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Pedants' corner

Shall I choose my estate agent based on a punctuation error?

39 replies

milkwasabadchoice · 24/04/2013 13:29

Obviously it's not the only criteria, but the decision has come down to two agents. One has an "it's" on its website that should be an "its".

This seems to have tipped the scales in favour of the other agent.

Is this madness? It seems a bit mad, but if you can't bloody punctuate properly on your website, you are a tad crap, IMHO. What do you think?

OP posts:
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ItsYonliMe · 24/04/2013 13:38

I know it's unreasonable, but I'd be the same. Ignorant EAs.

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Cooroo · 24/04/2013 13:42

You mean 'not the only criterion'? Criteria is plural.

But yes, all things being equal, go with the company who've bothered to get it right!

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MrsOakenshield · 24/04/2013 13:43

I would! Doesn't say much about how they'd present your particulars (as it were).

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NatashaBee · 24/04/2013 13:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ItsYonliMe · 24/04/2013 13:51

Cooroo - nobody uses criterion nowadays (apart from you obviously).

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PseudoBadger · 24/04/2013 13:53

That's the problem with the world ItsYonliMe

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YoothaJoist · 24/04/2013 13:55

I think if that was the only deciding factor, I'd point out the punctuation error and monitor their reaction. If they are mortified and change it immediately - go ahead. If they look at you like you've grown another head, mouths open, gum revolving in a beastlike fashion - go with the other agent.

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milkwasabadchoice · 24/04/2013 14:01

Cooroo I think I love you a little bit. Hope you don't mind.

OP posts:
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ItsYonliMe · 24/04/2013 14:03

Cooroo, do you use criterion? datum?

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Cooroo · 24/04/2013 14:19

Yes, I would say criterion as a singular. Seriously, is that weird? I'm 53... does this explain it? TBH I hadn't consciously noticed people not doing so.

There's another thread about Latin/Greek plurals (in particular 'fora' which I wouldn't use). I'm not slavish about it - datum would sound overly pedantic to me.

This is the Pedants' Corner, otherwise I wouldn't have mentioned it!

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ItsYonliMe · 24/04/2013 14:21

I love hearing words which I wouldn't normally use (and I will try and use criterion from now on).

I'm away to look for the fora thread now!

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Cooroo · 24/04/2013 14:23

Milkwasabadchoice - no I don't mind at all. It is better to be loved a little bit than never to be loved at all!

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Cooroo · 24/04/2013 14:55

Have done a quick survey round the office - no one else says 'criterion'. I'm baffled, really didn't know it had fallen out of use.

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Poledra · 24/04/2013 15:05

I'd say criterion. And always use the plural verb with data - the data are, not the data is! Don't use datum but that's because I rarely talk about one single piece of datum. Wink

And yes, I would rate an estate agency by its written presentation of itself, as it's their written presentation of your house that will get people in to look. DH and I still describe a single-storey house as a 'bunaglow' after the same word appeared in particulars of 2 different houses from one estate agency.

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Mehrida · 24/04/2013 15:14

I would absolutely judge an estate agent on their use of its.

PILs recently put their house on the market. Their estate agent mentioned that their house has two bedroom's.

I nearly passed out.

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GibberTheMonkey · 24/04/2013 15:15

If its not the only one then it's plural surely?
I love mn. I have learned more grammar on here than I ever did at school.

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dotty2 · 24/04/2013 15:19

I ruled out a school on the grounds of it having a sign up saying 'when you've done something wrong, say your sorry'.

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dotty2 · 24/04/2013 15:20

oops - if I'm in pedants' corner, I suppose that should be 'its having a sign up'. Save the gerund!

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Mehrida · 24/04/2013 15:26

Gibber are you asking about the bedroom's?

It just shouldn't have an apostrophe in there.

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Shodan · 24/04/2013 15:27

I'd think the same as you, OP.

In fact I stopped frequenting a bakery that restyled itself as a 'pattisserie' for the same reason- if they couldn't get their sign right, who knew what they might be getting wrong in their baking?

Tsk.

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UniqueAndAmazing · 24/04/2013 15:28

of course people use criterion these days.
Hmm

I used it yesterday (twice!)

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UniqueAndAmazing · 24/04/2013 15:29

datum - of course that's in use too - except it's not normally used, because you usually have more than one.

you don't normally have one datum, you normally have several data.

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FunnysInLaJardin · 24/04/2013 15:33

I would chose my agent on the basis of whether I liked them and thought they would sell my house tbh, not whether they used it's or its

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UniqueAndAmazing · 24/04/2013 15:35

and i think that internet forums is the acceptable (like mouses in computer speak rather than mice), but fora for all other areas of life. same as stadia etc.

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Cooroo · 24/04/2013 15:45

LOL at bunaglows.

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