:)
Sentences.
What is a sentence? I think we all know what that is. A sentence is a sentence. It describes one main topic with a beginning called something I forgot and an end called something I also forgot ( I learned this crap in grade 3).
Every sentence needs a meaning or reason. The more complex the sentence, the more interesting it gets.
A sentence much end in punctuation such as an exclamation mark '!', a period '.', or a question mark '?'.
2 sentences can be formed into one by using a word that I forgot. My memory is bad.
Those words include and, but, because, well, also, so, and so on. Most of the time, you need a comma before the joining word (my attempt of remembering the word that I forgot).
Now that we have reread what a sentence is, why do we still use them incorrectly?
Sometimes I read stories to only find them poorly written. Sentences are not very organized and scattered. You need to start organizing!
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Punctuation.
I assume that we also know what punctuation is.
It includes :,!?'" and all that crap.
Do you REALLY know how to use it?
Anyway, I wanted to point out a commonly used error. Semicolons. Otherwise known as ';'. It's overused by people 10-14. I know it doesn't apply to everyone, but work with me here.
Semicolons are used when you have 2 sentences that can be joined. Like I said before, a sentence has to have a meaning, a reason for it to be there. There also has to be a topic that it's relating to. A joining word almost has the same job, but it's slightly different. A semicolon is exactly what it looks like. A period and a comma. The 2 sentences forming into one, will still be separated by a semicolon, because the second sentence relates to the first one, but includes a different statement too.
Example:
The waters of the ocean stirred and rippled, creating an eternal sound; unheard by many.
I'm not exactly an English teacher, nor am I the smartest person in the world, but that was how I was taught.
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Hey look, contractions and homophones!
Contractions. They're. We're. You're. They've. We've. You've. I've. I'm. Don't. Doesn't.
Those are the few of the god knows how many contractions there are in the English language. Some people use them wrong. Some people don't know where to put the '. Some are confused with homophones that have contractions.
Here are the most common errors of all time.
You're - your
Which - witch
They're - their - there
Two - too - to
We're - were
I find it annoying when people mix them up. Of course, spellcheck won't catch it, because you're spelling the word right, but you have the wrong word for the definition.
You're means you are. Your means it belongs to you. We're means we are, and were is a synonym for was, when you're using it with a group (ex: WE were going to go to the mall, but it was too cold outside.)
Wouldn't it hurt to proofread? It won't take long if you're a quick reader.
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Drafts~!
Drafts. I hope we all know what it is. NEVER write a story/chapter without one. You NEED one. It NEEDS you.
A draft is the first step to a finished product. It's the stage where you read and remaster. In other simple words, you just plop down how you want the story. Mistakes are bound to be there.
That's why, in your second copy, it's a revised version of your draft/'rough' copy.
You could have the worst draft in the world. With crappy spelling and all. What matters is your second revised copy. A little tweak in spelling, a little searching in the thesaurus, and a little grammar school adds up to the greatest piece of work you have ever written.
After you write your second copy, revise it one more time by proofreading it. It doesn't matter if you think your work doesn't need editing, you do it anyway. Work is never to be COMPLETELY done.
Don't write a story without a draft!
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Conjunctions!
Hey, I remember those 'joining words'! They're actually called conjunctions, if you haven't already learned.
And. But. So. Because.
Those are some of the most common conjunctions.
I am here today, to tell you how NOT to use conjunctions. You don't put them at the beginning of a sentence. Ever. (I do it sometimes...)
My 4th grade teacher told me that a sentence beginning with 'and' is not a real sentence.
It's like when you go to English, and you do a work sheet. A question asks something like 'Why did the main character act like he did?', you don't answer 'Because...'. It's incorrect because you used a conjunction at the BEGINNING of a sentence.
Sooooo
Don't
Do
That.
(I just did it :O)
