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Why grammar doesn’t matter, it never did and never will


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Grammar isn’t everything

When it comes to writing books, grammar is not the only thing.

It’s not even the most important thing.

Let me use an example to show you what I mean.

Many of us studied The Diary of Anne Frank at school, also known as The Diary of a Young Girl. It’s the personal journal of a young girl hiding from the Nazis in the Netherlands during WWII. The family was betrayed and Anne died in Bergen-Belsen shortly before the concentration camp was liberated. Her diary provides an extraordinary glimpse into what life was like in those times of fear.

  • When that diary was first presented to publishers by Anne’s father, do you think they said, “What splendid grammar, spelling and punctuation this girl has! We absolutely must publish this diary because this girl really knows her gerunds from her past participles!” Do you really and truly think her writing technique was the most important thing about that manuscript? Of course not.
  • Alternatively, imagine if they’d said, “No, it’s fascinating, but her grammar is not precise, so we can’t publish this.” One of the most influential books of the 20th century would have been lost!
 

 

We don’t all live in circumstances as historically exceptional as Anne Frank’s, but we do all have a unique story. She had a story to tell, and she was a good storyteller. That’s what made her book worth publishing and reading and publishing again.

Are you a good storyteller? This applies no matter what you are writing. Even a book on how to play the stockmarket will sing if told by a storyteller.

Releasing your inner storyteller is more important than grammar, spelling and punctuation. Stop fretting so much about technique, and spin us a yarn! What is so fascinating about your topic? Go on, make us interested.

 

Early humans have existed since 6.2 million years ago, It is generally agreed that true writing of language (not only numbers, which goes back much further) was independently conceived and developed in at least two ancient civilizations and possibly more. The two places where it is most certain that the concept of writing was both conceived and developed independently are in ancient Sumer (in Mesopotamia), between 3400 and 3300 BC, and much later in Mesoamerica (by 300 BC)[3] because no precursors have been found to either of these in their respective regions. Several Mesoamerican scripts are known, the oldest being from the Olmec or Zapotec of Mexico.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/popular_by_date/2018

 

On the 200 long lists of the best book of 2018, none is about grammar and all of them contained or still contain grammar errors. What makes them great books you ask? It's the content and subject matters !!

When you are looking for a Beam, engine, reactor, shield or device are you looking for the best grammatically written and spelled one? 

When you are doing a mission in the Game do you seriously analyze all the words written to describe the task if it's written grammatically perfect? 

One does not play a game for its grammar, they play for the content, they play it for the challenges, they play to forget the world who ask all of us to be more perfect than we really are. 

The world has no shortage of grammar editor, the Earth & Beyond emulator as a real content shortage 

and a universe of mission and task are missing do.

 

P.S. I cheated I posted my first draft as I would write and just did a Grammarly correction and edited my own words. 

 

P.S 2 I am Not going to pay 150$ USD for the pro version. If you think it's a necessity for Earth & Beyond Players, get a business version and share the password and access with the emulator. 

 

Happy Holydays ! Merry Christmas ! Happy New Year !!

 

Edited by Moulinneuf
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Mouli, I understand what you're saying, I honestly do.  The fact of the matter is, though, that people who read a lot, people who cared back in school about learning the gerunds and past participles and such often have a hard time NOT being "grammar nazis" pointing out every little foible.  This makes things especially hard for people who take the time to learn English as a second (or third, fourth, et cetera) language. 

 

English is NOT an easy language to learn, the slang (which for a game that's worldwide is not a good idea to use since one region's slang for a bagel might be another region's equivalent of something offensive), words that sound similar but have different meanings, words that are spelled the same but sound different (eg. earlier in my post I typed the word "read" as I typed I heard in my mind the past tense of the word {sounding like the color red}, but as I was proofreading I heard it as the present tense {sounding like the plant reed} how are you, the reader, supposed to know how I intended it?) and so many other reasons that make learning a new language difficult. 

 

Personally, I applaud ANYONE who cares to learn English as another language and give allowances in situations like this where there's a worldwide community that there will be mistakes made, often times I find myself rereading posts to make sure I get the right intention.  For example (and I don't mean to sound like I'm nitpicking)

 

12 hours ago, Moulinneuf said:

The world as no shortage of grammar editor , the Eart & BEyond emulator as a real content shortage 

and universe of mission and task are missing do.

 

Again I don't want to sound like I'm nitpicking, I'm just using this as an example, but the use of the word "as" in this sentence should have been "has" as a person who grew up speaking English it took me a moment to realize what you intended.  Once I did, I had no problems.  But that's just me, one person.

 

Now for the other side of the coin, why the Devs want better grammar for their content.  Players, in general, hate having their time wasted.  If they have to read, and re-read mission directions to go one place, pick up an item and drop it off elsewhere, then misunderstand and do the opposite, they're going to complain.  Add to that, I'm sure the Devs have had numerous complaints about this or that being wrong, I think I myself have reported a couple grammatical or spelling errors.  Imagine coming home from your real life job, kicking the wife, kissing the dog (or the other way around if that pleases you) sitting down to try to do something fun but instead opening complaint after complaint about how you typed, fixing that, going to bed, waking up the next day to start it all over again.  Sounds dull doesn't it? 

 

Anyway, I'm going to stop with this reply, I would like to play the game as well, sorry it got so long winded

 

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While I appreciate your sentiment that you feel a need for more content, I think that we should try to take some pride in our work and do the best we can in whatever we do. This includes wanting to learn to do better. Listening to, and analysing constructive criticism can help us to improve our future efforts. If we misunderstand constructive criticism due to it offending our egos, the unfortunate effect is that we close our minds to what could be helpful, and therefore persist with our mediocrity rather than learn and grow.

 

While having a rudimentary tool is certainly better than having nothing, a finely crafted tool is far more pleasing to use, and enables better results to be achieved.

 

The purpose of language is to communicate effectively. There are some instances where you can butcher language for humorous effect, or to communicate a situation, or even relay a subtle message. In such cases, even though grammatical rules might be broken, effective communication is still the intent and can be achieved. If grammatical mistakes are not deliberately trying to achieve something, then they are merely detracting from effective communication, being a distraction, getting in the way.

 

Good writing usually requires a number of drafts before a polished effort is attained. On paper, this is, of course, best done before publication. In an online environment, it's easy to slam out a post quickly, but it's usually equally easy to correct the published version if errors are spotted. To advocate that readers simply accept error-filled work because an author is either too sensitive to take constructive criticism, or too lazy to bother making corrections, are not convincing arguments to readers wanting something better.

Edited by Winlander
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7 hours ago, Stoop said:

Mouli, I understand what you're saying,

 

No, you really don't.

 

But it's ok we apparently need the grammar more, I upvoted your content for the effort, only.

 

Happy Holydays ! Merry Christmas ! Happy New Year !!

Edited by Moulinneuf
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7 hours ago, Winlander said:

While I appreciate your sentiment that you feel a need for more content,

 

I appreciate your reply, I upvoted you for it , being that I am a big fan of your work and editing on the wiki, but you failed to understand completly the point being made here, and it has nothing to do with grammar.  Fact be known There is tons of unformated and undevelopped story alreay written for the Game.

 

What is missing is CDEV that meet your too high requirement and procedure to contribute content, that they try and skip town or are simply not even allowed to try.

 

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I think that we should try to take some pride in our work and do the best we can in whatever we do.

 

I guess I should be totally ashamed to have tried to be the Advocate when no one stepped up to do it and tried to have the dev make the changes players asked for , will simultuanosuly asking for help on the wiki and contributing to it , when frankly it's much easir to keep my finding to my notes and self in another language. Shame shame shame on me ...

 

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This includes wanting to learn to do better.

 

I am not the one who as stoped wanting to learn to be better, I just learned a long time ago that I would not be any good at grammar.

 

Did not stop me from publishing content and authoring guides in 4 languages, I just left the grammar to people more equipped and understanding of it than me.

 

Quote

 

Listening to, and analysing constructive criticism can help us to improve our future efforts.

 

There is no future efforts to be had with the current procedure.

 

Quote

 

If we misunderstand constructive criticism due to it offending our egos, the unfortunate effect is that we close our minds to what could be helpful, and therefore persist with our mediocrity rather than learn and grow.

 

Now I have an Ego and mediocity problem ... nice.

 

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While having a rudimentary tool is certainly better than having nothing, a finely crafted tool is far more pleasing to use, and enables better results to be achieved.

 

Ruidmentary tool produce a rudimentary product a finely crafted tool in the hand of a novice will not produce a finely crafted product one as to master and practice a craft over time and with mentorship to be able to finally and finely make a product.

 

But a finely tool that sit on a counter unused , is just a waste of finite and neeeded ressources by others.

 

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The purpose of language is to communicate effectively.

 

No, it's just to communicate, if has a race we would want to communicate effecively we would wirte a simpler langage used by all.

 

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There are some instances where you can butcher language for humorous effect, or to communicate a situation, or even relay a subtle message. In such cases, even though grammatical rules might be broken, effective communication is still the intent and can be achieved. If grammatical mistakes are not deliberately trying to achieve something, then they are merely detracting from effective communication, being a distraction, getting in the way.

 

You can never butcher language, all words are madeup.

 

Quote

 

Good writing usually requires a number of drafts before a polished effort is attained. On paper, this is, of course, best done before publication. In an online environment, it's easy to slam out a post quickly, but it's usually equally easy to correct the published version if errors are spotted.

 

Not at all some people have a mastery of it that allow them to write a perfectly written effort on the first try, others will never have a final effort that is not full of grammatical errors even if it's in order to save there life. 

 

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To advocate that readers simply accept error-filled work because an author is either too sensitive to take constructive criticism, or too lazy to bother making corrections, are not convincing arguments to readers wanting something better.

 

I guess the Emulator was an error filled work and you guys where too sensitive to take onstructive criticism, or too lazy to bother making corrections, when you did the Betas and Patchs and change to storyline and rewrote some dialogue for better understanding.

 

Grammar can be fixed, lack of content and lack of creator of content cannot unless the procedure changes and access to entry changes.  

 

For someone who work on wiki , I tought you of all people would understand why it's ok to allow everyone to contibute in their own way.

 

BTW :

 

 analysing -- » analyzing

use, -- » doesn't need a coma

 

I Hope you do realize it's nothing personnal but the high level of grammar you ask and demand is creating a real lack of new content

 

hence Grammar isn’t everything and in this case it's even a barrier to new content that should not exist. 

 

if you have to attack that argumenter and its grammar you had already lost the argument even before your first word BTW.

 

I hope you will forgive me from trying to get more content in the game with my very bad grammar in a sub-set of subset of a language that is not a language people here really like using as it almost eradicated my own , done by others , since I cant even be the one to do it and show light on where I think the CDEV recruiting and mentoring is failing. 

 

Happy Holydays ! Merry Christmas ! Happy New Year !!

Edited by Moulinneuf
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  • Kyp locked this topic

This thread is locked. I can see it is going nowhere. Next time, if you have a problem with what I've written in a PM, you can take it up directly with me.

It is very simple. Mangled language is not something that is conducive to good gameplay. I'm sorry you don't want to recognize this, but we've had much much worse in the past and it led to constant GM tickets because people couldn't understand the language because we had so many different writers of various languages. If you see the link that I posted, where most of your OP is taken from, you'd have seen by keeping reading it that they tell you precisely the same thing. You want to communicate effectively and be understood, which is what someone told you above.

Anyway, if you want to be a content developer you have to be able to write fairly fluently in English as most of the players are English speakers, and for that matter a majority of the player base. Missions/quests can be confusing and misleading enough without fairly well-written dialog

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