real estate grammar: Not sure whether to say we or us? Use this simple trick.
- 03/21/17 03:51 PM
Just this morning my mail included a message from a fellow copywriter who wanted to sell me a course on Tweeting for leads.
It began with “Nowadays us copywriters are being bombarded with…”
What? Ouch!!
“Nowadays us are?” No, no, no!
“Us” is an object, not a subject – and if she’d just removed the qualifying word “copywriters,” she’d have seen her error in an instant and changed that “us” to “we.”
And that’s the simple trick. Simply remove qualifying words or other people, read the sentence aloud, and you can hear which word belongs.
If you read “Us is being bombarded…” you’d know … (20 comments)
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real estate grammar: Did you write what you meant? The power of a comma.
- 03/18/17 01:17 PM
Have you ever heard of the Oxford Comma? I don’t think I had, until just a few years ago. Before that I used it without knowing its name.
Also known as the serial comma, it is the comma that goes before “and” or “or” in a list of three or more things. For instance, I would use it in a sentence such as “I wish you health, wealth, and happiness.”
Interestingly, the use or non-use of the Oxford comma is a subject of much debate and heated arguments.
The Associated Press Stylebook does not use it. The Chicago Manual of Style does. Publications such as the … (18 comments)
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real estate grammar: Warning – Your participle phrases may be dangling!
- 03/14/17 11:53 AM
What a fancy word! Where I went to high school, I doubt if even the instructors knew what "participle" meant. And now, after reading Grammar Girl, I still can’t give you a clear definition.
But I do know this: If your participle phrases are dangling, you’re confusing – or misleading - your readers. Your writing is not clear and easily understood.
So what the heck am I talking about?
I generally call "dangling participle phrases" by a simpler term: "misplaced modifiers."
They look something like this: “Crouching in fear, the wolf threatened the terrified campers.” And then there's “Meandering down the trail, the birds chirped … (29 comments)
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real estate grammar: Words that confuse...
- 02/10/17 09:14 PM
Words that confuse…
Contrary to what some here in the Rain believe, I DO make mistakes in grammar and/or word usage. A case in point: This week in my Thursday newsletter I wrote about “New School” marketing – a blend of Old School and digital.
I referenced master marketer Barbara Todaro and said that she used her off-line marketing to complement her on-line marketing. But… I spelled complement with an “i” instead of an “e.” Big oops!
There’s a difference.
According to my favorite “go-to” source, Grammar Girl, “A compliment, with an i, is a kind or flattering remark. If a friend says he likes … (8 comments)
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real estate grammar: Write to a person, not to a crowd
- 02/04/17 04:16 PM
How many times have you gotten a letter (or email) from a real estate agent (or any other marketer) that was addressed to “Dear Homeowner?”
If you get many letters, you’ve probably seen several like that.
Then, to make matters worse, the letter will go on to use phrases such as “people like you” or “all of you who…” or even “you guys who…”
All of those phrases clearly show that the person who wrote doesn’t know you – and wasn’t writing to you specifically. He or she was writing to a crowd.
But there’s no crowd opening your mail. There’s only you, even though you … (53 comments)
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real estate grammar: If they won’t read it, why write it?
- 01/29/17 11:57 AM
When you take the time to write – whether it’s a blog post, a prospecting letter, or even a property description – you want people to read it. After that you want them to understand it and be motivated to act.
But the first task is getting them started on the first sentence.
You already know about Rule #1 – Never begin with “I” or “We.” So let’s go on to what I’ll call Rule #2 – Make it look inviting.
That means using a reasonable font size and breaking your paragraphs into small bites. Small print and long paragraphs look like encyclopedia … (46 comments)
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real estate grammar: In Marketing Copy, strive for readability and communication
- 01/14/17 04:22 PM
Readability, communication, and a bit of persuasion must be the goal in writing marketing copy. Without those ingredients, your message will be a waste of time.
Grammar and proper word choice matter, because without them, the message gets confused. Even if your reader figures out that you meant hear when you wrote here, you’ve put up a big stop sign and made the flow of your message disappear.
But… you don’t want to be so proper that your words lose all their flavor. If you pay too much attention to the rules your High School English teacher set down (some of … (33 comments)
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real estate grammar: Is your advice valuable or invaluable?
- 12/08/16 08:13 PM
While working on an agent bio today I wrote the words “invaluable experience,” then wondered if that was correct. After all, the prefix “in” generally means a negative, and I certainly didn’t want to suggest that the experience had no value.
The Internet may drive me crazy sometimes when I’m looking for a specific product, but when it comes to answering a question like that, I love it.
Just in case you’ve wondered the same thing but not taken the time to look it up, I’ll share what I learned.
Invaluable and valuable are almost interchangeable, but there is a subtle … (36 comments)
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real estate grammar: Are you farther away or further away?
- 11/26/16 09:24 PM
Choosing the Proper Word I have a confession to make. As much as I harp about people learning the difference between here and hear, where and were, advice and advise, etc. there are some words that I can’t seem to keep straight.
My usual solution, if I can’t think how to spell a word or which word to use, is to just turn the sentence around and use a completely different word. But sometimes that’s difficult.
It’s always been easy to remember that a person could further their cause or further their education. But when I wanted to say someplace was farther … (10 comments)
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real estate grammar: Are you using words that destroy the meaning of your message?
- 10/17/16 03:44 AM
Just because two words sound alike when spoken doesn’t mean the written word will carry the same meaning, and the wrong word used in a written sentence can throw the whole message off track.
The reader stops, reads it again, and determines what was meant by what was written. By then, the “flow” is gone.
While some readers won’t notice and others will be forgiving, some will dismiss the writer as a person who isn’t very intelligent or who doesn’t pay attention to details. As a professional, you don’t want anyone to have either impression of you.
… (10 comments)
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real estate grammar: Just Between You and Me...
- 08/16/16 04:01 AM
It’s been a while since I wrote a post about word usage, so it must be time.
The subject has been on my mind lately because I’ve been reading Craig’s list every day – hoping to spot “just the right puppy.” One of the ads I see every day is entitled: “Pet setting.”
That one is like fingernails on the blackboard to me. It reminds me of all the people I knew as a child who said things like “Come in and set down.”
Thankfully, I have not yet read of an agent “setting” at an open house.
So many words in … (15 comments)
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real estate grammar: Is it "got" or "gotten?"
- 06/02/16 01:20 PM
Jane Peters asked me to write about the word "gotten," so here goes…
It's not a word I'd thought about, so off I went to Grammar Girl and a few other sites to learn what I could learn.
First, I learned that American, Canadian, and British English uses are not in agreement. Those using British English will use the word "got" where those using American or Canadian English will use "gotten."
Gotten is the past participle form of the word get. It generally (but not always) comes after the words has or have.
Proper use would be:
"I have gotten behind on my … (11 comments)
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real estate grammar: Is Your Real Estate Agent Bio Just a Little Bit Confused?
- 05/27/16 06:59 AM
Is Your Real Estate Agent Bio Just a Little Bit Confused? Quite often when reviewing agent bios I come across a few lines that tell me the writer got “just a little bit confused.”
The bio might start out in 3rd person – talking about the agent. Or it might begin in first person – with the agent talking directly to his or her web visitor.
But somewhere along the way, the writer forgets who they are, and they switch voices. It goes something like this: “Sally Sue has been living in Seattle her entire life, and I’ll be glad to … (31 comments)
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real estate grammar: "Me" is not a subject word!
- 05/27/16 02:40 AM
I know – some folks are looking at this and thinking "Here she goes again, nagging about grammar." At least one is thinking, "Grammar rants don't belong on Active Rain." (I know this, because he told me so.)
But meanwhile, I keep ranting about this subject because there ARE a lot of people who do care about grammar.
They consider bad grammar to be a sign that the speaker/writer lacks education, intelligence, or both. Thus, they want to do business with agents who at least know the basics.
I doubt if any of them care whether an agent knows the proper terminology for every … (34 comments)
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real estate grammar: How NOT to attract expired listings
- 05/05/16 07:30 AM
How not to attract expired listings
After the listing expired on my son's duplex a couple of weeks ago, he got one postcard. As I may have mentioned before, folks around here don't do much prospecting.
Here is what that postcard said:
"We noticed that your property was listed for sale and that listing has recently expired, if you are still interested in selling your property we would love the opportunity to work with you and get that property SOLD give us a call and we can start the process.
Thanks!"
I have copied the punctuation exactly as it appeared on the card. In other … (52 comments)
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real estate grammar: What is WRONG with these sentences?
- 04/19/16 02:38 AM
What is WRONG with these sentences?
Here's a hint: There are two real errors. One is a grammar error, and one is a marketing error. Then, they are all examples of one of my pet peeves.
"Being new to our company website, I wanted to be sure that you are finding the information you want and need." "As a new subscriber to our newsletter, I wanted to check to make sure you're receiving your copies each Monday and Wednesday." "As the newest member of our team, I want to welcome you." Are you ready?
First the grammar error – and I'm not even … (46 comments)
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real estate grammar: Do you want to lose a potential client because you have bad manners?
- 04/13/16 05:46 AM
Do you want to lose a potential client because your blog posts show you have bad manners? Or... do you want to lose a potential client because your blog posts show you don’t know the basic rules of grammar?
I didn’t think so.
I’m being picky again… Sorry, but I do think a potential client might cross an agent off their list for breaking these basic rules of etiquette and grammar.
Every now and then, in a real estate blog post, I see a “manners and grammar” mistake that sets my teeth on edge.
It goes like this: “Me and my clients” … (71 comments)
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real estate grammar: Two words that can damage your professional image
- 04/10/16 04:43 AM
Are you inadvertently using words that play into that ugly picture of a real estate agent being akin to a used car salesman or (shudder) a member of congress?
We all know that real estate sales ranks low in the list of "most trusted" professions. According to a December 2015 Gallup poll, only 20% of the population rates real estate agents' honesty and ethical standards as "very high."
The very bottom of the rung now goes to lobbyists at 7%, then car salesmen, members of congress, and telemarketers at 8%. Nurses, by the way, topped the list of most trusted at 85%.
The agents … (46 comments)
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real estate grammar: When, why, and how to use semicolons
- 08/27/15 02:43 PM
This grammar lesson is by request… and it's a tricky one!
Why use semicolons?
Semicolons are most often used to add variety and flow. You might look at them as cosmetics for your writing. They add variety and allow you to separate related thoughts while incorporating them into one sentence – thus relieving "choppiness."
With the exception of a use I'll explain in a minute, they're used to separate two closely related clauses that could stand on their own as sentences.
For instance:
You would say "The house was completely trashed; Sally doubted that she'd ever find a buyer."
You would not say "The … (48 comments)
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real estate grammar: Which to use: Worse or Worst?
- 07/19/15 05:51 AM
Charita Cadenhead asked, so I went looking for the answer.
The difference between worse and worst, and when to use each:
"Worse" is a comparative word, to be used when you are comparing two things, or comparing one thing to a set of things. Its definition is: "of a lower quality; less attractive, pleasing, etc; more serious or severe."
For instance:
"The flu is worse than a common cold."
"In my opinion, wind is worse than snow or rain."
Worst is a superlative. It is the opposite of best. Its definition is: "worse than all the others; least helpful or skillful; most unfavorable or corrupt."
For instance:
"This … (19 comments)
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Just this morning my mail included a message from a fellow copywriter who wanted to sell me a course on Tweeting for leads.
;)
;)
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