Please Help: What's Wrong with this Hub?

1. 87

   birthdaywishposted 10 years ago

   Hi,
   English is not my mother tongue. So, I am not so proficient in English like you natives. Can you please help me to explain why this hub is not featured http://birthdaywish.hubpages.com/hub/80 … day-wishes
   
   Thank you in advance. I'll try to follow your advises.

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   1. 87

      Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I'd say the grammar could be an issue, which makes sense if English is not your first language.

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   2. 59

      The Examiner-1posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I read your Hub and, sure, there is some grammar and punctuation which needs to be corrected by a person who is more familiar with English and can proofread it for you.
      I would say that the reason that your Hub is not featured is probably because of capitalization mistakes in your capsule titles. Unless they are major words like "Happy Birthday", only the first word should be capitalized. When you click on 'Edit', you should have a box on your right at the top telling you why it was not featured.

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      1. 89

         Rochelle Frankposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         From the HubPages  learning center:
         "Proper Use of Capitalization in Titles and Subtitles
         
         Readers will get an idea of whether they can trust or distrust your content in the first few seconds of looking at your page. Proper capitalization in your title and subtitles is an indicator of your Hub's credibility. We recommend using standard title case when formatting your titles and subtitles and using the APA guidelines (or another comprable publication) for guidance. Here are a couple specific guidelines for capitalizing your titles and subtitles:
         
             Always capitalize the first word of a title or subtitle.
             Capitalize all “major” words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns) in your title, including the second part of hyphenated major words (e.g., High-Quality not High-quality).
             Capitalize all words of four letters or more."

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      2. 87

         birthdaywishposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         But I have capitalized all my sub titles in this way, as far as I can identify.

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         1. 59

            The Examiner-1posted 10 years agoin reply to this

            I looked at a couple of your other Hubs and even though I believe this is wrong I see what you mean. I still also believe that it should tell you right in your Hub when you click 'Edit' what the problem is.

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            Rochelle Frankposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Yes, you did that part correctly.

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   3. 87

      Cardisaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      In addition to all the suggestions offered I would recommend properly attributing your photos. Currently you have no source for the photos in that hub.

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2. 0

   writingsoloposted 10 years ago

   You can always email HP team and ask them for the specific reason for your hub not being featured.

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3. 87

   birthdaywishposted 10 years ago

   Please, any one can give me some examples of grammatical errors from my hub. My knowledge of grammar is not that strong.

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   1. 59

      The Examiner-1posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Where you say: "You have seen the second World War, and the Vietnam War." There is another sentence in that paragraph, "There is many things to learn from you." It should be: "There are many things to learn from you." That is one example.
      I still believe the problem is the capitalization in your title and capsule names.

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      1. 87

         birthdaywishposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Thank you very much for helping me by taking so much pain to show me my mistakes @ The Examinar - 1

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   2. 89

      chasmacposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Here's another: "Reaching the age of 80 is a special achievement in life because not every human beings are lucky enough to survive so long."
      
      It should be "... not ALL human beings are...."
      or
      "...not every human being IS..."
      Your choice.
      Let us know if you want any more.

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      1. 87

         birthdaywishposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Phew! I have made so many mistakes. Thank you Chasmac for pointing another one out. Are there a lot of errors like it?

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         1. 89

            chasmacposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            I counted 16 just now on a quick read through, such as: "We all want to see you such active when you will cross the century mark."
            Use SO instead of SUCH and leave out WILL.
            Also, there's a sentence which is correct but is the worst sentence in the whole article. It's "Do not forget to like my hub". It spoiled the whole feel-good vibe of the hub - Can you see why? You're demanding approval - not even requesting it, which is bad enough -but  demanding it. I'm sure that wasn't your intention, but it's the feeling that your sentence conveys. Most readers will react negatively to that and say "No way! I decide what I like and don't like - not you"
            I hope that's helpful for you.

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4. 85

   drpennypincherposted 10 years ago

   Thanks for the refresher on Title & Subtitle capitalization.  I think it would be handy if the Hubtool automatically did capitalization of Titles and Subtitles in text capsules for you using the standard rules and allowed you to override the automatic capitalization if you wish for special situations.

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5. 57

   MelissaBarrettposted 10 years ago

   IMHO...
   
   Hubs like this, even when not graded on creativity, still require some measure of creativity/uniqueness to be helpful to the reader.
   
   Other than there being noticeable word choice issues (it just didn't read well) and some other pretty obvious issues with grammar, the messages themselves lacked the amount of creativity that would be useful to the reader.

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   1. 87

      birthdaywishposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      It is true, that those messages are not that good (I admit it). It is because of my weakness in English. I can write much better messages in my own language. I   can not write as freely and creatively in English like my own language. But I am trying to make it better.

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6. 92

   blueheronposted 10 years ago

   I wonder if non-native speakers would be helped by listening to books on tape in English, if they are available. You could kill two birds with one stone: Get informed about subjects that interest you, and get a feel for the language.

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   1. 87

      birthdaywishposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      You mean audio books?

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      1. 92

         blueheronposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Duh! Silly me! I don't listen to them, but a daughter with a long commute is enjoying them and getting awfully well informed.

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7. 87

   birthdaywishposted 10 years ago

   It has not been featured again for quality after re-review. I am feeling  so defeated. It seems that my skills are not enough to write good hubs.

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8. 91

   Millionaire Tipsposted 10 years ago

   You have been given good advice here.
   
   1.  Capitalize the W in Vietnam War.
   2. Take out the "Don't forget to like my hub."
   
   Here's some more advice:  " co-incident" should be "coincidence". 
   
   There are many free online grammar checkers you can use.  They may help you avoid common problems and teach you a bit about grammar as well.
   
   I also find that when I re-read my own writing, I can easily spot additional mistakes.  I recommend you simply read over your hubs, out loud, and I am sure you will find issues you can easily fix.

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   1. 87

      birthdaywishposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I have followed all your suggestions.Thank you very much. It seems that there could be more errors. Online grammar checkers are of no use. I have tested some but those can only catch simple mistakes. Reading out loud will also not be very helpful for me as I am not a native English speaker. Thank you very much for your kind helps.

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         blueheronposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         English is a highly idiomatic and nuanced language. This has got to be tough, being a non-native speaker and writing in English. I applaud you for trying to do it. I could never write well in a foreign language. Well...maybe I could if I expected to live another 20 years....

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         1. 87

            birthdaywishposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            It is really tough for me, but I am trying to learn as much as possible. I hope that one day I'll be able to write like you @blueheron. I'll read hubs of the best hubbers like you (as your hubscore indicates).

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         2. 0

            writingsoloposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            In India, where birthdaywish, and I are from, English is the primary language used for teaching in schools; textbooks are written in English. Native languages are not used, since there are 18 of them!!
            Typically, everyone who has passed school has learned, and used English for at least 10 years.
            So, it's not exactly like writing in a foreign language for us.
            
            Here are some tips for you, birthdaywish:
            1. Get a copy of "Elements of Style" by E. B. White.
            2. Read it.
            3. Practice using the methods.
            4. Read some books, listen to audiobooks, watch English movies, etc.--the more input you give, the better you'll get.
            Good Luck!

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            1. 87

               birthdaywishposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               I am sorry to say that in most of the school English is not a primary language in India. It may be true in big cities but not in other parts of the country. I am from a rural mini town. There is no English medium school here. Yes, I have given some working knowledge of English but it is not even close to sufficient.
               English is a distant foreign language to me and millions like me. But I am trying to learn it better because it is the international language. I like your advises and shall try to follow those.

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