1337sp34k Begone! Writing it the right way ~ A guide for improving grammar

Last edited by Draw on Tue Aug 24, 2010 3:31 pm; edited 1 time in total

Hello players of UnholyMS! It's Sid here, and this is a fun, little guide for the folks out there who can't take the time to write properly.

Q: What's the point of this guide?
A: The point of this guide is to explain that taking the time to type with proper grammar not only helps the reader understand what you're saying, but also that proper grammar has a certain politeness to it.

Q: Itz way fastr 2 spek lik dis why cant I?
A: To make things simple, it makes you sound like an idiot in front of others. Actually, when you type in that fashion, it sends an indirect message to the readers that you aren't willing to take the time to frame your sentences properly for them. I find that conversations are a lot more interesting and that people are more enthusiastic when you take the time to do it right.

Q: Are you saying short forms aren't okay?
A: I am not saying that short forms/abbreviations aren't okay; I myself use them all the time. I'm just annoyed when people mix up 'their' and 'they're' or when p30p13 spek lik dissss. So yes, continue using 'lol' and 'brb'.

A situation where this will really help: Let's assume you are being KSed (<~~Using short forms like that is perfectly okay Smile

). If your response is 'CC PL0XXXX OR I C4LL GM ON U!', you are likely not going to get results. However, if your response is something like, 'Excuse me sir/ma'am, as I was here first kindly change channels as it will benefit us both. :]' you are more likely to get results. I am bolding 'more likely' as I'm sure I will get a comment about this.

Alright, let's start with the biggies. (Again, doing something like this in MapleStory is perfectly fine.)

Differences between 'There, their, and they're'

There

adverb-

1. in or at that place (opposed to here): She is there now.
2. at that point in an action, speech, etc.: He stopped there for applause.
3. in that matter, particular, or respect: His anger was justified there.
4. into or to that place; thither: We went there last year.
5. (used by way of calling attention to something or someone): There they go.
6. in or at that place where you are: Well, hi there.

pronoun-

7. (used to introduce a sentence or clause in which the verb comes before its subject or has no complement): There is no hope.
8. that place: He comes from there, too.

noun-

10. that state or condition: I'll introduce you to her, but you're on your own from there on.

adjective-

11. (used for emphasis, esp. after a noun modified by a demonstrative adjective): Ask that man there.

adjective-

12. (used to express satisfaction, relief, encouragement, approval, consolation, etc.): There! It's done.

Their

pronoun-
1. a form of the possessive case of they used as an attributive adjective, before a noun: their home; their rights as citizens; their departure for Rome.
2. (used after an indefinite singular antecedent in place of the definite masculine form his or the definite feminine form her): Someone left their book on the table. Did everyone bring their lunch?

They're

They're is simply a contraction of 'They are'. When you use 'They're', make sure the sentence works with 'They are' and if it does, you're good to go. Smile

Capitals

Capitals aren't there to be abused. WHEN YOU TALK LIKE THIS, IT GETS REALLY ANNOYING. However, I am aware that certain keyboards do cause you to always type in capitals.

Here are two renditions of the alphabet.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ (Capitals)
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz (Lower case)

But how do you know when to use them? There are some basic rules to follow when deciding.

-Proper nouns start with a capital letter.
-The beginning of a sentence will start with a capital letter.
-When referring to yourself in a conversation, 'i' is capitalized.
Ex: I need to go to Orbis. How do I get there?

Punctuation

Please do take the time to punctuate your sentences. It helps people to take you seriously, trust me.

The difference between 'Your' and 'You're'

'Your' is possessive. 'Your gay' refers to the gay I own. I don't have much, but if you want it we can probably negotiate. (Grace)

'You're' is the same as 'You are'. When you are going to type this word, make sure that 'You are' would work if it were in its place. If it does, you are good to go.

The difference between 'its' and 'it's'

'Its' is possessive.
Ex. That is a cool shirt. I love its color.

'It's' is the same as 'It is'. When you use this word, swap it with 'It is' and make sure it works in the sentence.

Conclusion

Remember that these are only general rules that don't apply in all situations. PLEASE do not bother with this during boss runs. For example, don't bother typing 'My Sharp Eyes skill seems to have run out. Can you please cast it again, dear sir?' (Yes, this has happened. -_-) These rules are generally for requesting help in game or creating posts on the forums.

Thank you for reading and I hope this clears up previous confusion. Smile

"'Your' is possessive. 'Your gay' refers to the gay I own. I don't have much, but if you want it we can probably negotiate. (Grace)"

top 3 things i love about this thread:
1) you knew i would read it
2) you took the time to make it.
3) i never capitalize (:

and by the way, i know you are positively overflowing with gayness, but no i would not like any, thank you anyway <3

Haha I actually got that from somewhere else, I can't put my finger on it but I did read that line somewhere and loved it so I had to put it in there, although '(Grace)' was a nice touch, don't you think?
I was actually extremely pissed about somebody talking the other day with incredibly horrible grammar, and that's what inspired me to write it. Smile

TL;DR

And seriously? I learned grammar in preschool.

This is aimed for the illiterate.

If they wanted to know how to speak and type properly, they would go to school. I say those who don't care should not be given a chance to.

i'm adding on to this with two of my grammar pet peeves (:

1337sp34k Begone! Writing it the right way ~ A guide for improving grammar Definitely

1337sp34k Begone! Writing it the right way ~ A guide for improving grammar Then

Good work Grace. You will be allowed a day off from working in my mines once I get around to capturing people to work. And getting the actual mines...

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