h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

While editing this article, a highly popular word processor spell checker insisted that the phrase "in their own right" should be changed to "in there own right".

Eesh!

My spell checker (well Microsoft's actually) just told me a similar paragraph to the following was incorrect.

Open door; step outside; close door; walk down path; open car door; get into car; close car door.

I thought a list of things/actions should be seperated by a semi-colon and therefor the above was gramaticaly correct?

I couldn't tell you off-hand; I'd have to check my punctuation book at home for a definitive answer.

Actually, that series of steps consists of incomplete sentence fragments. Each contains a noun and a verb, but no subject other than the implied 'you'.

If those are instructions, the phrases could be linked by:
You open the door, step outside, close the door, walk down the path, open the car door, get into the car, and close the car door.

But, it should actually be:
Open the door. Step outside. Close the door. Walk down the path. Open the car door. Get into the car. Close the car door.

It could also, of course, be written as a series of numbered steps to ensure that the instructions are followed in the correct order. Otherwise the instructions could be assumed to be non-linear.

Still, in the end, conversational English would not demand such nit-pickery, and the original would be understood just fine.

At least, that's my humble opinion.

Not to be nitpicking but isnt it gramaticalLy correct - with two l's or have I just been tricked from being correct by my spell checker/inability to spell?

What a marvellous post; I may link to it in a blogpost mainly because I am fascinated by the spelling mistakes WE ALL make and especially so now that we are typing more (messageboards, forums, etc).

My blog is nothing to do with spelling or grammar it's just a 'thing' I have. I post on the BBC message boards and often highlight any common mistakes and some newer ones: there/their/they're, too/to/two etc are very common but some others are quite incredible: now/know (not just a typo) waist/waste (??!!!) etc. What is more troubling is that more and more people seem to be making these mistakes and even proof reading sometimes doesn't pick up the errors as hour [] brains become more and more accustomed.

I have the impression that I make more silly mistakes (word confusion) when typing then when writing with a pen... keyboard dyslexia or because i can type quicker

For Span Ows

As you are fascinated by mistakes such as waste/waist, you might be interested in this recent guide entry

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/A54479226