Almost every student dreads writing assignments. Writing has so many elements one needs to get right, from research to proofreading, that many students quickly get overwhelmed. If you are struggling with writing your assignment, there are some tools that could help you write your assignment with ease.
Open Google Chrome, one of the best modern browsers out there. This impressive browser has a library of easy-to-use and easy-to-install plugins that can help increase your productivity when writing your assignment. From helping you stay focused on checking your grammar, here are seven extensions every student should install when writing an assignment.
1. Strict Workflow
Whenever you have a writing assignment, it is vital to always stay focused on the task at hand in order to complete it on time and of the highest quality. The problem with the Internet is that there are too many distractions popping up in the form of notifications from websites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and news websites. Helping you stay focused is what Strict Workflow can help you with.
It forces you to stick to a “strict workflow” for 25 minutes with no distractions. It does this by blocking all the websites that distract you for the specified period of time. After the 25 minutes are up, then comes a 5-minute break. This goes on and on until you finish all your writing work.
2. Google Dictionary
If you want to know how to use your words in the best way possible, then Google Dictionary is an essential plugin to install for Google Chrome. With this extension, you can double-click any word, and you will see a popup with the definition. This helps you see if the word you are using fits the context. The last thing you want to do in your writing assignment is to look like you are just using big words to sound smart without knowing what they mean.
3. OneTab
Researching usually means that you will end up opening a bunch of tabs at once, making the tab section of your browser cluttered. OneTab allows you to organize them all in one list under a single tab with just one click. If you need a specific tab, you can easily restore it. When you have a lot of tabs open, your browser’s memory can be affected, slowing it down (it can even crash on you). By minimizing the number of open tabs, OneTab allows you to save up to 95% of the memory.
4. Grammarly
Installing Grammarly is highly recommended for whenever you are writing a paper and especially if you are not a native English speaker or grammar isn’t your strongest suit. Once installed, this plugin automatically checks for spelling and grammar mistakes all your texts, allowing you to make your writing assignments more readable. It is a free extension, and all that is required from you is to create an account.
5. Speak It
No matter how hard we try, sometimes, the final draft of our writing assignment will have some mistakes that we didn’t catch. When you proofread your own text, you usually miss the mistakes because your mind automatically fills in the blanks for you. It is much easier to catch the mistakes when someone reads your words out loud to you. That is what Speak It! does.
Speak it! is a Google Chrome plugin that converts text to speech. Once installed, all you have to do is to right-click the text you want to check, then click on “Speak It!” for the plugin to read it to you. You can easily catch mistakes with this program.
6. Google Similar Pages
When researching a topic for your writing assignment, it is usually better to find three or four sources so that you can get the most accurate information. Google Similar Pages simplifies the process of scouring the Internet for similar content. With the help of one click, the plugin searches Google on your behalf, finding similar pages, and simplifying the painful process of researching a topic.
7. Thesaurus
Sometimes, your writing can get repetitive if you find yourself using the same words over and over again. The good thing about the English language is that many words have alternatives that you can use in their stead called synonyms. Synonyms also come in handy when you’re trying to paraphrase someone else’s words. A good plugin to have for finding synonyms is Thesaurus. Once the plugin is installed, you just highlight the word, and you will be given its synonyms.
8. EasyBib
Citations are a very important aspect of any piece of academic writing, but many people find the process difficult. EasyBib simplifies this process allowing you to automatically generate references with a single click. It also lets you know if the website you’re citing is credible, lets you cite many sources and formats as well as arranges the citations in alphabetical order for you.
There are hundreds of plugins for Google Chrome that aim to help students increase their productivity, but most of them are bad. The ones listed in this articles have been shown to be the best and will help any student who is feeling overwhelmed with their writing assignments. Bear in mind that these are just tools, and they won’t do the job for you – they will only make it easier to handle the process.