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

And mine

Is the OED online and free?

Am speaking as someone that owns the Shorter Oxford (A-Ma circa 1983) and a little pocket one, but who mainly uses merriam-webster online as it is free with no registration...

The COED is free online :

http://www.askoxford.com

I use the merriam-webster online thing too - because it has a rather spiffy toolbar.

But I'll try the online OED too,thanks.

Let's not get bogged down on spelling, non English speakers, dyslexics, and others often get help and advice in PR, and that's good.

Someone who can't be bothered to check the spelling of an article, is unlikely to have written something worth reading.

I don't agree, I think that it is entirely possible that a very good entry could be written, which needs no, or next to no, additions on content but is spelled terribly.

And as Gnomon mentioned, we're being encouraged to deliver an entry which is as oven ready as possible, while not putting people off going into PR in case they get reams of typo/spelling corrections.

I think the "this would benefit from the use of a spellchecker" type posts would save a lot of nerves all round.

Well, has anybody of you seen this here: <./>A1022897</.>
? I'd say it comes near to the suggestion of having special people for spelling correction - maybe this link should be pointed out, too ? I wouldn't know which spell checker to use, windows keeps telling me that I should download it, then asks for a CD I don't have

oh that's great... maybe we should send people there instead of posting lists of corrections?

That's worth a I use the spellchecker that came with Microsoft Word, it did take a lot of persuading to stay in UK English but it's ok now

So microsoft spell checker is American English then ? Never thought of that, but it seems to be logic

B'Elana - have you ever spellchecked in German Word? For English I mean. Can it be done?
(I never do, hoping that my spelling is ok)

That's what I said earlier - a window pops up ( unasked for) and tells me that the list for the usual autocorrections ( UK Engkish) is not yet available. It then asks if I want to install it now. If I say yes, it starts and then tells me that I need the Windows XP cd with frontpage - whatever that is, and I have no idea where it is if we have it, so I just stop the whole action

ah - then it's a problem for us Johnny Foreigners!

for mentioning Spell Checker - A1022897 B'Elana.

I originally created it for digibox users, who had no access to online dictionaries or PC programmes such as Word. The Italics thought it was a good idea, a link to it is on one of the 'official' help pages (I can't remember which)

I think it is under-used, I've used it a few times myself, though I do feel a bit as my name is on the spell checkers list, which it shouldn't be, I can cure that by removing my name.

I've got a long collaborative Entry in PR, I'd guess needs some punctuation corrections. I'll use the human spell checker for the sections that are finished, it may work to promote spell checker.

If anyone else would like their name added to spell checker, just let me know.

Hmmmm I will get around to finishing Homophones Entry...one day

Emmily

If you have google mail, you can use the google spell checker - it doesn't find every mistake, but it's better than nothing.

Emmily,it's linked to the <./>writing-guidelines</.> , but you do have to read through all of it, or to scroll down at least to fine the link.

MS Word has a grammar checker too that helps with punctuation too

I don't find Word reliable for puncuation.

Emmily

Or for grammer

Am I the only person who writes his entries straight into hootoo ? I rely on you guys to spot my spellling errors, cutting and pasting from Word then adding the GuideML is too much like work.

#

I can't really speak from exoerience here, but I put my entries directly into hootoo - then cut and paste and saved into word before posting them. I asked a friend to proofread before I did so, though.