Various tips that I should have put in the hints:
If you’re having trouble with the structure of sentences:
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Words ending in -o are always verbs (and vice versa).
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Verbs come at the end of the sentence or clause. That is, the last word in an inscription, and the last word before a comma or en-dash, is always a verb.
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Adjectives come after nouns. “Apple red”, not “red apple”.
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Sentences with commas mean “if X, then Y”.
If you’re having trouble figuring out the names of things:
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One-word inscriptions (or rather, inscriptions that are supposed to be one word instead of being broken) are always nouns.
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They act like navigation signs or inventory labels, marking what things are. (In two cases, the label is on an object’s container instead of the object itself, because the object itself is too impractical to label.)
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Small labels refer to small things. Big signs refer to big things.
If you’re having trouble figuring out what things an inscription refers to:
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Inscriptions with the word al in them always refer to the thing they’re printed on.
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Al means “this”. Or rather, the thing with the inscription on it.
If you’re having trouble clearing away the darkness:
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The darkness in the Bridge can be cleared away. Examine the pedestal.
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The darkness in the Faceted Chamber and Cargo Hold can’t be cleared away within the game. Don’t worry about it.
If you’re having trouble finding things to examine:
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Take inventory. Examine any containers you’re carrying (like the pouch).
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A future version of the game will call out specifically what needs examining, and if it’s inside the pouch. Sorry about that!
Hopefully this helps a bit! Unfortunately I guessed somewhat wrong about what things people would get stuck on most.