Welcome to the feedback hub
This is a prototype for testing an online feedback system for students. All data entered into this demo (including uploaded files) will be permanently deleted on 3rd March 2025.
Who this service is for
+ Students looking for feedback on essays, coursework, or creative writing
+ Students (national or international) looking for proofreading help
You will need
+ A digital copy of your work
+ A functioning email address (we will send your feedback here)
How does this service work?
Our service follows a three step model:
Your uploaded essays or creative work are handed to a language analysis tool trained to doctoral level in the related subject or module. This is like handing a piece of creative writing to Harold Bloom, or an essay on linguistics to David Crystal.
A dedicated education professional analyses and fine-tunes the subsequent output to better meet your bespoke requirements. This is like having your feedback peer-reviewed before it’s sent to you.
That same professional arranges your feedback in an easy-to-read way and emails it to you, and then deletes all the information you’ve given us from the system.
Here’s a short example
Student’s work:
Grice's Maxims are fundamental principles that guide effective communication. They include four maxims: Quality, Quantity, Relation, and Manner. The Maxim of Quality suggests speakers should provide truful information and avoid falsehoods. Quantity involves giving the right amount of information—not too much or too little. Relation, or Relevance, advises that what is said should be relevant to the discussion. Lastly, Manner suggests clarity and orderliness in communication. Interestingly, Grice also proposed a fifth maxim, the Maxim of Generosity, which emphasizes the importance of considering others' feelings, though this is often overlooked. These principles help ensure clear and cooperative interaction.
Feedback from us:
Thank you for sharing this piece. It is a commendable attempt at summarising Grice's Maxims, which indeed form a cornerstone of pragmatics and the study of conversational implicature. However, there are a few points where the essay could be refined and expanded to enhance clarity and accuracy.
First, let us address the factual inaccuracy concerning the "Maxim of Generosity." Grice's original framework includes only four maxims: Quality, Quantity, Relation (often referred to as Relevance), and Manner. The mention of a fifth maxim, "Generosity," is incorrect. Grice did not propose this. The concept of generosity might be more aligned with politeness theories, such as those proposed by Brown and Levinson, rather than Grice’s Cooperative Principle. It would be beneficial to correct this to avoid any confusion.
Furthermore, while the essay succinctly outlines the maxims, it could benefit from a deeper exploration of how these principles function in real-world communication. For instance, you might consider including examples of how speakers might flout these maxims to create conversational implicatures, thereby enriching the discussion. Such examples would not only illustrate the maxims' practical application but also demonstrate their limitations and the nuances involved in everyday communication.
In terms of language and style, there are a few minor corrections needed:
"truful" should be corrected to "truthful."
Consider rephrasing "Lastly, Manner suggests clarity and orderliness in communication" to "Lastly, the Maxim of Manner advises speakers to be clear and orderly in their communication."
For further reading, I recommend delving into Grice's original work, "Logic and Conversation," as well as exploring the broader implications of his maxims in "Studies in the Way of Words." Also, looking into politeness theory by Brown and Levinson might provide a richer context for understanding how conversational implicatures function alongside considerations of politeness and face.