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

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Can you spot the error in the following interplanetary passage?


Peter dreams of joining NASA and flying into outer space. Every sq. in. of his bedroom is covered in posters of rockets and far away galaxies. Each morning, he rises at 7:00 a.m. and begins his day with a healthy breakfast of freeze-dried ice cream.


(A) NASA
(B) sq. in.
(C) 7:00 a.m.
(D) freeze-dried

In which of the following options should the word principle be inserted into the blank?

(A) Janine is a ____________ ballerina with the Sarna Ballet Company.
(B) Skateboarding is guided by the ____________ of momentum.
(C) Phil has no idea how he's going to pay the ____________ on his auto loan.
(D) After she hotwired his car, our daughter's ____________ called us in for a conference.

How would you correct this sentence?


Putting his huge backyard to good use, my friend Roberto rescued 2 3-legged dogs from an animal shelter in Pasadena to keep them from being put down.


(A) Omit the comma after "use"
(B) Change "2" to "two"
(C) Change "3" to "three"
(D) Either B or C

You're super excited to turn in your first article for the school newspaper. However, you start to doubt your abilities when the advising teacher starts off your meeting by saying that one sentence throws off the tone of the entire article.

The sentence is, "By lunchtime, students are very hungry, and all the cafeteria has to offer them is oily chicken nuggets paired with pounds of coleslaw." How do you respond to the criticism?

(A) I see what you mean. Using "very" is colloquial and unprofessional. It will never happen again!
(B) You're so right. I should be more creative with my adjectives and replace "very hungry" with "ravenous."
(C) Using the word "very" is totally fine, and it correctly emphasizes how hungry students are.
(D) I'm confused. My grammar checks out, so do you have an issue with my facts? Clearly you've never had one of those "chicken nuggets."

Identify the error in capitalization in the following sentence.


I always thought I wanted to major in cinema studies, but for some reason the H2O Department of Chemistry is really striking my fancy nowadays.


(A) cinema
(B) studies
(C) Department of Chemistry
(D) No error

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