How Many of You Consider Good Spelling Important ? How Many of You Have A Dictionary Handy ?

Question

And, How many of you USE it ?

Please don't mistake this as criticism, we all make spelling errors and then typographical errors to make it worse . But what's wrong with at least TRYING to spell correctly ? Some people post questions that are so far off that their point(which may or may not be a good one) is lost , simply because it's difficult to understand .

Do you refer to a dictionary for words you cannot spell correctly ? Or possibly at least rely on 'Spell Check' ???

And what's so hard about properly using the words. . . . .to and too ? What's the big deal about a 2 letter word and a 3 letter word ?

I don't think it's unreasonable to ask people to use what's readily available to them . Nevermind the fact that . . .. .we were ALL taught in school, that later in life, we would ALL be judged according to the words we use . That's a quote from every school teacher who ever taught !!!

Hey 'willow' - I don't know if you did this on purpose to be funny or not, but it's .. .too often, not to often .

Hey 'social' - you're proving my theory on the use of the word 'to' and 'too' . Thank you .

Answer 1

Amen! I also find it completely ironic when someone asks a question about education and how to make it better and yet they have horrible spelling and grammar. I have had a questioner become very offended when I asked if she wouldn't be better served using her energy to read a dictionary or pay attention to what was being typed, but I didn't write that part until after I had given the answer to her question. If ever I am in question of whether or not a word is spelled correctly I will absolutely use the spell check!

Answer 2

I spell very well.....but I don't type well. I have a dictionary right by my side to actually look up words and their definations and spelling. I also have beautiful writing which is becomming a lost art. I'm not that computer savy and when I tried spell check it even made mistakes. I do try and I do make mistakes.....but I passed school years and years ago so I'm not opting for perfection here since I'm not in need of grades. I am shocked as to how so many don't know how to spell but oddly enough I do understand why.

When my children started school they were doing the "writing to read" program. Phonics etc. wasn't taught. Cat was spelled kat etc. Which I could understand to a point ,until my daughter brought home work in which there was a picture of a cat and she wrote cat and got it marked wrong. She failed tests for spelling correctly. Blew me away. Needless to say I had a very unproductive meeting with the teacher concerning the topic. It was the "new" method. Well....being an absolute failure in math and many tear filled evenings with my parents concerning the "new math" agenda they tried to implement years ago when I was young......it doesn't surprise me that we have a generation or two who can't spell. I can't get beyond basic math to save my life and I have tried, as many from that era can attest to. I can however make change and what math I do know I can do without the aid of a machine. Many can't do that anymore either.

I was a nightmare mom. I made my kids do the math first and check it with the aid of a calculator later. I made them go to the library and look up BOOKS and read them before they ever got access to the ease of a computer. I made them re-write papers that were sloppy and I made them practice proper penmenship. They are basic skills and maybe they won't cure world hunger....but they aren't going to throw their hands in the air and say they can't do something when the electricity goes out either.

Answer 3

I don't keep one handy and I never use spell check.
Which is why I end up with so man teh's and woh's.

I type to fast and most of the time I am doing something else while I am typing my answers so I tend to
make little typos like that alot. Or I will type a word of a phrase twice.

I think the most important thing is that can you communicate to the point that people understand you. However there certainly is value in good grammatical and linguistic skills.

-- your right. I certainly wasn't disagreeing with you :) most of my answers are hastily typed as i try and get work done at the same time.

Answer 4

I have been blessed with an innate sense of spelling, however, just in case, I do keep a dictionary (7 actually, different languages and such) handy for nearly any occasion!

It is honestly disconcerting to me that many here do not use the dictionary, nor the ever-present SpellCheck immediately above the answer box.

I believe it is a generational thing, as the majority of the kids here use the IM lingo, and just plain slang.

Oy vey!

P.S. Is your Ph.D. what I think it is?

Answer 5

I use both spell check and a dictionary to be certain I'm using a word in it's proper context. I wish that some of the people from other countries would try to get our language correct before attempting to ask questions about our government or it's officials. I don't understand half of what they try to say.

Answer 6

I make mistakes, but for the most part I do my best to spell correctly. Right or wrong, people make a judgment about your intelligence based in part on spelling. I don't carry a dictionary with me but I occasionally use an online dictionary and will definitely use spell check if it's available.

Answer 7

It is kind of funny to read a rant about how stupid a certain group of people is that is laden with the most basic spelling errors. Typos are one thing, lord knows I've done my share, but there are some that can't be explained that way.

Answer 8

Check spelling upper right corner of the box you type in. Use it and most words will be spelled correctly. It only takes one click.

Somehow correctly spelled words makes one sound much more intelligent than he might ordinarily be.

Answer 9

sThe problem with spell check is that it doesn't catch the words that have other meanings, like there, their, they're and too, to, two.

I have learned to over-look all manners of mis-spellings and poor grammar. Not easy.

If Politics is where we hang out, why isn't this question on topic?

Answer 10

Those who point out spelling errors do so to make up for thier lack of intellect. A form of snobbery best left to the academic know nothings