A note on grammar, punctuation and spelling.

  • CAC-Boomerang
    22nd May 2012 Member 10 Permalink
    l haven't really posted a thread in awhile, so here I am. image

    A Note on grammar, punctuation and spelling


    From writing bug reports from simply replying to someone, grammar is much more important. On a lot of forums besides TPT that I have been on, correct grammar will get you very far. It tells people your maturity, and whether you act your age or not.


    Contents:
    1. The basics
    2. Correct criticism





    The basics


    can som1 plz hlep me?? i am new 2 powdrtyo and i need help pzlpzlplz!!11!111


    Do you enjoy reading countless posts like this? I can sure tell you I don't. So whether your first language is English or another language, I hope this will make sense. Let's first have a look at this sentence.


    Firstly, let's get rid of those numbers. You are typing a message, not sending an SMS.


    can someone plz hlep me?? i am new to powdrtyo and i need help pzlpzlplz!!11!111


    Now, let's fix the spelling.


    can someone please help me?? i am new to powdertoy and i need help please!!11!111


    Spelling makes a big difference. There is no need to use so many exclamation and question marks, one is all you need.


    can someone please help me? i am new to powdertoy and i need help please!

    Now, for the final touch, lets capitalize the beginning of sentences, and special nouns. A comma is also handy too, in this case.


    Can someone please help me? I am new to The Powder Toy, and I need help please!


    Now hold on a second, we are still not done yet. First of all, you've already said please, so lets cross that out.


    And we really don't need an exclamation. A fullstop (period in the US) in this case will make so much more sense. Here is the final result:


    Can someone please help me? I am new to The Powder Toy, and I need help. (reason).


    Compare this to the first sentence. It's a huge difference, and the finished result makes you look so much more civilized.


    Note: If your first language is not english, and do not understand what I have just explained, then it doesn't apply to you as you are still learning the language.


    Correct Criticism


    @ModMaker u suk and ur mod iz dum


    Do you think the Mod maker could properly improve his mod from that kind of criticism? It tells him nothing about what could be better and what needs improving. This is why correctly and constructively criticism is important. Let's look at another example.


    @ModMaker I don't like your mod plz make better


    A vital problem here. No reason why it is bad, and what needs to be better. Lets say that, the mod is laggy when you want to use the element PROT. Lets edit that sentence to include it.


    @ModMaker I don't like your mod, it is laggy when I use PROT.


    Much better! To be even more polite, word it like this.


    @ModMaker I appreciate the work you put into your mod, but I do not like that PROT lags. Is it possible to fix?


    As the example above shows, politeness and constructive criticism are a better combination.







    EDIT: Rewriting and organizing. If you have any ideas to improve this, start a conversation with me.
  • nmd
    22nd May 2012 Member 1 Permalink

    You forgot capitalization of proper nouns, using articles correctly, correct usage of punctionation, right conjugation of adjective/verb, homonyms, Asyndeton, polysyndeton, symbolism, anaphra, acronyms, alliteration, assonance, iambic pentameter, onomatopoeia, Sarcasm...

  • CAC-Boomerang
    22nd May 2012 Member 1 Permalink
    Well, I ran out of time to add more, I'll organize it a bit more.
  • triclops200
    22nd May 2012 Former Staff 2 Permalink

    Nice post. I support it, in general.

  • CAC-Boomerang
    22nd May 2012 Member 1 Permalink
    @triclops200 (View Post)

    Thanks, it still needs a lot of organization so it makes more sense.
  • shroom207
    22nd May 2012 Member 1 Permalink

    I agree people should use proper English and grammar if they know how too do so. My English is a little bit above average... (Im not a professional with English and grammar but i get by) By the way i like your mini trollface.

  • The-Con
    22nd May 2012 Member 1 Permalink

    @CAC-Boomerang (View Post)

     You should use the correct name of The Powder Toy. (You have it as Powdertoy, with no "the" and no gap between Powder and Toy.)

  • vanquish349
    22nd May 2012 Member 1 Permalink
    May i ask why you are using the oxford comma?
  • EqualsThree
    22nd May 2012 Member 0 Permalink

    I support this as well. -votes post up-

  • tommig
    22nd May 2012 Member 0 Permalink

    @vanquish349 (View Post)

    You make a good point actually, but there's nothing wrong with it, and I use it quite a bit myslef.