Boost Your Grammar Game: Using Grammar Tools for AEC Marketing

Little feels as complex in the English language as its grammar, but luckily, in this day and age, we have tools for that! In the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry, grammar tools are useful wherever there’s writing—whether that’s for emails, proposals, or websites. With AEC marketing, communication is a constant and crucial component. Good grammar throughout communication contributes to clarity, professionalism, and tone, ultimately impacting branding, efficiency, and trust.

Grammar tools can improve anyone’s work, no matter someone’s personal training in grammar. These tools can pick up any slack or assist with any unfamiliar grammar concepts. We’d like to visit some of the grammar tools at everyone’s disposal—what they are, how to use them, and why.

What Are My Grammar Tool Options?

Out of many options, we’ve selected the ones best for marketing and business—either because of their broader applicability or their specificity. Here are what we’d suggest:

Grammarly

The most ubiquitous tool with a wide variety of editing capabilities across any type of writing.

Key Features:

• Grammar and plagiarism checkers
  
  
• AI detection
  
  
• Analytics
  
  
• AI writing and paraphrasing tools
  
  
• Style guide

PROS:

• Free version provides grammar checking, tone detection, and limited AI generative features
  
  
• Grammarly Business includes branding style guide integration and team analytics
  
  
• Works across over 500,000 apps

CONS:

• Suggestions can be overwhelming and overwrite authenticity for the “ideal” style
  
  
• More broad applicability can mean more effort to refine its usage across a marketing team or firm
  
  
• More pricey than many alternatives

WhiteSmoke

Targeted toward business and academic writing.

Key Features:

• Grammar, style, and plagiarism checkers
  
  
• Browser app extensions
  
  
• Desktop and mobile apps
  
  
• Translation tools
  
  
• Email and document templates

PROS:

• Paid versions are competitively priced
  
  
• Ideal for firms with ESL team members

CONS:

• No free version
  
  
• Academic/business focus will likely provide fewer casual results for firms that prefer a looser style

Readable

Checks the readability of your writing using Flesch-Kincaid and other test algorithms.

Key Features:

• Grammar and style checker
  
  
• Readability test
  
  
• Keyword density tool
  
  
• URL checker for website optimization

PROS:

• Its CommercePro plan is made for website analysis and optimization
  
  
  • Offers a free example report
    
• Dropbox and Slack integrations
  
  
• Extensive tone, sentiment, and personalism analyses for assessing formality, positivity, and warmth
  
  
• Well-catered to businesses and connections to audience
  
  
• Can scan entire websites

CONS:

• No free version
  
  
• Its clarity features may be more extensive than desired
  
  
• Free, 7-day trial only offered for its basic features
  
  
• Pricey Business Plans

WordTune

An AI generative tool for business professionals that focuses on full sentence rewrites rather than correcting select grammar mistakes.

Key Features:

• Paraphrasing and rewriting tools
  
  
• Grammar checker
  
  
• Translation for 10 languages

PROS:

• Provides multiple rewrite and paraphrase options to choose from
  
  
• Free version includes AI features as well as grammar and spelling checks
  
  
• Offers teams plan with business support
  
  
• Sources its facts and references in its AI features

CONS:

• Specialized and limited
  
  
• Suggestions may the meaning of the original text, requires attentive review

Sapling

An integrative tool for customer relationship management geared toward sales and support.

Key Features:

• Real-time improvement suggestions and autocompletion
  
  
• Grammar check
  
  
• Team build and analytics
  
  
• Quick proofreading and timesaving tools

PROS:

• Includes management features for team scores and reports
  
  
• Integrates with helpdesk programs and marketing tools such as Mailchimp and Zendesk
  
  
• Free (limited) version available for Firefox, Outlook, Google Docs, and Word
  
  
• Enterprise version for teams

CONS:

• Refined for customer communication
  
  
• Middle-range price

Writer

A generative AI platform made for marketing teams, social media management, and similar work.

Key Features:

• Grammar checking
  
  
• AI-jumpstarted content creation
  
  
• Custom-automated guardrail compliance
  
  
• AI-powered analytics

PROS:

• SOC2- and HIPAA-compliant
  
  
• Enterprise model offers deep customization for branding and workflows
  
  
  • Includes data integration
    
    
  • Divides into multiple teams for different style guides etc.
    
    
• Both pricing options formulated for teams
  
  
• Team plan offers free trial
  
  
• Demos available

CONS:

• No free version
  
  
• Pricier than some options
  
  
• AI generation requires attentive review

How Do They Work?

Different grammar tools draw upon different bases for their functionality. Many use machine learning to build their systems, drawing upon a large text corpus and Large Language Models of ideal grammar and writing examples. From there, using AI, natural language learning, and more, these tools can broaden past their examples into more flexible tools.

It is important for users to know that different tools are trained off of and created for different kinds of specialized—or broad corpuses—of writing. Different tools may therefore be more qualified and accurate for different tasks.

Machine learning and AI are first and foremost data processing and output systems—they cannot learn or have intelligence as humans do. For this reason, it is equally as important to know how to use any grammar tools.

How Do I Use Them?

Have you ever written in a Google doc only for it to suggest you replace a word or phrase with something wholly incorrect? When using grammar tools, due to their margin for error, specialties, and limitations, never accept all edits and suggestions without assessing them with a human editor or yourself first.

One grammar tool may be very good at assessing the flow of articles in general, but not understand how one particular, more technical article must be written. The suggestions it makes will have less specialty than the writer, even when trained extensively on firm-specific models. Suggestions and generated text should be checked with that understanding in mind. 

If a grammar suggestion seems wrong, look it up or gather a second opinion. While grammar tools are good for catching mistakes you may have looked over, errors are common enough that review is necessary.

Lastly, should you use generative AI grammar tools such as WordTune or Writer, remember that a key to successful marketing is authenticity. These tools draw from the average of its training data, providing something that may read well and be correct but miss key components of human writing—be that your brand’s unique approach to services or a sincere passion for your work. 

Are Grammar Tools Worth Using?

Grammar tools range from broadly helpful to systems that extensively improve performance and efficiency based on deliberate integration. Some tools are free and good to have, while others are built to more seriously “partner” with teams and businesses.

Depending on the time and money you are willing to invest to make the most of what you pay for, some tools promise a lot of payoff. Others are merely helpful, especially when free.

Consider devoting some time to exploring your options and the benefits of any of these grammar tools. They’re well worth the look!