grammar-checker

# Grammar Checker Systematically scan research paper text through multiple passes to identify and fix typos, grammar errors, inappropriate word choices, and awkward expressions. ## When to Use This Skill - Proofreading research papers before submission - Performing systematic error detection across multiple categories - Fixing specific grammar and usage issues - Cleaning up text after major revisions - Final pass before conference submission - Non-native speakers checking for common errors ## Multi-Pass Scanning Approach Perform systematic scans in the following order, completing each pass before moving to the next: ### Pass 1: Typos and Spelling Scan for: - Misspelled words - Incorrect technical terminology - Inconsistent capitalization (e.g., "LaTeX" vs "Latex") - Inconsistent hyphenation (e.g., "real-time" vs "real time") - Common typos (e.g., "teh", "recieve", "seperate") - Missing or extra spaces - Duplicated words (e.g., "the the") ### Pass 2: Grammar Errors Scan for: - Subject-verb agreement errors - Incorrect verb tenses - Wrong article usage (a/an/the) - Incorrect prepositions - Pronoun-antecedent agreement - Sentence fragments - Run-on sentences - Comma splices - Misplaced modifiers ### Pass 3: Inappropriate Words and Phrases Scan for: - Informal language (e.g., "gonna", "kinda", "a lot of") - Colloquialisms and slang - Contractions (e.g., "don't", "can't", "won't") - First-person pronouns overuse in inappropriate contexts - Vague quantifiers (e.g., "very", "really", "quite") - Weasel words (e.g., "perhaps", "might", "possibly" when not needed) - Emotional or subjective language - Anthropomorphization (e.g., "the system thinks", "the paper argues") ### Pass 4: Awkward Expressions Scan for: - Unnecessarily complex sentence structures - Passive voice where active is clearer - Wordy phrases that can be simplified - Redundant expressions (e.g., "past history", "future plans") - Unclear pronoun references - Dangling participles - Split infinitives (when awkward) - Awkward word order - Non-idiomatic phrases for non-native speakers ### Pass 5: Academic Writing Style Scan for: - Inconsistent terminology across sections - Undefined acronyms on first use - Incorrect tense (present for current work, past for related work) - Inappropriate use of hyphens to connect clauses - Missing transitions between ideas - Inconsistent formatting (citations, equations, etc.) - Overly casual or overly complex language ## Output Format For each pass, provide: ### 1. Pass Header ``` ===== Pass X: [Category Name] ===== ``` ### 2. Issues Found For each issue detected: ``` Location: [section/paragraph/line reference] Issue Type: [specific error type] Original: "[quoted text with error]" Fixed: "[corrected text]" Explanation: [why this is an error and why the fix is appropriate] ``` ### 3. Pass Summary ``` Total issues found: [number] Issues fixed: [number] ``` ### 4. Final Summary After all passes: ``` ===== Overall Summary ===== Total scans performed: 5 Total issues found: [number] Total fixes applied: [number] Issues by category: - Typos and Spelling: [count] - Grammar Errors: [count] - Inappropriate Words: [count] - Awkward Expressions: [count] - Academic Style: [count] ``` ### 5. Corrected Text Provide the fully corrected version of the text with all fixes applied. ## Scanning Guidelines ### Be Systematic - Complete each pass fully before moving to the next - Don't skip passes even if earlier passes found few errors - Reread the text in each pass with fresh focus on that category ### Be Specific - Quote the exact text with the error - Provide precise location references - Explain why something is an error - Justify the proposed fix ### Be Conservative - Only flag genuine errors, not stylistic preferences - Don't "fix" correct but unusual constructions - Preserve technical terminology even if uncommon - Respect author's voice and style when appropriate ### Be Consistent - Apply the same standards throughout the text - Don't flag similar issues differently - Maintain consistency with previous fixes ## Common Errors in Academic Writing ### Article Errors (for non-native speakers) - Missing articles: "We propose ~~system~~ → a system" - Wrong article: "We use ~~a~~ HTTP → the HTTP protocol" - Unnecessary article: "The ~~the~~ latency is low → Latency is low" ### Preposition Errors - "Different ~~with~~ → from" - "Consist ~~in~~ → of" - "Depend ~~from~~ → on" - "Focus ~~to~~ → on" ### Verb Tense Errors - Related work: "Smith et al. ~~propose~~ → proposed" - Current work: "We ~~proposed~~ → propose" - Results: "Figure 1 ~~showed~~ → shows" ### Common Typos in Technical Writing - "seperator" → "separator" - "occured" → "occurred" - "sucessful" → "successful" - "thier" → "their" - "recieve" → "receive" ### Awkward Constructions - "In order to" → "To" (simpler) - "Due to the fact that" → "Because" - "At this point in time" → "Now" - "Make use of" → "Use" ### Inappropriate Informal Language - "a lot of data" → "substantial data" or "large amounts of data" - "get better results" → "achieve better results" or "obtain better results" - "pretty good" → "quite good" or "favorable" - "kind of interesting" → "somewhat interesting" or remove qualifier ## Error Severity Levels Classify errors by severity to prioritize fixes: ### Critical (Must Fix) - Grammar errors that change meaning - Technical term misspellings - Factual errors in text - Undefined acronyms ### Major (Should Fix) - Grammar errors that don't change meaning but are incorrect - Awkward expressions that confuse readers - Inconsistent terminology - Informal language in formal sections ### Minor (Nice to Fix) - Stylistic improvements - Slightly awkward but correct constructions - Overly complex sentences that could be simpler - Minor redundancies ## Special Considerations for Academic Papers ### LaTeX Integrity - Do not modify LaTeX commands or environments - Only fix text content within commands - Preserve math mode content unless clearly erroneous - Maintain citation formatting ### Technical Terminology - Verify technical terms against standard usage - Don't "correct" domain-specific jargon - Preserve acronym formatting (e.g., "RDMA", "TCP/IP") - Check consistency of system/protocol names ### Common Academic Patterns - "We propose X" ✓ (correct present tense) - "The system achieves Y" ✓ (correct) - "As shown in Figure Z" ✓ (correct) - "This demonstrates that..." ✓ (correct) ## Target Audience Research papers for top-tier computer science conferences (OSDI, NSDI, SOSP, SIGCOMM, etc.) written by both native and non-native English speakers. ## Important Guidelines ### Do Not Over-Correct - Accept correct but uncommon constructions - Don't impose one "right" way when multiple are valid - Preserve author's voice when possible - Focus on errors, not preferences ### Provide Explanations - Explain why something is an error - Note when a fix improves clarity vs correctness - Indicate severity of each issue - Help authors learn from corrections ### Be Thorough But Efficient - Complete all five passes systematically - Don't redundantly flag the same error type - Group similar errors when reporting - Focus on patterns, not just individual instances ### Maintain Academic Tone - All corrections should preserve formal academic style - Don't make text too casual or too stuffy - Maintain appropriate technical level - Keep language precise and clear ## Example Output ``` ===== Pass 1: Typos and Spelling ===== Location: Abstract, line 3 Issue Type: Spelling error Original: "We achive low latency" Fixed: "We achieve low latency" Explanation: "Achive" is a common misspelling of "achieve" Location: Introduction, paragraph 2 Issue Type: Duplicated word Original: "the the system" Fixed: "the system" Explanation: Duplicated article Total issues found: 12 Issues fixed: 12 ===== Pass 2: Grammar Errors ===== Location: Section 3, paragraph 1 Issue Type: Subject-verb agreement Original: "The results shows that" Fixed: "The results show that" Explanation: Plural subject "results" requires plural verb "show" ... ===== Overall Summary ===== Total scans performed: 5 Total issues found: 47 Total fixes applied: 47 Issues by category: - Typos and Spelling: 12 - Grammar Errors: 15 - Inappropriate Words: 8 - Awkward Expressions: 9 - Academic Style: 3 ===== Corrected Text ===== [Full corrected version of the text] ```