I've been apartment hunting for the past two weeks, scouring the mines of craigslist for a not-too-expensive diamond in the rough.
Most ads, I read. Other ads, I dismiss right away.
It took me about seventy ads to realize why I was dismissing the ones I dismissed: horrible writing.
That's right. Atrocious spelling ("Hear is the apartment summery"), weird grammar (someone stuck an apostrophe into "were," as in: "The apartments we're furnished and these chairs we're part of a set"), and no-no's like lolspeak.
Yes, I realize that with the advent of Facebook and Twitter, writing on the Internet has become much more casual. Yes, I realize that mistakes happen even with proofreading.
But for Pete's sake, these people want to rent out apartments, don't they? Would it kill them to sound somewhat professional and do a couple extra rounds of editing?
A series of blurry photos depicting a weed-ridden garden at night, followed by the sentence "PLS CALL STU AND I B4 U COME SEE OK, HEAT N HOT-H20 INCLUDID" does not bring the words "Home sweet home" to mind.
What do you think? What frighteningly bad ads have you come across? Would you make up your mind on a house or apartment based on the written quality of the ad?
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28 comments:
Grammar is changing dramatically these days. All I have to do is go back and read Heart of Darkness" (which I did yesterday) and I see how far we've come. Oh well. Hope you find a good place!
I agree. Failing to meet a certain minimum standard of writing is a piece of information that might reflect on the quality of the person who wrote the ad as a landlord. Now, in my experience, sometimes the problem is that the landlord's first language is not English, and in that case, they may be a fine landlord after all (or not). But when reading an ad, that tends to come across differently than someone who is obviously a native English speaker but cannot write a single coherent sentence. It doesn't have to be a well-written ad, but if their writing is incredibly sloppy, how will their property management skills be? I have and do discriminate that way...unless the apartment looks really awesome! (I'd still be wary, though.)
Haha, yep a bitofa peeve innit? ;o)
I can't think of any ads right now but I'm sure there are plenty, especially here in Greece. English translations on menus are rotten. Lamp in lemon sause, for one :o)
First off, love your post title :)
I'm with you on this one...I'm not a fan of the slang speak you find on the Net - and my kids drive me crazy with it. I totally understand the occasional typo..but how I wish we'd go back to writing out words in their proper manner and style.
I totally make judgments based upon sloppily written stuff, which is completely ironic since I am the queen of the typo.
Shelley
LOL! Having just come off the house hunt myself, . . . Man are you right! Do first impressions mean nothing anymore? Totally made judgments based on writing.
And seriously, I found that bad writing was often an indication of fraud. Can't believe how many scams I found on Craigslist.
I agree 100% with Shelley!! I am also a terrible typist. I end up correcting multiple errors on almost every blog post AFTER I've posted it...and yet I do make judgements based on sloppy grammar especially.
Yes. I'm super judgemental on that. Good luck finding something decent.
Even more than the grammar, I wonder if it's the choice of words used to describe the apartments that puts you off. You're looking for home, and they are looking for rent. "Charming courtyard, hardwood floors and quiet neighborhood" would probably draw you right in.
I know exactly what you mean. It drives me crazy when I see people making the simplest mistakes with their grammar. It's not just the teens, I see it all the time on facebook from the adults. And don't even get me started on the texting;)
P.S. There's an award for you at my blog!
Totally know what you're saying. In a professional environment I want something better than bad grammar or twitterspeak. Though...I'm such a hashtag nerd, I might HAVE to tour an apartment that had a hashtag in the listing. :)
Even if it takes me 10 times longer to text, I always spell everything out and use punctuation. Just a common courtesy. :-)
I'm very judgmental about ads--if you can't be bothered to make it professional, then don't expect my business!
Oh, ads that include netspeak annoy me to no ends, because it's actually harder to read, really.
But, truth to be told, I was a little impressed with the "H2O" in the last ad. :D
I see typos like that all the time.
And my wife can testify that chivalry is not dead!
I get irritatated by this sort of thing from people, until I read some Old English text or other, and realise that it is simply part of our drift back towards those grammar optional days.
These kinds of things drive me batty too. Jay Leno's Headlines segment always cracks me up and makes me sad at the same time. :)
This must be a female thing, because I don't notice the grammar AT ALL in ads. Does it have what I want for the right price? End of story. Just because they can't spell doesn't mean that used Wee (Wii) isn't a good deal. :)
I totally judge people based on their grammar and spelling. I remember reading a friend's online dating messages and telling them to reject all of those who couldn't use proper grammar or spelling. It's not even lazy, it's sloppy.
I have to admit that I would probably dismiss adds with errors like that. Glaring errors like those do not inspire faith! LOL! :-)
I totally agree. I just wouldn’t trust renting from anyone who couldn’t communicate. Not that I’m perfect (yet) mind you.
Grammatical errors totally turn me off. It's just sloppy, and if they're sloppy about that, what else are they sloppy about? Really, it's not that hard to differentiate between "were" and "we're."
I catch spelling and grammar errors all over- the teacher and writer in me can't help it. And they drive me banana bonkers!
NO! I would NOT rent an apartment with lines like that!
Your blog backround is beautiful and I LOVE this blog title. Ha Ha. Very funny. I'm quivering right now. Grammar scares me.
I have an award for you on my blog. =D
Have to admit if the advertisement or any business cards or flyers I'm given have obviously attrocious errors in them I tend to give that business the flick.
Thanks for sharing the great cartoon.
Aubrie: It's true! I heard some rumors that "irregardless" is becoming a word in the English language. Interesting development... and thank you, I did find a good place :)
Lt. Cccyxx: EXACTLY. Honestly, I don't want someone who can't string together a coherent sentence to run the management of my home. If they can't take the time to capitalize the first letter of each sentence and use periods and commas, I don't want to find out whether they'll take the time to fix an appliance for me.
Allomorph: Hahaha but those are understandable :) It's a peeve to me when native English speakers can't write their own language.
Jaydee: I agree with you. While I love the convenience of the Internet, I'd love to get a long handwritten letter once in a while :) I'm being sort of hypocritical because I only write stories on the computer, but still, I try to write properly.
Shelley: I'm sure you aren't the queen of the typo :) Everyone makes typos. Most people forgo the editing part, and you do plenty of that!
Janet: HAHA it's amazing, the frauds you can find on craigslist! It would be one heck of a tricky scam if everything were perfectly spelled with correct grammar - it would look so much more legitimate! Good luck with your house hunt :)
Laurel: Yep but the difference is that you care and you go back and edit! :) We as writers would be horrified to send a rough draft into the world without rereading and fixing it first.
Mary: Thank you, I got lucky and did find a good place :)
Tricia: True! There are some great keywords that can be put to good use in a housing ad, although they may have alternate meanings (i.e. cozy = tiny).
Melissa: Facebook KILLS me. If I could have a dollar for every time I saw someone caption a photo "So-and-so and I," I'd be a freaking billionaire :) It's like, NO! Please take out "So-and-so" and would you label a picture of yourself "I"? Grrr!
Aubrie: Woooo thanks for the award darling!
Shannon: Bad grammar and spelling, faux pas. Hashtag, though... that's pretty darn cool! :)
Summer: I'm so with you on that! I want to deal with a professional person who takes the time to write a clean ad.
Sandy: HA I had the same thought on the H20! Maybe they thought it was a cool slang way of saying "water"...
Wendy: Oh no!!! HAHA what a horrible experience that must have been. I don't blame you for pointing it out (I'd do the same thing if I were close to her) but it must have been really embarrassing for you both.
Alex: So do I! And I definitely do not say chivalry is dead because it isn't :)
Stu: Sort of like how people age and revert back to their childhood? :) I've never been brave enough to try to read old English!
Jemi: Some of those headlines are hilarious, but they do make you wonder, don't they? Shouldn't journalists be people who know how to write?
DL: Hahaha, see, but a Wii is different. With an apartment you are stuck with the ad writer for an extended amount of time, while with the Wii, you can hand them fifty bucks and say, "The correct spelling of cash is with a 'c' not a 'k'" and be done with it. :)
Jenn: YES. Horrible writing denotes sloppiness, and a sloppy writer may not be an ideal date!
Shannon: So true! I scan and run!
Holly: Neither am I and I don't expect perfection, for sure! But good communication skills legitimizes the offer to me :)
Susan: I totally agree. They could be the most trustworthy, nicest people ever, but the ad is the first impression and if it's bad, I'm not going to waste my time pursuing it :)
Stephanie: Same here! Saw the last spelling error on a tub of Bath and Body Works body butter. (Butterlfy instead of Butterfly!)
Sierra: HAHA! Stand your ground, Sierra!
RaShelle: Thank you so much and welcome to my blog :) Grammar is a scary thing. I think writers should be more feared because we wield its power ;)
cassandrajade: I don't blame you one bit! I'd do the same. Professionalism is all about good communication and caring enough to write something correctly.
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