Does anyone ever check the English composition of our Hubs for good grammar, cor

1. 68

   Tusitala Tomposted 13 years ago

   Does anyone ever check the English composition of our Hubs for good grammar, correct word usage,...
   
   and the spelling of words.    I just read a Hub by a new chum.  No names no court martials.    The writer rated 91 on this Hub which, quite frankly, I thought was certainly not up to the standard where it would have been accepted by any publishing house.  I suspect this sounds snobbish, but is there a way Hub editors can actually ascertain what is, and what is not, good writing?

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2. 52

   Unknown Explorerposted 13 years ago

   I guess you are quite right, frankly, me too have doubts over how some hubbers got above 90 ratings. But I believe we all are entering a new world where grammar, vocabulary or spellings does not matter much, because the people are caring more about what the main thing is. I mean, whichever way you are expressing yourself must be understood, and that's all.

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3. 90

   Tinskyposted 13 years ago

   I try not to judge others as I am not perfect.  Occasionally if I come across a hub that I believe is poorly written and if the topic is not enough to overshadow the errors, then I will vote it down after some serious thought. Sometimes errors stick out, if they are mine and I find them I like to use the Edit button on my hub.  I also wonder sometimes whether I should be using American, Australian or English (UK) spelling.  Not all the "rules" are consistent across all countries.  For example in your question you used a comma before "and".  I was taught at school that the "and" word is a pause word which would make the use of the comma redundant.  Tenses can be difficult for writers to perfect.  Which tense should be used?  This is an area that I need to work on especially reducing the use of passive tense in my writing.  Rules also appear to change with each generation.  In communication classes at University, consistency was the key for formatting, I think the same applies to the way the English language is used on the net.  I'm not sure a dictionary, language or spell checking function would be able to evaluate easily the differences that we share or the use of artistic licence that a hub writer might deliberately employ.  Roger Zelazny is a published fantasy writer.  If you read his Chronicles of Amber you will find many grammatical errors that could make you cringe but the story is brilliantly weaved.  If the publishing house had refused his work many fans would have missed out on the story's telling (I think his editor was taking a hiatus!).
   
   Reference:
   "In Australia, Canada, South Africa and the United Kingdom, the serial comma tends not to be used in non-academic publications unless its absence produces ambiguity." from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_comma

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4. 61

   Right On Timeposted 13 years ago

   I note it but I don't think anyone on Hubpages checks it. In fact that's what prompted me to start on HubPages - seeing a poorly written, typo-riddled article about my favourite topic.

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5. 0

   Edliraposted 13 years ago

   I agree and share your concern, Tom. I check my hubs time after times for mistakes of any kind, I might have overlooked and I am not proud to admit it, but I have found, plenty.
   The problem, in my instance, is that regardless of having a degree in English language, that is not my native language and moreover, I haven't practiced it much, especially in written, since the times of school.
   Please don't take it as an excuse, but rather as an explanation, of why the above mentioned mistakes happen. I joined hubpages, among other reasons also to learn more and perfect my writing style. I still find the idea of having the hubs reviewed by edtiors really good. That would maybe result in better quality hubs.

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6. 66

   simeonvisserposted 13 years ago

   Well, it is technically quite difficult to determine the "quality" of a hub. You could create software that checks if the grammar of sentences is correct (this is already hard) but then you also need to check if the hub actually "means" something. You can create grammatically correct sentences that don't mean anything. And this second step, checking for meaning is far more difficult. So the rating that a Hub or Hubber has does not say something about the quality of the content but more about other factors, such as traffic, links to and from that hub, etc.

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7. 63

   medorposted 13 years ago

   yes.. always triple check and i still find errors. but... please let me know if you find any one my hubs and i will gladly change them.  good writing like good art is part standard and part creative license...

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8. 77

   Ruchiraposted 13 years ago

   I am sure all hubbers do before publishing their hubs online. But, with the different guidelines of different countries the grammar can be side-lined if the message the hubber is trying to convey is got across.
   
   I would also not mind a Hub Editor looking into good writing skills and commenting for the improvement of any particular hub. Policing around will help the score of the hubpages website in general and make the hubbers better writers!

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9. 60

   Dave Mathewsposted 13 years ago

   As far as I know, there are no spelling, or grammar police in Hub Pages that specifically do this. It is up to each individual to edit his or her own hub.

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10. 0

    fordieposted 13 years ago

    What rules would apply equally to all users of English?
    
    Sometimes it's the abuse that makes writing stand out, and this should not be discouraged.
    
    Languages should evolve and that is one of the big strengths of English. It is such a mish mash it is just such fun to play with

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11. 0

    surlyoldcatposted 13 years ago

    Oh yes. Some of them are really rude about it too. I find that if I don't check and then recheck my hub within 24 hours, there will be flames galore!
    Not all readers are trolling, mind you, but there are those who take great delight in making you miserable for not dotting an eye or crossing a t.

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12. 77

    junksellerposted 13 years ago

    If only poor grammar, incorrect word usage and minor typos were the worst thing we faced online.  When it comes to blogs and such I am pretty forgiving of minor issues, but I can't believe how common it is to find sentences with entire words missing.  Recently I have started to notice it is pretty common to find grammar and spelling mistakes even on major news websites such as CNN and BBC.

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13. 86

    lindaceeposted 13 years ago

    I always make sure my hubs are quality content and double checked for grammar and spelling. It is quite obvious when doing my daily Hub Hopping that there is little quality control on the site. Quite a shame for those of us who take pride in their work.

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14. 59

    shynslyposted 13 years ago

    I guess I'll have to sound "snobbish" with you. I find myself proof reading and re-proof reading my hubs time and time again even after they're published. When I find the inevitable error... not only do I fix it, but I double check the page views hoping no one has read it yet to spot my stupidity, lol.
    
    While I don't expect everyone else to be that OCD about it, there is definitly a certain amount of attention to detail that could be put into your work if you'd like to be taken seriously. I'm no where near as hard on other writers' grammer and spelling as I try to be on my own, but I know what you mean. Sometimes hubs can be almost painful to read.

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15. 60

    furnituremanposted 13 years ago

    Well, in my case I haven't encountered yet like what you are saying. Yes, you are right in your observation. Hubs should really be free from errors, that's why I am making hubs on English tutorials hoping that I would be able to help, especially those who are non-native English speakers like us, Filipinos, in improving their skills in grammar.

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16. 60

    MatthewLeo1701posted 12 years ago

    I have actually had a fellow hubber point out a grammatical error to me, which I promptly fixed. So obviously, it matters more to some people and less to others. Personally, I believe that the flow of what one wishes to convey or express is closely tied into grammar, punctuation and word usage. One must know the rules before one tries to break them.  Proper grammar and editing contributes to overall styles.

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17. 64

    Billrrrrposted 11 years ago

    There are many, many hubs with spelling and grammar errors.  Some are because English is a second language to the writer.  I  let these miscues slide because  he or she is doing way better  that I could do in their first language. 
    
    Other mistakes are made by folks who just don't know any better and I let them skate as well, because at least they are writing and they will  improve in time.
    
    Then too, sometimes we all simply make a mistake.  I read and re-read everything I do.....but sometimes when I go back and look at an article later, I still find a mistake or two that I have missed. 
    
    All of my stuff has been sifted many times to hopefully get rid of the errors and clutter.

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