burningpony/phd_checker

<h2>Essay 3: Contains 1 Errors</h2>

<p>
    Spelling and punctuation make clear written communication possible. Punctuation in particular can change the meaning of the sentence, the effect words have on the reader, and the manner in which something is written. Many people think of punctuation as a rigid set of rules
    <span id="3_1" class="correctme " rel="enforced">inforced</span>by uptight professors who spend their lives policing people's writing; however, punctuation has always been in a state of flux, constantly changing even today.
</p>
<p>
    Standardized spelling and punctuation have only been in existence for a few hundred years. Modern-day punctuation, which we think of as flawless and immutable, would be completely foreign to a reader who lived just a few hundred years ago. Back then, for instance, all nouns were capitalized, not just proper nouns, as the rule is today. On the other hand, it was not common practice to
    <span id=" 3_2" class="correctme " rel="capitalize">capitalize</span>the first letter of a sentence until the 16th century. Such changes in punctuation practices are the result of many years of use and misuse, but
    <span id="3_3" class="correctme " rel="undoubtedly">undoubtedly</span>the most important catalyst has been the increase in written communication.
</p>
<p>
    Much of our understanding of punctuation has been shaped by widespread literacy. The principles of punctuation might make sense to us - guide the reader, group modifiers with their respective nouns, avoid ambiguity of meaning - but these are the concerns of a literate society. The need for punctuation marks arose only after writing became a common form of communication. Oral communication requires a different set of rules and guidelines but ones that are less intimidating and more commonly understood. Speech technically has no punctuation, but tone of voice, rhythm, volume, and pitch all convey meaning in ways similar to punctuation marks.
</p>
<p>
    While spelling is commonly treated as a question of right or wrong, it continues to change all the time. Historically, the format of written communication has led to certain standardized spellings. Printers once labored for countless hours arranging type to correspond with correct spellings. Their work took time and care, but their product was often meant to be studied slowly at the reader's leisure. The restrictions on the printing process lead to certain conventions in abbreviation, such as shortening "mister " or "missus " or "Mr. " and "Mrs. " respectively. In recent decades, new restrictions in enforced forms of communication have given rise to new conventions in spelling. The introduction of text messaging as a mainstream form of communication has once again introduced new spellings. When first introduced, text messaging allowed the user a limited number of characters in which to communicate her or his message. Users began abbreviating or changing the spellings of words as a way of conserving message space. Some of the shorter words were abbreviated based on the phonetics of the word. For example, "you " became the letter "u " and "tonight " became "2nite. " Often, silent letters were left out of words altogether in the case that their absence would not change the understanding of the word - "know " became "kno, " for instance.
</p>