Grammar lesson from Auntie Em

I've seen that in published works. However, there are some people who complain about errors seen in published works. I don't think I've seen anyone complaining about that specifically, though.

I know of a couple of author who people complain about, mainly because they're poor writers.

This 'and' and 'but' stuff is the same in german, but I've seen it so often in newspapers that I don't care about it anymore. Anyway, we were told that we should NEVER use 'before' for a place, but in AotF, it was always used like that, almost never for a time. Is that common in english, or is it just Aussie slang?

I know I don't use it for anything other then time and describing where something is like before that house.

Well, I don't know how anyone would use it to indicate a place, unless it was to indicate a place where something big happened, in which case I also take it as an indicator of time.

ya. it is used mostly for time. usually if I describe something I'm going to say how it looks or it's the first one not before that 'thing' though it can be used.

I didn't notice that until you pointed it out. Oh yes, and sentences don't start with 'and'. that isn't entirely true actually. There are situations where they do. eg: "And as I was saying" continued mr somebody in some weirdo storyland place.. If you are writing a story about something etc, and you start a sentence with speech. The person who is talking may well be starting with 'and' Though this is not really gramatically correct, it would be perfectly acceptable to write your story that way.

Speech doesn't follow the same rules though. I'm aware of this but I wasn't refering to speech, just narration/normal writing. When someone is talking then almost all grammar rules can be bent.

As long as someone doesn't write out accents too much. That's irritating.

Ok, I have thought of a sentence, that starts with and, that is not speech, that is correct: "And' is a word which is normally not used at the begining of sentences. There are exceptions to almost any rule! *points to "There are exceptions to almost any rule!"* is there an exception to that? :wink:

Yes. You'd put it in quote marks though, which still is bending rules, and it will proberly still be frowned upon, through not nessicarly corrested.

On the other hand, this would be corrected: :wink: You'd put it in quote marks though, which still is bending rules, and it will proberly still be frowned upon, through not nessicarly corrested. You've put it in quote marks though, which still is bending rules, and it will probably still be frowned upon, though not necessarily corrected.

No, I meant you would put it, as in the general term, because you didn't close the quotation mark. There other misatakes are either mistyping or my spelling problems coming through.

Oh yes, You'd then. I stand corrected there - or actually, I sit corrected. If I am to be critiqued, I may as well be comfortable.

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