Below are some editing symbols that I commonly use in marking
student papers. If you have questions about them, ask me. Here is a good website
offering concise definitions of grammatical and punctuation errors and how to
correct them:
cap = capitalization. The letter indicated should be capitalized.
cs = comma splice. You have joined two separate sentences with
a comma.
= delete symbol. Delete the letter, word(s), or punctuation mark indicated.
frag = sentence fragment. Your sentence lacks a completely
conjugated verb.
lc = lower case. A letter that you have capitalized should
be lower case.
= paragraph. Begin a new paragraph here.
p = punctuation. Punctuation mark missing or incorrect.
pn agr = pronoun agreement; the pronoun you have chosen does
not agree in number with its antecedent. This includes using "their"
when the antecedent is a single person (like "he" "she"
or "one").
ref? = reference. Not clear what antecedent your word or phrase
is intended to refer back to.
rep = repetition. Unnecessary repetition of wording or concepts.
rt = run together sentence. You have put two separate sentences
together with no mark of punctuation between them.
sp = spelling. You have mispelled a word.
s-v agr = subject/verb agreement; the verb form you have chosen
does not agree in number with its subject.
wordy = You're using more words than you need to convey your
meaning clearly.
ww = wrong word. The word you have chosen does not convey the
meaning that you apparently intend.