FAQ

• What is spanishchecker.one?
• How do I use spanishchecker.one?
• Why should I use spanishchecker.one rather than MS Word’s grammar checker?
• How much does SpanishChecker cost?
• Is it possible to write a text in another program before submitting it to spanishchecker.one?
• What is the lexical enrichment tool?
• What is the maximum number of words that can be submitted?
• What kind of pedagogical experience do the spanishchecker.one creators have?
• How often is spanishchecker.one updated?
• What kinds of errors are identified?
• What types of errors are NOT identified?
• Does spanishchecker.one correct errors automatically?
• How can spanishchecker.one be accessed?
• Is there a stand alone version of spanishchecker.one for personal computers?
• Is an advanced level of Spanish required to be able to use spanishchecker.one?
• Can spanishchecker.one also check languages other than Spanish?
• Can spanishchecker.one users suggest a new rule?
• Is it possible to arrange to have spanishchecker.one presented at a pedagogical conference?
• Are submitted texts saved on a server?
• Why are there advertisements on spanishchecker.one?
• Is a text 100% correct if no corrective feedback is provided?
• What is the summary of errors at the bottom of the page?
• Can a submitted text be saved and corrected at a future time?
• spanishchecker.one has flagged a word as being misspelled when it is correct.

Q – What is spanishchecker.one?

A – spanishchecker.one's is a grammar aide designed to catch errors made by learners of Spanish and to help them improve their writing skills. While spanishchecker.one is able to catch thousands of common grammatical errors, we continue to improve it. Please email us if you have any suggestions.

Q – How do I use spanishchecker.one?

A – Simply paste your text into the main window and hit the Check Text button. If your text contains frequent errors, these will be flagged. Move your cursor over the errors and relevant feedback will appear on the right side of the screen. Simply click the highlighted word to edit.

spanishchecker.one is inspired by a process-writing approach to learning. Site users should approach the writing task in stages. As such, we suggest you submit a text, correct the errors, and then resubmit your work. This is important since spanishchecker.one requires certain errors to be fixed before it will point out other ones. For example, if a student writes Esta es mucho importante, only the missing accent on Esta will be highlighted initially. Once this change is made, the error concerning mucho instead of muy will be caught. It is through a series of interactions like this that one makes greatest progress and that spanishchecker.one will be most successful at identifying errors. Recent research shows that learners make better progress when they are not overwhelmed by an excessive number of errors to correct

Note that spanishchecker.one will not catch 100% of errors. It is a learning tool that is designed to improve texts, not make them flawless. Our goal is both grammar correction and grammar reflection.

You can watch a video of how to use the Pro version of SpanishChecker here.

Q – Why should I use spanishchecker.one rather than MS Word’s grammar checker?

A – spanishchecker.one has the following advantages:

• It is free;
• it catches many commonly confused words that other checkers ignore;
• It is available online and therefore accessible from any computer (and not just in the computer lab!);
• It follows a pedagogical approach that encourages learning;
• It updates automatically;
• It is extremely easy to use;
• It won't overwhelm you with messages about sentences that are perfectly correct!
• It targets a number of errors made by second language learners of Spanish.

Q – How much does SpanishChecker cost?

A – The site is available to the general public free of charge. You can also try SpanishChecker Pro, which offers many advantages (e.g.: a large screen editor, no advertising, a writing portfolio, a vocabulary tool, pedagogical exercises, etc.). The Pro version is available for $16/year (VERY reasonable classroom rates are also available).

Q – Is it possible to write a text in another program before submitting it to spanishchecker.one?

A – Of course. You may choose to either type your text directly in spanishchecker.one or use a word processor (e.g.: MS Word, OpenOffice). If you type your text outside of spanishchecker.one, simply copy and paste the information directly into the main window. Keep in mind that spanishchecker.one does not save formatting like italics or bold, so these should be added AFTER using spanishchecker.one.

Q – What is the lexical tool?

A – The lexical tool, available on SpanishChecker Pro, is a device that allows the user to quickly find the Spanish equivalent of an English word. Note, you can view an explanatory video of SpanishChecker Pro here.

Q – What is the maximum number of words that can be submitted?

A – The free version of the site allows user to submit texts up to 500 words. There is no maximum in principle for SpanishChecker Pro. However, if your text is quite lengthy, we recommend dividing it into batches of five or six pages and submitting each of these separately. As a result, the time required to verify the text will be reduced and you also avoid running the risk of getting lost in a large document.

Q – What kind of pedagogical experience do the spanishchecker.one creators have?

A – The site’s creators, Dr. T. Nadasdi and Dr. S. Sinclair, have extensive experience in language instruction, linguistics and humanities computing. You may obtain information about the creators by visiting their respective websites :

• Dr. Terry Nadasdi : http://www.ualberta.ca/~tnadasdi/
• Dr. Stéfan Sinclair : http://stefansinclair.name/

Q – How often is spanishchecker.one updated?

A – spanishchecker.one improves on a daily basis! New errors are found and targeted every day.

Q – What kinds of errors are identified?

A – The errors identified fall into three categories :

• misspelled words (e.g.: “guitara” );
• structures to be verified (e.g.: “soy listo”)
• structures to be corrected (e.g.: “esta bien”)

Misspelled words could either be words spelled incorrectly or simply typing errors. In such a case, spanishchecker.one will display a list of valid words from which to choose. Structures to be verified (flagged in yellow) are potential errors. The sequence of letters/words is usually ungrammatical, though acceptable in some contexts. With respect to structures requiring correction (flagged in red), they are clearly mistakes that need to be fixed.

Q – What types of errors are NOT identified?

A – It is important to keep in mind that errors are the result of a number of combinations and factors. Since spanishchecker.one identifies errors based on pre-determined rules resulting from errors found in previous submissions, it cannot flag a one-time error. For a rule to be created, an error must have been made more than once and by more than one user. Also, spanishchecker.one cannot evaluate the semantic acceptability of submitted texts. If a sentence comes across as bizarre and completely incomprehensible, but the syntax (grammar) is fine, spanishchecker.one will not suggest any corrections. Take the following sentence :

Las bananas comen los monos

 

Although very sophisticated, spanishchecker.one is incapable of understanding what is written. As such, it will not flag anything in this sentence. However, if one writes, “las bananas come los monos”, spanishchecker.one will identify the grammatical error on the verb. Note also that if you invent a sentence that is unlikely to occur, it probably won't be caught since we are too busy writing rules for mistakes people actually make!

Q – Does spanishchecker.one correct errors automatically?

A – Not at all. The main objective of spanishchecker.one is to assist users in correcting their errors so that they learn from the process. Unlike other grammar checking software applications which correct mistakes without user involvement, spanishchecker.one flags errors and suggests how to rectify the problem. In this way, the user is responsible for making the necessary correction(s) and will likely learn from this involvement.

Q – How can spanishchecker.one be accessed?

A – spanishchecker.one is available online 24/7 at www.spanishchecker.one. Provided they have a computer and an Internet connection, users can access spanishchecker.one no matter if they’re in Japan, France, Argentina, Nova Scotia or New York.

Q – Is there a stand alone version of spanishchecker.one for personal computers?

A – Not at present, though we hope to provide this in the future.

Q – Is an advanced level of Spanish required to be able to use spanishchecker.one?

A – No. spanishchecker.one has been designed for both the novice and the expert.

Q – Can spanishchecker.one also check languages other than Spansih?

A – No. spanishchecker.one can only check texts that have been written in Spanish. However, there is a great French grammar checker available at www.bonpatron.com.

Q – Can spanishchecker.one users suggest a new rule?

A – Yes, your comments are always welcome and appreciated! If you are in the habit of making an error on a regular basis, or if you believe that the error in question is likely to be made by others, we will gladly study your recommendation by performing the necessary research. Following that, if we decide that the error may indeed be problematic for others, we will then create a rule so it will be flagged for other users.

Q – Is it possible to arrange to have spanishchecker.one presented at a pedagogical conference?

A – It is our wish to promote spanishchecker.one in all spheres related to the teaching of Spanish. If you are in the process of organizing a colloquium, conference, meeting, etc., and would like to have spanishchecker.one presented to your colleagues or friends, do not hesitate to contact us via email.

Q – Are submitted texts saved on a server?

A – No. The Pro version of the site allows users to work in private mode, which means that texts are only saved if they request this (for subsequent retrieval). For more information on our privacy policy, see here.

Q – Why are there advertisements on spanishchecker.one?

A – We use advertisements to support the project, e.g.: pay for the server, hire assistants, etc. The Pro version contains no advertising.

Q – Is a text 100% correct if no corrective feedback is provided?

A – No. It is entirely possible that a comment-free text contains errors. This happens if: a) the error does not occur in our database; b) the grammar is acceptable, though incomprehensible; c) the error is infrequent; d) the complexity of the error is greater than the sophistication of spanishchecker.one! As a general principle, the greater the distance between elements involved in an error, the less likely it is that the error will be flagged.

Q – What is the summary of errors at the bottom of the page?

A – The summary of errors, available only with the Pro version, is a categorized list of all errors found in the submitted text. Be it spelling mistakes or agreement and conjugation problems, the errors will be placed into relevant categories so that the user may see what aspects of the Spanish language are the most problematic.

Q – Can a submitted text be saved and corrected at a future time?

A – This option is available for Pro subscribers. However if you are using the free version and wish to save your work, please do so in a separate word processing program (e.g.: MS Word or OpenOffice).

Q – spanishchecker.one has flagged a word as being misspelled when it is correct.

A – The dictionary used for identifying spelling errors is a database of current Spanish words. If you have typed a word that has been flagged as incorrect but the word is in fact valid in Spanish, please make a request via the contact link to have this word added to our database. We will then perform all the necessary research to determine the legitimacy of the word and, if need be, add it to the dictionary.