Is it rude to point out grammar/spelling mistakes on hubs via comments?

Yeah, it is kind of rude. :( Unless someone asks for criticism, we should just assume that pointing out mistakes will only offend them. I do cringe a little whenever I see a mistake in grammer, but I don't hold it against the writer.

And when I read something I've written and find a mistake, I absolutely freak out and have to change it immediately. I don't really care how people are writing as long as they are writing. It's a great thing to do and shouldn't be discouraged by pointing out failures in grammer.

Just let people be themselves, and if they ask for help, then go ahead and point stuff out.

And yes, editing my own question: they would be well written instead of will written...feel free to comment :).

If I was concerned about spelling and/or grammar in a hub, I would email the author, rather than leave it in hub comments. Writing is a personal experience and I believe situations such as this call for personal communication. Just my humble opinion.

Please point out any that I make. I usually see them later, but someone letting me know about them sooner would also be appreciated.

Personally, I would welcome as many proof readers as would take the time to do my work. Although I proof read my own work, it seems that, however many times I read it through, when I go back after it has been published, I find some errorsI have missed.

However, I do set up the comments capsule so that all comments need to be approved before they are shown. I can then accept these comments but not show the comment on the hub. Not everyone does this and others may not appreciate proofreading comments on their hub.

I would suggest that, if you have the time, to e-mail the changes you suggest. A bit more personal and the hub writer can take, leave it, or send a nice thank you back.

But they may send you a curt - get lost - e-mail. Be prepared for the ignorant to be offended.

Also be aware that English is not spelled, punctuated or constructed the same in the US as elsewhere.

I think it varies. Personally, I wouldn't need someone to point out a mistake to me, as it would certainly only be a typo. I rarely make mistakes (look at me, blowing my own trumpet - oh, how marvellous I am!), so when I do, and someone points them out, I find it more embarrassing than anything else.

However, there are some hubs that are peppered with errors in punctuation and grammar and it does affect the ease with which we can read them. In a lot of cases, it's probably not worth the effort to point out all of the errors, since the hubber is obviously struggling with English, and is not likely to improve noticeably in a very short space of time. In that case, it might be nicer to just say nothing, and to watch the grammar improve as the hubber becomes more familiar with the language.

If it's the occasional error, the hubber might appreciate a little guidance. We all want our writing to be perfect, surely, so I'm sure that a gentle nudge and wink about an incorrect spelling could not be taken in offence.

Not all hubbers want that kind of feedback. I have seen those who ask for particular criticism, but others don't post for that purpose. I take the position of "not caring" as you put it.By that, I mean that I choose to turn of my internal editor, and I'm able to appreciate the hub without imposing my imaginary standards on someone else.

I hope others give me the same benefit of the doubt on those minor issues/discrepancies. It is also more enjoyable and less aggravating for me as a reader.

I understand the frustration of wading through a hub with multiple and grievous mistakes. Sometimes they're so distracting that you can't enjoy the piece. In cases like that, I think a polite email offering constructive feedback is more appropriate than calling down a hubber for his or her mistakes "publicly.

I'm not sure how picky you intend to be in your criticism, but that makes a big difference. I have spent professional time as a tutor of writing and composition, as well as a proofreader. During that time, I became familiar with several different style standards.

They each call for slightly different usages of certain abbreviations, marks of punctuation, sentence construction, reference notation, etc. For this reason, I believe minor errors should be chalked up to variations in a writer's background and forgiven.

For myself, I would appreciate 'guidance' in my grammar and or spelling errors. It would give me an opportunity to improve and the chance to go back and correct my error's.

Of course using discernment is always a wise choice when commenting on a writers hub. No one has perfect grammar that is void of errors, all of the time. In my opinion it is 'brotherly love' to help another.

I do not think it is rude in any way. I recently left a comment regarding a spelling error by pointing it out as 'constructive criticism'. I was very interested in what the author had to say, and said so...but pointed out the error in the latter part of my comment.

The author was happy I pointed out the error and quickly corrected it.

I am not a 'professional proofreader', but do have a knack for noticing spelling errors and typos rather quickly. I would be embarrassed if I published a Hub with errors, and welcome any 'constructive criticism' fellow authors have.

I agree it is sometimes a slip of the fingers when typing, and spell-check only points it out if the word is spelled wrong. It does not point out the correct word to be used, such as 'if' instead of 'it'. I also agree proper grammar and sentence structure make HubPages much nicer reads than 'broken English'.

I have never been very good at spelling or grammar because I have never had to use them in my daily life, until now. I don't want to write content that no one will read, so I use Microsoft word for these corrections, I probably have a few, but I do my best. In my opinion, some people will be offended, but as for me, correct me as you see it.

Yes, it is rude. Especially because we have the ability ot send a fellow hubber a personal message.

Yes. I think the comments would be a bad place to point out errors (which are easily fixed. Not sure comments can be deleted.) I would rather someone sent a privage message or email to point out errors of that type.

This is a site dedicated to articles written in English, as such, I expect them to be written by people with a reasonable command of the English language. I'm not sure that it is rude to point out spelling and grammar mistakes; however, I believe that it is rude for people who have a poor command of the English language to make entries on here.

We all make errors of spelling and grammar, but there is a difference to those errors and the errors of those who don't have the first idea of how to construct an English sentence.

It must also be remembered, that by pointing out errors in spelling and sentence construction, etc, it is providing a service to those who have a poor command of English.

I am happy for people to point out my howlers, providing they are not the things found in the differences of spelling, sentence and grammar usage between England, and other countries that have English as a first language; that way leads to chaos.

I wouldn't bother. I've noticed that many of the writers seldom choose to use the spell check offered and as for grammar, well it is what it is.

While most authors welcome constructive criticism and information about how to improve the quality of their work, it's best to address those comments in a private setting. My suggestion is actually to avoid it altogether, unless the feedback is solicited by the author. Some hubbers want to write, but they don't want to be writers.

I think the content of their hub should help you make the determination about which group they fall into. If the desire is just to write as a means of expressing themselves, leave it alone. They're concerned about content, not mechanics.

If the desire is to actually become a professional author of some kind, both content and mechanics need to be considered. Those individuals, in my opinion, would welcome the feedback. Just keep in mind - a typo is not a grammatical error.It's a typo, and sometimes we type faster than we think, and it just happens.

Kinda like "will written. " Great question! Thanks for letting me answer.

I would say yeah, kind of if you do it in the comments, but you can also send the author a private email from their profile page, which... at least to me, would be greatly appreciated.

If you leave a positive comment regarding the content itself, I doubt anyone would mind if you left a side note pointing out a spelling or grammar mistake.

My impression of HubPages is that community feedback and constructive criticism are the very spirit of this place. When I joined and started to learn about this site, it seemed a given that people would do that for each other.

I would welcome that sort of input on my hubs.

You could point it out if it becomes a hindrance to follow the hub's contents. English is not everyone's native language and they may not appreciate your comments if that is all you comment about. However if you like the hub, you can comment that the hub is good but you can politely suggest to work on spelling and grammar.It all depends on the way you say it.

I don't know if it is rude, but it might cause someone to stop writing or feel very self-conscious about publishing hubs. A private note might be a good way to go.

On the other hand if the person writing the hubs wants to publish professionally, they need to develop a tough skin but editors can be merciless.

I had a similar situation. I worked for a therapist with a Masters Degree who had the poorest grammar on the planet. When you hear her use the word facade and pronoun if fa cade (as in rhymes with made) it is hard not to correct it.

Many times I literally had to bite my tongue. She was very good natured about it, but I was likely out of line. My concern though was that she was a professional and if she wanted to appear that way, she needed to improve her grammar.

It would follow that if someone here wants to write professionally, they should be able to take the criticism.

I hub hop a lot, and I find some really glaring errors in spelling and grammar. I try to be gentle, let the writer know I am being constructive and then I point directly to the problem and offer a correction. I don't just tell them they are an idiot who can't spell and go back to the corner until they can do better.

I saw one article by a young woman who was trying to tell a specific story to help other young people. I liked the message, but I told her that her errors distracted from her message. I tried to encourage her to keep writing and learn from her mistakes.

I think all hubbers can appreciate positive feedback even when it points out problems with their writing. I appreciate it.

I wouldn't find it insulting myself but some people have an ego that bruises easily. A private message pointing out the mistakes and their location within the hub, would be more than enough to set them straight.

As for people not having English as their first language, they should be very grateful if someone is taking the time to correct them. I know that writing in English is a steep learning curve but I seem to have done ok with a bit of perseverance (English is my third language). I still write 'howlers' especially with my syntax but I'm getting better, I guess.

I would rather have someone curteously point them out to me than discover them later for myself and feel like an idiot. I try to be careful when it comes to grammar and spelling but everyone makes mistakes. The only way to improve is to accept constructive criticism.

I make spelling mistakes all the time but I do not see why another hubber would point them out to you.

Personally, I think it depends on the hub. If I'm just sounding off I don't really care what errors may be found in my writing. If I present fiction on here I do so to gain feedback.At that point it is appropriate to correct my grammar.

I don't often feel the need to condemn another hubber because of their poor grammar. I'm too busy trying to write. I'll give those who ask for opinions an honest but polite email.

Personally it is my opinion that it varies. Some times the grammar and spelling mistakes are placed on purpose by the author. Other times they may just be simple errors that were overlooked by the author.

And remember even the most grammar correct individual can still mis spell a word or two accidentally and no one is perfect.

So yes its fine to correct the obvious but its also better to ask if the person meant to or too for example, but be kind about it.

Not only would I welcome these comments, but I wish I had more of them. I don't think it is rude at all, and since there is a tiny little "edit" button, I think that this kind of feedback is a benefit for the Hub.

Furthermore, for someone who is not that comfortable with english (it could be his second language) it is a nice learning opportunity.

I wouldn't mind. Mine are mostly typos and not actual spelling errors. Having cats around adds spice to typing up hubs!LOL.

I would say that these type of errors and mistakes must not be pointed out in open public and can preferably be done through a personal humble message.Thanks.

F. Scott Fitzgerald was famous for his poor spelling, but he told a good story. A good story is the important bit.

However, when I see writing with spelling errors, poor sentence structure and such, that tells me that writer does not spend a whole lot of time reading. Which brings the question: if a person does not read, how can they expect to write well?

I think it is the way you point out the error, if someone is on here to improve their language or their writing skills a little bit of praise works for everyone.

It is very easy to comment and complain but what effect will this bring surely the better way would be to praise and support.

Think about the results of your actions if you post a sarcastic comment. For some people to sit down and write is a challenge do not make it harder for them with practise they will get better.

It allows us to improve the mistakes which other's made in their writings.

If someone points out my mistakes, I thank them.

I wouldn't feel any insult if anyone corrects anything in my hubs. But there is a possibility that other people will be insulted when you point out grammar or spelling mistakes. Besides if the comments have been toggled to appear without confirmation other people will start seeing your correction.

If the writer is showing the hub off to friends or something, that may also add to it. Some mistake ridden hubs are low quality anyway so they are basically doomed hubs. I wouldn't bother myself or the writer to correct anything in such hubs.

But if it's a real good hub with some great chance to make success and a blatant mistake is making it look back, I would warn the writer in a comment. That would be worth it.

Then again, I strongly suspect that some non-speakers of English are using google translations to produce hubs. Perhaps we should be a bit harsh with such people.

Of course it's rude. Also like I said in another answer make sure your own house is in order before you go knocking other people.

I think its good to notify the hubbers of their mistakes and most will thank you for that. But don't do it in public. This could be done by sending a private message or email.

Most hubbers don't like to be notified in their comment box.

It's not rude if you do it in a nice way. The method I've seen in use (effectively) is someone saying something about the hub content first e.g. Congratulating the hubber on a well-written piece, or giving some opinion, and then as a P.S.Adding the mistakes at the end of the comment.

Well in my case I appreciate criticism. I think one should always look forward for improvement and when comes to any language there will always be enough room for it.

I think that it varies from writer to writer. I would appreciate anyone who point out any grammatical or any other mistakes in my hubs but it is probably not the case with all of the hubbers.

No. How a person respond to your pointing out grammar / spelling mistakes to improve the hub is on that person. At least you do care and do not stop caring because of some negative feedback that you might get.

Just keep on keeping on.

In my opinion, it would be rude. Anyone publishing a hub should carefully proofread it before hitting publish. However, it is not always easy to proofread your own writing so have someone else you know read it.

Even if these mistakes are found after publication, you can still go back and edit. I have had to do this several times.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.