Do hubs with spelling errors make you think less of a hub?

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   cre8ivOneposted 11 years ago

   Do hubs with spelling errors make you think less of a hub?
   
   Is anyone else distracted by a hub that has decent content but several spelling errors or grammatical errors?

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   paxwillposted 11 years ago

   It's not just distracting, but it makes me question the validity of the content. When I encounter a writer who cannot construct sentences and paragraphs in decent English, I doubt his or her expertise in the hub's subject.
   
   It's not innocent typos that turn me away, but patterns of mistakes that indicate the author really doesn't know the correct construction or word. For example, using "copywrite" instead of "copyright" when talking about the legal concept.
   
   Some people might not be native English speakers and they'll use that as an excuse for publishing badly written hubs.  But those writers should have more pride in their work and hire proofreaders before publishing their hubs.

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      cre8ivOneposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for the great response, I could not agree more!  I wonder so many things but especially how a person cannot at least do a proofread or spell check before posting.

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   Insane Mundaneposted 11 years ago

   If it is just a few minor errors, of course not!  However, when I see one that looks like a 3rd Grader's grammatical nightmare, I think a lot less of it, and it is usually because the content sucks - with or without the spelling errors; ha!

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      cre8ivOneposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I am finding it difficult to get past simple mistakes, for example: not knowing which their, there, they're to use or to and too.  Sigh.

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      Insane Mundaneposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Well, lets just say if I acted as an editor on this site, I'd have an ongoing headache that morphine couldn't fix.  However, I TRY to look at the content first while seeking the actual message - in a caveman-like fashion.

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   ExpectGreatThingsposted 11 years ago

   Yes! In fact, if there are several spelling errors or grammatical issues, I couldn't even tell you if the content is decent or not. I start analyzing the author, hoping that he/she is not a native English speaker. And then I start wondering if the author is "hopping some hubs," rating the use of MY grammar without actually knowing the rules!

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      paxwillposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Ha ha, it's dismaying  to know that people who themselves don't know English are allowed to grade others on their English usage.

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      cre8ivOneposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Yes!  I think I just realized that not everyone who signs up for Hub pages necessarily has the knack for it.  If someone is a poor speller they need to know to use a spell check program.  Simple

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      Larry Wallposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      It is the simple words that cause the most problems, to and too, night and knight, contractions and splitting infinitives--and to boldly go where no man has gone before.

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      Chinaimportposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Hubs are not rated on spelling and grammar alone. I think, most of non native English speakers like me rate it for its unique content and usefulness. In my eyes, an informative and useful hub even with minor spelling mistakes is more valuable than gr

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   Lil Ms KnowItAllposted 11 years ago

   Not just hubs. Anything that is haphazardly written irritates me. I know that to be human is to err but, as writers we hold ourselves to a different esteem when it comes to the use of our words. 
   When preparing an article to read and enjoyed by the reader, time should be taken to edit any work.

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      cre8ivOneposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Lil Ms KnowItAll,  It is very distracting anywhere your eye catches the typos or grammatical errors.  Sometimes when I am reading our local newspaper I wonder, did anyone edit this?

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      Insane Mundaneposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Hey, Lil Ms KnowitAll, you need to correct the major typo on your profile (after you click the '+ more' on your Bio), when you misspelled the word 'experiences'...  No offense, just trying to help, since ya mentioned it; ha!

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   peachpurpleposted 11 years ago

   Yeah, a hub with grammar and spellings errors makes it "un-feature" hub . Less people to read and received lots of complains. I could understand the irritation to read spelling mistakes and nonsense grammar. It is wise to use msword to check for the errors before posting in hubpages.

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      cre8ivOneposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, I definitely agree.  I am glad several people are giving me their thoughts on this as it has been bothering me.

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   Lady Wordsmithposted 11 years ago

   Yes, particularly my own!
   
   As a proofreader I find it very embarrassing when I notice (or have it pointed out to me - even worse!) that my hubs have mistakes in them.  I rush in and correct them immediately.
   
   With other people's hubs I tend not to be so fussy.  I'm a proofreader, so I have to make sure my sentences are sound, and that I haven't made any ridiculous mistakes.  But I also understand that it's difficult to proofread one's own work properly, so mistakes do slip through from time to time.  Those kinds of errors don't bother me at all. 
   
   But if there are consistent spelling and grammar mistakes throughout a hub then I usually don't bother to read them; if I'm hub-hopping I'll mark them down straight away, and then hop to the next.  I, like so many other people, cannot spend the time needed to decipher a sub-standard hub.

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      cre8ivOneposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you so much for your insight.  I agree that one mistake here and there will not stop me from reading a hub but it's the consistent misspelling of simple words that I cannot move on from and like you, I immediately have to stop reading it.

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      JimTxMillerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Lady, it's those errors in our own writing that get through our proofreading that keep us humble!

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   JimTxMillerposted 11 years ago

   Yes, on both spelling and grammar. Call me old school, but I was taught spelling, grammar, proper sentence structure, et al. mattered. Moreover we're writing online content here and there are solid online tools to use to get it right. Misspellings and improper grammar are nothing more than laziness.

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      cre8ivOneposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you Jim.  I don't profess to be an expert on any level, but a few different hubs lately had me confused as to how they were even published and it got me thinking how others felt about this.

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   duffsmomposted 11 years ago

   Yes!  I was Hub Hopping last night and came across some glaring errors.  Grammar is tricky for some, myself included. But with the current system of spell check, I cannot understand misspellings or mistakes like not knowing the difference between their, there, or they're.  That one stands out as it was a problem in a hub I read last night.
   
   I debated what to do, so I just moved to another hub without rating or commenting. My biggest concern is our outside traffic.  If I came to this site and happened on one of those poorly written hubs, I would discount the entire site as a source for information.

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      cre8ivOneposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks duffsmom, I agree that my biggest issue is the simple word forms that , if you are going to be a writer out in public, should be able to know the difference in spellings and meanings of some words such as to/too/two and they're/there/their.

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    Larry Wallposted 11 years ago

    Misspelled words, grammatical errors and all the rest bother me--especially my own, which over time are many. I am a lousy speller. I am not making excuses, but my speech impairment involves a hearing issues where I am not able to distinguished certain sounds. Thus, as I type, I write what I hear. I use a spell checker, and I even have a grammar checker, so most of the errors are caught, but I am perhaps more tolerant of those that make spelling errors. I had a college professor who said words are spelled the way they sound. I asked him to explain the spelling of the word knife and then explain the difference in spelling knight and night. People have problems with to and too, its, and it's. It would be nice if we were all prefect. However, we are not. Thus, I try to be tolerant. I have commented to some Hubbers, through their private e-mail, if they have made a tremendous amount of errors.

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       cre8ivOneposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks Larry.
       I can see you work extra hard to catch mistakes and no one is perfect, even the best speller and English major make mistakes.  To me, the most irritating mistakes are the simple words as I have stated in other comments.  Thanks!

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    sleepylogposted 11 years ago

    Absolutely! I pretty much stop reading a hub once I realise that the first couple of errors in it weren't just typos when I start to see a pattern of poor grammar and bad spelling. Non-English speakers are the worst because I think many of them use translating tools that they've found online. I often feel like commenting on their hubs to suggest they pay someone to fix them up because their poor English is dragging the rest of us down. And yes I know I wrote 'realise' and not 'realize' and that's because in Australia we use UK spelling.

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       cre8ivOneposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks much sleepylog
       It is a great idea for people who aren't the best at spelling and grammar to seek out help before publishing.

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       coleikerdposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       I disagree with non-English speakers being the worst. What I find truly appalling: When someone is clearly a native speaker and intelligent,  and can't write an intelligent sentence to save their life.

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    Chinaimportposted 11 years ago

    Most people take out time to read hub or any other article because of its unique, informative content written in well organized manner.  Hubs should have proper syntax and spelling but I would give more importance to quality of content and its usefulness to the readers.
    
    In my eyes an informative and useful hub even with spelling mistakes is more important than grammatically correct hub that contributes very little to reader's knowledge

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       Insane Mundaneposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Ain't that the truth!

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       StayAwakeNowposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       That's how all people should think.

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       cre8ivOneposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       I see your point and agree that the content is import and more educational however, in my mind I might question the accuracy of the information if the mistakes keep jumping out at me.

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       Chinaimportposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks for your comment cre8ivOne.  While content is important criteria for rating a hub I do not, in any way, insinuate that grammatical errors are acceptable.

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    StayAwakeNowposted 11 years ago

    I'm not a native English speaker, so It's obvious that I make some grammar and spelling errors. Because of this I won't rate a hubs content just because there are some errors, it would be wrong if I would downgrade hubs because of them. I just try my best to keep the quality of my hubs high enough to be featured on HP.
    
    I understand that native English speaking people get disturbed by these errors, but keep in mind that a lot of people writing here aren't native English speaking people. When keeping this in mind, I think it's possible to be a little forgiving to people who make errors. We're all doing some effort to teach others what we know.
    
    Thanks for reading my answer.
    Feel free to comment.

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       Larry Wallposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Understanding is always in order and with understanding leads to forgiveness for unintended mistakes.

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       ExpectGreatThingsposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       I would never have guessed that you aren't a native English speaker. Well done! I give a lot of grace to people writing in a 2nd or 3rd language. I just feel that native English speakers should know better.

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       StayAwakeNowposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Thank you for that compliment. I've been learning English since I was 10 years old. I've spend a lot of time on the internet, where English is the main language.
       
       I'm glad to hear that my English writing isn't too bad.

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       cre8ivOneposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       StayAwakeNow,
       Thanks for your response and your insight.  I can see your point and maybe it will help me to be more patient when reading hubs.

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       shivanchirakkal10posted 11 years agoin reply to this

       It is quite natural to make spell and grammar mistake in HP writing by  natives other than English speaking. And people who are not much technical knowledge, also do mistake. It is better to encourage them.

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       coleikerdposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Reading your answer, I would group you with the non-native speakers who do better than many native speakers. Thank you for putting forth a great effort.

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       StayAwakeNowposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Thank you, It feels very good when people give compliments like that.

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    Li Galoposted 11 years ago

    I don't have a problem with one error.  Two bug me but I'll carry on reading.  More than two and I usually click away to something else.  It's just too distracting to me, as a reader.  No one is perfect so that's why I have a three-strikes-you're-out policy.  I make mistakes, too.  I am mortified when I see them!

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       cre8ivOneposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       I think that sounds like a very reasonable approach!  Thanks!

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    BitchCraftposted 11 years ago

    I would be a hypocrite if i said that bad grammar ie. spelling mistakes appalled me as my own grammar is quite terrible teehee (^_^)

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       cre8ivOneposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks for your comment, I appreciate your honesty!

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       BitchCraftposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       heehee thank you but (as a hypocrite) bad spelling does irritate me quite badly lol so yeah.

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       coleikerdposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       It is important to know where one stands.

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       StayAwakeNowposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       I think grammar and spelling are two different things, I'm no sure but bear with me for a moment.
       
       Spelling, the way of writing words.
       Grammar, the way words are used in a sentence. (I think capitalisation of words and the use of comma's etc.. also)

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    coleikerdposted 11 years ago

    Unfortunately, yes. Especially my own.
    
    I know no one is perfect and errors happen. However, the fact remains that when something is misspelled, or grammar rules not followed, it bothers me. My biggest pet peeves are the simple rules that no one seems to know (The "Then - Than" problem is a favorite).
    
    The death knell is when an article is written with no heed to structure. If there is no punctuation, I don't read it. I'll wade through a little poor grammar and try to make sense of it, but not much. If a paragraph is not enough, I move on. If there are no paragraphs, I move on.
    
    Writing is an attempt to communicate, and if you don't bother to make it readable, your communication may as well be gibberish.
    
    In the end, it if looks like someone is trying, I will too. If it looks like someone doesn't care enough about their work to try, I don't either.

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       cre8ivOneposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       I agree structure and content are just as important as the spelling and grammar in a hub.  We are all here to communicate some type of message and we should all be equipped to do so when we are here!

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    caponposted 11 years ago

    I do try to be tolerant of miss-spelling errors, especially the American use errors. As an example, I can not see how the word "colour" can be properly sounded without  the "U". One area where I am not tolerant is with Microsoft spell checker. It seems to me that all I do is teach it how to spell (English use English)! Tony

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       cre8ivOneposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Hey Tony
       Thanks much for your thoughts.  Interesting on the spell checker, I have had decent luck with those programs but when all else fails, the good ol' dictionary works great.

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    ct92posted 11 years ago

    Yes, if there is a lot of spelling errors.
    If it is only a few ones, I don't really mind too much.

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    celeste inscribedposted 11 years ago

    I will give anyone the benefit of the doubt once pushing twice, but a repeat offender would not get any further sympathy. It takes only moments to proof read and spell check a document.

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       cre8ivOneposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks Celeste
       I can't agree more.

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