Writer's Workbench
Bottom line: For people serious about learning and teaching written English
Review: A proverb summarises our reaction to Writer's Workbench:
- "Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish;
and you have fed him for a lifetime".
Writer's Workbench differs from
the other editing software we've reviewed in that Writer's Workbench is more a teaching
aid and a learning aid than a program you use for a "quick fix". You do not use Writer's Workbench to make onscreen
corrections to your Word document; rather, you use Writer's Workbench to learn how to write well. You can then apply the software's lessons to your writing — for life.
Writer's Workbench analyses your Word document and suggests areas
for improvement. The software covers many aspects of writing well,
including word choice, sentence length, and correct grammar. Unlike other software, Writer's Workbench explains the reasons behind its advice.
Writer's Workbench's advice is generally excellent, though occasionally the software gives advice that seems a little old-fashioned (such as "Avoid words like 'me' and 'I' unless writing about yourself").Writer's Workbench was apparently developed in the 1980s, which may explain the occasionally dated advice and the rather clunky look and feel of the software.
Some of the software's advice will be beyond the novice writer, such as this bit of advice on adjective clauses:
- The relative pronoun is the first word in an adjective clause. A clause is a group of words with a subject and a verb. An adjective clause modifies (tells about) the noun that the relative pronoun stands for; that noun is the relative pronoun's antecedent. The clause that begins with the relative pronoun should immediately follow the relative pronoun's antecedent. Check to be certain that the adjective clause immediately follows the relative pronoun's antecedent.
A disconcerting feature of Writer's Workbench is that Word disappears while Writer's Workbench analyses your document. This was a particular problem when we ran the software on a large document (100 pages). We couldn't see Writer's Workbench's progress; we weren't sure if the software had crashed; and there was no obvious way to interrupt the software once it started.
Despite these limitations, as an instructional aid Writer's Workbench is the leader in the field. Although you can buy personal copies for $100 plus postage, the software seems best suited for a school or other learning institution. An English teacher or English professor guiding you through Writer's Workbench's would add more value to an already valuable learning tool.
How to trial:
The makers of Writer's Workbench provide a free trial for potential
institutional customers only (schools or resellers). They will "respectfully decline requests from individuals not employed by a verifiable institution". They suggest you view their video tutorials to experience how Writer's Workbench operates. They provide unlimited toll-free support within the United States and toll support outside the United States. They will gladly replace defective media.