Quick Grammar Guide
I'm mainly posting this here so that I can link to it in various places, rather than just linking to my post in the BZPRPG General Discussion Topic as I did before.
So, without further ado, I present to you a Quick Grammar Guide of sorts, written by your very own Toa Velox:
The most common mistake I see is the use of There, Their, and They're. Below I will write how each one is to be used, and an example:
There: "There" is used to describe a place. I want to go over there.
Their: "Their" is possessive, just like "mine", except used when you are talking about another person. Can I play with their ball?
They're: "They're" is a shortened form of "They are" -- a contraction. They're very annoying, aren't they?
Your and you're are also a very common mistake made.
Your is used as possessive. Your car.
You're is the shortened form of "You are" -- another contraction. You're going to the store, aren't you?
Apostrophes ['] are used for possessive things, as well as contractions [Can't, they're, won't, etc]. For example, you could say "Give me Velox's sword." The sword belongs to me, so you put 's [in most cases].
When you are listing something plural, you do not need an apostrophe. [Example: It would be "There are many cars" not "There are many car's]. On that note, sometimes words are changed to "es" instead of just "s", like the plural of "Velox" would be "Veloxes". However, in the plural case, you just add an apostrophe. [Example: "Go steel one of those cars' mirrors." -- "Go steel one of those Veloxes' mirrors."]
It's and Its
It's is a contraction -- the shortened form of "It is". Do you think it's going to rain?
Its is possessive. Gotham needs its true hero. [Dark Knight FTW]
Another contraction that is often used: [Actually, I'm not completely sure if it's a contraction, but whatever =P]
He's: Short for "he is". He's going to the park.
Another common mistake is when someone is speaking. Some examples:
Wrong:
"I think we should go to the park." He said.
Right:
"I think we should go to the park," he said.
Right:
"I think we should go to the park." After saying this, he started walking toward the park.
Right:
He said, "I think we should go to the park."
Right:
He said, "I think we should go to the park." With that said, he started walking toward the park.
In short, if you are saying "he said" after you type the words written [Example: "We should go to the park," he said], then the "he" is left uncapitalized, and there is a comma. If you do not say "he said" but move on with the story [the third example], then there is a period and the next letter is capitalized.
The same thing is with using names. If you say: "I think we should go to the park," Velox said." there is still a comma, but, of course, "Velox is capitalized, as all names/titles [as well as the first letter in each sentence] is always capitalized.
Another thing is when you have a character say something, say "he said", and then have him continue his monologue. Here are a few examples:
Right:
"I think," he said, "that we should go to the park."
Right:
"I think we should go to the park," he said. "It would be good for us to get some exercise."
Wrong:
"I think," he said. "That we should go to the park."
Basically, when you say "he said" in the middle of a sentence, you use commas. [Example #1] If you finish the sentence, put "he said", but still have more monologue to write, then you put a period after the "he said" and capitalize the first letter of the next section [Example #2].
You do not put a period after "he said" when it is in the middle of the sentence [Example #3].
A and An.
A is used before a word that begins with a consonant [any letter that is not a vowel]. Will you please had me a screwdriver?
An is used before a word that begins with a vowel. Will you please hand me an axle?
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I can't really think of anything else right now -- those are just a few things that kind of bug me, but I completely understand that English may not be your main language. Feel free to use this to help you out. ^^ If you think of anything else to add, please send me a PM or post here.
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