Spellcheckers (I know it's "supposed" to be two words, but literary license lets me make it all one word) are OK - as far as they go. There are certain words that they don't catch, and there are others that they don't recognize. At least once a week, I have to Google a word or go to dictonary.com to find a word that I thought I was using and spelling correctly just to verify that I was.
Then there are words that seem to go better together than apart, but spellchecker doesn't seem to care. "Everyday" is OK but "everytime" is not. Then there's "alright" and "all right" but not "allright." When do you use "a while" and when "awhile"? I could go on.
Now to meaning or context checkers. Of course, I do not get something "form" you even though I may have typed it that way. And I usually don't offer a choice between one thing "of" another - even though I may type it that way. Then there's "fro" for "for" and many others.
Spellchecker seems to enjoy flagging "it's" when I use it correctly, thinking I don't know when to use the contraction form and the possessive form correctly. The same with "you're" when I use it.
Now if we could just get some help where it counts - on the context or words - regardless if they actually make a word the way they are spelled but make no sense typed that way.
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Too funny - I was just thinking about this yesterday. I spell checked a long document and it kept flagging every single contraction. I started thinking "When did Outlook ban the use of contractions?" I really hadn't noticed this before.
Ryan,
This is not our high school English teacher's world anymore. :)
Steve
Steve, I'm more frustrated when Microsoft Word suggests an incorrect change in my grammar, but I suppose I should be happy. I do remember when my writing tool was an IBM Selectric II, and I thought it was great : )
John,
Wasn't that lift-off tape great? Wore out many a tape. :)
Steve
I agree it can become confusing when you think you have done something right, but yet the spell checker is telling you it's wrong.
Great Job Steve,
I love it.
David,
That's right. Doesn't the spellchecker work for us? :)
Steve
Judy,
Thanks. It sounds from your comment like you can relate to this issue. :)
Steve
WOW Steve! We were thinking the same thing and wrote posts regarding it the same day! Well if this is not evidence that we are in the same family - i don't know what is!
Diane
I wish they had a content checker! Or a finish this sentence mode! We would all be brilliant writers wouldn't we? LOL! T
Thanks for giving me a good laugh on a Monday morning. My best spell checker is my daughter who has a degree in English. I figure since we paid for her college education, I should be able to get some good use out of her degree!
Diane,
What can I say, great topic for great minds. :)
Steve
Terrie,
I know. If we don't know what we want to say, can't the content checker supply some ideas? :)
Steve
Irene,
That's great. I hope she can tell when the word is spelled correctly but used in the wrong context. :)
Steve