Do's and Don'ts of RP

The Importance of Grammar in Formal RP

Grammar is a vital part of formally role-playing. Many times when an RP thread isn't responded to, it's most likely due to bad grammar - and even spelling, i.e. text talk - of the original poster (OP). If you are not a great speller, a dictionary or Microsoft Word are great tools to use. Word sometimes corrects your grammar, but as a human would, it does not always see the error. It is a great idea not to trust Word when it comes to parsing. Reread your post before putting it up. If after posting you notice a mistake in your entry, USE THE EDIT BUTTON. It's there for a reason!

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The Importance of Punctuation in Formal RP

Can you tell which sentence is correct?

‘I helped my uncle Jack off a horse.’
‘I helped my uncle, Jack, off a horse.’

The first sentence is sexual in nature, but the second one (same as the first, only with a comma added between uncle and Jack.) states that the speaker's uncle's name is Jack. This and other kinds of mistakes can change the meaning of a sentence. It is important that you use the right punctuation marks in the right places, or the reader may misunderstand your meaning.

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Structure

What is meant by structure, is the way your post has been set up. If there is no dialog whatsoever, then having a one paragraph post may be okay, depending on how long it is. Preferably, I do not like having more than 5-8 sentences a paragraph. However, if there is dialog, then the start of the speech must be made into a whole new paragraph.

Ex.

"Dad?" she says. "I swear, I can't remember the words to my own songs." She is sixty-two and sitting on the edge of the couch, her old acoustic guitar perched on her knee.

Her husband of forty-seven years walks into the living room from the kitchen. "What's that, Mom?" he says. For decades, ever since they had their third child together, he has called her Mom and she has called him Dad.

"I can't remember how the second verse starts."

"Well, what are you singing?"

"You must be ignoring me. I've been trying to sing the same song for the last twenty minutes."

George, her husband, looks up at the ceiling. "Well, let's see," he says, rubbing the gray stubble of his beard. "Picking Flowers in the Rain?"

--an excerpt from The Backward Fall by Jason Helmandollar

Although this is from a short story and obviously there are two characters, the concept remains the same.