Handy grammar guide by PhoenixRose

BLUE SUN ROOM

Handy grammar guide

POSTED BY: PHOENIXROSE
UPDATED: Friday, August 17, 2007 08:08
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Tuesday, August 1, 2006 10:10 PM

You think you know--what's to come, what you are. You haven't even begun.

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 balance a preceding statement. As in "The star was nervous, but then who isn't on the first night of a new play."
In that case; accordingly. As in "If traffic is heavy, then allow extra time."
As a consequence; therefore. As in "The case, then, is closed."
Than: Used after a comparative adjective or adverb to introduce the second element or clause of an unequal comparison. As in "She is a better athlete than I."
Used to introduce the second element after certain words indicating difference. As in "He draws quite differently than she does."
When. Used especially after hardly and scarcely. As in "I had scarcely walked in the door than the commotion started."

Effect = the noun "Our protests had no effect"
Affect = the verb "The cold weather affected the harvest."

Pique = to excite interest, curiosity, etc. As in "Her curiosity was piqued by the news." Also less commonly used as: to affect with sharp irritation and resentment, especially by some wound to pride, as in "She was greatly piqued when they refused her invitation."
Peak = The pointed top of anything, especilaly a mountain.
Peek = To look or glance quickly or furtively, esp. through a small opening or from a concealed location, as in "She peeked down from the catwalk."

Sight = vision. As in "She was quite a sight!" or "I have poor eyesight."
Site = a setting, a place or location. As in "A good site to build." Also short for "website".

I wasn't going to add this one, but I see it so much in chat that I have to put it here.
Sense = logic. As in "That makes sense." Also a "sense" is smell, touch, taste, etc.
Since = continuously. As in "We have been friends since we were children." also a subsequent time, as in "She has since moved out of state." Also can be used as because, as in "Since she never showed up, her understudy took her place."

Ladder= a structure of wood, metal, or rope, commonly consisting of two sidepieces between which a series of bars or rungs are set at suitable distances, forming a means of climbing up or down. A means of rising, as to eminence: the ladder of success.
Latter= being the second mentioned of two, the 'former' being the first. Also near or comparatively near to the end: "In the latter part of the century."
Later= occurring, coming, or being after the usual or proper time "Later than usual" Also can mean at a time in the future "See you later"

(Thanks to RMMC!)
Bare = stripped down, naked, without covering. As in "The walls were bare of ornamentation." or "River's bare feet." Also plain, bald, unadorned, unconcealed. As in "The bare facts." or "Mal's bare dislike of the Alliance." Also open to view or reveal. As in "She bared herself." (this can be figurative or literal.)
Bear = to hold up, support, remain firm, carry. As in "He bears up under pressure." or "She bore the weight of her burden." or "We come bearing gifts." or "Bear with me." or even "Bearing children." Also to press "The Alliance was bearing down on them." And of course, bears are the big furry animals who like fish and possibly honey. This is a really good word to look up, because it has many, many different meanings and forms of usage.
Bore = the past tense of "to bear" see above. Also to be dull, weary. As in "The book was boring." or "I am bored." Or can also mean "to drill" as in "The carpenter ants bored through the wood." Also can refer to a tiring person. As in "He was a bore."
Boar = a male swine, either an uncastrated male pig or a wild pig with tusks.
Boor = a churlish, rude, or unmannerly person, as in "Jayne often acts like a boor."

Witch = one who practices magick. As in "I am a witch."
Which = uh, a lot of things. "Which one?" "He left the scene, which was wise." "She likes Firefly, which is shiny." This is the more commonly used, so when in doubt...

Wait = to remain or stay in expectation. As in "I will wait for more Firefly."
Weight = measure of heaviness. As in "The weight is five pounds."

Choose = present tense, to make a choice. As in "I choose to have chicken for dinner tonight."
Chose = past tense, to make a choice. "A year ago, I chose to move."

(one letter can make a BIG difference in meaning!)
Exorcise = to expel demons, evil spirits, or malignant influences. "To excorcise the demons in one's mind." as in "Miranda excorcised some of River's demons."
Exercise = bodily or mental exertion, esp. for the sake of training or improvement of health. "Walking is good exercise." or "It's important to excercise the brain every day." etc.

Except = to exclude. As in "I'll buy everything except that." Also to object, as in "I take exception to that statement." Also a term meaning "if not for the fact". As in "I would buy it, except that it's so expensive."
Accept = agreement, consent, something affirmative. As in "I accept your invitation." or "She was accepted to the University."

Here = location. As in "You are here."
Hear = what you do with your ears. As in "Hope to hear from you soon."

Coarse = harsh, grating; lacking in fineness or delicacy of texture, structure, etc; lacking delicacy, taste, or refinement; unpolished manners or behavior; crude
Course = a direction or route taken or to be taken; a mode of conduct; behavior "A course of action". Also used for the term 'of course', meaning a certainty.

Threw = past tense of "throw". As in "I threw my notebook across the room."
Through = from beginning to end. As in "He walked through the door." or "She saw the matter through."
Thorough = complete, painstaking. As in "A thorough search for answers."

Throne = fancy chair used by royalty. A king's throne.
Thrown = another past tense form of 'to throw'. As in "She was thrown across the room by the force of the explosion."

Boys = plural form of "boy"
Boy’s = possessive term for one boy as in "That is the boy’s book."
Boys’ = possessive term for multiple boys, as in "This is the boys’ mule; they share it." (pronounced "boyses")

Let's = let us. As in "Let's be bad guys."
Lets = allows. As in "Having a job lets me pay my bills."

Vain = conceited. As in "You’re so vain." Also can be fruitless, as in "We tried in vain."
Vein = what blood runs through. Synonymous with "blood" a lot of the time, as in "The music was in her veins."

Gripe = to complain, complaint. As in "She would gripe about her food." or "He had a gripe about the job."
Grip = to hold tightly. As in "She would grip her gun when she felt threatened."

Illusion = something not real; not a reality. As in "I thought things would work out at my job, but it was just an illusion." or "Someone dying in the desert will often see a mirage or illusion."
Allusion = hint or indirect reference. See below.
Allude = to hint or make indirect reference. As in "The possibility was alluded to, but never directly stated."
Elude = avoid, evade. As in "They were able to elude capture."

Whole = Entire, complete. As in "I read the whole book in a day."
Hole = an opening through something; gap; aperture, as in "tearing holes in the huill that won't cause inner breach." Also a hollow place in a solid body or mass; a cavity: a hole in the ground.

Alot = not a word. Should be two separate words: "A lot"
Noone = also not a word. Two separate words: "No one"

"In to" should basically always be written as "into".

"ing" words:
When you add "ing" to a word that ends in "e" you need to drop the "e". Hope=Hoping, Make=Making, Take=Taking, Gripe=Griping (whereas grip would be gripping), Fake=Faking, and so on and so forth.
The only exception to this rule (that I know of) is the word 'dye'. Die is written 'dying' and so dye is hence written 'dyeing'

Referring to yourself and others in the same sentence:
Be sure you can take the "others" out and still have the sentence make sense. For example: "Thank you for helping me and the girls." Would be proper because without the others it would read "Thank you for helping me."
You would not say "Thank you for helping the girls and I." because you wouldn’t say "Thank you for helping I."
However, the sentence "The girls and I are going out" would be proper because without the others it would read "I am going out"

I found a site called "The Apostrophe Protection Society". It's got some good and simple info on proper use of apostrophes. http://www.apostrophe.fsnet.co.uk/

More to be added on request or as I think of things... I've added a lot! Will add and edit more as needed. Check back for updates!

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"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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Wednesday, August 2, 2006 12:54 AM

NANITE1018

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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Wednesday, August 2, 2006 12:56 AM

HAWKMOTH

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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Wednesday, August 2, 2006 1:21 AM