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This thread is for tropers who have trouble with English and would like some help with the crazy grammar of this crazy language.

Write down what you wish to edit on the wiki. If you have been suspended from editing, another troper might be kind enough to edit for you after your suggestions have been corrected.

The thread is for help and feedback on your own suggested edits.

If you want help correcting other people's edits (e.g., if you find a page which seems to have grammar problems but want a second opinion, or you don't feel able to fix it by yourself) then that's off-topic here, but we have a separate Grammar Police cleanup thread that can provide assistance.

Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 16th 2023 at 5:37:57 PM

lexicon Since: May, 2012
#1776: Dec 12th 2014 at 10:17:17 AM

jormis 29, the only error I see on the whole post is when you say, "a re-enactment of a workplace shooting rampage go wrong when," it should be "gone wrong."

MrL1193 Since: Apr, 2013
#1777: Dec 12th 2014 at 1:43:13 PM

[up] That seems rather awkward to me, and I don't think the original sentence was actually wrong to begin with. If you really want to clarify it, you could try something like this:

Human Giant has a re-enactment of a workplace shooting rampage that goes wrong when one of the extras goes on a real shooting spree.

jormis29 Since: Mar, 2012
#1778: Dec 12th 2014 at 2:31:55 PM




Megalodon

  • The "[[MonsterCompendium Xenoforms]]" supplement for ''TabletopGame/DarkMatter'' has ghostly white megaladons that grow up to 25 metres in length and can weigh as much as 60 tons. They still survive in the Pacific Ocean and are quite willing to hunt humans to satiate their voracious appetite.
    —>We're [[GonnaNeedMoreX gonna to need a hell]] of a lot [[{{Film/Jaws}} bigger boat]], Roy!

Beauty Mark

  • The ''WesternAnimation/BewareTheBatman'' version of ComicBook/LadyShiva has a mark just below her right eye.

Surprise Vehicle

  • ''WesternAnimation/GreenLanternTheAnimatedSeries'' "Lost Planet": [[TheBigGuy Kilowog]] gets the drop on [[spoiler: Zartok]] and throws him off a cliff but he is saved by [[spoiler: [[TheCracker Druza]]]] flying just below the edge. The surprise is double for Kilowog since [[spoiler: Druza is flying the Interceptor.]]

Unified Naming System

  • The heroes of ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretShow'' work for U.Z.Z. while Doctor Doctor's EvilCounterpart organisation is called T.H.E.M.

edited 12th Dec '14 2:32:48 PM by jormis29

lexicon Since: May, 2012
#1779: Dec 13th 2014 at 8:48:20 PM

The only English errors that I saw in that is when you said, "has ghostly white megaladons that grow up to 25 metres in length..." it's "that grows up to..." Meters is the American spelling but that way you spelled it, "metres" is the BIPM spelling. I'm guessing you meant the American spelling.

Beauty Mark needs to not just say that she has a mark, but how it's handled in the work in terms of attractiveness. Does it make the person beautiful or not?

edited 13th Dec '14 8:59:12 PM by lexicon

MrL1193 Since: Apr, 2013
#1780: Dec 14th 2014 at 1:56:40 AM

[up] "Megalodons that grow" is the proper conjugation. jormis had it right; you're the one that's getting mixed up.

jormis29 Since: Mar, 2012
#1781: Dec 14th 2014 at 2:00:03 AM

[up][up] None of the other Beauty Mark examples mention how it makes them beautiful, espically since quite a few are not. Any how..


Pick Up Babes With Babes

  • ''WesternAnimation/TheClevelandShow'': The infant Rallo helps Holt pick up chicks in the "A General Thanksgiving Episode" episode by pretending that Holt is a father figure in return for him buying all the things Rallo wants. As Holt puts it, "[[ThatCameOutWrong I'm paying a young boy for sex]]".

The Last Thing You Ever See

  • ''{{Series/Merlin}}'' "[[Recap/MerlinS01E06ARemedyToCureAllIlls A Remedy To Cure All Ills]]": Edwin poisons Uther with a paralytic so the last thing he will see is Edwin's face as he kills him in revenge for [[YouKilledMyFather having his parents]] [[BurnTheWitch burnt at the stake for sorcery]].

False Flag Operation

  • ''Film/RobinHood2010'': The traitorous Godfrey leads a group of French soldiers to loot and slaughter the inhabitants of northern towns that refuse to pay more taxes in the name of [[UsefulNotes/KingJohnOfEngland King John]] in order to piss off the Northern Barons enough to rebel and leave the coast undefended for a French invasion.

Leaking Can of Evil

  • ''Literature/OldKingdom'': In a rather literal version, a finger-wide trickle of water managed to leak out of the seven thrice-spelled wards that hold [[spoiler: [[EldritchAbomination Orannis]] the Destroyer]] that allows it to communicate with anyone who drinks the water and mentally dominate them.

edited 14th Dec '14 2:07:01 AM by jormis29

lexicon Since: May, 2012
#1782: Dec 14th 2014 at 10:10:13 AM

I see no errors with that one. I think I was confused with the last one. It would be grows if it's a single megaladon? Your English looks good.

jormis29 Since: Mar, 2012
#1783: Dec 14th 2014 at 6:02:53 PM

[up] Well then, I get out of suspension to add them.

Rich Boredom

  • Walter Mashburn from ''Series/TheMentalist'' is so bored with his life as a millionaire that he does not mind Jane crashing his ridiculously expensive car or getting wrongly arrested for murder (twice!) because it is a bit of excitement.
    —>'''Walter''': So it's over?
    -'''Patrick''': Yeah. It's over.
    '''Walter''': That's too bad. It was fun.
    '''Patrick''': Yeah. How you gonna top that thrill?
    '''Walter''': Maybe next time, I'll be the killer.

Feuding Families

  • ''Series/CriminalMinds'': The victims from the "Blood Relations" episode come from two West Virginian families that have been in a feud that dates back to when they were working as rival {{Hillbilly Moonshiner}}s in the times of prohibition.

Sue Donym

  • ''WesternAnimation/FairlyOddParents'': When [[TheOjou Trixe]] asks the name of a {{Gender Ben|der}}t Timmy in the "The Boy Who Would Be Queen" episode, he/she begins to say Timmy before trying to change it to mid word a more feminie name and ends up with Timantha.

I Can't Feel My Legs!

  • ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' "Season's Beatings": After [[TheAntiChrist Nemo]] destroys the orphanage, Stan finds Father Donovan buried in the rubble.
    —>''' Donovan''': I can't feel my legs. Are they okay?
    '''Stan''': (''Looks over at the severed pair of legs that are on fire'') They're [[BlatantLies fine]], you're good.

rzorrz Since: Aug, 2013
#1784: Dec 15th 2014 at 3:39:17 AM

Ok, finally got enough time to try repent my past sins. I'm suspended for my lacking English, so aside from checking those entries I would be really glad if someone could post them when they are cleaned up. I guess it will get serialised into countless 10-tropes-top posts

Fright Night (2011):

  • Action Survivor: Peter Vincent as a child hid and then run away while Jerry was busy eating his parents. When Evil Ed shows up, he repeats his action.
  • Bros Before Hoes: Subverted, even if the plot seems to move toward this for a while. Evil Ed feels betrayed and has every single reason for that - Charley cut all contacts with his former friends, afraid that being connected with bunch of nerds will destroy his prospects with Amy. Eventually she calls him out on being a jerk for doing so and admitting that his Nice Guy persona was what really appealed to her.
    • Gets additional subtext after Ed returns as a vampire, openly blaming Charley for his state and how everything fell apart because of his betrayal. Not to mention how devastated Charley gets after staking long-life friend.
  • Damsel in Distress: As numerous viewers noted, Gender Flipped - it's Amy who saves helpless Charley from Evil Ed. With a flail no less.
  • Extremely Short Time Span: Second half of the film happens in less than twelve hours and the story as a whole is packed into three days.
  • Give Geeks a Chance: The story starts some time after Amy gave Charley a chance. He thinks it's because he dropped most of his "geek stuff" and alienated his former friends. She picked him because of his geekiness, or rather for not being a Jerk Jock.
  • Spell My Name With An S: It's Charley, not Charlie.
  • Soft Glass: note 
    • Taken to Truth in Television level in Hilarious Outtakes reel, where glass-made door was hit with a bucket of paint at full force, only for the bucket to bounce off. And then again. And again. And again. The film crew had to replace standard glass installed in such doors with much thinner one to finally break it down.
  • Trademark Favorite Drink: Peter Vincent and his Midori. We never see him drinking anything else. He even uses it to clean his fake tattoo.

Fright Night (2011):

  • Not Screened for Critics: In numerous countries there were no special screenings whatsoever. Given the fact that film critics liked the film quite a lot after it's release, it ended up as mixed message for the audience.
  • Screwed by the Network: While the film still managed to be a moderate box-office success, there wasn't much faith in it between execs - limited releases in mid-August, very small marketing, no screening for critics in many countries... especially jarring since the film earned most of it's revenue from foreign markets, where it was almost completely neglected.

edited 28th Dec '14 7:26:58 AM by rzorrz

Kakai from somewhere in Europe Since: Aug, 2013
#1785: Dec 16th 2014 at 7:17:49 AM

[up]Hi, rzorrz. What I see here is:

  • In Action Survivor: "as a child hid and then ran away while" etc. Past tenses, and "while", because it was happening at the same time.
  • In Bros Before Hoes: "she calls him out on".
  • In Damsel in Distress: "As numerous viewers noted" - what you've got here means more or less "numerous viewers had been observed to".

The rest of it seems alright to me. On the other hand, I no great authority, really - I'm suspended for exactly the same thing you are. [lol]


Yep, about that. On the suspension thread I was advised to go here, so I'd like to ask if somebody could check the page I've been working on for some time, Dora Wilk Series. I believe I should post part of it here for a check?

''Dora Wilk Series (formal name: Witch's Hexalogy) is Urban Fantasy book series by Polish author Aneta Jadowska, set in modern Poland, mostly in Toruń and Three-City.

The story centers on Theodora "Dora" Wilk, living a double life as a police officer in Toruń and succubus-like witch in its magical counterpart, Thorn. While using her powers to aid her during investigations, she tries to keep herself away from magical Fantasy Kitchen Sink world. The magical world, however, comes to her, as the Council governing Thorn asks her to investigate missing and dead magical creatures. Aided by a devil Miron and his friend, angel Joshua, she sets off to find so-called "Soul Thief", at the same time solving a murder case in Muggle world. But with world like Thorn, that's just the tip of the iceberg...''

Thanks in advance.

edited 16th Dec '14 7:33:33 AM by Kakai

Rejoice!
rzorrz Since: Aug, 2013
#1786: Dec 16th 2014 at 2:18:40 PM

... I have no idea myself from where the hell I've got the last one. Dzięki

Guess it was a bad idea to come back mid December, since everyone is away till mid January

edited 23rd Dec '14 6:47:30 AM by rzorrz

jormis29 Since: Mar, 2012
#1787: Dec 18th 2014 at 3:41:19 PM




Tinfoil Hat

  • ''Series/ThirtyRock'' "Queen of Jordan II: Mystery of the Phantom Pooper": To cover up something he accidently said while being filmed, Jack gets a homeless guy to pose as a business man. The man is not particularly convincing since he is wearing a rather large tinfoil hat.

Nose Art

  • The noses of the [[ZeppelinsFromAnotherWorld Kirov]] [[CoolAirship Airships]] from ''[[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert2 Red Alert 2]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert3 Red Alert 3]]'' are painted with a face sporting a shark-toothed grin.

Kissing the Ground

  • ''Series/MadamSecretary'': The two teenage boys from the "Pilot" episode kiss the ground when they are returned to America after being freed from the prison in Syria.

Shoot the Television

  • ''WesternAnimation/FriskyDingo'' "Thrust Issues": Killface blasts his TV after it reminds him of Barnaby Jones, the alias that Xander used when they befriended each other.

Kakai from somewhere in Europe Since: Aug, 2013
#1788: Dec 19th 2014 at 11:28:02 AM

[up]Hi, jormis 29. The only thing I see here is that in Tinfoil Hat, "business man" should be written together: "businessman".

Rejoice!
jormis29 Since: Mar, 2012
#1789: Dec 19th 2014 at 5:58:10 PM




Home Porn Movie

  • ''Series/RaisingHope'': Burt and Virginia search for sex tape that was accidently sold off in the "Sex, Clown and Videotape" episode, only to discover that [[Series/YesDear Jimmy and Christine]] had found the tape and used it to help their marriage. They even edited out the sex parts and showed it to their children to teach them about relationships.

  • ''{{Series/Rake}}'': The defendant in the "R v Chandler" episode accidently lost a briefcase containing a recording of him and his wife having sex. The reason Cleaver is defending him is that the sex also involved the [[BestialityIsDepraved family dog]].

Cigarette Burns

  • ''Series/LawAndOrderSVU'': The psychotic William Lewis rapes an old lady in the "Surrender Benson" episode and [[ForcedToWatch forces Olivia to watch]] by burning the lady with his cigarette every time Olivia closes her eyes.

Drum Roll, Please

  • ''Series/MadamSecretary'': When Elizabeth is about to announce which country she is going to visit for her first foreign trip in the "Passage" episode, Blake plays drum-roll sound with his laptop which earns him an irritated glare.

MrL1193 Since: Apr, 2013
#1790: Dec 19th 2014 at 6:38:54 PM

[up]

Home Porn Movie

Raising Hope: Burt and Virginia search for the sex tape that was accidentally sold off in the "Sex, Clown and Videotape" episode, only to discover that Jimmy and Christine had found the tape and used it to help their marriage. They even edited out the sex parts and showed it to their children to teach them about relationships.

Rake: The defendant in the "R v Chandler" episode accidentally lost a briefcase containing a recording of him and his wife having sex. The reason Cleaver is defending him is that the sex also involved the family dog.

Cigarette Burns

Law & Order: SVU: The psychotic William Lewis rapes an old lady in the "Surrender Benson" episode and forces Olivia to watch by burning the lady with his cigarette every time Olivia closes her eyes.

Drum Roll Please

Madam Secretary: In the "Passage" episode, when Elizabeth is about to announce which country she is going to visit for her first foreign trip in the "Passage" episode, Blake plays a drum-roll sound with his laptop, which earns him an irritated glare.

edited 19th Dec '14 6:40:26 PM by MrL1193

jormis29 Since: Mar, 2012
#1791: Dec 19th 2014 at 10:38:51 PM




Chunky Updraft

  • When the Rainmaker from ''{{Film/Looper}}'' uses his PsychicPowers, the surrounding furniture, grass and dirt clods start floating. [[spoiler: Then people start floating and exploding in a shower of blood.]]

Matrix Raining Code

  • ''{{Series/Revenge}}'': The signature left in the programs created by the [[LeetLingo Fa1c0n]] is a falcon made of raining code on a raining code background.

Dumb Jock

  • The ''WesternAnimation/IronManArmoredAdventures'' version of Happy Hogan is on an athletic scholarship to the Tomorrow Academy and gets such bad grades that Tony suspects the only reason that he can continue to attend is that he has led the school team to be the number one in the state.
    —>'''Tony''': (''Watching Hogan dunk the ball'') Well, that explains a lot, like why he hasn't flunked out.

Briefcase Full of Money

  • ''Series/AlmightyJohnsons'': Anders finds a briefcase filled with wads of twenties and tens left on his desk in the "Like the Berserkers of Old" episode which turns out to be [[spoiler: part of a job offer from Colin.]] The next briefcase that [[spoiler: Colin]] gives Anders has much less impressive contents, a boxing nun puppet.

edited 19th Dec '14 10:39:47 PM by jormis29

MrForsaken Since: Jan, 2014
#1792: Dec 21st 2014 at 5:50:24 AM

First, are entrie I've posted on previous page okay? Can they be added, since I cannot do it myself, being suspended?

Second, another entry:

Inventor of the Mundane Comic Books

  • In Runaways this is given as a reason how Chase's parents are wealthy enough to hang out with families of other characters, whose parents are doctors, businessmen and famous actors, among others. Subverted because it's a lie - his parents, just like those of other kids, are actually supervillains in control of entire West Coast criminal underground.

edited 21st Dec '14 5:51:37 AM by MrForsaken

Kakai from somewhere in Europe Since: Aug, 2013
#1793: Dec 22nd 2014 at 2:40:55 AM

[up][up]Hi, jormis29.

  • In Chunky Updraft: instead of a shower of blood it should be showers of blood, as it's many people who do this.
  • In Dumb Jock it would sound better if it was "is in the Tomorrow Academy by an athletic scholarship". Also, such a bad grades.
Apart from that, all seems fine.

[up]Morning, Mr Forsaken. I think it should be "reason why". Rest seems okay.

edited 22nd Dec '14 2:41:39 AM by Kakai

Rejoice!
MrL1193 Since: Apr, 2013
#1794: Dec 22nd 2014 at 6:05:17 AM

[up] "Such a bad grades"? You may want to reconsider that...

Kakai from somewhere in Europe Since: Aug, 2013
#1795: Dec 22nd 2014 at 12:28:02 PM

[up]Uhm, right. Shame on me. sad

Rejoice!
jormis29 Since: Mar, 2012
#1796: Dec 22nd 2014 at 3:39:39 PM




Wedding Ring Defense

  • ''Series/TheGlades'': When JIm's former Chicago partner and OldFlame, CPD detective Samantha Harper comes to Florida in the "Old Ghosts" episode, he is dismayed to see that she is wearing a wedding ring until she clarifies why she is wearing it.
    —>'''Jim''': So how was it?
    '''Sam''': How was what?
    '''Jim''': The wedding.
    '''Sam''': It wasn't. I-I mean, I -- it -- it didn't -- didn't happen.
    '''Jim''': Oh.
    '''Sam''': (''looks at hand'') They're my grandmother's. Um, I always loved them, and, well, it tends to keep the wolves at bay.
    '''Jim''': Yeah, well, got to keep those wolves at bay.

Literary Work of Magic

  • The "A Taste of Heaven" issue of ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}'' showed that angels manipulated Creator/SamuelTaylorColeridge into writing ''Literature/KublaKhan'' as a propaganda piece for Heaven and one of John's ancestors was the Person from Porlock who was keeping the balance between Heaven and Hell.

Rasputin the Mad Monk

  • ''{{Series/Grimm}}'': In the "[[Recap/GrimmS3E9RedMenace Red Menace]]" episode, Monroe finds a diary entry from [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oswald_Rayner Oswald Rayner]] in the caravan that says that Rasputin was a type of [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual Wesen]] called Koschie. Koschie have a HealingFactor, accounting for Rasputin's particularly [[RasputinianDeath convoluted death]]. Oswald was [[BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy a Grimm]] and convinced British Secret Intelligence Bureau that Rasputin's influence over the Czarina would hurt the Allies so that the BSIU would order his assassination.

The Hidden Hour

  • ''ComicBook/HouseOfMystery'': "The Thirteenth Hour" is about a young man takes his girlfriend up to the top of Coit Tower to reveal to her that there is an extra hour in which the world is destroyed by monsters and then reborn at the end. Only he can remember the hour, and he tries to convince her to take his place.

edited 22nd Dec '14 7:00:03 PM by jormis29

Kakai from somewhere in Europe Since: Aug, 2013
#1797: Dec 23rd 2014 at 9:57:58 AM

[up]Hi, jormis.

  • There should be a comma after "Harper" in the first bullet point. I don't know if that's just me nitpicking, but it should be Jim, not JIm. And in second-to-last line, I think it'd sound better as "looks at her hand", just "hand" alone sounds odd.
  • In second bullet point I think it should be "shows", not "showed" - it seems we write in present on TV Tropes. If you want to keep the past tense, then it should be "had manipulated", as it happened before the comicbook showed it.
  • In the last bullet point it should be either "about young man who takes..." if the man is the focus or "about young man taking" if the taking of the girl is the focus.

I don't know about all this "a", "an" and "the" madness, so I didn't check it, but apart from that, all seems okay.

edited 23rd Dec '14 9:59:57 AM by Kakai

Rejoice!
jormis29 Since: Mar, 2012
#1798: Dec 23rd 2014 at 5:27:26 PM




Character Celebrity Endorsement

  • [[ObligatoryCorporateInitialism ANZ]] had a series of ads with Patrick Jane from ''Series/TheMentalist''. Most of them feature Patrick performing a SherlockScan on nearby people and then recommend ANZ's banking services to them.

How Can Santa Deliver All Those Toys?

  • ''WesternAnimation/BuzzLightyearOfStarCommand'' "[[ChristmasEpisode Holiday Time]]": Santa gets [[CaptainSpaceDefenderOfEarth Buzz]] to help him after [[EvilOverlord Emperor]] [[AVillainNamedZrg Zurg]] steals the Chrono-Disruptor, a device that Santa uses to [[TimeStandsStill freeze time]] so he can make the deliveries. Buzz is forced to use a method that Santa used before the Disruptor, a rocket engine called the Hyperspeed Accelerator, so he can fight Zurg on even terms. When both the Disruptor and the Accelerator are destroyed in the ensuring fight, Santa has to make his deliveries with the method he used before those two, a sleigh [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly powered by belief in Santa]].

Theme Tune Cameo

Kakai from somewhere in Europe Since: Aug, 2013
#1799: Dec 24th 2014 at 5:09:13 AM

[up]Hello.

  • In the first point, it should be "and then recommending ANZ's...", as you already used "performing" earlier.
  • In the second point: I think it should be "freeze time so that he can..." and again, "Accelerator, so that he can...". Also, "in the ensuing fight", not "ensuring". The latter means "making sure that" and the former means "(fight) that happens".

The rest is alright. Merry Christmas!

edited 24th Dec '14 5:09:48 AM by Kakai

Rejoice!
jormis29 Since: Mar, 2012
#1800: Dec 26th 2014 at 4:54:51 AM




Napoleon Delusion

  • ''{{ComicBook/Tintin}}'': In ''[[Recap/TintinCigarsOfThePharaoh Cigars of the Pharaoh]]', Tintin goes to a mental hospital and one of the inmates is wearing a paper hat with his hand in his jacket in the distinctive Napoleon pose. Also, after Dr. Sarcophagus and Zloty get poisoned with the madness-inducing Rajaijah Juice, they claim to be Rameses II and Napoleon respectively.

By the Hair

  • The "Angel Hair" episode of ''Series/JonathanCreek'' used this as part of the MysteryOfTheWeek. A woman comes home to find that her [[YourCheatingHeart husband was cheating on her]] and drags the other woman out across the lawn by the hair. She then finds a video tape in the other woman's belongings that appears to be HostageVideo of the other woman, complete with AuthenticationByNewspaper. The video shows the kidnappers shaving off her hair and it seems quite impossible that the other woman could have regrown her hair by the time of the fight.

Mobile Fishbowl

  • Pondscüm from ''WesternAnimation/YinYangYo'' gets around in a fishbowl atop of a robot suit made [[GoldMakesEverythingShiny of gold]] [[GemEncrusted and encrusted with gems]].

Serial Killer

  • ''Series/TheGlades'' "Old Ghosts": The [[ThatOneCase one case]] that Jim and his Chicago partner could not solve and continues to haunt them was identity of the Northside Strangler. The Northside Strangler chloroforms women, strangles them with his hands and then injects dye into their eyes to turn them black.


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