What would one do without spell/grammar check? Forget trying to remember your third grade grammar lessons and spelling lists, spell check has your back. Or does it? Think about it, your typing a resume, texting a cute guy, finishing that 10 page research paper… what are you doing? You're running a grammar and spell check on Microsoft Word. You're relying on your smart phone to give you a replacement word. Sadly, we all trust this system with our reputation. Instead of acquiring knowledge of the english language we become lazy and leave it up to this software.
The problem is, this system is not always correct. Anyone who uses an iPhone, hopefully, knows that defiantly is not the same as definitely. For the Microsoft Word users, commas are a must in the middle of EVERY sentence. Spell check will often times try to guess what you're going to type next or what you "meant" but only we know… not the program.
It's not all the time that this happens but our culture has become so reliant on this system that it controls us and we trust it more than our english teach, who went to school for many years melting these rules into their brain mind you. I know i have received numerous letters that my school carelessly sent out with out looking over it themselves. Spell and grammar check are marvelous things to lend a helping "optional" hand but one must not let it control their basic knowledge. Or this might happen…
http://whohasthelastword.com/why-spell-check-does-not-always-work
Do not rely only on a software that will allow you to make a fool out of yourself by throwing in a surprise foe for for when you apply for the manager position. Check multiple sources!

I really liked this post. You're completely right when you say that anyone with an iPhone will understand how much of a pain autocorrect can be. I know I've sent things that make no sense whatsoever because I didn't realize what autocorrect had "corrected." It really is mind blowing, and a little scary, to think that the only proofreader we may have is technology itself.
ReplyDeleteI can't tell you how many times I am sending a text on my Iphone and auto correct replaces a word with something totally different and the sentence is completely ruined. Sometimes it can be very comical but others like the scenario above can be very misleading. I also agree that spell check in Word can sometimes give you false corrections as well. It really makes you wonder how our generation will be in the future when it comes to communicating through our essays, text messages and emails. It is the age of technology and from these mistakes in our grammar we can foreshadow that without the simple lessons that we were taught in school from a young age becoming embedded into our brains, we will continue to look less intelligent in which is detrimental to our society.
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