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]