- Relax and enjoy Florida at it’s finest in this one-of-a kind amazing home.
Ick. It’s its, not it’s; the last hyphen is missing in “one-of-a-kind”; and “amazing” and “one-of-a-kind” are coordinate nouns and so need a comma between them.
2. Its a combination of hardware and software.
Double ick. Its is the possessive of it, and it’s is the contraction of it is or it has. This was flagged by Word as worthy of a second look, and only a fool totally ignores Word. Ahem.
3. Clark Construction Group’s seismic renovations help Ventura County Medical Center ensures facility will stand up to quakes.
Excuse me? How about “ensure its”? That’s the only way this makes sense. Sloppy.
4. Your team is paramount in ensuring your business run as efficiently as possible.
Your business runs.
5. For those writers willing to commit to a regular weekly piece of content, we offer the perk of being featured on the Contributor Sidebar of our blog home page.
Homepage is one word. Perk, smerk.
6. We simply require that all writers commit to write with some sort of frequency and that all articles are submitted to our editor by noon they day before they’re set to be published.
So, you “simply require”? How ’bout editing your own writing you pompous so-and-so?
7. Regardless, our goal is to provide each individual with the resources and support they need to find their own success — whether that’s quitting a job to invest or simply creating additional passive income.
“Each individual” is singular, and so can’t have a plural pronoun.
8. I am the Founder and CEO of XYZ. I created this site in 2004 to create a place where investors could learn, network, market and make deals in a safe online environment..
Well, Mr. Founder, why are there two periods at the end of this sentence, and why did you use “created” and “create” in one sentence? Yuck.
9. I’ve been interviewed, quoted, and referenced by top media outlets including: The Los Angeles Times, Newsday, CBS News Radio, The Chicago Tribune, Orlando Sentinel, US News & World Report, and more.
So you say. Never put a colon after includes, include, or included. Plus, where are your italics on those titles? Plus, let’s all get out of the habit of using “including” plus “and more” or “to name a few,” or whatever. “Including” has already alerted your reader that you aren’t listing every little thing.
10. Additionally, some of my articles from the XYZ blog can be found syndicated on Reuters, Fox Business News, Chicago Sun-Times, etc..
Oh, yeah? If you’re so smart, how come you’ve got two periods at the end of (another) sentence?
11. With financial barriers removed now that you have plenty of available credit from the previous day’s exercise you’ll be encouraged to sign up for the advanced course where you’ll supposedly learn everything you need to know to get rich in real estate.
Gee, let’s sprinkle in a few commas into this impenetrable mess.
12. Unfortunately, the guru you were so excited to see probably won’t even be there because these extras are usually coordinated by their other students.
“The guru” is singular, while “they” is plural; no can do, my friends.
13. Before signing up for any course take 5 minutes to Google the guru and get both positive and negative feedback so you can make an informed decision.
“Google the guru”? What a joke. And, again, a comma or two is desperately needed in this awful prose.
14. When was the last time you showed a coworker, employee, referral partner, or investor how grateful you were for their help?
Here’s the deal here: When you have items joined by “or,” the last noun dictates the form of the verb and any subsequent pronouns. “Investor” is singular, so you’ve got to use “his or her,” or pluralize the whole thing.
15. This area is also very equestrian Friendly and many of the homes have beautiful staples and hangers.
Told you real estate professionals can’t write! Um, it’s “stables.” And, you hang dresses on hangers, but planes go in “hangars.” Plus, why in the world is “Friendly” capitalized? Last time I looked, it’s not a proper noun.
16. Explain what the member will learn from your presentation – why should they come to your presentation?
“Member.” One member. Singular. “They” is a plural pronoun. Boo!
17. These small cardboard boxes have been distributed Sunday School.
Well, I suppose a case could be made that “Sunday School” is a proper noun phrase. I still don’t like it.
18. Finally, even though a new member is still developing their relationships in the chapter, they still have a whole network behind them!
“New member”—singular. “Their,” “they,” and “them” (they hit ’em all, didn’t they?!) are plural pronouns. Hiss!!
19. Once a pattern is identified as a problem, practitioners must now breakdown that pattern to find the root cause of the dysfunction.
Huge mistake. “Breakdown” is the noun; “break down” is the verb.
20. Please call us at 1-888-874-2004 Monday through Friday from 7:30 am to 4:30 PM PST.
This is a style mistake. You can’t use “am” (wrong on all counts), though you can use “PM,” but you sure can’t use them both in the same content.
21. Player’s are more powerful, more athletic and better equipped at an earlier age to perform at the highest levels while older players are extending their careers at incredibly high performance levels.
An ugly sentence all around, but the real glaring mistake is to try to create a plural with an apostrophe + “s.” There are three times you can do that, and this ain’t one of them. (Does anyone remember the three times?)
22. On the Miami-Dade PD range, run by range master, Steve Mesa, the cast of Miami Vice is taught weapon handling and shooting by Mesa and Mick Gould.
I would rewrite this sentence, but, at a minimum, “Steve Mesa” is not, not, not parenthetical information, so that first comma in front of his name is wrong.
Bonus: What’s the #1 misspelled word in the Sarasota, Florida, Multiple Listing Service (MLS)?
Easy. It’s compliment. You see sentences like “The cabinets compliment the countertops” all the time.
The way I remember the difference between the two is that the one with “I” in the middle is “‘I’ compliment you.”
The one with the “e” in the middle is to “complete”—notice that last “e.” Whatever it takes!
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