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[Docs] Add some English quirks
A few common errors I see when doing review that deserves mention.
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documentation/guidelines/docs_writing_guidelines.rst

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@@ -37,6 +37,53 @@ There are 3 rules to describe classes:
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See the :ref:`content guidelines <doc_content_guidelines>` for information
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on the types of documentation you can write in the official documentation.
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English language qirks to be aware of
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-------------------------------------
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English has a few qurks that even experienced users of English slip up on,
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so they are listed here to help avoiding these common mistakes.
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The noun adjunct
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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When you use a noun to modify another noun, as if it was an adjective, it is called
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a "noun adjunct". In most cases this first noun should be singular, so for example
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"a list of nodes" is also a "node list", not a "nodes list". This also applies even if
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the modified noun is plural, so "the lists of nodes" is also the "node lists",
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not the "nodes lists".
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Deverbals
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~~~~~~~~~
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English has many words called deverbals, where two words in a phrase are combined into
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one noun. Examples of this are a "cleanup" from "to clean up", a "setup" from "to set up", etc.
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The combined word is not a replacement for the original phrase, so it's "Clean up the nodes",
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not "Cleanup the nodes", and "Performs a cleanup", not "Performs a clean up".
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Initialisms and a/an
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Many words that are used in the documentation are initialisms, formed by taking the first letter of each word
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in a phrase like "Frames Per Second" becoming "FPS". In most cases these are pronounced by just saying each letter
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instead of blending the sounds together like a normal word. This, combined with how English letters are
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pronounced, means that many of these words should use "an" and not "a" like you might expect.
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So it's "an RID", not "a RID", because "RID" is pronounced like "aR-I-Dee". The English letters that are
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pronounced with a vowel before the consonant, and should use "an" and not "a" are: `F`, `H`, `L`, `M`, `N`, `R`,
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`S`, and `X`.
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There are some exceptions to this, like "MIDI", where the word comes from the letters of a phrase, but aren't pronounced this
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way. If you are unsure what to do, try saying the word out loud.
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Before file extensions the general rule is to always use "a" and write the extension with a leading ``.``, for example "a ``.obj`` file".
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And/or with lists
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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When listing things and add a noun at the end the noun should be plural if using "and" and singular if using "or", so it should be:
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"The Forward+ and Mobile renderers" or "The Forward+ or Mobile renderer". Also combine "either" with "or", not "and",
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and "both" with "and", not "or".
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.. _doc_docs_writing_guidelines_clear_english_rules:
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7 rules for clear English
@@ -257,6 +304,15 @@ sentence, and keep it short:
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The **AtlasTexture's** used region.
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.. note::
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When adding the ``'s`` to plural nouns that end in an ``s`` it becomes just ``'``, so you write "nodes'",
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not "nodes's". This applies even if the final ``s`` of the plural wasn't added to make it plural, so it's
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"axes'", not "axes's".
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You *do* however still add the ``'s`` for plural nouns that do not end in an ``s``, so it's "children's",
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not "children'". You can use either for singular nouns that end in an ``s``, though ``'s`` is generally preferred.
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Use the Oxford comma to enumerate anything
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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