Yes, this lesson is in fact my own. The numbered lessons are not my work. That being said, moving on!!

Grammar, what a wonderful invention, yes? Not if used incorrectly, I'm afraid.

Grammar includes such things as capitalizing correct words when needed, spelling, punctuation, nouns, verbs, adjectives, and how a sentence is formed. Granted, there are many more elements to it than these things alone, but these are the basics.


Sentence Structure
Starting off, sentence structure. A basic sentence needs a noun and a verb. Simple enough, right? For those in our world, the world of RPing, and using only words to get a point across, this is not enough. Adjectives are needed, pronouns are needed. Yes, yes, I know, this is all basic stuff. We've all learned this at one point or another. But, sometimes we forget, which is why this thread is here to remind you. (Allowing you to be informed ahead of time, these lessons are not to make you feel incompetent.)

Moving on, I'm gonna give you a bad example of sentence structure, put next to a good example.

Quote :

Bad Example: He in his house by himself lived.
Good Example: He lived in his house by himself.

Seems easy enough, right? Right.


Punctuation
Next up, punctuation. Dear god, this is where I encounter the most issues. Commas and periods are your friends people!! I'll be giving good and bad examples throughout this lesson, so watch carefully. Any questions can be posted right here.

Anyways, periods (.) are used to end sentences, as opposed to commas (,) which are used to make lists, or separate thoughts. Semicolons (;) on the other hand, are used to join separate thoughts, that could otherwise be sentences on their own.

Quote :

Bad Examples: For dinner I had pasta wine bread and cheese Then my friend and I went to the park it was a fun day
Good Example: For dinner I had pasta, wine, bread, and cheese. Then my friend and I went to the park; it was a fun day.

Commas can also be used for things parenthetical references, or things that might've looked good in parenthesis instead.

Quote :

Example 1: Times like these made her think of her past (and a tragic past it was) which was why she didn't look at him directly.

Example 2: Times like these made her think of her past, and a tragic past it was, which was why she didn't look at him directly.

Spelling and Capitalization
I'd think this one is quite obvious. Capitalizing letters that need it, and correct spelling really helps out with the comprehension of a sentence/passage. In the quick reply boxes below the last reply for a thread for that page, there are spell checks. Please make use of them. And if they do not show up on your computer, read over your post. It helps when you look at it before you post. If anything, most Microsoft Word programs have spell checks, copy and paste the post into the program, and spell check it, fixing anything that is wrong.

Quote :

Bad Example: he lookd at hm and cudnt help bt fel uslss. what was ths guys del? "i dunt no who u ar bt im going to bet u!"
(Could you read that? Really? Because even though I typed it I had issues reading it. Things like this make the RPing experience less fun, trust me.)

Good Example: He looked at him and couldn't help but feel useless. What was this guys' deal? "I don't know who you are, but I'm going to beat you!"
(Better! this is much easier to read, don't you think?)

V.A.N.s
Verbs, adjectives, and nouns, these are the three basic components to a good sentence. Oh yes, and pronouns. But if I put a P in the title, it wouldn't make a cool acronym, now would it? Anyways....

Quote :

Verbs: A verb is an action word. It can be used in past, present, or future tense. (He ran, he runs/is running, he will run)

Adjectives: Adjectives are words describing nouns, or actions. (Sarah was pretty, the boy ran fast)

Nouns: A noun is a person, place or thing. (Ex. The chicken, Thomas, the store, etc.)

Pronouns: Pronouns take the place of a noun. (It, he, she, they. In place of: the store, Kenny, Kelly, Kenny and Kelly, etc.)

Be warned, of course, of the overuse of adjectives to try to make your post descriptive. Be creative with your descriptions. You don't want it to be bland and boring to read. Don't list off adjectives to describe something, use multiple sentences to make a vision.

Quote :

Bad Example: The pool was a large rectangle, with blue water, a ladder, a diving board, and several colorful pool toys inside.

Good Example: The once calm blue surface of the pool was being disturbed by many children playing with colorful pool toys, splashing around in the rectangular swimming area. A couple of the kids even became brave, and tried to jump off the diving board into the deep end. Those who had gotten tired of the pool went over and climbed out via the ladder, or simply splashed their way over the edge.

Which one was more interesting to read? The first one, or the second one? The answer is quite obvious, I think.



Yes, yes, I know this is a lot to cover, but this should all be basic. I hope this helped all you who needed/wanted it. I will come out with more lessons as I think of them.

For now, this is Kinaga Unabara, signing off!!