Spelling and Mechanics Introduction

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Spelling and mechanics errors: the easiest way to make you a laughingstock (other than slipping on a literal banana peel).

There are fewer things more cringe-worthy than a misspelled tattoo or more hilarious than when people spell "morons" like "morans" or "no offense" like "no a fence." We love to be smug about that kind of stuff.

Spelling and mechanics fails are the stuff of endless Buzzfeed lists and Tumblr blogs. Life is so much more enjoyable when autocorrect becomes auto-incorrect, isn't it?

It's fun to smirk over. It's horrible to do…especially because you just know that your essay on The Dairy of Anne Frank (um, did she really like milk that much?) or your mistake-ridden college admissions essay is not going to be taken seriously.

So let's get serious.

Correct spelling is insanely important in a paragraph or essay. It helps you get your ideas across clearly. Tools like spellcheck are great but not foolproof, so it's important to develop some stellar spelling awareness. When you encounter a new word, take note of how it's spelled and how it's used, and add it to your writing stash.

A mastery of mechanics is also crucial for composing good papers. When we say mechanics, we don't mean the good people that get your car back on the road after you run over a monstrous, sedan-eating pothole. We mean capitalization, abbreviations, and numbers. Knowing these writing standards helps you become a more effective communicator and polishes your writing skills.

It also helps you to not be this guy.

Quiz Yourself on Spelling and Mechanics

1/5

Which of the following choices contains a spelling mistake?

1. Norway is home to several customs that seem strange to visitors. For example, most meals—including sandwiches—are eaten with a knife and fork.

2. February 5th is Pretzel Appreciation Day. As part of the celebration, the locals dress in colorful, salted costumes.

3. It's a Winger family tradition to hit the shopping mall on Black Friday. They get there at 3:00 a.m. so they can beat the other costumers to the best deals.

(A) I
(B) II
(C) III
(D) Nice try, Shmoop. No spelling mistakes here!

Can you spot the style error in this sentence?

1832 was the year my ancestors laid claim to a homestead atop the mountains of northern Wyoming, building a cabin with a view of the Grand Tetons.

(A) 1832
(B) laid claim
(C) Grand Tetons
(D) What are you talking about? This sentence looks just fine!

Your history teacher enjoys papers that are factually accurate, but he also tends to award extra style points for papers that are easy to read. Which of the following sentences should you avoid at all costs in order to get the extra boost?

(A) 1929 was the year the stock market crashed, sending the United States into a downward economic spiral.
(B) Six hundred and twenty thousand men died during the Civil War, with over 51,000 of those casualties coming from the Battle of Gettysburg alone.
(C) In the colonial period, teenagers were busy learning how to farm, not moaning about getting up at 7:00 a.m.
(D) Fifty-six delegates signed the Declaration of Independence, even though it was considered treason at the time.

Which of the following sentences contains a grammatical error?

I. Violent video games—e.g., the Grand Theft Auto series—are a perpetual source of controversy.

II. After Atari's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial video game flopped with consumers, 700,000 unsold cartridges were buried in a landfill in Alamogordo, New Mexico.

III. The CIA is a faction in both the Battlefield and Call of Duty: Black Ops game franchises.

(A) I
(B) II
(C) III
(D) Error? What error? These all look good to me.

Fill in the blank:


Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin went ________________ than anyone had ever gone before.


(A) further
(B) farther
(C) more high
(D) Both A and B

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