Friday, April 1, 2011

Words...

This is not an expository of the book of James. If you want an amazing Biblical study of words, the tongue, and their power both to build up and tear down, I encourage you to go there.  


If you are in the mood for a bit of humor and good natured fun-poking at the English language and our electronic management of it... keep reading! 


I like words and am often told I use them too quickly, over exaggeratedly, or in an overabundance. Whatever the case may be, I like them! My daughters seem to carry the gene as well, as one is in college learning how to capture them at the rate of 225 per minute, and the other one, at the age of 8, uses words like "actually" and "lurking" and "inappropriate" with great skill and flair! 


Having home schooled for nearly 15 years now, I've had my share of spelling challenges and writing papers. While great effort has been exerted into getting the males of my home to love the English language and all the joy it brings, I am more and more convinced there is a genetic code that makes one love it. If you don't have it, you don't love it. Sounds cruel and harsh, but that is my theory. I believe one can acquire a love of reading for the furtherance of other pursuits, as this has been evidenced in my hubby's life. He now loves to read, but for the gain of knowing God and His truth. He has never been found looking in the fiction book aisle. 


I think there is a gene for spelling as well. Just a theory! 
I have another theory. The game MadGab is a direct product of voice recognition software. I can't prove any of this. 

Anyhow... Here is a funny poem that is so hard to read! I hope it is hard to read for the majority of people... but something tells me it isn't. 
Candidate for a Pullet Surprise
by Mark Eckman and Jerrold H. Zar
I have a spelling checker,
It came with my PC.
It plane lee marks four my revue
Miss steaks aye can knot sea.
Eye ran this poem threw it,
Your sure reel glad two no.
Its vary polished in it's weigh.
My checker tolled me sew.
A checker is a bless sing,
It freeze yew lodes of thyme.
It helps me right awl stiles two reed,
And aides me when eye rime.
Each frays come posed up on my screen
Eye trussed too bee a joule.
The checker pours o'er every word
To cheque sum spelling rule.
Bee fore a veiling checker's
Hour spelling mite decline,
And if we're lacks oar have a laps,
We wood bee maid too wine.
Butt now bee cause my spelling
Is checked with such grate flare,
Their are know fault's with in my cite,
Of nun eye am a wear.
Now spelling does knot phase me,
It does knot bring a tier.
My pay purrs awl due glad den
With wrapped word's fare as hear.
To rite with care is quite a feet
Of witch won should bee proud,
And wee mussed dew the best wee can,
Sew flaw's are knot aloud.
Sow ewe can sea why aye dew prays
Such soft wear four pea seas,
And why eye brake in two averse
Buy righting want too pleas.

There are also some peeves that people who like language have. Like incorrectly using its and it's. There are dozens of similar stumbling points for many people, and while it seems trivial, it really is a simple thing to correct. IQ points aside, one will appear much smarter by just getting those little details correct!


I wish I had saved the FB posts that griped about peoples bad grammar and in the post used bad grammar! I understand both sides, for on one hand while I notice the errors in others, many of my own errors pass by me! 


So for the sake of brevity, I will conclude this with a few fun links to blogs I like to read. They are down time stuff for me. Things that replace TV and knitting in my life. 


This is Grammar Girl's blog. She is fun and informative at the same time. 


Here is Lillie Ammann, another writer/editor who publishes her tidbits of knowledge and whit. 


I am sure they will thank me for the links, as there will be so much more traffic on their site for all of the interest in this topic! Or maybe not!! 

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1 comment:

Liv said...

AHHH! This is the best post ever. Your the best ;)

(intentionally used the wrong form--just for the sake of the post)