Handy grammar guide

POSTED BY: PhoenixRose
UPDATED: Friday, August 17, 2007 18:08
VIEWED: 25478
PAGE 9 of 11

PREV PAGE 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 NEXT PAGE

MAL4PREZ

Monday, July 16, 2007 5:00 PM

OK, I know this thread isn't about punctuation, but so many fics do quotations wrong that I think need a review of the basics is needed. I'm super bored today, so what the heck!

These may seem like small things, but they make a huge difference. Commas and periods indicate a different length of pause, and dialogue won't flow right if the punctuation is wrong. Most readers will sense it, even if they don't consciously recognize the error. So, make your readers more comfortable - get it right!

***Anytime a tag (ie. he said, she asked, they called out, George explained, etc...) is used with a quote, it is NOT a separate sentence. It gets a comma, not a period.

right: Wash queried, "Where are my dinosaurs?"
WRONG: Wash queried. "Where are my dinosaurs?"
right: "River has them," Simon said.
WRONG: "River has them." Simon said.

***BTW, the punctuation goes inside the quotation marks:

right: "We do business," Mal said.
WRONG: "We do business", Mal said.

***Because it's not a new sentence, don't capitalize the speaking action verb thingy, even after a question or exclamation:

right: "Are you gonna eat that?" asked Jayne.
WRONG: "Are you gonna eat that?" Asked Jayne.

right: "I'm a mad genius!" yelled River.
WRONG: "I'm a mad genius!" Yelled River.

***DO capitalize when it's a new sentence:

right: "Are you gonna eat that?" Jayne pointed at Kaylee's plate.
right: "I'm a mad genius!" River's face turned red as she yelled.

***When the tag's in the middle of the quote, use a comma only if the sentence in the quote ends:

right: "I told you," Mal said, "that I wanted pay up front. Now pay."
WRONG: "I told you," Mal said. "that I wanted pay up front. Now pay."

right: "I told you that I wanted pay up front," Mal said. "Now pay."
WRONG: "I told you that I wanted pay up front," Mal said, "Now pay."

Any more I missed?

-----------------------------------------------
hmm-burble-blah, blah-blah-blah, take a left

PLATONIST

Tuesday, July 17, 2007 1:59 AM

I don't know if this is possible, when posting fic on this site, but I have my students write in their doc program (Works or Word).

They edit using Spell and Grammar Check, then copy and paste in our online writing program (Holt), then send and have it graded by a writing rubric that suggests improvement. I access their writing sample on-line and average their rubric grades.

They can reformat if necessary, but I think the program auto formats. Anyway, just an idea.

2X2

Thursday, July 19, 2007 8:47 PM

This is an excellent thread!

And since I saw way up at the top a reply about character names, I would like to ask if anyone can confirm the proper spelling of the planet Londinum / Londinium

Acording to the RPG, the planet is actually Londinum - no extra 'i'. There is a map of the worlds in the RPG that shows this spelling.

This image also appears in the Serenity Visual Companion, however, the spelling in the write up has it as Londinium, with the second 'i'.

I haven't read the novelization yet, but I was wondering if there are any other instances out there to give us a clear indication of which is the correct spelling?

I've been using Londinum because I first saw it in the RPG, and have been thinking most people have been using Londinium in error. Now that I've found it in the Visual Companion as well, I'd rather be sure before I put my foot in it pointing it out to anyone.

Anyone?

FREDGIBLET

Thursday, July 19, 2007 9:21 PM

Probably depends on if it's a American descendant or a descendant from anywhere else on the world...

PLATONIST

Thursday, July 19, 2007 10:23 PM

I assumed "nium", from Latin, (they liked their vowels)

as in millennium or plutonium

I've seen the "num" also used... as in aluminum

good catch

FIZZIX

Friday, July 20, 2007 12:38 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Platonist:
I assumed "nium", from Latin, (they liked their vowels)

as in millennium or plutonium

I've seen the "num" also used... as in aluminum

good catch

Aluminium is the British spelling, if memory serves. I prefer it. Lawlz. It's an American vs British thing. Americans distorted it.

/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\
May not be smart, and it may not please you, but you're definitely gonna see what I have to say.
Put this in your sig if you had a favorite show that may have been named Firefly and was canceled by FOX.

FIZZIX

Friday, July 20, 2007 12:40 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by mal4prez:
OK, I was so fascinated by this that I looked it up on dictionary.com:

—Usage note The spelling blonde is still widely used for the noun that specifies a woman or girl with fair hair: The blonde with the baby in her arms is my anthropology professor. Some people object to this as an unnecessary distinction, preferring blond for all persons: My sister is thinking of becoming a blond for a while. As an adjective, the word is more usually spelled blond in reference to either sex (an energetic blond girl; two blond sons), although the form blonde is occasionally still used of a female: the blonde model and her escort. The spelling blond is almost always used for the adjective describing hair, complexion, etc.: His daughter has blond hair and hazel eyes.

So it sounds like there is a gender involved in the spelling (who knew? I didn't!) but it's not a hard and fast rule.

-----------------------------------------------
I'm the president. I don't need to listen.

I use the rule , as it's the same sort of thing in French.(Which, oddly enough, in French, is not capitalized. But. This is an ENGLISH grammar thread. Heh.) This makes it a hard line, and I arbitrarily assign inanimate objects gender - typically based on characteristics. (May also come from French. Who said I had logic to my usage of blond/blonde?)

PR, you are of the awesome.

/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\
May not be smart, and it may not please you, but you're definitely gonna see what I have to say.
Put this in your sig if you had a favorite show that may have been named Firefly and was canceled by FOX.

PLATONIST

Friday, July 20, 2007 4:13 AM

Actually it was "aluminum" first, as it is in the US today- Al on the table.

The British changed it to "aluminium" to align the spelling with the other element spellings, such as sodium.

Yes... a difference, but not a distortion.

MAL4PREZ

Friday, July 20, 2007 1:58 PM

I know nothing about RPG, but here's my take:

I've always thought the word was pronounced with four syllables: lond-in-i-um. Without the i, it's lond-di-num, which sounds a lot like laudanum, which is an opiate. That seems weird to me.

Except... I just checked the Serenity the Pilot script and it's spelled without the i. Oh my stars - have I been wrong all this time?

How do you guys pronouce it?

-----------------------------------------------
hmm-burble-blah, blah-blah-blah, take a left

PLATONIST

Friday, July 20, 2007 6:25 PM

In regards to pronunciation, Londinum would be

"lon-di-num" 3 syllables as is "lau-da-num"

"Londinium" would be "lon-di-ni-um" 4 syllables

I like Londinium too. Londinum sounds like "umpa- lumpa'. Although Dahl is the crowning glory of Postmodern British Children's Literature. Don't get me started on Rowling and her blatant rip-off (Oh! sorry, I mean influence) of his brilliance!

PREV PAGE 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 NEXT PAGE