I have always found it to be odd that M:tG cards use contractions (i.e., "can't be countered" or "can't be regenerated"), especially when they use proper grammar in nearly every other aspect of their cards (for example, they capitalize only important words in card names, such as Flames of the Firebrand, in which the words "of" and "the" are not capitalized). Why is that? Would it not be far more proper to say "cannot be countered" or "cannot be regenerated" instead? Plus, the full word is only two characters longer than its contraction, so I cannot imagine that printing it would use any significantly greater amount of ink, and thus not cost WotC any significantly greater amount of money.
What does everyone else have to say on this subject? Can someone here offer insight into this subject that I find to be unusual?
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“Those who would trade their freedoms for security will have neither.”-Benjamin Franklin
“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”-Thomas Jefferson
“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of its user.”-Theodore Roosevelt
“Patriotism means to stand by one's country; it does not mean to stand by one's president.”-Theodore Roosevelt
I have always found it to be odd that M:tG cards use contractions (i.e., "can't be countered" or "can't be regenerated"), especially when they use proper grammar in nearly every other aspect of their cards (for example, they capitalize only important words in card names, such as Flames of the Firebrand, in which the words "of" and "the" are not capitalized). Why is that? Would it not be far more proper to say "cannot be countered" or "cannot be regenerated" instead? Plus, the full word is only two characters longer than its contraction, so I cannot imagine that printing it would use any significantly greater amount of ink, and thus not cost WotC any significantly greater amount of money.
What does everyone else have to say on this subject? Can someone here offer insight into this subject that I find to be unusual?
"Cannot" reads much more awkwardly to the majority of English speakers (American English, at least) than "can't" does, simply because the latter is much more commonly used. Both are grammatically correct, so there's no reason to be unnecessarily formal when it doesn't add any value to the text.
On a somewhat-related note, why do you italicize card names when the card tag you also use differentiates them from normal text anyway? Much like "can't vs. cannot", the additional text decoration simply makes the eye pause awkwardly rather than adding any extra clarity.
I have always found it to be odd that M:tG cards use contractions (i.e., "can't be countered" or "can't be regenerated"), especially when they use proper grammar in nearly every other aspect of their cards (for example, they capitalize only important words in card names, such as Flames of the Firebrand, in which the words "of" and "the" are not capitalized). Why is that? Would it not be far more proper to say "cannot be countered" or "cannot be regenerated" instead? Plus, the full word is only two characters longer than its contraction, so I cannot imagine that printing it would use any significantly greater amount of ink, and thus not cost WotC any significantly greater amount of money.
What does everyone else have to say on this subject? Can someone here offer insight into this subject that I find to be unusual?
Contractions are just as "proper" as "cannot." "Cannot" antiquates the language heavily, for no return. The insinuation in your post - maybe explicitly, depending on your definition of "proper" - is that contractions aren't grammatically correct, which is patently incorrect.
Also, I would assume there has been at least one case where a contraction was the difference between text fitting in the box, and not.
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UUU Talrand, Sky Summoner // (W/U)(W/U)(W/U) Grand Arbiter Augustin IV // RRR Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker // (R/G)(R/G)(R/G) Wort, the Raidmother // URG Riku of Two Reflections // RWU Ruhan of the Fomori
Quote from Mark Rosewater »
In response to your Lightning Blast, I'll eat this burrito.
Quote from slipknot72102 »
This is why I started playing magic in the first place. It wasn't PT aspirations just making noobs cry by doing things that are perfectly fair.
Two unneeded characters on millions of cards is significant. It would be like adding a penny to every single dollar you spend. Doesn't seem like much, but that could be up to an extra hundred dollars every year.
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"If you don't wear your seatbelt, the police will shoot you in the head."
- To my youngest sister when she was 6.
Everyone knows that good luck and good game are such insincere terms that any man who does not connect his right hook with the offender's jaw on the very utterance of such a phrase is no man I would consider as such.
"Cannot" reads much more awkwardly to the majority of English speakers (American English, at least) than "can't" does, simply because the latter is much more commonly used. Both are grammatically correct, so there's no reason to be unnecessarily formal when it doesn't add any value to the text.
Perhaps my dislike of the usage of contractions in Magic: the Gathering is simply an extension of my dislike of contractions overall, as I always use very proper and formal language when I communicate, either verbally or through writing, as I am currently doing.
On a somewhat-related note, why do you italicize card names when the card tag you also use differentiates them from normal text anyway? Much like "can't vs. cannot", the additional text decoration simply makes the eye pause awkwardly rather than adding any extra clarity.
First, I use italic text for sorcery, instant, and enchantment spells, but not for creatures, planeswalkers, artifact, or lands (or at least not usually). Second, the reason that I do that is because they are "special" words. In my years of life, I have learned that the names of works of fiction, whether they are illustrations, books, movies, television series, songs, or video games, need to be written in italic text to display that they are names of works of art; for example, one of each category: The Scream, A Game of Thrones, The Empire Strikes Back, The Big Bang Theory, Master of Puppets, and Commander Keen. I also use italic text for foreign words in my writing: i.e., "¡Buenos dias, señor!" or "Ohayo, oji-san!"; for names of spells, techniques, or abilities when referring to fictional works: i.e., fireball (the Dungeons & Dragons spell), kage bunshin no jutsu (from Naruto), or ki (the Japanese word for "energy"); or for items or vehicles: i.e., Zanpakutō (from Bleach) or the starship Enterprise. Therefore, by that logic, I would italicize the word "battleship" when referring to the board game of that name, but not when referring to an actual vehicle (although I would italicize the name of a specific battleship: i.e., the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy), and I would italicize "Flames of the Firebrand" but not "Chandra, the Firebrand."
Is that answer satisfactory, I hope?
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“Those who would trade their freedoms for security will have neither.”-Benjamin Franklin
“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”-Thomas Jefferson
“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of its user.”-Theodore Roosevelt
“Patriotism means to stand by one's country; it does not mean to stand by one's president.”-Theodore Roosevelt
It saves room on the card and makes it faster and easier to read. Contractions also register more easily with most people who have English as their first language, since we don't really hear the full version as often.
It saves room on the card and makes it faster and easier to read. Contractions also register more easily with most people who have English as their first language, since we don't really hear the full version as often.
In my opinion, those are examples of how many people in this era can often be lazy, a tend that has also been seen with the abbreviation of "Dairy Queen" to "DQ," of "Kentucky Fried Chicken" to "KFC," or "Mountain Dew" to "MTN Dew;" and I very greatly dislike that laziness.
Perhaps my dislike of the usage of contractions in Magic: the Gathering is simply an extension of my dislike of contractions overall, as I always use very proper and formal language when I communicate, either verbally or through writing, as I am currently doing.
Why exactly do you consider contractions to possibly be improper or informal language?
There's absolutely nothing wrong with using them, and in fact college professors tend to penalize you if you don't use them, as it simply makes things appear needlessly wordy.
In my opinion, those are examples of how many people in this era can often be lazy, a tend that has also been seen with the abbreviation of "Dairy Queen" to "DQ," of "Kentucky Fried Chicken" to "KFC," or "Mountain Dew" to "MTN Dew;" and I very greatly dislike that laziness.
Here you're just being asinine. Are you also against typing U.S.A?
Lastly, you either italicize titles/works or place them in quotation marks simply because it's a writing convention used by a particular major "style". There is no inherent rule in English that states that you must italicize the titles of books, etc. You do so merely because the MLA dictates that you do so.
Note that MLA and APA and other certain other disciplines have very different rules for italicizing or placing emphasis on works. Are you going to argue that one is better than the other?
In my opinion, those are examples of how many people in this era can often be lazy, a tend that has also been seen with the abbreviation of "Dairy Queen" to "DQ," of "Kentucky Fried Chicken" to "KFC," or "Mountain Dew" to "MTN Dew;" and I very greatly dislike that laziness.
As a fan of writing and language, I have to say, I don't think contractions are a sign of laziness. Language evolves and changes - just because you consider your antiquated language "proper," please don't **** on the rest of us for not adhering to your internal logic. You are not more or less "proper" for using contractions, and your elitist attitude is pretty off-putting. They are an accepted part of the English language.
Also, italics are used for titles of complete works, not for elements thereof. We don't italicize books of the Bible, chapters of titles, chapters of short poems; we italicize Magic: the Gathering, and the names of the sets, but not the cards. You could argue that all spells should be italicized, which is all cards, because they are technical terms, but even that is flimsy ground.
The point of that convention is to identify to the reader the fact that the italicized words are a title for a given work, and in some contexts the type of work. With that understanding, why would you need to do that when the underline and blue text provided by the card links already clearly mark that you've named a card? There's also no reason to identify certain subsets of cards alone in this manner, since you're the only one that knows the pattern. Any relevant information about the card is easily obtained by clicking the link.
Molten Shark said it best one post ahead of mine. Italics are a convention for clarity, for one, and for two, text is not supposed to be both underlined and italicized - they serve the same purpose and make each other redundant. In the internet age, the linked card within the card text is fine. Sacrificing clarity and efficiency for antiquated rules in a casual format seems silly.
UUU Talrand, Sky Summoner // (W/U)(W/U)(W/U) Grand Arbiter Augustin IV // RRR Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker // (R/G)(R/G)(R/G) Wort, the Raidmother // URG Riku of Two Reflections // RWU Ruhan of the Fomori
Quote from Mark Rosewater »
In response to your Lightning Blast, I'll eat this burrito.
Quote from slipknot72102 »
This is why I started playing magic in the first place. It wasn't PT aspirations just making noobs cry by doing things that are perfectly fair.
First, I use italic text for sorcery, instant, and enchantment spells, but not for creatures, planeswalkers, artifact, or lands (or at least not usually). Second, the reason that I do that is because they are "special" words. In my years of life, I have learned that the names of works of fiction, whether they are illustrations, books, movies, television series, songs, or video games, need to be written in italic text to display that they are names of works of art; for example, one of each category: The Scream, A Game of Thrones, The Empire Strikes Back, The Big Bang Theory, Master of Puppets, and Commander Keen. I also use italic text for foreign words in my writing: i.e., "¡Buenos dias, señor!" or "Ohayo, oji-san!"; for names of spells, techniques, or abilities when referring to fictional works: i.e., fireball (the Dungeons & Dragons spell), kage bunshin no jutsu (from Naruto), or ki (the Japanese word for "energy"); or for items or vehicles: i.e., Zanpakutō (from Bleach) or the starship Enterprise. Therefore, by that logic, I would italicize the word "battleship" when referring to the board game of that name, but not when referring to an actual vehicle (although I would italicize the name of a specific battleship: i.e., the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy), and I would italicize "Flames of the Firebrand" but not "Chandra, the Firebrand."
Is that answer satisfactory, I hope?
The point of that convention is to identify to the reader the fact that the italicized words are a title for a given work, and in some contexts the type of work. With that understanding, why would you need to do that when the underline and blue text provided by the card links already clearly mark that you've named a card? There's also no reason to identify certain subsets of cards alone in this manner, since you're the only one that knows the pattern. Any relevant information about the card is easily obtained by clicking the link.
In my opinion, those are examples of how many people in this era can often be lazy, a tend that has also been seen with the abbreviation of "Dairy Queen" to "DQ," of "Kentucky Fried Chicken" to "KFC," or "Mountain Dew" to "MTN Dew;" and I very greatly dislike that laziness.
Your examples seem rather silly to me. For one, Dairy Queen uses "DQ" all over the place. DQ is part of their logo! The same for KFC, they've used a picture of the Colonel with "KFC" since '91.
To be honest, I've never seen "MTN Dew" (or rather, I may have seen it, but I haven't processed it). I don't drink it (I always go for the Dr Pepper) and so I completely ignore Dew labels.
Is the OP actually arguing that we shouldn't use abbreviations, even when they're on the signs? The KFC sign has the leading letter of each word four or five times as large as the other letters. I would rather this thread be trolling than have the OP actually be that pedantic.
Perhaps my dislike of the usage of contractions in Magic: the Gathering is simply an extension of my dislike of contractions overall, as I always use very proper and formal language when I communicate, either verbally or through writing, as I am currently doing.
First, I use italic text for sorcery, instant, and enchantment spells, but not for creatures, planeswalkers, artifact, or lands (or at least not usually). Second, the reason that I do that is because they are "special" words. In my years of life, I have learned that the names of works of fiction, whether they are illustrations, books, movies, television series, songs, or video games, need to be written in italic text to display that they are names of works of art; for example, one of each category: The Scream, A Game of Thrones, The Empire Strikes Back, The Big Bang Theory, Master of Puppets, and Commander Keen. I also use italic text for foreign words in my writing: i.e., "¡Buenos dias, señor!" or "Ohayo, oji-san!"; for names of spells, techniques, or abilities when referring to fictional works: i.e., fireball (the Dungeons & Dragons spell), kage bunshin no jutsu (from Naruto), or ki (the Japanese word for "energy"); or for items or vehicles: i.e., Zanpakutō (from Bleach) or the starship Enterprise. Therefore, by that logic, I would italicize the word "battleship" when referring to the board game of that name, but not when referring to an actual vehicle (although I would italicize the name of a specific battleship: i.e., the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy), and I would italicize "Flames of the Firebrand" but not "Chandra, the Firebrand."
Is that answer satisfactory, I hope?
Blowhard alert. I went to to school for Professional Writing. The guy obsessed with "proper" language was the worst writer in the room every single time.
Contractions are perfectly fine and your homemade rules on italicization are completely arbitrary.
I am very surprised by the responses that I am receiving in this thread. Surely, with all the members that this forum has, at least one user here would agree with me? And I am not forcing anyone here to agree with me; I was merely asking why WotC has a certain practice, as that practice does not make sense, to me.
I would rather this thread be trolling than have the OP actually be that pedantic.
I am not trolling; I never troll or joke, as I am always completely serious in everything that I post, regardless of its subject.
And as for me being "pedantic," I do indeed pay great attention to every detail in everything that I do; I like to believe that my attention to detail is one of my greatest assets, as it certainly is a positive trait to have when working at one's job or searching for a new job, or also when pursuing one's hobbies, such as woodworking or writing, both of which are favorite pastimes of mine.
Contractions are a valid and accepted use of the English language.
If you don't like them, go live on another planet.
Sheesh...what a troll post.
First, as I said above, I am not trolling: I am very much an "anti-troll," as I oppose the practice in all its forms. Second, I am not forcing anyone here to agree with me, so I find your challenge to "go live on another planet" to be very rude. Third, I object to your labeling me as a "snob," but I believe that it is better to be excessively strict about proper grammar than it is to have no regard at all for proper grammar.
Blowhard alert. I went to to school for Professional Writing. The guy obsessed with "proper" language was the worst writer in the room every single time.
I ask for evidence of this very bold claim that you are making; can you provide any specific examples to support your argument?
What does everyone else have to say on this subject? Can someone here offer insight into this subject that I find to be unusual?
“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”-Thomas Jefferson
“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of its user.”-Theodore Roosevelt
“Patriotism means to stand by one's country; it does not mean to stand by one's president.”-Theodore Roosevelt
Also contractions are is perfectly acceptable in english. I'm not sure why you'd want them to change that.
BEtched Champion/InfectB
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RRDWR
GFeed the Pack comboG
WUPool of ExhaustionWU
EDH
GEzuri, Elf OverrunG
BGeth, GraverobberB
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WElesh Norn, CrusadeW
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A C/U cube! ^w^~
"Cannot" reads much more awkwardly to the majority of English speakers (American English, at least) than "can't" does, simply because the latter is much more commonly used. Both are grammatically correct, so there's no reason to be unnecessarily formal when it doesn't add any value to the text.
On a somewhat-related note, why do you italicize card names when the card tag you also use differentiates them from normal text anyway? Much like "can't vs. cannot", the additional text decoration simply makes the eye pause awkwardly rather than adding any extra clarity.
Contractions are just as "proper" as "cannot." "Cannot" antiquates the language heavily, for no return. The insinuation in your post - maybe explicitly, depending on your definition of "proper" - is that contractions aren't grammatically correct, which is patently incorrect.
Also, I would assume there has been at least one case where a contraction was the difference between text fitting in the box, and not.
- To my youngest sister when she was 6.
Perhaps my dislike of the usage of contractions in Magic: the Gathering is simply an extension of my dislike of contractions overall, as I always use very proper and formal language when I communicate, either verbally or through writing, as I am currently doing.
First, I use italic text for sorcery, instant, and enchantment spells, but not for creatures, planeswalkers, artifact, or lands (or at least not usually). Second, the reason that I do that is because they are "special" words. In my years of life, I have learned that the names of works of fiction, whether they are illustrations, books, movies, television series, songs, or video games, need to be written in italic text to display that they are names of works of art; for example, one of each category: The Scream, A Game of Thrones, The Empire Strikes Back, The Big Bang Theory, Master of Puppets, and Commander Keen. I also use italic text for foreign words in my writing: i.e., "¡Buenos dias, señor!" or "Ohayo, oji-san!"; for names of spells, techniques, or abilities when referring to fictional works: i.e., fireball (the Dungeons & Dragons spell), kage bunshin no jutsu (from Naruto), or ki (the Japanese word for "energy"); or for items or vehicles: i.e., Zanpakutō (from Bleach) or the starship Enterprise. Therefore, by that logic, I would italicize the word "battleship" when referring to the board game of that name, but not when referring to an actual vehicle (although I would italicize the name of a specific battleship: i.e., the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy), and I would italicize "Flames of the Firebrand" but not "Chandra, the Firebrand."
Is that answer satisfactory, I hope?
“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”-Thomas Jefferson
“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of its user.”-Theodore Roosevelt
“Patriotism means to stand by one's country; it does not mean to stand by one's president.”-Theodore Roosevelt
Awesome avatar provided by Krashbot @ [Epic Graphics].
Perhaps, it did not, in your mind, but, it certainly did, in my mind.
What do you mean by that?
In my opinion, those are examples of how many people in this era can often be lazy, a tend that has also been seen with the abbreviation of "Dairy Queen" to "DQ," of "Kentucky Fried Chicken" to "KFC," or "Mountain Dew" to "MTN Dew;" and I very greatly dislike that laziness.
“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”-Thomas Jefferson
“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of its user.”-Theodore Roosevelt
“Patriotism means to stand by one's country; it does not mean to stand by one's president.”-Theodore Roosevelt
Why exactly do you consider contractions to possibly be improper or informal language?
There's absolutely nothing wrong with using them, and in fact college professors tend to penalize you if you don't use them, as it simply makes things appear needlessly wordy.
Here you're just being asinine. Are you also against typing U.S.A?
Lastly, you either italicize titles/works or place them in quotation marks simply because it's a writing convention used by a particular major "style". There is no inherent rule in English that states that you must italicize the titles of books, etc. You do so merely because the MLA dictates that you do so.
Note that MLA and APA and other certain other disciplines have very different rules for italicizing or placing emphasis on works. Are you going to argue that one is better than the other?
Edit-
Err, APA. Not ALA.
As a fan of writing and language, I have to say, I don't think contractions are a sign of laziness. Language evolves and changes - just because you consider your antiquated language "proper," please don't **** on the rest of us for not adhering to your internal logic. You are not more or less "proper" for using contractions, and your elitist attitude is pretty off-putting. They are an accepted part of the English language.
Also, italics are used for titles of complete works, not for elements thereof. We don't italicize books of the Bible, chapters of titles, chapters of short poems; we italicize Magic: the Gathering, and the names of the sets, but not the cards. You could argue that all spells should be italicized, which is all cards, because they are technical terms, but even that is flimsy ground.
Molten Shark said it best one post ahead of mine. Italics are a convention for clarity, for one, and for two, text is not supposed to be both underlined and italicized - they serve the same purpose and make each other redundant. In the internet age, the linked card within the card text is fine. Sacrificing clarity and efficiency for antiquated rules in a casual format seems silly.
The point of that convention is to identify to the reader the fact that the italicized words are a title for a given work, and in some contexts the type of work. With that understanding, why would you need to do that when the underline and blue text provided by the card links already clearly mark that you've named a card? There's also no reason to identify certain subsets of cards alone in this manner, since you're the only one that knows the pattern. Any relevant information about the card is easily obtained by clicking the link.
To be honest, I've never seen "MTN Dew" (or rather, I may have seen it, but I haven't processed it). I don't drink it (I always go for the Dr Pepper) and so I completely ignore Dew labels.
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You are a grammar elitist and snob.
Contractions are a valid and accepted use of the English language.
If you don't like them, go live on another planet.
Sheesh...what a troll post.
Blowhard alert. I went to to school for Professional Writing. The guy obsessed with "proper" language was the worst writer in the room every single time.
Contractions are perfectly fine and your homemade rules on italicization are completely arbitrary.
I am not trolling; I never troll or joke, as I am always completely serious in everything that I post, regardless of its subject.
And as for me being "pedantic," I do indeed pay great attention to every detail in everything that I do; I like to believe that my attention to detail is one of my greatest assets, as it certainly is a positive trait to have when working at one's job or searching for a new job, or also when pursuing one's hobbies, such as woodworking or writing, both of which are favorite pastimes of mine.
First, as I said above, I am not trolling: I am very much an "anti-troll," as I oppose the practice in all its forms. Second, I am not forcing anyone here to agree with me, so I find your challenge to "go live on another planet" to be very rude. Third, I object to your labeling me as a "snob," but I believe that it is better to be excessively strict about proper grammar than it is to have no regard at all for proper grammar.
I ask for evidence of this very bold claim that you are making; can you provide any specific examples to support your argument?
“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”-Thomas Jefferson
“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of its user.”-Theodore Roosevelt
“Patriotism means to stand by one's country; it does not mean to stand by one's president.”-Theodore Roosevelt
Who is King Pun? Is he (I shall presume that King Pun is male, from the user name) another user of this forum?
“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”-Thomas Jefferson
“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of its user.”-Theodore Roosevelt
“Patriotism means to stand by one's country; it does not mean to stand by one's president.”-Theodore Roosevelt