Is this the worst ad?

Is this the worst ad ever for freelance work? How many mistakes can you spot?

The ad
I am a British born freelance writer , In need of work writing for your needs. I have worked with articles , blogs and content creation for websites. I have an excellent conduct of the English language , with the capacity to write on any subject .

Please Email offers for jobs to ——–@yahoo.ca

I reply promptly and often deliver work within 24 hours

Payments by paypal only !

Mistakes

Apart from the strange spacing:
I am a British born freelance writer , In need of work
excellent conduct of the English language , with
Payments by paypal only !

there are some vocabulary mistakes:
I have an excellent conduct of the English language (should be "I have an excellent command…")
… need of work writing for your needs ("in need of writing work" perhaps, although saying you need work makes you sound desperate!)

and there are some punctuation mistakes:
I am a British born freelance writer , In need ("in need")
Please Email offers ("please email")
I reply promptly and often deliver work within 24 hours (needs a full stop at the end)

If the writer had used even a spell check, many of these mistakes could have been omitted. Some tips for avoiding mistakes (for native speakers of English as well as non-native speakers of English):

- proofread what you write
- use the spell check and grammar check on your PC
- get a friend to read what you write
- check the punctuation (capital letters, commas, full stops etc)
- look for your areas of weakness when you proofread

See also our article on how to avoid native speaker mistakes.