I have just started learning PHP programming, and keep getting an error message.
Parse error: syntax error, unexpected T_STRING, expecting '(' in /Applications/XAMPP/xamppfiles/htdocs/guessbook.php on line 2.

Can anyone help me.
Thank you for any help or advice. (I have pasted the code below)

<?php
if my sql_connect ('localhost', 'root' , '') && my sql_select _DB ('guessbook') ) {
echo 'connected.';
}else{ 'could not connect.';
}

$time = time ();
$errors = Array ();

if (isset($_post ['guestbook_name'], $_post ['guestbook_email'], $_post ['guestbook_message'] )) {

$guessbook_name = mysql_real_escape_string htmlentities $_post ['guestbook_name']));
$guessbook_email = mysql_real_escape_string htmlentities $_post ['guessbook_email']));
$guessbook_message = mysql_real_escape_string htmlentities $_post ['guessbook_message']));

if (empty (guessbook_name) || empty (guessbook_email) || empty (guessbook_message)) {
$errors[ ] = 'all fields are required';

}


if (strlen ($guessbook_name) >25 || strlen ($guessbook_email) >255 || strlen ($guessbook_message) >255)
$errors [ ] = 'one or more fields exceeded the characters limit.';

if (empty($errors)){
//echo 'Everything is okay.';

$insert = "INSERT INTO 'entries' VALUES ('','$time','$guessbook_name','$guessbook_email',' $guessbook_message')";
if (mysql_query($insert)) {
Header ('Location: '. $_SERVER ['PHP_SELF'] );

} else {
$errors [ ] = 'something went wrong.';
}
else{
foreach ($errors as $error) {
echo '<p><strong>'.$error.' </strong></p>';


$entries = mysql_query ("SELECT 'timestamp', 'name', 'email', 'message' FROM 'entries' ORDER BY 'timestamp' DESC");
if (mysql_num_rows($entries) ==0) {
echo 'No entries yet.';

While ($entries_row = mysql_fetch_assoc ($entries)) {
$entries_timestamp = Date (' D M Y @ h:i:s', $entries_row ['timestamp'];
$entries_name = $entries_row ['name'];
$entries_email = $entries_row ['email'];
$entries_message = $entries_row ['message'];

echo '<p><strong> posted by '. $entries_name.' (.'$entries_email'.) on '.$entries_timestamp.' </strong><br>'.$entries_message.'</p>'
}


} else {
echo 'Entries found.';


}else {
echo 'could not connect'.;
}

?>

<form action="<?php htmlentities ($_SERVER ['PHP_SELF']); ?>" method="post">
<strong>post something...</strong><br>
Name:<br> input type= "text" name="guestbook_name" maxlength="25"><br>
Email<br> input type= "text" name="guestbook_email" maxlength"255"><br>
Message:<br> <textarea name= "guestbook_message" rows"6" col"30" maxlength"255"><br></textarea>
input type="submit" value="post">

</form>