RightWriter Grammar Analysis

Editors' ReviewDownload.com staffSeptember 12, 2008RightWriter Grammar Analysis allows users to evaluate their writing for proper grammar and effective style. Although the trial version disables the program's main feature, the sample text provided with RightWriter makes us think that the program is a useful tool for writing improvement.The program's interface is basic and intuitive. Users type or paste the text they want to analyze into a text box, click the Analyze button, and the analysis shows up in another text box. The program suggests alternatives when word choices are too "wordy," identifies use of the passive voice, and gives other suggestions to make users' writing more clear. Writers can also run a spell check on their writing with the program. RightWriter's Help file comes as a PDF and gives clear instructions for the program's use. Although we thought that the program's suggestions were helpful, we were disappointed that it's not possible for users to customize the rules that the program uses in its analysis. For example, in many scientific disciplines, writers are expected to use the passive voice when describing experiments. But there is no way to tell RightWriter this, meaning that such users would have to wade through a lot of unhelpful suggestions to find the ones that are actually useful.RightWriter is free to try, but the grammar analysis is disabled in the trial version. The program installs desktop icons without asking but uninstalls cleanly. We recommend this program to all users who feel that they could stand to strengthen their writing, although users should be aware that the program is not customizable.