esrosedotblog

SPELL CHECK

I know that I am an imperfect speller.

Some of that imperfection arises from carelessness. I am amazed that I get the wrong 'here/hear' or 'there/their'. I am usually good with 'its/it's'.

I do use the spell checker but that will not pick up these pair-traps.

I also try to learn by beating the spell checker. The other day it took me three tries to get 'penicillin' but I got it and here it is. I did it right here on the first bounce.

But, there are some words that I just know I know how to spell and that is that. Even if I do not use them I know how to spell them.

One of these is bellweather. Wrong. It is bellwether! I had to go look it up. It is middle english (as usual—who were those middle guys?) and is basically from bell wearer. The sheep that has the bell that the rest of the sheep follow. Hence, bellwether state!

Now, in less than a week I am hit with straightlaced. Wrong.

Actually I would have spelled it in two words and it would have made it through the check.

It is straitlaced. They actually prefer srait-laced. 'Strait' is an obsolete word for tightened.

Well, I knew what it meant. But I missed the spelling.

This is one of the things that makes English one of the most difficult languages to learn. Then how come it is well nigh the universal business language?