By Paul Yeager, author of Literally, the Best Language Book Ever

Did you run a grammar check, spell check, and tone check before sending that important e-mail to your boss?

If you were like me (until fairly recently), I didn’t know that it was possible to run a tone check–a program that checks for words, clauses, and sentences that “may convey unintended emotion or tone, then helps you re-write them.”

That quote was ToneCheck.com, which is offering to help by providing you with a tool that will check the tone of your e-mail.

We’re not endorsing the product or recommending that you add it to your computer, but it is true that the tone of communication is as important (or more important) than the words you choose. This is especially true of e-mail since people can’t see the non-verbal cues that might give the person the correct impression.

Personally, I’m guessing that common sense would work better than a computer program.