Post by NPC on Oct 21, 2009 11:08:06 GMT -5
Writing is always a work in Progress:
Sentence Review
Tips for Writing Good Sentences
Tips For Using the Parts of Speech
Improving the Role Play Process
Sentence Review
- A predicate is the part of a sentence that tells what the subject does or is, or what is done to the subject.
- Phrases are groups of related words that are missing either a subject or a predicate.
- Clauses are groups of related words, with a subject or predicate, that are part of a longer sentence.
- Sentences express a complete thought and have a subject and predicate.
- Paragraphs should be unified around a central idea.
Tips for Writing Good Sentences
- Punctuate!! Place a period at the end of every sentence.
- Capitalize the first word in every sentence.
- Use quotation marks to identify quotes.
- Punctuation usually belongs inside the quotation marks.
- Fix run-on sentences by rewriting the sentence or adding punctuation between two independent clauses.
- Correct sentence fragments by adding the missing subject or predicate to phrases or subordinate clauses.
- Combine short, choppy sentences and vary word order for a smooth style.
- Commas should be used to join introductory clauses, after introductory clauses and phrases, and between items or modifiers in a series.
- Experience and a dictionary can help you choose the correct idiom when writing.
Tips For Using the Parts of Speech
- Capitalize proper nouns.
- Make nouns plural by adding -s or -es in most cases.
- Make nouns possessive by adding -'s to singular nouns (dog's bone) or the apostrophe alone if the noun is plural (the Smiths' home).
- Singular nouns require singular verbs.
- Plural nouns require plural verbs.
Improving the Role Play Process
- Be aware of who you're writing the thread for and what it's focus is going to be.
- Introductions of new threads should catch the reader's attention and provide a general orientation.
- The end of a post should leave the reader an opening or something to play with/against.
- Always carefully edit and revise your posts.
- Spell check is your friend. Use it.
- Use common courtesy. Don't let a lot of action go on in a thread and run away with it before all the people involved get an opportunity to post.
- Allow the thread to develop into a story, not a bunch of quick posts that are shallow and un-meaningful.