How Do You Spell…?

How many times have you come across an article, email, blog or Twitter post that had misspelled words or incorrect grammar?  If you’re a woman in business, it is important that you be mindful of the correspondence you’re putting out because ultimately it’s a reflection on you.

 

Just today I cringed as I read a couple of posts I sent out via Twitter:

 

Jst saying thanks for being a follower :)

When I waslk at the Duke University trail I always see women wearing make-up…

 

As a journalist, I ought to know better when it comes to misspelled words.  But the truth of the matter is, even I am guilty more often than I care to be when it comes to allowing misspellings to appear in emails and blog posts. 

 

That’s why it’s imperative that you proofread your writing BEFORE you hit that send button.  Here are some tips on how to minimize your mistakes:

 

Read aloud what you’ve written to make sure what you’ve said makes sense.  Leaving out a word or two can change the entire meaning of a sentence or leave the reader confused.

 

SLOW DOWN.  Evn if your on a dedline, yu sould not be un such a hury that you misspell to many words (Even if you’re on a deadline, you should not be in such a hurry that you misspell too many words).

 

Use spell check if in doubt of a correct spelling. 

 

One of the biggest writing mistakes I’ve seen is with grammar. This was a post I found on Twitter:

 

Thank you to everyone that voted. 

 

Now most people would probably not think anything was wrong with that sentence but it is INCORRECT.  It should read Thank you to everyone WHO voted.  Why?  Because “who” refers to a person or persons—“that” refers to an inanimate object.

 

Here’s the bottom line:  You may be a great writer with a gift for words but if your writing is constantly filled with typos, misspellings and grammatical errors, you’re going to lose readers. 

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