Handy grammar guide
POSTED BY: PhoenixRose
UPDATED: Friday, August 17, 2007 18:08
VIEWED: 25478
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From your friendly neighborhood PhoenixRose comes her handy guide to grammar! Here I outline the difference between words that sound or look the same and give a few tips on sentence structure. These are mostly based on the most common mistakes I see in BSR fanfic, and I thought there might be some folk who would appreciate a few pointers.
I keep updating, so check back if you feel like it.
Everything can be checked and expanded upon at www.dictionary.com
Here we go:
You’re = you are. As in "You’re a writer." or "You’re a Firefly fan!"
Your = possessive term. As in "This is your story." or "That is your boxset of Firefly."
Yore = past, history. As in "Days of yore."
There = description of location. As in "It is over there." or "There it is."
They’re = they are. As in "They’re not here." or "They’re not yours."
Their = possessive term. As in "That is their house." or "This is their problem…"
Too = also, as well. As in "Me too!" Also used as a descriptive term of something excessive or emphatic. As in "This is too much." or "I will too do this!"
To = descriptive of direction "Went to the store." Also if it’s regarding anything "An answer to a letter."
Two = 2
Advice = the noun. As in "Anyone have any advice?." or "I need your advice."
Advise = the verb. "To advise". As in "I want you to advise me." or "I must advise you..."
New = recent, not old. "He bought a new set of Firefly because his old disks were worn out."
Knew = past tense of "know". As in "She knew there was trouble when she heard shots fired."
Quit = to stop, to desist. As in "He wants to quit smoking."
Quite = really, actually. As in "I am quite sure about this." Can also mean to a high degree, as in "It's quite good." Usage note Eloisa has informed me that 'quite' can be used a bit differently in the UK. Much the same way as those in the US sometimes use 'rather' it can be sarcastic in its tone so that it means "slightly", "mostly", "sort of" or "very" depending on tone and context. See her posts below for more nuance.
Quiet = silent. As in "Please be quiet, I'm trying to think."
It’s = it is. As in "It’s a crying shame that Firefly was cancelled." Also used for it has, as in "It’s rained every day this week."
Its = possessive term. As in "The Alliance retracted its statements."
Lose = to suffer loss. As in "The Independents were sure the Alliance would lose the war."
Loose = not tight. As in "Her shoes were loose because they were a size too big."
Loss = the state of being deprived of or of being without something that one has had "The loss of a friend" "It's their loss" etc.
Lost = past tense of 'lose'. "They lost the game." Also 'to be lost' is an adjective: "You're lost in the woods."
Hon = short for honey. As in "See you later, hon."
Hun = a barbarous or destructive person; an invader. Attilla the Hun. Was also used as a disparaging term for Germans during the World Wars. I cannot stress enough: This is an insult. Please stop using it as a term of endearment or short for 'honey'.
Poor = meagerly supplied or endowed with resources or funds "A poor family applied for welfare. " "The area was poor in minerals. " Also of an inferior, inadequate, or unsatisfactory kind "He suffered from poor health."
Pore = to read or study with steady attention or application "She pored over the manuscript. " Also a minute opening or orifice, as in the skin or a leaf, for perspiration, absorption, etc. "Sweat streamed from his pores. "
Pour = to send (a liquid, fluid, or anything in loose particles) flowing or falling, as from one container to another, or into, over, or on something: "I will pour a glass of milk." or "She poured water on a plant. "
(Thanks to Squish!)
Then = at that time. As in "I was still in school then." Or "Come at noon; I'll be ready then."
Next in time, space, or order; immediately afterward. As in "I watched the late movie and then went to bed."
In addition; moreover; besides. As in "It costs $20, and then there's the sales tax to pay."
Used after but to qualify or
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Thank you PhoenixRose. Those are really common mistakes on the 'net. Especially "your" instead of "you're". That one always annoys me.
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Excellent!
Care to borrow my guide to punctuating dialogue?
http://words-in-flight.livejournal.com/14637.html#cutid1
I also suggest a reminder on the proper spelling of character names.
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You're quite welcome, Nanite! I know, they annoy me too. Just doing my part to bring down the annoyance level...
Excellent guide, HawkMoth!
OK, character names, if needed:
Zoë Alleyne Washburne
Hoban "Wash" Washburne
Malcolm Reynolds
Inara Serra
River Tam
Simon Tam
Jayne Cobb
Shepherd Derrial Book
Kaywinnit Lee Frye - Kaylee
"Languages are not just sets of symbols. They also often conform to a rough grammar, or system of rules, used to manipulate the symbols. While a set of symbols may be used for expression or communication, it is primitive and relatively unexpressive, because there are no clear or regular relationships between the symbols. A language that also has a grammar can manipulate its symbols to express clear and regular relationships between them."
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Thanks, PhoenixRose.
(Although I'm pretty sure it's "Alleyne" for Zoe, and I know it's "Frye" for Kaylee.)
And thank you, because it can't be said often enough:
Shepherd!
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....i feel as though I've been transported back in time...back to Ms. Newsome's 8th grade english class..... but an english class like no other on this earth.... an english class in...The Twilight Zone....
i'm just glad no one is griping about bad punctuation, for i am Dayve...King of Grammatical Errors... he who uses too many dot dot dots
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If PhoenixRose gives me permission to share her thread, I'd be happy to post some punctuation rules here!
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I looked up the name spellings in about three different places, and they all said "Allayne" and "Fry". I'll see if I can find some official place that has all their names. Or you can. And if so, well, I'll change it.
Well, you posted your link to your guide, and that's shiny. If you want to post a few punctuation rules, I have no problem with that.
And hey, I'm way more efficient than any English class! English classes for years and a lot of it is summed up in that one page of text at the top of the thread. Pretty sad.
(I've actually pasted it into a document and it's four pages. But still!)
"Languages are not just sets of symbols. They also often conform to a rough grammar, or system of rules, used to manipulate the symbols. While a set of symbols may be used for expression or communication, it is primitive and relatively unexpressive, because there are no clear or regular relationships between the symbols. A language that also has a grammar can manipulate its symbols to express clear and regular relationships between them."
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Referencing the Serenity Official Movie Magazine (as it's what I've got at hand at this moment...):
"Zoe Alleyne Washburne" (Did we see Zoe's dossier in the movie, when the Operative was researching the crew? Something that could be zoomed on the DVD?)
"Kaywinnet Lee Frye" (Although Zoe and Wash's last names were a mystery until the movie came out, "Frye" was right out of the script for Shindig back in the day).
You have awesome summing up powers!
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