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Grammar - Blog Posts
THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN SAYING FOR YEARS!
Why don't more people know about the wonderful interrobang‽‽
It's so sad smh
Literally furious that a ‽ symbol exists and just never caught on. You’re telling me there’s a more streamlined way to ask exclamatory questions than this, and it just never caught on?!?!?! I’m so mad. English has the worst punctuations, I swear.
Yo, so my girlfriends little brother just asked me what tfw meant because I used it while we were texting. But here’s that thing: its direct translation is ‘that feel when’; however, that sentence is grammatically inaccurate. So I responded ‘those feelings when’ as to fix the sentence I had used it in. I. Need. Help.
Parte 2:Razones por las que a los japoneses jamás se le va a dar bien el inglés: Sean bienvenidos, japonistasarqueológicos, a una nueva entrega, en esta ocasión hablamos del inglés en Japón, una vez dicho esto pónganse cómodos qué empezamos. - Por la que a los japoneses les cuesta el inglés más de una te sorprenderá, los japoneses para poder aprender inglés desde cero les lleva alrededor de 500 horas alcanzar el nivel principiante; sin embargo, se necesitan unas 250 horas para aprender coreano o indonesio al mismo nivel principiante. Una de las razones por las que los japoneses no son buenos en inglés es debido a la pronunciación, esto es un hecho. - La estructura gramatical del inglés es: SVO (sujeto-verbo-objeto) donde el verbo va primero, mientras que en japonés, SOV (Sujeto-Objeto-Verbo) donde el verbo va al final. Además, la estructura de las oraciones difiere entre el inglés y el japonés, el inglés es muy estricto en cuanto al orden de las palabras. En japonés utilizamos unas 120 palabras en un minuto de conversación normal. El inglés emplea aproximadamente 1,5 veces más palabras, razón por la cual los japoneses sienten que hablan inglés más rápido. Por ejemplo, la palabra japonesa “personalidad” tiene tres fonemas. Cuando se trata de inglés, necesitamos cinco fonemas: pa/so/na/li/ti, y para transmitir la misma información, necesitamos hablar más rápido. La razón por la que a los japoneses les resulta difícil escuchar y hablar inglés es probablemente porque se les exige que usen habilidades que normalmente no emplean. パート2：日本人が決して英語が得意にならない理由：日本の考古学者たちよ、新しい回へようこそ！今回は日本の英語について話す。 - なぜ日本人は英語が苦手なのか？日本人がゼロから英語を学んで初級レベルに達するには約500時間かかるが、韓国語やインドネシア語を学んで同じ初級レベルに達するには約250時間かかる。日本人が英語を苦手とする理由のひとつに発音があるが、これは事実である。 - 英語の文法構造はSVO（Subject-Verb-Object）で動詞が先に来るのに対し、日本語はSOV（Subject-Object-Verb）で動詞が最後に来る。また、文の構造も英語と日本語では異なり、英語は語順に非常に厳しい。日本語の場合、通常の会話で1分間に使う単語は約120語。英語はその約1.5倍の単語を使うので、日本人は英語を話すのが早いと感じるのです。例えば、日本語の「パーソナリティ」という単語には3つの音素がある。それが英語になると、パ／ソ／ナ／リ／ティの5つの音素が必要になり、同じ情報を伝えるためには、より速く話す必要がある。日本人が英語を聞くのも話すのも難しいと感じるのは、普段使わない能力を要求されるからだろう。 - 今後の記事でお会いできることを楽しみにしています。 Part 2: Reasons why the Japanese will never be good at English: Welcome, Japanese archaeologists, to a new instalment, this time we are talking about English in Japan, so make yourselves comfortable and let's get started. - Why the Japanese have a hard time with English more than one will surprise you, it takes the Japanese around 500 hours to learn English from scratch to reach beginner level; however, it takes around 250 hours to learn Korean or Indonesian to the same beginner level. One of the reasons why Japanese people are not good at English is because of pronunciation, this is a fact. - The grammatical structure of English is: SVO (Subject-Verb-Object) where the verb comes first, while in Japanese, SOV (Subject-Object-Verb) where the verb comes last. Also, sentence structure differs between English and Japanese, English is very strict about word order. In Japanese we use about 120 words in one minute of normal conversation. English uses about 1.5 times as many words, which is why Japanese people feel they speak English faster. For example, the Japanese word "personality" has three phonemes. When it comes to English, we need five phonemes: pa/so/na/li/ti, and to convey the same information, we need to speak faster. The reason why Japanese people find it difficult to listen to and speak English is probably because they are required to use skills they do not normally use. - I hope you like it and see you in future posts, have a good week.
Big respect to the people who learned English as either a 1st or 2nd language.
Hello people of tumblr,
I have been working on a project to fix the English language. This includes making every vowel make only one sound, removing unnecessary letters, and adding new grammatical symbols. The goal is to make English a phonetic language that is easy for immigrants and people with dyslexia to learn! If you would like to participate in this experiment, click here https://discord.gg/AAmmyH5j
I am but a humble highschool linguist, but I would appreciate your support :)
wise words, fellas, I dare you to read it all.
more of my yapping about the fandom-given hetalia Ukraine name
I don't like the Katyusha Ukraine because in my opinion it doesn't suit her, and people constantly use the name incorrectly. basically, Katyusha is like a playful version of "Kateryna/Katya", but people write it like a formal first name pretty often (Katyusha Chernenko), no blame since it comes from a place of unfamiliarity with slavic languages, it's just a bit annoying. plus the word is associated with that one russian song that became popular during World War II god it just doesn't suit her at all in my opinion 😭
"Katyusha" is a diminutive form of the name Kateryna, except it's of russian origin; in Ukrainian the diminutive forms of the name are "Katrusya", "Katerynka", or less commonly "Katrunya"
historically, the russian empire and later the soviet union promoted russian at the expense of Ukrainian, leading to the suppression of Ukrainian culture and language. of course, some Ukrainians use Katyush/Katyusha as playful nicknames, because the blending of Ukrainian and russian, that's been caused by reoccurring russification, migration, and political influence, lead to mixed usage in everyday speech – it's a normal thing (surzhyk). it's not a crime to use this word or anything, I just find it ironic that the character that represents a nation constantly oppressed by russian imperialism, in hetalia only exists as a dependant and less important character to give russia more endearing relationships and make him more interesting, and then the Japanese fandom coincidentally has also chosen the russian word for her name (I assume it's after that popular soviet song)
really I feel there's not much Ukrainian about canon hetalia Ukraine, which seems to be a very common feeling among many of my Ukrainian friends who know about the character :/ they think she's cute and pretty, but when it comes to national identity and culture, she is not relatable even on a stereotypical level, and has little depth as a character
anyway, if you want some Ukrainian first names, here's a list of the ones I think sound fitting (SUBJECTIVE OPINION 😡)
🇺🇦🔱🌻🍲🇺🇦🌾🌻🍞🇺🇦🍲🌾
Myroslava (love this one) - slavic origin, a combination of мир and слава, meaning peace and glory. it suits resilient and strong people
Olha/Olya (ОЛЯ UA!!!!!!!) - scandinavian origin (ukr. variant of Hélga). yea it's a really old and really common name that associates with the Kyivan Rus era, anyway I use it because of a meme and due to every Olya I've met building this collective Olya in my head that's literally how I also see Ukraine. she's such an Olya. it's hard to explain
Olena (not Olyena) - greek origin (ukr. variant of Helénē) came to Ukrainian through Church Slavic "Yelena" (not Yelyena)
Lesya - Ukrainian name deriving from "Olesya" which in turn derives from "Oleksandra". I'm very biased about it because it's one of my favourite female names, and also many Ukrainians associate it with Lesya Ukrayinka, which is the self-given title of an outstanding Ukrainian writer, translator and cultural figure
Halyna - likely greek origin and comes from "galēnē". I like it because I get to call her Halynka/Halya, I think it sounds cute
Tetyana - common slavic name, likely of roman origin, it just has a tender and pretty sound to it
these names are common in some or all other slavic languages, differing in varied phonetics
😑 I am NOT gatekeeping people from calling her "Kateryna", I just personally dislike Katyusha or russian Yekatyerina for her, and in my opinion the old russian-speaking fandom did a better job naming her Olha, even if that popularized the russian transcription for this same name (Olga)
my Ukraine is named Olha Tkachenko. I just like it the most and I've kind of grown used to it. whateva
I will kiss you.
Can we please get Shakespearean English right? I have literally never seen anyone ever get it right. (other than in formally printed texts but those dont count)
Thou = you (subject)
Thee = you (object)
Thine = your (possessive, before a word starting with a vowel) eg “thine avocado”
Thy = your (possessive, before a word starting with a consonant) eg “thy bread”
Please fanfiction authors, use this guide, I know I will. No you will not find out what I've wrote.
Hey gang, it’s your old pal Neo here. If you know me, it’s probably from one of the several very stupid TF2 comics I’ve posted to Tumblr.
However! I am also an English major (unfortunately). One who has read millions of words worth of fanfiction in their life. I have been part of the Sherlock, BNHA, Disco Elysium, and, of course, TF2 fandoms; I’ve been around the block.
The further I’ve progressed into my English education, the more I’ve noticed which mistakes are the most common in fanfiction. Many of them are easily fixable; writers just need to be pointed in the right direction.
“Neo! Does this mean you think people shouldn’t be allowed to post their works online without a background in formal English education?”
Of course not! I can explain why if you’d care to venture below the cut with me!
Yes, I will explain how to use commas.
It’s important to note that this is NOT a post about formal writing. You aren’t writing an essay. Please, for the love of god, do not write fiction like you’re writing an essay.
There are no stakes to writing fanfic. No one is going to get hurt if an author doesn’t know what a dangling participle is. One of my favourite things about fanfiction is that it’s one of the only art forms left that’s done exclusively for fun! You should write what you enjoy, and share what you make with like-minded people.
What I want to do is provide assistance as best I can to writers who want to improve their fundamentals without having to take the same university courses I did. Nobody is going to be getting a formal education to write fanfiction unless they’re ridiculously dedicated, and I’m not expecting that of anyone.
The point I need to stress is that knowing these grammar fundamentals can instantly improve the flow of your writing. Punctuation is a ridiculously important tool for writers, ESPECIALLY in fiction. Commas, semicolons, and full stops (including periods, exclamation points, and question marks) steer the pacing in the reader’s mind; did you notice how your brain stopped for a second after that semicolon? I can show you how to do that.
You may be wondering why I’m going through so much effort to teach all of this to strangers on the internet. The answer is that I enjoy sharing this knowledge with others and helping them grow. By seeing this, my goal is to help you become more proficient at self-editing. Showing this to people who actually want to learn will, hopefully, benefit the community as a whole, and I think that’s very worth it.
Also, while this post is obviously themed around TF2, the points I’m making can be applied to any fiction. Grammar is for everyone, and the church of the semicolon always has room for more initiates.
Also also, as an edit, I should clarify that this is meant to cover the more objective facets of self-editing, which is why I'm mostly covering punctuation. Maybe I'll do another post about using adjectives someday.
With that out of the way, let’s get going!
I’ve teamed up with several English teachers (real ones! One of which may or may not be my mom!) and an editor to gather a list of the most common problems we see in amateur fiction. This post is going to be split into three broad sections: apostrophes, commas/semicolons, and other common problems.
The apostrophe
This section is short, but it holds weight. Other than commas, apostrophes are the most typoed grammatical tool in any fanfiction I’ve edited. This is because, much like the rest of English, the rules surrounding them can be annoying and inconsistent.
Apostrophes have two main uses: possessives and conjunctions.
A possessive is a word that denotes the ownership of one thing over another. The vast majority of the time, this is done using an apostrophe and an S.
There is, however, one glaring exception to this rule, and it’s the bane of my existence.
When denoting possession of an object over something else while using the pronoun ‘it,’ you do NOT add an apostrophe before the S.
A conjunction, on the other hand, is when a writer uses an apostrophe to combine two words. The following are examples of common conjunctions:
What’s (what is)
They’re (they are)
It’s (it is)
Conjunctions are not often used in formal writing. Thankfully, we aren’t dealing in formal writing. Go crazy.
Time for a lightning round of the most commonly mistaken for each other possessives and conjunctions!
Your is possessive. You’re is a conjunction of ‘you’ and ‘are.’ When you can’t decide which one to use, imagine replacing it with ‘you are’ and seeing if it makes sense. If it doesn’t, use your.
Their is possessive. There indicates a location. They’re is a conjunction of ‘they’ and ‘are.’
The comma and the semicolon
You knew it was coming. I knew it was coming. It’s time to talk about commas.
Commas and semicolons are far and away the biggest grammatical hole in the toolset of fanfiction writers everywhere. They’re often treated like the rules surrounding them are complicated and difficult to understand, but the exact opposite is true!
The big issue I’ve heard time and time again is that the rules of commas are often explained through metaphor instead of example; this means that writers everywhere have slightly different ideas of how you’re supposed to use them. The fact of the matter is that, yes, there are correct and incorrect ways to use commas. Knowing when they’re appropriate and when they aren’t is easily the fastest way to bring your writing from looking amateurish to sounding professional and experienced.
In order to know how to use a comma, you must first understand the difference between a dependent and an independent clause.
An independent clause is a section of writing that functions perfectly well as its own sentence. It MUST have both a subject and an action/verb.
A sentence without an independent clause is known as a fragment, and they’re the bane of English teachers with highlighters everywhere.
A dependent clause is a section of writing that does not have both a subject and an action; it does not function as its own sentence.
Now, let’s say you want to combine the two. When joining a dependent clause to an independent clause, the order in which they are placed is crucial to whether you use a comma or not.
When joining a dependent to and independent with the independent clause first, you do not need to use a comma.
When joining a dependent to an independent with the dependent clause first, you MUST use a comma.
Keep in mind that, if one strives for total grammatical perfection, all narrative sentences MUST have an independent clause. This, however, does not apply to dialogue. Human beings do not think about whether what they’re saying is a dependent clause, and neither would the vast majority of fictional characters. Don’t be afraid to break the rules of grammar as long as it’s contained within quotation marks.
Alright, that’s the easy part. Time to learn about joining two independent clauses. It’s semicolon time, baby!
If you join two independent clauses without properly using a comma or a semicolon, it is a run-on sentence. You do not want these in your writing. They’re awkward to read and mess up the flow.
When joining two independent clauses, you can use EITHER a comma or a semicolon. You just need to follow these rules:
If you’re joining two independent clauses with a comma, you MUST use a joining word (and, but, so, etc.) AFTER the comma.
If you’re joining two independent clauses with a semicolon, you do NOT need to use a joining word.
Did you know that a sentence with a comma counts as its own independent clause? This means that you can make a sentence that includes a mix of both without it being a run-on! Just make sure that, no matter what, the semicolon is between two independent clauses.
Still, try not to write more than two clauses in a sentence too often. Sentences with a lot of punctuation are very attention-grabbing, but shouldn’t be overused. Full stops aren’t your enemy and variety is the spice of life.
It’s also important to remember that you should avoid using more than one comma in a clause (with the exception of the rule below). That part loops back to the 'avoiding run-ons' bit.
It’s really that easy!
Commas are also used in informal writing to inject a separate thought or descriptor mid-sentence without breaking the flow by adding a period. This is often used when describing the perspective of a character experiencing something in a story, but not (usually) when using omniscient perspectives.
The final issue I frequently see with commas in fanfiction is in regards to dialogue. Sometimes you end it with them, and sometimes you don’t. What gives?
Well, my friend, the answer is, thankfully, much simpler than the previous section.
When following dialogue with a dialogue tag, use a comma instead of a full stop. If you’re continuing the previous sentence after the tag, use a comma after it as well.
Note that a dialogue tag is a short phrase that identifies the speaker. It isn’t a complete sentence on its own.
When following dialogue with an action that does not serve as a dialogue tag, use a full stop instead of a comma.
Other common problems
This section is dedicated to putting specific grammatical errors into words, along with how to solve them.
Not sticking to the chosen point of view
Always choose your point of view before you start. Is it in the first, second, or third person? Is it omniscient or limited? Does the point of view switch during the story?
First person perspective is told as if the POV character is directly describing their experience to the reader. The character uses I and we to describe their own actions.
Second person perspective is told as if the reader is a character in the story and their actions are being described to them. This is the rarest, and the most difficult to write.
Third person perspective is the most common and the simplest to write. The events of the story are a separate entity from the reader altogether and the narrator uses they/he/she/it pronouns for characters.
Omniscient perspective means the narrator of the story knows all, including the thoughts and feelings of each character.
Limited perspective means the narrator of the story only knows what the POV character knows.
Past and present tense
When you decide between writing a story in past or present tense, it is crucial that you do not switch between them unless it is narratively intentional. Reading a past tense story that mistakenly switches to the present tense is like being pulled out of the room someone is telling a story in and suddenly taking part in it yourself. It’s disorienting and gives the reader unwanted pause.
Overly-long paragraphs
A common adage spread by English teachers is that most paragraphs should be at least eight sentences long. This is great advice for beginner essays. You’re writing fiction.
If you have a new thought, start a new paragraph! A concise and well-read single-sentence paragraph is infinitely better than one that drags a thought for too long. Aim to have a blend of paragraph lengths when you write, alternating between the descriptive and the punctual.
Dangling participles
A dangling participle is when a word is used to describe a noun that isn’t actually present in the sentence. Much like how a sentence without an action isn’t grammatically correct, neither is a sentence without a subject.
Malapropisms
A malapropism is when an author mistakenly uses one word or phrase instead of another similar-sounding one. I’m not about to list every single malapropism ever made, but these are the ones I notice most often:
To comprehend is to understand something, to apprehend is to arrest someone, and to be apprehensive is to be anxious or fearful of something bad happening.
Could care less means you do care. Couldn’t care less means you don’t.
A lot means a large amount of something. Alot isn’t a word and you shouldn’t use it.
The only real solution to using malapropisms is to make sure you fully understand any words you use in your writing. Never guess, and make sure you always google it. Having beta readers also helps.
If you made it this far, congratulations! You now know the most common errors in amateur fiction and how to solve them! Thank you for listening to me complain for two thousand words.
The most important thing to remember is that it’s okay to make mistakes. First drafts are always gonna be a little bad. The real key to success is knowing what your end goal is, and how you plan on achieving it. Here’s hoping this was a helpful tool for that!
Shoutout to @salmonandsoup for helping me think of the list of issues to address! You're a real one. Also shoutout to my mom, who doesn't have Tumblr. Also the third person. You know who you are.
A comma splice walks into a bar, it has a drink and then leaves.
A question mark walks into a bar?
Two quotation marks “Walk into” a bar.
A gerund and an infinitive walk into a bar, drinking to drink.
The bar was walked into by a passive voice.
Three intransitive verbs walk into a bar. They sit. They drink. They leave.
ayyyyy i need me some of this. you probs do too #writing #spellcheck #grammar https://www.instagram.com/p/BuJchQ_nbpX/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=sc7w2qbtnz6g
Minimalism
Queer panic
Gay panic
Pan panic
Panic
Ur either a mutherfucker or a motherfocker and I will accept no critism this looks better
So, Audrey and Aubrey... What dumbass parent switched up their d's and b's and created a new name??? More importantly which name came first! This is like the, "Which came first the ostrich or the egg?" but with names!!!