Quillan Posted November 21, 2010 Share Posted November 21, 2010 Following on from a post about English spelling and grammar being 're-introduced' in to UK schools made me think about spell checkers on PC's. For instance how many forum members actually use them? Has it made your spelling better or worse? Anyway here are my two thoughts.Against - Spell checkers make you lazy because you don't have to think about spelling properly.For - Spell checking improves your spelling because you get to see the correct spelling of the word and over time stops you making the same mistake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted November 21, 2010 Share Posted November 21, 2010 Did they say the same thing about Samuel Johnson? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anton Redman II Posted November 21, 2010 Share Posted November 21, 2010 I think they are great. One of the most frustrating things in my life was being told to look a word I had misspelled up in a dictionary. If I could look the work up in a dictionary I would not need to look it up. I found the first Thesaurus was a vast step forward. If you could think of the antonym or synonym you could find the correct spelling of the word you were looking for. For the most part they correct the word and there is some chance you will remember the correct spelling next time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thibault Posted November 21, 2010 Share Posted November 21, 2010 Unfortunately, spell checkers do not tell you if you have used the wrong word, but spelt it correctly - eg there/their; your/you're; which/witch etc etc. There is a danger relying only on spell checker - it needs to be used in combination with "normal" proof-reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarkkent Posted November 21, 2010 Share Posted November 21, 2010 All a spell-checker does is to confirm that you have used a word contained in its memory. It does not check context, it does not check usage. If you are using a word (particularly one of types mentioned by Thibault) and you are unsure of the spelling, then don't rely on a spell checker - use a dictionary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted November 21, 2010 Share Posted November 21, 2010 I find the spell checker very useful In French, especially for reminding me of accents, which it puts in without me needing to bother[:)]For example I type in"J'ai recu une reponse a ma lettre qui m'a beucoup aide a resoudre mes problemes"an d I get " J"ai reçu une réponse a ma lettre qui m'a beaucoup aidé a résoudre mes problèmesObviously the two "à"s were missed, but using the Bon Patron site that I have previously recommended I get"J"ai reçu une réponse à ma lettre qui m'a beaucoup aidé à résoudre mes problèmes "MoralUse a spell checker, stay alert, and consult sites such as the Bon Patronor if you can afford it use a programme such as Antidote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceni Posted November 21, 2010 Share Posted November 21, 2010 [quote user="Thibault"]Unfortunately, spell checkers do not tell you if you have used the wrong word, but spelt it correctly - eg there/their; your/you're; which/witch etc etc. There is a danger relying only on spell checker - it needs to be used in combination with "normal" proof-reading.[/quote]Well said Teebo. Another example, of which the BBC is guilty on many occasions, is "Ryanair are" - a spell checker is not much use in singular vs. plural.John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooperlola Posted November 21, 2010 Share Posted November 21, 2010 Oooh, John, collective nouns, my favourite! Why doesn't anybody get these any more?It is no doubt obvious to everybody that I do not use a spell checker.[:-))] I have fewer problems with grammar as at the very least it has rules. But as for spelling - it's about as mysterious to me as voodoo and I have always been cr*p at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just john Posted November 21, 2010 Share Posted November 21, 2010 I hate the automatic spell checkers especially if the word is not in the dictionary and it substitutes what it thinks; I hate txtn shtnd and spell everything out, the least you can do if you can't be bother to make a phone call, that's when I find predictive texting is even worse . . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted November 21, 2010 Share Posted November 21, 2010 He he, so true John, if you misspell the word on predictive text it adds it to the memory so ensuring it's misspelled for ever after Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just john Posted November 21, 2010 Share Posted November 21, 2010 I wish mine would, the best thing about ''Tom Tom'' is that it gives a pretty reasonable estimate of arrival time and I've got into the habit of texting ''eta 7pm ish,'' or whatever, and the damn thing just doesn't like either eta or ish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitty Posted November 21, 2010 Share Posted November 21, 2010 I type in my sister's name (Heather) and it corrects it to Heavier.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crossy67 Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 I use a spell checker with Firefox, it's very useful but you do need to have a grasp of what it is you're trying to say. My spelling isn't the best, my grammar isn't too bad but my hand writing is terrible, I can't even read what I have written my self sometimes. Funny thing, I was trying to type aweful and it comes up highlighted as wrong but there is no alternative that looks right so I went for terrible instead[:)]My hand writing has been bad all my life, my school did little to help me improve it, even if they did I doubt they would have had much success even when I was in uni for 4 years writing daily it improved but slipped again within months once I stopped writing daily. Some people are good at some things and rubbish at others, no one is good at everything I suppose. Just because one person has a better grasp of a language doesn't mean they are better people or cleverer than ones that have a less comprehensive ability but could rewire your house or fix your car etc.Text speak really annoys me too btw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 Sometimes they can give you a good laugh.When I worked for a boating magazine in the 1980s, and we moved on from manual typewriters and Amstrad PCWs to 'real' computers, we had a rather early and primitive spell checking program. It had a nasty habit of changing words to what it thought was correct without asking.One we had to watch was 'motorboating' which always got changed to 'masturbating'. Even so, it was quite appropriate in the case of many of our readers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judith Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 Indeed, Will. In former days when I would type Blackwells, the well-known bookshop and library supplier, you know, I would get Blackballs - always good for a laugh.I can only agree with most on here, though fortunately both my spelling and grammar are good, my typing isn't always. Spell checkers should (can) be used as an aide, but not as the final answer. I find it useful to spell check in French however, much as NormanH says, but again, you need to have some knowledge of grammar and spelling before you know how well they are doing ...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allanb Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 [quote user="Judith"]Spell checkers should (can) be used as an aide...[/quote]A perfect example. Is that a spelling mistake or a typing mistake? Either way, a spell checker wouldn't have caught it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceni Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Spell checkers are excellent tools for checking spelling but useless at other things e.g. castrating a pig.I find that the most annoying errors that I make, in typing or spelling, arise when the written word somehow does not look quite correct but I cannot fathom why. Thought for the day - why do spelling errors never happen when speaking?John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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