Nothing Else Matters
Faith on 
Elise Estrella on 
It’s been a sort-of busy last couple of weeks for me. I’ve been mostly offline since my ISP had some server issues where their subscribers being able to connect but not browse. I did what any self-respecting ex-technical support agent would do, troubleshoot it by myself before calling tech support. The guy I spoke with, I forgot his name, but he was the nicest tech agent from PLDT that I’ve ever spoken with, informed me that there was an “issue” with their servers and that they were fixing it. So I only got back online earlier this week.
And because of my enforced offline status, I was able to finish another manuscript that I’m currently editing along with Each Day With You, which I’m doing – or at least, trying to do – some tech edits for. My awesome editor, Ate Ellen gave me pointers on how to go about putting dashes into the words. As embarrassing as that was (not knowing which dash goes where), I was expecting that the dang dash would be the biggest issue when it comes to my manuscripts. Filipino was never my strong subject. My very first 75 in school was in fifth grade Filipino. I’m not kidding! So I’m practicing using my last few unpublished manuscripts. That way, I can practice the use of the dashes, as well as the difference between the doon/roon, din/rin and the dito/rito.
Short lesson in Filipino:
Dito/doon/din is used when they follow a word that ends with a consonant. I still use “dito” if it’s a dialogue instead of in the narration. I don’t say “Lika nga rito” in real life, and my characters speak the way I do. Rito/roon/rin is used when they follow a word that ends with a vowel, a w or a y sound. Words with the prefixes nag-, pag-, mag-, and the like only have dashes when they are followed by verbs that start with vowels *I think*
I’d like to think that I’m a little better at it because I can now spot my mistakes (which is daya because I still look at my notes haha), and I’m hoping that with the next manuscripts that I’d be submitting, I have a lot less tech mistakes than I ever had when I submitted my first 10. I’m glad that I’m getting help from my MSV editors. They’re the nicest, most patient of people.
I should be writing again, but I haven’t finished doing my edits, and I still have a couple more things to work on before I start with Manuscript #12. I’ve also been neglecting my blog and my Multiply and the like, and I promise to work on it. I just want to take the time to say that my MSV editors are the best.
hehehe!
actually, noon pa kita gustong bigyan ng pointers about sa dashes kaso nahihiya akong magsabi. baka sabihin mo, nagmamagaling ako. :p
i’m not saying na magaling ako sa filipino (though modesty aside, pinakamataas kong grade iyon at nakakaperfect score ako sa mga exams) and, sorry but when i was in school, i laughed at my classmates who got low grades in filipino. i mean, (makitid lang ang utak ko noon). for me kasi (noon, ha?)… parang pabigay na nga lang ang subject na ‘yun, di pa nila maintindihan, to think na some of my classmates in college have filipino as their first language pa!
but uh, well… as i grew up, i realized naman na siguro hindi para sa lahat ang subject na filipino, especially sa mga taong lumaking nag-i-ingles talaga. saka, unlike english, mas nalilito ako sa mga terminologies sa filipino grammar like pandiwa, pasimuno, panaguri, panghalip… (lintek!)
tama ka sa lesson sa dashes. pag vowel ang kasunod, may dash (like mag-alala, mag-isip) pag consonant, wala (like maglaba, magtipid)
ok lang yan, den.
at least expert ka sa english, o di ba?
“Like nga rito?” Hehehe.
I think in some cases, pag nagsasalita we forget kung ano ang gagamitin sa saan. Lalo na at madalas na mag Taglish ang mga tao.
Sa pagsusulat, I tend to write as I think din hehe.
@ Yumi: Naku, okay lang no? Hindi naman ako perfect haha si Kat ang kadalasang taga-point out ng mga mali ko (lalo na blog entries na ‘di ko ineedit bago ko i-post, tulad na lang sa nakita na naman niya). Mas naaapreciate ko nga yun kasi bopols talaga ago sa Filipino. Sa phil. lit. okay pa, o kaya sa panitikan (di ba wika at panitikan kasi yun noon?). Pero sa technicalities? Ayun, suntukan na lang tayo hahaha ‘di ko talaga makuha yun. Saka yan, yang pandiwa ek ek.
Sa’min kasi nung elementary, dalawang subject lang ang Filipino, tapos nung high school, isa na lang. Filipino na lang talaga kasi pati history, English na. Wahahaha! Hiyang-hiya na ako! Hahaha pero salamat talaga, at least ngayon, medyo pinapag-isipan ko na pag naglalagay ako ng mga dashes. Hindi pa din naman perfect, pero at least mas conscious na ‘ko.
@ Kat: Problem is I think in English. Before I tell my agents to think in English so they don’t transliterate. When I write in Filipino, I transliterate. The scenes and words come in English, I just translate them into Filipino which is why I’m a joy to watch while writing one of my manuscripts (NOT!) hehe
Thanks sa editing hehe will fix it up.
okay naman ang filipino grammar mo sa mga books. bilib nga ako sa narrative voice mo kasi purely tagalog. nagkakatalo lang sa dashes. hehe! but as i’ve said, okay lang yan. madali na lang yan bigyan ng solusyon. go go go!
LOL *hiya* salamat kay ate Ellen, medyo alam ko na yung dashes. Medyo lang, ‘di pa expert. Sa kanya ko nga lang natutunan yung dashes talaga haha sana sinabi mo sa’kin, my gulay! Kakahiya talaga! Hahaha
hehe! nahiya akong magsabi sa’yo noon, eh. baka kasi itakwil mo ako! hehehe!!! madami na kasi akong ibang napapahiya pag nagki-critic ako. sabi nila masyado daw ako nagmamagaling.
pero as i’ve said, dashes lang ‘yan, den. no big deal.
Hahahaha baka naman kasi dinadagukan mo ng criticism hahaha ako naman ay “tuturuan” mo. Ibang POV naman.