Lose or loose, confusion over spelling

Magenta8

Being dyslexic goodness nose how many words I spell incorrectly without realising. I must get right up the pedants' knowses every time I post.

Assuming your humour is intentional, I love this post.

eazybee

It is the work of seconds to use the search engine if uncertain of how to spell a word. Much easier than a dictionary.

The thing here is though that these people think they know how to spell the word. If corrected they get very annoyed

Presant isn't a word.

But for many modern people it just doesn't matter.
I'm surprised that anyone is surprised at these errors or confusions.
I think GNers forget that they are not a representative sample of over 50s.
GN seems to attract a disproportionate number of professional people.
In the population as a whole even among over 50s they would be a minority.
I can't understand the annoyance or disdain.

Kircubbin, you are correct, presant is not a word/spelling in Modern English, but it was in Middle English.

welbeck That's very true, I had forgotten that fact.

LauraNorderr

Magenta8

Being dyslexic goodness nose how many words I spell incorrectly without realising. I must get right up the pedants' knowses every time I post.

Assuming your humour is intentional, I love this post.

I am genuinely dyslexic and I have to rely heavily on the spell check.

Yes I was trying to be funny and I am glad you found it amusing.

bonbons01

*Kircubbin*, you are correct, presant is not a word/spelling in Modern English, but it was in Middle English.

Are you sure about that?
The word "present" (as in in the now, a gift, to give) is a Middle English word, entering English from French and Latin around the 13th-14th centuries, used for the time, being present, and the act of presenting, appearing in texts like Chaucer's and other Middle English writings
Here's a breakdown of its Middle English usage
Time (Noun): "c. 1300, 'the present time, time now passing “
Adjective: From Middle English present(e), meaning "being present," from Old French/Latin root.
Verb: Middle English presenten, also from French/Latin, meaning "to give, show, present ".
As a Gift (Noun): "Present" (as a gift) also appears in Middle English from the 1200s
So, when you see words like "present" in older texts, you're encountering a word that's been part of the English language since the Middle English period (roughly 1150-1500)

Oxford English Dictionary
No “-ant”:endings as far as I can see.

Marmin

If I may ( as a retired english teacher) add a tangential observation: there is quite a stigma attached to having spelling issues in this (UK) country but nobody cares if your mental arithmetic is poor.

Since childhood I have had great difficulties with maths to the extent I would call it undiagnosed dyscalculia. It has held me back exam wise and I can get very anxious over money matters and anything pertaining to maths. Teachers couldn’t understand how I could be gifted at essay writing and in the art class and made my life a misery at times, as they thought I was just not trying.

No problems with English and I’m an avid bookworm.
I’m not sure why the stigma over spelling is so prevalent.

Thankyou for the explanation re' present ' I will spell it correctly from now on

It's strange isn't it, spelling errors jump out at me immediately but I would never notice a whole page of numerical errors.

sodapop

It's strange isn't it, spelling errors jump out at me immediately but I would never notice a whole page of numerical errors.

Agreed re the spellings. It’s probably because we’re more often faced with words or lines of text or even pages of text than we are with pages of numbers unless it’s part of your job.

The maths pedants are catching up though.

Scarcely a visit to Facebook passes without a post from someone trying to catch you out solving a maths problem if you don’t use BODMAS, or PEMDAS if you’re from the USA.
The scorn and ridicule heaped on those who quite obviously don’t, is as bad if not worse than the language pedantry pick ups.

Which version of the Oxford English Dictionary is that from RosieandherMaw?
Have you read different manuscripts of The Canterbury Tales, eg. the Ellesmere version or one the Harley manuscripts?

Middle English was not standardised and didn't suddenly appear in 1150 either, but started to slowly emerge from 1066, approximately.
Whilst today, it is often cited that Middle English covers the period between 1150 - 1500, it is, as is pointed out in the version of the Oxford English Dictionary you cite it does "roughly" gauge the period.

Since Middle English had no standardised orthography, scribes tended to spell words phonetically, by regional dialect or to fit the metre of the verse in poetry.

Returning to the example of The Canterbury Tales, there are well over a dozen manuscripts. In these, there are a number of variants of the word present, even sometimes appearing in the same manuscript depending on who scribed it. Examples of variants include: presant, present, presen, present and presantt.

Autocorrect reverted the last but one variant I highlighted, it should read as presentt.

Magenta8

Being dyslexic goodness nose how many words I spell incorrectly without realising. I must get right up the pedants' knowses every time I post.

Brilliant. 😄

Grandma70s I totally agree with you.

I don't know how seriously people take correct spelling and grammar these days.
Texting has produced all sorts of abbreviations that mean people don't need to spell the whole word.
I think it's tragic not to want to use the beautiful language that is the English language correctly.
But I'm an old pedant so I would say that , wouldn't I ?
🤣🤣🤣
Not acceptable to make fun of someone who can't spell because they were never taught or haven't had the practice, though.

bonbons01

Which version of the Oxford English Dictionary is that from RosieandherMaw?
Have you read different manuscripts of The Canterbury Tales, eg. the Ellesmere version or one the Harley manuscripts?

Middle English was not standardised and didn't suddenly appear in 1150 either, but started to slowly emerge from 1066, approximately.
Whilst today, it is often cited that Middle English covers the period between 1150 - 1500, it is, as is pointed out in the version of the Oxford English Dictionary you cite it does "roughly" gauge the period.

Since Middle English had no standardised orthography, scribes tended to spell words phonetically, by regional dialect or to fit the metre of the verse in poetry.

Returning to the example of The Canterbury Tales, there are well over a dozen manuscripts. In these, there are a number of variants of the word present, even sometimes appearing in the same manuscript depending on who scribed it. Examples of variants include: presant, present, presen, present and presantt.

Interesting post Bonbons01.
You make a very good point.
I tend to judge correct spelling according to the accepted contemporaneous version.
But , hey , no -one's arguing with the late , great G Chaucer .
🤣🤣🤣
Am I right .....?

Correct spelling, grammar and comprehension have been dying a slow painful death for years since the Sixties.

This has been due a number of factors including the globalization of English and the use of text messages.

Plus the massive drop in eductional standards

Children aren’t taught English anymore!
Spelling definitely not
Even some teachers don’t know the difference
And children are not corrected as it might upset them! I was told this when I did volunteer tart TA work in a primary school!
So sad that we have generations of illiterate children

Toetoe

I'm sure I was taught this in school . Yet nowadays the word presant ( a gift) is spelt present . I'm confused . Please put my mind at rest .

Present - as in time - now
Presant - gift

They are both spelt the same - present.

Sadly I suspect that it's the lack of knowledge amongst many teachers, whose 'woke' education is very much lacking when it comes too grammar/ spelling etc., and they are not told to insist on learning more.

Wonderful irony.

I get confused with worse and worst.

Beechnut

Magenta8

kircubbin2000

I don't think these people are dyslexic just uneducated. Probably never read a book.

I'm reading a William Boyd book and in the first chapter I've already had to look up 2 words!

No one minds a typo or slip up but it's very annoying to see so many people with such a poor standard of spelling.

kircubbin2000 I read as many, if not more books than the average GN and my spelling is appalling.

By the way, I recommend "An Ice Cream War," "Any Human Heart" and "The Blue afternoon."

My husband was the same as you Magenta with his reading and spelling.

I’ve read all of William Boyd’s books bar one or two. My personal favourite was The Romantic and I also really enjoyed Love is Blind. Will shortly start on the latest, The Predicament.