Stop! Grammar Time!

Three communication hurdles that both new and experienced role-players face are spelling, punctuation and grammar. Since most communication today is sometimes “slashed” with texting, shorthand and slang - it can be hard to get back to basics when “talking” ICly on a role-playing server. But it can be done!

“Break it down…”

• Spelling is writing or typing the correct letters in a word and using the correct version of the word in a sentence.

• Grammar deals with sentence structure and use of those words. (Use of nouns, verbs, tenses, etc.)

• Punctuation covers using marks to separate sentences and parts of sentence structure. (commas, exclamation points, periods, etc.)

One thing we all should remember is that new role-players may not grasp the need to use “old school” writing skills in an online game. If they are coming from a fast paced gaming environment, the normal mode is to get the text out as fast as humanly possible.

In raiding and pvp situations, typing “everything” out can be seen as a “waste” of time. However, in a role-playing situation, you want to try to slow down, think and use English properly as your character would, based on your race and backstory.

“Please Sulli, don’t hurt them…” - Why it matters.

I want to say this is not a complete “ruleset” for every role-playing realm. There are many occasions that you may want to stray from “proper” spelling, grammar and punctuation. The first step is grasping the basics and then applying them to role-playing interactions.

Many role-players sometimes take a dim view of those that fail to use proper language and syntax. This goes back to text-based MUDS, MUSHes and forum based role-playing, focusing on immersion and speaking in character. (These were the beginnings of what we have today as graphical RPGs/MMORPGs.)

Not using or abusing basic structure “breaks” immersion and bothers players trying to be IC. Role-players can get very turned off by this over time by non role-players that grief and are rude. This makes some role-players judgmental sometimes towards new folks.

Luckily, not everyone is like that that’s on a role-playing server. Most role-players do understand if the person is trying to role-play and may offer OOC assistance if he/she is new. This helps the role-playing community as a whole and should be encouraged.

Note: What we have to remember here is that folks that are trying make mistakes learning and we should give new role-players a bit of slack and try to set an example. New players may not know or understand the “rules of the road”, so give folks a chance. If you are new, try your best and learn. *grin*

“Here comes the grammar…” - Some helpful tips to start.

• Use the correct uses, meanings and versions of words. (Examples: You’re vs. Your, Rogue vs. Rouge, There vs They’re vs. Their, Two vs. To vs. Too)

• Using A, An or The. An is before a word starting with a vowel, A is used before a word starting with a consonant. (example: This is a chair. This is an apple.) When pointing out a specific object, use “the”. This is the chair I sat in.)

• Use basic punctuation. Capital letters to start sentences, closing with periods, question or exclamation marks. The word (pronoun) “I” is always capitalized. Proper names are also capitalized. (Example: Stormwind Cathedral, Sen’jin Village)

• Increase your vocabulary. Read books to increase your knowledge of words. Look up words in the Dictionary or a thesaurus for alternative words that could be useful.

• Know the lay of the land. Know how the spell in game places you know of and npcs that you come across that are high profile. (Orgrimmar, Darnassus, Lady Sylvanas Windrunner, Kael’thas Sunstrider)

• Avoid slang/terms outside the game’s genre. Leave the texting/”leet” chat to the OOC (out of character) channels. Spell out numbers and avoid abbreviating common words or game terms for Cities or Locations. (example: u (you), 2 (two, too or to), r (are) or SM (Scarlet Monastery) )

• Don’t use excessive closing punctuation. One time is sufficient. if you are doing a run off sentence… three periods are more than enough to use. If mixing question or exclamation marks to convey an emotion, one of each will do. What?!

• Avoid the dread “wall of text” or “run on”/”fused” sentences/paragraphs. Having a wall of text with little punctuation can really making text difficult as sooner or later your eyes really cannot process or digest the stream of steady words and creates a frustration for others trying to read. yeah, you basically had something very important to say but yout point (and everything else) gets lost between this quagmire (new word!) of letters and bad sentence handling. A great tip is to type smaller “chunks” or use paragraphs to separate the unending hordes of mind-numbing text that attack your eyes and sanity as you vaguely attempt to read… yeah, you basically had something very important to say but your point (and everything else) gets lost between this quagmire (new word!) of letters and bad sentence handling. See? I put that in twice but it looks like every other word in this long, winding death of understanding of what the author had tried to convey or get across to the reader. Wall of text crits you for 1001 points of damage - get some Visine.

• Learn to type or type faster. Practice your skills and learn to speed up your typing as you can.

• Even with typing faster, give yourself time to think. Give yourself time to think of what your character is going to “say”, then type. Personally, the faster I type, the worse I get on everything. *grin* Rushing only gets thing frustrating. Hopefully others will understand and give you time to react.

“Work This!” - So, MC Sulli, when do we bend the rules?

While you may be feeling like you’re back in class again, don’t worry. There’s alot of rules I haven’t covered. The ones I have mentioned are some of the basics to start getting a handle on things. These are only guidelines and tips to use to get the basics. When using this for role-playing, you have to think about the character and how he/she would phrase things. That’s when the “rules” become loose.

Backstory plays an important part too. Is your character educated? From a different point of origin? Accents and stylings of phrases play heavily into what your character may or may not say when speaking to other role-players. Playing a troll would have you saying things in a certain accent as opposed to a Blood Elf.

Game genre is a key factor. Based on the time period or type of game, your use of languages may change. This means the slang and terms used will be different. A futuristic game may have completely different syntax and language variations than a modern day or fantasy one.

So, we most likely would not see Gandalf saying this facing the Balrog in The Lord of The Rings:

U Can’t Pass This!

However you decide to adapt it into role-play - keep it consistent and easy to act out over time.

Good luck - Ring the bell… School’s out!

Resources:
Reference.com Dictionary/Thesaurus
The Tongue Untied, Oregon University
OWL: Online Writing Lab at Perdue University
The Grammar Girl
QWERTY Warriors
The Sequel: QWERTY Warriors 2
Typingtutor.org
BBC Schools: Dance Mat Typing