We have all done it and if you’ve picked up this book you’ve certainly done it—the Big Spelling Goof-Up. Maybe it occurred in your resume or cover letter that you sent in application for the job of your dreams. Or maybe it was an important report for your new boss, an end-of-semester research paper, your restaurant menu, company brochure, or the splashy ad you placed in the newspaper to announce your new company. Whatever the situation, you know that the Big Spelling Goof-Up can be extremely embarrassing and, often, costly.
You also know that it isn’t just the big mistake that is embarrassing. Sometimes, it is the repeated misspelling of simple words in your e-mails, memos, letters, reports, or anything else you write in your daily life. Those misspellings can make you appear careless, lazy, and not very intelligent.
Luckily, both the Big Spelling Goof-Ups and the everyday errors are easily corrected. “But I’m a dreadful speller,” you say. “I’m never going to become an excellent speller because I just don’t have the ability!” Your protestation will be ignored. Anyone can become a better speller. It simply takes a little time and a little creativity in your thinking.
Luckily, most spelling mistakes are common, with a few dozen mistakes accounting for the majority of all errors. If you learn the common errors and how to correct and avoid them, your spelling ability will increase dramatically. That is what this book will help you do.
Goof-Proof Spelling covers the most common and egregious errors. They are covered in mini-lessons with goof-proof rules that clearly explain the typical error and how to prevent it. You will be shown easy ways to banish the big blunders from your writing, so that you quickly enhance your spelling.
After learning the goof-proof rules, you will be able to point out the mistakes in sentences such as these:
I work from home on Monday’s, Wednesday’s, and Friday’s. Lucy asked her hairdresser for a low maintainence cut. As a secratary, she regularly used a spreadsheet program.
(See the Answer Key on page 81 for the answers to these and the Goof-Proof quizzes throughout the book.)
The book also contains a list of troublesome words that are frequently misspelled. These are words such as succeed (not suceed), pronunciation (not pronounciation), and liaison (not liason). By becoming aware of the troublesome words, especially your specific troublesome words, you will be able to stave off a
goof-up well before it happens.
In addition, technology, business, literary, legal, and foreign language words are also covered. The section on these words may be the most useful for improving your spelling in the workplace.
This book also gives you a brief overview of some word fundamentals, with the key word being brief. Goof-Proof Spelling does not cover word basics in detail. If you are looking for an extensive primer on language, there are many books available and several of those are listed in the Resources section at the end of this book.
Ready to goof-proof your spelling? Then let’s get started. The first order of business is the pretest to find out where your spelling strengths and weaknesses lie. Then, it’s on to goofproofing your goof-ups!
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