I was digging around some old scripts in my play directory and found a script I started writing for form inputs for my site. It checks for eight little grammar problems or typographical errors, some of which I am guilty of every so often. If you can think of any more which would fit the format, please let me know.

You can take out WORDLIST and just use join if you do not feel like installing Lingua::EN::Inflect (my favorite module). If you do not want to use the last until, just take out the returns in correct_grammar.

I do not know how cool this is, but I think it is a bit cute.

#!/usr/bin/perl
use strict;
use warnings;

use Lingua::EN::Inflect qw(WORDLIST);

local $\ = "\n";

print "Enter string: ";
my $string = <>;
chomp($string);

my @conjunctions_list = qw(and but or nor);

my @prepositions_list = qw(
  aboard  about  above  across  after  against  along  amid  among  an
+ti  around  as  at
  before  behind  below  beneath  beside  besides  between  beyond  bu
+t  by
  concerning  considering
  despite  down  during
  except  excepting  excluding
  following  for  from
  in  inside  into
  like
  minus
  near
  of  off  on  onto  opposite  outside  over
  past  per  plus
  regarding  round
  save  since
  than  through  to  toward  towards
  under  underneath  unlike  until  up  upon
  versus  via
  with  within  without
);

sub correct_grammar {
  my ($string_to_check) = shift;

  my $CAPS = join('|',"A".."Z");
  my $conjunctions = join('|',@conjunctions_list);
  my $prepositions = join('|',@prepositions_list);

  my @errors;
  push @errors, "have not used punctuation"      if ($string_to_check 
+!~ /(?:\.|\!|\?|\,|\;)/);
  push @errors, "have not spaced your words out" if ($string_to_check 
+!~ /\s/);
  push @errors, "have not capitalized anything"  if ($string_to_check 
+!~ /(?:$CAPS)/);
  push @errors, "have two capital letters in a row in your text" if ($
+string_to_check =~ /(?:$CAPS)(?:$CAPS)/);
  push @errors, "started with a conjunction"     if ($string_to_check 
+=~ /^(?:$conjunctions) /i);
  push @errors, "ended with a preposition"       if ($string_to_check 
+=~ / (?:$prepositions)(|\W)$/i);
  push @errors, "have a number which should be written out" if ($strin
+g_to_check =~ / \d\d /);
  push @errors, "misspelled 'the'"               if ($string_to_check 
+=~ / teh /i);

  if (scalar(@errors) > 0) {
    print "It appears you ".WORDLIST(@errors,{conj => 'and'}).'.';
    return 0;
  }
  else {
    print "Good job, and thank you!";
    return 1;
  }
}

until (correct_grammar($string)) {
  $string = <>;
  chomp($string);
}
[download]

Have fun with it!