Whatever happened to spell-check?

I realize that by writing this article, I am opening myself to an avalanche of criticism the next time I misspell a word or write something that is even borderline ungrammatical.  But, I would like to open the eyes of those who are hoping to earn money with their writing. 

 

Recently, I have begun following several other writers on several different blogging groups. I am amazed at how many people submit articles with glaring spelling and grammatical errors.

 

Do they not have spell-check?

 

It is jarring to be reading along in a very interesting article and all of a sudden there it is – a misspelled word.  It may not seem to be a big deal to the average person, but to an editor, it’s like raking nails across a chalkboard.

 

One of the most misspelled words seems to be quiet.  Over and over again, I see it spelled q-u-i-t-e.  Yes, “quite” is a word, but it doesn’t mean the same thing as quiet.

 

Another common error is the misuse of the word “its” and its homonym “it’s”.  The rule of grammar is that “it’s” is only used when you could substitute “it is” and have the sentence be correct.  Otherwise, the proper usage is “its”.

 

There are other common errors, such as mixing tenses and mixing metaphors and even dangling participles.

 

All of these could be corrected by the simple use of spell-check and its partner grammar check. 

 

So, each time you write the next great American article, take a minute before you hit the “submit” button and click on the little spell-check button.  It will make you work look much more professional.