Common Errors and RPing Advice

The following are some helpful, basic reminders on common grammatical errors. A helpful tip for all of these errors is to simply repeat sentences you're unsure of out loud, and make sure they make sense.

Error #1: Your vs. You're
This mistake occurs very often, but it is easy to avoid if given a little thought. Your is a possessive pronoun. In other words, it shows possession of something. Examples would be "your cat," "your house," "your clothes," "your friend," "your class." You're, on the other hand, is simply a contraction for 'you are.' Many times, people will use you're when they really mean your. If given just a moment's thought, you'll realize that what you're actually saying is 'you are.' An example would be, "I'm going to you're house tonight." What you're really saying on accident is, "I'm going to you are house tonight."

Error #2: It's vs. Its
Much like error number one, this is also a very typical mistake that people make in the English language. Just like the word 'your,' its is possessive. It is a possessive pronoun stating that something belongs to something. An example would be, "Let's see its trick." It's, however, like 'you're,' is a contraction. It is short for 'it is.' Nonetheless, people often times will put an apostrophe in it simply because we use apostrophes elsewhere to show possession. That is not the case for this word. Instead, you would use it's in a sentence like "It's okay if you want to stay behind." Just read it aloud or in your head and make sure that you really want to say 'it is' rather than its.

Error #3: There vs. Their vs. They're
These words confuse many people, mainly because there are three different forms of them. The word there is used in many ways to show a reference to a place, like "Let’s go there," or as a pronoun, as in, “There is no hope." Their is a possessive pronoun, as in, "their money," "their fate," "their business." They're is a contraction for the words 'they are,' as in "They're parking the car."

Error #4: Effect vs. Affect
Affect is a verb, as in “Your ability to communicate clearly will affect your income immensely.” Effect is a noun, as in “The effect of a parent’s low income on a child’s future is well documented.”

Error #5: Apostrophe Error
Many people get confused when speaking about possession for plural nouns. For example, when saying, "His parent's cabin is in Utah," you are implying that he has one parent. If you mean to say that the cabin belongs to both his parents, it should look more like, "His parents' cabin is in Utah."

Error #6: Missing Commas
Watch out for these errors. The most obvious time to use commas are in a series or list of things, such as "I ordered a salad hamburger and French fries." Instead, it should read, "I ordered a salad, hamburger, and French fries." Next, there is missing commas after an introductory dependent clause. "Because he is ill he will not golf today." The comma that is missing should go here, "Because he is ill, he will not golf today." There is also the mistake of missing commas between two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction. For example, "Stars and planets fascinate her so she wants to be an astronomer." Rather, it should be "Stars and planets fascinate her, so she wants to be an astronomer." Finally, there is also the error of missing commas in nonrestrictive clauses, such as "My car which is a Volkswagen gets good gas mileage." It should read, "My car, which is a Volkswagen, gets good gas mileage."




Have you ever been accused of "One-lining?" Has your character ever entered a thread only to be ignored, or worse, to have the other characters leave almost immediately? Do you want to know how to improve your role playing skills and increase your character's activity and depth? If so, then please read on. Below are some helpful tips, strategies, and suggestions for role playing.

Ask Yourself
I call this the "ask yourself" phase, since the first thing you should do when contemplating whether or not to join someone else's role play is to ask yourself a few simple and quick questions. "Am I going to have enough time to devote to this?" "Does this story line really interest me that much, or will I loose interest quick?" "Does my role play style clash with the others involved - are they a lot better or a lot worse than I am?" "How many role plays am I currently in?" "Is this a role play I'm going to try hard at?" Once you've asked yourself some of these basic questions, you can really start to determine if this particular role play is right for you or not. Ultimately, the decision to join is yours. Never feel obligated to join in a role play just because someone asked you to. If you want to, then that's fine. However, be absolutely sure first before committing to anything that you want to invest your time and energy into it. So many role plays are doomed from the start, simply because the people involved weren't ready for it or weren't interested in the subject matter enough. By asking yourself these questions, and answering yourself truthfully, all of that can be easily avoided.

Determine Your Style
When you've role played enough and with a wide variety of people in different types of genres, you begin to build up your experience. It is at this time that you should determine what your style is. Do you prefer modern, futuristic, or role plays set in the past? What types of genres do you like? Do you prefer fandom role plays or those that have been originally created? Do you prefer to write long, detailed posts or short and simple ones to get the role play moving along quickly? Are you someone that likes a role play to move along fluidly and at a moderately quick and steady pace, or can you stand a long, drawn-out role play that takes a bit more time? What types of people do you like to role play with? Are their styles similar to your own? It is such a good idea to determine your style, once you believe you are at the point to do so, mainly because it will greatly influence which role plays you participate in in the future and how likely they are to turn out successful. In order to be happy with yourself and your role plays, you need to know what you value in a role play initially.

Entertain Yourself and Others
When things get slow, and there isn't a lot going on between your character and other peoples' characters - what do you do? A great tip I picked up early on simply by trying it myself, is to always have at least two characters to role play with. That way, instead of having just one character who is completely dependent on other peoples' characters to interact with, thus is bored waiting around for them, you have two characters whom you can use to interact with each other. Many times, people are easily intimidated by the thought of controlling any more than one character at a time. While it may require more typing, it ultimately will make things easier for you in the long-run. You will have much more to do in your role play, which, in turn, may cause you to become more devoted to the role play itself. Controlling multiple characters gives you many opportunities and many options within the role play. It's never a bad idea to use at least two characters who can communicate back and forth with each other, as well as with the other characters.

The Do's and Don'ts
Do...
...include lots of description and comparisons in your posts.
...use dialogue that other people can understand.
...include movement such as walking, drinking, waving, etc.
...use your character's five senses.
...describe the surrounding environment.
...research before you post. If you are responding to a particular topic, learn about it before you just make something up.
...follow the guidelines of the universe in which you are posting.
...remember to use proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling. It can be appreciated by everyone.
...think of creative titles for your threads, as they are more likely to attract others to come post.
...be realistic.
...do things which others involved in the role play can respond to. Interaction is all part of a role play, whether it be through speech or action. Never forget to involve others around you in your posts.

Don't...
...take an insult to your character personally. Always play nice with others, and remember - you are acting in-character.
...use less than 4 sentences per post. While posts don't have to be novels, any less than that, and you're bordering on the "one-liner" category.
...break the rules of the universe in which you are role playing.
...think your character is invincible. If they are, then they aren't a very good character. No one wants to role play with a god, especially if they always have to be right and win. What makes characters interesting are all their flaws and the features that make them seem more human.
...make effortless posts, even if you're short on time. If you know you're not going to have enough time to make a decent post, then simply leave people waiting. The others involved in your role play would most likely have to wait a bit longer than have to read a haphazard post that really only makes them loose interest in the role play itself faster, seeing as you yourself don't seem to care.
...forget to talk. Sometimes, people get caught up in describing things in the role play so much, that they forget about just what the characters themselves are doing. Most likely, if you have a few characters together in a room, they aren't just going to be standing around for minutes on end, not saying anything. Be sure to add interesting dialog which the other role players can respond to.