Pet Peeve - Spelling/Grammar

[dogmatix]

I run into this every so often and it drives me up the wall.

defy - to object, to refuse
defiantly, adj., eg. - He threw down the glove defiantly.

definite - sure, certain
definitely, adv., eg. - She definitely swam ten laps.

Do not use defiantly when you mean definitely!!

I don't know if it's just a weird spellcheck thing that nobody catches but I notice it. Oh boy do I notice it. -_- The 'lose/loose' and 'they're/there/their' situations are infuriating enough, but this is. They're not even. Whhyyyyyyyy?! D:

Comments

[soc_puppet]

Bleh, that is a nasty one >_O

My current pet reading peeve is peek/peak/pique. Peek is when you look at something, peak is the highest point of something, and pique is - *looks it up* - "to excite or arouse especially by a provocation, challenge, or rebuff {sly remarks to pique their curiosity}" (2a). While their interest might be 'peaked' by something, it is far more likely to have been 'piqued' (since they can't become any more interested if it's the former), and an orgasm is never the 'peek' of pleasure.

[darkicedragon]

Haaaaa, I remember making that mistake when I first started writing - that was because I couldn't spell 'definitely' so spellcheck helpfully told me 'defiantly'. *snerk*

[lexicology]

Eugh, that one drives me even crazier than taut/taunt.

[dogmatix]

Yup. Sometimes I despair of the educational system. I mean I don't expect people to be perfect spellers, but a lot of it is just laziness and bad education on top of that. -_- (Spelling should not be a Thing in university classes)

[dogmatix]

Yeah, it's close in letters, so I figure at least some of it is a spellchecker being 'helpful,' but maaaan it's discouraging to see it over and over. *wry*

[dogmatix]

augh, and 'taught' don't forget *sigh* English, why does it torture us so? (And why do we torture it so?)