Spelling on HTML

Is there anything worse than leaving a careless spelling or grammatical error on your Web page? You may proof the page ten times without finding it, but a visitor will find it immediately and be happy to alert you to it. Most word processing and HTML coding packages include spell checkers but unfortunately, spell checkers do only that – check spelling. Just because you spell a word correctly doesn’t mean that it’s the correct word! Here are some errors you’re likely to notice when visiting Web pages. Use it as a beginning checklist to eliminate spelling and grammar errors from your own pages.

It’s and Its—This is such a common error that you should routinely use the search function on your word processor or Web page editor to look at every instance individually to make sure you’re using the correct word. “It’s” is a contraction meaning “it is” while “its” is the possessive form of it.

You, Your, and You’re—This is another very common error that needs to be checked using the search function. While the previous example is a grammatical error, the confusion of “you and your” is usually a typo. “You’re” is the contraction of “you are” and some people confuse it with “your”. Since all three words are spelled correctly, spell checkers won’t flag them. Then you end up with jewels like this on your Web page: “Place you order now! We offer free shipping if your in the CNMI.” Would you trust your credit card to that site?

Compliment and Complement—These two homophones trip up even the most careful writers. If you like your mother’s new wallpaper, you’ll compliment her on her decorating skills. Complement has meanings in grammar, medicine, mathematics, and music, but it’s most commonly used to indicate that something completes a set or matches it well. When you compliment your mother’s wallpaper, you might note how well the soft green color complements the off-white carpet.

Principal and Principle—A principle is a basic truth, policy, or action. People dedicate their lives and careers to upholding principles of truth and justice. Principals are people who uphold standards of good behavior in schools. A school’s principal should always stick to her principles.

Except and Accept—Except connotes exclusion or something left out, like an exception to the rule. Accept means that you’re receiving something, joining a group, entering into an agreement, etc. I’d accept your romantic marriage proposal – except for one problem: I’m already married.

Affect and Effect—Affect is a verb: it acts upon something, someone, or an emotion, while effect is a noun. The words sound almost identical in conversation, but it’s important to get them right in print!

Special Bonus Error! Me, Myself and I—You see a lot of usage errors with these three words. Generations of our school children grew used to constant correction about the use of me in sentences. While most learned that “Bob and me want to go” is incorrect, they never learned the correct usage of the word “me”. “Would you please call Bob or me before you leave?” is perfectly clear and acceptable. Yet, well-meaning people substitute either “I” or the reflexive pronoun “myself” instead. How often do you hear or read something like this: “Would you please call Bob or myself before you leave?” Yuck! Take Bob out of the sentence and you’re either asking the person to “call I before you leave” or “call myself before you leave.” Neither one sounds or looks very attractive. Don’t be afraid to use the word “me” in sentences, but take care to use it correctly!

Unfortunately, even the best spell checker won’t find these errors. That gives you ample time to carefully proofread your webpage before you post it on the Internet.

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Franco Mendoza is Systems Administrator of Verizon.