Grammar Help

[VidelCoolGirl]

I see in a lot of the RPGs, that a big problem is peoples inability to use complete sentences, spell correctly, and use proper punctuation. Since all of those things are necessary for a successful RPG, I've decided to post some sites to help with these skills, so you can RPG to your fullest extent. If you don't, you will have to spend 15 minutes alone with Prons. You will never be the same.


GrammarNOW! (http://www.grammarnow.com/)
Guide to Grammar and Style (http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/)
Houghton Mifflin's Grammar and Writing Site (http://www.eduplace.com/kids/hme/k_5/index.html)
Dr. Grammar FAQ's (http://www.drgrammar.org/faqs/)
Onluine Resources For Writers (http://wwwold.ccc.commnet.edu/writing/writing.htm)
Sentence Sense (http://wwwold.ccc.commnet.edu/sensen/)
Penistone Grammar:::Links To Resources (http://www.school-portal.co.uk/GroupHomepage.asp?GroupId=16337)


Quick Writing Tips:

1) Start each sentence with a capital letter and end with a period.
2) Always capitalize the letter I when talking about yourself.
3) Put commas (,) when needed.
4) When the subject in your post changes, make a new paragraph, not a new post.
5) When a person is speaking, make sure to put what they're saying in quotation marks. ("") Remember, punctuation goes inside the mark, like so; (.")

Also, a handy dandy tool for spell checks is upgrading to Firefox, or if you have it, the latest edition. It has a spell checker built in, so you can right click right in the Reply Box.

I'll leave this thread open however for anyone who might have questions on anything English related, or if they have a link I should put in the list. Thanks. I'm sure Prons would be more than happy to help.

[The Million Dollar Prons]

Remember kids, in RPG formatting matters!

Indent your paragraphs, as seen here, by putting two or three spaces in front of the first sentence of the paragraph. Also be sure to study your grammar, because if you want to create some regal royal character it will ruin THE MOOD if you say "Me and her," instead of "Her and I."

Also remember length matters, the more words and descriptions equals a lavish Role Playing experience! Try to make at least a paragraph reply, otherwise your RPartners will lose interest.

Have fun, you crazy kids and your "Role Playing."

[blackknight]

I would kiss you, Videl, if doing so would not get me arrested for sexual harrasment.

A victory for Grammer Nazis everyvere! SIG HEIL!! Today, ze RPG forum. Tommorow, ZE VORLD!!

Seriously though, I thank you for posting this, from the bottom of my heart. It drives me nuts when people completely ignore basic English. English was never my favorite subject in school, but as I have grown older, and perhaps a bit wiser, I see the need for it.

[VidelCoolGirl]

Glad I could help. I tell ya, its hard to Mod when you come across so many RPG's where you can't even understand what they're saying. Remember, if you have any extra tips or questions, go ahead and post them here, and I'll be happy to help.

[Sixteen]

I do have a question but not really a grammer question (Sorry I cheat and use Microsoft word when creating a RPG. Thus normally it looks pretty good.) However my question is more to this point. I have been a loyal supporter of the RPG forum for quite some time. Having created various RPGs through my time here and seen some take off, others fall flat on their faces and never had a chance. Still.... I do not complain, but what I want to ask is this... Should we have a certain standard for the way the mechanics of the RPGs work? Perhaps have links where you can go have virtual dice roll and use the old traditional Dungons and Dragons system? I ask because I've noticed in a lot of RPGs there seems to be a huge confusion factor. People will have their characters attack or be attacked. And are uncertain of what was suppose to happen? Having a certain standard on how damage both on the characters and those that they attack may help to reduce this confusion a little. It is something that I have suggested way back when there was litterly hundreds of people flooding the anime nation forums.

[superplough]

This is the best thread I've ever seen, and should be applied to the whole forum rather than just the RPG section. *links to in sig* Cheers Videl.

[Gibb]

Some things that get my goat:

There, They're, Their, Your, You're, Its, It's:

Please use these words properly! Here are some examples:

"Bob and Jim are having a party. Jeff went to their house."
"Why is Sally's toy in the trash? Who put it there?"
"If you're looking for Alex and Randall, they're at Mike's house."
"Is that your cat? It's so cute! What is its name?"

[Mikadzuki Tatsu]

Also, a handy dandy tool for spell checks is upgrading to Firefox, or if you have it, the latest edition. It has a spell checker built in, so you can right click right in the Reply Box.
You can also download a spellchecker for Internet Explorer. All you have to do is click on the spellchecker in the reply window (the check mark with the "ABC" above it), and a window will pop up giving you an option to download ieSpell. ieSpell can also be downloaded from http://www.iespell.com.

I also have another Quick Writing Tip to add:

Avoid run-on sentences! Sentences that run together and are only separated by commas - or, worse, not separated by any punctuation at all - are often hard to comprehend. It's no fun trying to "decipher" a run-on sentence that lacks any sort of punctuation or makes excessive use of commas.

[superplough]

Avoid run-on sentences! Sentences that run together and are only separated by commas - or, worse, not separated by any punctuation at all - are often hard to comprehend. It's no fun trying to "decipher" a run-on sentence that lacks any sort of punctuation or makes excessive use of commas.

Prime example:

i would try a suncost store that were i get my anime dvds at but if there is one nere you it may or may not have a good selection thanks for the question as for defenceforce Humming bird forget sun cost go to www.animenewsnetwork.com

[VidelCoolGirl]

Wow. I didn't expect this many responses to this thread. (And I was only gone for a moment.).

Anyway...

I do have a question but not really a grammer question (Sorry I cheat and use Microsoft word when creating a RPG. Thus normally it looks pretty good.) However my question is more to this point. I have been a loyal supporter of the RPG forum for quite some time. Having created various RPGs through my time here and seen some take off, others fall flat on their faces and never had a chance. Still.... I do not complain, but what I want to ask is this... Should we have a certain standard for the way the mechanics of the RPGs work? Perhaps have links where you can go have virtual dice roll and use the old traditional Dungons and Dragons system? I ask because I've noticed in a lot of RPGs there seems to be a huge confusion factor. People will have their characters attack or be attacked. And are uncertain of what was suppose to happen? Having a certain standard on how damage both on the characters and those that they attack may help to reduce this confusion a little. It is something that I have suggested way back when there was litterly hundreds of people flooding the anime nation forums.

Typically, its good to know who you're RPing with. One of the hardest things about a battle in a text-based RPG is the fact that you have to know when your character has had enough. Imagination is key factor in these types of settings, so its all really based on what you want your character to do, or how he/she would react. Example:


Billy made a motion to punch Bob in the stomach.
As a result, it would be up to Bob to deside whether or not he gets hit or not. Generally, most people put up a good fight so the RPG is more enjoyable to read, so you can do whatever, but make sure its not crossing the line of Godmodding. So take a hit, make a hit. Therefore, as a response...


Bob was knocked back a few feet by Billy's punch. Getting up, he took a dagger from his pocket, and threw it at Billy. It didn't stab him like he had intended, but it still slashed him on the arm, giving him a deep wound.

An OOC thread is best to deem who should win a fight or not. Nobody wants their own characters to lose a battle, but you have to know when your character would have had enough. Losing makes for good character development.

[VidelCoolGirl]

"Is that your cat? It's so cute! What is its name?"
Huh! I'm good with the "its, it's" thing, but here I thought you would use its when its not possessive. Like;

"It's so cute! What is it's name?" Compared to; "Its a nice day outside."

[superplough]

To quote the grammatical master, Strong Bad:

'Ohhhhh, if you want it to be possessive, it's just "I-T-S"
But if it's supposed to be a contraction, then it's "I-T-apostrophe-S,"
Scalawag.' (mp3 (http://hekima.lionking.org/thestick/its.mp3))

More grammatical wonders (http://hekima.lionking.org/thestick/grammar.html)

[VidelCoolGirl]

Well slap me down and prove me wrong. I retract my previous statement. See? This thread was a good idea.

[Gibb]

Well slap me down and prove me wrong. I retract my previous statement. See? This thread was a good idea.

When I read contractions, I read them as the full two words. For example I read "you're" as "you are". If I ever do say "you're" as one word, I say it in such a way that it's obviously not "your" by making it sound like "yooo-err".

[VidelCoolGirl]

Want to build your vocabulary so you can stand up to those the likes of Leader Desslock? Learn a years worth of new words! (http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/definition_list.htm) I'm doing it, and have never been more happy!

Remember, smart RPGs are fun RPGs!

[VidelCoolGirl]

REMEMBER:

"I" before "e," except after "c."

[Ceraziefish]

Godmodding

Pet peeve of mine about roleplaying (Hi, by the way. I'm bored and decided to drop in on AN for the first time in years). It ought to be spelled God-Moding. Because the "O" in "Mode" has to be stressed, right? But if it was spelled "Modding" it would be pronounced "mawding" (like modding a video game) with an unstressed "O." One D, so the vowel after the D can modify the O.

Compare Firing (stressed vowel) with Stopping (unstressed vowel). Fire vs. Stop. You only add the extra consonant when you don't want to stress the vowel.

Another one that bugs me; where, were, and wear. Also here and hear.

"Where is the store?"
"We were there yesterday."
"I don't know what to wear when we go out to hear the opera tonight."
"He was just here."

Typing proper English is a sign of respect, just like good manners. No one would respect you in real life if you didn't care about your pronunciation, and spelling is just the pronunciation of the written realm.

Of course, English grammar and spelling are also very, very crazy. I'm sorry if I've used the wrong terms in this post, all the English grammar I learned by studying Russian (which has vastly simpler and better grammar, by-the-way).

REMEMBER:

"I" before "e," except after "c."

That rule always bugged me, because of science. That I is before an E, and it's after C.

And weird is weird. Not wierd. Weird.

Also the word weir, although no one ever uses that.

[VidelCoolGirl]

Well, its not everyday Mr. "Crazyfish" here proves me wrong. That is a fairly reasonable explanation of why I should start spelling that word that way. Thank you. Now I can moderate with .2% more effectiveness.

[Ceraziefish]

Well, its not everyday Mr. "Crazyfish" here proves me wrong. That is a fairly reasonable explanation of why I should start spelling that word that way. Thank you. Now I can moderate with .2% more effectiveness.

Glad to help. Also my screen name is a perfect example of the liberties taken with proper nouns. Seriously, we need some standardization with those things. Robyn and Robin are the same blasted name.

To quote the grammatical master, Strong Bad:

'Ohhhhh, if you want it to be possessive, it's just "I-T-S"
But if it's supposed to be a contraction, then it's "I-T-apostrophe-S,"
Scalawag.' (mp3 (http://hekima.lionking.org/thestick/its.mp3))

More grammatical wonders (http://hekima.lionking.org/thestick/grammar.html)

To explain a little more clearly (not that I want to step on Strong Bad's toes) apostrophe-S after a person's name to show possession is not actually a contraction, but "it is" to "it's" is a contraction (kind of like crunk is a contraction of crazy and drunk. There really ought to be an apostrophe in crunk [such like: cr'unk]). Also, periods should go after parentheses, because it is assumed that parentheses are a part of the sentence they are snidely commenting on. Though you can have multiple sentences inside parentheses, there oughtn't be a period at the end.

Abuse semicolons; it makes you look smarter.

I am so bored.

One more thing; only one word in the English language conjugates to gender (unlike French, Russian, or nearly any other Indo-European language) and that is blond. If you are talking about male subject, he has blond hair. If you are talking about a female subject, she is blonde.

[VidelCoolGirl]

Glad to help. Also my screen name is a perfect example of the liberties taken with proper nouns. Seriously, we need some standardization with those things. Robyn and Robin are the same blasted name.



To explain a little more clearly (not that I want to step on Strong Bad's toes) apostrophe-S after a person's name to show possession is not actually a contraction, but "it is" to "it's" is a contraction (kind of like crunk is a contraction of crazy and drunk. There really ought to be an apostrophe in crunk [such like: cr'unk]). Also, periods should go after parentheses, because it is assumed that parentheses are a part of the sentence they are snidely commenting on. Though you can have multiple sentences inside parentheses, there oughtn't be a period at the end.

Abuse semicolons; it makes you look smarter.

I am so bored.

One more thing; only one word in the English language conjugates to gender (unlike French, Russian, or nearly any other Indo-European language) and that is blond. If you are talking about male subject, he has blond hair. If you are talking about a female subject, she is blonde.
See, tis is why I love this guy. Not literally of course, but in a strict friends for years kind of way...

[Kali-chan]

This doesn't matter too much, but for all of those out there who are American (or whoever else uses this spelling), it is:
Color
Favorite

Canadians (and once again, whoever uses this), it is:
Colour
Favourite


Just so there is no confusion when they see these words... favourite and favorite are both correct in terms of spelling, but where you live makes the difference.

[VidelCoolGirl]

Yeah, but since when both typed, are both correct, doesn't really matter. Although yeah, its more so where you live. Although I think since most people on this forum are from all over, it doesn't matter too much. I say "color" of course.

[Midoriko87]

Um, Crunk isn't a contraction, it's a portmanteau. One could ask me to explain the difference, but I'm just not that good. I mean, I'm most definitely good, just not that good. :lol: I'm so great!!

Contractions seem to have a lot to do with verbs and the conjugations (word?) of to be. Yea, Portmanteaux are more about Description, rather than "doing" or somethin' like that. Anywho, none of this really matters... We know 'em when we see 'em, non?

[Kali-chan]

Yeah, but since when both typed, are both correct, doesn't really matter. Although yeah, its more so where you live. Although I think since most people on this forum are from all over, it doesn't matter too much. I say "color" of course.

and I use 'colour', but as you said, it doesn't really matter, I just wanted to get that out there for reference in case someone didn't know that there were two spellings

[VidelCoolGirl]

Um, Crunk isn't a contraction, it's a portmanteau. One could ask me to explain the difference, but I'm just not that good. I mean, I'm most definitely good, just not that good. :lol: I'm so great!!


"CRAZY + DRUNK = CRUNK" And C'mon! You're so great Mido....you're awesome...which means great. Forget it, go on IRC more often...

For the record...

Anyway, I realize soon enough this will turn into a flame war of people complaining about horrible spelling, and it was here just for people to post tidbits and ask for help with certain things..like RPGs...keep the spam cool ya'll.

Also for the record, I realize I often type slang, which is great and all, but as long as you write slang correctly. Say "DAWG" all you want, but make it easier on people like Leader Desslock and Mel, who aren't fluent in "ebonics," and wont understand what the hell you're saying.

Write it like this; "Hey, DOG. My homeboys and I, are going to go down WITH some garden tools to check OUT this new club over YONDER downtown. You "BIOCHS" should come along with, so we all can party."

[Kali-chan]

Here's a great grammar site
http://www.grammartips.homestead.com/articleindex.html

[blackknight]

Also the word weir, although no one ever uses that.

On the contrary, I use the word weir. This is because my grandparents on my dad's side live in Bridge of Weir, Scotland.

Anywho, I'll be the first to admit that my grammer is not the best at times, despite my previous claim of being a Grammer Nazi. The reason I call myself that is because of how I get when people post things like "WTF hax, u r stoopid." as if they don't care that they are butchering the English language. Then there are the people who make absolutlely no effort to correct themselves, no matter how many times it is pointed out to them.

This doesn't matter too much, but for all of those out there who are American (or whoever else uses this spelling), it is:
Color
Favorite

Canadians (and once again, whoever uses this), it is:
Colour
Favourite


Just so there is no confusion when they see these words... favourite and favorite are both correct in terms of spelling, but where you live makes the difference.
I just realized I use the non-American version of spelling words. I also usually insert a hyphen in some words, which is proper in some English, but apparently not American. Egad...

[Ceraziefish]

One more thing; only one word in the English language conjugates to gender (unlike French, Russian, or nearly any other Indo-European language) and that is blond. If you are talking about male subject, he has blond hair. If you are talking about a female subject, she is blonde.

I retract this statement; there is one other; fiance vs. fiancee.

See, tis is why I love this guy. Not literally of course, but in a strict friends for years kind of way...

I've loved your mom in a strict friends for years kind of way. Hoo-cha, right off the top of my head.

This doesn't matter too much, but for all of those out there who are American (or whoever else uses this spelling), it is:
Color
Favorite

Canadians (and once again, whoever uses this), it is:
Colour
Favourite


There's some less obvious ones, too; "diverse" vs. "divers," "surprise" vs. "surprize," "Join me in summoning the great lord Satan" vs. "Come have a spot of tea with me."

Also, in American English you put punctuation inside quotation marks, "such like." But in British English you put punctuation outside quotation marks, "like this". This is because the American revolutionaries thought the periods and commas were being taxed by the quote marks but weren't represented inside the quote marks.

Um, Crunk isn't a contraction, it's a portmanteau. One could ask me to explain the difference, but I'm just not that good. I mean, I'm most definitely good, just not that good. :lol: I'm so great!!

Contractions seem to have a lot to do with verbs and the conjugations (word?) of to be. Yea, Portmanteaux are more about Description, rather than "doing" or somethin' like that. Anywho, none of this really matters... We know 'em when we see 'em, non?

You're right, actually. Crunk is a portmanteau. If it were a contraction, it would be cr'unk. Another fun portmanteau is Munchlax (which is, of course, made of Munch and Snorlax).

One thing interesting to note about portmanteaux! (which you did correctly, I just wanted to point this out). The singular is portmanteau, the plural is portmanteaux! These two words are pronounced exactly the same. Isn't French great?

Write it like this; "Hey, DOG. My homeboys and I, are going to go down WITH some garden tools to check OUT this new club over YONDER downtown. You "BIOCHS" should come along with, so we all can party."

My homeboys and I checked out your mom last night. OOH. SICK BURN.

On the contrary, I use the word weir. This is because my grandparents on my dad's side live in Bridge of Weir, Scotland.

I just realized I use the non-American version of spelling words. I also usually insert a hyphen in some words, which is proper in some English, but apparently not American. Egad...

Do you mean like counter-intuitive vs. counterintuitive? I see hyphens every now and then in American English.

The reason I said no one uses weir is because I am an American and I cannot see beyond my own country, and no weirs exist here because the early Americans decided they were counter-revolutionary.

[VidelCoolGirl]

Cr'unk would be such a fallacy against mankind. I can only imagine the rappers and "Hop-Hoppers" with their "musaks" making a bunch of songs with words like "Cr'unk, and "Ho'."

Wait....Damn. Ceraziefish, you should just be "Grammar Dude." You know your stuff...way better than I do. That's what taking 8am English classes in Running Start do for ya.

[Ceraziefish]

Studying foreign languages taught me waaay more about English grammar than any English class ever did.

In English class I would never pay attention, then write something correct because I was always naturally talented at grammar. But when I started studying Russian I really had to hit dem books and learn about English grammar.

But I'm not even an expert. I would be the grammar dude but I hardly ever come to AN. Anyway I doubt people would appreciate me going into their threads and correcting the grammar in their InuyashaxThenationofSweden roleplay (hey, I don't know what you kids are into these days. Maybe Inuyasha visited Sweden and REALLY liked it).

EDIT: I just realized that, under the RP section rules, yuri is allowed by yaoi isn't.

[Tidusauron12]

Some things that get my goat:

There, They're, Their, Your, You're, Its, It's:

Please use these words properly! Here are some examples:

"Bob and Jim are having a party. Jeff went to their house."
"Why is Sally's toy in the trash? Who put it there?"
"If you're looking for Alex and Randall, they're at Mike's house."
"Is that your cat? It's so cute! What is its name?"



lol, it's kind of sad reading this stuff. Most of us were supposed to know this well by the time we reached 3rd or 4th grade. Then again, the internet is the death of the English language.

[Ceraziefish]

lol, it's kind of sad reading this stuff. Most of us were supposed to know this well by the time we reached 3rd or 4th grade. Then again, the internet is the death of the English language.

Speaking of which, you neglected to capitalize "lol" at the beginning of your sentence.

[VidelCoolGirl]

Speaking of which, you neglected to capitalize "lol" at the beginning of your sentence.
Oooh, looks like he gets 5 points deducted. At this rate; he'll only get 85 points!

[Tidusauron12]

Speaking of which, you neglected to capitalize "lol" at the beginning of your sentence.

Yeah... but I never capitalize 'lol'. I don't think lol should be capitalized.

[sasami-riyo]

I love this thread.

[Tidusauron12]

I love this thread.

I wish there was a more effective way of doing this. I doubt the people with horrible grammar will even admit to themselves they need *help* and click on those links. Then again, it's not terribly important... I'm used to bad spelling in RPGs.

I hope that people take advantage of these sticky threads. They can be really useful.

[Ceraziefish]

Yeah... but I never capitalize 'lol'. I don't think lol should be capitalized.

Sure, you take one word. Oh, it's fine to not capitalize one word. It's just a harmless little word! But when you let in the lols, then you also let the wtfs and the rofls, and from there... From there it's only a short way to FASCISM.

ARE YOU A NAZI?

[Muted Soul]

I must say that bad grammar is one of my pet peeves. I mean how can you have a meaningful RPG with someone who says something like: 'He stairs off into the night, wondering what went wrong.'

Look, I know some people don't do it intentionally but come on. It makes people look illiterate or worse. I respect and enjoy creating great RPGs with my fellow forum pals, but maybe if you are unsure or at least know you aren't the best speller in the world, maybe it's time to try to improve. This is especially important if you want to become a writer one day.

A lot of people I know that enjoy RPG also want to write stories for audiences too, myself included. As an English Major I suppose I would be particularly annoyed with less than stellar grammar skills. This stuff is basic. I work on the side at a part-time Editor and I always tell my friends who want to publish their work: if you want to make a good impression, beef up on your grammar because in the written world what you write speaks for itself.

[ladyshiro]

You know some people can't help their bad grammar or spelling errors. You ever consider people with learning disabilities can't help it. They can do everything they can to try to improve but sometimes there is no improving. I know I not a great speller and my grammar probly not where it needs to be but I do love RPGs and writting fan fics. I use spell check and other people to proof read my fan fics.

[VidelCoolGirl]

I must say that bad grammar is one of my pet peeves. I mean how can you have a meaningful RPG with someone who says something like: 'He stairs off into the night, wondering what went wrong.'

Look, I know some people don't do it intentionally but come on. It makes people look illiterate or worse. I respect and enjoy creating great RPGs with my fellow forum pals, but maybe if you are unsure or at least know you aren't the best speller in the world, maybe it's time to try to improve. This is especially important if you want to become a writer one day.

A lot of people I know that enjoy RPG also want to write stories for audiences too, myself included. As an English Major I suppose I would be particularly annoyed with less than stellar grammar skills. This stuff is basic. I work on the side at a part-time Editor and I always tell my friends who want to publish their work: if you want to make a good impression, beef up on your grammar because in the written world what you write speaks for itself.
QFT. There's a reason why I don't roleplay on AN anymore, and only go for the ones you actually have to apply for. Livejournal, I wuv you.

You know some people can't help their bad grammar or spelling errors. You ever consider people with learning disabilities can't help it. They can do everything they can to try to improve but sometimes there is no improving. I know I not a great speller and my grammar probly not where it needs to be but I do love RPGs and writting fan fics. I use spell check and other people to proof read my fan fics.

Yes, but for those who don't have disabilities, its something that can always be improved upon. Although, some people can use that as an excuse, for the people whose skills are actually affected by disabilities, then they can't help it. Others, just simply suck at it.

[mtzetuki]

This is hilarious. I understand it's serious, but I've always wondered how long it'd be until someone in the world would crack under all the text talk.
i h8 txt tok cuz its s0 un0ying
Lol, jk. xD