(TUC) Thematic Unit: Choices - Spelling Lesson

Learning to spell correctly is a long process. The English language has many spelling rules that must be memorized. One important detail to remember is that spell checkers have limited capabilities. For instance, while it may recognize a misspelled word, it will not recognize a misplaced word.  

To demonstrate the limited power of the spell checker, a student composed the following poem:

I have a spelling checker
It came with my PC;
It plainly marks four my revue
Mistakes I cannot sea.
I've run this poem threw it,
I'm sure your pleased too no,
Its letter perfect in it's weigh,
My checker tolled me sew.

Notice in the example above the words: four, sea, threw, too, no, weigh, its, it's, tolled, and sew were not identified as incorrect. This is because these words are spelled correctly, but they are the wrong form of the word.

Just as so many of us rely on calculators to do all of our math for us, many rely on spell checkers to a fault.

So proceed with caution when using spell checkers. They are not without fault and they do not substitute for meticulous proofreading and clear thinking. Always proofread a hard copy, with your own two eyes.

To review some general spelling rules, take a look at the presentation below.

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