Microsoft Reader: A Free Gadget to Improve Your Writing

Word processors make a writer's life much easier. They are especially appreciated by a person like me, who has spent almost twenty years composing on a typewriter. Word processors can also help a person become a better writer, if you know a few cool tricks and gadgets. So read on, for one of my favorite gadgets, Microsoft Reader.

One sure way to improve your writing is to get in the habit of reading your words out loud. Those awkward sentences will jump out at you. Unfortunately, when we read our words out loud, our mind sometimes plays tricks on us. Unconsciously we mentally add in words that are missing, or fail to recognize a word we improperly used. Perhaps the word looks similar to the word we intended, yet it has a different sound, spelling and definition.

This is where the cool gadget comes in. Microsoft Reader, a free platform that allows us to read Microsoft Reader eBooks, has an audio feature. When reading a document in Microsoft Reader it is possible to activate this feature. When you do this, the book or document is then read aloud by the program.

The robot-like voice does not have the smooth flow of a live person. It also doesn't have human limitations. It won't add in words you've missed, or mentally restructure the sentence before reading aloud.

So how does this help you? If you use a version of Microsoft Word, prior to 2007, it is easy to convert a Word document to a Microsoft Reader document, and then have your computer read the article back to you. Instead of you, or another person reading the words aloud, it will be a robot voice from your computer.

You will need to install the free add on at the Microsoft website. After you've completed the add on, an icon that resembles a tree will appear in your Word menu bar. To create a Microsoft Reader document, first save your word file, then click on the little tree-like icon. Follow the simple steps in the menu that pops up, and you've created your new document.

You also need to install a free download of Microsoft Reader, so you can read your documents. This can also be done at the Microsoft website. This is similar to downloading Adobe Reader.

It is fast, easy, yet has a glitch. Since I've switched to Word 2007, I've been unable to utilize this feature. I am only able to use it on my computer with an older version of Word.

This of course explains why some of my articles posted on Associated Content have errors, which Microsoft Reader would have caught, had I been able to use it on my main computer. That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it!