details is a simple game, but it can be difficult to "win". In this post, we discuss basic gameplay and strategy.

First, if you've never played details before, you should watch this introductory video:

To summarize the main rules:

• Articles (a, an, the) can be added as needed before nouns or adjectives
• Auxiliary verbs are free: if you want to add "have eaten" to a sentence, that counts as one verb, and you write it on one verb card
• The adverb "not" is free: if you want to write "do not", you can write it on a single verb card
• Add punctuation on the card where you need it (either before or after a word)
• You can't change anything that's written
• details doesn't check grammar or spelling
• There are two goals:
  • use up all your word cards
  • make a cool and grammatically correct sentence
• You can add new sentences before or after the original sentence
• Every time you add to the sentence, you get a new word card, but if you use all your cards you win!

After you play details a few times, you will start to think of strategies to win, like how to use several words at once. Thinking in terms of word combinations—phrases and clauses, instead of just using one word at a time—is a great way to get better at details and improve your grammar at the same time.

That's all you really need to know to play the game. Enjoy!