Writing Craft

If you use a computer or a cell phone, you  likely have a spell checker and/or grammar checker running when you type. It can be helpful and save embarrassing mistakes.

Or not.

Thanks to something called the Cupertino Effect where a spell checker erroneously replaces mistakes with correctly spelled words that are not correct in the sentence.

The name comes from the unhyphenated English word “cooperation” often being changed to “Cupertino” by older spell checkers.

This poem composed in 1992 by Dr. Jerrold H. Zar demonstrates the issue with autocorrect. Read these first three stanzas aloud and you’ll see the full impact of Cupertinos.

CANDIDATE FOR A PULLET SURPRISE

I have a spelling checker,
It came with my PC.
It plane lee marks four my revue
Miss steaks aye can knot sea.

Eye ran this poem threw it,
Your sure reel glad two no.
Its vary polished in it’s weigh.
My checker tolled me sew.

A checker is a bless sing,
It freeze yew lodes of thyme.
It helps me right awl stiles two reed,
And aides me when eye rime.

Although all the spelling is correct, the words are faulty. Mark Eckman offers insight into “The Spell Checker Poem’s” here along with a read of the full poem.

The poem is a cautionary tale for all of us who place too much trust in our computer’s spell checker. An equal warning is true of computer Grammar checkers and Editors.

Writers, particularly, must be watchful. Publisher house style guides do not necessarily follow standard writing styles so auto-corrected grammar can create issues.

The Oxford comma is a fitting example. Some publishers prefer to use it. Others don’t. Grammar checkers will always tag if it’s missing in a series.

Unless, of course, you set preferences in the program.

Grammar editors also don’t allow for a writer’s voice. My grammar checker flags my sentences all the time.

Example: “At the same time, she was different, changed.”

Grammar Program Correction: “At the same time, she was different, [and] changed.”

Correct but not my writer’s voice.

Example: “He wasn’t arguing relationships.”

Grammar Program Correction: “He wasn’t arguing [about] relationships.”

Again, correct grammatically but not what the speaker said.

My favorite example is the cell phone autocorrect which always changes its to it’s.

Or we’ll to well.

With AI controlling spell checkers and grammar programs more and more,  corrections need a much closer human eye to keep the meaning clear.

Grammar-editor programs and spell checkers are only as good as the user.

Do you have any examples with your spell checker or grammar editor software? Share in the comments.