This morning's Grammar in Real Estate Marketing post comes to you thanks to a suggestion from Palm Beach Home Stager, Kathy Streib.
We shared some "words and grammar" pet peeves on the phone this morning, and she mentioned that the misuse of advice and advise is an error we see on Active Rain far too often. She said "Write about it," so here I am.
If you learned the difference between nouns and verbs when you were back in grammar school, this one is pretty simple.
All you have to do is remember:
Advice is a noun. It's something you can say or something you can write down, as in instructions.
Advise is a verb. It's something you do.
When your broker advises you he or she is giving you advice.
Because advise is a verb, it can have suffixes, such as d (I advised my client to think carefully about the terms of this offer.), ing (The weather service is advising motorists to stay off the roads this afternoon.)
When you add er or or, the verb "advise" then becomes a noun signifying one who advises: er (adviser), or (advisor). Both are correct, by the way, so use the one you prefer.
When someone comes to you for advice - and you advise them - you become their advisor. (As you can see, I prefer "or.")
Some words, such as run, talk, and even chair are used both as nouns and as verbs, but advice is always a noun and advise is always a verb .
Thus, you can advise a client and you can give him advice. You can't give him advise (verb), but you can become his advisor (noun).
Comments (20)Subscribe to CommentsComment