Free Grammar Lesson, MUST READ

[Briar Rosethorn]

I would like to point out a few things that I've seen from some members on the board -grammar wise, at least-. We all make mistakes, yes, and I will not name any names, but these are a few of the more prominent things I've noticed. If this applies to you, please don't take it as a personal attack. I feel that it is a point that is very relevant and necessary to bring up. Now, if you've actually bothered to read this far, and this applies to you, it would be nice if you would take the time to at least look over what I've bothered to write. Free condensed English lesson FTW.

Inherent lack of apostrophes

Now, now, where to start here. Contractions. Basically shorthand ways of saying 'can not, would not, could have, I am, she is, you are', and what have you. Although, 'can not' can also be one word, "cannot". This sure doesn't seem like a big deal, I know, and you definitely won't go to hell if you choose not to use these nifty things. But it makes you come off as smarter. C: It really isn't that hard to hit that single key adjacent to the semicolon~

HOWEVER. There is an important note that I must make.

WON'T and WONT are two completely different things!

'Won't' (with an apostrophe), is a contraction, meaning 'will not'.

'Wont' (without an apostrophe), means a few different things, as it can be used as a noun and an adjective! An example of it in usage as a noun would be: "Anna, as was her wont, payed the class little attention." As an adjective, it would make sense to use it like this: "She has wont to awoken at 6:00 every morning."

Some nouns synonymous with 'wont'.
• Habit, practice, way, rule, custom.

Some adjectives synonymous with 'wont'.
• Used to, accustomed, habitual.

Now, onto homonyms/homophones! My favorite subject to bitch about!

Your and You're

THESE DO NOT MEAN THE SAME THING.
Your: Functions as an adjective, such as 'your dog' or 'your paintbrush', etcetera. This can also be used as an article, similar to 'the', for example 'your typical teenager'.

Example of incorrect usage.
"If your thirsty, then you should drink something."
This is wrong. Let me explain why. There is no possession in question. This passes the replacement test. Rewriting it with "you are" fits.

**TIP: If you can replace 'your' with the possessive 'my' in the sentence, and it makes sense, then you've got it right. There are a few exceptions, however.


You're: A contraction -something I was most fervently lecturing about above- of 'you are'. I've already differentiated this from 'your', but I will give an example of incorrect usage, and an explanation as to why it is.

Example of incorrect usage.
"You're handwriting is too small."
The contraction 'you are' is being used in place of the possessive form of you. 'You are handwriting is too small' doesn't make sense. Replace it with 'your'.

There, Their, and They're

There: Refers to a place, either concrete: "Over there by the park.", or abstract: "It must be tough going to school there.". It is also used to indicate/confirm the existence of something, for example: "There is a river over by Jake's house."

Their: USED TO INDICATE POSSESSION. Their is a possessive adjective, and indicates that a particular noun belongs to 'them'. "My parents have lost their minds!" would be a suitable example.

They're: A contraction of the words 'they' and 'are'. Be careful! It can never be used as a modifier, only a subject (who or what is doing the action) accompanied by a verb (the action itself).

**TIP: In your sentences, if you can replace 'there' with 'here', 'their' with 'our', and 'they're' with 'they are', then you're doing well. Like the last tip, however, this does not work in all cases.

Two, To, and Too

Two: Is the number two, '2'. I really shouldn't have to elaborate on this. So I won't.

To: This has two functions. First, as a preposition, in which case it always precedes a noun: "I'm going to the mall.", or "This comic belongs to Katie." Secondly, 'to' indicates an infinitive when it comes before a verb: "She's going to read.", or "I need to reply to this thread."

Too: Also has two functions. It is synonymous with the word 'also': "Can I go too?". 'Too' also means excessively when it precedes an adjective or adverb. Case in point: "I'm too tired.", or "This soup is too salty."

**TIP: If you're able to replace the word with "also" or "excessively/too much," use too. If the word is a number, use two. Otherwise, you'll want to use to! n__n

And now, for my last point. This is something that I don't actually see all that often, but I would still like to mention it. Don't worry, I'll keep it short and sweet, I promise! <3

Then and Than

Then: Used to signify a time. When you want to talk about a sequence of events, or are giving instructions in a step-by-step order, the word 'then' should be used.

Than: A word that indicates comparison, 'than' is used when you're talking about a noun in relation to another noun. A quick example: "Eric was sicker than a dog last month!"

**TIP: Write the word 'in comparison to' instead of 'than', and for the word 'then', replace it with the word 'next'. It should make sense. All the same, there are some irregulars, so it doesn't always work!

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If you're down here already, thank you for reading! I know it was sort of TL;DR in the long run, but I really hope this will help some people out! If not, then oh well. It was good for venting. I guess this is what comes from enjoying English classes a bit too much. 8I If I made any minor errors, I apologize. But consider the fact that it's 5:30 in the morning here.

Written by Grim. Used with permission.

[Briar Rosethorn]

Slight Follow-up

Affect versus Effect

Oh gosh, I see these two words mixed up so much that it's not even funny. They have no senses in common. However, both can be used as either nouns or verbs, so it's not a fallible distinction. But 'affect' is almost always a verb, whereas 'effect' is more commonly used as a noun than it is as a verb. 'Affect' as a noun is almost entirely reserved for psychological idiom. Its use as a noun by a journalist is an affectation.

Affect (verb): To have an influence on, to impress or to move, to produce a change in something or someone.

Effect (noun): Something brought about; a result. OR The way one thing acts upon another.

I'm not going to get into the gritty details though, since I'm aiming at keeping this relatively simple. After all, it's just roleplaying, not necessarily term-paper writing. But it's helpful to know the difference between the two. ^^; I think I'm done ranting about homonyms! :'D For now. At least until I find another few that are commonly mixed up. Ahahaha. xD

Remember, practice won't make perfect, but you'll get better! <3

Written by Grim. Used with permission.