Welcome to Gaia! ::

“.” Period. A period comes at the end of a sentence.

“,” Comma. A comma is used as a break in a sentence, or it is used in a series of events, e.g. Bethan went to her lab, picked up a blowtorch, and began working.

“ ' ” Apostrophe. Used to indicate possession, e.g. Javed's cottage, and to indicate contractions, where letters or numbers have been missed out, e.g. Don't ask about the summer of '96. Excepting one's, pronouns (its, hers, his) don't need an apostrophe.

“:” Colon. A colon is used as an introduction to something else, e.g. There was only one explanation: Netta's powers were out of control.

“;” Semicolon. A semicolon is traditionally used between two independent clauses that are closely related, e.g. I am not alone; I will always have Hero High.

“!” Exclamation mark. Used when exclaiming something, e.g. Holy sh*t! I can walk through walls!

“?” Question mark. Used when asking a question, e.g. Would you like to walk to class with me?

“()” Brackets/parentheses. Used to add additional information or explanation, e.g. She could phase (walk through walls), and turn invisible (which came in handy).

“[]” Square brackets. Used to insert editorial information, such as replacing a phrase for clarity, or to amend or supplement given details, e.g. She [Bethan] demanded nobody touch her new invention [LRTA] on pain of expulsion.

“ " " ” Quotation marks. Used to show direct speech, e.g. "Hi, what're your powers?". For quotes inside quotes, use single quotation marks, e.g. "She said 'Sorry I set you on fire', after she put me out."

“ ' ' ” Single quotation marks. Used for definitions and 'air quotes', e.g. 'Thoughtspeak' is what we call telepathic messages.

“--” Dash. For emphasis, or in place of brackets or commas, e.g. The book -- which she'd borrowed from the library -- was great.

“...” Ellipsis. Used to indicate missing words in a quotation or a pause, e.g. "The manor was beautiful... truly impressive."

Accept: When in agreement, or to receive. I accept your explanation. He was in acceptance.
Except = Only, or to exclude. I would go to the store, except I have a previous engagement. I like everyone except her.

Affect: To produce an affect upon, to act upon. Her moving affected his view.
Effect: In a cause/effect relationship. I am hoping the effect this grammar post will have on you is positive.

A lot = In large amounts. I like cheese a lot.
Alot: Not a word.

Almost = Nearly, Close to. I almost set her on fire.
Allmost: Not a word.
All most: Also not a word.

All together = In a group. The singers were told to sing all together.
Altogether = Completely, Entirely. When he first heard the question, he was altogether baffled.
Alltogether: Not a word.

Bye: When saying goodbye. Bye!
By: The book was by Bethan Blake, I passed by the cinema.
Buy: She was going to buy that book, but then bought another instead.

Collage = A collection of pictures. A collage of photographs.
College: I'm going to college after I finish High School.

Course: a path of action, a course of action, or meaning certainly. Of course everything will turn out well in due course.
Coarse = rough. The road was rocky and coarse, hurting my bare feet.

Further: refers to time or amount, like additional(ly). I would like to do further studies in history when I go to college.
Farther: refers to length or distance, like something is far away. She lived farther away than I had thought.

It's = It is. It's 12:24am.
Its: possessive. The dog wagged its tail because Anya rubbed its fur the right way.

Lay/lie: You lay something down, you are lying down. Something you are doing yourself versus something you DO to something else. You lay David Boreanez on your bed after kidnapping him, then you lie beside him.

Loose: That dress is loose.
Lose: I think they are going to lose the game.

Meet: To become acquainted with. I would like to meet David Tennant someday.
Meat: Food from an animal. Pork, steak, and bacon can all be considered meat.

Miss: a woman who is not married. That is Miss Carter over there.
Mrs: a married woman. I am now Mrs. James-Blake.
Ms: a woman whose marital status you don't know (polite). Ms. Terry has arrived.

Night: Nighttime. Goodnight! Or Good night!
Nite: Slang term, not for proper use.
Knight: A knight in armor. I decapitated The Black Knight.

No: In negation. No, you can't blow up that wall.
Know: In recognition. I know her!

Ones: Plural. Those ones are fugly.
Once: A single time in the past. Once upon a time, there lived a girl who could read minds.
One's: Ownership, or conjunction. One's food should be consumed. OR One (is) thought to be more knowledgeable when speaking in proper grammar.

Recieve: Wrong!
Receive: Correct. Means to be given something. He received all his birthday gifts on Friday.

Rode: the past participle of ride. I rode the motobike.
Road: pathway for cars. I was driving on the road.

Separate: There is a rat in 'separate'. The word weird is separate from the word wired.
Seperate: not a word.

Sequel : is a word, meaning a follow up to something. X2 is the sequel to X-Men.
Sequal : This is not a word.

Stake: a pointy object made out of wood. Buffy dusts vampires by shoving a stake through their hearts.
Steak: food. Last night, I ordered a medium rare steak for dinner.

Stares: plural of 'stare', meaning looking at someone or something intensely or for a long time.
Stairs: what you climb to get to the second floor.

Then: in a sequence of events. He went to the movie, THEN he went to dinner.
Than: in comparison. His wings are larger THAN my wings.

They're = they are. They're going to be angry.
There: The book was sitting there on the table.
Their: Their food was delicious.

To: He was going to the market.
Too = as well. She likes comics, too.
Two: I want two plates of fries, please.

Weird = odd. When something is odd or funny. Netta was acting weird today.
Wired: Netta was wired up to a life-support machine.

Were: We WERE going to go shopping, but decided instead to go to the movies.
We're = We are, conjunction. We're superheroes.

Whether: I cannot decide whether not I want to go to the movies tonight.
Weather: The weather is nice out, don't you think?

Won't = Will not, would not. He won't go to Larkford with me.
Want: I want a new phone for Christmas.

Write: I write with a pen or pencil.
Right = Correct, or the direction opposite left. He is right in saying that we should have turned right.

You're = you are. You're welcome.
Your: Your newbie pack is over there.