a better Commodore VIC-20 commersial?

gklinger · Post by **gklinger** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 3:08 pm

ral-clan wrote:- wants to break bad spelling habits by not relying on automatic correction

I didn't say automatic correction. I am referring to an inline spellchecker which informs you when you misspell a word. This forces you to think more deeply about the correct spelling and perhaps check a dictionary. Doing so will help you to remember the correct spelling next time.

wiskow · Post by **wiskow** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 4:11 pm

What annoys me about spell checkers is that many people tend to over-rely on them, thinking that they'll correct their spelling AND grammar mistakes.

PaulQ · Post by **PaulQ** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 4:25 pm

What annoys me about spell checkers is they tend to be geared towards the American way of spelling words; so when I write "Neighbour," it shows up as incorrect when it's actually the right way to spell that word.

wiskow · Post by **wiskow** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 4:33 pm

DigitalQuirk wrote:What annoys me about spell checkers is they tend to be geared towards the American way of spelling words; so when I write "Neighbour," it shows up as incorrect when it's actually the right way to spell that word.

Aren't you usually able to set the dictionary that's used, so you can use U.S. English, Canadian English, UK English, etc.?

Pedro Lambrini · Post by **Pedro Lambrini** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 4:37 pm

More often than not these things. like most of the intrawebs, are geared towards American English and often don't supply UK (or other) English...

gklinger · Post by **gklinger** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 4:50 pm

wiskow wrote:Aren't you usually able to set the dictionary that's used, so you can use U.S. English, Canadian English, UK English, etc.?

Some. Most also allow you to add/remove/modify entries so you tweak the dictionary to your liking. That's why my computer doesn't complain when I use slang, profanity or technical terms.

PaulQ · Post by **PaulQ** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 5:32 pm

My computer, on the other hand, understands that I am the boss in the computer-user relationship, and so never complains about anything at all so as not to get bitch-slapped. It just keeps me informed.

wiskow · Post by **wiskow** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 6:05 pm

/me gets an image in his head of DigitalQuirk bitch-slapping his computer.

English Invader · Post by **English Invader** » Sun Jul 19, 2009 11:42 pm

I keep a copy of the OED and a spelling dictionary at my desk.

Non-native speakers often do quite well in English language/literature classes because they question things that native speakers take for granted. I suspect this is because they have to consciously learn the language instead of just picking it up as an infant.

gklinger · Post by **gklinger** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 12:33 pm

English Invader wrote:I keep a copy of the OED and a spelling dictionary at my desk.

Everyone should keep them close at hand. The shelf above my computer also bears the weight of copies of The Oxford Style Manual, The King's English, A Dictionary of Modern English Usage, The Elements of Style, The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage and The Chicago Manual of Style. Yes, I realize that the first step is my admitting that I have a problem.

*ahem*

While I love the feeling of paper beneath my fingers, it's impossible to beat the convenience of having the computer literally mind my P's and Q's. To that end I just yesterday ordered the fourth edition of the The Oxford English Dictionary on CD-ROM. It's like Christmas in July.