How to Write The 100 Fanfiction ✓

30 | common spelling/grammar mistakes

there are some common mistakes i see all the time in writing, so i decided to compile them into a list to help you guys out!

•when you want to make something plural, you do not use an apostrophe (ex: the tree's were an astounding shade of green). you only use apostrophes when you are showing ownership or for conjunctions.
CORRECT: The trees were an astounding shade of green.
CORRECT: "This tree's the one we camped near," Finn pointed out.
CORRECT: Clarke's blonde hair was cut to her shoulders.

•for some odd reason, some people have been spelling "definitely" as "defiantly" and i'm here to tell you that they do not mean the same thing. doing something defiantly means going against someone's wishes, while definitely is used for emphasis.
CORRECT: Raven definitely needed to do something about the broken electrical socket.
CORRECT: When Abby told her to leave the subject alone, Clarke crossed her arms defiantly and raised an eyebrow.

•add a comma before speech ONLY WHEN IT IS SOMETHING THEY ARE DOING AS THEY ARE SPEAKING. when the action is done before they speak, use a period. the same goes with putting the quote first. for example: He sighed, "well, that doesn't surprise me." means that he sighed as he spoke. He sighed. "well, that doesn't surprise me." means he sighed before he spoke.

•every time someone different speaks, make a new paragraph. one big chunk of dialogue is very confusing to read.
INCORRECT: "How are you today?" Miller asked. "I'm doing well, thank you," Harper replied. "That's great!" he exclaimed. "Do you want to get ice cream?" "Later, maybe."
CORRECT: "How are you today?" Miller asked.

"I'm doing well, thank you," Harper replied.

"That's great!" he exclaimed. "Do you want to get some ice cream?"

"Later, maybe."

•you do not ball your eyes out. you BAWL your eyes out.

bawling your eyes out:

balling your eyes out:

•your shows ownership. you're is a contraction for "you are."
CORRECT: "You're really brave," Raven said.
CORRECT: "This is yours now," Bellamy informed her, passing the rifle. "Take it."
INCORRECT: Murphy grabbed his arm. "What do you think your doing?" (This is incorrect because this "your" is used for ownership. The correct version would include "you're" because the sentence is meant to say "What do you think you are doing?")
INCORRECT: "You're eyes are really pretty," Octavia said. (This is incorrect because "You are eyes are really pretty," does not make sense. It should be "your" because that shows ownership.)

•their shows ownership. they're is a contraction for "they are." there shows placement.
CORRECT: "This is their territory."
CORRECT: "They're gone."
CORRECT: The dropship is over there.

•its shows ownership. it's is a contraction for "it is."
CORRECT: The moon was bright, shining its pale light over the camp.
CORRECT: "We're not doing this," Monty insisted. "It's wrong. We can be better."
INCORRECT: The butterfly unfolded itself, spreading it's magnificent wings before taking flight. (This is incorrect because the contraction "it's" means "it is," and "spreading it is magnificent wings" does not make sense. It should be "its" instead.)

•when using "she/he" instead of a name after dialogue, you do not capitalize it.
INCORRECT: "Ge smak daun, gyon op nodotaim," He hissed through his pain.
CORRECT: "Ge smak daun, gyon op nodotaim," he hissed through his pain.

•"altar" is a table used for religious purposes. "alter" means to change. they are not the same thing.
CORRECT: Gaia knelt before the altar in respect for the previous commanders.
CORRECT: "If we do this, we alter the course of reality," Raven added.

•"could of" is NOT a thing. it's the sound that "could've," the contraction for "could have" makes, so a lot of people confuse the two.
INCORRECT: "We could of saved him," Monty mumbled.
CORRECT: "We could've saved him," Monty mumbled.
CORRECT: "We could have saved him," Monty mumbled.

•effect is like cause and effect; it is a noun. affect is how something impacts another thing. affect is also a verb.
INCORRECT: Everyone was effected by the tragedy.
CORRECT: Everyone was affected by the tragedy.
INCORRECT: The tragedy had an affect on everyone.
CORRECT: The tragedy had an effect on everyone.

•you use "____ and me" when you can erase the other person from the sentence and the usage of "me" still makes sense. you use "____ and i" when the same thing is true for just "i".
INCORRECT: Octavia handed the dried meat to Clarke and I. (This is incorrect because if you remove "Clarke and" from the sentence, "Octavia handed the dried meat to I" does not make sense.)
CORRECT: Octavia handed the dried meat to Clarke and me.
INCORRECT: "Me and Bellamy are in charge now," Clarke announced.
CORRECT: "Bellamy and I are in charge now," Clarke announced.

•and... the worst of all... the lie/lay debate. i've included a graphic because it's easier than me explaining things.

a/n: please let me know if this book is actually helping, and, of course, submit any requests you have in the requests chapter!