Tuesday, March 13, 2007

SISTER ACT


I frequently refer to sending comments to our local paper's Bulletin Board. Yesterday they printed this one I sent. I am still laughing. I made a spelling error. Serves me right to get caught, as I can be a bit smart-alecky. Perhaps I should have disguised Sr.'s name. I had Benedictine nuns for nine of my fifteen years in school and never knew anyone who was a "Benediction nun" but maybe that was someone's job. Incidentally, the "ruler" under the picture of the medal is on the website to indicate the size of the medal. It has nothing to do with "The Rule of St. Benedict".

From the Bulletin Board in St. Paul Pioneer Press on Mar. 13:

Or: CAUTION! Words at Play!
The MOM in Stillwater: "My husband faithfully composes his e-mail on Microsoft Word so he can spell-check it before sending it on e-mail. One letter was to his aunt the Benediction nun. He had addressed it to 'Sr. Helenette, OSB' (Order of St. Benedict). Spell-check wanted to change that to 'SOB,' which surely would change the meaning. [Bulletin Board notes: Yes. Then she'd be a "SOB sister"!]
"Oops, have I made spell-check a verb?
BULLETIN BOARD SAYS: You have. It's OK. "Spell-check," as either a transitive or intransitive verb, communicates quite economically, don't you think?
Of course, even Microsoft Word is powerless to "spell-check" words that are, in fact, words — but are not the right words (under the circumstances).
Like, just for example, "Benediction"!

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