AS a child I was thought to be a slow starter. However, during recent days a person who seems to know a little about my early years sent the following to me as a homework test. All I had to do was to read the text and reply, 'yes', confirming that I could read it and understand the content.
Readers who know me appreciate that I am past the three score years and ten mark. And, thankfully I can read the passages of words shown below that, at first sight, might make one stop to think and say, 'What on earth goes on here?'. Now here's an opportunity for readers to try the test, but for sure many will pause for a moment. Cna yuo raed tihs? I am told, olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!
Weird but interesting! Can you rsaie yuor hnad. Yes? Certainly no point in using a computer spell-check on the paragraph. Finally, I should like to thank the Editor for including the strange mix of words on the 'Letters' page — it might be a first of this kind to appear in the Times.
Donald Bibey
Okehampton