help me out here, folks

[skoosiepants]

Let's make a list for the new year!

1. technically, it's 'another think'
2. passed/past are not interchangeable
3. 'no one' is two words - I blame E.E. Cummings for this, noone looks weird, so people were all, 'let's put a hyphen in!;' no, no, this is wrong.
4. the timeless classic: there/their/they're; know them, love them.
5. says/said are the best choices! I think it was chopchica who opened my eyes to this wonder - they disappear! You can use them all you want, and they never trip anyone up. Use them, and you shall understand.
6. actual names are awesome. There is no such thing as using a name too much. (I mean, unless you go crazy, there's some sort of line there.)
7. leave your crazy formatting at home, I want to read capital letters - it's not clever to use 'i' instead of 'I' or 'lorenzo' instead of 'Lorenzo.'

um, more?

In other breaking news: it is freezing outside.

Also, great things are happening over at sodamnskippy.

Comments

[pixie_pan.livejournal.com]

One I haven't seen mentioned yet: then/than

Formatting. Save our eyesight. Dark text on a pale background is the best option. In print, serif fonts are easier to read. On screen, sans serif fonts are easier to read. In print, line breaks between paragraphs are not necessary. On screen, you need to separate chunks of text. Pretty sure there's been a study done along these lines, but I am too lazy to look it up.

[skoosiepants.livejournal.com]

the formatting REALLY gets me, I know we CAN use format light, but I really don't WANT to.

[serafina-zane.livejournal.com]

Sometimes I think no one (in real life even more than the internet) knows that 'you're' exists. NOT EVERYTHING IS 'YOUR'.

But pretty much everything in the post and the comments gets to me ridiculously, especially considering I tend to expect decent grammar in places even less likely to have it than fanfiction...I will actually get out a marker and correct bathroom-wall graffiti.
And I'm constantly cringing at Facebook groups I see people have joined...the only not-a-band page I'm a fan of is "knowing the difference between your and you're", no joke.

[skoosiepants.livejournal.com]

oh yeah, the you're/your bugs the crap out of me! it's really not hard to get right!!

[writingblind.livejournal.com]

I don't think I have any to add that haven't already been mentioned. This post and its comments are amazing.

However, I don't understand number one! What?

Number two gets me ocassionally. Especially if someone walks past you. That is when I'm like "oh no! which is it?" the most.

xx

[skoosiepants.livejournal.com]

ha, it's the phrase, he's got 'another think coming' - most people incorrectly say 'another thing coming' which actually makes no sense!

[thelovelylurker.livejournal.com]

This list makes me so happy! It's amazing how quickly bad grammar can take me out of a really good fic. You all managed to hit my biggest pet peeves so I don't really have anything to add, but I can hopefully clear up the discreet/discrete confusion!

If you are being circumspect about your affair, you are being 'discreet.' If your fic has several distinct, separate sections then it has 'discrete' parts.

Hope that helps! And that people like you continue to campaign for better grammar!

[skoosiepants.livejournal.com]

ugh, bad grammar is the worst! I always second guess myself with the discrete/discreet thing, I usually let my beta-reader school me!

[flamingquill.livejournal.com]

First: SO MUCH WORD, OH MY FREAKING GOD. THANK YOU.

[flamingquill.livejournal.com]

Okay, now I'm ready.

1. Comma splicing. DON'T. Also, you do not need a comma between the final adjective and the noun it describes. If you use multiple adjectives for one noun (and as a matter of personal taste, I would say you need a damn good reason to use more than two), all of them UP TO THE SECOND TO LAST should followed by commas. If I see a phrase like "his clever, friend," I'm clicking the "back" button immediately.
2. Furthermore, "very" is NOT an adjective. It is an adverb, in the sense that it *describes* an adjective. An author should use it accordingly. Anne Shirley might refer to a feeling in her "very soul," but she also uses the term "bosom companion" without irony. Let that be a guide.
3. I'd like to expand on what Skoosie said about epithets (i.e., any term you might use to refer to a character other than his or her name or a pronoun). There are three ways in which they may be appropriately used.
- Dialogue or narration in the voice of a character who would use that epithet for the character to whom they refer, despite knowing that character's name.
-Dialogue or narration in the voice or from the point-of-view of a character who does not yet know the identity of the character to whom they refer.
-Ancient Greek epic poetry.
For the love of God, do not make me read something like, "Spencer's family had done a lot for him, and though it sometimes felt like he was looking in from the outside, Brendon didn't begrudge the taller boy his family's support."

Ahem. Rant done for now.

[skoosiepants.livejournal.com]

COMMAS! I LOVE commas, but if they're in the wrong place I just spend my whole time editing the fic in my head, and I don't enjoy anything!

[elowena.livejournal.com]

Reading this thread made me realize that at some point during the past five years I have turned from a fierce prescriptionist grammarian to a descriptionist one. Yikes! Then again, it must be said my blood pressure is on average significantly lower these days. I guess my own list would go something like this:

1) Proof-read, triple-check and edit if you want to be taken seriously.
2) Make sure your ideas are clear from what you write. Use words and structures you're comfortable with - or see #1.
3) Punctuate. You don't have to follow a style guide (they all disagree with each other anyways), but punctuate. Run-on sentences are taxing on the reader and exponentially increase the chances of syntax going awry to the point of confusing the reader.

Also, hi! I stumbled across this post via your Gabe/William story which is wonderful and happiness-inducing. <3

[skoosiepants.livejournal.com]

hi! and thank you!

oh man, I HATE when people leave out commas and semi-colons (my new favorites!).