I have problems checking punctuation.

[Art Vandillay]

I'm testing out the spell checker on Word 2007 and I can't get the spell
checker to properly check comma errors. For example, the spell checker
doesn't notice any errors in the following sentence:

"There, is, a, comma, after, every, word."

If I type in that sentence I get no squiggly red line below it and if I
press F7 to spell check it then it just tells me that the spelling and
grammar check is complete. I can't figure out how to fix this problem.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I wouldn't expect the spelling checker to find any problems with that since
the words are correctly spelled. Are you sure you have the grammar checker
enabled?

 

[Art Vandillay]

I would expect the spell checker to flag that sentence because the spell
checker also checks grammar and style. I know that I have the grammar checker
enabled because pretty much all other grammar and style errors are flagged
with the squiggly red lines and they are pointed out when I use the spell
checker. Checking the proper placement of commas seems to be the only problem
the grammar checker ignores.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

The spelling checker does not check grammar. The grammar checker checks
grammar.

 

[Art Vandillay]

When I mentioned the spell checker, I meant the spelling/grammar/style
checker. I just want to know how to fix the problem. I want to know what
exactly I have to do to the grammar checking to get it to flag improperly
placed commas with the red squiggly lines and for such errors to be shown to
me when I use the spelling/grammar/style checker.

 

[Bob Buckland ?:-\)]

Hi Art,

There probably isn't a setting for the particular scenario you mentioned.

Those items will likely appear to Word as a list, and list elements could generally be separated by commas. You can turn on all of
the settings and subsettings to check both Grammar and style that are available in

Office button=>Word Options=>Proofing=>When correcting spelling and grammar in Word=>Writing Style=>Settings

Word's proofing tools are to assist in reviewing work as you type or after, they don't replace personal review, nor have they ever
been advertised that I recall as being good enough to do so. The Word tools are imperfect.

Word 2007 will show 3 'squiggly' format colors:
Red - spelling

Blue - contextual spelling (and or inconsistent format tracking)

Green - Grammar
for issues it can recognize as unique. Whether Word *should* catch this is another question

If you rearrange your sentence from

There is a comma after every word.

to

After every word there is a comma.

Word's grammar checker will flag that sentence, suggesting adding a comma after 'word'. so it is 'seeing' the content.

If you used this text (with all choices for Grammar & Style turned on):

Once upon a time in the west

Word's grammar checker lists it as a 'fragment' no matter if you use a comma after every word or just type it, as above. That
'rule' appears to override anything else the proofing tools may be seeing.

===============
When I mentioned the spell checker, I meant the spelling/grammar/style
checker. I just want to know how to fix the problem. I want to know what
exactly I have to do to the grammar checking to get it to flag improperly
placed commas with the red squiggly lines and for such errors to be shown to
me when I use the spelling/grammar/style checker. >>
--

Bob Buckland ?
MS Office System Products MVP

*Courtesy is not expensive and can pay big dividends*

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

As Bob says, none of the checkers are going to see a problem here: just a
list of words.