5 Funniest Grammar/Spelling Mistakes in Kids’ Letters

It’s always adorable when children attempt to write letters or caption illustrations, but can’t quite get the wording right. What’s even more adorable is when children write something they didn’t intend to write at all. Whether the culprit is bad handwriting or simply not sounding out a word correctly, ensure that you are encouraging your child to write by being supportive of all attempts.

In other words, choke back your laughter if you see mistakes like the following five.

Transposing Letters

Considering the number of letters and pictures that children make, especially for Santa around Christmas time, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Santa is going to be called Satan a few thousand times by children demanding presents. While it’s definitely funny, it can also be a disturbing sight if you aren’t prepared for your child accidentally professing their love for the Devil.

A couple of slip-ups can be funny, but if transposing words becomes common, make sure you check to see if your child has dyslexia.

Sounding It Out, Literally 

Some children spell words in exactly the way that they sound. This can lead to some embarrassing, and possibly hilarious, moments for you and your family since telling a child to “sound it out” doesn’t always work as effectively when it comes to spelling. Expecting a five-year-old to account for long and short vowels and proper phonetics in a letter or doodle is overly ambitious. Don’t be surprised when you see the word “peace” spelled as “pies.” Though your child is more likely to be wishing for “World Pies” than “World Peace” anyway.

Malapropisms Run Rampant with Children 

Children have a pretty limited vocabulary, so they simply aren’t aware of the existence of many of the words that adults use. When children attempt to repeat the words they hear, this can often result in a malapropism because the child is substituting an unknown word or sound for one that they already know. For example, it’s a strong possibility that your child believes that Abraham Lincoln’s name is actually April Ham Lincoln because that makes a lot more sense to him.

Oversimplifying Words Can Often Lead to Trouble 

To be fair, the English language has many confusing and just plain silly rules in it — especially when it comes to spelling. Children will spell things in the most simple way by sounding it out, but this tactic can often lead to some inappropriate, albeit hilarious, misspellings. Try not to get offended when your little boy hands you a drawing of his favorite place with the caption “I love the biach.” Though he just loves the beach, it might seem like he’s down with the latest slang words.

Sometimes, It’s All About Handwriting

Unfortunately, it’s not just spelling mistakes on a child’s drawing or letter that lead to hilarious misunderstandings. Which is why you should never underestimate the importance of good handwriting. Kids aren’t exactly known for the most decipherable writing, which, for example, can result in an “l” being mistaken for an “r” in the word “whole,” within the sentence “I love my whole family.” Yikes.

As you can see, children may not be the world’s best spellers, at least their methods are much more entertaining than correct grammar and spelling. Have you ever seen a grammar or spelling mistake from a child that made you roar with laughter?

What kind of writer are you?

This poll is part of a series that Grammarly is running aimed at better understanding how the public feels about writing, language learning, and grammar.

Please take the poll and share your thoughts in the comments. We can’t wait to hear from you!

If you are interested in more, check out last week’s poll.

Lies Your English Teacher Taught You: Prepositions

Guest post from Brent Calderwood

Writing is like painting. You have to know the rules before you can start experimenting with them. Think about it: Picasso had to paint a lot of pictures of horses with four legs before he started putting noses on people’s foreheads. It’s the same way with words. Good authors are playful and innovative with the English language, but they had to learn the basics first.

What makes English trickier than most languages is that it’s a hodgepodge of dozens of languages, and we keep borrowing words all the time, especially as media, travel, and politics bring different cultures into constant contact with one another.

This is a wonderful thing, but one problem is that some of the first English grammar books, written in the 1600s, were based strictly on Latin, which has a totally different structure from English. These books, and books based on these books, were used all the way into the 20th century, even though their rules didn’t always make sense for our multicultural language. Some teachers still believe these old rules; luckily, though, most English grammar and instruction books published today are setting the record straight.

One of the most common rules that teachers got wrong? Never end a sentence with a preposition.

While it’s true that prepositions usually don’t belong at the end of a sentence, some sentences just sound more “natural” with the preposition at the end. Take this one:

“I like the company I work for.”

This sentence is just fine. If you follow the “Never end a sentence with a preposition” rule, here’s the sentence you’re likely to come up with:

“I like the company for which I work.”

This is grammatically correct, but it sounds “stiff” and old-fashioned. By the way, notice that I didn’t say “Here’s the sentence up with which you’re likely to come.” That would sound ridiculous, wouldn’t it?

But wait, you might be thinking, are you saying I should just go with what sounds right? What kind of rule is that?

So here’s a good rule of thumb: If there’s an easy way to avoid ending your sentence with a preposition, go ahead and avoid it, especially if you’re writing for an academic or business audience.

In those cases, instead of “I like the company I work for,” you might want to say, “I enjoy working for this company.” Instead of “Here’s the sentence you’re likely to come up with,” you might say, “Here is the sentence you’re likely to write.” However, if you find yourself going out of your way to use “for which” or “of which” or especially “up with which” to avoid a preposition at the end of your sentence, there’s a good chance that your sentence will sound better and more natural with a terminal preposition.

And sounding natural is what good writing is all about.

Brent Calderwood is a writer, editor and activist. His award-winning essays and reviews have appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times and Harvard Gay & Lesbian Review. A two-time Lambda Literary Fellowship recipient for poetry, he currently lives in San Francisco.

Check Your Answers for Grammar Skills Test—Intermediate

So, you want to know what your English grammar level is? You’ve come to the right place. This post will cover the answers and additional learning resources for “Grammar Skills Test—Intermediate.” The Intermediate test covers subject-verb agreement, modifiers, word order, tenses, conditionals, negative constructions, and auxiliary verbs.

Correct answers are highlighted. Links go to additional learning resources to help you continue improving.

Fill in the blanks to complete the sentences:

1 He was very busy so he ___ to the party.

• went not
• did not went
• did not go
• does not went

Subject(s) Tested: Negative construction, auxiliary verbs

2 Do you want to return it or ___ it for another one?

• exchange
• cash

Subject(s) Tested: Word choice

[num value=3] The moral of the story is, “___ much pride leads to destruction.”

• Very
• [key]Too
• How

Subject(s) Tested: Intensifying modifiers

4 What’s the correct word order?

• We decided to go on a picnic.
• We to go on a picnic decided.

Subject(s) Tested: Word order

5Which sentence is correct?

• She stroked with her hand his back.
• She stroked his back with her hand.

Subject(s) Tested: Word order

6 His kids are ___ students.

• well
• good

Subject(s) Tested: Adjectives and adverbs

7 It goes without ___ that John is the best student in his class.

• saying
• say
• telling
• tell

Subject(s) Tested: Verb conjugation (continuous)

8 Look at the ___ baby.

• sleeping
• asleep

Subject(s) Tested: Verb conjugation (continuous)

9 Please call me back later. I can’t speak right now because I _________ an English lesson.

• had
• have had
• am having
• am going to have

Both answers are correct.

“I’m having” is correct if you get the call during the lesson. Though, it is more common to simply say “I’m in an English lesson.”

“I’m going to have” is useful when you know that you have the lesson coming up and there is not enough time to chat.

Subject(s) Tested: Verb conjugation, auxiliary verbs, perfect form

10While on holiday in the USA, every night we ______ in a different city.

• stay
• are stay
• staying
• are staying

Subject(s) Tested: Verb conjugation

11 How much ____ do you pay a month?

• fees
• rent
• rental
• lodging

Subject(s) Tested: Word choice

12If the temperature falls below 0° C, water ___ into ice.

• turned
• turns
• would turn
• turn

Subject(s) Tested: Verb conjugation, conditionals

13 If she had studied harder, she ___ the test.

• would have passed
• would pass
• would passed
• passed

Subject(s) Tested: Conditionals

14Would you like ____________ fruit?

• much/li>
• some
• more
• many

“Some” is used if you are offering someone fruit for the first time.

“More” is used if you have already given some fruit and want to offer another portion.

Subject(s) Tested: Quantifying modifiers

15You can’t turn here. You _______ turn left there.

• must
• will
• could
• have to

Subject(s) Tested: Modal verbs

Learn more: Helping verbs Negative construction Intensifying modifiers Adverb overuse Past perfect Conditionals Modal verbs

Think you’re ready for the next level of learning? Take the Master Grammar Skills Test!

What Does Lmao Mean?

• Lmao is an abbreviation of the phrase “laughing my ass off.
• It is used to indicate that something is funny.

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Lmao is a phrase that comes into mind when we’re laughing very hard, even though we rarely lose body parts to laughing.

The Meaning of Lmao

Lmao stands for laughing my ass off. Typically people use it in written conversations to show that they think something is funny. You can think of it as a stronger version of lol, which stands for laughing out loud. Lmao came about at the beginning of 1990s, and the people who used it first were early adopters of online communication. Today, it’s a part of textspeak and Internet slang. After all, it’s a lot more convenient to write lmao than “that was funny” or “that really made me laugh.”

How to Use Lmao

Lmao is not a phrase you should use in formal communication. Save lmao for social networks, instant-messaging apps, and text messages. You can write lmao in uppercase or in lowercase, but if you really need to use the abbreviation in a more formal context (an article about the abbreviation, for example) remember to stick to one set of capitalization rules.

There are a couple of ways you can build on lmao to show that you’re really, really laughing. Writing the acronym in all caps is one of the ways, but you can also add o’s to the end of the abbreviation: lmaoo is laughing my ass off and off. Some people also add the f-word, to get lmfao.

Examples

That’s one funny kitten! LMAO!

OMG dat joke w/ polar bear, lmao.

I lmao whenever I hear a pun.

You like puns, lmao!

Grammar Skills Test: Master

Warning: If You Don’t Know These Top 11 English Expressions, Your Life Abroad Could Be Really Hard

Guest Post By Akmal Akbarov at EnglishClubPro.com

Have you ever been in this situation? You meet with your friend, start the conversation, and suddenly stop because you can’t remember a certain word.

Or here is another situation. You may be abroad. You go to a shop and either don’t remember or simply don’t know the exact the word for this “tool you need for that certain thing that you have to do with the other thing.”

So what you do? You usually end up mimicking. If you are happy with mimicking all the time, this may be fine. What if you are on the phone? What if different gestures mean completely different things in other cultures? In the worst cases, you may end up insulting the person for no obvious reason.

Today, I am going to give you 11 language expressions you may find very useful to explain what you need and to enjoy using English.

1. It’s one of those things you … 2. It’s long and thin and … 3. It looks like … 4. It’s the stuff you … 5. It’s used for … 6. They’re made of … 7. It’s a kind of … 8. It’s something you use when … 9. You know! It’s got a … 10. I need one of those things you use to … 11. I’m looking for some of that stuff you use to …

Still confused? Wondering how to use? See these examples below.

1. It’s one of those things you use to put an announcement on the information board. – answer: thumb tacks or tacks

2. It’s long and thin and you use them to eat Chinese meals. – answer: chopsticks

3. It looks like a mobile phone. – answer: a remote control

4. It’s the stuff you wash clothes with. – answer: powder or detergent

5. It’s used for covering body injuries. – answer: bandages

6. They’re made of metal. – answer: nails

7. It’s a kind of ruler. – answer: tape measure

8. It’s something you use when taking hot meals out of the oven. – answer: kitchen gloves or pot holders

9. You know! It’s got a round metal bit at one end. – answer: padlock

10. I need one of those things you use to make dresses. – answer: knitting needles.

11. I’m looking for some of that stuff you use to correct mistakes on paper. – answer: correction liquid.

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Hi, my name is Akmal. I’m an English language enthusiast, blogger, writer, and entrepreneur. In addition to being the founder of EnglishClubPro.com, I’m also a teacher of English with more than ten years of experience. I love helping aspiring English learners to master their English.

Post adapted from original post.