Expert: Dan Smith - 5/24/2006

Question
Hello Dan,

I'm an 'expert' in the physics category. I often compose my answers in a text editor and then paste it into Word to see what it thinks of my spelling and grammer. I often disagree with its grammer suggestions. Examples from one of my recent answers follow:

You probably have seen a simple toy where a marble rolls down a sloped board
Word prefers:
You probably have seen a simple toy where marble rolls down a sloped board

Think about what would happen if the slope were temporarily leveled
Word prefers:
Think about what would happen if the slope was temporarily leveled

The ions in the geometric lattice vibrate about their equilibrium position and the electrons wander about,
Word prefers:
The ions in the geometric lattice vibrate about their equilibrium position and the electron wander about,

End of examples. The only one that I'm think I might need to explain my thinking to you is the second. I'm thinking subjunctive is called for and that's right for subjunctive. What are your thought on these examples?

Thanks,
Steve

Answer
Word is wrong in the first and third. In the second example, I think you could get away with either, but I would prefer "were."

Grammar checkers do their best, but review their suggestions carefully. They don't always understand the intended meaning, but they do often find things that should be reviewed even if their suggestions are not the best.

Hope this helps,