I was unfortunate to have teachers who did not care about educating, mainly because they where intoxicated, yes this is true they all went to the pub at lunch time and all came back red faced drunk. After working hard I came top of my year in maths and geography however English was not so good as a result my spelling is atrocious, thank God for spell check (-;
What I want to ask is, Am I a minority of writers who can't spell? do you fall into this category? What was your education like.
I was always a good speller. Thats because reading and writing was always my thing. I made a habit of trying to hear each letter in a word. But there are tons of writers who are not the greatest in spelling. Thats why there are editors and spellcheck. lol
Sorry, but I too was a very good speller...always winning spelling Bees. I attribute it to my mom, who got me interested in words at a very young age. She and my sister and I played word games all the time. She, as well as her father, were both writers and enjoyed maniupulating words and sentences around on the page I ended up getting high school certification in English and ESL and teaching HS English and creative writing for many years.
I was fortunate enough not to have any drunk teachers. My teachers were excellent, especially my English teachers.
I suck as a speller. lol although i love to write about everything oh well. lol i am sure you can figure out what the word is supose to be if i spelled it wrong.
I'm not a good speller. I have improved over the years, but I DO SOOOO appreciate spellcheck. I also appreciate my High school English teacher, Dixon Gayer, who encouraged me with the words: "Girl you can write!-- Now if you could only spell."
He was right-- and he knew which was more important.
I am a very good speller. I always have been. I remember as a kid memorizing my older sister's spelling book (yes, there used to be book with words to memorize). My sister, on the other hand, is worst speller I have ever seen I just had a regular education and I have a diploma in library techniques. I think also reading a lot can help with spelling and I've always done that.
I was always years above in my reading age at school - started reading teenage fiction when I was about 8 or 9 etc. My spelling is dyslexic (sp!) - and I thank the great internet god for spell checkers everyday. A dictionary is and always was useless to me - you can't find the word if you can't almost spell it LOL
I think my ability to read hindered my spelling because I was such a fast reader at such a young age that I dont read the words I skim the line or the paragraph.
Anyone can learn to spell with a spell checker - I even finally figured out how to spell people! (thought it was peaple for 20 years) - but grammar is far more useful and I think you do need to put some effort into that.
OP - quite blaming other people - just get a book from the library - its not rocket science!
No I too am a really bad speller Cest la vie as you said thank goodness for the spell checker
In grade school was chosen to compete in the local spelling bee, but now I need spell check.
Half and half on spelling. Seems my mind is slipping off on some of the most common words and the correct way to spell. Believe it or not, I question spellcheck by pulling out one of those huge dictionarys and page my wat through....
I had a seventh-grade English teacher with a drinking problem (booze in his desk drawer and a "lovely" personality), but spelling is learned in the lower grades. I was fortunate enough to start school when phonics was the way kids were taught, so I'm a good speller. I don't know what they're doing now, but by the time my eldest son began school phonics was no longer being emphasized.
Teachers aside, some people find spelling comes more naturally than others do. I know lots of people who don't spell well.
Yes spelling is my fortay too Cindy. Hey one night let's get on yahoo online games and I will challenge you to a game of scrabble, may the best man win, (they call it Literati)
I play Literati all the time. Great game. Love it.
Oh cool maybe we could play together some time
I'm sorry, is 'fortay' a word? The word I would have used in this context would have been forté .
It certainly is a word it means in one's liking http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Fortay
Isn't the urban dictionary mostly colloquial and slang?
ROFL us Aussies talk lots slang..damn lost one
Well here is one you have on me.... What is ROLF ?
Which is very funny considering this thread is about spelling
Actually blondepoet, urbandictionary is not a real dictionary, if you see the site's tag line is "the dictionary you wrote".
If i want to legitimise the word 'jhakaas' which is used a lot in India, then i could by putting it up on urbandictionary but i doubt most of the western world would or the Oxford dictionary would embrace it just yet.
If you check in any of the real dictionaries, fortay is not a recognised word. So we will have to agree to disagree on this one.
I totally stink at Scrabble, but not because of my spelling. It's my lack of extended vocabulary. When you converse mostly with children, you tend to lose some of the flavor of adult conversation. At least I did.
I have never ever played Scrabble, May be why my spelling is so bad. I will now put Scrabble on my shopping list. hopefully this will improve my spelling. thanks guys for your tips.
Blonde you have facebook, we can play on world scrabble there! Hey Blonde, did you notice my score?
Aghhhhhhhhhh yahooooooooo 100 I knew we could do it, they did not tally my imput til this morn, wow, congrats, oh yes scrabble on Facebook, when we get to this game, you are going to be shaking in your boots CIndy at my fierceness
I excelled in spelling and English throughout school, and I loved to read. Growing up we always played Scrabble. I also took a creative writing course which I found interesting.
I understand people misspelling words from time to time, but gloating about how you will not use a dictionary makes no sense. My ninth grade home economics teacher did not like me, I truly believe, and graded down every dish I made. This all harkened back to how our group left me alone to make a batch of muffins, and I accidentally put in the wrong leavening agent.
The senior cheerleaders in my group were very nasty about it, and went to the teacher and told her I was horrible at baking and cooking. After that it did not matter if my dishes looked or tasted the same as the other kids in my class, she would literally grade me down without a solid explanation.
For the final we had to take notes about nutrition off the board, and she gloated about how she refused to use a dictionary to spell anything correctly. Something about seeing the word her spell out appatite (appetite), and her favoritism towards cheerleaders and cute guys in the class just was very amusing.
Aww that is not right Sweetie you give me those girl's addresses and I am going to sort them out for you, let me search for my boxing gloves
Never Blonde, never! Will challenge you to a game later when I'm at school! http://apps.facebook.com/livescrabble/
Ok you sing out later, I will be resting my fingers, so they can hit all the 7 letter words later, until then my scrabble opponent
Thanks blondepoet, you are sweet! I went to school with a lot of people who thought they were the cat's pajamas because their parents were rich enough to get them on the cheer leading team, or because they had a monthly wardrobe allowance that equaled the salary some people make yearly in a third world country. One girl even apologized for all the rude things she said, and my consolation is many of them probably realized they were jerks too. Some of them probably never will, but that is what happens when you grow up around people who have never had to want for anything.
I always said that people who grow up with little and have a few struggles,have much more substance than those who have had it dished out on a plate. Bullies get me so mad Sweetie,kids being cruel,I am going to still sort those ladies out today for you, and that teacher, geez I thought teachers had to like everyone. Did you try the "give the teacher a red apple trick"? ROFL...xo
I suck at spelling and punctuation and I'm a Brown grad. But the great thing about my course of studies is nobody cares about that. What's more important in regards to my lifestyle and career is whether or not I can sail across the Atlantic and tell you bedtime stories along the way. That I can do well.
Spelling was always my worst subject in middle school. So was language arts.
Like General Patton said to his son once, who was flunking math, he said, "Son make sure you get on higher ground in all your other subjects, that way in time of retreat you'll be far from your enemy as possible. Just like in war." His son, George Patton, III went on to graduate top of his West Point class and became a five star general just like his father. Even though he fail his math class.
I charge a cheap fee for classes Henry, then again I will swap my lessons if I can sail with you across the Atlantic, and hear a story or two
Deal. But I'll skip the spelling lessons. I finally broke down a year or two ago and hired myself an editor for all my papers. I got sick of rereading and rereading my work. With an editor, there is no need to worry. It frees up my time to teach, when I'm not taking a class or two.
You sail?
Hell yes..ok no spelling lessons just the bedtime stories woo hooo and plenty pirates
I wuz a champoin spellur!!!
Actually I was....and I'm anal retentive about it now.....even typos....I go back and correct.
Whats up curiozities forget to use spell checker
I'm actually a very good speller. I used to win spelling bees when I was a kid and I have worked as a proofreader (and I am still counted on to proofread at work). My problem is I can't type to save my life.
I was great at school, but my spelling and grammar are terrible. I do not always write in the right order either, as thoughts fly through my head as I write!
I may need an editor..
Sounds just like me with the thoughts flying around in my head or are they voices, never quite figured that one out.
I'm very good for the average person, but not that great a speller for an M.A. in English/writing. I'm a writer, not a speller, !
Thank goodness for spellchecker and children who are willing to proofread my work. I'm very good at seeing mistakes on the work of others, but blind to my own. Very frustrating.
I am very grateful to have had several English teachers who were fastidious when it came to correct spelling, punctuation, grammar and syntax. I have seen a decline in the ability of society to write with proper grammatical syntax and correct spelling. It really irritates me when I read a polished piece of work, that has been published with much ado, only to find errors with spelling and syntax. I believe in the written word, and am teaching my children what I have learned as I find the education system is not attaining a satisfactory achievement level.
run on sentence I believe: and the wrong use of the gerund towards the end
"I believe in the written word, and am teaching my children what I learned. I find the education system is not ALLOWING THEM to attain a satisfactory achievement level. "
Sorry couldn't resist that one you left yourself wide open ...
I was a terrible speller despite excellent teachers, because I couldn't distinguish the sounds.
Besides spell check and constantly, consciencely working at bettering my spelling, reading older books aloud has helped me to improve considerably. Older books (pre 1940's) have different spellings occasionally and use a different variety of words than newer books. These changes help me to see and understand language.
The spelling book that I have learned the most from is a reprint, "The Original Blue Back Speller" by Noah Webster. He wrote it to teach the English language to immigrants, so it is not only a spelling guide, but a practical enunciation guide.
I still have so much to learn, but I am ten times better at spelling now than I was a year ago.
My spelling is above average because I only use small words...lol plus I use the spell checker.
I posted this once before on another thread but thought it appropriate for this one too.
if yuo can raed tihs, you hvae a sgtrane mnid, too.
Can you raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.
i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs forwrad it.
I use to have the hardest time figuring out what was wrong with these types of things... I could see nothing funny about them, because I could read them effortlessly!
Do some people genuinely find these hard to read? - I don't think this text even slows down my reading speed significantly - maybe that is why I never could spell - I don't "see" the middle of the words when reading.
That is amazing...... I had no problem reading that at all, isn't that the strangest thing. I cant believe it, wow, the things you learn on hub pages...
That's totally messed up, I can read it but it sends my eyes more focused, like the moving pictures. maybe im just tired, thanks for that and good night.
Ahem...hellooo,Reena
I am not the best typist and get plenty of typos in my words. So am very glad there is spell check to back me up
I try to make my spelling as good as possible as english is not my first language and it never will be. I like paying attention for spelling the words right.
I believe I had a decent education, I managed to stay in school and graduated grade 12...however, my spelling was awful! One of the first jobs I had was transcribing audio tapes for personal loans officers at the Royal Bank. For the first year, my constant companion was a pocket dictionary.
Although my spelling has improved tremendously, I still have trouble with it, and spell check doesn't accept Canadian English spellings as correct...thankfully, there is an 'add to dictionary' option LOL
Lizzy - I'm with you...the text didn't even slow me down...I think you might be correct in your assumptions...
We just were not allowed to spell badly, and it was soooo drummed in to us at school. I dont think however hard some people try though, they will ever be brilliant at spelling unfortunately. I don't know why that is but some extremely brilliant people have lots of trouble spelling..... It is one of the few things that come naturally to me, and I am always grateful about it, as writing is sooooo important to me....
Generally I am very good but I can get into the habit of using American or English spellings which can cause a problem with getting something published. It is a good idea to use English spellings if submitting to a UK publisher and American if doing likewise but the publisher is in the US.
That is such a problem; you are so right. At school I learned to spell colour with a 'our' yet this firefox browser as well as my word processor tells me i am wrong. Also word and firefox tell me I have to recognize though I know I have to recognise.....
Canadian/UK English vs. American...that is where the discrepancies come into play
I think all who can spell had good teachers. it wasn't till i was about 22 when i heard a simple rule, I before E except after C. We was never taught any rules at school. Does anyone else have any English language rules to follow like the one above?
"i" before "e" except after "c" or when sounded like "a" as in neighbor and weigh.... heard that one all my life, it seems.
German is simpler the ei or ie combination always sounds the second vowel.
Nice one, another rule I did not know. Any one else know any English language rules that can make it easier to spell.
I must admit that spelling has never been my strength. Maths was always my thing at school.
And if you had of told me that one day I would earn my living through mostly the act of writing - I would have thought you stark raving MAD!
I too am blessed to live in era of the "Spell Checker"!
I am a great speller and after having to deal with pharmacology when attending school for nursing and learning how to spell words that appeared to be as long as supercalifragilisticexpeladocious I figured I enjoyed english after all. In english always 4.0 however I still tend to mix- up their and there.lolololo :::::
All of us have strengths and weaknesses so none of us is perfect.
Arron Spelling, a huge TV guy. Ring a bell? LOL
See - I knew I should have voted for you on the most humorous hubber forum...
But what about Tori? (Spelling) after all, she had her own TV show (well, a "reality" show, anyway). She must be good at Spelling...?
Crossword puzzles are an excellent means of improving your spelling and vocabulary skills. Cryptograms, (coded sayings and quotations) anacrostics, and almost any other word game will help to gain spelling expertise. But reading is still the best way in my opinion.
The King Snake
Helping to take a bite out of.....well, other snakes.
Thanks for the help, I have started playing Scrabble with my family, also on the brain train as i think my life is such a routine that my brain has ceased to learn, I first did brain train on nintendo ds last week and my age was 67 now im down to 45 but im only 32. will keep training on my spelling.
Thanks for everyone's help.
Maybe it's just late, but I'm confused....
Anyone surprised??
by skeptics r us 14 years ago
Does anyone agree with me that spelling should be required thru 12th grade?I've seen so many spelling errors on web pages lately. That includes 'help wanted' pages!!!!!! It's a scary thought that our future is in the hands of people that are not even aware that there's a problem.
by Russ Moran - The Write Stuff 9 years ago
Is your spelling getting worse?I prided myself as a kid on my excellent spelling. As the years go by it's getting constantly worse. I think it's the fault of Spell Checker, a blessed little program but one that makes us rely on it. Are you having the same experience?
by Duane Hennessy 6 years ago
Writing from Australia we use some different words to England and the US we also have a mixture of spellings from both countries.A classic example, in relation to an article I'm currently writing, is the word for sneakers.In England they use the word trainers, in the US they use sneakers and in...
by Liz Elias 11 years ago
I have noticed that the spell check within the capsules does not recognize certain contractions, such as, "I've," and will underline it as an error, when in fact, there is no spelling error.
by pertibha321 13 years ago
How can i improve my writing skills?i want to improve my writing skills for hubpages and also i want to write 1-2 books.so please give me suggestions and if there are any good courses for that tell me that also.
by Edwin Clark 13 years ago
What words do you have a brain freeze remembering how to spell? For me, I always seem to mess up convienent, refridgerator, recieve, and buisiness. Thank goodness for spell checker!
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