An AI writing tutor that won't write it for you
DuckyHelper is an AI writing tutor that helps you write better without writing for you. Open your draft in Eddy, as a Word file, a PDF or a Google Doc shared with everyone, and ask about it. Eddy reads it with you, writes a short note beside the part it means and asks what you are trying to say. The rewriting stays yours. On a Mac, Ducky does the same over the document on your screen.
“Can you just write it for me?”
It won't. A tutor that writes your essay teaches you to hand in someone else's thinking. DuckyHelper reads your draft with you, asks what you mean, and leaves every sentence to you.
Open your draft. Talk it through.
In the Mac app's Eddy tab, press Open a file (Cmd + O), or paste a Google Docs link. Your draft opens as a page you and Eddy both see. Ask which paragraph is weakest, or whether your evidence supports your claim, out loud.
Word files, PDFs, slides and photos of a page, up to 50 MB each. A Google Doc opens when it is shared with everyone; old .doc files are refused with how to save them again.
Use the pen, the highlighter or a text box right on your draft. Eddy's notes sit beside the lines they are about, and you make the change in your own document.
Press Research (Cmd + E) to read Wikipedia, public-domain books and science pages with Eddy. It quotes only what it read and gives numbered citations you can check and cite yourself.
Notes on your draft, where you write
Keep writing in Google Docs, Pages or Word. Press fn and ask about a paragraph: while the pill is open Ducky sees your screen, underlines the sentence it means, circles the vague word and writes a question in the margin. The typing is left to you.
Say read this paragraph with me. The words light up on your screen as Ducky reads them aloud, so a long sentence or a missing word is easy to hear.
Ask what a word means and a dictionary-style card shows the meaning and an example, so you can decide if it says what you mean.
Five questions to ask about your draft
From a blank page to a final read. Ask them out loud: saying your point is often clearer than writing it.
- 1. What is my thesis, in one sentence?
If you can't say it, the reader can't find it. Eddy asks until you can.
- 2. Does this paragraph support it?
Eddy asks how each example connects back to your claim, and where the link is missing.
- 3. Which sentence is weakest?
One sentence at a time. Eddy says why it is unclear; you do the rewriting.
- 4. Is this a fragment or a run-on?
Ask about grammar on your own lines and get the rule, with a short example to try.
- 5. Read it back to me.
Hearing a paragraph catches what reading it silently misses. In the Mac app the words light up on your screen as they are read.
What it does, and what it won't
| It will | It won't |
|---|---|
| Ask what you are trying to say | Write your essay or your paragraphs |
| Point to the sentence that is unclear, and say why | Rewrite your draft into its own words |
| Explain a grammar rule with a short example | Fix your draft silently, so you never see the rule |
| Find sources and quote the paragraph it read | Cite something you can't open and check |
With your file open, Eddy works in homework mode: you do the work, it guides and checks, and it never writes the answer on your page. Follow your teacher's rules about AI too.
Writing study guides
How to use it
Frequently asked questions
Is there an AI writing tutor that won't write my essay?
Yes. DuckyHelper reads your draft with you, asks what you mean, points to the sentence that is unclear and explains why. It does not write your essay or rewrite your paragraphs for you; the words stay yours.
Can it read my Google Doc?
In the Eddy tab, paste the link to a Google Doc shared with everyone and it opens in Eddy, or download it as a Word file or PDF and open that. Or keep the doc open and press fn: Ducky sees it on your screen while the pill is open.
Can it check my grammar?
Ask about a sentence and it tells you what is wrong and the rule behind it, with a short example to try. It explains rather than silently fixing, so you learn the rule and fix it yourself.
Is it allowed in school?
That is your teacher's call. DuckyHelper is built to explain and ask questions, not to produce work for you, but follow your class rules on AI and say how you used it when you are asked.
More subjects
Bring your draft
Get the Mac app and open your draft in Eddy, or press fn over the document you are writing.
