Spelling Lessons

I picked up the book, Accomodating Brocolli in the Cemetary, at the library. Spelling has never been my best subject. I try to write most of my posts in Microsoft Word before publishing them to my blog so I can remove all the red underlining indicating misspelled words. Well this post has three red-lined words in the first line. It’s the title of a book about spelling and these are three often misspelled words. It’s an entertaining book of lists of facts about English spelling, with the subtitle: “or why can’t anyone spell?”

I was intrigued to learn from the back cover that the author of the book, Vivian Cook, was inspired to write it out of frustration with those who assume he is a woman because of their lack of familiarity with the difference between the British spellings Vivian and Vivien.

I also enjoyed reading the scathingly practical Letter of Lord Chesterton to his son from November 19, 1750, which can be found in its entirety at Project Gutenberg.

I come now to another part of your letter, which is the orthography, if I may call bad spelling ORTHOGRAPHY. You spell induce, ENDUCE; and grandeur, you spell grandURE; two faults of which few of my housemaids would have been guilty. I must tell you that orthography, in the true sense of the word, is so absolutely necessary for a man of letters; or a gentleman, that one false spelling may fix ridicule upon him for the rest of his life; and I know a man of quality, who never recovered the ridicule of having spelled WHOLESOME without the w.

Reading with care will secure everybody from false spelling; for books are always well spelled, according to the orthography of the times. Some words are indeed doubtful, being spelled differently by different authors of equal authority; but those are few; and in those cases every man has his option, because he may plead his authority either way; but where there is but one right way, as in the two words above mentioned, it is unpardonable and ridiculous for a gentleman to miss it; even a woman of a tolerable education would despise and laugh, at a lover, who should send her an ill-spelled billet-doux. I fear and suspect, that you have taken it into your head, in most cases, that the matter is all, and the manner little or nothing. If you have, undeceive yourself, and be convinced that, in everything, the manner is full as important as the matter. If you speak the sense of an angel, in bad words and with a disagreeable utterance, nobody will hear you twice, who can help it. If you write epistles as well as Cicero, but in a very bad hand, and very ill-spelled, whoever receives will laugh at them; and if you had the figure of Adonis, with an awkward air and motions, it will disgust instead of pleasing.
Study manner, therefore, in everything, if you would be anything.

From: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3354/3354.txt