For my sanity...I hope everyone online reads this

[OK!]

I lol'ed, but I can't help but comment that they used a run-on sentence in their example of the proper usage of "then." I'm a ton of fun at parties; I know.

 

[OK!]

I understand the difference between typing quickly and making typos and actually not spelling correctly... the first I can forgive, the second often makes me cringe. It doesn't bother me nearly as much as signs with misspellings -- I don't like to buy things from a store with an incorrect sign. As a parent and substitute teacher, I often find myself correcting just those things in the attachment!

Erin

I used to work for Michael's (the craft store) and there was a good safety practices poster in the break room. I'm highly anal about all things grammatical as well as punctuational and my best friend there was an out-of-work elementary school teacher, so one day she and I took a couple of red Sharpies and went to TOWN on the poster. I can't begin to tell you all how many semicolons I added to it; that's not even getting into the myriad other problems it had.

Does anyone still proofread?!

 

[PebblesMK]

The poster failed to put the words "two", "to", and "too". I have never understood why people will write "I went too the store today."

As far as bad spelling, I got the biggest laugh out of my brother's person's Christmas list.

"My Crismass list".....she asked for a labtop (My lab does NOT like me to put a computer on him), coach pillows for her coach...crame colord. A hummy bird feeder (hahahahahaha, this one cracks me up time and again), new bars (instead of bras), sweters and skarves and hats and middens.

How she graduated from high school is beyond me. I should have bought her "huked on fonix"

 

[OK!]

The poster failed to put the words "two", "to", and "too". I have never understood why people will write "I went too the store today."

As far as bad spelling, I got the biggest laugh out of my brother's person's Christmas list.

"My Crismass list".....she asked for a labtop (My lab does NOT like me to put a computer on him), coach pillows for her coach...crame colord. A hummy bird feeder (hahahahahaha, this one cracks me up time and again), new bars (instead of bras), sweters and skarves and hats and middens.

How she graduated from high school is beyond me. I should have bought her "huked on fonix"

That's horrifying.

 

[iwrbnd]

I loved this article so much I put it on facebook! Thanks!

 

[RNMOM]

I second the pp about two, too, to. I have had to stop several times today trying to figure out what the poster was saying. If you say, 'I want to go to.' I am always looking for the where? Just remember when you use too it means also. I want to go to the store too. {makes me crazy too}

 

[Bunchkin]

Another vote for the to/too debacle!!

 

[JennsBabySky]

Love it! However, it neglects my favorite mistake -- payed (instead of paid)!

 

[Tiggernut_jadie]

Great article but it missed a few of my 'favouites'...

prolly instead of probably
pacific instead of specific

Oh and one I see frequently on here is when people use 'can' or 'would' when they actually mean the opposite...

i.e. 'I would dream of asking someone to move up when they've been waiting 2 hours for a parade'....the word is WOULDN'T or WOULD NOT people!!!!

I presume this is a dialect issue but when you use a phrase that actually means the exact opposite of what you're trying to say it bugs the hell out of me!

 

[bumbershoot]

It doesn't bother me nearly as much as signs with misspellings -- I don't like to buy things from a store with an incorrect sign.

This is absolutely useless to share, b/c I can't find the picture I took AND I can't remember it exactly, but a local bank, when it was Washington Mutual, had a drive-thru with a big sign, basically inviting the bank customer's in. It was so bad it wasn't even like it was inviting you into the "customer's drive-thru". It didn't make sense in any way, and I'm not sure it would have made sense without the problematic apostrophe.

I always felt I should send it to corporate, but I never did...perhaps if I had, they would have started a campaign of being more careful, and that would have branched out into their corporate motto, and I wouldn't be a gol-darn Chase customer now!

Or maybe I'm reaching on that one.

And how many chester drawers did I see?? I don't think I saw Armoire spelled right once!

I think there are people who think that's the term. Not chest of drawers.

Also, there are parts of the country that just call them "draws", and I've read it spelled that way (not just something I hear) by people that I don't think are just spelling it wrong. I think that's a regional thing. Draw vs drawers. My college-educated, with a doctorate, friend from New Jersey spells it like that.

Does anyone still proofread?!

Who knows?

I might not be perfect (I will do anything to avoid using affect or effect, for instance, b/c I know I get it wrong...note to self: read that page), but I can generally spot someone else's typo from miles away.

I applied to a proofreader's position at the company where I used to work, and they wouldn't even take my application b/c I don't have an English degree. BS in exercise science (had to take a thesis course and write a research thesis) and a doctorate (not in English, but got to learn a whole lot of Latin terminology, and I know how to learn), but not BA in English, so I was out. Y'all looked at amazon's product pages recently? Typos as far as my eye can see. Glad that English major they got is working out so well....

So I just don't know if anyone's doing the job anywhere...

 

[shellybaxter]

Oh good - lets make more fun of people who can't spell. There probably aren't any legitimate reasons for the misspellings - like Dyselexia or anything

 

[aprilgail2]

Oh good - lets make more fun of people who can't spell. There probably aren't any legitimate reasons for the misspellings - like Dyselexia or anything

you mean-Dyslexia

 

[aprilgail2]

That list is REDICULOUS!!!!

That is the one that is like nails on a blackboard to me too-- there is NO E in ridiculous!!

 

[DancingBear]

I'd be happier if people would just stop putting apostrophes into plurals that end with "s".

 

[ford family]

The two that always amuse me on the DIS are :-
There was a long "que" for the ride, instead of "queue".
When that happens it doesn't "phase" me, instead of "faze".

ford family

 

[Nette]

Grateful, NOT Greatful.

Moot, NOT Mute.

The other thing that amazes me, is that my browser underlines all the misspelled (mistyped) words and it bugs the you know what out of me. Doesn't everyone else's browser do that too? (I've seen it in firefox and safari)

 

[DebbieB]

Someone should make a list just of the words that get misspelled on the DIS. Some of the creative spellings around here are simply amazing.

My favorite is "polight" (polite).

Oh good - lets make more fun of people who can't spell. There probably aren't any legitimate reasons for the misspellings - like Dyselexia or anything

I think it was intended as educational. I have seen people make the lose vs loose mistake at work. Doesn't look good in a work e-mail.

 

[1stluvispooh]

Thanks for the link. I sent it to my sister who is a professor and always complaining about her students spelling and grammar.

 

[Darsa]

I love this! I want the poster to put up at work!! Though some of the words that are misspelled here aren't included; for some reason the word separate is ALWAYS spelled seperate here, and it makes me go Lose/Loose are confused here a lot as well; these people are legal professionals and I can't imagine having that kind of education and not knowing how to spell basic words like that.

 

[Jenvenza]

I'm so glad a lot was on there and then vs than.

Me too! That one drives me crazy!