Former CNN Host Rips Obama For Sexism
Zo
Well, this is embarass ... embarrasin ... um, awkward. A survey has shown that Americans are worse spellers than their British counterparts. The study tested 2,000 adults and found that Brits bee'd out Americans on every word on a spelling bee except for two -- "definitely" and "friend." Americans particularly missed out on words like "liaison" and "embarrassed."
The poor results of Americans are being blamed on the high rate of high school dropouts. (No word on whether Yankees got dinged for spelling "color" without a "u" in the middle.)
And the Spelling Society, who sponsored the research, wants to revamp the entire "spelling system," which they think is to blame both in the U.K. and in America. (Step one: Quit having spelling bee debacles.)
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Irritating Phrases: Reader Pet Peeves
from user "Rex": Put me down for the most meaningless phrase in the English language.That being By and large.I have no idea what that means.
NBC
from user "lois": "I am from the old school and am irritated by the use of awesome."
Everett Collection
User "williamdaley" : I hate hearing basically. Basically, that word is over used.
Fox
User "lester": I swear if you took the phrase you know out of the english language 80 of the people in this country wouldnt be able to carry on a conversation.
Getty Images
user "Arnie": By far, the worst is any variation on what's up?
Getty Images
user "Skeeter": my daughter uses is whatever. Even though she's forty, every time she opens her mouth and utters that word I want to wash her mouth out with soap.
foam, Flickr
user "Allison": Not!
Getty Images
user "meledstick": I'm "reaching out" but "can't get my arms around" "sharing" "at the end of the day", but I guess it's just my bad.
shira golding, Flickr
user "Mike W".: LIKE, every third word in a sentence.
Paramount
user "JB": Living in the NYC area I also hate this little gem: How you doing?
Getty Images
We theorize that it's because Americans are always saying "that guy is definitely my friend," whereas the Brits are apparently dashing off e-mails rife with sentiments like "I'm awfully embarrassed I missed my liaison with that lady. Hopefully we'll meet up sometime this millennium to sort out those accommodations."
Tell us! Embarrassed? Commitment? Your/you're? What word do you always misspell?
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Comments:
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Monday 09 February
By HollyGoLightly
Here is another commonly misspelled word. Ridiculous spelled as rediculous. It drives me up a wall.
Reply
Monday 09 February
By notnilc20
It's because in England, they teach you real English.....not this BS that we call a language here in America. Kids these days can't read anything except a friggin US Weekly magazine. I doubt you'll find any type of educated writers in there. The English in America is fizzling away into a mess of slang and horrible pronounciation. Whether in Movies, Music, Magazine articles, etc. it's obvious why Americans can't win against the Brits.
Reply
Monday 09 February
By Leigh
I understand where all these complaints about today's children are coming from, but I think that a few people missed the fact that the study took 2,000 adults and asked them to spell. Not children or (most) teenagers. This may mean that adults are just as dependant on spellcheck as anyone else, and may have only themselves to blame for setting a poor example for today's youth.
Reply
Monday 09 February
By david knight
your tax dollars at work the great educational system fraked by the Democrats especially Democrats in California where they can't get control of those wetbacks and sand niggers and afro americans. what the school systems need is a guy with a baseball bat in charge and knock some heads together. and make those punks respect the system and thier teachers. we can pay athletes millions of dollars to play a game but we can't pay our teachers a little more then baby sitting money to put up with theses thugs and criminals. who come to schools with knifes and guns and wear their damn pants around thier ankles. yeah thats the osambo way. keep them stupid so they don't know what the frak is going on. frak the Democrats they did this a long time ago. and nobody really gives a frak what happens to these kids out of schools in to jails.
Reply
Monday 09 February
By tojo
How good do you have to spell to say "Gimme yo wallet or ah'll cap yo azz"?
Reply
Monday 09 February
By Dd
Monday 09 February
By LSHighest RankReportPositiveNegative
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maybe it has to do with the fact that American education departments are one of the first to get hit with buget cuts even when there wasn't an economic crisis. The teacher/student ratios continue to be ridiculous, as well as the decreased supplies. Also, why would time be wasted on spelling when other important things such as covering all the topics on state exams need to be emphasized? - Don't forget easy use of "spell check" in these mordern times as well.========================================================
It's BUDGET!!!!!!! Take your own advice.
Reply
Monday 09 February
By MP
WELL!!!! First of all you need to get ALL the druggy kids off DRUGS and PROVE that education and NOT ignorance is worth the effort here in the U.S.
I'm old enough to have seen the complete distruction of this county's ethical and moral views. You got what you sowed over the past 63 years. Monetarily, educationally and ethically. Madoff ponzi schemes, education near third world country levels and the ethics of a druggy that is below a snails ass at the bottom of the ocean. And now wait and see just how much worse it gets with all the farcicle bailouts of the rich and famous banks and Wall Street. Not to worry mate, you won't see any of it.
You can't blame the teachers when you have some lame ass drugged up kid there in class wasting education money.
YOU LOSE!!
Reply
Monday 09 February
By Tracy
Its simple really. Americans (and I'm one from birth and intend to stay that way) have gotten basically very very lazy. Although we picked up computers fast, we also made sure that the pathetic vocabulary that texters use is somehow made popular. It started in the 60s when teachers' authority in the classroom was being abridged, then "parents" of those kids insisted that little Johnny, Susie or Jamaal's ego never be bruised , so they insisted that "education" become more "oriented to meet the needs of every child". So the smarter kids were deliberately held back to avoid making the less intelligent ones "feel bad". Then colleges were forced to admit basically unqualified students or get no federal money. These "students" got "degrees" and went to their "jobs" and wondered why they didnt do well...then blamed in on "racism, sexism, etc...isms" forcing employers to keep unproductive idiots (look at the federal govt payroll of civilian workers). But dont worry, England is doing its best to catch up to America...they already have socialism.
Reply
Monday 09 February
By Dd
By SumFatChic
I never spell received right, or reciept, did I spell those right or wrong? Even when I spell them right I debate myself for five minutes before I change it to the wrong, then smack myself on the head when I find out it was right to begin with!
==========================================
Dear Sum, just memorize the following little ditty.
I before E, except after C, or in sounding long A as in neighbor and weigh.
Reply
Monday 09 February
By anna
As a transplant from England to the US, and with 4 children in school here, I feel that I have experience of both countries education system.
America is years behind England. Students can be A grade students by learning tests by rote. My son has dyslexia but, due to the SOL multiple choice questions, scored above average in English.
If only Americans would learn to speak properly and not miss off the end of words then maybe their spelling would also improve.
Give me the British Education System any day with free thinking, capable students and not test fed Amercian Education.
Reply
Monday 09 February
By Cait
"Received is missing....I am shocked at the number of folks with college educations that insist on spelling it r-e-c-i-e-v-e-d. "
Haha, I just read this and the first thing that came to my mind was something I learned in like first grade. I before E except after C. Hello people, it is really not that hard to learn stuff like this.
Reply
Monday 09 February
By cyaml
Any country that has been under the British "umbrella" has a better education system and more discipline than the US.
Reply
Monday 09 February
By watdafuk
If you axe me it`s the people on AOL that write these articles that need spelling lessons.
Reply
Monday 09 February
By nicoleymae
necessarily? is that how you spell it?
Reply
Monday 09 February
By Michelle
Two words I see spelled incorrectly quite often are Separate and Collectible.
Reply
Monday 09 February
By HJNG
What happened to all the little tricks i learned while i was in school such as, I before E except after C, when spelling a word or knowing that when you spell something with an apostrophe, that you're actually putting two words together and just dropping a few lettiers where the apostrophe is being placed..
Reply
Monday 09 February
By Ellen
I used to always misspell "friend," but then I heard the mneumonic "Friends to the end." Works every time!
Reply
Monday 09 February
By Michelle
Then there's Weird........
Reply
Monday 09 February
By aliciameek
The fact is, children are not able to spell because they are not being taught by the schools or parents! Parents, if your child's teacher is lazy, take the time to teach your child to spell correctly. People are not born "bad" spellers, laziness creates bad spellers! As to some of the teachers that posted whining about budget cuts, too many students, not enough money, blah, blah, blah... What does it cost to correct a misspelled word? Just the act of the correction will make it more important to the chid to spell correctly in the future( and I promise they wont need a therapist because they were made to do something the right way).
Reply
Monday 09 February
By Sprinkle Cookie
I am saddened by the demise of the English language here in the United States. Forget about Spell-Check. There are too many words left out of Spell Check. Another problem is that TV, radio and print media do not help at all. When I was in grade school, we actually got graded on how we spoke. It was really good for me. Kids: take your hands off your joy-sticks and crack a book once in a while!! Learn how to write full sentences (instead of serving them). And, for GOD'S SAKE, learn how to use apostrophes!! (That one makes me want to tear out my hair.)
Reply