does anyone know how to correct this statement?

by zoobie
18 replies
They are equal to 50 times more controlling than a sprayer connection on a grounds wash and use lots fewer water
Sounds bit funny. Do you reckon?
#correct #statement
  • Profile picture of the author John_S
    No.

    It's complete gibberish. I'd venture a guess but it is far more than a bit funny. It is incomprehensible. This is not a bad headline in the regular sense. The headline isn't merely weak or awkwardly worded. The problem is bad English sentence construction.

    Fire your ESL teacher. Then buy a course on English as a Second Language.

    And then check out this thread.
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  • Profile picture of the author Razarulz
    it really bad english sentence..
    if i try to correct the sentence
    They are equal to 50 times more controlling than a sprayer, connection on a grounds and use fewer water...
    what's it mean "they" ?
    i dun even know it...
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  • Profile picture of the author SamirSM
    They are equal to 50 times more controlling than a sprayer connection on a grounds wash and use lots fewer water


    Corrected Form:

    They offer 50 times greater control than a sprayer connection in washing grounds and use a lot less water.
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    • Profile picture of the author Russell Barnstein
      Originally Posted by indihow View Post

      They are equal to 50 times more controlling than a sprayer connection on a grounds wash and use lots fewer water


      Corrected Form:

      They offer 50 times greater control than a sprayer connection in washing grounds and use a lot less water.
      No, no, no. That's not proper English grammar at all. "50 times GREATER control" Huh? "in washing grounds" What? Who would use a pressure sprayer to wash the ground?

      Non-native English speakers correcting other non-native English speakers isn't a wise idea.

      And either way the sentence is complete crap. Scrap it and start over- get a new writer. Any person who writes like that is just cluttering the internet with bull@#$%.
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  • Profile picture of the author John_S
    Corrected Form
    Possibly, for a statement. Doubtful, for basic communication purposes. (Still don't know what in the heck "it" is well enough to guess what the sprayer might be used for.)

    This is chewed up and spit out like scraper software was applied to a real statement.

    Not corrected enough for a headline in a copywriting forum.
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    • Profile picture of the author Razarulz
      Originally Posted by John_S View Post

      (Still don't know what in the heck "it" is well enough to guess what the sprayer might be used for.)
      Not corrected enough for a headline in a copywriting forum.
      i think like this too for the sentence the word "they" and "it" doesn't contain any meaningful word...
      for such a headline i thinks its imposibble , whos probably want to read such headline like this ?
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  • Profile picture of the author zoobie
    No I hired an article writer which gave me this sentence. They referred to "pressure washers".

    Thanks for indihow your suggestion. I guess that guy is an Indian so you know how to correct this!

    By the way just a side note, I found Google index this site very fast!
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  • Profile picture of the author Rezbi
    Lol!

    I think you need to figure out what he means by "sprayer connection on a grounds wash" first.

    Is he referrring to a grass sprinkler or what?

    Or maybe he means one of these?

    Whisper Wash Ground Force Rotary Surface Cleaner for Pressure Washer and Power Washer

    The first thing anyone needs to do before writing about something is to research the subject.

    You can't just guess at what to write.
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  • Profile picture of the author MsConnie
    I would rewrite the sentence to say...

    "They are 50 times more controlling and use much less water than a sprayer connection on a grounds wash."

    However, I know nothing about pressure washers, sprayer connections or grounds washes, so while the sentence flows better grammatically, the content may or may not be accurate. And I wouldn't dare submit until I did some research to make sure.

    Whomever wrote this either failed to make sure their writing was grammatically correct, or they "spun" something they saw on the Internet without really understanding what they were writing about.
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  • Profile picture of the author SEOFriendlies
    Originally Posted by zoobie View Post

    They are equal to 50 times more controlling than a sprayer connection on a grounds wash and use lots fewer water
    Sounds bit funny. Do you reckon?
    I think that the entire sentence has to be revamped. It should sound like this:

    [Whatever product you're talking about] is so much easier to control - up to 50 times easier compared to [the other thing you're talking about]! On top of that, [your product] saves water; you'll never groan at your utility bills again!

    I can't really help you rephrase the entire sentence. Frankly speaking, no one knows what's the product you're trying to advertise.
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      washing grounds - makes no sense

      ground washing doesn't either


      I think he's trying to say it's more powerful and the spray covers more area - thus saving water....but maybe not. A reader will way "whaaaaat"?
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  • Profile picture of the author SEOFriendlies
    It really sounds like a riddle, albeit from someone whose first language isn't English
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  • Profile picture of the author Cam Connor
    Originally Posted by zoobie View Post

    Sounds bit funny. Do you reckon?
    Hey Zoobie, great question. The statement is wrong at it's base... Though, you're right that it doesn't sound entirely "smooth", you have to remember that the end-users buy benefits not features. So, you would definitely want to say something like:

    "You'll have 50 times the control of a sprayer connection, which means that... (benefit) ... AND, it uses less water than a sprayer, meaning... (benefit)."

    Hope that helps, if you have any questions, just ask, and I'll try to answer them below.
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    • Profile picture of the author rhinocl
      Doesn't matter if Google lists a site like that first in the SERPs when I see a site like that I leave it FAST. And I start thinking that Google should not have listed it there and maybe I should be using Bing (same in reverse if I found it on Bing).
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    • Originally Posted by Cam Connor View Post

      Hey Zoobie, great question. The statement is wrong at it's base... Though, you're right that it doesn't sound entirely "smooth", you have to remember that the end-users buy benefits not features. So, you would definitely want to say something like:

      "You'll have 50 times the control of a sprayer connection, which means that... (benefit) ... AND, it uses less water than a sprayer, meaning... (benefit)."

      Hope that helps, if you have any questions, just ask, and I'll try to answer them below.
      I thought that was the best answer - to a very difficult question.

      Maybe just a slight tweak -


      "You'll have 50 times more control than a sprayer connection, which means that... (benefit) ... AND, it uses less water than a sprayer, meaning... (benefit)."
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  • Profile picture of the author nasuryono
    Is that from a spun content? LOL

    -Andrew
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  • Profile picture of the author Shadowflux
    First off, you need to get your money back from that guy and never hire him again. I'm always amazed at the low quality of content that people will pay for. There is usually a reason why something is so cheap.

    As for your request, I would write it more like this:

    Offering far greater control and using much less water than a common sprayer connection, pressure washers are the ideal solution for keeping your property pristine and beautiful.

    Of course, I'm not sure where this sentence is in the overall content, that might make a difference. The writing should have a different tone and aim if it is the beginning, middle or end of the article.
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