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 ‘Aquatint’ yourself with basic spelling By Monique Bos This week, I bring you some examples from my personal files to illustrate the importance of proper spelling. Spell check is a useful tool to help you prevent some embarrassing errors. For example, an acquaintance of mine submitted a cover letter for a proofreading job. In the letter, the applicant claimed she was detail-oriented and a perfectionist. However, she listed her state of origin as “Colroado” — a mistake spell check would have caught and one that ensured she wouldn’t be called for an interview. Spell check has limitations, however, and you should always combine basic knowledge of English with common sense when the computer flags a misspelled word. One student at a northern university submitted a paper about a popular snack for students — beagles. Beagles, the student proclaimed, were available in a variety of flavors at the cafeterias and the student union, and many people enjoyed toasted beagles with cream cheese. Stifling visions of Snoopy, the student’s instructor questioned in the margin, “Did you mean to discuss bagels?” Some mistakes can be nearly obscene, such as in the paper of another student at the same university. In the midst of a technical economic discussion, he referred to one country’s high “trade defecate.” Of course, such errors are hardly limited to students, and in the professional world, they can be both amusing and damaging. Would you apply for a job in “pubic relations”? I’d venture to guess the company placing the ad was looking for a slightly different set of qualifications than that job title implies. I once received a catalog with a cover letter that invited me to “aquatint” myself with the company’s product. I declined. Have you ever “gotten a massage” to return someone’s phone call? That’s certainly a strong incentive. However, sometimes calls are difficult to make, as at one company, where employees were advised, “If you try to dial out, you may receive a message saying the phone has been disconcerted.” Poor phone. At the same company, employees were instructed to clean up their work spaces because “We will defiantly be taking the board members on a tour of the facility.” Sounds like fun for the board members, doesn’t it? As you can see, spell check alone can’t ensure that you’re always using the right word in the right context. Next time you aren’t sure of the exact spelling you need, take a few minutes to aquatint yourself with the various options and their meanings. Otherwise, you might find yourself making defiant errors in communications with the pubic — or, at the very least, being immortalized in my personal files. |
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