breaks

[youngoldbloke]

- I have seen this word used so many times that I was becoming convinced that perhaps, maybe, it was an alternative name for the important bits that slow us down, and hence 'break' the journey? - an 'Americanism' perhaps? But no - check out http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/brake

It is BRAKES after all!

 

[Black Sheep]

yup, always has been

tea break or lunch break is where the other spelling comes from - people are typing quickly about brakes during their lunch break and type the wrong one.

yes it does irritate the brain slightly but its really not the end of the world.

 

[peanut]

how can you go through a 11 year education system and not know the difference between brakes and breaks ?

 

[Keith Oates]

Could be something to do with the teachers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Fab Foodie]

Could be something to do with the teachers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I blame there Pairents

 

[rich p]

I wanted to peddle my bike but nobody would buy it

 

[gavintc]

Yes, but their parents are not well educated either

 

[eldudino]

I blame there Pairents

I'd agree, their's real problems with the standard of spelling being taught to kids these days!

 

[vernon]

I'd agree, their's real problems with the standard of spelling being taught to kids these days!

Good spelling, punctuation and grammar are reinforced by having access to a wide range of reading materials at home and, more importantly, being encouraged to use them. The increased use of word processing software with inbuilt spell checking does little to improve spelling especially if the US dictionary is loaded.

Try asking teenagers how many books they have at home and how often they read a book and the possible reason for poor literacy becomes apparent. Those that do have reading materials at home have the red tops and gossip comics with a low reading age, restricted vocabulary and instantly forgetable .

It's all to easy to blame schools for all of societies ills but if the efforts of teachers are unsupported at home then improved literacy and numeracy will remain an aspiration.

 

[Dave5N]

Last edited by vernon; Today at 11:43. Reason: typo

You couldn't make it up really, could you?

 

[eldudino]

I'd completely agree, I know that I rely too much on the spell-checker to correct my typing. That has to be partly due to the way typing is taught; keep punching the keys until you finish then go back and correct mistakes highlighted by the spell-checker. This doesn't teach anybody anything other than how to use a piece of software.

The lack of books being read by kids is also a concern for me too. We're already filling our daughter's nursery with books even though she's only 6 months old! She's going to grow up wanting to read books and eat fruit rather than watching TV and eating crisps!

Good spelling, punctuation and grammar are reinforced by having access to a wide range of reading materials at home and, more importantly, being encouraged to use them. The increased use of word processing software with inbuilt spell checking does little to improve spelling especially if the US dictionary is loaded.

Try asking teenagers how many books they have at home and how often they read a book and the possible reason for poor literacy becomes apparent. Those that do have reading materials at home have the red tops and gossip comics with a low reading age, restricted vocabulary and instantly forgetable .

It's all to easy to blame schools for all of societies ills but if the efforts of teachers are unsupported at home then improved literacy and numeracy will remain an aspiration.

 

[youngoldbloke]

I'd completely agree, I know that I rely too much on the spell-checker to correct my typing. That has to be partly due to the way typing is taught; keep punching the keys until you finish then go back and correct mistakes highlighted by the spell-checker. This doesn't teach anybody anything other than how to use a piece of software.

The lack of books being read by kids is also a concern for me too. We're already filling our daughter's nursery with books even though she's only 6 months old! She's going to grow up wanting to read books and eat fruit rather than watching TV and eating crisps!

I'm not sure that all the culprits in this case are 'kids and teenagers'!
This is also one of those cases where a spellchecker isn't much help, as both forms of the word can be correct. Whilst agreeing completely with the need for books and other reading material to be available to children I'm also not as pessimistic as some of the posters - I think that the growth of the internet, and participation in chat groups, forums etc. might well lead to greater literacy overall.

 

[Dayvo]

You couldn't make it up really, could you?

 

[goo_mason]

My 8yr-old daughter has a better grasp of spelling and grammar than the most of the people I know. She's not been taught it at school - she's just been a voracious reader since she was very small. She's years ahead of her classmates in her reading ability, and I am in no doubt that the exposure to so much of the written word is behind her grammar and spelling.

Now - if ONLY she'd put the same effort and enthusiasm into getting on a bike and learning to ride....

 

[buggi]

Good spelling, punctuation and grammar are reinforced by having access to a wide range of reading materials at home and, more importantly, being encouraged to use them. The increased use of word processing software with inbuilt spell checking does little to improve spelling especially if the US dictionary is loaded.

Try asking teenagers how many books they have at home and how often they read a book and the possible reason for poor literacy becomes apparent. Those that do have reading materials at home have the red tops and gossip comics with a low reading age, restricted vocabulary and instantly forgetable .

It's all to easy to blame schools for all of societies ills but if the efforts of teachers are unsupported at home then improved literacy and numeracy will remain an aspiration.

same with tyre/tire.

for the record, i hardly read any books at home growing up, i'm just not the reading type, but my spelling is pretty much spot on. maybe kids these days are just thick