--- title: "An AI writing tutor that won't write it for you" url: "https://duckyhelper.com/subjects/writing/" description: "An AI writing tutor that reads your own draft with you, asks what you mean and points to what is unclear, and leaves the writing to you. On a Mac." updated: "2026-10-09" --- Mac app # 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. [Download for Mac](https://duckyhelper.com/download/)[Meet Eddy](https://duckyhelper.com/eddy/) [All films](https://duckyhelper.com/films/#cosmos) “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. In the Eddy tab ## 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. [Guide: homework files](https://docs.duckyhelper.com/eddy/homework/) What it opens 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. Mark it up yourself 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. Find and cite sources 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. [Guide: points and draws](https://docs.duckyhelper.com/mac/points-and-draws/) Hear your own writing 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. A word you're not sure of 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. 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. 2. Does this paragraph support it? Eddy asks how each example connects back to your claim, and where the link is missing. 3. 3. Which sentence is weakest? One sentence at a time. Eddy says why it is unclear; you do the rewriting. 4. 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. 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 ### Essay writing Thesis statements, outlines, body paragraphs, introductions and conclusions. ### Grammar Commas, semicolons, subject-verb agreement, run-ons and fragments. ### Thesis statements Turn a prompt into one arguable sentence. ### Word counter Count words, characters and reading time while you trim a draft. ### Essay help How DuckyHelper gives feedback on a draft without ghostwriting. ## How to use it [Guide: Your first lesson with Eddy](https://docs.duckyhelper.com/start/first-lesson/) ## 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 ### Math: worked steps, moving graphs, and hints before the answer An AI math tutor that explains one move at a time: worked steps, graphs you can move, hints before answers. In the Mac app, right over your homework. ### Biology: labelled pictures you can tap, read and quiz yourself on An AI biology tutor that answers with labelled pictures: ask how blood clots or how muscles move, tap any part to ask more, then quiz yourself. On a Mac. ### Chemistry: see the atoms, then work the equations step by step An AI chemistry tutor that shows what atoms are doing: labelled pictures of bonds, steps for every equation, quizzes and flashcards. In the DuckyHelper Mac app. ### Physics: simulations you can play with and every step worked through An AI physics tutor that shows the why: simulations you can play with, forces drawn out, worked steps with real numbers. In the DuckyHelper Mac app. ### History: labelled pictures, maps, timelines and sources you can check An AI history tutor that shows the past: labelled pictures, maps and timelines you can explore, and sources read with you and cited. In the DuckyHelper Mac app. ### Languages: speak out loud, get scored, and keep what you miss An AI language tutor you practice with out loud: hear a word in syllables, say it back, get each word scored, and keep what you miss as flashcards. ### Computer science: run it, step through it, and write it yourself An AI computer science tutor: run your code against tests, step through it line by line to see the variables change, and get hints instead of the solution. ### Music: chords on a labelled keyboard, strings, scales and rhythm An AI music theory tutor that shows the sound: why a minor chord sounds sad on a labelled keyboard, how a string makes a note, rhythm in numbers. On a Mac. ### Art: perspective you can change, and paintings explained part by part An AI art tutor that shows how pictures work: perspective drawn on a picture you can change, paintings explained part by part, art history read with you. ## Keep reading ### Essays: feedback on your own draft, never the essay written for you Essay help that keeps the writing yours: a tutor reads your draft, asks about your thesis, marks what is unclear and helps you plan. It never writes it for you. ### Essay Writing study guides Free essay writing guides: thesis statements, outlines, introductions, body paragraphs, conclusions, transitions, MLA vs APA, and the Common App essay. ### Eddy: the voice tutor in the DuckyHelper Mac app's Eddy tab Eddy is the voice tutor in the DuckyHelper Mac app: talk out loud and it teaches on a blackboard, with labelled pictures, quizzes and your own homework file. ### Open a PDF, Word file, slides or a photo of your homework; Eddy hints beside the question and checks your answer Open your worksheet, slides or a photo of your homework in Eddy. You both see the same page; Eddy writes a hint beside the question and checks your answer. ### Every subject: one question per subject, shown on screen DuckyHelper is an AI tutor for any subject: math, the sciences, history, writing, languages, code, music and art, each explained out loud and shown on screen. ## Bring your draft Get the Mac app and open your draft in Eddy, or press fn over the document you are writing. [Download for Mac](https://duckyhelper.com/download/) [See what it does](https://duckyhelper.com/features/) The Mac app needs Apple silicon and macOS 14 Sonoma or later. There is no Chromebook, Windows or web version right now.