Yu-Gi-Oh!:Manual of style

The following styles are used in the content part of this site to ensure consistency within articles and formatting.

In most cases writing styles follow the ones used by Konami on cards in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game or other official Yu-Gi-Oh! media.

If something being quoted does not follow the styles outlined here, use the styles being quoted.

Proper English is always used unless it contradicts anything in this guide. Different forms of English have different styles. This guide highlights which ones are favored on this site.

The following apply to the content part of the site. When editing User, Talk or Forum pages, users may use whatever styles they prefer.

Spelling
American English spellings are used.

Common differences between American and British English spellings include:

Capitalization
Words considered to be proper nouns, proper adjectives etc. have their first letters capitalized, while common nouns, common adjectives etc. don't unless used at the start of the sentence.

Some card game terminology is capitalized different than normal English. The capitalizations used in gameplay terminology should be used on this site.

Gameplay terms which use all capital letters, include:
 * Attributes: LIGHT, DARK, FIRE, WATER, EARTH, WIND and DIVINE
 * ATK and DEF
 * FLIP (only when used at the beginning of Flip Effect Monsters' lores)

Gameplay terms which begin in capital letters include:
 * Types e.g. Aqua, Beast-Warrior
 * Battle positions: Attack Position and Defense Position
 * Types of cards e.g. Trap Card, Normal Monster, Continuous Spell Card
 * Types of Effect monster such as Gemini and Tuner do not capitalize the "m" in monster.
 * Types of Summons and Sets e.g. Normal Summon, Synchro Summon, Set
 * Phases and Steps e.g. End Phase, Damage Step
 * Decks: Main Deck, Extra Deck, Fusion Deck, Side Deck
 * Locations on the playing field. e.g. Graveyard, Monster Card Zone
 * Effect types: Quick Effect, Flip Effect
 * Spell Speeds
 * Types of games e.g. Duel, Match, Turbo Duel
 * Other words which are capitalized include:
 * Attribute
 * Battle Damage
 * Tribute
 * Type

Gameplay terms which do not start with a capital letter, but are sometimes mistaken for starting with them include:
 * Battle (when used by itself)
 * Card (when used by itself)
 * Damage (when used by itself)
 * Damage calculation
 * Draw (The action, not the game result)
 * Hand
 * Monster (when used by itself or after types of Effect Monsters, such as Gemini or Tuner)
 * Remove from play

Quotation marks
In prose, card names are always written in quotation marks. e.g. "Dark Magician". When a portion of a card name that may refer to a group of cards is used, it is also written in quotation marks. e.g. "Elemental Hero".

If the last word in a sentence is within quotation marks, the period is only placed inside the quotation marks if it is part of the material being quoted. If the period is not part of the quoted material it is left outside. The same applies for commas. This practice is known as logical punctuation. In the United States and Canada, it is more common to leave periods and commas inside the quotation marks irrespective of whether it is part of the material being quoted. This practice is known as traditional punctuation.

Yu-Gi-Oh! cards use logical punctuation, so the same is usually used on this site.

Examples:
 * Correct: This card's name is treated as "Harpie Lady".
 * Incorrect: This card's name is treated as "Harpie Lady."
 * (The period is not part of the source)


 * Correct: Chazz said "Cards are merely weapons."
 * (The period is part of the source)


 * Correct: Chazz said that cards are "weapons".
 * Incorrect: Chazz said that cards are "weapons."
 * (The period's presence in the source is uncertain and its usage within the quotation marks is unnecessary)

In all major forms of English, whether question marks and exclamation marks go inside or outside the quotes depend on whether they are part of the material being quoted.

It is best to avoid adding a possessive apostrophe s ('s) that is not part of the source to a name in quotation marks.

Examples
 * Correct: The effect of "Rescue Cat".
 * Incorrect: "Rescue Cat"'s effect.
 * Incorrect: "Rescue Cat's" effect.

Date formats
Official sources usually use American date formats. e.g. January 5, 2000 or 1/5/2000. Sometimes 2000-1-5 is used.

January 5, 2000 is favored over 1/5/2000, as some readers may read the latter as 1 May 2000.

The format January 5, 2000 should be used in articles. Any dates inserted by the system will appear in whatever format the user has specified in Special:Preferences.

Shortened month names like "Jan" should be avoided unless used in tables where there is little room.

Examples
 * Correct: January 5, 2000
 * Incorrect: January 5 2000
 * Incorrect: January 5th, 2000
 * Incorrect: 5 January 2000
 * Incorrect: 5th January 2000
 * Incorrect: 5th of January 2000
 * Incorrect: 5/1/2000


 * Incorrect: 1/5/2000


 * Incorrect: <span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #B20000;">2000-1-5

When given years BC and AD (Before Christ and Anno Domini) are favored over BCE and CE (Before Common Era and Common Era). Although the AD is omitted when giving years in its range.

Newspapers in the manga, have used BC, which is why it is favored here.

Examples
 * Correct: <span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #006F00;">2000
 * Incorrect: <span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #B20000;">2000 AD
 * Incorrect: <span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #B20000;">2000 A.D.
 * Incorrect: <span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #B20000;">2000 CE


 * Correct: <span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #006F00;">2000 BC
 * Incorrect: <span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #B20000;">2000 B.C.
 * Incorrect: <span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #B20000;">2000 BCE