...
...
So you think you can spell? That’s the title
of a new book by David L. Grambs and
Ellen S. Levine. The back cover features a
warm-up. Circle the correct spelling:
aolian | aolean | aeolian| aolaean
strycknine | strichnine |strychnine |strichnyne
tynitis | tinnitus | tinitus | tinitis
zigurat | zigurrat | ziggurat| ziggerat
A cinch. Okay, ziggurat (ziggerat?) gave us some pause.
Tinnitus –- or tinitus -– we’ll come back to.
Inside, the tests largely take the form
of multiple choices, as above, and phonetics.
The testers provide the idiot’s way of spelling,
and expect bright sparks to set it right:
sackrulijus|
......................
rukoko| ......................
souperseed| ......................
oblugahto| ......................
The objection that these are the four words
in the English language you have difficulty
in spelling, and that only two are really English,
gains you no points. So move on;
SIB-uh-ry-tiz-um|
......................
kon-san-GWlN-ee-us| ......................
ri-SIND-uh-bul| ......................
While making preliminary notes on those,
you may return for more multiple choice:
bougainvillea|bouganvillea|bougainvillia
Guadlajara|Guadalajara|Guadelahara
smorrgasbord|smorgasboard|smorgasbord
When it came to the test headed “Performing arts”
-– where we expected to excel, as usual
we found that not only did the orthography bamboozle us,
we hadn’t heard of the words:
fiorretura|fioretura|fioritura
labbinotation|labanotation|labenotation
cabaletta|cabbaletta|caballetta
“Performing”– and “arts” we got right.
So You Think You Can Spell? is published by A&C Black at £8.99.
...
So you think you can spell? That’s the title
of a new book by David L. Grambs and
Ellen S. Levine. The back cover features a
warm-up. Circle the correct spelling:
strycknine | strichnine |strychnine |strichnyne
tynitis | tinnitus | tinitus | tinitis
zigurat | zigurrat | ziggurat| ziggerat
A cinch. Okay, ziggurat (ziggerat?) gave us some pause.
Tinnitus –- or tinitus -– we’ll come back to.
Inside, the tests largely take the form
of multiple choices, as above, and phonetics.
The testers provide the idiot’s way of spelling,
and expect bright sparks to set it right:
rukoko| ......................
souperseed| ......................
oblugahto| ......................
The objection that these are the four words
in the English language you have difficulty
in spelling, and that only two are really English,
gains you no points. So move on;
kon-san-GWlN-ee-us| ......................
ri-SIND-uh-bul| ......................
While making preliminary notes on those,
you may return for more multiple choice:
Guadlajara|Guadalajara|Guadelahara
smorrgasbord|smorgasboard|smorgasbord
When it came to the test headed “Performing arts”
-– where we expected to excel, as usual
we found that not only did the orthography bamboozle us,
we hadn’t heard of the words:
labbinotation|labanotation|labenotation
cabaletta|cabbaletta|caballetta
“Performing”– and “arts” we got right.
So You Think You Can Spell? is published by A&C Black at £8.99.
Από το TLS 29 Απριλίου 2011
