Welcome to the Grammar Minute, where we’re saving the English language sixty seconds at a time! I’m Lauren Smyth, and we’ve all heard about how to detect AI in writing. So let’s go through some things that are not indicators of AI.
First, em dashes. Some of us just know how to use them. And if you don’t, there are plenty of Grammar Minute episodes that can show you how.
Secondly, groupings of three. AI does have an unfortunate tendency to set things up like this, but that’s because for whatever reason, humans find three an aesthetically pleasing number. If you’re into interior decorating, you might know that you never put things in even-numbered groups because it looks visually weird, even if you don’t know the rule. The same is usually true with words. Put things in groups or one, three, or five, never two or four, and rarely more than five.
We need to be careful throwing around AI accusations. They can get people fired, blacklisted, and, frankly, discouraged. And sometimes, what looks like AI is really just good, professional writing.
That’s your Grammar Minute! Visit thegrammarminute.com for more tips and tricks.