A Quick Grammar Check Could Prevent Public Embarrassment
Although few of us are in the public eye at all times, bad grammar and spelling could lead to unwanted attention.
Such was the plight of Sarah Palin last year, as she received a great deal of criticism for using the previously undocumented word "refudiate" in a post on her Twitter account. Although her creation was named the 2010 word of the year by the new Oxford American Dictionary, Palin is now claiming that it was the result of sloppy typing.
During a recent episode of her reality television show, Sarah Palin's Alaska, the former Republican claimed that the made-up word resulted from a typo.
"I pressed an 'f' instead of a 'd' and people freaked out," she said, quoted by the news source.
However, the newspaper points out that Palin used the hybrid of "refute" and "repudiate" a few days prior to the Twitter incident during an appearance on Fox News.
Despite the fuss caused by the inception of the word, some governing bodies of the English language - such as Merriam-Webster and Dictionary.com - have yet to accept "refudiate." Individuals who wish to avoid similar humiliating errors may want to consider checking their grammar online before they post.
