Seen in the Classifieds
Spelling counts, even in the classified section of a newspaper.
Since people who place the ads can’t depend upon someone at the paper to correct their spellings, it’s a good idea to be careful.
Here are some spellings I’ve noticed in classified ads:
Dalmation pups for sale
Bluehealer pups for sale
Female lab – spaded
Duncan Fife for sale
Vaccum cleaner for sale
The big white dog with black spots is a Dalmatian. The name comes from the dog’s presumed place of origin: the province of Dalmatia on the Adriatic Sea. Think “Dalmatia” and then add an n.
I suppose a holy man who paints himself blue could be a “blue healer,” but the dog is a blue heeler. The dog was bred to herd cattle by snapping at their heels.
The process of removing the ovaries of a female animal is called spaying. Such an animal has been spayed and can be called a spay.
Sheriff Andy’s sidekick was Barney Fife, but the man who designed the furniture with the funny legs was Duncan Phyfe (1768-1854).
The unusual pairing of u’s in vacuum should make the spelling easy to remember. The two u’s create a kind of vacuum in the word.
Of course, even if you turn in correctly-spelled ad copy, there’s always the possibility that the typesetter will make a mistake. Can’t help you there.
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Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:
- When to use "on" and when to use "in"
- Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs and Heteronyms
- How to Treat Names of Groups and Organizations
1 Response to “Seen in the Classifieds”
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Mary Ann
Maeve,
Great post!
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