Twenty Questions: The Grammar Curmudgeon's Special Spelling Test
May 05 '04 (Updated Aug 06 '04)
The Bottom Line At last: independant confurmation that mispellings on you're resumee may put the kibosh on you're job search!
The Grammar Curmudgeon was scanning the local college newspaper recently (looking for grammatical errors and typos to grouse about) when he ran across an article entitled “Avoid the TOP Résumé Mistakes” (written by a “coach” at Monster.com, so you know it has to be right). Guess what was the number one with a bullet on the list? tGC nearly swooned: “Typos and Grammatical Errors”! This particular member of the choir avidly read someone else preaching that “Employers will read between the lines and draw not-do-flattering conclusions about you. Among them: 'This person can’t write,' or 'This person obviously doesn’t care.'" And here you thought tGC was the only one who ever noticed…
Though not explicitly listed as a résumé no-no, playing fast and loose with spelling is implied in that word “typos.” So tGC has taken a few minutes (and believe him, that’s all it took) to assemble a list of spelling errors he commonly notices around the site. Following is a little spelling test using sentences lifted from reviews and comments on the site (the words have been altered to protect the guilty). Take out a piece of paper and number from one to twenty. Find the mispelled word in each sentence and write the correct spelling on your sheet. The answers are at the bottom of the page…
Ready? Begin!
1) Chris has a mischevious little brother whose name is Evan.
2) Each package contains a small white envelope of dessicant. Don’t eat this packet, because it tastes even worse than the powder!
3) There was lots of legalese at the bottom of the page. I swear, I looked at every word of that miniscule type!
4) One of the perks of being your own boss is taking off early if you feel like it.
5) I think that with a little tweeking it could be one of the best derailleur configurations available.
6) You don’t have to agree with me, that’s your perogative.
7) Hubby wanted an independant mechanic to inspect the car before we made an offer.
8) Not drinking sufficient water often causes an inbalance in your electrolytes.
9) It’s not neccessary to be a member of the club to use the facilities.
10) Men and women don’t have seperate steam rooms and whirlpools.
Whew. These are tough! Go ahead, and take a break for a minute…
OK, Time’s Up
11) It was a priviledge to attend such an important seminar.
12) The location may have been excellent, but the accomadations were, in my opinion, substandard.
13) I will definately never shop with these people again!
14) Preventive maintainance is the key to keeping your vehicle running smoothly for 200, 300, or even 400,000 miles.
15) Brown has proven to be one of the most important writers of the new millenium.
16) The veteranarian prescribed a monthly heartworm pill for our dog when we moved back to Texas.
17) I took the car back to the dealer after the second occurrance of this problem.
18) This book is indispensible for anyone who is a fan of the sport.
19) I thought I’d die of embarassment!
20) The car is easy to get into, even if you’re of above-average heigth like me.
And Now, the Answers. How Many Mispellings Did You Catch?
1) Evan is a mischievous little guy, not mischevious. Many people move the i to the wrong place because the word is commonly pronounced “miss CHEE vee us” (which, by the way, is wrong).
2) This one’s a toughie unless you’ve been in chemistry class lately. It’s a desiccant.
3) I know, I know: some dictionaries say that both miniscule and minuscule are acceptable. The ones that do, aren’t. By analogy, consider the word “majuscule”: there’s not a word “majiscule.” I rest my case.
4) The word perq is a shortened form of “perquisite,” which is a form of benefit in addition to salary, especially for well-paid employees. “Perk” is also used as a short form of “percolate,” however that word is abbreviated “perc” by the professionals who perform percolation testing.
5) Nope: tweak, to fine-tune or make small adjustments.
6) Gotcha - prerogative is spelled correctly only by people who’ve had it drummed into their psyches and by those using “smart” spell-checkers.
7) Ninety-nine out of 100 independent word mavens eschew the a in favor of the e.
8) Is it a typo? a thinko? or just a plain mispelling? The n is right next to the m in imbalance, after all.
9) It’s always necessary to spell this word correctly!
10) Separate, separate, dance to the music!
11) Though it rhymes with “knowledge,” privilege lacks that internal d.
12) This is an awful, awful word – one that I avoid at all costs. Two as cs os and ms make it a nightmare to spell, if you ask me (sort of like Mississippi). Let’s try: accommodate!
13) I definitely won’t let this one pass.
14) Maintaining your vehicle in good condition requires that you keep abreast of preventive maintenance..
15) Mazda’s oddly-spelled car name notwithstanding, the word is actually spelled millennium.
16) Veterinarian is another word that nails us because of our pronunciation. The Brits can spell it better because they pronounce it better (but don’t get me started on “aluminium”).
17) This is about the eleven millionth occurrence of this mistake I’ve seen!
18) A good dictionary is indispensable to all who would try to write.
19) I might die of embarrassment if I were to spell it that way.
20) Well, my height is pretty much average.
In Parting
So. Did you spot the twenty-first mispelling? I put it in there deliberately – and it’s in the text (in one form or another) three times. Look again!
This is the ninth note from the Grammar Curmudgeon, an irregular series of... what, "diatribes"? "rants"? "suggestions"? on improving the quality of your writing - not just here on Epinions, but every time you create a sentence, a paragraph, or even a book. Feel free to suggest further topics (I already have a generation's worth up my sleeve) by emailing me or leaving a comment.
You can read the previous Grammar Curmudgeon installment at EEEEE! and the subsequent one at Da Vinci
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