Spell check:
I've run into two stories here in the past week that think "sparing" is a form of "spar".
Sorry; "sparing" comes from "spare". Forms coming from "spar" (to practice fighting) add an extra "r": "sparred", "sparring".
As with "loose" and "lose", using the wrong one can change the meaning of a sentence, so it's not entirely out of annoyance that I bring it up. (But mostly.)
Eric
Efin is correct
And what you must understand is unlike the book you may buy down at Barnes & Nobel, the authors here do not receive any type of monetary compensation for the work they post here. Most do not have Editors to check their work and must struggle to do their own editing.
Professional writing is 10% creativity and 90% editing.
Most of us work regular jobs of 40 hours or more each week, and have very little time to write little less run through an extensive editing process to catch every single mistake made. We write because it's our passion, most of us are not professionals, that includes the few here that do have editors. And even if there are a few professional writers that post here, they are NOT getting paid to post their work here.
I see tons of misspellings and incorrect word use here and I'm sure I'm guilty of the same. When I see something that actually changes the context of the sentence or the author does so often that I think it should be pointed out, I send them a polite PM. Most, like myself, are grateful for PMs that politely point out something we missed or have been doing wrong and fix it soon after being told of the issue.
There are words that we commonly mistype that we know the correct spelling for, as Efin pointed out the words From and Form. I'm terrible at typing Form when I should be typing From also. Knowing I do this, one of my editing steps is to search for the word 'form' and make sure it is used correctly or change it.
The thing is, posting a blog about a word you found to be commonly misused or misspelled will not make everyone here go back through all their stories to check to see if they are one of the two you are speaking about. And thus the problem is never corrected. PM the authors and let them know, a simple, "Hey noticed you misspelled 'sparring' in X story. You wrote sparing instead. "
We the willing, led by the unsure. Have been doing so much with so little for so long,
We are now qualified to do anything with nothing.
QWERTY
There's a good reason that we have trouble typing "form" when we mean "from." It's the same reason that the QWERTY keyboard is designed the way it is.
Its design came to be when the manual typewriters were invented. The more commonly used letters were placed in the arrangement so as to be used by the left hand because most people are right handed and the left hand reaction time is longer than the right. It was an attempt to slow down the typing so there was less chance of jammed keys, that is, a key that reached the platen (roller) at nearly the same time as another key, jamming the two key and requiring the typist to stop typing and unjam the keys.
The electronic keyboard allows us to not have to deal with jammed keys. So what would have caused a key jam... typing the r only a fraction of a second after (remember the left had used for the r key is slower than the right hand, used for the o key) o when trying to spell "from" results in the correctly spelled word, "form" wrongly placed in the sentence.
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
Ich bin eine Mann
Heh. It's actually simpler
Heh. It's actually simpler than that. The QWERTY keyboard comes from the American Typewriter Company. (I believe that was the one) They made it over all the others because they didn't just make machines, they trained people how to use them. I don't know how they determined most of the letter positioning, but....
If you look at the top row of keys - the QWERTY row - you can notice something interesting. If you were a salesperson, you'd put your fingers on the keys. Do this. Now, type the word TYPEWRITER. Notice that none of your fingers go below the 'home' row, and all of the letters are on the QWERTY row. Easy to see for someone watching, and easy for someone demonstrating to NOT miss keys because they can see exactly what they're doing.
Keep in mind that the paper in early typewriters _was not visible_. These are called 'blind writers', and often had an upward striking mechanism. The evolution of typewriters is amazing to see; it's even more interesting than sewing machines.
Edit - Did a quick check, and it was Sholes & Glidden that introduced the QWERTY keyboard, manufactured by Remington. Type Writer predated QWERTY. I stand by the rest, however. It would make sense that the Remington corporation would push training - I believe they did the same with their sewing machines.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
In Russian it is often considered that...
Спаринг is derived from the word пара (pair), so it is a fight where you have a live partner. (In some neighboring languages this is an official spelling.)
But official Russian spelling is спарринг which is officially a borrowed English word.
So I would say that sparing vs sparring as a "training fight with live partner" is less of a spelling error and more dependent on the sports and school.
Actually, it is quite possible and probable that very original meaning of sparring was a ring in which you spared your opponent in case of victory, and spar was derived from that. You have to remember that vovels are quite recent addition to writing. In some languages they were introduced just 30-50 years ago. And in some places you just mark a place where a vovel should be with a dot without distinction if it is "a", "e", or "o". (It was an ancient Arabic art to write a poem that with most common use of vovels will be a love poem but with less frequent vovels will be a political satire...) So SPR was equal to any form of SPR. Spear, spare, super, sabre (b and p are interchangeable in some languages), savour (as b and v are interchangeable in other languages) are all derived from the same ancient root as superior. And don't forget that some ancient words were borrowed form the languages with different writing direction, so sometimes same origin will be in words with RPS...
Before today I never had to use "sparring" in writing. So I was quite shocked that correct form is with double "r"... And I don't conciously remember seing "sparring" in any stories so far. I always thought that correct translation from Russian will be "training fight".
So, you just have to understand and forgive people who use officially incorrect spelling. It could be that their spelling is historically correct...
Intriguing Point...
...though probably incorrect in this case, according to the etymology in my 1951 American College Dictionary. While the origin of the verb "spar" is listed as "uncertain" there, it says that the original meaning of the word was "to thrust". That doesn't seem to be a definition that can be applied to "spare".
Eric
As there is about under million...
... from 7 official billions of earthlings who speak about 100 natural non standardized dying languages...
Contemporary English was designed in the middle of the 19th century, German - designed by the end of 19ty century and instilled more or less by 1930th... Chinese had like 5 reforms only in the 20th century. Korean - mostly designed in the early 20th century. In contemporary Japanese about 50% of the words are mispronounced words from American English... Any contempoarary language you choose... You will not be able to prove its actual existence from before about 1800th...
Like Pushkin or Shakespeare who managed to use paper for drafts and doodles 50 to 300 years before first more or less plausible mass production paper mill was built...
And just in case... Do you remember that only for his hobby JRR Tolkien designed 3 or 4 complete languages "from scratch". How many languages he designed at his paying job?
Sorry If I Wasn't Clear...
The first two commenters apparently felt I was objecting to typos. That wasn't my intent, and I honestly don't know how the first one could say that I considered a story worthless if there was a spelling error. I don't think finding something annoying carries any connotation of its lacking value.
This word wasn't a typo; it was a clearly a misspelling by an author who was unaware of the problem. (Every use of the word was incorrect.). If a typo makes a sentence ambiguous to me, I'll PM the writer to point it out and ask what they meant; otherwise, I'll get it go without comment. If it's the price I have to pay to read stories here, it's not a very high one and one I'll willingly pay in most cases. (If typos are so prevalent that I'm having trouble with the story, I may stop reading that author.)
I was pointing this particular one out because when more than one author made this mistake, it seemed likely to me that there were other potential authors out there who were similarly unaware of this and could use a heads-up on the point. Apparently the tone of my note may have caused a problem or a misread; for that, I'm sorry.
To the sub-comment, I can only say, again, that my intent wasn't to criticize the authors; it was to inform people generally of the correct spelling of the word. I can see how some might have thought otherwise, and for that I'm sorry. It'll come off the front page soon enough that I don't feel I need to ask Erin to suppress the note, though if she finds it "unfriendly" it won't bother me if she does so.
And it certainly has nothing to do with a writer's first language; this one at least seems to be an equal-opportunity problem.
Eric
Be careful with these kinds of posts
There are authors here who are touchy about their spelling problems. I am not naming names by any means.
Honestly, if an author were to try writing in French on a French version of this website they would not be as forgiving imho. They expect people to use their language correctly, especially if you are a foreigner.
Point is authors run the gamut ranging from those who don’t give two hoots about spelling to those who demand perfection of themselves and don’t mind criticism at all but am grateful for the help.
Eric is posting this as an opportunity to learn, take it as you will.
I'll mention this on the
I'll mention this on the original topic.
When you target _one_ author for _one_ word, that should be done in private, not a public forum.
If you had done as I've done in the past, which is mention multiple words used by multiple authors incorrectly, then you're pointing out a trend to avoid. One example of that is the word 'discrete', which a LOT of authors, including ones that are generally very good with their verbiage, use instead of the word 'discreet'. One means 'distinctly different', and the other means 'quiet or undisclosed' (roughly). Another is the constant use of 'insure' when someone means 'ensure'. The first is to guard against something, the second is to cause something to happen. You'll also see the common 'effect/affect' issue, plus, of course, the weirdness of how people use sit/sat/sitting/stand/stood.
Remember, the author is the one providing this to us at NO COST. So, they are within their rights to say "Up with this I shall not put!"
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
Insure/Ensure
I would add here that it seems there are slightly different shadings of meaning, or slightly differing use cases for certain words either side of the pond. Insure and Ensure are a pair that have been pointed out to me.
While writing SEE I have tried to use American spellings and customs, although not completely successfully. I'm fixing any of those that have been pointed out to me as I go through the "Great Edit".
My point is that what may seem right for one English speaker may seem quaint or just plain wrong to another (even in the same country!). Insure/Ensure is one of those combinations.
Penny
From Mirriam-Webster.
From Mirriam-Webster.
Synonym Discussion of ensure
ensure, insure, assure, secure mean to make a thing or person sure. ensure, insure, and assure are interchangeable in many contexts where they indicate the making certain or inevitable of an outcome, but ensure may imply a virtual guarantee - the government has ensured the safety of the refugees - , while insure sometimes stresses the taking of necessary measures beforehand - careful planning should insure the success of the party - , and assure distinctively implies the removal of doubt and suspense from a person's mind. - I assure you that no harm will be done
secure implies action taken to guard against attack or loss. - sent reinforcements to secure their position
So, in the vast majority of 'insure' uses, 'ensure' is the correct term.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.