Spelling Problems

The 20 simple words Brits are unable to spell because we are all text mad

Millions of adults are unable to spell basic everyday words, a study suggests.

Of 2,500 surveyed, 40 per cent could not spell "questionnaire", 38 per cent were *stumped by "accommodate" and 37 per cent were defeated by "definitely".

Around a third of those questioned were unable to spell "liaison", "existence" or "occurrence".

Other simple words which caused problems were "calendar", "embarrass", "library" and "receipt".

Two-thirds blamed their inability to get words right on the predictive text function on their mobile phones.

Despite the embarrassing results, almost a third claimed their spelling was excellent, while 46 per cent said it was good.

Alarmingly, 14 per cent did not think it was important to spell properly, and 11 per cent were not bothered by colleagues' spelling mistakes.

Twenty per cent said they avoided writing documents by hand because their spelling was poor, and 59 per cent said they relied on their computer's spell checker to get things right - even though some are programmed with American English.

Six per cent said their spelling was so bad they had lost a job because of it.

The study was carried out on behalf of www.whitesmoke.com, which provides software to help with English grammar and writing.

A spokesman said: "It's worrying how weak our spelling has become, especially with regard to simple, everyday words.

"It's interesting to see that despite getting basic words wrong, a huge majority still regard their spelling skills as excellent or good.

"It's inexcusable to see badly-written documents in a work environment. If something isn't done in this generation, spelling standards will only decline further."

The Plain English campaign said: "People seem less inclined to consider correct spelling important.

"When we spell words incorrectly, it is bound to cause confusion and make writing more difficult to read."

The 20 simple words Brits are unable to spell:

1. Questionnaire 2. Accommodate 3. Definitely 4. Liaison 5. Existence 6. Occurrence 7. Referring 8. Occurred 9. Millennium 10. Embarrass 11. Calendar 12. Receive 13. Necessary 14. Separate 15. Cemetery 16. Library 17. Accidentally 18. Independent 19. Occasionally 20. Receipt

Sorce: Daily Mail

I admit that the odd word from the list would occassionally create problems for me. My spelling has got worse, the longer I have been living abroad. I have made some embarassing spelling mistakes in the classroom. Once I corrected "restaurant" in an exam paper, while another time I wrote "off course" on the board when I meant to write "of course". Such simple mistakes.

(By the way, I made the above mistakes on purpose!)

*Vocabulary Focus

if you are *stumped you really don't have a clue what the correct answer is.

if you are stuck, you don't know the answer because it is too difficult.

• I'm stuck with number 7. Can you give me a clue?

if you are baffled, you are extremely confused and nowhere near the solution.

• The police are baffled by the murder. They don't have any suspects and can't find any motives.

Wall Street turmoil

Shares on Wall Street plummet* 3%

Leading US stock market indexes have plummeted around 3% after the price of oil soared* to yet another record high.

The Dow Jones index of 30 leading shares fell nearly 400 points to close at 12,209 - a drop of 3.13%.

The S&P500, seen as a better market barometer, fell 43 points to 1,360.68, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq shed 75 points to close at 2,474.

Investor confidence had been shaken by a sharp increase in US unemployment, and a jump of $11 in the price of oil.

It was the largest one-day rise in the history of US oil markets, with one barrel of light crude oil now trading for around $139.

Earlier in the day markets had been surprised by a sudden rise during May in the US rate of unemployment, from 5% to 5.5% - the sharpest increase in more than two decades.

Financial services firms and airlines were the biggest losers on Wall Street, with United Airlines down nearly 15%, Washington Mutual down 12.5%, and Northwest Airlines, Continental and American Airlines all seeing their shares drop just under 9%.

The bad economic news from the United States had also startled European investors, with London's FTSE 100 index falling 1.48%, Frankfurts Dax shedding 1.99% and the Cac 40 in Paris down 2.28%.


Vocabulary Focus

*plummet means to fall rapidly while *soar means to rise rapidly. Look at the following ways to describe increases and decreases:

• There has been a dramatic increase in mobile phone sales over the last 10 years...
• .....while there has been a steady decrease in the number of people buying radios.
• The number of people buying on-line has risen sharply.
• Advanced bookings have dropped slightly this year.
• Binge drinking is on the increase among youngsters.
• Consumer confidence is continuing to tumble.
• Inflation climbed to a peak of 7.5%.
• The government's opinion poll rating has sunk to it's lowest ever.
• Crime rates have shot up since this government came to power.
• House prices have diminished substantially recently.
• Unemployment went up steadily last year but this year it seems to have levelled off.
• Church attendance has dwindled over the past 20 years.
• The cost of the project has jumped by 10%.
• My savings are shrinking fast.
• Spiralling costs mean that more and more families have difficulties reaching the end of the month.

So you see that there are many ways to express increases and decreases. Use some of the examples above to create some statistics of your own.

Too pink or too macho?

Two of Italy's new cabinet members. Photo: The First Post

The following is an article comparing the politics and attitudes in Italy and Spain after the recent general elections in both countries. Read the full article by clicking on the main title ("Too pink or too macho?") to this post.

There has been a lot of talk about gender equality in the run-up to Italy's recent general election, but as is all to clear from the line-up of TV magnate Silvio Berlusconi's new cabinet, men still rule here.

Out of 21 ministers in the new right-wing administration there are only four women, all given lightweight roles.

Most of them have so far won distinction more for their looks rather than for their political prowess.

The glamorous new Minister for Equal Opportunities, 32-year-old Mara Carfagna, is a former showgirl from one of Mr Berlusconi's television networks.

She also came sixth in the 1997 Miss Italy contest.

"You are simply gorgeous," an admirer posted on the new minister's website on her first day in office.

An MP since 2006, she lists her main hobby as "collecting pens" according to one of her profiles.

Environment Minister Stefania Prestagiacomo, 41, is a lawyer and a former co-ordinator of Mr Berlusconi's Forza Italia party in Lombardy.

Fresh faces

Her good looks won for her the title of "Miss Parliament" when she was first elected as MP for Syracuse, in Sicily, 14 years ago.

A popular comedian once described her as: "the best thing in Italian politics".

Mr Berlusconi, now 71, who has described Spain's new government as "too pink" prides himself on being a ladies' man.

He cultivates a playboy image and makes off-colour jokes about his fondness for glamorous women, sometimes earning him public reprimands from his estranged second wife.

He once said that, if he were single, he would marry Ms Carfagna.

Another woman chosen for a cabinet post by Mr Berlusconi is Giorgia Meloni, the new youth minister. At 31, she is one of the youngest people ever to reach ministerial rank in Italy.

The 'grey quota'

She comes from a traditionally leftist Roman suburb where she worked successfully as a youth organiser for the post-fascist National Alliance party.

Maria Stella Gelmini, 34, also a lawyer, from Lombardy, is the new minister of education.

"I don't believe in the 'pink quota', rather the 'grey quota'," she is quoted as saying.

"Now we shall have the opportunity to find out how much 'grey matter' she has," was the somewhat tart comment of the left-wing daily La Repubblica.

Alessandra Mussolini, the granddaughter of the former fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, who went into right-wing politics in the early 1990s after an earlier career as a model and minor actress, setting up a small right splinter party of her own, has been left out in the cold by Mr Berlusconi.

"I don't really think there is a future for me with the new government," she petulantly remarked.

Italian women tend to be discriminated against in the workplace despite some timid recent gender equality legislation.

Employment of women in the cultural labour market is gradually improving, according to the latest Italian government statistics, but Italian women still tend to get lesser-paid jobs - as librarians, archaeologists or historians, for example.

With female employment in Italy almost at the bottom of the EU ladder - at 46% - Ms Carfagna is going to have her work cut out* to try to change prevailing Italian macho mentalities.

Source: BBC News

Vocabulary Focus
:

* if you have your work cut out to do something, then you face a challenging job.

• You will have your work cut out to convince him of your ideas.
• I had my work cut out to get the class ready for the exams.
  

We were robbed of Eurovision!

Cliff was denied illegally!

According to TV documentary “1968. I lived through the Spanish May” - aired on La Sexta - the Eurovision Song Contest of 1968 was rigged by the Fascist regime of Francisco Franco to ensure the Spanish entry won.

The Spanish singer Massiel won the competition, with the creatively titled song ‘La, la, la’, by only one point, beating UK legend Cliff Richard, who was singing his (now) classic ‘Congratulations’.

Director Montse Fernandez Vila has claimed that RTE executives toured Europe offering cash and promising to buy television series and contract unknown artists from other Eurovision member states to influence the vote. At that time the winner of the competition was decided by a jury comprised of 10 members from each of the 17 countries participating with each member awarding one point to their favourite song.

”There is evidence that votes were bought to secure a win for Massiel,” said the director. ”The regime was acutely aware of the need to improve their image… Looking back at the parties that were organised and the way Massiel was turned into a national hero - it seems a bit excessive for a song festival but it all served to glorify the regime,” she said.

No need to rig this year’s soon upcoming contest though. After last year’s debacle, when the Spanish thought they had a winner and were cruelly denied by colluding newly arrived Eastern European nations who all voted for each other, they’ve gone ironic. For 2008 their entry is called ‘Chikichiki’ - a comedy, samba rap complete with crap-but-easy-to-learn dance.

Even if Chikichiki gets nul points in the competition it’s bound to* be a summer hit. So consider yourself warned if you’re holidaying on the playas this season.

This is a certain sign that the country has grown up after its fascist interlude and joined the top table of cynical, self-knowing western democracies. No more rigging pointless competitions, now they just take the piss. Or ‘toma el pelo’ as they say.

Source: Madrid-Uno Weblog

Vocabulary Focus:

* to be bound to : when you are certain something is going to happen

eg He is bound to be tired; he has been working all day and night.

eg I haven't studied at all; I am bound to make a mistake.