A WORD ON GRAMMAR CHECKERS

ome copy editors regard grammar checkers the way humans view robots in the movies: with deep suspicion. I like these tools, as long as you don’t develop a dependency on them and you don’t take everything they take as gospel. Recognize that apps lack contextual cognizance, and they sometimes make weird suggestions. (A grammar checker once urged me to replace “breakfast” with “lunch” or “dinner” to avoid repetition of the word “breakfast” twice on one page. Um, no.)