Grammar rules that you're probably breaking, but you just don't care...

[MediocreAuthor]

A friend and fellow author recently referred to me as: "Lady M of Literotica, Abuser of Ellipsis', Great Penswoman of most Heinous Fornication, Champion of Femdom."

That lofty title got me thinking, yeah... I really do abuse the shit out of the ellipsis... I love using it... and abusing it...

I'm sure I use it in tons of instances when it isn't necessary... And I'm sure I won't stop...

Do any of you have grammar rules that you refuse to abide by?

 

[MetaBob]

Ellipsis, yeah ... me, too -- but also em-dashes.

 

[MetaBob]

Neither Laurel nor my publisher is particularly fond of ellipsis or em-dashes -- at least not the way I use them -- but sometimes lets them slip through. Maybe they realize I'm incorrigible ... but not unreadable.

 

[MediocreAuthor]

No one has ever lodged a formal complaint against my usage (over usage) of the three-lil-dots, but I'm certain that I'm over using them sometimes.

 

[MrPixel]

I use ellipses somewhat liberally in dialog to convey normal thought pauses in... uh... speech patterns. I seem to have grown away from em dashes. I use parentheses a lot to convey (whispering), especially in the context of two characters chatting in an aside while with a group, or, sometimes for pillow talk.

Neither Laurel nor my publisher is particularly fond of ellipsis or em-dashes

I read that in the LitE publishing advice. My defense is the thought pause issue. However, nothing has been kicked-back in three years over my use of these devices.

 

[MediocreAuthor]

I use ellipses somewhat liberally in dialog to convey normal thought pauses in... uh... speech patterns. I seem to have grown away from em dashes. I use parentheses a lot to convey (whispering), especially in the context of two characters chatting in an aside while with a group, or, sometimes for pillow talk.



I read that in the LitE publishing advice. My defense is the thought pause issue. However, nothing has been kicked-back in three years over my use of these devices.

I write a lot of NC/R, and stammering is constant in my dialog, particularly during my reluctance scenes. If nobody's stammering, pausing, and getting hung up on their words, then I suppose we haven't gotten to the spicy bits yet. Don't worry, it's on its way. Lol

 

[ronde]

I use ellipses somewhat liberally in dialog to convey normal thought pauses in... uh... speech patterns. I seem to have grown away from em dashes. I use parentheses a lot to convey (whispering), especially in the context of two characters chatting in an aside while with a group, or, sometimes for pillow talk.



I read that in the LitE publishing advice. My defense is the thought pause issue. However, nothing has been kicked-back in three years over my use of these devices.

I use both ellipses and the em dash in dialogue but for different situations.

I use the ellipses to indicate a trailing thought or speech that pauses for a while as if the speaker is thinking about something, as in "I wonder if he...no, he never said anything like that."

I use the em dash to indicate a sudden change in what the speaker is saying, as in "It can't be that - Oh my God, that's exactly why it is."

 

[ronde]

Two things that I often read in stories that bug me are the use of all caps and multiple exclamation points. I suppose the use of all caps to spell a word is an fallout from chat-speak, but there are other, more traditional ways of indicating an increase in the volume of the speaker that aren't as disruptive to a reader. To me, reading "Don't ever do that, NEVER, or I'll leave you" breaks the rhythm of the dialogue.

The exclamation point is the simplest way, but some writers seem to get very carried away with that key. I used to edit stories and told one author to tape a thumbtack upside down to that key on her keyboard so she'd only hit it one time. That was because she kept writing things like, "If you want me to I will!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" One exclamation point is all you need to differentiate the speaker's tone. Multiples just make the reading more difficult especially if the last word in the dialogue ends in a vertical letter like "l" or "t".

 

[DeLaFaye]

We are writers! We are not breaking rules, we're merely showing the world how they can be used! But yeah, I definitely abuse the comma to create dramatic pauses when maybe it wouldn't be so necessary.

 

[SimonDoom]

A friend and fellow author recently referred to me as: "Lady M of Literotica, Abuser of Ellipsis', Great Penswoman of most Heinous Fornication, Champion of Femdom."

That lofty title got me thinking, yeah... I really do abuse the shit out of the ellipsis... I love using it... and abusing it...

I'm sure I use it in tons of instances when it isn't necessary... And I'm sure I won't stop...

Do any of you have grammar rules that you refuse to abide by? View attachment 2248887

Why do you have an apostrophe after the word "ellipsis" under your name? If you mean to use the plural, the correct term is "ellipses." Get rid of the apostrophe.


In response to the question, I'd say that I always care, but there are times when I deviate from standard grammatical conventions for a particular purpose.


In general, I'd say ellipses and em-dashes are sometimes overused, and authors should be careful. They can be noticeable and annoying. Authors tend to overestimate how useful certain conventions are. A good general guideline with writing is to underdo rather than overdo.

 

[MediocreAuthor]

Why do you have an apostrophe after the word "ellipsis" under your name? If you mean to use the plural, the correct term is "ellipses." Get rid of the apostrophe.


In response to the question, I'd say that I always care, but there are times when I deviate from standard grammatical conventions for a particular purpose.


In general, I'd say ellipses and em-dashes are sometimes overused, and authors should be careful. They can be noticeable and annoying. Authors tend to overestimate how useful certain conventions are. A good general guideline with writing is to underdo rather than overdo.

Lol, I realize that the apostrophe isn't correct. The person I was quoting put it there, and I left it as a wink to them.

Also, in my own writing, I'm sure I make lots of technical errors, but I don't mind (as long as I'm not distracting the reader or creating confusion)

 

[Emilymcplugger]

Yeah I like a lot of …

“And I also use this,” said Em, rather than…Emily said.

 

[MediocreAuthor]

Two things that I often read in stories that bug me are the use of all caps and multiple exclamation points. I suppose the use of all caps to spell a word is an fallout from chat-speak, but there are other, more traditional ways of indicating an increase in the volume of the speaker that aren't as disruptive to a reader. To me, reading "Don't ever do that, NEVER, or I'll leave you" breaks the rhythm of the dialogue.

The exclamation point is the simplest way, but some writers seem to get very carried away with that key. I used to edit stories and told one author to tape a thumbtack upside down to that key on her keyboard so she'd only hit it one time. That was because she kept writing things like, "If you want me to I will!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" One exclamation point is all you need to differentiate the speaker's tone. Multiples just make the reading more difficult especially if the last word in the dialogue ends in a vertical letter like "l" or "t".

I used to use caps in speech for shouting or emphasis all the time, but now it's a rarer occurrence. I still keep it in my toolbox, but I don't use it all that often.

Multiple exclamation points can occasionally be useful, I think, during rising tension. Such as, "No. No! NO!! NO!!!" As the word gets more intense and louder, I use more methods to differentiate it from the previous usage. Is that correct? Probably not. But I think it's effective when used sparingly.

 

[DeLaFaye]

It should be noted that the rules are completely, wholly, entirely made up. They're not the same today as they were fifty years ago, and they won't be the same in another fifty. We've seen this most notably with splitting infinitives, the uses of full stops, word order rules, and starting sentences with conjunctions. But that last one is a personal favorite, so...

For me, I strive to make the read match the atmosphere of topic. I'll slow it down where it needs to be, speed it up, etc., and that's done with word choice as well as tweaking grammar. I'm all about the intent. As long as you're doing it with a purpose, and it's working, then I don't see a problem.

@MediocreAuthor You make a perfect point for this, the stuttering and stammering needs to be conveyed for particular scenes. And you do that frighteningly well.

 

[alohadave]

Yeah I like a lot of …

“And I also use this,” said Em, rather than…Emily said.

That would be a style choice, not bad grammar.

 

[Djmac1031]

I use ... a lot. I do go back and look for where it's overused and eliminate many during editing.

Just like anything else, they're fine in moderation.

 

[Passiontyper]

Not sure if it counts, but I'm reasonably certain the way I quote dialogue does not conform to any common standard or best practice. And yes, ellipsis too...

 

[MediocreAuthor]

Not sure if it counts, but I'm reasonably certain the way I quote dialogue does not conform to any common standard or best practice. And yes, ellipsis too...

How do you quote dialog differently? (Btw, welcome! I see that this is literally your first post.)

 

[oneagainst]

That lofty title got me thinking, yeah... I really do abuse the shit out of the ellipsis... I love using it... and abusing it...

Very accurate, M. Should have been .... at the end there since the sentence still requires its full stop.

We are only ever one grammar mistake away from the beasts.

(LOL, I love auto-correct... it wanted me to type '... away from the breasts')

 

[PeytonMirabelle]

I've had more than one person tell me that em-dashes when used as an interruption to dialogue by an action belong on the outside of the quotes. Example:

"If you refuse to talk"--He cracked his knuckles--"we have ways to convince you."

To me, that looks absurd. I prefer:

"If you refuse to talk--" He cracked his knuckles. "--we have ways to convince you."

I don't know if the first example is definitive and even if it is, this might be the only grammar rule I refuse to follow or retrain myself over. It looks wrong.

We are only ever one grammar mistake away from the beasts.

(LOL, I love auto-correct... it wanted me to type '... away from the breasts')

I daresay that if you tell many people they are one grammar mistake away from the breasts, they will all start splitting their infinitives.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

WRT rules, consider the following:

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

Total genocide (voxicide?) WRT spelling and language, yet it is great poetry.

My point is that, so long as the reader understands what is intended without a lot of trouble, rules are for the guidance of wise writers and the regulation of publishing house editors.

 

[MediocreAuthor]

We are only ever one grammar mistake away from the beasts.

(LOL, I love auto-correct... it wanted me to type '... away from the breasts')

Recently, when writing a cooperative non-erotic story with @seraph_nocturne, my stammering MMC was supposed to say to the beautiful FMC:

"You were amazing, truly." I accidently mistyped, and what was suggested was:

"You were amazing, truelove."

Yep... that became the line.

"You were amazing, truelove… I mean true-LY. TRULY. You were truly amazing. " His face flushed a guilty shade of red, and he stared up at the ceiling.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Salt and spices are best used in moderation.

If you think you're over-using something, you probably are.

Let the words do the heavy lifting, not the itty-bitty bits in between.

Bright diamonds are rare, cheap glitter is everywhere.

How many more stylistic cliches arise from a question like this? Too many. Which sort of illustrates my point - use any stylistic device in moderation, and know when to stop.

 

[SeraphNocturne]

Recently, when writing a cooperative non-erotic story with @seraph_nocturne, my stammering MMC was supposed to say to the beautiful FMC:

"You were amazing, truly." I accidently mistyped, and what was suggested was:

"You were amazing, truelove."

Yep... that became the line.

"You were amazing, truelove… I mean true-LY. TRULY. You were truly amazing. " His face flushed a guilty shade of red, and he stared up at the ceiling.

Heheheh, it’s the cutest typo in existence too!

I pretty much buck all the traditional rules of writing, but you already know my use of the comma is wild and out of control and I am more than generous with adverbs. With your help beta reading and editing I’ve gotten a much better handle on it, so kudos to you, lovely! I’m also generous with the ellipsis and em dash, as well as use of italics and bold.

 

[DeLaFaye]

WRT rules, consider the following:

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

Total genocide (voxicide?) WRT spelling and language, yet it is great poetry.

My point is that, so long as the reader understands what is intended without a lot of trouble, rules are for the guidance of wise writers and the regulation of publishing house editors.

Great poetry - yes. But do you understand all of it?! Alice even says she has no idea what some bits meant and has some of it, badly, explained to her.

Not trying to derail the post, but my brain boggles at the idea of some of Carroll's work making much sense. In Jabberwocky it isn't just misspellings. Many of the words are quite literally nonsense, words he's made up, and not simply 'loosely based' on real words, but there are plenty of straws in the kitchen if people insist on grasping at them. I do imagine there's quite a few inside jokes with this poem that have been lost to time, too, as Carroll was want to do. Okay, I'll stop now, he's top of mind recently with something off Lit and I just got excited.