I was checking the comments on my blog today, hoping to get some feedback from my lovely podlisteners, when I came across one that was a bit worrying. Huy Mai very kindly complimented my podcast and informed me that I had made a couple of spelling mistakes on my blog of 'A Haitian art surprise'. I quickly looked up the blog, and realised that I certainly had made a couple of spelling mistakes. "Oh, Anna! How could you?" I said to myself, as I erased and corrected my mistakes. An English teacher making a mistake in English spelling? How is that possible? Shame on me. I made my mind up that I would not allow this to happen again, and that I will triple-check my work in the future. Do you find that you make mistakes when you are tired or in a hurry? I certainly do. It reminds me of a story about my children's school. There was a spelling competition going on, and one of the staff members had put up a message of encouragement on the large notice board that is next to the main road. It told the date of the spelling competition, a few details, and then it said, "We know that you'll do grat," instead of 'great'. Someone driving by noticed the spelling mistake and took a picture of it on her iPhone, and then sent it in to a television station. Gosh, bad news travels fast! I do catch myself, every now and then, when I'm writing a podcast, wondering if I should put the American or English spelling of a word, as many are different. For example, today I have used the words 'realised' and 'surprised', both spelt the English way. In the U.S they are spelt with a 'z'. Infact, the word 'spelt' is not used much in the U.S.; it is interchangeable with spelled, though it really is, in this instance, describing the words, not the action of spelling. Here are some further examples:
Grammar notes.
Spelt, dreamt, spoilt, burnt.
1. His name was in the paper, but it was spelt incorrectly.
2. I dreamt that I lived in a world of chocolate.
3. She is so spoilt. Her behavior (our) was so bad that she spoilt (spoiled) the party.
4. The cookies are burnt; we can eat them. Sorry everyone, I burnt (burned) them!
So, in conclusion, though spelling should be correct, some English/ American verbs are interchangeable, so both are correct.
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1. iTunes store
2. Enter 'A Cup Of English podcast' in search (top right)
3. Click on 'see all' next to the soccer ball.
4. The new page will show my podcast. Double click and rate. Thanks!
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