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Robert Saba

English Department

ENC-1101, 1102,  ENG-2012, ENC-3311

Editing and Correction Symbols

 Note: Students should refer to the "Revision Symbols" page at the end of The Everyday Writer handbook for more revision symbols and abbreviations. The "Revision Symbols" page also provides useful cross-references to chapters in the handbook that explain the relevant writing problems in more detail.
 

 Agr - Agreement. Check the agreement of the subject and verb or the pronoun and its antecedent.
 

awk (also "k") -  Awkward sentence or phrasing. See "k" below and The Everyday Writer.
 

cap - Capitalize.

clarify - The reader does not grasp your point clearly or completely enough.

cliché - A dull, overused expression. Use fresher or plainer terminology.

coh - Coherence.

                        Sentences don't flow together well. Make sure the reader can easily follow the progression of your thoughts. Sometimes inserting transitional words and phrases will help correct the problem (e.g. " nevertheless," "furthermore," "as a result," etc.).

                        Sometimes more planning is needed¾that is, information pops out abruptly, instead of being brought out in a logical sequence (e.g. if you write "...we picked up the rest of the tour group in Orlando..." the reader would need to be told earlier that there are more people joining the tour.

cs - Comma splice. A comma is used where a period or semi-colon is needed.

d (also "wc") - Diction/word choice. The word choice needs to be clarified or improved. See "wc" below and The Everyday Writer.

dash - A dash is needed, rather that a hyphen. (On most keyboards two hyphens equal a dash.)

def - Define your terms to enhance meaning.

                        For example, an expression like "well-balanced" (i.e. "a well-balanced person") may need to be defined so that the reader understands what you mean by it. Definitions of "well-balanced" can vary, if only because different readers, in their own minds, may emphasize different attributes.

dev - More development of your point or idea is needed.

dm - Dangling modifier ("Getting into the car, the alarm went off"). Adjust the wording.

doc - Document the source of the quotation, statistic, idea, etc., and/or correct the citation (or works cited list) so that it conforms to MLA guidelines.

 ex - Example. Give an example to support and/or illustrate your point.

format - Formatting problem or problems. Check if text needs double or single spacing, wider margins, a title, headings, page numbers, indentation of the first word in the paragraphs, etc.

frag - Sentence fragment. Make this a complete sentence.

fs - Fused sentences. Two or more sentences are fused together without punctuation.

gen - Over-generalized statement. Consider using a qualifier (e.g. "often," "sometimes," "most") and/or rethink the statement and refine it.

id - Unidiomatic expression. The wording does not conform to accepted usage (e.g. "angry against," instead of "angry with" or angry at." Or "It was a day beautiful").

indent - Indent the first word of a paragraph (usually three to five spaces in from the margin).

ital (or "it") - Italics needed. Underline or italicize the word or phrase.

k (also "awk") - Awkward sentence or phrasing. Check the wording and/or word order. Check the grammar. Try to simplify and streamline the sentence.

lc - Lower case. The word is incorrectly capitalized.

log - Logic. Review and improve the logic of your argument or point.

mixed (also "mix") - Mixed construction. The grammar is jumbled.

mm - Misplaced modifier. The word order is ambiguous or confusing.

org - Organization. The passage or paragraph needs to be organized better.

p - Punctuation error.

per - Personification. Inadvertently giving human attributes to an inanimate object or idea ("Cars were speeding around not caring how fast they were going").

ref - Unclear pronoun reference.

rel - Relevance. The relevance of this point is questionable or unclear.

rep - Repetitious. The point has been made or suggested before and does not need to be repeated.

sp - Spelling error.

trans - Transition. The transition from one paragraph to the next needs to be improved; the reader has a hard time grasping the relationship between the paragraphs.

trite - An obvious or worn-out idea or expression.

u - Unity. The paragraph is not sufficiently unified. There is a tendency to stray off the point and bring in material that is irrelevant or that belongs elsewhere.

us - Usage. The word or the wording does not reflect contemporary or generally agreed-upon standards of expression.

vague - Vague idea or statement. Clarify your meaning.

vb (or "verb") - Incorrect verb form

vt - Verb tense or tense shift. The verb tense is inconsistent, incorrect and/or confusing. Usually this problem involves an inadvertent shift from the past tense to the present or vice versa.

w (or "wrdy") - Wordy. Too many words are used to express the idea.

wc (also "d") - Diction/word choice. The word choice needs to be clarified or improved. See "d" above and The Everyday Writer.

ww - Wrong word. The word choice is incorrect. A different word is needed.

 Symbols 

Edit line:

A line drawn across the page to indicate that the instructor has stopped editing. The student is responsible for the editing beyond that point.

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