|
 |
In this day and age, too many people are relying on spell checking software as their only means of editing. The rule of thumb most people go by is that anything meant for a friend gets sent the way it is typed without the benefit of editing as opposed to communication meant for a colleague or being turned into a teacher should be put through spell checking software. People believe that level of scrutiny is sufficient.
I find that spell checking software is great at catching typos such as transposed letters, but that's about it. It will not save you from typing (or rather mistyping) homophones. [You remember those from English class, right? They're sets of words that sound the same, but are spelled differently and have different meanings such as "they're," "there," and "their."] Spell checking won't save you when your mistyped word happens to be another real world. Another potential pitfall is letting the spell checker automatically correct as you type. It may "correct" your typing error, but change the word to something else entirely. If "ewe" don't believe me, read on.
Would you want your employees sending out correspondence like this?
To Out Values Customer;
We got your e-male about yore missing shipment and are sew sorry for ant incontinence we may have caused. Where not shore how your order got miss placed hair? But were looking into it. Wheel chip it write out fro you too day fro our wear house. Thanks for undertaking!
Spell checking software does not find a single error with that example. Try it in yours and you'll be shocked. Spell checking software is a good start, but it's not the final answer. Software is not sophisticated enough yet to replace manual proofreading and editing.
A writer would know the appropriate corrections called for in the situation.
To Our Valued Customer:
We received your e-mail about your missing shipment and are so sorry for any inconvenience we may have caused. We’re not sure how your order got misplaced here, but we're looking into it. We’ll ship it right out for you today from our warehouse. Thanks for understanding.
Imagine a teacher receiving this.
Is it jest a myth that hour frost precedent shopped dawn a cheery tree? Scholars have rebated this store four ages, but to day wheel come to a definitive concussion.
A writer would know the appropriate corrections called for in the situation.
Is it just a myth that our first president chopped down a cherry tree? Scholars have debated this story for ages, but today we'll come to a definitive conclusion.
Don't be shy, run it through your spell checker and see what happens. Go ahead. I'll wait. I hope these examples have convinced you that spell check is only the first step in the editing process.
Category: Article WritingDon't Let This Happen To You - A Spell Checking Disaster was written by:Author:Matthew W. GrantAdded: Wed, 05 Sep 2007 20:16:36 -0400 This Article Has Been Read 252 times View all Matthew W. Grant's articlesAbout the Author: Looking for an editing resource? Please visit author Matthew W. Grant's site, A+ Editors, at (http://www.APlusEditors.com). |
More Articles About Article Writing
Not What You Were Looking For?
 Moxie Drive Expressions
 Submit Articles
 Contact us
Add us to favorites
Hint - Hold "T" button down and right click to open Sphinn and Subbmitt in a new window. 
|