Auto Correct and Spell Check

I’ve never had a problem with the auto correct feature on my computer. In fact I use it when I’m not sure of the correct spelling, like are there two ‘r’s’ in referred or two ‘m’s’ in accommodate. I’ve never had an issue with the correction changing the meaning of what I’m writing, not like some of the mistakes I’ve seen, usually when texting. I guess that’s because I type, I don’t do the thumb thing in texting, don’t own a cell phone.

I found this joke about auto correct and had to laugh. I’m an old nurse, what can I say?

I count on the spell check feature when writing for those words that don’t get corrected automatically. I see that squggly...and there it is...squiggly red line and make the appropriate correction.

But what about the spell check on E-mail? I find it very annoying as it picks up on everything and offers alternatives for what it perceives as a wrong word. It doesn’t recognize newer terminology, like Facebook or texting. So, who, I want to know, updates spell check?

It’s like the dictionary. There are new words in the dictionary, added with each updated edition, that are now accepted as part of the English language.

One of those new words (not in my dictionary, but I can see it coming) is ‘twerk’ a stupid word in my opinion for a silly action, started by a foolish singer. I should try it out in an e-mail and see what spell check comes up with, twerp comes to mind, an absurd, stupid or contemptible person, close but not quite the same.

On my E-mail short forms are not recognized, or at least not all of them. When I write FYI, for your information, spell check tries to change it to FBI. It wants to change texting to tenting, and my name to debt. And most annoying, it doesn’t recognize contractions, so every ‘ll, ‘ve or ‘m comes up as a spelling mistake.

More signs of the times, I guess. As a writer I appreciate the new technology. I remember typing, really typing, typewriter not keyboard typing, and being so angry when I reached the end of a page and made a typo. Thank goodness for Whiteout, which became some kind of erase tape, which now is a simple backspace. How did writers do it in the ‘old days’?

But technology is moving too fast for some of us to keep up. Does Windows 8 sound familiar? I’m content with my older versions, my APP-less programs. I couldn’t make the adjustment, to Windows 8, probably because I don’t have the cell phone and have no experience.

One of these days I’ll have no choice, but until then, I’m an old dog, avoiding the new tricks.