Common errors

Error 1writing the marks back in

Wrong: wa thia towe nai?; kona lopia, kia.; su theula towe nai!

The question mark, comma, and exclamation mark do not belong inside Phi text. The corrected forms are wa thia towe nai., kona lopia. kia., and su theula towe nai. The validator rejects those extra marks when they appear in a validated Phi example.

Error 2trusting tone to ask

An assertion, whatever its intonation: thia towe nai.

A rising tone may express uncertainty, invitation, or a speaker's familiar style, but it does not turn this clause into a direct question. wa thia towe nai. asks whether the listener is well. The lexical frame carries clause force; intonation remains expressive.

Error 3dropping the closer

Wrong: mia tha shia to wepu sano.

The declarative complement opens at tha and requires tho before the matrix predicate: mia tha shia to wepu tho sano. The same rule pairs pha with pho and sha with sho. A pause cannot substitute for any closer.

Error 4writing an expressive pause

Wrong inside Phi: mia ... remo.

The grammatical line is mia remo. A speaker may leave silence before remo, and that silence can affect pacing or feeling. It does not change the syntax, so Phi does not spell it with an ellipsis or dash.

Error 5restoring capitals

Wrong: Ne siora shua.

Romanized Phi has no capitals at sentence starts or in names: ne siora shua. The project also writes a Phi-form name lowercase when English narration hosts it. A separately presented source name stays outside Phi and retains the case and script of its own medium.

Error 6reading every period alike

Period-only writing does not prescribe monotone speech. wa identifies a direct question without requiring a terminal rise; kona identifies a call without deciding its warmth or urgency; sho closes exact words before the matrix clause resumes. Delivery can respond to those meanings, but no melody is compulsory.

Error 7treating ru as an exclamation mark

English "Wonderful!" might be the immediate reaction lua., the assertion ha nophi welao nai. (This story is good), or the degree claim ha nophi ru welao nai. (This story is very good). ru belongs only in the third reading. Translate the intended meaning of the utterance, not the shape of the punctuation after it.

Error 8the all-purpose interjection

Wrong for the moment described: wao. offered while an explanation finally comes clear.

The moment something clicks is nea.; wao. says expectation was exceeded, which is a different event. Each of the twenty interjections keeps its lexical meaning, and volume cannot substitute one for another. When two candidates feel close, the entry's nearest neighbor decides: reception is mio, assent is lia; the speaker's own pain is sai, sympathy beside it is halu. Part 7 drills the pairs.

Error 9importing the scare quotes

Wrong inside Phi: shia "welao" haolu.

The marks contribute nothing a Phi listener can hear, and the validator rejects them. When the point is that the word is someone else's, say so and quote it: shia sha welao sho to haolu. (They said, "good.") When the point is that the claim travels on another's word, mark the clause with ti. Distance in Phi is attributed aloud, never floated on silent typography.