On 8/23/05, Mike Roy
Hi Jie (I hope that is your first name): As to your question about grammer checkers within English language word processors, both Microsoft Word and Corel's WordPerfect have this feature. The only one that I know of that will work under Linux is WordPerfect v 8.0 for Linux. This is a good but older program (WordPerfect is now at version 12). I purchased my copy of WP v8.0 from Corel last summer for about $40.00 Cdn. but I'm not sure if it is still available. You may want to visit the Corel web site at: Mike: thank you for your detailed suggestions! I think I will prepare my thesis in LaTeX, but I will check my grammar with M$Word.
www.corel.com
I'm not sure about Latex (or other versions of Latex) as this is really a printing / layout program instead of just a word processor. OpenOffice does match Microsoft's Word in most features but lacks a grammer checker. As an aternative, you might want to consider buying a good book or two on English grammer. No, it's not as convenient as something included in the word processor but it may be your only other option. If you do decide on a book, I would strongly recommend reference books from Oxford as they are considered the world authority on English. Another English publisher, Collins, also has some excellent reference works. Another source would be style books from major newspapers or news agencies, such as The Canadian Press Stylebook or the New York Times Style Book. Generally, I would avoid most American publications of this type. Hope this helps. Cheers, Mike