FAQ

Features and Benefits

How is Ginger Software different from other spell-checkers?

Ginger is an intelligent spell checker. Ginger recognizes words in context and provides the most appropriate corrections for spelling and grammar mistakes according to the intended meaning of your sentence. Ginger can tell when a correctly spelled word is misused and replaces it with the right word.

How do I correct my text with Ginger?

You can correct your text with Ginger when working in MS Word, Outlook, PowerPoint and IE as well as Firefox. Simply place the cursor where you would like to start checking your text then press F2 or click the Ginger drawer at the top of the screen. Ginger will start checking the text and will prompt you when errors are detected.

Ginger makes "context-based corrections" - what does that mean?

Ginger examines the entire sentence in which a misspelled word appears and analyzes the context. Ginger is thus able to correct the text in keeping with the writer’s intention, even in cases of extreme spelling mistakes.
Standard spell checkers offer the same alternatives for a misspelled word regardless of its context. When they encounter a severe spelling mistake, they suggest many irrelevant words.
For example, if you write, "I rannd out of time", a standard spell checker displays a list of words such as "rand", "rend", and "rind" as possible corrections, and prompts you to make the correction. Ginger, on the other hand, automatically replaces the misspelled word with "ran".
Ginger is thus particularly helpful for users who have difficulty recognizing and selecting a correct word from a standard list of alternatives.

Ginger makes "automatic corrections" - what does that mean?

Ginger corrects an entire sentence in one click. Standard spell checkers correct only one word at a time.
For example, if you write, "fisical educson can assits in strengtning muscles", a standard spell checker requires you to perform a correction for each word in the sentence. With Ginger, a single click produces the corrected sentence: "Physical education can assist in strengthening muscles."

What types of mistakes can Ginger correct?

• Misspelled words
• Ginger identifies words that are misused contextually even when their spelling is correct. For example, in the sentence "Were are you?", a standard spell checker does not detect any error. Ginger automatically changes "Were" to "Where".
• Ginger recognizes and merges split words. For example, Ginger will identify the error in the sentence "I went in side" and will correct it to "I went inside".
• Ginger provides grammar correction: detection and correction of prepositions, and other inflections.

Upcoming versions of Ginger will include many more features, including:

• Vocabulary enhancement: Ginger will suggest synonyms for correct words that are more appropriate to the register of the sentence.
• Insertion of missing words: For example, Ginger will recognize the missing word "are" in the sentence "what you doing?" and suggest inserting it.
• Verb tense correction.

How does Ginger Software help people with dyslexia?

Ginger's revolutionary technology was developed specifically to correct the kinds of spelling mistakes commonly made by people with dyslexia that other spell checkers do not correct. Spell checkers usually suggest words whose spelling most resembles the misspelled word; Ginger suggests words whose meaning best suits the context of the entire sentence.

The following examples are the types of mistakes often made by people with dyslexia:

• Unusual spelling, such as becals for because, strengning for strengthening. A regular spell checker will suggest the most similar word: becalms for becals and stringing for strengning. Ginger will choose the right correction based on the sentence the spelling mistake appears in.
• Writing words as they sound, such as fizix for physics, enuf for enough, shoor for sure. Spell checkers suggest the most similar word based on letter similarity: fizzy for fizix, ennui for enuf, short for shoor. Ginger offers corrections whose sound is similar even if the spelling is very different, provided its meaning fits the sentence.
• Using correctly spelled words in the wrong context (misused words), such as "I wood like to" instead of "I would like to". Most spell checkers don't detect these errors because the word wood is correctly spelled. Some spell checkers can detect a few particular misused words. Ginger is the only spell checker that can identify and correct almost any word that is misused.
• Additional mistakes in the sentence may obscure the writer’s intended meaning, as in "I leave in the grin house" instead of "I live in the green house". Ginger is the only spell checker that can understand a complete sentence even when the context itself is ambiguous.

People with dyslexia often have reading difficulties and may have difficulty selecting the best correction from several options. Ginger determines the correction based on sentence context and makes the correction automatically.

Can Ginger help me learn from my mistakes?

Ginger simultaneously displays your text before and after correction, allowing you to see your mistakes and their corrections. This visual presentation is a learning aid that helps you avoid repeating the mistake.

Ginger also presents sample sentences and definitions for suggested spelling alternatives, helping you see different nuances of words and expressions.

The Ginger Text to Speech feature reads aloud text files, emails and websites in a high quality human voice. It is truly lifelike, easy to use, and offers great oral guidance for learners of English as a Second Language, and allows people with dyslexia to be certain that what they wrote is what they meant to write.

The Ginger English Learning feature will analyze all your writing mistakes, in any application you use, and identify which English topics you need to practice more. It will then show you the most recommended topics for further practice. Ginger will teach you how to improve the topics most relevant for you, based on your own mistakes. You will be presented with corrections to your sentences, and learn how to pronounce them. In addition, you will be presented with short multi-media lessons that will help you avoid repeating the same mistakes in the future. The Ginger English tutor will also provide you with a series of quizzes that will make sure you learned each topic thoroughly.

Can Ginger help people who just want to improve their writing skills in English?

Certainly! Ginger is a valuable tool for anyone who wants to write better in English.
Ginger is particularly useful to speakers of English as a second or foreign language, who need help with their writing skills in English.

Does Ginger support languages other than English?

Currently Ginger only corrects English.

Downloads and Licenses

What is Ginger Premium and how is it different from Ginger?

Ginger Premium software has all the features of the basic Ginger software, and includes the Text to Speech feature that reads aloud text files, emails and websites in a high quality human voice.

The Ginger English Learning feature will analyze all your writing mistakes, in any application you use, and identify which English topics you need to practice more. It will then show you the most recommended topics for further practice. Ginger will teach you how to improve the topics most relevant for you, based on your own mistakes. You will be presented with corrections to your sentences, and learn how to pronounce them. In addition, you will be presented with short multi-media lessons that will help you avoid repeating the same mistakes in the future. The Ginger English Tutor will also provide you with a series of quizzes that will make sure you learned each topic thoroughly.

What license or payment options does Ginger offer?

Home users of Ginger software have two purchase options:

• Lifetime license: A one-time payment buys a specific version of Ginger software and its updates. This license never expires.
• Monthly subscription: A monthly payment plan gives you access to the latest version of Ginger software at an easily affordable price. This license expires at the end of each monthly period.

Schools and organizations can purchase multiple-year subscription licenses with discounts applied. This license entitles you to all software updates (and upgrades) released during your subscription period.

Does Ginger offer a special price for students or schools?

Schools will receive a discount when purchasing multiple licenses and/or multiple-year subscriptions of Ginger. For complete pricing information, go to the Ginger Store.

Will we get a discount if we buy Ginger for a number of users in our company?

Ginger offers discounts for volume purchases and multiple-year subscriptions of Ginger.

For complete pricing information, go to the Ginger Store.

Operating Systems and Compatibility

What are the computer requirements for Ginger?

• Microsoft Windows XP (SP2 or higher), Vista, Windows 7
• An Internet connection
• Internet Explorer

What applications does Ginger work with?

Ginger currently works with the following applications:

• Microsoft Office Word 2003/2007/2010
• Microsoft Office Outlook 2003/2007/2010
• Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003/2007/2010
• Internet Explorer version 6.0 and higher
• Firefox

Please note: Ginger does not work with Office 2010 Click-to-Run versions.

Does Ginger work on a Mac?

A Mac version of Ginger is not currently offered. Click here to request a notification when Ginger for Macintosh is available. In the Comments field, type "Add me to Mac list".

Does Ginger work with MaxWrite and other Scholastic Keys software?

Ginger works with MaxWrite, the Scholastic Keys interface for Microsoft Word.

I get a message: "This application mode is currently unsupported"

You will receive this message when trying to correct text in an area of the application which Ginger does not support.

For example:

• Ginger does not correct text in Word's "Track Changes" mode
• Ginger does not correct text in Outlook appointments
• Ginger does not correct text in Outlook's inbox view
• Ginger does not correct text in Google docs

Installation and Operation

How do I specify which dictionary (US/UK) Ginger uses?

Ginger uses a dictionary to check word spelling. The software comes with two dictionaries of English for US and UK based spelling. To choose the dictionary, right-click the Ginger tray icon and choose from the two options 'English - US' or 'English - UK'. You can switch between dictionaries at any given time.

When trying to correct an e-mail in Microsoft Outlook 2003 I get the following message: "Unsupported Application Mode"

The source of this problem could be in your Outlook's settings.
Please follow these steps in order to change your settings to the preferred setting:

1. Open the "Tools" Menu and select "Options"
2. Choose the "Mail Format" tab
3. Under "message format" mark "Use Microsoft Office Word 2003 to edit e-mail messages"

After applying this change, you should be able to correct text in Outlook.

How do I access my Writing Mistakes Report in Ginger Premium (home users)?

To access your Writing Mistakes Reports right-click the Ginger tray icon and choose ‘Learning’. Alternatively, while correcting your text with Ginger, click ‘Learning’ in the Ginger panel. Your Writing Mistakes Report page will open in your default internet browser.

How do I access my Frequent Error Reports in Ginger Premium (school staff)?

To be able to access your students’ reports go to Ginger Software’s website (www.gingersoftware.com) and click ‘School Reports Login’. Sign in using your username and password. To get a username and password you need to sign up and provide your account information, including your school name and activation code. Once signed in your school report will be displayed in the browser.

How do I use Ginger Premium’s Text-to-Speech?

Ginger’s Text-to-Speech capabilities allow listening to sentences, words or whole documents. In order to hear the text make sure you can hear sound from the computer's speakers or headphones.

1. Listening to words and sentences that contain errors:
   When Ginger detects a sentence that contains errors it allows you to listen to the original sentence and to the corrected sentence from within the Ginger panel. To listen to the sentences, click the ‘Speaker’ icon that appears next to the sentence. You can listen to individual words that Ginger identified as errors and to their correction. These words are underlined in the corrected sentence line in the Ginger panel. When you click an underlined word in the sentence a menu is displayed. Ginger will play words and definitions in this menu when you hover with the mouse cursor over them. If you cannot hear the text, check that sound is not muted in this menu (the 'Speaker' icon in the top right hand side of the menu).
2. To listen to your whole text, click on the ‘Speaker’ icon in the Ginger drawer. Ginger will read the text from the location of the cursor until the end of the text. To stop the reading, either click anywhere in the document or press the ‘Stop’ button in the Ginger drawer.

How do I change the Text-to-Speech settings in Ginger Premium?

You can change the voice that Ginger uses as well as the speed and volume of the speech. To change these settings, when the Ginger panel is open, click ‘Settings’ and choose ‘Speech settings…’.

1. Voices can be changed using the ‘Voice’ drop-down list. Currently there are four available voices – male and female with US and UK accents.
2. To change the speed and volume of the speech, use the relevant drag-and-drop scales.
3. You can test the current settings by clicking on 'Try these settings'.
4. Close the speech settings window. The new settings are saved automatically.

How do I move the Ginger panel?

The Ginger drawer can be moved across the top end of the screen. To move it, place your cursor on the left hand side of the drawer. When the cursor pointer changes, click to drag the drawer and drop it in the new position.

How do I edit text within the Ginger panel?

Ginger allows you to edit a sentence where it found errors within the Ginger panel. To edit a sentence within the Ginger panel click the 'Pencil' icon next to the sentence. The sentence line changes to a text box where you can make changes to the sentence. To apply the changes click ‘Approve’.

This option is also available when you click an underlined word in the corrected sentence. If none of the options listed in the menu are suitable, you can choose ‘None of the above – edit original’ which will also enable sentence editing within the panel.

*Note that it is recommended to use Ginger to recheck the sentence that you edited in the panel. To recheck the sentence, place the cursor anywhere in the sentence and press F2 or click the Ginger drawer.

How do I customize the display of my Ginger panel in Ginger Premium?

Ginger Premium allows you to change the display settings of the Ginger panel. You can change the size of the text, the colors used for marking errors and corrections and the contrast. To edit the settings, in the Ginger panel click ‘Settings’ and choose ‘Display Settings’.

1. Ginger comes with three preset display settings: Default, High Contrast and Large Font. To use one of these simply click on them in the Display Settings window.
2. To customize the display settings, in the ‘Custom’ box click ‘Edit’. In the ‘Custom’ window you can edit settings such as the background and text colors, for the identified errors , corrections, and reviewed words, the size of the font and line spacing. As you change the settings you can see an example of how the Ginger panel will look on the left.
3. To keep the settings click 'Save'. To exit without saving click 'Cancel'.

How can I tell if my text contains errors?

In order to start checking your text press F2 or click the Ginger drawer. Ginger then checks the text for you and when it detects a sentence that contains at least one error it opens the Ginger panel where you can see the original sentence with the errors and a corrected sentence.

In addition, Ginger checks your document constantly while you are writing. If it detects any errors, the Ginger drawer color changes to red. This tells you that your text contains at least one error. To see the errors and correct them with Ginger press F2 or click the Ginger panel.

Why does my Ginger panel change color to red?

Ginger checks your document constantly while you are writing. If it detects any errors, the Ginger panel color changes to red. This indicates that your text contains at least one error. To see the errors and correct them with Ginger, place your cursor at the top of the text and press F2 or click the Ginger panel.

How do I install Ginger software on my school network?

Installation procedures for network installations are described in the Ginger Installation Guide for IT Managers. The guide is included in the software installation as a PDF file.

I get a message: "Unable to install in default destination folder..."

For some reason, you do not have permission to write to the folder where Ginger is normally installed.

You need to select another folder for the Ginger installation.

To receive more detailed instructions for resolving this issue, contact Ginger technical support.

I get a message: "No Internet connection" even though I am connected to the Internet.

If you are certain your Internet connection is configured properly and functioning, your computer probably has a firewall or other software that is blocking Ginger.

Please change your settings and approve Ginger as a trusted program.

To receive more detailed instructions for resolving this issue, contact Ginger technical support.

I get a message: "Due to a problem in your Office installation, Word cannot respond to Ginger."

This problem may occur if different versions of Office have been installed/uninstalled on your computer. It is known to occur, for example, if Office 2007 was uninstalled after Office 2003 was installed on a Vista operating system.

The solution is to reinstall Office, which will repair the installation, and enable use with Ginger.

To receive more detailed instructions for resolving this issue, contact Ginger technical support.