Spelling mistakes. I?hate them. I?know I’ve been guilty of them now and then, and I blame it on Facebook, not the corporation, but the users. In other words, my friends.
I’ve always prided myself as a good speller. All through grade school I?would study and study my spelling words for the weekly tests, hoping for a perfect score and maybe a few bonus questions too. I?won a spelling bee in Grade 6, and was awarded with a sleeve of Fizz candies.
In my Grade 12 business English class, I?was faced with a dilemma, when I was away one day and missed a spelling test. The next day, my teacher advised me to claim a test with no name on it so I wouldn’t have a zero on my record. The problem:?the unclaimed test only had three out of 10 correct answers. I?snubbed it. Not only for moral reasons; it was not my test to claim, but come on, 30 per cent? I?think that would mar my good name more than a zero.
Now, with all that said, I’ve been seeing a lot of recurring errors on my news feed lately, and I’m seeing them so much that they’re starting to look right. This is for my benefit as much as it is for any of them.
Commonly misspelled words:?
Definitely. It’s not “definately”. It definitely doesn’t have an ‘a’ in it.
Tomorrow. Not tomarrow, or tommorrow.
Satellite:?I even have trouble with this one. I?always want to spell it “sattellite” and I’ve seen it also as “satelite”.
(Very) Commonly misused words:?
To, too: “To” is a preposition expressing motion or direction (going to the park) or (my first time going to the city); or an expression of range, (1910 to 1990).
“Too”?is an adverb that means “excessive” (that’s too much money). It also means “also” (me too), and it means “very” (you’re too kind).
There, their, they’re: “There” is related to a place, in, at or to a certain place or position (I want to go there). “Their” is a possessive adjective (that’s their house). They’re is a conjuction for “they are”.
One I’m constantly guilty of out of laziness, its, it’s: “Its” is a possessive adjective?(the earth turns on its axis). “It’s”?is a conjunction of “it is”.
Than, then: This one has been driving me nuts the most. I?repeatedly see these words used in place of each other or used interchangeably. Thing is, they’re very different words. Than is a conjunction expressing the second part of a comparison (The apple is bigger than the orange); or as an exception (other than that).
“Then” is an adverb used to express time (It happened then). It can also be used as an addition (she won the first game, then the second game).
I?could go on, and on, but I won’t. I’m just going to run spellcheck, and I’m done my column.