Hemingway Editor

Here's a neat online tool for students to use when editing their writing:

                                        Hemingway Editor

Ernest Hemingway is known for his deceptively simple writing style.  He shunned flowery vocabulary and long, wordy sentences.  The power of his writing stems from its unapologetic bluntness.

Students, unfortunately, often favor ornate language and long, rambling sentences because they believe that they make their writing seem smarter and more literary.  The Hemingway Editor can help!

Students cut and paste their writing sample into the Hemingway Editor and it  automatically assesses their writing.  The app highlights phrases that are hard to read and those that are very hard to read.  It highlights passive voice and adverbs.

It's not perfect, by any means.  When I assessed a paragraph of my own writing, I had to pick and choose which suggestions I would actually incorporate into my writing sample.  For example, the Hemingway Editor highlighted two adverbs and suggested that I remove them.  Removing them would have slightly changed the meaning of my sentences, though, so I ignored the Editor and kept them.

However, it is a great tool for getting students to take another look at their writing.  It sparks great debates during peer reviews and gives me another way to hand over control to my students while also providing some guidance.