Spelling and Mechanics Introduction

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Spelling and mechanics errors: the easiest way to make you a laughingstock (other than slipping on a literal banana peel).

There are fewer things more cringe-worthy than a misspelled tattoo or more hilarious than when people spell "morons" like "morans" or "no offense" like "no a fence." We love to be smug about that kind of stuff.

Spelling and mechanics fails are the stuff of endless Buzzfeed lists and Tumblr blogs. Life is so much more enjoyable when autocorrect becomes auto-incorrect, isn't it?

It's fun to smirk over. It's horrible to do…especially because you just know that your essay on The Dairy of Anne Frank (um, did she really like milk that much?) or your mistake-ridden college admissions essay is not going to be taken seriously.

So let's get serious.

Correct spelling is insanely important in a paragraph or essay. It helps you get your ideas across clearly. Tools like spellcheck are great but not foolproof, so it's important to develop some stellar spelling awareness. When you encounter a new word, take note of how it's spelled and how it's used, and add it to your writing stash.

A mastery of mechanics is also crucial for composing good papers. When we say mechanics, we don't mean the good people that get your car back on the road after you run over a monstrous, sedan-eating pothole. We mean capitalization, abbreviations, and numbers. Knowing these writing standards helps you become a more effective communicator and polishes your writing skills.

It also helps you to not be this guy.

Quiz Yourself on Spelling and Mechanics

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Can you spot the error in the following interplanetary passage?


Peter dreams of joining NASA and flying into outer space. Every sq. in. of his bedroom is covered in posters of rockets and far away galaxies. Each morning, he rises at 7:00 a.m. and begins his day with a healthy breakfast of freeze-dried ice cream.


(A) NASA
(B) sq. in.
(C) 7:00 a.m.
(D) freeze-dried

How would you correct this sentence?


I can assure you that our sausages are made only from premium quality offal. Our buyers hand-select it straight from the factory floor, insuring that only the best intestines make it into our casings.


(A) Change assure to insure
(B) Change assure to insure and insuring to ensuring
(C) Change insuring to assuring
(D) Change insuring to ensuring

How would you correct this sentence?


Putting his huge backyard to good use, my friend Roberto rescued 2 3-legged dogs from an animal shelter in Pasadena to keep them from being put down.


(A) Omit the comma after "use"
(B) Change "2" to "two"
(C) Change "3" to "three"
(D) Either B or C

Fill in the blanks:


I told my overbearing eye doctor that he did not have to _________ statistics to convince me of the importance of caring for my ___________.


(A) site, sight
(B) sight, site
(C) cite, sight
(D) cite, site

What correction would you make to the following passage?


Every afternoon, Paige works on her fantasy novel at the Starbucks on Lincoln Avenue. So far, she's finished fifty pages. Sometimes, she lets the baristas read it. They all agree that the best part is the sword fight between the gnome and the fire dwarf that starts Chap. 2. They also all agree that she should probably order more than one small water if she's going to take up a whole table for five hours every day.


(A) abbreviate Avenue to Ave.
(B) change fifty to 50
(C) change Chap. 2 to Chapter 2
(D) abbreviate hours to hrs.

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