Grammar Errors and Style Weaknesses in a Text-Critiquing System

Grammar errors and style weaknesses identified by CRITIQUE, a text processing system developed at the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, are discussed. Linguistic criteria for distinguishing between grammar and style are drawn first. These criteria are reflected in the messages issued by CRITIQUE to the user. Then, a computational criterion for distinguishing between grammar and style is discussed. This criterion is reflected in the implementation of the grammar-checking and style-checking mechanisms. Finally, it is explained how CRITIQUE operates when the criteria are in conflict: the implementation is driven by the computational criterion, while the display to the user remains faithful to the linguistic criteria. >