Grammar and spelling and why you need to fix it
Things I Cannot StandIn the first chapter, I covered Grammar Nazis and why they .
However, I cannot stand it when fics have numerous errors, be it grammar problems, spelling problems, or both. It disgusts me.
Here are some things that are very common but are horribly, horribly wrong.
1. Using *asterisks* in the middle of a sentence.
I see this all the time. At least 5 out of every 10 featured fics have used this, if not more. This is how it usually works:
*Oh! I wonder if oppa likes me* she thought.
or:
*blinks* "Really?" *blushes*
NO. BIG FAT NO TO YOU.
To describe thoughts, you italicize. To describe actions, you say 'she blinked' or 'she blushed.'
I cannot understand why people do not understand this, since no published literary work has ever used this.
2. Improper tense.
Do not switch tenses unless you are using flashbacks or something like that. Be consistent. This also means make sure your verbs are in the correct form for present and past tense.
3. Singulars and plurals
I know that these can be very difficult for non-English speakers, especially those who speak Asian languages as their first language. I'm studying Japanese and Korean, and the singular/plural forms for those languages is very different than the form for English.
In the next chapter, I will cover other common spelling errors and why you really really need to fix those.
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