Why You Need to Spell Well in Business
People say that children these days never learn to spell. Well, to be honest I am not sure I did either until I became a journalist.
I went to a very good, private girls’ school and I know they constantly corrected my spelling and grammar but much of it didn’t sink in until I started working for a newspaper.
There, I had a wonderful news editor who not only taught me how to write news but also how to spell.
So bad was I, that he kept a kind of hall of shame of my faux pas, some of which I will share with you now:
Loan parents (instead of lone)
Sceptic fingers (instead of septic)
And – my personal favourite – my report of a curb crawler (rather than kerb crawler) after a particularly juicy magistrates court case.
Anyway, rather like a reformed smoker can’t stand the smell of cigarettes, I became an utter pedant when it came to good spelling and good grammar.
I think it is our obligation to preserve the English language and the highlight of my work is not only writing but proofreading and editing copy to make sure it is word perfect.
So, here’s a challenge, how many misspellings can you find in the next few paragraphs? Just how good is your spelling?
Once upon a thyme, their was a little girl called Goldilocks. When out walking won morning, she stumbled across a small cottage in the woulds. She waited at the edge of the curb before she crossed the rode and, reaching the door, she went inside.
There on the table was sum yummy porridge. She new the storey already, so she didn’t bother with the too hot and two cold bowls but