A few more thoughts...
(Here's an example of what not to do:
"I say, Ranma, would you please hold still so that I can thrash you?"
"I'm terribly sorry, Ryouga, but I just can't allow you to do that."
It's grammatical English, but terrible dialogue... unless they both fell in the Spring of Drowned Kuno, of course.)
There's another, often-overlooked advantage to consulting a style guide: You can only break the rules on purpose when you know what they are. There may be a grammatical rule up with which you will not put, but would you even know about it if you haven't learned the rules?
Since you're recommending punctuation guides along with style guides, I suggest mentioning Lynne Truss' "Eats, Shoots and Leaves", the most entertaining punctuation guide I've ever read.
-Rob Kelk
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
Quote:Except in dialogue. Hardly anyone uses proper grammar when speaking; characters' dialogue should reflect this.
Learn, and write in, proper English.
(Here's an example of what not to do:
"I say, Ranma, would you please hold still so that I can thrash you?"
"I'm terribly sorry, Ryouga, but I just can't allow you to do that."
It's grammatical English, but terrible dialogue... unless they both fell in the Spring of Drowned Kuno, of course.)
Quote:While I agree with the folks who suggest explaining what a style guide is, I disagree with the people who suggest de-emphasizing style guides. These belong at or near the top of the list, in my opinion. Style guides set forth their authors' views of the rules of the English language. Most people learn the rules before sitting down at the wheel of a car, or sitting behind a gamemaster's screen; why should sitting in front of a typewriter be any different?
Buy a style guide, and consult it regularly.
There's another, often-overlooked advantage to consulting a style guide: You can only break the rules on purpose when you know what they are. There may be a grammatical rule up with which you will not put, but would you even know about it if you haven't learned the rules?
Since you're recommending punctuation guides along with style guides, I suggest mentioning Lynne Truss' "Eats, Shoots and Leaves", the most entertaining punctuation guide I've ever read.
Quote:Definitely distrust automated spelling checkers. In addition to the reasons already given, they won't notice a wrong but correctly-spelled word. If you type "lust", "lost", "list", or "lest" instead of "last", a spellchecker will let it pass. (A grammar checker might let it pass, too; "last" can be a noun (mold or form), verb (endure), or adjective (final).)
For god's sake, don't trust spellchecker programs.
-Rob Kelk
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012