Grammar Advice for (not just) Novice Writers · 4:35am Sep 12th, 2017
Greetings everybody,
especially those new among you, waiting to make a mark in the world of pony fiction! 
Such an act surely requires many things: proper cover art, interesting and believable characters, solid plot, spotless grammar... and a huge chunk of luck. But I'm not here to tell you that. Countless guides concerning these issues can be found all around the site, after all. (If you don’t like a little lengtly beginnings, head straight for the last paragraph. You might miss some context, but the advice shall still come off clear.)
Many of these steps to a good story aren't as 'problematic' as they may seem. Plot and characters are limited only by your imagination. Quality of cover art depends on your skill or on the amount of money you are willing to spend on it.
However, grammar can be tricky. For no matter how many times we look, there are always a few errors escaping our eyes. We are simply blind to our own mistakes. Of course, with each bit of experience and feedback you receive, your proofreading ability gets better, but never top notch pristine. Heck, even the proteins checking our DNA make mistakes from time to time, resulting in mutations. That's why there are many of these proteins, checking the same spots their 'colleagues' worked on. And just like those proteins, you should look for another pair of helping eyes, an editor (If they have just one eye, it's sufficient as well. If they have more than a pair, the better! 
) It could be any person with proper knowledge of the English language. They'll help you comb through the story for errors or things that may come off unclear.
Still, when new users come to the site, they usually don't know many people here. Getting an editor might be really hard for the first time. However, the story should still get a proper grammar check up. Typos and nonexistent words can be detected by any spellchecking software. Grammar errors, on the other hand, tend to slip through these.
I have spent countless hours reading stories that I randomly found around the site, usually those with next to none views and also those seeking advice. In that time, I assembled a list of the most common grammar issues. Many of them can be quickly dealt with if you know the correct forms and/or can use Ctrl+F. This method can be used if you want to make sure you don't have the basic errors there and publish right away. Furthermore, it's a great way of making the job easier for your editor. Finally I'm getting to the point of this post. So, those of you who fell asleep should wake up again 
Here is the list of the most common issues, along with explanation of how should these be used. If you are a novice writer, I recommend you pay close attention to what is said below.
its/it’s
its – belonging to it
The cat waved its paw.
it’s – a shortened form of 'it is'
It's a nice morning.
your/you’re
your – belonging to you
Can I borrow your pony?
you're – a shortened form of 'you are'
You're a really great friend, Pinkie.
"Why, thank you! Anything for the people behind the fourth wall!"
his/he’s
his – belonging to a male character
Flam just trimmed his mustache.
he's – a shortened form of 'he is'
He's quite handsome, don't you think?
Twilights/Twilight’s/Twilights‘
Twilights – a plural form (Written without apostrophe!)
There are two Twilights in the room.
Twilight's – belonging to one Twilight
Spike accidentally burned Twilight's hoof.
- Twilights' – belonging to more Twilights (Take note of the apostrophe's location here and in the previous case.)
on/one
on - referring to a location, also a part of phrasal verbs
The book is on the table.
I have to carry on.
one - referring to the amount
There is one book.
now/know/no
now - referring to time, at the moment
The new episode is airing right now!
know - to have some information stored in your brain
I already know all these grammar rules, I don't need your stupid tutorial!
no - a word of disagreement
No, I don't think that's a good idea.
there/their/they’re
there - referring to a location
The Cakes work there, in this building.
their - belonging to them
Is this their bakery?
they're - a shortened form of 'they are'
Yes, they're the owners.
to/too/two
to - a word signaling direction, also a loyal company of verbs
I'm going to the library.
I need to do this alone.
too - referring to 'amount' or marking agreement
She didn't move an inch. She was too scared.
I'm going out too!
two - referring to the number 2
There were two ponies in the room.
then/than
then - signaling something happening later
She finished sorting through the books, then headed to bed.
- than - used to compare
Rainbow is stronger than Fluttershy.
I
Remember that 'I', the word you use when referring to yourself, is always capitalized, even in the middle of the sentence.
With a groan, I slowly stood up from the floor.
Names
Remember to always check if all the character and city names are capitalized. (No twilight from canterlot!) If you are using uppercase letters for some items, make sure to keep it consistent. That means, no switching between the forms of 'Element of Honesty' and 'element of laughter'.
Numerals
Numerals are the symbols you usually use to write numbers, such as 0, 1, 42. However, the trouble with them is that they differ from normal letters, thus they subconsciously attract the reader's attention. But you don't want the reader to look at some numbers, you want them to pay full attention to the plot! That's why you should write numbers using words, not numerals. Just like here:
The walk through the park usually takes me five minutes.
Exceptions to this rule are years (It happened in 1621.) and some codes and names (DJ Pon3).
Ellipsis
Ellipsis refers to a word being left out of the sentence, or a speaker trailing off. It is marked by three dots (...) No more, no less!
"What in Equestria..." Rarity stared at her demolished kitchen.
Phew... and that's all. Any additional questions? Anything unclear? If any of the senior writers have made it this far and have some bits of grammar experience to share, I'll be glad if they do!
(This blog has been originally posted in the forums of The Writer's Group)
Until next time
-Ever
Already the fourth time I went here to look something up, so I should leave a comment I guess.
Really good work, preditoress.
4667816Glad it works, thank you
Also, what happened to your dragon-griffon avatar?
4667951
You did a great job here for sure, alone the it's ot it is differ is very helpfull
Well, my Avatar, a girl who have a crush on me made this new one for me and I think it is very nice so I use it. Originaly the mighty Fox was making one for me, but he stopped in the middle of the work, so it makes the girl happy and I have a cute Avatar.
And it allows me to use green backround colour finally!
4668080
Ah, I see. Looks great!
4668097
Thank you