Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Does eBay have a spell checker?

In the same way that autism can be viewed as a spectrum, I've got to wondering if writers' propensity to judge/fume/giggle/bitch about errors in grammar* and spelling might have a spectrum all of its very own.

I'll own up to a certain sense of smugness when I spot glaring errors. In the days when - as a teacher - I invariably had a board marker in my pocket, I was one of 'those' people, who took glee in doing that 'apostrophe thing' in public spaces.

However. Nothing brings me so close to strange mix of shock and mild amusement as eBay. It's an absolute wonder for true gems. Here's just a tiny selection that I found without even looking...

No items can be returned as all descriptions are fully arcrate.

Yes, this fills me with great confidence.

Topshop, Miss Selfride, Oasis shirt, Indie, Vintage, Emo, Kate Moss.

Perhaps this shirt has a severe psychiatric disorder? Surely, no shirt could be all of these things all at the same time? Even if it could, do people really exist who want to look 'Indie-vintage-emo-Kate Moss'?

Topshop Red Dressy Up Size 10 - Excellant Condition.

No thanks, I'd rather buy things from a charity shop...

WART MOLE SKIN TAG REMOVER 100% EFFECTIVENESS NATURAL 100% HERBAL* EUROPEAN! CLINICALLY TESTED MONEYBACK GUAR

Um. No comment. If anyone knows what a guar is, please explain. On second thoughts, please don't.

I'm sure that with a little searching** the best of these are yet to be discovered...









*Note to self - remember to check, check and, recheck this blog entry for errors...

** aka procrastinating.

DISCLAIMER - any errors found within this post were left intentionally by the author...

3 comments:

Fi said...

I'm an e-bay-phobe. Have never been (nor do I ever intend to go) anywhere near the evil 'e', so can't comment on the language there-in.
I can, however, appreciate the entertainment value of bad listings - but not enough to be tempted into checking it out.
Do feel free to share any future gems though!
xFi

Occasional Poster of Comments said...

Being an eBayholic, I'm guessing you probably already know that searching for misspelled listings can be great for finding bargains? Or was that what you were doing anyway?

Misspelled itself always looks misspelled to me. Oddly, though, that doesn't help me remember the correct spelling.

miss-cellany said...

Fi - go on, I dare you...

OPC - sadly, was not even looking for misspelled things to buy, rather just getting a bit cross at all the never ending lines of 'indie,retro,emo' etc.

Might just have to type 'misspelled' again, as you're right...good name for a blog though...