Grammarly & Writing Style

We are the who, not the that.

So, for a few months now I've been using Grammarly. It was actually recommended to me by one of my fanfic readers - as my fanfictions are entirely unedited and therefore - a bit of a mess. Honestly, having readers who stick around to read my unedited works continues to be the greatest honour I've had as a writer.

However, I often talk about my grammar and spelling as something I'm greatly ashamed of, and I am. As a writer, I feel like I should have a handle on the basics, and I just don't.

On the other hand - I had a reader make a comment the other day about how they'll always know it's me writing, and not an AI, because only I would ever get things like millennia and century confused, and because I have utterly no grasp of actual English rules, well, I've apparently developed a bit of a unique style.

And thus, in bounces Grammarly, all ready to be helpful.

Because it always wants to correct my style. I like the way I write. Sure, it's probably not for everyone - but that's okay.

I've recently been working on the new edit my amazing editor, Elle, sent back, and I got curious.

Who Vs. That

'Who Vs That' comes up quite often in my writing. So, again, I don't know, nor do I understand English grammar rules. I do not know what a clause is, or a noun, or a verb or how they relate to each other in sentences or structures, etc.

I just write words, and they sound good on paper when I string them together.

I should have failed English, but I had really encouraging English teachers, and I am grateful for that. It made me believe I could become a Penguin Published author. I still want to achieve this dream. I don't know how now. Stick around to see if I ever unlock that level.

Why was Grammarly suggesting 'that' - when my editor was seemingly fine with 'who'.

So let's rewind a little.

How did I learn how to write?

Well, I didn't learn at school. Haha. No. Nooooo. No. Noooo.

I learnt through reading - because I was very good at reading. Sentences to me have a beat, a rhythm. Like - dun, dunn dun dun dun. Dunt dunt, duuunn, dun. You'd think I'd be great at poetry, but no, I also am terrible at the rules that make poetry work.

When I was younger, I read sooo much, and I saw what made a sentence work in a book, and I copied that. I didn't understand what made the sentences work, but I liked how they sounded in my head. I liked the way they looked on paper. The rhythm was there.

One of my first pieces of prose writing was on a sheet of random printer paper; it said, 'The desert was hot, dry. The water glistened.'

I remember presenting it to my Dad, and he smiled so proudly at me. "Yes, yes, Kylie. You need to use description, well done."

This was because, before this point, I'd only ever written dialogue between characters, like they were in some sort of school play.

Getting a 'well done' from my Dad was all the encouragement I needed to continue.

Thus, over the many, many years - I have worked hard at learning my own rhythm and honestly, I'm really proud that I feel like I have a beat to my writing.

Okay, why then does Grammarly want me to replace 'who' with 'that'?

Well - let's dive into the sentence.

"The Vaelari had always been a race who prided themselves on the greater sacrifice, and if a Culling was needed to further advance the protection and safety of the Elite, then it was within their creed to do so."

Alright, let's break this down -

This is what I managed to learn down the rabbit hole I got lost in.

Who is usually used when referring to 'people'.

That can be used when referring to people, animals, objects or groups.

I think both who and that can be grammatically acceptable? I think this is because the word 'race' is the noun, and that is the preferred word when referring to a collective category like a race. Again. I have no idea what I am saying, okay. Remember folks, I don't know grammar. I don't know what a noun is and why it's even important. Ahhhh.

Grammarly, I think, is treating 'race' as a category term and therefore, it recommends that.

However, as the author, I don't see the Vaelari as a category, I'm thinking about them as people (or aliens). They're an entire civilisation, with like - a culture, beliefs and moral philosophies and a whole social hierarchy. In my mind, race is a collective of individuals and I think that's why who sounds more natural to me.

Now, I am not saying I'm right or wrong, or using the word 'that' is grammatically incorrect. Again. We have established I don't know anything. I've had to research this. Did I consciously think about any of this when I wrote that sentence?

Ah. Noooo.

It just had the rhythm I wanted, and still, when I read it with 'that' instead of 'who' - 'that' is the wrong rhythm. I cannot explain it any other way. It's just the wrong rhythm.

But yep, it is fascinating that there are such small nuances in writing. How a single word can reveal a little about how I think about the characters and civilisations I create. Isn't that amazing? Isn't writing incredible!

So circling back to having had Grammarly for a few months now. What do I think - well - I don't think an AI grammar checker will be replacing human editors anytime soon - and this is just my personal opinion, but authors have spent years developing and crafting their unique 'rhythm ', and I really think only another human can understand that creative voice. There is just too much human that has to be human in our creativity.

We are the who, not the that.