One of the advantages Microsoft’s Word has over Apple’s Pages is a good grammar checker. (Or at least used to have; I haven’t used Word in a long time). Pages’ proofreader feature is basically just spellchecking and sometimes you need more.
If you want to add better grammar checking features to Pages, try Grammarian Pro3 X from Linguisoft. It’s an interactive spell and grammar checking, dictionary, thesaurus, AutoCorrect, and AutoType tool that works within every program on the Mac. Sporting a new redesigned user interface, the latest version is 64-bit and macOS Catalina-ready.
It’s a bit of a pain to install, but I guess the procedure is necessary.
From your downloaded GrammarianPRO3X.dmg, drag the Grammarian PRO3 X folder over to the Applications folder on your Mac’s drive. (Don’t move the Grammarian app outside of the folder.)
Now run the Grammarian app (identified with a checkmark icon) that is inside the Grammarian PRO3 X folder. Grammarian will ask you to install an Input menu. Click “OK”. Grammarian will then start the install process. Now you’ll have to Grant Security Permissions by following these Granting Security Permissions instructions as the app integrates tightly with the “innards” of macOS.
You use the Grammarian Pencil Menu or Grammarian Input Menu to access Grammarian Pro3’s checking features. With your document window that you want to check frontmost, select the Check All or Check Selection menu item in the Grammarian Pencil Menu or Grammarian Input Menu.
When you check a document, it flags the different types of errors in one pass. Grammarian Pro3 X also automatically corrects (AutoCorrect) certain spelling errors interactively such as “teh” for “the.” What’s more, Grammarian Pro2 X automatically types predetermined phrases (AutoType) such as “btw” for “by the way,” etc.
The app includes a dictionary and thesaurus that can be used to look up words as you make corrections. Other Grammarian Pro2 X features include: Parts of Speech, Linear Sentence Diagraming, Word Frequency, Readability Statistics, and more. Access all these features are available through a universal Grammarian Pro2 X Pencil Menu.
Grammarian Pro3 X also plays sound warnings when it detects an error — a feature that you’ll either love or hate. I liked it at first, but after a couple of dozen beeps, it became annoying, so you may wish to turn it off — or at least turn the volume down.
Grammarian Pro3 X different “collections” of spelling/grammar rules. It’s a neat feature. For instance, you can set the Proofreading Rule Group with the Confusing Words Writing Style for AppleWorks (if you’re actually still using this ancestor of Pages). Then, when you switch to, say, Mail, Grammarian can automatically switch the Rule Group to English Writing with the Writing Style set to Casual.
You can also make your own spelling dictionaries. Here’s how: create a regular document text file of file type: “TEXT” in a text utility. Paste your words into the document and sort them. Try to make all the words lowercase if possible. Then, add this file with the “Add…” button on the Writing Rules Spelling pane. This will convert the file into a dictionary, and it is now in the Spelling pane and pencil menu’s Spelling menu. You’ll need to switch the dictionary on to make it active.
Finally, if you want a printed manual, you’re out of luck. The Grammarian Pro2 X manual is built-in to the Grammarian application and is accessible from the “Grammarian Help…” menu item on the Pencil Menu.
Grammarian PRO3 X requires macOS 10.6.8 or later. It retails for $46 for two weeks only; after that the price is $59.95.
Apple World Today Rating (out of 5 stars): ★★★
