Jump to content
  • entries
    189
  • comments
    1,315
  • views
    173,728

Quick Grammar Guide


Velox

422 views

:: mvtv48654.png ::

 

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?

 

---

 

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.

 

velox1.png

3 Comments


Recommended Comments

Velox, you're simply way too awesome. Stop being so cool. :P

 

Anyway, I think that it would be good if you added the fact that an apostrophe is not actually used for the possessive of a name ending in "s". It's a pretty common error, so much so that people actually accept the incorrect form as being correct. For instance, you would say, Cass's, not Cass'. However, the ancient forms of -us/-es names have only an apostrophe added on, not the -'s (e.g., Jesus', Oedipus').

 

I hope I made sense there. :lol:

 

~ BioGaia

Link to comment
Velox, you're simply way too awesome. Stop being so cool. :P

 

Anyway, I think that it would be good if you added the fact that an apostrophe is not actually used for the possessive of a name ending in "s". It's a pretty common error, so much so that people actually accept the incorrect form as being correct. For instance, you would say, Cass's, not Cass'. However, the ancient forms of -us/-es names have only an apostrophe added on, not the -'s (e.g., Jesus', Oedipus').

 

I hope I made sense there. :lol:

 

~ BioGaia

 

Yeah, that made sense. I was going to add that, but I forgot the rules of -us/-es, and I didn't want to say something and not be right. =P [i think it might be vowels get -s, and everything else gets -es, but I wasn't sure] Like, I know Velox, pluralized, wouldn't be Veloxs [and especially not Velox's, as that's pocessive], but rather Veloxes, with the -es. But . . . those examples you gave are possessive, aren't they?

 

velox1.png

Link to comment
Guest
Add a comment...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...