Setting Grammar-Checking Options

Word includes a full-featured grammar checker that allows you to check your document (or a section of it) for common grammar mistakes. Each potential error is displayed and you are given the opportunity to make changes.

Word has several different writing styles that you can select when using the grammar checker. Each one of these styles is a different collection of grammar rules that will be used when you use the grammar checker. Some sets of rules that are very strict with a lot of rules to check while others are quite lax and better for casual writing. If you find that these styles use rules that are unnecessary, too restrictive, or not quite right for your documents, you can modify them in the following manner:

1. Choose Options from the Tools menu. You will see the Options dialog box.
2. Make sure the Spelling & Grammar tab is selected. (See Figure 1.)



Figure 1. The Spelling & Grammar tab of the Options dialog box.

3. Click on the Settings button near the bottom of the dialog box. You will see the Grammar Settings dialog box. (See Figure 2.)



Figure 2. The Grammar Settings dialog box.

4. From the Writing Style drop-down list, select the style of writing that best describes your document, or select one of the custom entries.
5. Select the grammar and style options that you want to add or remove. A check mark next to an item means the rule will be enforced during a check of your document.
6. Click on OK to close the Grammar Settings dialog box.
7. Click on OK to close the Options dialog box.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1031) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Setting Grammar-Checking Options.