Do Typos matter?

[chem1st 10]

Do typos really matter? Some think not...

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29529578

 

We should not get overly obsessed with making spelling mistakes or typos, because they are not what makes our writing good or bad, says author and Financial Times columnist Lucy Kellaway.

 

She mentions this article in her article...

 

http://www.wired.com/2014/08/wuwt-typos/

 

Typos suck. They are saboteurs, undermining your intent, causing your resume to land in the “pass” pile, or providing sustenance for an army of pedantic critics. Frustratingly, they are usually words you know how to spell, but somehow skimmed over in your rounds of editing. If we are our own harshest critics, why do we miss those annoying little details?

The reason typos get through isn’t because we’re stupid or careless, it’s because what we’re doing is actually very smart, explains psychologist Tom Stafford, who studies typos of the University of Sheffield in the UK. “When you’re writing, you’re trying to convey meaning. It’s a very high level task,” he said.

 

As with all high level tasks, your brain generalizes simple, component parts (like turning letters into words and words into sentences) so it can focus on more complex tasks (like combining sentences into complex ideas). “We don’t catch every detail, we’re not like computers or NSA databases,” said Stafford. “Rather, we take in sensory information and combine it with what we expect, and we extract meaning.” When we’re reading other peoples’ work, this helps us arrive at meaning faster by using less brain power. When we’re proof reading our own work, we know the meaning we want to convey. Because we expect that meaning to be there, it’s easier for us to miss when parts (or all) of it are absent. The reason we don’t see our own typos is because what we see on the screen is competing with the version that exists in our heads.

 

This can be something as trivial as transposing the letters in “the” to “hte,” or something as significant as omitting the core explanation of your article. In fact, I made both of these mistakes when I wrote this story. The first was a misspelling in a sentence that my editor had to read aloud for me before I saw it for myself. The second mistake was leaving out the entire preceding paragraph that explains why we miss our own typos.

 

Generalization is the hallmark of all higher-level brain functions. It’s similar to how our brains build maps of familiar places, compiling the sights, smells, and feel of a route. That mental map frees your brain up to think about other things. Sometimes this works against you, like when you accidentally drive to work on your way to a barbecue, because the route to your friend’s house includes a section of your daily commute. We can become blind to details because our brain is operating on instinct. By the time you proof read your own work, your brain already knows the destination.

 

This explains why your readers are more likely to pick up on your errors. Even if you are using words and concepts that they are also familiar with, their brains are on this journey for the first time, so they are paying more attention to the details along the way and not anticipating the final destination.

 

Are people who make typos more intelligent? Does a mitsake really matter?

 

What about grammar and the dreaded apostrophe?

 

You's do think what?

[tinfoilhat 11]

Do typos really matter? Some think not...

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29529578

 

 

 

She mentions this article in her article...

 

http://www.wired.com/2014/08/wuwt-typos/

 

 

 

Are people who make typos more intelligent? Does a mitsake really matter?

 

What about grammar and the dreaded apostrophe?

 

You's do think what?

 

I was going to read that article earlier todayvbut could just sense the pretentiousness from the first line. On here, they aren't that important otherwise, they often are. Just because the author of the aforementioned article is drunk on her own self importance it doesn't mean the rest of us are.

[SavannahP 10]

Do typos really matter? Some think not...

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29529578

 

 

 

She mentions this article in her article...

 

http://www.wired.com/2014/08/wuwt-typos/

 

 

 

Are people who make typos more intelligent? Does a mitsake really matter?

 

What about grammar and the dreaded apostrophe?

 

You's do think what?

 

I agree with Lucy Kellaway.

[Happ Hazzard 10]

It just displays carelessness, and why should I value what you say if you couldn't be bothered to ensure if was spelt correctly and grammatically correct?

[*Wallace* 333]

It's not typos that bother me just plain old appalling spelling.

[tzijlstra 11]

They do in certain circumstances. I don't think I would do very well with my thesis if it was full of typos, although I do think a few are unavoidable no matter how often one reads it back.

[gimp27 10]

I agree with Lucy Kellaway.

 

I feel guilty pointing the "massage-gate" out now!!

[SavannahP 10]

I feel guilty pointing the "massage-gate" out now!!

 

Typos occasionally provide some light entertainment.

[chrisreese 10]

Typos don't matter too much unless you make them in almost every sentence.

[Minimo 59]

They can be vitally important. Think of doctors prescriptions as just one example.

 

It is much better to develop a habit of being careful what you write/type. That way, there is less chance of errors creeping in when it does matter.

 

That said, it's a clever bod who never makes a mistake.

[HappyHoosier 10]

It depends...

 

You have to make a judgement about how much time and attention you want to devote to any task, including writing. In a quick text to a friend, typos are OK. In an application for a job or university, typos are not OK.

 

Of course, typos are merely the result of sloppy keyboarding and can be easily corrected with a quick proofreading. Poor grammar and spelling, on the other hand, are not so easily remedied.

 

In my former life, as a newspaper writer, I thought every typo/grammatical mistake/spelling error was a mortal sin, especially if I committed it. Now, I don't really care if my participles are dangling.

[tzijlstra 11]

It depends...

 

You have to make a judgement about how much time and attention you want to devote to any task, including writing. In a quick text to a friend, typos are OK. In an application for a job or university, typos are not OK.

 

Of course, typos are merely the result of sloppy keyboarding and can be easily corrected with a quick proofreading. Poor grammar and spelling, on the other hand, are not so easily remedied.

 

In my former life, as a newspaper writer, I thought every typo/grammatical mistake/spelling error was a mortal sin, especially if I committed it. Now, I don't really care if my participles are dangling.

 

A hoosier! By eck! Massive Pacers fan here

 

(Sorry, had to mention that)