The Art of Spelling

by Vos Savant, Marilyn; Reilly, Joan

• ISBN13: 9780393049039
• ISBN10: 0393049035
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-08-01
• Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc

Summary

A lively, comprehensive look at what our spelling reveals about intelligence and personality--from Parade's "Ask Marilyn" columnist, read by over 80 million people. * Is there any hope for dreadful spellers? * How might your spelling illuminate aspects of your personality? * What does your spelling say about your intelligence? Answers to these questions--and many more--can be found in Marilyn vos Savant's delightfully written The Art of Spelling. This book is the result of the "Ask Marilyn" spelling survey, which drew more than 43,000 responses and investigated whether good spelling was a measure of native intelligence, education, personality traits, or desire. With her trademark no-nonsense wit, vos Savant describes the psychological evidence for where good (and bad) spelling originates, provides personality portraits of all kinds of spellers (a superb speller is more likely to keep a tidy house), and offers the most effective methods of spelling improvement known. Vos Savant vividly recounts the turbulent history of English spelling, provides a timely warning against the pitfalls of spell-checkers and other writing tools, and gives a glimpse of a positive future for spelling standards in education. The Art of Spelling will appeal to scholars, students, and language lovers of all ages.

Author Biography

Marilyn vos Savant is listed in The Guinness Book of Records Hall of Fame for highest IQ. She writes the popular "Ask Marilyn" question-and-answer column for Parade magazine and has published numerous books

Table of Contents

Foreword	13	(4)
PART ONE The Madness
Spelling Well: The First Step to Graceful Communication	17	(11)
What Does Your Spelling Say About You? Some Compelling Reasons for Spelling Well	28	(23)
The Spelling Brain	51	(16)
The Spelling Police: Who Makes Up These Rules, Anyway?	67	(25)
Spelling and Technology: A Love/Hate Relationship	92	(21)
PART TWO The Method
The Secrets of Good Spellers	113	(31)
Using the Rules	129	(8)
Avoiding Confusion	137	(7)
Some Things to Keep Up Your Sleeve	144	(35)
Diagnostic Tests	147	(5)
The Value of a Dictionary	152	(3)
The Value of Listening	155	(1)
The Value of Visualizing	156	(1)
The Value of Motor Memory	157	(1)
Common Roots	158	(1)
Common Prefixes	159	(1)
Common Suffixes	160	(4)
The Value of Proofreading	164	(1)
Mnemonic Devices	165	(2)
Commonly Misspelled Words	167	(8)
Answers	175	(4)
Appendix	179	(4)
Bibliography	183	(4)
Index	187