Writing 6

Ramirez

Proofreading Symbols - More Info

Symbol / Error Name
Global Errors – Most serious
t / tense - Past, present, or future: simple or progressive. Ask yourself when the action happened.
vf / verb form - Gerund = "----ing". Infinitive = "to ___" . Base = simple present.
pass / passive voice: Active: "I ate the cake." Passive: "The cake was eaten (by me)."
wo / word order - Move the word or phrase to the correct position.
wc / word choice – the wrong word used. I will usually write the correct word, or write several choices for you to consider. Advice: Think of a good word in your native language, then look up the translation.
cl / clause problem - Dependent clauses use words like "if - since - because - when." Relative clauses use words like "that - which - who." Both types of clauses MUST be in a sentence with an independent clause.
conn / connector problem - Add a word like "and, but, or, so" OR "if, since, because, when" OR add a semi-colon [;].
unc / unclear – I don’t understand it :( Please rewrite the sentence in a fresh way.
Local Errors – Less Serious
agr / subject/verb agreement - Identify the subject: Who does the action? Is it singular or plural? Compare it to the verb.
art / article use (a, an, the) - This is a difficult area to master. I will try to help you choose the right article.
s/pl / singular/plural problem - There's a problem with a noun.
wf / word form - Check prefix and suffix. Is the word a noun, verb, adjective, adverb?
prep / preposition error - I will usually write the correct preposition (unless I think you should know it!)
poss / possessive form- Sometimes this is punctuation: "the girl's cookie." Sometimes this is spelling or word order. Sometimes longer forms, like "the smell of fresh bread," is better than a simple possessive like "the fresh bread's smell"
Sentence Level /Format Errors
frag / fragment - Maybe a subject, verb or object is missing. Maybe you have a Dependent Clause alone, with no Independent Clause in the sentence.
ro / run-on sentence - Also called "Comma Splice." You have two or more sentences "running" together, and you need EITHER a connector or a period.
sp / spelling error - You can figure this out
cap / capitalization - You can also figure this out ;)
p / punctuation problem - Usually, this means you need to add or remove a comma, but I also use it for question marks and quotation mark problems.
// struct / parallel structure - Difficult to explain - I will explain it after midterms!