Don’t Be Fooled By Spellcheck
Over the past month or so, I’ve kept track of some of the more outlandish suggestions I’ve received while writing in Word. Perhaps you’ll chuckle a bit, or just roll your eyes in disbelief, but the message should take hold about the folly of thinking that this online tool is omnipotent.
Original: twigs, leaves and bark
Suggestion: twigs, leaves and barks
Original: how much water will your roof shed
Suggestion: how much water wills your roof shed
Original: are your marketing efforts
Suggestion: are you’re marketing efforts
Original: consumers who support
Suggestion: consumers that support
In case you haven’t figured it out, in all four cases, the original is correct and what was suggested is not. The moral of the story: use your brain, or a secondary resource, if you question something Word is telling you to do. I’m happy to serve as an arbiter when you’re in doubt.
A Trio of Trouble
Given that many of my days are spent reading other people’s work, I see some words that are commonly misspelled by adding a hyphen to them. Here are three examples:
My Pet Peeves
Here are two writing miscues that aren’t earth-shattering, but will bug anyone who’s a wordsmith:
- Using “include” and then listing all options. Instead of writing “your three choices include red, white and blue,” write “your three choices are red, white and blue.”
- Using “additionally” and “also” in the same sentence. Instead of writing “Additionally, the Cubs also have a 10-3 record,” write “Additionally, the Cubs have a 10-3 record” or “The Cubs also have a 10-3 record.”