How can you check the draft of a document for grammar spelling and style for accuracy and punctuation using MS word?

It's hard to overstate the importance of creating business documents that are accurate, attractive and polished. The editing and proofreading step in the process of preparing documents is vital. Business documents include a wide range of communications, from internal memos and handbooks to reports and marketing materials, but they all represent your company, so they need to be perfect. Spend the time necessary to check that your documents have the correct tone and format, and that facts are accurate.

Company Style

1. Verify that the tone and style of the document matches the document type and purpose. For example, an internal directive will generally have a different tone than a marketing brochure. Regardless of the tone, check that sentences are short and written in an active voice targeted at the intended audience. Compare the document to previously published written material to ensure that the company voice is consistent.

Format Review

1. Pay attention to the organization of the document. It should flow logically from one section to the next. Look to see if the document uses headlines or subheadings in a consistent and easily recognized manner. A business document should use just one typeface, but the judicious use of different sizes, bold and italics can help present information effectively. Verify that bulleted or numbered lists are formatted correctly and enhance the flow of the document.

Grammar and Spelling

1. Don't overlook the basics of proper grammar and spelling, and don't rely solely on word processing software to do the chore for you. Read sentences and paragraphs closely to make sure the structure is logical, punctuation is complete and the wording is smooth. Commonly misspelled or misused words in business documents include affect and effect, loose and lose, and compliment and complement. Be sure words are used correctly and spelled correctly.

Layout Critique

1. Take a step back from the close editing and look at the layout of the overall document. Run a critical eye over the page elements, such as margins, justification, text and illustrations. If the document includes graphs or charts, make sure they don't overwhelm the text and are formatted properly. Including enough white space in a document is important for readability. If the document includes the company logo, make sure it adheres to company standards for placement and presentation.

Confirm Accuracy

1. Fact-checking is an essential editing step. Ask for references if you need them when proofing a document and check them closely. Accurate information in business documents is essential to a company's integrity. Depending on the nature of the document and the type of company, you may want to ask about having the final version checked by a legal department or outside legal counsel before it is released.

Final Proof

1. Once you have gone through each section of the document closely and made any corrections that are needed, go through from start to finish it at least one more time. It's often helpful to both read it through to yourself silently and to read it out loud for a different perspective. You might also want to ask another person to look over the final draft to note any remaining typos or points of confusion. Examine the finalized document to satisfy yourself that it is perfect before delivering it to the recipients.

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If you are not already using MS Word’s many settings designed to ensure accurate proofreading, you are doing yourself a disservice. After spending countless hours writing, you want to ensure you are presenting your work as professionally as possible. In this article, I explain how to get the most out of MS Word when proofreading your own writing.

Note that the following instructions apply to Word 2007 and later.

Spelling and Grammar Check Basics

You probably already know how to perform a spell check, but do you know how to ensure that your spell check is appropriate for your document and that all text is included in the spell check? The following two steps will ensure your document is being thoroughly and correctly spell checked.

Check Your Language Settings

To check your language settings:

• Highlight your entire document (Ctrl+A).
• Go to the ‘Review’ tab.
• Click on the ‘Language’ dropdown menu and select ‘Set Proofing Language’. This will bring up the Language box.
• Select the most suitable version of English, which will be ‘English (Australia)’ for Australian writers submitting to an Australian university or journal.
• Ensure that the ‘Do not check spelling and grammar’ box is clear (i.e. unticked). If you do not do this, some sentences may not be spell checked.

Check Your Proofing Options

It is also a good idea to check your Proofing Options:

• Go to ‘File’.
• Click on ‘Options’. This opens the Word Options window.
• In the menu on the left-hand side, choose ‘Proofing’.
• Under ‘When correcting spelling and grammar in Word’, check that ‘Grammar & more’ (if using Word 2016, otherwise this will be ‘Grammar & Style’) is selected from the dropdown menu.
• Check that the boxes are ticked that allow for errors to be pointed out as you type and for grammar and spelling errors to be checked together.
• Under ‘Exceptions for’, you will need to check that spelling and grammar errors are not being hidden.

Note: If you were checking the formatting of your reference list, you might like to check it once for spelling and then turn off grammar and spell check so that you can check it again closely for formatting. There are times when hiding the grammar and spell check errors is useful.

Taking Control of Your Spell and Grammar Check

Personalising Your Grammar Settings

In the image above, where you selected ‘Grammar & more’ from the dropdown menu, you can also change the settings of the grammar checker. Clicking ‘Settings’ opens the Grammar Settings window. Here, you can decide which error types you want Word to check for and which you don’t. For example, if you are writing in a field that requires the use of passive voice, you might like to turn off that check. You should also check that all necessary checks are ticked.

Adding to Your Personal Dictionary

If you are writing in a field with a technical vocabulary, Word may incorrectly identify some words as misspelled. Rather than ‘ignoring’ these, you should ‘Add them to Dictionary’. This adds those words to your custom dictionary. To manage the words in your custom dictionary (e.g. if you have accidentally added a misspelled word to the dictionary):

• Go to Proofing Options (as above) and look for ‘Custom Dictionaries’.
• The tick box ‘Suggest from main dictionary only’ should be clear. This way, Autocorrect will make suggestions from your custom dictionary as well.
• Click on ‘Custom Dictionaries’ to open a window.
• Select the default custom dictionary and select ‘Edit Word List’. You can then delete entries.

Running Your Final Spell Check

Having adjusted all of the above settings, not only will you have been able to correct your typos and grammar errors as you type, but your final grammar and spell check will also be considerably faster and more effective.

1. You will be sure that your whole document is being checked according to your target language.
2. You will have excluded any grammar checks that you do not require, saving time.
3. You will have excluded any correctly spelled words that are not recognised by Word’s spell check (e.g. technical vocabulary, author names), saving even more time.
4. By reducing the length of the grammar and spell check, you will be less likely to rush the check, missing important errors.

How do you check Spelling and Grammar in your document?

How do you check Grammar and punctuation in Word?

What tool is used in MS Word to check the Spelling?