Grammar Policy

1. Use correct punctuation. It only takes an extra second to add a comma, period, exclamation point, or quotation marks. If you are talking, put your dialogue in quotation marks (" ") to separate voice from description. If you end a sentence, use a period (.), question mark (?) or exclamation point (!). Colons (:) are often used to notate a following list. Semicolons (;) are used to link two similar ideas, but which may be too different to be included in a full sentence. Commas (,) indicate pauses.


Example of using a colon: Caitlyn's arms were full of various school items: quills, parchment, books, and of course her wand.

Example of using a semicolon: Joe didn't think the broken wand was a big deal; wands broke all the time, and they could be replaced.

Example of using a comma: As he waited for his wife to return from the bathroom, James grabbed a few after-dinner mints from the host's podium and stuffed them into his pockets.

2. Complete sentence structure is a must. A full sentence consists of a subject (usually a noun or pronoun) and an action (verb). Do not use fragmented or partial sentences in order to avoid typing out the entire thing.


Example of a complete sentence: Lauren (noun; subject) ran (verb; action) out of the Forbidden Forest.

These can be more complex. However--

Examples of incomplete sentences: Ran outside of the Forbidden Forest. (There is no subject, or "who ran out of the forest?") Outside of the Forbidden Forest. (No subject or verb)

Make an effort to achieve correct spelling, and do not use chat speak. Words like "O" or "Y' or "Thx" that are not really words at all, but in fact chat room shorthand, are not allowed in role playing posts. We understand that not everyone is an amazing speller, but at least try to spell out entire words without abbreviating anything. If you don't know how to spell something, try finding a dictionary or using an internet search engine. The Firefox web browser also has a built in spell check. Please note that while we don't expect perfect spelling in OOC areas or the chat room, if we find that your comments are unreadable due to excessive chat speak you may be asked to tone it down a bit.

Example of How NOT to Spell Correctly: "Thx, she told the griff."

Some words are often confused for others throughout role playing, and it can be easy to mix them up or not say what you were intending to. Here are some commonly mixed-up words and their real meanings.

They're/Their - They're is a contraction of "They are," to be used as in "They're going to play Quidditch tonight." Their is a possessive word referring to something that a group of people has ownership of - such as "Their common room."

Wonder/Wander - Wonder means to think about something, such as "I wonder what's for breakfast." Wander is the action of walking around with no real direction, such as in "wander down the hall."

Your/You're - Your is referring to ownership, such as "Your dog." You're is a contraction of "You are," such as in "You're crazy."

Posts that are incredibly poorly written and/or disruptive to the general flow of the game due to an incomplete structure may be deleted and addressed as necessary. We do not tolerate players ruining the game experience for others. If you have a post that does not meet any of the above requirements, or if players have complained about your posting, the Vault 713 staff reserves the right to address or remove the post.