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Couldn't you just respond to the PM and ask for clarification from the person who sent it?
Currently Working On: Incorruptible Pure PurenessI did, they never responded. Troper's name is Barrenta.
Edited by NKgamerBerrenta is a mod; it might have just been buried.
Well, looking at your sole edit on the page, I'd say it was likely a grammar and formatting issue. Did you get a generic grammar notifier and are asking what is wrong with your grammar?
Because said forum thread is where you ask this question.
Edited by SynchronicityHow so? I need clarification so I can fix it. I put the quote underneath the example like normal. Also all the words are used in the proper context so....what's the issue with my grammar amd formatting? Again BE SPECIFIC. Just saying there's an issue with my grammar and formatting tells me nothing.
Also I have no trouble with the English language because it's all I speak being an American so the forum wouldn't be of any help.
- In Mega Man Legends(note italics),(missing comma) after grabbing the red refractor from the Lake ruins,(missing comma) Roll suddenly calls you up in alarm saying she just picked up a reaverbot signal.(missing period)
Roll: Megaman! I just picked up a reaverbot signal! It came out of nowhere! It's a big one! The readings are going off the scale!
You are missing punctuation and proper example formatting (titles have to be in italics).
Note that the notifiers are pre-set messages that are generic by design. It is up to you to understand what you did wrong using the resources linked. In that case, there is a forum page linked where you could have asked what was wrong with your grammar.
Edited by SynchronicitySo the only issue is that all titles have to be in italics. Since when was that a universal English rule? I never saw that as being a rule and I was looking at the previous examples first before I added my own.
To be blunt—surely you already knew that sentences need a period at the end? That's, like, first-grade stuff.
"So the only issue is that all titles have to be in italics."
That's not the only issue. There's also the punctuation, as has already been stated. Not sure how you got the idea that the italics was the only problem from a post that specifically named more problems.
And yes, titles in italics is a rule. That's how it is in all articles and books I read.
Edited by MichaelKatsuroHaving looked at some of the examples you've written, it seems you are making the following mistakes:
- Grammar mistakes: Not using commas, and writing "it's" when the correct would be "its". You can get help with English in this thread.
- Work names should be written in italics.
- Word Cruft: Rhetorical questions add nothing to the example and just make the entry look bloated.
Synchronicity's modification is how the example is expected to be written in terms of formatting. Do remember that being a native speaker of a language means little - speaking and writing (or typing) are light years apart in terms of skill development.
I would recommend a trip to the English thread to check for punctuation errors before editing.
"If you aren't him, then you apparently got your brain from the same discount retailer, so..." - FighteerAlso, that English thread is for anyone with grammar issues. In fact a lot of the worst English speakers are native speakers.
Currently Working On: Incorruptible Pure PurenessOk, yes I see the issue of the missing period the trouble is using commas can be unbelievably arbitrary. Almost noone uses them nowadays because the times to use them are confusing at best. Then there's the possessive form of its. Every single other possessive form always has 's at the end. Its is one of the only words that doesn't follow the rule. Aside from words already ending in s there's no other time when 's isn't added to the end of a possessive proper noun or pronoun.
Edited by NKgamer"Almost noone uses them nowadays" This isn't true, though.
Yeah, I have no clue what you mean by that. Commas aren't arbitrary at all. Do you mean Semi-Colons, perhaps?
Currently Working On: Incorruptible Pure PurenessAlso, the character's name is Mega Man, not Megaman.
No, commas are an essential part of the written language and have specific rules to them. Also:
- It's - a contraction of it and is, general rule of thumb, if you replace it's with it is in a sentence and it makes no sense, you are using it wrong.
- Its - possessive form of It.
Stuff like using the Oxford comma can be arbitrary, but that's not the type of comma usage we are policing. Commas are required when you are listing separate things, phrases, or clauses.
We don't expect laser-perfect grammar, but punctuation is one of the easier-to-notice errors. Incorrect punctuation really takes one out of the reading experience.
Edited by SynchronicityNo. Here's what I know about when to use commas:
- When you're making some sort of list. For example when you say someone is tall, dark, and handsome. You are listing their physical features.
- A pause in the sentence of some sort. This is typically when you're indicating someone is pausing before continuing their sentence.
This is all I know about when to use commas. The area of the missing comma before the lake ruins part in the example I set doesn't fall under either category. And using commas too often has been discussed in the trope Wanton Cruelty to the Common Comma.
Edited by NKgamerSorry, but that's not true. Commas are ubiquitous in pretty much any form of text. And the possessive adjectives are "my, your, his, her, its, our and their". None of them end in apostrophe plus the letter "s".
Edited by TantaMontyyou've got it backwards, you pause in a sentence because there is a comma. You don't place a comma at pauses (which are a form of speaking, which varies from person to person)
I didn't choose the troping life, the troping life chose meYeah, see, this is an issue for me. Sure I can use commas in some sentences but I have no clue when to use them in sentences outside of what I'm familiar with, which isn't much. To me commas are arbitrary in nearly all uses besides lists. I have no clue what a clause is, sentences are sentences.
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/comma/
I didn't choose the troping life, the troping life chose meRight, are you seeing now why you might want to visit the grammar thread? The people there can teach you not by just sitting down and saying "Here's what you use commas for", but by fixing your work to teach you through example.
But seriously, just because you personally think the commas are arbitrary doesn't mean they are.
Currently Working On: Incorruptible Pure Pureness"To me commas are arbitrary in nearly all uses besides lists. I have no clue what a clause is, sentences are sentences." In that case, it's a bit weird that you claimed that you "have no trouble with the English language".
The link in grammarly says otherwise. It says straight up that it's the most abused and misused punctuation mark. (Thanks for the link btw)
The comma in the lake phrase is because it is an introductory phrase like "In Mega Man Legends". Both that and "after grabbing the red refractor from the Lake ruins" are explaining the setting and context of her call to the character.
The resource laserviking42 already lists when you should use commas. And when in doubt, as has been pointed out several times, use the Get help with English thread.
Again, we're not exactly grammar Nazis on this site. We will not get on your ass for one missing comma. But if you persistently refuse to use them and learn when you should use them, that's a problem.
"The link in grammarly says otherwise. It says straight up that it's the most abused and misused punctuation mark." Otherwise than what?
And the reason I say this is that I simply use English automatically. I use words the way they're supposed to be used and noone I typed to has any trouble understanding me. The missing period IS embarassing I'm typically better than that but I usually don't have any issues with ending my sentences with punctuation.
"Otherwise than what?" Err I don't understand the question but my following sentence sentence should've answered it.
Just because your sentences are coherent doesn't mean they're well-written enough to not cause problems for other wiki editors, who have to fix them if you make mistakes or can make people less likely to take us seriously as a resource.
Currently Working On: Incorruptible Pure Pureness"The link in grammarly says otherwise. It says straight up that it's the most abused and misused punctuation mark." Yes, and it also says that not using it when it's necessary is one of the most common errors. If you acknowledge that you have no clue when to use them in sentences, check the Get Help with English Thread.
Also, it's "no one," not "noone".
when you use the word "otherwise" in that context, your sentence says that the link contradicted what everyone else was saying. In fact, it reinforces what everyone is saying, that there are places to use commas, and places to not use commas, all according to the rules of grammar.
I didn't choose the troping life, the troping life chose meWithout commas, you can get run-on sentences which can make reading long sentences an exhausting chore. Commas allow the eyes to pause and breathe.
Edited by Excessive-Menace THE GOLDEN AGE WILL RETURN AGAIN!If you are using English automatically and find yourself making mistakes that are easily avoidable, then perhaps it is time to revisit basic grammar rules. They are taught in elementary school. Or use the thread we have provided as a resource.
If you require adjudication on what constitutes proper writing, you are welcome: I teach English for Academic Purposes. Thus, I can judge what constitutes a proper sentence better than most. If tropers whose first language is not English can do it, then so can you. Do try.
I believe this thread is done.
"If you aren't him, then you apparently got your brain from the same discount retailer, so..." - Fighteer
I just got a PM saying one of my edits on Readings Are Off the Scale was in error. They didn't say what the problem was and I need clarification. I don't know if the issue is in my grammar, capitalization or punctuation. I do know my spelling is correct and my quote is taken directly off the game where I used the example (if someone is going to pm me BE SPECIFIC, otherwise all you're doing is confusing me. Tell me the exact problem with the example so I can fix it)