Content writers don’t care about word choice. Not ultimately. It’s up to the editor, perhaps their boss, or maybe the client who makes the final decision on words and word usage. That’s why assessment tests with difficult grammar problems make no sense.
As I’ve stated previously, recasting a sentence is far, far easier (internal link) than looking for a possible answer on the web. Unless you are revising, proofreading, or editing for a print book, and you have an extremely fussy author, then your choices go.
This means that difficult grammar questions are resolved by the editor and not by the writer. Yet assessment tests ask the writer to act as an editor. Not their job.
The content creator’s job is to submit a polished, well-researched piece as grammatically correct as possible given the writers’ workload, word count, deadline, and pay. The editor cleans up what is submitted.
The only time I get questioned on my writing is for clarity. An online or print editor may ask, “Do I understand this correctly?” or “Can you please rewrite this paragraph to make it clearer?”
I have never received a question on whether a colon or a semi-colon should be used, nor asked if I am okay with an editor’s revisions. I rarely get proofs to review, certainly not in the online writing world.
The freelance contract writer has a subject and a word count. If they really botch the job, an editor may ask for a rewrite. They won’t ask for a writer’s opinion on revisions and the freelancer probably doesn’t care. They just want the next job and a check. That’s the real world.
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