Editing Style guide (section)

==Grammar and spelling==
===Case===
* All place names, item names, technique names, creature names, NPC names, mission names, Photon Blasts, etc are proper nouns – always uppercase, as in-game.
* Other things should have common sense applied on a case by case basis. Normally, it should be easy to work out what to do. Some commonly queried cases are listed here:
** Weapon specials and attributes ''should'' be capitalized ("Hell", "Native", "Hit")
*** When referred to as a whole, these should ''not'' be capitalized ("special", "attribute")
** Traps should ''not'' be capitalized ("trap", "freeze trap")

===Abbreviations===
Try not to use abbreviations. For example, use "Photon Blast" instead of "PB". Some players may not know what these abbreviations mean, and for appearance's sake, it's much more pleasing to the eye to look at "''Mylla & Youlla is a Photon Blast that applies Shifta and Deband''" than "''M&Y is a PB that gives SD''". This wiki should be readable in plain English, not abbreviations known only to veterans of the game.
* The name of the game is an exception – any ''PSO'' player, or even a non-player taking a glance at this wiki, knows what the abbreviation ''PSO'' refers to. The full game's title, ''Phantasy Star Online Blue Burst'', is abbreviated ''PSO BB'', '''not''' ''PSO:BB'' or ''PSOBB''.

===Punctuation===

If you are listing multiple things, like different Photon Blasts, each of them should have a serial comma (also known as an Oxford comma) at the end. For example, "Estlla, Farlla, and Golla" would be proper, whereas "Estlla, Farlla and Golla" would not be.

When compiling a sort of list which includes quantities, do not place the quantities in brackets, as this can be confusing alongside other potential bracketed things. Something should be written as "5 Photon Crystals", not "Photon Crystal (5)".

===Usage and spelling===

*''Phantasy Star Online'' and ''Phantasy Star Online Blue Burst'' should be italicized.
* SEGA should always be spelled as SEGA, not Sega or sega or any other variations.
* American English spelling rules should be used at all times.

===Tense===

A rule of thumb is to use present tense in all cases. For example, articles for missions, activities, non-player characters, etc. should be written in present tense. An exception to this rule would be events that have occurred in the past, or for in-game content that has been removed. For example, previous years' holiday events that have already occurred should be written in past tense.

* '''Past tense:''' Past events and history regarding official service
* '''Present tense:''' All other cases

===Common grammatical errors===

'''then''' and '''than'''
:Despite their pronunciations being very similar, they are different in meaning.
::'''Then''' is used in one of the three following cases:
:::1. at that time; at the time in question.
::::"I was living in Cairo then."
:::2. after that; next; afterward
::::"She won the first and then the second game."
:::3. in that case; therefore
::::"If you do what I tell you, then there's nothing to worry about."
::::"Well, that's okay, then."
::'''Than''' is used in comparing two elements in a sentence
:::"He was much smaller than his son."
::or in expressions introducing exceptions or contrasts
:::"He claims not to own anything other than his home."

'''its''' and '''it's'''
:'''Its''' is the possessive adjective and possessive pronoun form of the personal pronoun ''it''.
::"He chose this area for <u>its</u> atmosphere."

:On the other hand, '''it's''' is a contraction (shortcut) for '''it is''' OR '''it has'''.
::it is – "It's my fault."
::it has – "It's been a hot day."

'''their''', '''there, '''and '''they're'''
:'''Their''' is possessive, referring to an object, or objects, belonging to a certain number of people.
::"The ball is their property."

:'''There''' is an adverb, referring to a certain position or area.
::"We went on to Paris and stayed there eleven days."

:'''They're''' can also be confused with ''their'' and ''there''. ''They're'' is a contraction for '''they are''' and '''they were''', depending on how the sentence is constructed.
::"The reason that they're going to the store is to buy more milk."

'''should of'''
:The reason people write "should of" when they mean '''should have''' is because the contraction of '''should have''' (should've) is pronounced like "should of". Avoid "should of" like the plague. Instead, write "should have".
::"Those rookie editors made the mistake of writing 'should of' when they meant 'should have'".

'''a herb''' and '''an herb'''
:'''A herb''' is the correct term as the "h" at the start of herb is not silent. American accents clip the "h", which means that ''an herb'' would be incorrect.
:: "Guam is a herb that can be farmed"

'''amount''' and '''number'''
:'''Amount''' refers to a quantity that can be measured. '''Number''' refers to a quantity that can be counted.
::"Higher levels require a greater amount of experience."
::"The maximum number of players in one game is 4."

'''much''' and '''many'''
:As in the above example, '''much''' refers to a quantity that can be measured. '''Many''' refers to a quantity that can be counted.
::"How much experience do you have?"
::"How many people are in your game?"

'''alter''' and '''altar'''
:An '''altar''' is a piece of furniture used in worship. To '''alter''' is to change something.

'''affect''' and '''effect'''
:One thing may '''affect''' (or change) another. The result of an action is its '''effect''' or '''effects'''. Also, to '''effect''' is to produce.

'''your '''and '''you're'''

: The word '''your''' is the possessive form of the word ''you''.

: The word '''you're''' is a contraction of the words ''you are''.
'''duel '''and '''dual'''

You would have a '''duel''' against another person.

You would '''dual'''-wield two swords, or have a '''dual '''personality, meaning you have two sides to you.

===Point of view===
Articles should be written in the third person or objective point of view. Using the word "you" in articles is informal and should be avoided except if it is inside a quotation; try to use "players" or "the player" instead. Passive voice (e.g. "This assumes usage of a HUcast" instead of "This assumes you're using a HUcast") may also be used.

For guide articles that are intended to speak to a user to instruct them on how to accomplish something, "you" is acceptable, or imperatives can be used (i.e. "Go to the mission counter"). Avoiding "you" in this case may be very unnatural.