Writing Rules• “Correct spelling is one of the arts that are far more esteemed by schoolma’ams than by practical men, neck-deep in the heat and agony of the world.”
—H.L. Mencken (1880-1956), writer, journalist, critic
BUT!
• “[T]ypos are a symptom of a larger problem. Taken as a whole, they can point to widespread misunderstanding about spelling and grammar, not to mention lagging education in language.”
—Benjamin D. Herson, typo-hunter and co-author,
The Great Typo Hunt: Changing the World One Correction at a Time, 2010 See story.
The Great Typo Hunt: Changing the World One Correction at a Time, 2010 See story.
• “Typos mess with the most important aspect of written communication: clarity. . . . Language is bound up in every part of our lives. So when it goes awry, that indicates more than just a spelling and grammar problem.
“No typo exists in a vacuum. Behind every misplaced comma or junction error is a story—whether it be about education, carelessness, or socioeconomic and privilege.”
—Jeff Deck, typo-hunter and co-author, The Great Typo Hunt: Changing the World One Correction at a Time, 2010 See story.
• REBUTTAL:“Correct English is the slang of prigs who write history and essays.”
—George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans, 1819-1880),
novelist, journalist and poet
• Editorial Comment: Werds meen whut I want them to mene.novelist, journalist and poet
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I have struggled my entire lifetime with grammar and spelling. I can still spend hours, trying so hard to make every sentence and word correct. The schoolma'ams tried to help me, and I am thankful. The people who would equate uneducated with proper grammar and spelling have a point but it is not the entire story. I was way into my adult life and a teacher myself before I realized I was not stupid or ignorant or dumb. I am dyslexic.
ReplyDelete—Susan
If prig I be, prig I am. If you cain't spell it, you cain't sell it.
ReplyDelete—Jim
TP- I went to the Education Week spelling bee tonight (where I cheered on my husband). Some kid got out on the word "question." Just thought you'd get a kick out of that based on today's WORD. He began it with a "c"--not joking. Oh, and Cam took 3rd by the way.
ReplyDelete