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

How would you correct this sentence?


When we past the crate of puppies outside Petco, I knew my cat's days as an only child were over.


(A) Change past to passed
(B) Change cat's to cats'
(C) Change child to pet
(D) What are you talking about? There's nothing wrong with this sentence!

Fill in the blank:


I swear, Mom, I'm telling you the _________ story about the three-foot-wide __________ in the carpet!


(A) hole, whole
(B) whole, hole
(C) hole, hole
(D) whole, whole

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!

Fill in the blanks:


I told my overbearing eye doctor that he did not have to _________ statistics to convince me of the importance of caring for my ___________.


(A) site, sight
(B) sight, site
(C) cite, sight
(D) cite, site

Fill in the blank so the sentence is MOST correct:


When Alfie met hot4u47 from OkCupid, she looked different _________ what he had expected.


(A) than
(B) from
(C) to
(D) Both A and B

Here are your results. Want to give it another go?
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