Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Lose or Loose?

OK. I've fucking had it.

You say "spelling doesn't matter," and "people who criticize spelling are X, Y and Z."

Yes, yes, that's the excuse bad spellers use. All they have is an ad hominem argument.

The fact is, friends, when you spell poorly, it makes you look like an idiot. If you want to be able to properly publish (and that's what one does on the internet), you need to pay attention to the following:

(Cut out this handy guide and put it in your pocket for future reference!)

I may LOSE the election.

My shoelaces are LOOSE.

Hey, buddy, LOSE the attitude!

Oh, no! My dog got LOOSE!


These words are pronounced and spelled differently.

There may be such a word as "loosing" but you probably won't see it outside of an old bluegrass hymn or nineteenth-century poem. It is not the proper spelling for the sentence "I am losing my mind!" The word "looser" does exist, but it is not an adjective for what you are if you continue to drive me nuts by misspelling those words.

Thank you.

1 comment:

PLUNKER said...

You're loosing it, Alleee!