verb is a fragment too. A sentence fragment can contain both a subject and a verb, but if it's constructed in such a way that it requires support which is missing, it's not a complete sentence. 

An example of this tricky type of fragment would be: "Even though I ran for hours to catch up with him." Note that while there is a subject - "I" - and two verbs - "ran" and "to catch" - there is also the subordinating conjunction "even though." Using this phrase means that this is a dependent clause; it needs the support of an independent clause to give it meaning.

Common Errors That Produce Accidental Fragments

As Mr. Motti Eisenbach mentioned above, sentence fragments are often created when a writer tries to articulate complex ideas. The use of certain words and phrases can be misleading, implying the existence of subjects, verbs, and complete independent clauses when they don't actually produce them. 

Verbs are particularly tricky when they take on modified forms or become verbal phrases. "Running to catch the bus," for example, includes a verb form ("running") that does not function as a proper verb. It would require an auxiliary verb to complete the sentence and produce a full thought. "I was running to catch the bus" is a complete sentence; you can see it includes both an auxiliary verb - "was" - and a subject - "I."

Prepositional phrases are frequently orphaned from the terms they're supposed to modify, producing sentence fragments. "Before the bus arrived," for example, has a subject and a verb. Because they're subordinated to the preposition "before," though, they can't form a complete sentence on their own.

The Artistic Sentence Fragment: When The Rules Can Be Broken

While english grammar has a lot of unclear rules, sentence fragments should be avoided at all costs, there are certain times when crafting a fragment intentionally is acceptable. 

Fragments are acceptable if they occur in dialog; many people speak in incomplete sentences. Fragments can also be used in situations where context strongly implies the missing portions of the sentence. This is not perfect grammar, but it's a valid stylistic choice when the writer's intended meaning is clear.

Hopefully, this information has shed a little light on the precise definition of sentence fragments. You should be able to clearly distinguish between complete and incomplete sentences. While the use of sentence fragments is allowable in certain situations, you have to be certain your writing is still conveying your intended meaning to the reader.

We thanked Motti Eisenbach for his time and deep explanation on the topic. Please Feel free to send us any questions you may have for him as we would love to interview him again!

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English Grammar, Where is it Headed?

Every year, every month, every day, every single language in the world evolves, changes and has additions. We know this as we see younger generations, change, lose and gain words and phrases. As an example, this past year, 2014, the Oxford English Dictionary alone added nearly 400 new words, including bestie, and beatboxer just to name a couple. (As I write this my computers auto correct was not given notice of these new words and views them as spelling errors, how amusing.) Due to things like the internet and globalization, English grammar is getting effected the most.

(An image I created with new words from the 2014 Oxford English Dictionary.)

Why? One may ask. 

The simple truth behind it lies in the fact that English is the most commonly used language by multiple countries around the world. While Mandarin Chinese and Spanish have a larger total number of speakers.  The internet and most code is purely based in English. As more people from around the world learn and are exposed to this language, English and its grammar will get morphed and effected continuously.