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{{policy|policy|proposed}}
{{policy|guideline|proposed}}
Unfortunately, Bulbapedia isn't always great with Pokémon-related capitalization and types. Entries with a dagger (†) next to them are ones we do poorly/not at all. This is all the syntax that the {{tt|games use|earlier games don't count}}, and I have yet to see an example in another situation where they don't.
This is a list of the '''grammar conventions and syntax''' officially used when describing the [[Pokémon]] series. Bulbapedia should use all of these conventions when relevant—note that quotes should remain the way they are originally and not changed to fit these conventions. Remember that consistency with these conventions is very important, and your cooperation is appreciated.


Note that this list is constantly expanding. Feel free to make requests on the talk page.
This list is being constantly updated, and is intended as a reference rather than something to memorize (except for the content listed under "vital syntax"). If you would like to suggest an addition or modification for this page, please do so on the talk page. This page is maintained by {{u|SnorlaxMonster}}.


Also, this page will hopefully serve as a replacement for [[Bulbapedia:Manual of style#Nouns, capitalization, and specific terminology]], as a separate page. One of the reasons I created it was to fix the errors spread by the MoS, especially the highly incorrect usage of things like "Normal-types".
==Vital syntax==
 
* Officially all English games use American English over any other variant of English. Therefore, American English spellings should be used rather than Commonwealth ones in all Bulbapedia articles. Exceptions are made if the spelling is officially the Commonwealth one, such as "[[Décor|Catalogue]]."
This page also somewhat hints any pages I plan to move in the future, such as Abilities from "<name> (ability)" to "<name> (Ability)" and Egg Groups from "name <Egg group>" to "name <Egg Group>".
* 's should be included at the end of singular possessives ending in s. While it is correct to either omit or include the s after the apostrophe in these cases, Bulbapedia follows the games' convention (for a multitude of reasons, including the games' usage) and appends the s. For example, Iris's should be used, not Iris'.
* The Pokémon games utilize the {{wp|serial comma}} where applicable; as such, Bulbapedia follows this convention and also utlizes the serial comma.
* The word Pokémon is always capitalized, as well as the names of Pokémon species. So are nouns starting with "Poké," such as [[Pokégear]], [[PokéNav]] and [[Poké Flute]]. Note, however, that there is no one common trend for spelling of words beginning with "Poké"—they can be written as a compound word, with the second part of the word capitalized or uncapitalized, or as two words with the second word capitalized. Also note that this applies to many nouns starting with "Pokémon," such as with [[Pokémon Trainer]].
* The plural of "Pokémon" is "Pokémon" and the plural of every Pokémon species is the same as the singular, much like {{wp|moose}} or {{wp|sheep}}. For example, ''Those Pikachu are Electric-type Pokémon''.
* Items and all words in them are always capitalized; they are considered proper nouns for the purposes of Bulbapedia. "Leftovers," "Escape Rope," or "Water Stone" are all correct as written; a page would not be titled "Water stone." Prior to Generation VI, {{wp|CamelCase}} was common in the games, but [[Pokémon Mystery Dungeon]] did not use it; as such, items in the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series are rendered as one word with no mid-word capitals, such as "Deepseatooth."
* Locations should also be capitalized in a manner consistent with English grammar; [[Ruins of Alph]] has the A in Alph always capitalized, while numbered [[route]]s, such as {{rt|101|Hoenn}}, {{rt|217|Sinnoh}}, and so on, are proper nouns and must have the R capitalized.
* Specific types are called "the Water type" and "the Rock type" when used as nouns and "Water-type" and "Rock-type" when used as adjectives, while their subject pages are [[Water (type)]] and [[Rock (type)]], respectively. ''Squirtle is a "Water-type"'' is not correct; ''Squirtle is a '''Water type''''' and ''Squirtle is a '''Water-type Pokémon''''' are. When linking as an adjective, it is preferred that <code><nowiki>{{type|Water}}</nowiki></code> is used rather than <code><nowiki>{{t|Water}}-type</nowiki></code>.
* Evolutionary levels should be designated as "unevolved," "first evolution," and "second evolution" for Pokémon that have undergone zero, one, and two evolutions respectively during their development. TCG terminology of "basic Pokémon," "stage 1 Pokémon" and "stage 2 Pokémon" should not spill over into other media, as {{p|Pikachu}} and several other Pokémon are considered basic in the TCG sense, yet are Pokémon that have undergone one evolution in their lifetimes, making them first-evolution Pokémon, more akin to {{p|Charmeleon}} than unevolved Pokémon, which their pre-evolutions are.


==Hyphenation==
==Hyphenation==
* "Super effective" is not hyphenated when used as the object of a conjugation of the verb "to be" ("The attack was super effective"), but is hyphenated when used adjectivally in front of a noun ("A super-effective attack").
* "Super effective" is never hyphenated. It formatted with a space when used as the object of a conjugation of the verb "to be" ("The attack was super effective"), but is formatted as one word when used adjectivally in front of a noun ("A supereffective attack").
* "[[Day-Care Couple]]", "Day-Care Man", "Day-Care Lady", and "Day-Care Checker" are all hyphenated as it is used as an adjective in these phrases. "[[Pokémon Day Care]]", and "Day Care" when used as a noun, are not hyphenated. While the term "Day-Care Center" does not appear in any Pokémon game, it can be assumed to be hyphenated due to it being used as an adjective rather than a noun in this phrase. All are also always capitalized.
* "[[Day-Care Couple]]," "Day-Care Man," "Day-Care Lady," and "Day-Care Checker" are all hyphenated as it is used as an adjective in these phrases. "[[Pokémon Day Care]]," and "Day Care" when used as a noun, are not hyphenated. While the term "Day-Care Center" does not appear in any Pokémon game, it can be assumed to be hyphenated due to it being used as an adjective rather than a noun in this phrase. All are also always capitalized.


===Types===
===Types===
*The types themselves are always capitalized, regardless of context
*The types themselves are always capitalized, regardless of context
*As adjectives, types are "<typename>-type".
*As adjectives, types are "<typename>-type."
**Example: {{p|Squirtle}} is a {{type|Water}} Pokémon.
**Example: {{p|Squirtle}} is a {{type|Water}} Pokémon.
*As nouns referring to a Pokémon of that type, they are "<typename> type"{{tt|*|note that this style is casual, and <nowiki>"<typename>-type Pokémon"</nowiki> is preferred}}†
*As nouns referring to a Pokémon of that type, they are "<typename> type"{{tt|*|note that this style is casual, and <nowiki>"<typename>-type Pokémon"</nowiki> is preferred}}
**Example: {{p|Squirtle}} is a {{t|Water}} type.
**Example: {{p|Squirtle}} is a {{t|Water}} type.
**Example: [[Blaine]] specializes in {{t|Fire}} types.
**Example: [[Blaine]] specializes in {{t|Fire}} types.
*As nouns referring to the types themselves, they are "<typename>" or "the <typename> type".†
*As nouns referring to the types themselves, they are "<typename>" or "the <typename> type."
**Example: {{t|Fire}} is super effective against {{type|Grass}} Pokémon.
**Example: {{t|Fire}} is super effective against {{type|Grass}} Pokémon.
**Example: The {{t|Steel}} type was introduced in Generation II.
**Example: The {{t|Steel}} type was introduced in Generation II.
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==Capitalization==
==Capitalization==
{|width=100%|
| style="vertical-align:top" width=33% |
===Capitalized===
===Capitalized===
The following words are always capitalized:
The following are always capitalized:
*Pokémon
*Pokémon
*{{tt|Poké-|Poké is always capitalized in any usage}}
*{{tt|Poké-|Poké is always capitalized in any usage}}
*{{pkmn|Trainer}}
*{{pkmn|Trainer}}
*[[Original Trainer]]
*[[Pokémon Professor]]
*[[Pokémon Professor]]
*[[Ability]]†
*[[Legendary Pokémon]]{{tt|*|not capitalized in-game until Pokémon X and Y}}
*[[Mythical Pokémon]]{{tt|*|not capitalized in-game until Pokémon X and Y}}
*[[List of Pokémon with form differences|Forme]]
*[[Ability]]
*Hidden Ability
*Hidden Ability
*{{pkmn|Egg}}
*{{pkmn|Egg}}
*[[Egg Group]]
*[[Egg Group]]
*[[Evolution]]{{tt|*|concept only, not when referring to Evolutionary stages like 'first evolution'; not capitalized in-game until Pokémon X and Y}}
*[[Mega Evolution]]
*[[Berry]]
*[[Berry]]
*[[Gym]]
*[[Gym]]
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*[[Rotation Battle]]
*[[Rotation Battle]]
*[[Wonder Launcher|Launcher Battle]]
*[[Wonder Launcher|Launcher Battle]]
*[[Sky Battle]]
*[[Horde Encounter]]
*[[Bag]]
*[[Nature]]
*[[Characteristic]]
*[[Prop]]
*[[Prop]]
*[[Plate]]
*[[Plate]]
*{{pkmn|Contest}}
*{{pkmn|Contest}}
*[[Ribbon]]
*[[Ribbon]]
*[[Accessory]]†
*[[Accessory]]
*[[Backdrop]]
*[[Backdrop]]
*[[Fossil]]†
*[[Fossil]]
*[[Move Tutor]]
*[[Move Tutor]]
*[[Pokémon Day Care]]
*[[Pokémon Day Care]]
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*[[Pokémon Storage System]]
*[[Pokémon Storage System]]
*[[Pokémon Storage System|Box]]
*[[Pokémon Storage System|Box]]
*{{ga|Trainer Card}}
*[[Mystery Gift]]
*[[Mystery Gift]]
*{{tt|Safari Game|The name of the actual game in the Safari Zones}}
*{{tt|Safari Game|The name of the actual game in the Safari Zones}}
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*[[Special Traits]]
*[[Special Traits]]
*[[Toy Pokémon]]
*[[Toy Pokémon]]
*[[Perfect Link]]
*Energy{{tt|*|Conquest stat}}
*Range{{tt|*|Conquest stat}}
*[[Warrior]]
*[[Warlord]]
*[[Warrior Skill]]


*{{series|Advanced Generation}}
*{{series|Advanced Generation}}
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*[[Ghost World]]
*[[Ghost World]]


The names of all people, Pokémon, moves, Abilities, items, Trainer classes, stats (except accuracy and evasion), and [[villainous teams]] are also always capitalized, as are officially named locations (places like "Kurt's house" do not count).
| style="vertical-align:top" width=33% |


===Uncapitalized===
===Uncapitalized===
*[[legendary Pokémon]] (while often capitalized on merchandise, and even on the box of {{game|Black and White|s}}, it is never capitalized in-game, so should not be)
The following are never capitalized:
*[[mythical Pokémon]] (while often capitalized on merchandise, it is never capitalized in-game, so should not be)
*[[nature]] (while capitalized in some strategy guides, it is not in-game)
*[[move]]
*[[move]]
*[[item]]
*[[item]]
*[[level]]
*[[level]]
*[[gender]]
*[[gender]]
*The names of [[status ailments]]
*[[List of Pokémon with form differences|form]]
*The names of [[seasons]]
*[[wing]]
*names of [[status ailments]]
*names of [[seasons]]
*names of [[weather conditions]]


*The names of [[Phenomenon|phenomena]]
*names of [[Phenomenon|phenomena]]
*{{pkmn2|wild}}
*{{pkmn2|wild}}
*[[rental Pokémon]] (Pokémon rented for use in the [[Battle Factory]]){{tt|*|while capitalized in Pokémon Stadium, it is uncapitalized in its most recent usages}}
*[[baby Pokémon]]
*{{m|substitute}} (the actual doll, not the move)
*[[rental Pokémon]]{{tt|*|while capitalized in Pokémon Stadium, it is uncapitalized in its most recent usages}}
*{{m|substitute}}{{tt|*|the actual doll, not the move}}
*[[physical move]]
*[[physical move]]
*[[special move]]
*[[special move]]
Line 120: Line 149:
*[[mystery dungeon]]{{tt|*|the location type, not the series}}
*[[mystery dungeon]]{{tt|*|the location type, not the series}}
*[[treasure box]]{{tt|*|capitalized in guidebooks, but not in-game}}
*[[treasure box]]{{tt|*|capitalized in guidebooks, but not in-game}}
*[[link]]
*kingdom{{tt|*|Conquest}}
*move rank{{tt|*|Conquest}}


*{{series|original}}
*{{series|original}}
*[[Ghost World|spirit world]]
*[[Ghost World|spirit world]]


All unofficial terms are lowercase by default.
| style="vertical-align:top" width=33% |


===CamelCase===
===CamelCase===
The following are formatted as {{wp|CamelCase}}:
*[[PokéNav]]
*[[PokéNav]]
*[[RageCandyBar]]
CamelCase is not used in the Mystery Dungeon series
|}
The names of all people, Pokémon, moves, Abilities, items, Trainer classes, stats (except accuracy and evasion), and [[villainous teams]] are also always capitalized, as are officially named locations (places like "Kurt's house" do not count).
All unofficial terms are lowercase by default, with the exception of the names of generations. While the term "[[generation]]" is uncapitalized, specific generation names (e.g. [[Generation II]]) are.
===Special cases===
The term "ponigiri" is not capitalized; however, it is capitalized when used in item names (Red Ponigiri, Blue Ponigiri, and Purple Ponigiri) and the name Ponigiri Shop. However, the services offered by the Ponigiri Shops—which share their names with the Ponigiri items—are not capitalized.


==The==
==The==
{|width=100%|
| style="vertical-align:top" width=50% |
===Present===
===Present===
The following always have "the":
The following always have "the":
*The [[Slowpoke Well]]
*The [[Slowpoke Well]]
*The [[Glitter Lighthouse]]
*The [[Glitter Lighthouse]]
*The [[Bell Tower|Tin Tower]]{{tt|*|The usage of 'the' is inconsistent in Generation II, but in Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum the man at Hotel Grand Lake uses 'the'}}
*The [[Bell Tower|Tin Tower]]{{tt|*|the usage of 'the' is inconsistent in Generation II, but in Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum the man at Hotel Grand Lake uses 'the'}}
*The [[Bell Tower]]{{tt|*|Although the sign in front of the Barrier Station omits 'the', NPCs and the official guidebook use 'the'}}
*The [[Bell Tower]]{{tt|*|although the sign in front of the Barrier Station omits 'the,' NPCs and the official guidebook use 'the'}}
*The [[Whirl Islands]]
*The [[Whirl Islands]]


Line 141: Line 186:
*The [[Sky Pillar]]
*The [[Sky Pillar]]


*The [[Eterna Forest]]{{tt|*|'The' is absent in a map description and official guidebook, but present on the sign inside the forest, in the anime, and in NPC dialog}}
*The [[Eterna Forest]]{{tt|*|'the' is absent in a map description and official guidebook, but present on the sign inside the forest, in the anime, and in NPC dialog}}
*The [[Vista Lighthouse]]
*The [[Vista Lighthouse]]
*The [[Spear Pillar]]
*The [[Spear Pillar]]
Line 149: Line 194:
*The [[Driftveil Drawbridge]]
*The [[Driftveil Drawbridge]]
*The [[Tubeline Bridge]]
*The [[Tubeline Bridge]]
*The [[Dreamyard]]
*The [[Desert Resort]]
*The [[Relic Castle]]
*The [[Cold Storage]]
*The [[Celestial Tower]]
*The [[Celestial Tower]]
*The [[Abyssal Ruins]]
*The [[Entralink]]
*The [[Entralink]]
*The [[Entralink|Entree Forest]]


*The [[Pokémon Global Link]]
*The [[Pokémon Global Link]]
Line 161: Line 212:
*The {{dwa|Rugged Mountain}}
*The {{dwa|Rugged Mountain}}
*The {{dwa|Icy Cave}}
*The {{dwa|Icy Cave}}
*The [[Bittercold]]
| style="vertical-align:top" width=50% |


===Absent===
===Absent===
Line 174: Line 229:
*[[Trainer Tower]]
*[[Trainer Tower]]


*[[Marvelous Bridge]]
*[[Pinwheel Forest]]
*[[Pinwheel Forest]]
*[[Liberty Garden]]
*[[Battle Subway|Gear Station]]
*[[Battle Subway|Gear Station]]
*[[Marvelous Bridge]]
*[[Mistralton Cave]]
*[[Chargestone Cave]]
*[[Twist Mountain]]
*[[Unity Tower]]
*[[Unity Tower]]
*[[Dragonspiral Tower]]
*[[Dragonspiral Tower]]
*[[White Forest]]
*[[White Forest]]
*[[Black City]]
*[[Black City]]
|}
==Deviations==
While Bulbapedia aims to follow the games' formatting in most circumstances, there are a number of cases in which it does not. Some of these are listed below.
* While Pokémon the games classify as neither "Male" nor "Female" are officially "Gender unknown", Bulbapedia refers to such Pokémon as "Genderless". This is because the term "Gender unknown" gives readers the impression that Bulbapedia is simply missing the information, rather than that being the intended display. However, the term "Gender unknown" is used on Bulbapedia is some cases, such as in the title of the [[Egg Group]] "[[Gender unknown (Egg Group)]]".
* The fan terms [[base stat]]s, [[effort value]]s (EVs), and [[individual value]]s (IVs) due to their overwhelming dominant usage among fans, as well as the official names conflicting with their commonly understood usages among fans. While base stats have no official name, EVs are officially known as "base stats" and IVs as "individual strengths".
<!--{{-}}
{{Bulbapedia guidelines}}-->

Revision as of 01:46, 14 March 2017

Bulbapedia logo.png
 This article is a proposed guideline for Bulbapedia.

Please discuss the proposed guideline and suggest possible changes on the article's talk page.

This is a list of the grammar conventions and syntax officially used when describing the Pokémon series. Bulbapedia should use all of these conventions when relevant—note that quotes should remain the way they are originally and not changed to fit these conventions. Remember that consistency with these conventions is very important, and your cooperation is appreciated.

This list is being constantly updated, and is intended as a reference rather than something to memorize (except for the content listed under "vital syntax"). If you would like to suggest an addition or modification for this page, please do so on the talk page. This page is maintained by SnorlaxMonster.

Vital syntax

  • Officially all English games use American English over any other variant of English. Therefore, American English spellings should be used rather than Commonwealth ones in all Bulbapedia articles. Exceptions are made if the spelling is officially the Commonwealth one, such as "Catalogue."
  • 's should be included at the end of singular possessives ending in s. While it is correct to either omit or include the s after the apostrophe in these cases, Bulbapedia follows the games' convention (for a multitude of reasons, including the games' usage) and appends the s. For example, Iris's should be used, not Iris'.
  • The Pokémon games utilize the serial comma where applicable; as such, Bulbapedia follows this convention and also utlizes the serial comma.
  • The word Pokémon is always capitalized, as well as the names of Pokémon species. So are nouns starting with "Poké," such as Pokégear, PokéNav and Poké Flute. Note, however, that there is no one common trend for spelling of words beginning with "Poké"—they can be written as a compound word, with the second part of the word capitalized or uncapitalized, or as two words with the second word capitalized. Also note that this applies to many nouns starting with "Pokémon," such as with Pokémon Trainer.
  • The plural of "Pokémon" is "Pokémon" and the plural of every Pokémon species is the same as the singular, much like moose or sheep. For example, Those Pikachu are Electric-type Pokémon.
  • Items and all words in them are always capitalized; they are considered proper nouns for the purposes of Bulbapedia. "Leftovers," "Escape Rope," or "Water Stone" are all correct as written; a page would not be titled "Water stone." Prior to Generation VI, CamelCase was common in the games, but Pokémon Mystery Dungeon did not use it; as such, items in the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series are rendered as one word with no mid-word capitals, such as "Deepseatooth."
  • Locations should also be capitalized in a manner consistent with English grammar; Ruins of Alph has the A in Alph always capitalized, while numbered routes, such as Route 101, Route 217, and so on, are proper nouns and must have the R capitalized.
  • Specific types are called "the Water type" and "the Rock type" when used as nouns and "Water-type" and "Rock-type" when used as adjectives, while their subject pages are Water (type) and Rock (type), respectively. Squirtle is a "Water-type" is not correct; Squirtle is a Water type and Squirtle is a Water-type Pokémon are. When linking as an adjective, it is preferred that {{type|Water}} is used rather than {{t|Water}}-type.
  • Evolutionary levels should be designated as "unevolved," "first evolution," and "second evolution" for Pokémon that have undergone zero, one, and two evolutions respectively during their development. TCG terminology of "basic Pokémon," "stage 1 Pokémon" and "stage 2 Pokémon" should not spill over into other media, as Pikachu and several other Pokémon are considered basic in the TCG sense, yet are Pokémon that have undergone one evolution in their lifetimes, making them first-evolution Pokémon, more akin to Charmeleon than unevolved Pokémon, which their pre-evolutions are.

Hyphenation

  • "Super effective" is never hyphenated. It formatted with a space when used as the object of a conjugation of the verb "to be" ("The attack was super effective"), but is formatted as one word when used adjectivally in front of a noun ("A supereffective attack").
  • "Day-Care Couple," "Day-Care Man," "Day-Care Lady," and "Day-Care Checker" are all hyphenated as it is used as an adjective in these phrases. "Pokémon Day Care," and "Day Care" when used as a noun, are not hyphenated. While the term "Day-Care Center" does not appear in any Pokémon game, it can be assumed to be hyphenated due to it being used as an adjective rather than a noun in this phrase. All are also always capitalized.

Types

  • The types themselves are always capitalized, regardless of context
  • As adjectives, types are "<typename>-type."
  • As nouns referring to a Pokémon of that type, they are "<typename> type"*
  • As nouns referring to the types themselves, they are "<typename>" or "the <typename> type."
    • Example: Fire is super effective against Grass-type Pokémon.
    • Example: The Steel type was introduced in Generation II.
  • This means that "Water-types" is never correct, as when hyphenated, they are always adjectives.
  • Anime episode titles may go against the standard, such as The Grass-Type Is Always Greener! and Battling For The Love of Bug-Types!.

Capitalization

Capitalized

The following are always capitalized:

Uncapitalized

The following are never capitalized:

CamelCase

The following are formatted as CamelCase:

CamelCase is not used in the Mystery Dungeon series

The names of all people, Pokémon, moves, Abilities, items, Trainer classes, stats (except accuracy and evasion), and villainous teams are also always capitalized, as are officially named locations (places like "Kurt's house" do not count).

All unofficial terms are lowercase by default, with the exception of the names of generations. While the term "generation" is uncapitalized, specific generation names (e.g. Generation II) are.

Special cases

The term "ponigiri" is not capitalized; however, it is capitalized when used in item names (Red Ponigiri, Blue Ponigiri, and Purple Ponigiri) and the name Ponigiri Shop. However, the services offered by the Ponigiri Shops—which share their names with the Ponigiri items—are not capitalized.

The

Present

The following always have "the":

Absent

The following do not use "the":

Deviations

While Bulbapedia aims to follow the games' formatting in most circumstances, there are a number of cases in which it does not. Some of these are listed below.

  • While Pokémon the games classify as neither "Male" nor "Female" are officially "Gender unknown", Bulbapedia refers to such Pokémon as "Genderless". This is because the term "Gender unknown" gives readers the impression that Bulbapedia is simply missing the information, rather than that being the intended display. However, the term "Gender unknown" is used on Bulbapedia is some cases, such as in the title of the Egg Group "Gender unknown (Egg Group)".
  • The fan terms base stats, effort values (EVs), and individual values (IVs) due to their overwhelming dominant usage among fans, as well as the official names conflicting with their commonly understood usages among fans. While base stats have no official name, EVs are officially known as "base stats" and IVs as "individual strengths".
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