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I recently enrolled in an online college to obtain a degree in Criminal Justice. On the first day of "class", I was full of all the excitement and trepidation that any student would feel when beginning classes at a new school. However, that excitement quickly turned to jaw-dropping shock.

On the first day, all students had to post a "bio", giving a little information about themselves and why they enrolled in college. Reading these articles, I learned that the class ranged from the single mother flipping burgers at McDonald's to make ends meet to the working professional with a degree. Every single bio I read, without exception, was overflowing with spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. It seemed that, at best, these writers couldn't even form a simple sentence. Even more shocking, some of the worst writers were the people that claimed to already have another degree in another area. As I read through the bios, I sat, mouth agape, head slowly shaking, in total disbelief that illiteracy was such an epidemic among adults.

At one point, I very politely reminded everyone where the "spell check" button was located on the writing software. No one replied to the post and, apparently, no one took the advice. It seems that the spelling has gotten even worse. Some of the posts are so bad that I cannot even understand the point the writer was trying to make. The irony of it all; the class is on writing persuasive essays and effective written communication.

In the year 2007, with the internet available to nearly everyone in the country, with programs like Word and spell check, how can we live in an illiterate society? If a writer composes a document in Word, grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors are highlighted by the program. When you click on a highlighted word, the program tells you what is wrong and gives suggestions on how to fix it. I've learned that Word doesn't catch finite errors in grammar, but for basic writing, it is very reliable.

I agree with other Helium writers that have suggested all sorts of free or inexpensive sources to combat illiteracy, but there is a very simple source right at our fingertips. It's called spell check. I have to say that, when I read information on the web, be it in forums, web pages, or emails, that is full of mistakes, I find it difficult to take any of it seriously.

Consider using spell check the next time you write. Even if you think you are good at spelling, you may be surprised to find that you missed a word or two.

Learn more about this author, Esmerelda Q. Culpepper.
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