I feel the need to address some spelling/grammar problems that have plagued analyses since the beginning of time. These are extremely basic concepts that should have been mastered in elementary school; yet, for some reason, they continue to trouble writers. Whether these are products of carelessness or uncertainty I do not know, but let's clarify them once and for all.
- "It's" VS "Its" - If I began to describe the number of times I have corrected the word "its" to "it's" and vice versa, days will end and nights will pass, and I will still not be done. Remember, "it's" = a contraction for it is. To put it simply, it means exactly "it is". That's all there is to it. On the other hand, "its" refers to something it possesses. Simple, right? Examine the sentences in the upcoming bullet points, and notice the correct/incorrect uses of the words.
- Skarmory is a stellar physical wall due to it's (wrong) base 140 Defense.
- Rayquaza is a better sweeper than Oddish because its (correct) Attack stat is higher; its (wrong) also what allows it to effectively use moves like ExtremeSpeed and Dragon Claw.
- The word " its' " does not exist.
- "Affect" VS "Effect" - This one can be confusing to some people, but in reality it isn't all that difficult to master. Just to be broad, "affect" means influence, while "effect" means result. Examine the sentences in the upcoming bullet points, and notice the correct/incorrect uses of the words.
- Low Speed may effect (wrong) a Pokemon's sweeping prowess.
- The desired affect (wrong) to be achieved by such a ruse is that one of your opponent's Pokemon will faint.
- Having Latias employ Hidden Power will negatively affect (correct) its Speed IV.
- The quality of being efficient / [insert positive word here] is "effectively", not "affectively". Note that the latter does exist.
- Possessive Nouns - For a singular noun, simply slap an apostrophe+"s" at the end of the noun.
- Kakuna's Defense is commendable.
- For a singular noun that ends in "s", simply add an apostrophe. That is all.
- Not many Pokemon have base stats comparable to Arceus'.
- It is not allowed to place an "s" at the end of a Pokemon's name to make it plural.
- "Switch-in" VS "Switch in" - Another really common error. What you need to know is "switch-in" is a noun, while "switch in" is a verb. "Switch-in" refers to a Pokemon you/your opponent sends into battle, while "switch in" is the act of sending your/your opponent's Pokemon into battle. Examine the sentences in the upcoming bullet points, and notice the correct/incorrect uses of the words.
- Having Scizor switch-into (wrong) Heatran is not the smartest thing to do.
- Gyarados is a reasonable switch-in (correct) to Infernape lacking Hidden Power Electric.
Hopefully that helped people a bit. Grammar nerds of the world unite!
