Grammar Guide
Okay, now, we understand that not everyone on here is an English major/teacher, or even speaks English as a first language. No one on this site is asking you to. The band members themselves are German, we obviously have no problem if you speak another language. However, we are going to ask that if you want to write stories in English that you have a basic grasp of English grammar, otherwise you might as well be writing in your mother-tongue. There are mistakes made quite often that can be easily avoided. In this guide section, you will find listed the errors that we find most often when reading and moderating submissions and you will also find their corrections. Use them. If this guide reads boringly (which, let's face it, it's grammar and it will), skip to the section the Mods have instructed you that you have a problem in.
Now, not to insult your intelligence, but you'd be surprised. So, first things first:
- NOUN: A person, place, or thing. (This includes people's names)
PRONOUN: A word that takes the place of a noun (for example - you, she, he, it)
VERB: A word that denotes action.
ADJECTIVE: A word that describes/modifies a noun.
ADVERB: A word that describes/modifies a verb or another adverb. (These are those words that usually are just an adjective with an "ly" attached to the end, although they are not exclusively those. For example, "curiously" is an adverb, while "curious" is a adjective.)
DEPENDENT CLAUSE: A section of a sentence which cannot be a sentence on its own.
INDEPENDENT CLAUSE: A section of a sentence which can be a sentence on its own.
PLURAL: More than one.
SINGULAR: Only one.
GROUP NOUN: The type of noun that encompasses a group; i.e. the words "family" or "band" or "group." Treat these nouns as if they were singular, not plural, because even if they represent a lot of people, they are singular.
CONJUNCTION: A word that connects two phrases. (Include for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)
Now then, onward...
1. COMMAS:
- Misuse or lack of use of commas is the most predominant grammatical error on this site, which is why it is being addressed first. Now, in this lovely, adaptive language of ours, the placement of commas is often a judgment call of the writer. Sometimes it's not. These are the instances of when it is not.
Basically, the rule of thumb is to use a comma to mark off parts of a sentence. Any place where you think you might pause if you were saying the sentence aloud, a comma probably belongs there.
YOU MUST USE A COMMA:
- A) After an introductory word or phrase in a sentence.
EXAMPLE:
Correct: After the show, Bill took a shower.
Incorrect: After the show Bill took a shower.
Correct: So, Bill took a shower.
Incorrect: So Bill took a shower.
B) Before, after, or surrounding any phrase which interrupts the flow of the sentence. (If you have trouble understanding if something you've written qualifies as one of these phrases, ask your beta or one of the Mods; we understand that there are many types of these phrases and that they can be confusing.)
EXAMPLES:
Correct: Tom, the guitarist of Tokio Hotel, is Bill's twin brother.
Incorrect: Tom the guitarist of Tokio Hotel is Bill's twin brother.
Incorrect: Tom, the guitarist of Tokio Hotel is Bill's twin brother.
Incorrect: Tom the guitarist of Tokio Hotel, is Bill's twin brother.
Correct: His shoes barely tied, Gustav stumbled out the door.
Incorrect: His shoes barely tied Gustav stumbled out the door.
C) In dialogue, when a person speaks, and you follow what they said with something that is the equivalent of "he/she said."
EXAMPLE:
Correct: "I'm going out with Georg tonight," Tom said.
Incorrect: "I'm going out with Georg tonight" Tom said.
Incorrect: "I'm going out with Georg tonight." Tom said. (A period is called for when you are not following what was said with an equivalent of "he/she said." For example, when you follow the statement with an action the character is performing or follow it with nothing at all, use a period, instead.)
D) In dialogue, before the insertion of what someone is saying into the middle of a sentence. (It is much less annoying for the Mods to find this mistake than the mistake in C, but, still, try not to screw it up).
EXAMPLE:
Correct: Tom said, "I'm going out with Georg tonight."
Incorrect: Tom said "I'm going out with Georg tonight."
E) Between two or more adjectives that are describing the same noun.
EXAMPLE:
Correct: Bill owns a large, white, Prada bag.
Incorrect: Bill owns a large white Prada bag.
F) When separating items in a list.
EXAMPLE:
Correct: Bill checked to make sure he had his makeup, toothbrush, and straightening iron. (The comma before the "and" is optional in a list, as long as leaving it out does not create ambiguity).
Incorrect: Bill checked to make sure he had his makeup toothbrush and straightening iron. (When you put it this way, the word "makeup" is describing the word "toothbrush," which I don't have to tell you, makes no sense.)
2. APOSTROPHES:
- There are two purposes for the apostrophe. The first is to make a noun possessive (as in, to indicate that the word it is modifying belongs to that noun). The second is to replace a letter in a contraction (which is two words smushed together, such as "will not" = "won't"). Here's how to use them.
- A) The possessive apostrophe:
1. Any time you want to show possession with a singular noun, add an apostrophe and an "s."
EXAMPLE:
Correct: Tom's shoes.
Incorrect: Toms shoes.
Correct: My brother's shoes.
Incorrect: My brothers shoes.
2. If the word already has an "s" (for example, at the end of a plural noun) on the end, only an apostrophe is needed.
EXAMPLE:
Correct: It was my friends' house.
Incorrect: It was my friends house.
Incorrect: It was my friend's house. (This is incorrect in this instance because you are talking about more than one friend. If the house belonged only to one of your friends, it would be correct.)
3. If the word is a proper noun (for example, a name) that ends in "s," you must add an apostrophe, and according to a recently created rule, an additional “s.” Because this rule is so new, the Mods will still allow you leaving off the “s.”
EXAMPLE:
Correct: Andreas' shoes.
Correct: Andreas's shoes.
Incorrect: Andreas shoes.
4. If the word is a plural noun that does not end in "s," (for example, "people" or “women”), place the apostrophe and the additional "s" like you would for a singular noun.
EXAMPLE:
Correct: The people's choice.
Incorrect:The peoples's choice.
Incorrect: The people' choice.
Incorrect: The peoples choice.
(Random fact: Do you know when "peoples" is a word? Not here. "Peoples" means two or more types of people. For example, if you have a group of Asian people and another group of Irish people in the same room, you have two different types of peoples in that room. Learn something new everyday, huh?)
B) Contractional apostrophes.
These, as I said, replace a letter in two words smushed together. The words are usually a verb + the word "not."
Okay and, honestly? You guys know where these go. When they are left out, it is usually a typo or the result of laziness, so please, if you don't want to watch for them yourselves, find a beta.
EXAMPLE:
Correct: don't
Incorrect: dont
Correct: shouldn't
Incorrect:shouldnt
3. SEMI-COLONS:
- There are very few people who know how to use a semi-colon, I've found, and the thing is, it's not hard. Basically, it is exactly what it looks like; a mix between a comma and a period. (Did you see how I actually used one there? Haha.)
A semi-colon is used to join two phrases, like a comma or a period. But when you use a semi-colon, those two phrases are not as separate as they would be if you used a period, and they are not as connected as they would be if you used a comma.
- A) Mainly, you will use one to join two independent clauses that you would not join with a conjunction.
EXAMPLE:
Correct: Tom went to the store; the one down the street from the studio.
Incorrect:Tom went to the store, the one down the street from the studio.
Incorrect:Tom went to the store. The one down the street from the studio.
B) You may also use a semi-colon in a list that already has internal punctuation.
EXAMPLE:
Correct: Magdeburg, Germany; Hamburg, Germany; Berlin, Germany
Incorrect: Magdeburg, Germany, Hamburg, Germany, Berlin, Germany
4. QUOTATION MARKS:
- Okay, people, this is a biggie. We understand if quotation marks are just not how it's done in your country; we sympathize, we do. But you're typing in English, and in English, quotation marks are how it's done. If it's dialogue, put it in them, even if it looks funny to you or you don't want to.
- HERE'S WHAT WE DON'T WANT TO SEE:
-I love Nena!- Bill squealed.
OR:
« I love Nena! » Bill squealed.
NOT EVEN:
'I love Nena!' Bill squealed.
THE CORRECT WAY IS:
"I love Nena!" Bill squealed.
NOTE: Quotation marks should also be used for certain titles, such as plays or songs! If you want to discuss “Durch den Monsun” in your story, it belongs in quotation marks. It does not belong in italics, bolds, or underlines, and certainly not in nothing but capitals. Italics are for film and book titles. If you want to discuss Bill providing a voice in the movie Arthur and the Invisibles, this is when you will use italics for a title.
5. HOMOPHONES:
- Homophones are two words that sound the same when pronounced, but are spelled differently and have different meanings. It is not at all unusual on this site to find a word spelled like its homophone, so here are some EXAMPLES of common mix-ups. The first four are the ones you always wonder about.
- A)
-to - preposition, often precedes a verb or a place (as in, "she went to the store.")
-too - used to mean "also" or to denote excess (as in, "Bill is almost too good-looking.")
(Random Fact: Did you know the phrase, "I love you, too." has a comma in it? It does.)
B)
-your - the word following this one belongs to the "you" in question; possessive pronoun.
-you're - you are
C)
-their - the word following this one belongs to the "they" in question; possessive pronoun.
-there - adverb or pronoun (as in, "over there" or "she is from there")
-they're - they are
D)
-its - the word following this one belongs to the "it" in question; possessive pronoun. Example: The tour was on its last leg.
-it's - it is
E)
-then - adverb, adjective, or noun (as in, "then, she did this" or "let's go, then")
-than - conjunction; you will always be comparing two things when you use this (as in, "Bill is taller than Tom.")
F)
-through - 1. to move across, around, and/or over (as in "through the monsoon"), 2. to be done (as in, "I am through with you.")
-threw - the past tense of the verb "to throw"
G)
-were - the imperfect tense of the "you" form of the verb "to be" (as in, "they were leaving.")
-we're - we are
H)
-brake - this is in your car. Yeah. The thing that makes it stop.
-break - to tear or rend in two.
I)
-won't - will not
-want - to desire or to have a will to possess.
-wont - to be in the habit of.
J)
-wonder - to contemplate or consider.
-wander - to travel, aimlessly.
K)
-sweet - sugary-tasting or kind in nature.
-sweat - the human body's method of homeostasis in which the pores in the skin secrete water (as in, "ew, he's all sweaty!")
L)
-steel - the type of metal that flatware is made of.
-steal - to take without permission.
M)
-lie - 1. a false statement 2. to make a false statement. 3. to recline, horizontally.
-lye - a highly concentrated solution of potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide. It's the stuff in soap.
N)
-hear - to understand through the ears.
-here - adverb or pronoun (as in, “let’s go here.”)
O)
-whole - complete or in entirety.
-hole - a gap in something.
6. PARAGRAPHS:
- One starts a new paragraph any time the focus of what you are talking about shifts. Like certain commas, this can be a judgment call, and, really, it takes a certain feel for paragraphs to know when to start a new one. You will gain this ability as you write (or, more easily, as you read).
However, we do not want to see a huge wall of text. Whether this is a formatting error or you not wanting click Tab, fix it.
Now, for the most important rule about paragraphs, and the one most commonly broken on this site:
If there is a new speaker, START A NEW PARAGRAPH.
There is an exception to this rule. If the words that the new person is saying are simply being described within the flow of a sentence, you don't need a new paragraph. However, these instances are very difficult for the untrained eye to spot, and it is better if you simply stick to the rule: NEW SPEAKER, NEW PARAGRAPH. They should have drilled it into your head in primary school. If they didn't, learn it now.
7. CAPITALIZATION:
- Like omitted apostrophes, error in this category tends to be a mistake or laziness. But we will cover it anyway.
A word needs to be capitalized if it is a proper noun (most commonly, names) or if it comes at the beginning of a sentence.
(Random Fact: The word "god" is a word and a name. The Christian God said in the Bible "I am, that I am." So his followers, not knowing what to call him, simply called him their word for deity, and so do we. Now, if you are referring to the Christian God, it is technically His name, so capitalize it. If you are referring to gods in general, like of the Greek or Egyptian type, it's lowercase, because it's only a word.)
8. SPELLING:
- We could give you a thousand examples of spelling errors (common on this site, for some reason, is spelling the word "follow" as "fallow" - I have no clue why. "Fallow" means to plow land for agricultural purposes. Yeah.) But to do that would take forever. Many examples have already been provided in the "Homophones" section, anyway.
- The purpose of this section is to tell you to:
1. Use SpellCheck
2. Look over and edit your chapter/story yourself, then...
3. Get a beta to look over it.
9. SENTENCE STRUCTURE:
- There are many types of sentences, and a great deal must really be left to the author's poetic license. But it will help you to know the two main sentence problems we see and where the rules are bendable, and, sometimes, breakable.
- A) Run-on Sentences - this is where a sentence goes on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on. It is possible to write a good, and correct, very long sentence. (Because the commas are correctly placed, the first sentence of this paragraph, with all the "and on"s, is correct.) But if you are going to attempt one, please, follow the other grammatical rules so that the sentence still functions and doesn't entice the reader to click the Back button.
(Random Fact: Some of the sentences in Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre extend an entire half-a-page paragraph and still manage to be correct.)
B) Sentence Fragments - these are dependent clauses that stand on their own as sentences. While it is, technically, never correct to use a fragment as a sentence, it oftentimes makes the reading punchier to do so, and this has been accepted as correct in fiction (all fiction, not just fanfiction). In which case, it is up to you as the author to decide when and if you want to do it. But only use fragments as sentences for emphasis.
10. VERB TENSE:
- This is another biggie. It is easy to screw up, without thinking about it. We all do it, occasionally. And yeah, you'll think you don't know what some of the tenses on this list are, but you do, you just didn't know what to call them.
- TENSES INCLUDE:
1. Present Simple: "I do."
2. Present Continuous: "I am doing."
3. Present Perfect: "I have done."
4. Past Simple: "I did."
5. Imperfect/Past Continuous: "I used to do."/"I was doing."
6. Conditional: "I would/could/should do."
7. Pluperfect: "I had done."
8. Future Simple: "I will do."
9. Future Perfect: "I will have done."
For the most part, you will use all of these correctly without even thinking about it. As an English-speaker, your ear has been trained to recognize when a tense sounds incorrect. You instinctively know not to say, "You am" or "I were," do you not?
All we ask is that when you select a tense to write your story in, you stick with it. Random tense switches are a big problem. The two options authors tend to choose are past and present tense, both of which encompass the other tenses when writing. Whichever you select, do not suddenly start writing in the other when the reader has grown used to the first. If you are worried that you might mix up your tenses without thinking, get a beta.