Spell it Right

[Obie]

Ladies and gentlemen:

I insist on good grammar and punctuation for myself. Whether a line or a long essay, I try to be as correct in my grammar and punctuation as is within my range. After all, English is our language.

I had struggled with the correct spelling of eBay, having spelled it (or misspelled it) more ways than I can count. I am not a fan of eBay for buying anything, most of all razors, but that's another discussion.

Finally I decided to find the correct spelling for the word once and for all. Since I have always found the New York Times to be a stickler for spelling — though obviously it has its own style, as do other publications — I have decided to go with the way that publication spells the word.

Henceforth, I will spell the word eBay with the "e" in the lowercase and the "B" in the upper case, the way my most favorite newspaper spells it. I know, with all the major problems plaguing the world, correct spelling of something might be minor. To me, however, it is major in its own right.

So, for what it's worth: eBay.

Regards,
Obie

[welshwizard]

I will spell the word eBay with the "e" in the lowercase and the "B" in the upper case, the way my most favorite newspaper spells it.

That is how it is written on eBay's own website.
We ought to credit them with being able to write their own name correctly.

[JimmyHAD]

YouTube - Pink Floyd - We Don't Need No Education

[Stubear]

+1, I always try to spell things correctly. eBay spell their name that way, so I aim to spell it that way!

My surname is Fingland, and the number of mis-spellings I get of that are unbelievable. I did actually get a letter once addressed to a "Mr Finlano", whoever he is. I sent it back with "Not at this address" on the envelope..!

Maybe its just me, but I find it a little insulting when someone can't make the effort to ensure they've spelled your name right. I'm really careful to make sure I've spelled peoples user names correctly here on SRP, or to refer to them by their name (correctly spelled again!) if I happen to know it.

[JimmyHAD]

Were it not for spell check I'd never post.

[LX_Emergency]

Ladies and gentlemen:

I insist on good grammar and punctuation for myself. Whether a line or a long essay, I try to be as correct in my grammar and punctuation as is within my range. After all, English is our language.

No it isn't!!!

[JimmyHAD]

No it isn't!!!

Well if it ain't it oughta be ....... ........ just kidding , just kidding as I run and duck for cover......

[gugi]

Spelling is easy, the question is how do you pronounce it correctly?

[fpessanha]

No it isn't!!!

No, it isn't! Mine is Portuguese. But we got the point... I always try to spell everything as correctly as possible. And I try to do the same in English - because English became what Esperanto was supposed to be: a common language. However, the point is taken! And I do think that I do pretty well in English... Mind you that my English is written without any aid from a correcting gizmo.

Since we're here let me tell you all a little story. You all remember when you went to school to learn how to read and write, right? I do. And I remember that spelling mistakes were not accepted in any way. Why? Because this was the point - learn the way to express yourself. If we do not have the propper vocabulary we will never be able to express aour thoughts, our ideas and ultimately, we cannot fight for our freedom.
So... some years ago my eldest cousin (now 15 years old) was learning how to read and write. One day he came home with a text he had written at school. My aunt took a look at it and was appaled. The thing was uncompreensible. There were so many spelling mistakes that they were no longer mistakes... the kid didn't know how to write as he was supposed to.
The next day my aunt went to school and paid a visit to her son's teacher thinking that something was wrong with the kid's learning abbilities. To her amazement the teacher - if I can call her that without offending the teaching class - told her that the spelling mistakes were not a problem... because the important thing is not to learn the tools to express yourself propperly but what the kid thinks! WHAT?!!! What is a 10 year old supposed to think? Who cares about that? Is she quite MAD?! I felt like... kidnaping the little idiot (the teacher) and tie her up in my basement and force her to read Orwell's 1984 one thousand and eighty four times aloud until she realizes that without propper vocabulary one simply cannot express oneself correctly. Plus, writing is the one thing that makes what we are as a culture... Fortunately the kid got to grow up with propper schooling because the stupid idiot teacher went away at the end of the school year and the kid is quite clever and curious.
Well... this is me ranting and speaking my mind.

I hope the spelling was acceptable.

[Obie]

Gentlemen:

Thank you for your thoughts.

What led me to my initial post on the frequency with which I have misspelled the word eBay is an item in my book "Obie's Opus." It is about the great opera composer Rossini, who was known for his acerbic sense of humor.

Rossini marked the errors on student papers with crosses. He once sent a manuscript back to a student with few markings. "I'm so happy there are so few mistakes," the kid beamed. Looking stern, Rossini shot back, "If I had marked all the errors in the music with crosses, your score would be a cemetery."

Regards,
Obie