Spelling Check

February 1985

The marvels of word processing continue to be revealed.  Word processors no longer simply help you write, copy, move, edit, cut, paste, search and replace.  No!  Now they help you compose.

When writing away, are you ever at a loss for words?  Now, with automatic spelling checkers that suggest substitutions for misspelled words, you can "sound out" your meaning.  Later, you can pick amongst the choices that the spelling checker offers.  How does this work? Witness the transformation of the following paragraph.

"It was a ²wimby² Friday night.  Even the bderss had fallen asleep. The incessant  cant of the ²jaileen² on the ²druilkl² told me that this was going to be another ²frlenmt².  I lit another cigarette, took a puff and put it out.  I don't smoke, but I need it for the story line.  Footsteps echoed in the ²halb,² footsteps I had heard before, footsteps that had the sound of addidas on carpet, footsteps that sounded like² foots² stepping. I knew I was in for ²sarmy² weather.  A silhouette appeared on the ²frasted² glass, a dark silhouette, a dark silhouette with light behind it, as if the light was occluded by the figure in front of the light. The doorknob ²turled².In walked Sally carrying a looger pointed at my ²heant.²"

After sending this paragraph with words "sounded out" through my word processor's spelling dictionary, I had the dictionary suggest choices for the proper spelling of the misspelled words. I picked substitutions from the choices and the following masterpiece evolved

"It was a ²lumpy ²Friday night.  Even the ²biters² had fallen asleep. The incessant cant of the ²jellying² on the ²griddle² told me that this was going to be another ²frond.²  I lit another cigarette, took a puff and put it out.  I don't smoke, but I need it for the story line.  Footsteps echoed in the ²heap², footsteps I had heard before, footsteps that had the sound of ²adagios² on carpet, footsteps that sounded like ²feats² stepping. I knew I was in for ²ferny² weather.  A silhouette appeared on the frescoed glass, a dark silhouette, a dark silhouette with light behind it, as if the light was occluded by the figure in front of the light. The doorknob ²tired.² In walked Sally carrying a² lager² pointed at my² ant.²"

Ever stuck for a word?  "Sound" it out.  You'll be surprised by the results.  (Word Processor and Dictionary: Multimate.)