Spell Check
Many programs in which you enter text, such as
word processors and email programs, offer the ability to spell check
your work. Often, the spell checker is located on the Standard
Toolbar, a button showing a checkmark and the letters
ABC. In Microsoft products such as Word, Excel, and Outlook Express,
the choice to spell check is also available as the first choice
under the Tools menu.
Once started, spell checkers bring up a spell
checking window, showing you one misspelled word at a time and
allowing you to make corrections. Spell-checkers begin checking
wherever the flashing cursor was placed in the document, so be
careful. If you left the cursor near the end, only a portion of your
document may be checked. Many programs warn you of this once they
reach the end of the document and ask whether or not you wish to
begin again at the beginning.
To manually change the spelling of a word in almost any
word processor or email program, double-click on the word. Double-clicking selects the word, enabling you to retype it
with the correct spelling. You
can also use this technique to check the spelling of a single word.
Double-click on the word and then click on the spell check button.
Advanced word processors such as Microsoft Word often
spell check automatically and check not only spelling but grammar as well.
When Word checks spelling as you type, it underlines misspelled words
with a wavy red line. For
grammar errors, Word uses a wavy green line.
Right-click on a misspelled word or grammatical error to activate a
pop-up list of possible corrections.
Word offers a powerful array of selections that allow
you to configure spell checking and grammar checking to suit your
preferences. From the pop-up
dialog box that appears when you select Spelling and Grammar from the Tools
menu, you may select the Options button and such choices as “Check
Spelling as you Type,” “Check Grammar as you Type,” and –from
choices displayed by clicking on the Settings button—“Check for Passive
Sentences” and “Subject Verb Agreement.”
Common Options
Some common options provided in the spell-checking
window of many programs are listed below.
(Remember: not all choices are available in all programs, and not all
programs spell check automatically.)
| Change |
This button
accepts the suggestion offered by the spell-checker and corrects the occurrence of the
misspelled word accordingly. |
| Change All |
This button accepts the suggestion
offered by the spell-checker and corrects the misspelled word
throughout the document. Use
this feature carefully. If
you tell the spell checker to correct “mista” to “mister”
throughout your document, it may change “mistake” to “misterke,”
creating new problems. |
| Ignore |
This button ignores the misspelling
of that single occurrence of the misspelled word. |
| Ignore All |
This button ignores the misspelling
of the word throughout the document. |
| Add or Learn |
Some programs feature a button
which allows you to add the word in question to a custom dictionary,
as it may be a specialized term that you want the spell checker to
recognize and accept in all future documents or emails. |
Spell-checking windows also allow you to ignore the
suggested change and type in your own correction. For example, if you accidentally typed “burron” when
you meant to type “button,” the spell
checker is likely to suggest “burrow,” “burros,” or “baron.”
In this case, you know better how to make the correction.
Remember that spell checkers cannot know your
intentions. Every word in the
following sentence is spelled correctly, but it is still problematic:
“I
here watt ewe say; the sky is blew, and bye the way, eye love you two."
Note:
Don't rely too heavily on Word's grammar checker...it doesn't think
there's anything wrong with the sentence above!
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