Grammar

Spelling: putting the right letters into the right order to get a word that others will recognise. This is the basis of all communication. Without standardisation, all is chaos.

Grammar: the means by which words are combined to form sentences.

Spelling and grammar are not optional. Without these two things, your writing will be incomprehensible.

If you are writing in a foreign language, you will probably have a good grasp of grammar. If you are writing in English as a native speaker, you may not, thanks to the poor teaching of grammar in English schools. However, "They didn't teach me what the pluperfect is until A-Level German!" is not an excuse for sentences such as: "He turned around to see Courtney sitting on the, hu, huffing for air, and clenching the sheets in her hands."

As current opinions in the world of linguistics are leaning towards the theories of language acquisition as innate and a universal grammar, Agents will accept no excuses for poor grammar. However, Agents outside of the DTE must note that poor grammar in and of itself is neither an assassination- nor an exorcism-worthy charge.

Grammar is also devoted to aiding clarity of communication. Given this, it's quite odd that badficcers are so determined to use neither of them, and instead prefer to write sentences like; 'Leggyz n Arrgorn runned thru teh forset!!!!' Often, bad spelling and grammar can be fixed by requesting the services of a beta-reader. Often, bad spelling is caused by inaccurate typing and/or a simple inability to spell, something that many people unfortunately suffer from. But this is fixable. It is when someone simply does not bother to even reread their work or have it beta'd that it becomes an offence in the eyes of the PPC. Bad spelling and grammar should never see the light of day; they should be buried in drafts.

Bad spelling and grammar are charges. This does not mean that the pickier Agents - or at least those that don't work for the Department of Technical Errors - can sentence someone to death for one overlooked typo, however. Neither does it mean that Britpicking Agents can necessarily charge for Americanised spelling. Sometimes they can though, so beware.

Charging for using or not using the Oxford Comma is considered slightly spurious.

Some badficcers use the excuse "But I'm dyslexic!!111!!!! UR MEEEEN!!1!" This usually cuts no ice as dyslexia doesn't affect a person's ability to use a spell check program.

Effects of Bad Spelling and Grammar
Agents who enter a fic encounter the effects of bad spelling and/or grammar more often than not. These can include:
 * Temporal distortions
 * Geographical Aberrations
 * The creation or summoning of a Mini when a name is misspelled. Minis often follow Agents until they can be returned home.
 * The literal interpretation of bad wording or Urple Prose, such as a Sue with literally translucent skin (a rather disgusting sight)
 * The creation of odd objects (such as OFUM's Long Table Elrond) when the wording is almost impossible to interpret
 * A word misspelled as another word may be interpreted literally, such as spaying someone rather than spraying. And if Agents speculate on what word a typo turned to nonsense, the Laws of Narrative Comedy fill in the worst possible choice.
 * The simultaneous existence of several contradictory details, such as a Sue's eyes being simultaneously several colors. Tends to cause headaches.
 * Events repeating several times due to a tense shift
 * Earthquake-like disturbances, severe disorientation, or splitting headaches can be caused by repeated tense shifts
 * In extreme cases, bad grammar, tenses, or awkward style can transfer themselves to the Agents PPCing the story.
 * Sentences without punctuation can force characters to keep talking without taking a breath.
 * Overall bad grammar can give the world a tangible, uncomfortable feeling to Agents visiting. For example, a lack of paragraphs might make even an open field feel close and stuffy, while constant run-on sentences might make the action take place at a breakneck pace.