Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Field-related Vocabulary Checker

Find field-related texts here.
FieldRelated.com is an online vocabulary checker for English for Professional Purposes learners.

Grammar Checker

The Virtual Writing Tutor is the best online grammar checker for ESL learners.

Saturday, May 21, 2016

Random Error Checker

Add this random ESL error generator and checker to your blog or Moodle with this iframe HTML code.

Sunday, March 13, 2016

6 Common ESL Errors: an Infographic

One thing I have become acutely aware of while working on the VirtualWritingTutor.com ESL grammar checker is just how common some errors are in college students' writing. I see the same errors day after day, year after year. I could easily come up with a list of about 100 common errors that college students should avoid, but for the sake of brevity, here's an infographic with six undisputably common glitches in ESL writing.

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Which is correct, "I am 6 feet" or "I am 6 foot"?

Which of the following do you think is correct?
  1. I am 6 foot 2 inches.
  2. I am 6 feet 2 inches.
  3. I am 6'2".
  4. I am 6 ft 2 in.


In fact, all 4 are correct, but we use them in different situations. 

  1. I am 6 foot 2 inches. Use "6 foot" for informal speaking situations.
  2. I am 6 feet 2 inches. This is the correct form for any situation.
  3. I am 6'2". Use 6' as a short way to express 6 feet. Use double-prime (") for inches. Most people understand this shorthand for feet and inches. 
  4. I am 6 ft 2 in. The standard international abbreviation for feet is ft and inches is in. 


Sometimes learners make the mistake of confusing the single prime (') and double prime (") and use the prime for inches and the double prime for feet. For example.

I am 6"2' tall. (Incorrect) 
Other times, learners use both the prime and the word, which is redundant.
I am 6' feet 2" inches tall. (Incorrect) 

Furthermore, learners sometimes use two apostrophes for a double prime instead of the " symbol. This should be avoided also.

Check your writing for errors on VirtualWritingTutor.com the best free ESL grammar checker.

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