#uses of adverb of conjunction

[english-mirror]

[writers-potion]

Let's Talk About Pacing Our Fight Scenes.

For Fast-Paced Parts:

Short words with single syllables. Immediately > at once/ endeavour > try/ indicate > point at/ investigate > check out.

Short sentences, the shorter the better.

Partial sentences to blaze through multiple senses and actions within a few lines.

Short paragraphs

Lots of verbs.

Few adjectives and adverbs.

Cut down on -ing form of verbs, as it can make words longer

Use simple past tense

Avoid conjunctions and link words.

Avoid internal thought - your characters are irrational, ruthless and in the flow of pure action.

For Slow-Paced Parts:

Use medium/long sentences

the paragraphs are longer: three lines minimum

Include longer words with more syllables

Use adjectives and maybe a couple of adverbs.

Insert the thoughts of the PoV character.

Words for Action Scenes

act, alter, attack, avert, back, block, bang, bash, battle, beat, beg, belt, bend, best, bite, blacken, bleed, blind, blister, blow, blunt, boil, bolt, boot, bore, bow, box, brace, brag, brash, brawl, break, breathe, brush, buck, bulgde, burn, burst, cackle, call, can, carry, cart, carve, catch, check, chop, chuck, clack, clank, clap, clash, claw, clear, cleave, click, cliff, cling, clip, close, club, cock, coil, cold, collar, come, con, connect, corner, cost, count, counter, cover, cower, crack, crackle, cram, crash, crawl, creep, crinkle, cross, crouch, rush, cry, cuff, cull, cup, curl, curse, curve, cusp, cut, dart, dash, deepen, dig, deep, dip, ditch, drive, drop, duck, dump, ede, effect, erect, escape, exert, expect, feint, fight, fire fist, fit, flag, flare, flash, flick, fling, flip, flock, force, gash, gasp, get, gore, grab, grasp, grip, grope, group, hack, harden, heat, help, hit, hop, hurl, hurry, impale, jab, jar, jerk, join, jolt, jump, keep, kick, kill, knee, knock, knot, knuckle, leak, leap, let, lever, lick, lift, lock, loop, lop, plunge, mask, nick, nip, open, oppose, pace, pack, pain, pair, pale, palm, pan, pant, parry, part, pass, paste, pat, peak, peck, pelt, pick, pierce, pile, ping, piss, pit, pivot, plot, pluck, plug, plunge, ply, point, pool, pop, pose, pot, pound, pour, powder, pray, preen, prepare, prey, prick, prickle, print, probe, pry, pull, pulp, pulse, pump, punch, pursue, push, quarry, quarter, quest, race, raise, rake, ram, rap, rasp, rear, retreat, rip, riposte, rivert, roar, rock, roll, rope, round, rouse, run, rush, sap, scale, scalp, scan, score,scream, seek, seep, shake, shape, sharpen, shock, shoot, shop, slap, slap, slash, slice, slick, slip, slit, smash, snap, snare, snatch, snipe, sock, space, spar, spark, speed, spike, spill, spin, spit, splash, spoil, spring, spur, spurt, spy, squirm, stand, steert, step, stick, strap, strike, stuff, suck, support, swat, sweat, sweep, swingm tack, tag, take, target, taste, team, tear, tent, test, thrash, throw, thrust, thud, tick, tide, tilt, time, tire, top, toss, tower, toy, trap, trick, trigger, trip, triumph, trouble, trump, try, tuck, tug, twril, twitch, weaken, wet, whip, whirl, whirr, whoop, whoosh, whop, work, zap, zip.

If you like my blog, buy me a coffee☕ and find me on instagram! 📸

[derinwrites]

The Three Commandments

The thing about writing is this: you gotta start in medias res, to hook your readers with action immediately. But readers aren’t invested in people they know nothing about, so start with a framing scene that instead describes the characters and the stakes. But those scenes are boring, so cut straight to the action, after opening with a clever quip, but open in the style of the story, and try not to be too clever in the opener, it looks tacky. One shouldn’t use too many dialogue tags, it’s distracting; but you can use ‘said’ a lot, because ‘said’ is invisible, but don’t use ‘said’ too much because it’s boring and uninformative – make sure to vary your dialogue tags to be as descriptive as possible, except don’t do that because it’s distracting, and instead rely mostly on ‘said’ and only use others when you need them. But don’t use ‘said’ too often; you should avoid dialogue tags as much as you possibly can and indicate speakers through describing their reactions. But don’t do that, it’s distracting.

Having a viewpoint character describe themselves is amateurish, so avoid that. But also be sure to describe your viewpoint character so that the reader can picture them. And include a lot of introspection, so we can see their mindset, but don’t include too much introspection, because it’s boring and takes away from the action and really bogs down the story, but also remember to include plenty of introspection so your character doesn’t feel like a robot. And adverbs are great action descriptors; you should have a lot of them, but don’t use a lot of adverbs; they’re amateurish and bog down the story. And

The reason new writers are bombarded with so much outright contradictory writing advice is that these tips are conditional. It depends on your style, your genre, your audience, your level of skill, and what problems in your writing you’re trying to fix. Which is why, when I’m writing, I tend to focus on what I call my Three Commandments of Writing. These are the overall rules; before accepting any writing advice, I check whether it reinforces one of these rules or not. If not, I ditch it.

1: Thou Shalt Have Something To Say

What’s your book about?

I don’t mean, describe to me the plot. I mean, why should anybody read this? What’s its thesis? What’s its reason for existence, from the reader’s perspective? People write stories for all kinds of reasons, but things like ‘I just wanted to get it out of my head’ are meaningless from a reader perspective. The greatest piece of writing advice I ever received was you putting words on a page does not obligate anybody to read them. So why are the words there? What point are you trying to make?

The purpose of your story can vary wildly. Usually, you’ll be exploring some kind of thesis, especially if you write genre fiction. Curse Words, for example, is an exploration of self-perpetuating power structures and how aiming for short-term stability and safety can cause long-term problems, as well as the responsibilities of an agitator when seeking to do the necessary work of dismantling those power structures. Most of the things in Curse Words eventually fold back into exploring this question. Alternately, you might just have a really cool idea for a society or alien species or something and want to show it off (note: it can be VERY VERY HARD to carry a story on a ‘cool original concept’ by itself. You think your sky society where they fly above the clouds and have no rainfall and have to harvest water from the clouds below is a cool enough idea to carry a story: You’re almost certainly wrong. These cool concept stories work best when they are either very short, or working in conjunction with exploring a theme). You might be writing a mystery series where each story is a standalone mystery and the point is to present a puzzle and solve a fun mystery each book. Maybe you’re just here to make the reader laugh, and will throw in anything you can find that’ll act as framing for better jokes. In some genres, readers know exactly what they want and have gotten it a hundred times before and want that story again but with different character names – maybe you’re writing one of those. (These stories are popular in romance, pulp fantasy, some action genres, and rather a lot of types of fanfiction).

Whatever the main point of your story is, you should know it by the time you finish the first draft, because you simply cannot write the second draft if you don’t know what the point of the story is. (If you write web serials and are publishing the first draft, you’ll need to figure it out a lot faster.)

Once you know what the point of your story is, you can assess all writing decisions through this lens – does this help or hurt the point of my story?

2: Thou Shalt Respect Thy Reader’s Investment

Readers invest a lot in a story. Sometimes it’s money, if they bought your book, but even if your story is free, they invest time, attention, and emotional investment. The vast majority of your job is making that investment worth it. There are two factors to this – lowering the investment, and increasing the payoff. If you can lower your audience’s suspension of disbelief through consistent characterisation, realistic (for your genre – this may deviate from real realism) worldbuilding, and appropriately foreshadowing and forewarning any unexpected rules of your world. You can lower the amount of effort or attention your audience need to put into getting into your story by writing in a clear manner, using an entertaining tone, and relying on cultural touchpoints they understand already instead of pushing them in the deep end into a completely unfamiliar situation. The lower their initial investment, the easier it is to make the payoff worth it.

Two important notes here: one, not all audiences view investment in the same way. Your average reader views time as a major investment, but readers of long fiction (epic fantasies, web serials, et cetera) often view length as part of the payoff. Brandon Sanderson fans don’t grab his latest book and think “Uuuugh, why does it have to be so looong!” Similarly, some people like being thrown in the deep end and having to put a lot of work into figuring out what the fuck is going on with no onboarding. This is one of science fiction’s main tactics for forcibly immersing you in a future world. So the valuation of what counts as too much investment varies drastically between readers.

Two, it’s not always the best idea to minimise the necessary investment at all costs. Generally, engagement with art asks something of us, and that’s part of the appeal. Minimum-effort books do have their appeal and their place, in the same way that idle games or repetitive sitcoms have their appeal and their place, but the memorable stories, the ones that have staying power and provide real value, are the ones that ask something of the reader. If they’re not investing anything, they have no incentive to engage, and you’re just filling in time. This commandment does not exist to tell you to try to ask nothing of your audience – you should be asking something of your audience. It exists to tell you to respect that investment. Know what you’re asking of your audience, and make sure that the ask is less than the payoff.

The other way to respect the investment is of course to focus on a great payoff. Make those characters socially fascinating, make that sacrifice emotionally rending, make the answer to that mystery intellectually fulfilling. If you can make the investment worth it, they’ll enjoy your story. And if you consistently make their investment worth it, you build trust, and they’ll be willing to invest more next time, which means you can ask more of them and give them an even better payoff. Audience trust is a very precious currency and this is how you build it – be worth their time.

But how do you know what your audience does and doesn’t consider an onerous investment? And how do you know what kinds of payoff they’ll find rewarding? Easy – they self-sort. Part of your job is telling your audience what to expect from you as soon as you can, so that if it’s not for them, they’ll leave, and if it is, they’ll invest and appreciate the return. (“Oh but I want as many people reading my story as possible!” No, you don’t. If you want that, you can write paint-by-numbers common denominator mass appeal fic. What you want is the audience who will enjoy your story; everyone else is a waste of time, and is in fact, detrimental to your success, because if they don’t like your story then they’re likely to be bad marketing. You want these people to bounce off and leave before you disappoint them. Don’t try to trick them into staying around.) Your audience should know, very early on, what kind of an experience they’re in for, what the tone will be, the genre and character(s) they’re going to follow, that sort of thing. The first couple of chapters of Time to Orbit: Unknown, for example, are a micro-example of the sorts of mysteries that Aspen will be dealing with for most of the book, as well as a sample of their character voice, the way they approach problems, and enough of their background, world and behaviour for the reader to decide if this sort of story is for them. We also start the story with some mildly graphic medical stuff, enough physics for the reader to determine the ‘hardness’ of the scifi, and about the level of physical risk that Aspen will be putting themselves at for most of the book. This is all important information for a reader to have.

If you are mindful of the investment your readers are making, mindful of the value of the payoff, and honest with them about both from the start so that they can decide whether the story is for them, you can respect their investment and make sure they have a good time.

3: Thou Shalt Not Make Thy World Less Interesting

This one’s really about payoff, but it’s important enough to be its own commandment. It relates primarily to twists, reveals, worldbuilding, and killing off storylines or characters. One mistake that I see new writers make all the time is that they tank the engagement of their story by introducing a cool fun twist that seems so awesome in the moment and then… is a major letdown, because the implications make the world less interesting.

“It was all a dream” twists often fall into this trap. Contrary to popular opinion, I think these twists can be done extremely well. I’ve seen them done extremely well. The vast majority of the time, they’re very bad. They’re bad because they take an interesting world and make it boring. The same is true of poorly thought out, shocking character deaths – when you kill a character, you kill their potential, and if they’re a character worth killing in a high impact way then this is always a huge sacrifice on your part. Is it worth it? Will it make the story more interesting? Similarly, if your bad guy is going to get up and gloat ‘Aha, your quest was all planned by me, I was working in the shadows to get you to acquire the Mystery Object since I could not! You have fallen into my trap! Now give me the Mystery Object!’, is this a more interesting story than if the protagonist’s journey had actually been their own unmanipulated adventure? It makes your bad guy look clever and can be a cool twist, but does it mean that all those times your protagonist escaped the bad guy’s men by the skin of his teeth, he was being allowed to escape? Are they retroactively less interesting now?

Whether these twists work or not will depend on how you’ve constructed the rest of your story. Do they make your world more or less interesting?

If you have the audience’s trust, it’s permissible to make your world temporarily less interesting. You can kill off the cool guy with the awesome plan, or make it so that the Chosen One wasn’t actually the Chosen One, or even have the main character wake up and find out it was all a dream, and let the reader marinate in disappointment for a little while before you pick it up again and turn things around so that actually, that twist does lead to a more interesting story! But you have to pick it up again. Don’t leave them with the version that’s less interesting than the story you tanked for the twist. The general slop of interest must trend upward, and your sacrifices need to all lead into the more interesting world. Otherwise, your readers will be disappointed, and their experience will be tainted.

Whenever I’m looking at a new piece of writing advice, I view it through these three rules. Is this plot still delivering on the book’s purpose, or have I gone off the rails somewhere and just stared writing random stuff? Does making this character ‘more relateable’ help or hinder that goal? Does this argument with the protagonists’ mother tell the reader anything or lead to any useful payoff; is it respectful of their time? Will starting in medias res give the audience an accurate view of the story and help them decide whether to invest? Does this big twist that challenges all the assumptions we’ve made so far imply a world that is more or less interesting than the world previously implied?

Hopefully these can help you, too.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

A Writing Refresher: Basic Grammatical Terms

Adjective: A word which qualifies or modifies the meaning of a noun; as in a 'red hat' or a 'quick fox'. They can be used to complement the verbs 'to be' or 'to seem' ('Sue seems happy today'). Adjectives are sometimes formed from nouns or verbs by the addition of a suffix such as '-able' (lovable), '-ful' (heedful), '-ic' (heroic), '-ish' (foolish), '-ive' (combative), '-ous' (famous), or '-y' (needy).

Adverb: A word which qualifies or adds to the action of a verb: as in 'he ran quickly', or 'he ran fast'. Adverbs can also qualify adjectives, as in 'the grass is intensely green'. They are usually formed by adding '-ly' to an adjective: 'playfully', 'combatively', 'foolishly'. They can also sometimes be formed by the addition of '-wise' to a noun ('the hands went round clockwise).

Clause: The word is often used but very hard to define. It is a sentence or sentence-like construction included within another sentence. A main clause might be a simple noun plus verb ('I did it'). A co-ordinate clause is of equal status with the main clause: 'I did it and she did it at the same time.' A subordinate clause might be nested within a sentence using the conjunction 'that': 'he said that the world was flat.' Here 'he said' is the main clause and the subordinate clause is 'the world was flat'. Relative clauses are usually introduced by a relative pronoun: 'I read the book which was falling to pieces'; 'She spoke to the man who was standing at the bar.'

Conjunction: A word used to connect words or constructions. Co-ordinating conjunctions such as 'and', and 'but' link together elements of equal importance in a sentence ('Fish and chips' are of equal importance). Subordinating conjunctions such as 'because', 'if', 'although', connect a subordinate clause to its superordinate clause ('We will do it if you insist'; 'We did it because he insisted).

Noun: A word used as the name or designation of a person or thing, such as 'duck' or 'river'. Abstract nouns denote abstract properties, such as 'invisibility', 'gentleness'. Proper nouns are nouns that designate one thing, as, for example, personal names.

Object: Usually the thing to which the action of a verb is done. More technically a substantive word, phrase, or clause, immediately dependent on, or ‘governed by’, a verb, as expressing, in the case of a verb of action, the person or thing to which the action is directed, or on which it is exerted; that which receives the action of the verb. So 'the man patted the dog', 'the woman was reading the book'. An indirect object of a verb denotes that which is indirectly affected by an action, but wihch is not the immediate product of it, as ‘Give him the book’, ‘Make me a coat’.

Participle: a word derived from a verb which functions like an adjective, as in 'let sleeping dogs lie'. More technically 'A word that partakes of the nature of a verb and an adjective; a derivative of a verb which has the function and construction of an adjective (qualifying a noun), while retaining some of those of the verb'. Present participles usually end in '-ing' and usually describe an action which is going on at the same time as the verb: so in the sentence '"Go and play on your own street," she said, kicking the ball', the saying and the kicking are simultaneous. Past participles usually end in '-ed' or '-en' ('the door was kicked in'; 'the door was broken'). They are used in two main ways: combined with the verb 'have' they form a past or 'perfect' tense (so called because it describes an action which has been completed or 'perfected'), as in 'I have smashed the plate'. Past participles can also be used in passive constructions (which describe what was done to something rather than what something did), as in 'the plate was smashed'.

Preposition: A part of speech which indicates a connection, between two other parts of speech, such as 'to', 'with', 'by' or 'from'. 'She came from China', 'He gave the chocolates to me'.

Pronoun: A part of speech which stands for a noun: 'he', 'she', 'him', 'her', 'them'. Possessive pronouns express ownership ('his', 'hers'). Reflexive pronouns are 'herself', 'himself', 'myself' and are used either for emphasis (he did it all himself'), or when an action reflects back on the agent who performs it ('he shot himself in the foot'). Relative pronouns include 'who', 'which', 'that' and are usually used in the form 'he rebuked the reader who had sung in the library'. Interrogative pronouns ask questions ('Who stole the pie?'; 'Which pie?'). Indefinite pronouns do not specify a particular person or thing: 'Anyone who studies grammar must be mad.' 'Somebody has to know about this stuff.'

Sentence: This is a term which professional linguists still find impossible to define adequately. It is usually supposed to be 'A sequence of words which makes complete sense, containing subject, object and main verb, and concluded by a full-stop'.

Subject: Usually the person or thing who is performing the action of a verb. More technically the grammatical subject is the part of a sentence of which an action is predicated: 'the man patted the dog'. It can be a single noun, or it can been a complex clause: 'the bald man who had just picked up the ball gave it to the dog.'

Syntax (Greek 'together arrangement'): a term designating the way in which words can be arranged and modified to construct sentences. Writers characteristically use syntactic sub-ordination when they aim for a highly formal effect, and syntactic co-ordination when they aim for a simpler, more straight-forward effect.

Verb: Usually a word which describes an action (such as 'he reads poems', 'she excels at cricket'). More technically 'That part of speech by which an assertion is made, or which serves to connect a subject with a predicate.' This technical definition includes the most frequent verb in the language: the verb 'to be' which can be used to connect a 'subject', such as 'he', with a 'predicate', such as 'good at hockey'. There are verbs which take an object ('he raps the desk'), which are called transitive verbs. Other verbs do not, and are termed intransitive verbs ('I sit, he lives'). Some verbs can be used either transitively or intransitively: 'I sing' is an intransitive usage; 'Paul McCartney sings "God save the Queen"' is a transitive usage. The main verb is the verb on which the structure of the sentence depends, and without which the sentence would not make any sense. In the following sentence the verb 'fell' is the main verb: 'The boy, who had run too quickly, fell'.

[novlr]

Do you have any tips for editing your own work?

Great question! Self-editing is such a great skill to cultivate.

My top tips for self-editing are:

Step away from your project before you start editing so you can approach it with fresh eyes.

Read your manuscript all the way through before you start any editing so you can get a feel for your story as a whole from a reader's perspective.

Read it out loud to catch words, phrases, and dialogue that don't flow naturally.

Use a proofreading app or extension to pick up typos and spelling mistakes you might have missed. I never recommend relying on these alone, but they're great to work with in conjunction with your ending process.

Look out for and remove common errors like: overuse of passive voice, inconsistent PoV and tense, crutch words, repetition, and overuse of adverbs.

Watch for parts that don't add to the story. If it can be removed without affecting worldbuilding, character development, and plot development, get rid.

Find beta readers once your first draft is finished. A good cross-section of readers who are familiar with your genre will give you a good sense of what resonates with your audience.

Don't delete anything! Even if you edit it out, save it for later. You never know when a snippet can come in useful, even if it's for a completely different project.

You can find more details in today's Reading Room post, linked below.

[slavic-roots-western-mind]

The 然's

突然，虽然，忽然. and the other 然's can often get mixed up, so here's a quick explanation of some of the most common ones!

突然 (Túrán): This means suddenly or unexpectedly

居然 (Jūrán): This kind of means suddenly, but more in the sense of "surprisingly" or to suggest disbelief at something that happened.

忽然 (Hūrán): This also means suddenly or unexpectedly, but it has a more stronger connotation.

既然 (Jìrán): This is a conjunction meaning "since" or "now that"

既然the weather is great, let's go out!

既然 you aren't busy, let's go watch a movie.

不然 (Bùrán): This means "otherwise" or "or else";

You should study, 不然 you won't do well on the exam.

虽然 (Suīrán): This means although or even though.

虽然 I'm not good at singing, I still like to go to the karaoke.

当然 (Dāngrán): 当然 means certainly or definitely and can be used as a reply:

Can you help me with A? 当然!

自然 (Zìrán): This can mean nature or naturally.

China's 自然 is very beautiful.

She speaks Chinese 得很自然.

仍然 (Réngrán): This can mean "still" or "yet".

I仍然 haven't read that book.

依然 (Yīrán): Similar to 仍然, this also means still" or "yet" but it's usually used in more formal and literary works, whereas 仍然 is more often used in spoken language.

果然 (Guǒrán): 果然 can be used to mean "indeed" or "as expected"

This movie is 果然 interesting.

竟然 (Jìngrán): This is an adverb used to suggest surprise or something unexpected.

He竟然forgot her birthday.

显然 (Xiǎnrán): This means "clearly" or "obviously".

This soup 显然 hot.

偶然 (Ǒurán): This means "accidentally" or "by chance".

We 偶然 met at the same cafe.

How many other 然's do you know about? Drop a comment!

[anza-langblr]

敬語の5分類｜The 5 Types of keigo

In the Japanese language it is possible to show respect towards another person by replacing words, mostly verbs, with politer equivalents. This can be done by using elevating expressions for the actions of your superior or degrading expressions for your own actions.

Overview: Verb Formation Rules for sonkeigo 尊敬語, kenjōgo I 謙譲語Ⅰ and kenjōgo II 謙譲語Ⅱ (also known as teichōgo 丁重語).

In a guideline released by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs in the year 2007 keigo has been divided into five types: 尊敬語・謙譲語Ⅰ・謙譲語Ⅱ（丁重語）・丁寧語・美化語. The first three types demonstrate the most complex rules, hence why I summarized them in the chart above for a quick overview. Hereafter, you can find thorough introductions to each type.

尊敬語｜Respectful Language

Sonkeigo is the most basic method to pay special respect towards a teacher, a superior or a client. This can be done by switching the verb (refering to the action of your superior) with its passive form.

e.g.　読みます　→　読まれます

However, the degree of politeness isn't that high. Hence, it is important to learn the following formation rules as well:

１）特定形 ｜Special forms

Some verbs have a fixed forms. If a verb has a special form it is to be used.¹

e.g.　いる・行く・来る　→　いらっしゃいます

２）サ変動詞＋なさいます

In this context サ変動詞 refers to nominal verbs. Basically, nouns that can be turned into verbs by adding する. It is possible to add お or ご infront of the verb but it can be also omitted if unsure which prefix is the right one.

e.g.　出発する　 →　（ご）出発なさいます

３）お＋Ⅴます＋になります

This formation rule is for all verbs that do not belong into either of the two categories above. Omitting ます leaves the so-called renyōkei 連用形 or conjunctive form of the verb. Here, the prefix added is always お.

e.g.　待ちます　→　お待ちになります

It is not uncommon to apply this formation rule to サ変動詞 as well. Depending on the nominal verb お needs to be changed to ご.

e.g.　参加する　→　ご参加になります

However, there are exceptions. Some nominal verbs are not idiomatic and end up sounding unnatural to native ears.

e.g.　運転する　→　ご運転になります　✕ 運転する　→　運転なさいます 〇

謙譲語 Ⅰ｜Humble Language I

Kenjōgo I + II have the opposite effect of sonkeigo. They degrade one's status and are therefore applied only to your own actions or the actions of someone from your inner circle (e.g. a co-worker, or a family member).

In contrast to kenjōgo II, kenjōgo I is used when your action (or the action of someone from your circle) is directed at the person you want to pay respect to. It is also used when you do something for said person.

The formation rules are as listed below:

１）特定形 ｜Special forms

Some verbs have a fixed forms. If a verb has a special form it is to be used.¹

e.g.　言う　→　申し上げます

The translation would be "saying sth. to sb." or "telling sb. sth." implying that your action is directed at the person you want to pay respect to.

２）お・ご＋サ変動詞＋します

Again, there are some verbs that sound unnatural when this formation is applied.

e.g.　ご運転します　✕

In this case, you can formulate the sentence with ～させていただきます or switch to kenjōgo II.

e.g.　運転させていただきます　〇 運転いたします 　 〇

Note that, depending on the situation ～させていただきます might give of the impression that you are putting yourself down too much. This can result in making your counterpart feel uncomfortable.

３）お＋Ⅴます＋します

This formation rule is for all verbs that do not belong into either of the two categories above. Omitting ます leaves the so-called renyōkei 連用形 or conjunctive form of the verb. Here, the prefix added is always お.

e.g.　伝える　→　お伝えします

謙譲語 Ⅱ｜Humble Language II

Kenjōgo II is used when your own action is unconnected to the person you want to pay respect to. Therefore, this type of language can often be found in anouncements, news reports or broadcasts elevating its audience. At train stations one often repeated phrase is:

e.g.　もうすぐ電車が来る　→　まもなく電車が参ります

In the example above you can see that not only the verb has been switched with a politer equivalent, but the adverb as well. There are many words that can be switched with politer versions. Unlike verbs, they do not need to be inflected and can be studied like regular vocabulary.

It can also be pointed out that the action does not have to be conducted by the speaker, but can be an object (like in the example above) or a third party as well.

The formation rules are:

１）特定形

Some verbs have a fixed forms. If a verb has a special form it is to be used.¹

e.g.　言う　→　申します　(as in 私は◯◯と申します)

When introducing yourself you simly "say" or "state" your name. This is not considered an action that is directed at the person you want to pay respect to, hence it falls into the category of kenjōgo II.

２）サ変動詞＋いたします

e.g.　応募する　→　応募いたします

３）丁寧語

For all verbs that do not fall under the categories above, teineigo is used, or in other words the です・ます form.

e.g.　話す　→　話します

In case the ～ている form is used, the degree of politeness can be elevated by replacing it with ～ております which is the special form of いる.

丁寧語｜Polite Language

Teineigo is the neutral polite language. You're probably already familiar with this one, since this is the most foolproof way of speaking politely due to its absence of any kind of seesaw principle. It is used everywhere outside of your circle of friends and the safest way to talk to strangers. However, in certain situations it is expected to raise the level of politeness.

e.g.　聞く　→　聞きます

美化語｜Refined Language

There is a certain number of words, especially nouns, that can be turned into more elegant sounding versions. It can be easily understood by just looking at some examples.

e.g.　金 　→　お金 酒 　→　お酒 料理　→　ご料理 米　 →　お米 散歩 →　お散歩

Adding the respective prefix お or ご takes away the roughness of a word. This, however, can only be done with a few selected words. Refined words are commonly used in both formal and informal speech.

‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾

¹ I compiled all special forms 特定形 that you need to know in this post: 敬語の特定形｜Keigo: Special Verb Forms.

[heimeldat]

I've spent an inordinate amount of time parsing the few examples we have of Old High Gallifreyan text, and here at last is the result of my labors!

The Old Gallifreyan alphabet:

The alternate forms of letters may be used interchangeably with their main forms; the differences are purely cosmetic, much like the difference between cursive and print-style writing.

Now for my analysis of the existing texts. It's rather long, so I've put it below the break!

EXAMPLES OF OLD HIGH GALLIFREYAN TEXT

ITEM ONE

Supposedly from “The Five Doctors,” though I can’t spot this writing anywhere. Translation given in episode.

ORA PSYERPA

O – honorific indicating uniqueness, may be rendered with the definite article “the”

R – combined with the definite honorific, a common abbreviation of Rassilon’s name

A – an alternate version of the possessive “ya,” used only when the possessive noun is already abbreviated

Psyerpa – a general term for harps and other large stringed instruments

Thus, the full text reads:

O-Rassilon-ya psyerpa

The Rassilon’s harp

ITEM TWO

From “The Colony in Space,” across the bottom of the Doctor’s mugshot. No translation given.

QU  ETHOA TRIOUAX BRIA

Qu – This is not a complete word, merely a letter used in this case for alphanumerical file designation: note that it stands alone, separate from the main text.

Ethoa – exile

Triouax – an infinitive verb, “to persist” or “to remain in effect”

Bria – a conditional modifier used exclusively in bureaucratic contexts, implying the need for occasional update of information or policy.

This text is a record of the Doctor’s sentence, and may be rendered something like this: Exile: to remain in effect barring further review.

ITEM THREE

From “The Time of Angels.” Translation given.

JUSYMOU CAIDEU OXA OOYY MAISOM

Jusymou – An archaic greeting, roughly equivalent to “well met” or “hail.”

Caideu – self, soul, or “hearts” in a poetic sense

Oxa – prepositional suffix, “part of”

OOYY – a conceptual abbreviation that combines the two meanings of the solitary letter O (definite article + symbol of individuality) and the mathematical use of the letter Y (usually indicating a dimensional shift). Literally, this means something like the individual, shifted two dimensions. In practice, it refers to a Time Lord’s fifth dimensional aspect.

Maisom – name, designation, identification

Thus, a literal translation would read something like this: Greetings, soul-linked fifth-dimensional name!

Or as the Doctor paraphrases it: Hello, Sweetie.

ITEM FOUR

From “The Five Doctors.” Translation is given, though it’s not specified which face of the obelisk corresponds to which section of the text.

First Face:

RA NASA TO TANA EURIFSTAN OBLR ORE NATA

Ra – where

Nasa – sleep

To – in

Tana – lies, reclines, rests

Eurifstan – eternal, endless, timeless. Here it modifies the verb, so it should be rendered as an adverb.

Oblr – abbreviated form of obelar, tomb or grave

OR – the same abbreviation seen previously, “The One And Only Rassilon.”

E – an alternate version of the possessive “ya,” used only when the possessive noun is already abbreviated

Nata – a basic verb of being, is

This yields the following literal translation: Where sleep-in lies eternally, tomb Rassilon’s is.

Or as the Doctor translates it: This is the Tomb of Rassilon, where Rassilon lies in eternal sleep.

Second Face:

The text on the second face is never seen. The Doctor translates it as: Anyone who's got this far has passed many dangers and shown great courage and determination.

Third Face:

ULIREIF RAENATA TOAAN LAKI FSTA TORARO

Ulireif – to lose everything, to be utterly defeated

Raenata – an emphatic form of the being-verb nata, indicating that something really, truly, permanently is

Toa’an – to win everything, to be crowned victor

Laki – a compound conjunction combining la (so) with ki (and): “and so”

Fsta – an abbreviated form of festoa, a winner or leader

Toraro – future tense of torar, to fail or collapse

Thus: To lose all is truly to win all, and so the winner will fail.

Or as the Doctor puts it: To lose is to win, and he who wins shall lose.

Fourth Face:

KIRA ATOUNA OR TA LIRI EUKI RAATO SUTE ANAAN FEIRLIO REUNT

Kira – takes

Atouna – ring

OR – the same abbreviation seen previously, “The One And Only Rassilon.”

Ta – from

Liri – hand

Euki – a compound conjunction combining eu (then, next, afterward) with ki (and): “and then”

Ra’ato – future tense of ra’at, to wear

Sute – reward, prize, payment

Ana’an – desired, sought-after

Feirlio – future tense of feiril, to get or acquire. Note that this is an irregular verb: the last two letters switch places when adding any tense ending.

Reunt – immortality, eternity

Literally: Takes ring Rassilon-from-hand and then will wear, reward-sought will have: immortality.

Or as the Doctor translates it: Whoever takes the ring from Rassilon's hand and puts it on shall get the reward he seeks: immortality.

[pygmi-cygni]

writing tips: conjunctions and the dreaded 'nor'

conjunctions are in-between words that connect two clauses in a sentence or phrase. but, yet, although, however etc.

the difference:

'but' is a coordinating conjunction. you use 'but' after a comma. "she liked dogs, but her sister had a severe allergy." DO NOT USE IT AT THE BEGINNING OF A SENTENCE. Use However.

'however' is a conjunctive adverb. it introduces a new sentence to the original clause and usually describes the action that contrasts the interpretation. "she liked dogs. However, her sister had a severe allergy, so the family couldn't get one."

-

NOR. nor nor nor. aur naur. aur naur, it's nor. ok i'll stop.

'nor' has everybody in a chokehold. it is not just another way to say 'but, however, yet.'

it means 'neither.'

"here nor there" means 'whatever you're looking for isn't here or over there.'

incorrect:  I neither can talk to you, nor can I text you.

Correct: I can neither talk to you, nor can I text you.

it's a common mistake to use it in a double negative. it still means neither. it looks hella different, but use it the same. use 'nor' with neither as a way to say the same thing without the same word.

double negative:

"I don't have neither the time nor the patience!"

correct:

"I have neither the time nor the patience" or "I don't have the time or the patience."

nor is buddy-buddy with neither. don't use nor by itself. it's gross.

xox love you

[santoschristos]

“Holy, holy, holy.”

The Beauty of the Seraphim

“The Seraphim are all eyes — they can perceive true beauty.”

I believe this is a quote from Kathleen Norris; however, don’t quote me on that. In any event, it is a curious and fascinating statement.

The seraphim are the highest order of angels in the pseudo-Dionysian hierarchic scheme, and in the Jewish tradition, also. They surround the throne of Glory and utter the Trisagion incessantly: “Holy, holy, holy.”

According to one tradition, they are the angels of love, and light, and of fire. III Enoch states that their number is limited to 4: “corresponding to the 4 winds of the world.” And in Enoch II they are described as having four faces and six wings, as in Isaiah chapter 6.

Some scholars maintain that the only Old Testament reference to the seraphim is in Isaiah 6. Although others assert that Numbers 21:6, the “fiery serpents,” could refer to the seraphim. And ostensibly, they are not even directly referred to in the New Testament autograph, except perhaps obliquely in Rev. 4:8.

Their prince has been named variously as Seraphiel, Jehoel, Metatron, Michael, and Satan himself, before he fell, of course. However, that cannot be, as Satan is described as a mere cherub, that is, having only four wings.

By some, the seraphim are equated with the ophanim, which may be rendered either ‘wheels,’ or ‘many-eyed ones.’ And since they are all eyes, they can perceive true beauty. At least, that’s what is implied. Is this true? And to what do the “eyes” refer?

The reference to the “eyes” of the seraphim is found in Revelation 4:8, which reads: “And the four Zoa had each of them respectively, six wings; around and within they are full of eyes.”

And there is another oblique reference to the “eyes” in Ezekiel 1:18: “Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around.” And it must be noted, that the “eyes” in this passage appear to be within the wheels of the Chariot of Adonai; so this may not refer to the seraphim at all.

Very few commentators will discuss the “eyes” of Revelation 4:8. So let’s look at the angelic hierarchy: the First, and the foremost, is Adonai eloheinu as the commander in chief of all the angelic armies. The next level down in the hierarchy is composed of the archangels who command individual armies. And from there, to the General Staff, who make the angelic army function. And they worship, too.

Ah, worship! To know and understand how to worship.

The KJV puts it this way: “And round about the throne were four and twenty seats; and upon the seats, I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment, and they had on their heads crowns of gold.” Rev. 4:6

‘And’ is the conjunctive use of the conjunction kai, which means ’also.’ And with it, is the adverb of place, kuklothen; and it is used as an improper preposition with the noun thronos: “also around the throne.” The ellipsis demands the repetition of the verb ‘I saw,’ be inserted; and the direct object is composed of three words, all of which are the objects of the verb. “And around the throne I saw….” Eikosai, twenty; and with it the accusative of tessares: twenty-four additional thrones. And these thrones are reserved for the angelic general staff.

These angels have authority in the heavens during the periods of the Church Age, the Tribulation and the Millennium. These angels have achieved great status — wisdom of a spiritual type.

From this, perhaps, another form of beauty is organization. For organization allows the efficient use of many elements: time, space, money, materiel, etc. Organization relieves pressure and stress. And these twenty-four angelic staff officers are well organized. Their job is to apply correct information and data to any situation.

“And upon the thrones…” then the present passive participle of kathemai: they were sitting. And people who sit, think. Correct action must be supported by thought. Thus, these twenty-four angels are thinking, not doing. Indeed, they are just being. They know they are loved. They realize and acknowledge Who and What God is. They acknowledge pure, radical Love as beauty nonpareil. --Randall Radic Aug 21, 2023

[cosmerelists]

The Kholin Household’s Favorite Parts of Speech

Is this whole list just based on the obvious Dalinar joke? Yes, and I’m not sorry. (I’m a little sorry.)

1. Dalinar: Conjunctions

Dalinar: As a bondsmith, I am all about brining people & things together.

2. Adolin: Verbs

Adolin: I’m a man of action!

3. Elhokar: Adjectives

Elhokar: Listen, I admittedly care a lot about how things look, but also about what people are truly like.

4. Renarin: Adverbs

Renarin: I think it matters how people do things, not just what they do.

Renarin: Also, adverbs are great when they’re used well.

Renarin: :D

5. Jasnah: Nouns

Jasnah: In my research, I look for facts, reality, things that are.

6. Shallan: Prepositions

Shallan: Reality is relational.

Shallan: It’s important to know how things--and people--relate to each other, how they are positioned.

Shallan: Why the cremling is on the shalebark as much as why Sebarial liked to stay out of things.

7. Navani: Interjections

Navani: It’s about that moment of discovery! When you suddenly realize and say, “Ah ha!”

8. Gavilar: Articles

Gavilar: It is never enough to just be a somebody. I want to be the somebody. The best.

Navani: “A” is also an article.

Gavilar: Indefinite articles don’t count!

[abidethetempest]

State of the Conlang, August 2023

Tomorrow will mark one month of working on my Eliksni conlang! I'm honestly shocked (and very pleased) to have gotten as far as I have in only a few weeks, especially given that my first attempt at this conlang a few years back barely got off the ground. A lot of this is of course thanks to the support and encouragement I have gotten, so much love to all of those who have listened to my rambling on discord, left nice tags, suggested translations, or even just interacted with my conlang posts at all.

full post under the cut

So! What I've got so far:

finished phonology

finished syntax

three verb tenses of four done

mood markers done

conjunctions

a basic number system

pronouns in the nominative and accusative cases

grammatical function markers for prepositions, adjectives, and adverbs

a relative pronoun and a rough system for handling relative clauses (will likely need further development later on)

68 words created for the Eliksni language, with many more to come soon!!!

two sentences of Null Composure translated, two lines of House of Wolves Skolas dialogue translated, one flavor text translation done

What I'm going to be focusing on going forward, listed in approximate priority order:

continuing to chip away at the Null Composure translation

doing some smaller translations on the side for my own sanity

expanding the lexicon (largely driven by making new words for the above translations)

fleshing out the numbers and getting more comfortable with base 12

creating numeral glyphs

beginning work on writing system

organizing words into categories and creating a shared spreadsheet so they can be searched for more easily for use in writing/art

create the mythic past verb tense

going through the lexicon and adding IPA transcriptions to new words

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Parts of Speech

These definitions explain the 8 parts of speech in the English language.

Noun

A noun identifies a person, place, thing, or idea.

Common nouns are generic: girl, boy, city, ship, desk, courage

Proper nouns are specific: Juliet, Romeo, St. Louis, Titanic

Pronoun

A pronoun renames or refers back to the person, place, thing or idea mentioned earlier in a sentence.

Personal pronouns: I, me, you, they, them, she, her, he, him, it, we, us

Relative pronouns: who, whom, whose, which, that, what

Interrogative pronouns (used in questions): who, which, what, whose

Demonstrative pronouns: this, that, these and those

Indefinite pronouns (a partial list): all, anybody, anyone, both, each, everyone, everybody, many, none, several, someone

Verb

A verb expresses action or state of being. “Helping” verbs (such as modals and auxiliary verbs) are used with base verbs to make a verbal phrase.

Action verbs: see, run, jump, sing, study, dance, cry, shout, buy, sell, fix, think, wonder, etc.

State of being verbs: am, is, was, were, will be, became, appear, seem, look, feel, etc.

Modal verbs: can, could, will, would, shall, should, ought, must, may, might, etc. These verbs are found in verbal phrases, seldom by themselves: can see, will run, might study, must sell, etc.

Auxiliary verbs: am, is, are, was, were, have, had, etc.

In a verbal phrase, remember that the modal or auxiliary verb may be separated from the main verb, especially in a question:

Did you hear me call?

She is not going with us.

How long have you been working at McDonald’s?

Adjective

An adjective describes or modifies a noun or pronoun: For example:

brown eyes

that person

ten players

Adjectives tell...

what kind: brown eyes

which one: that person

how many: ten players

Adverb

An adverb modifies or describes a verb, adjective, or another adverb. It usually answers “question” statements: how? when? where? why? how often? how much? to what degree?

The orchestra played beautifully. (How?)

The band has played there. (Where?)

The choir sang long. (To what extent?)

He is extremely capable. (How capable?)

She danced very slowly. (How slowly?)

Preposition

A preposition shows a relationship between a noun/pronoun and another word. Most prepositions show motion toward a place or location of an object. The English language has more than 40 prepositions, including: above, across, behind, below, down, in, off, on, under, through, into, of, on account of, in spite of, etc.

Conjunction

A conjunction joins words or groups of words. There are three major classes of conjunctions in English:

Subordinate conjunctions: when, while, although, because, since, if, until, even though, etc.

Coordinate conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so

Correlative conjunctions (used in pairs): neither/nor; either/or; not only/ but also; both/and

Interjection

An interjection expresses an emotion such as delight, surprise, or disgust. It usually appears at the beginning of a sentence and often is followed by an exclamation point:

(Delight) Wow! Gosh! Golly!

(Surprise) Oh! Ah! Yikes! Gee!

(Disgust) Yuck! Ugh! Bah!

Note: A Word as More Than One Part of Speech

Remember, a word can be used as more than one part of speech. The function of a word determines what part of speech it is.

For example:

Appearances can be deceiving. (Can is a modal verb)

The tin can of tomatoes is dented. (Can is a noun)

We should can peaches and plums. (Can is an action verb)

The French actress danced the can-can. (Can-can is a noun-noun)

[cascade-languages]

Grammar VS Linguistics

I spoke with a guy once who told me that he learned Italian without learning the grammar. Was he right? Is it possible to learn a language without learning the grammar? The answer is no. One cannot form language without knowledge of grammar. What was the guy saying when he said he learned Italian without learning the grammar? To answer that question, we need to explore what grammar is and see how it differs from its frequently confused cousin.

Grammar is what makes one of the sentences below correct and the other incorrect:

a)    See her I yesterday

b)    I saw her yesterday

Though one of the sentences is incorrect, they are both trying to convey the same message. Sentence (b) is the grammatically correct sentence and sentence (a) has a few things wrong with it. Grammar is the stuff that makes (b) correct and (a) incorrect. You need to know grammar to know a language but the thing you may not need to know is its cousin linguistics.

So, what is linguistics?

To explain linguistics, let’s do a linguistic breakdown of sentence (b)

I - Subject pronoun (1st person)

Saw - Verb (past tense verb form of “see”)

Her - Object (3rd person feminine personal direct object pronoun)

Yesterday - Adverb

Linguistics is the technical side of grammar and what makes it tangible. You don’t need to know linguistics to know which sentence is incorrect, but linguistics is what you need to explain why (b) is correct. Here is how you would do so:

English is an SVO (Subject-Verb-Object) language. The subject “I” is said first, followed by the verb “saw”, followed by the object “her”. The last word in the sentence is “yesterday”. “Yesterday” is an adverb and sets the context of the sentence. “Yesterday” tells us that the context of the sentence is in the past and is also the reason why “saw” is used instead of “see”.

You can know and even communicate in a language without knowing its linguistic technicalities but you do need to know what makes some sentences correct and what makes others incorrect. This knowledge is grammar and every proficient speaker of a language has a good (though maybe intangible) grasp of it.

The guy who told me that he learned Italian without learning grammar, what he meant by that is that he learned Italian without learning linguistics.

Though not many attempt it, languages can be learned and taught while teaching little to no linguistics. Take Cascade Languages as an example, it teaches Spanish and French using stories and lessons and it does so without the use of words like verb, pronoun, preposition, conjugation, conjunction, infinitive, adverb, clause, etc.

Students don’t hate grammar, linguistics, that maybe.

[lorcblog]

My amateur-hour lessons learned about writing (as opposed to designing) RPGs

Having now released a whopping two (2) RPGs out into the wild I’ve zero authority to say what’s good practice. But I kept a big list of lessons learned. It’s something I find helpful to refer back to. There’s a few traps I find myself repeatedly falling into and this reminds me of them and how to avoid them.​

I’ll never create anything good if I’m not willing to create something bad first.

Even if nobody else reads or plays this, I’m creating for my own entertainment and self-improvement.

Every idea is perfect in my head. Pin them down in writing to examine them more critically.

Talk about what’s cool about this game, not how it’s unlike other games.

Directly stating what the thing is is clearer and quicker than saying what the thing isn’t. 

Write for the benefit of people who’d enjoy the game, not to persuade those who won’t.

At all times consider what the reader wants to know and what it’s helpful for them to be told. 

Say the thing without preamble. Saying I’m going to say a thing is a waste of space.

That means not beginning a section by restating the header either.

In rules, say clearly what to do before getting hung up listing all the things not to.

Avoid game voice – “and yet-”, “their very-”, “the utter-” etc. Just write normally.

Don’t be allergic to contractions. Sentences get stilted without them.

Make it fun to read – address the reader directly and let a little personality show through. 

Starting a sentence with a conjunction is fine as a little treat.

Mostly. Tend. Usually. Qualifying all my statements is weak writing. Let exceptions prove the rule.

It’s fine to write things not intended to go in the final doc. Sometimes it’s helpful for me to write it, even knowing it’s destined for the cutting room floor.

Writing lists is fun and easy but it’s not real writing. (Oh hey!)

Coming up with the perfect name is a problem for later – placeholder names are fine.

Designer notes are useful but indulgent. Exercise restraint.

If a big designer note is really that important, it should be part of the text. 

For each section consider whether I’m addressing the player or the GM. Be deliberate and consistent. 

Adjectives, adverbs and repetition are a great way to pad a paragraph out into unreadable fluff. Delete ruthlessly.

No editing partway through a section. I can’t judge information priority and flow until I’ve gotten to the end.

If I’ve finished a bit, move right on to the next bit instead of getting bogged down in re-writes. There’s no prizes for most deleted drafts.

When a section of the draft’s good enough, mark it in a different colour so I can track my progress and know what to leave alone.

Do I really need other people’s feedback? Or am I just avoiding writing by talking about it instead? 

Write what I can, when I can. If I can’t write one part right now, write a different part. If all I can write at the moment is a list of what I want to write, then write that. Try to get some momentum going.

It’s too much to hope that I keep my notes organised, but for all that’s holy keep them in one place.

A proper draft needs at least some sense of how it's going to be laid out or there will be very nasty surprises.

Nevertheless, no draft survives contact with layout.

The best part of the process is when I realise that I've already written all the other bits I need and can just slot them in.​