H4 Correction Symbols and Abbreviations

ab Faulty abbreviation; an abbreviation ref Error in pronoun reference or other

not to be used unclear reference
agr Error in agreement: subject and verb red Redundant
or pronoun and antecedent do not
rep Needless repetition of thought
agree in number
rs Run-together sentence (includes cs in
apos Apostrophe needed or apostrophe
some textbooks)
misused
seq Items or events or steps not in clear or
awk Awkward construction
proper sequence
cap Capital letter needed
shift Inconsistency (in tense, number,
clich Overworked expression mood, reference, or other matter)
coh Marked passage not coherent subord Faulty subordination
colloq Colloquial t Error in verb tense
coord Faulty coordination vb Other problem with verb form
cs Comma splice (considered rs in some trans Transition needed
textbooks)
wordy Unnecessary words
cst Problem with construction of sentence
ww Wrong word
d Error in diction (word choice)
x Obvious error
dev Inadequate development
Paragraph
div Faulty division of a word at the end of
// Faulty parallelism
a line
? Manuscript illegible or meaning
dm Dangling modifier
unclear
exp Faulty or non-standard expression
Delete
frag Fragment
gr Error in grammar other than ones
A line around a word you use means that the
specifically named
word is misspelled.
ital Italics needed (underline)
A line around a correction symbol means that it
lc Use lower case letter marks a more serious error than a
symbol that is not circled.
mixed Mixed construction
mm Misplaced modifier
Major sentence errorsagr, cs, rs, frag
mng Meaning not clear
are always serious and should be
mood Verb form or expression not in proper eliminated before taking English 28 or
mood 101. To avoid cs, rs, and frag
ms Flaw in manuscript form requires being able to recognize
clauses and to distinguish between
nosp No one-sentence paragraphs independent and dependent clauses.
num Error in the use of numbers
p Error in punctuation
 CONFUSED WORDS
Whenyourchoiceisbetweenodorandaroma,youdecidewhichonecarriesyourmeaningmoreprecisely.Neitheris
incorrect.Whenyourchoiceisbetweeneffectandaffectorimplyandinfer,onlyoneofthoseinmostconstructions
isstandard.Forseveralreasonssimilarspelling,similarpronunciation,somerelativemeaningtwoorthreewords
maybeconfusedandoneofthemusedforanother.Ifenoughpeopleusetheincorrectchoiceenoughtimes,the
incorrectwordbeginstosoundcorrect.Aftertimeandincreasedusage,languageexpertssaytheonceincorrectwordis
acceptable.Someofthesetsofconfusedwordsthatfollowhavelostthesharpdistinctionstheyoncecarried.Other
retainasharpdistinction.

The careless speaker or writer asks, What difference does it make which word I use? If I am understood, what does it
matter? The careful speaker or writer asks, Which word is better? You should become a careful user for two reasons.
First, you gain greater precision. Second, some of your listeners or readers know the difference between the words, and those
people may be the ones who make a difference in your life.

Consult the glossary and usage sections of a handbook or use a dictionary to distinguish between meanings of the following
sets of words. Add others as you find them.

accept past
except anxious compose imply pore
eager comprise infer pour
adapt
adopt appraise conscience impractical practicable
apprise conscious impracticable practical
adverse continual
averse as continuous instance precede
like instants proceed
advice disinterested
advise ascent uninterested later precedence
assent latter precedents
affect elicit
effect bad illicit lay principal
badly lie principle
aggravate expect
irritate believe suspect lead quote
feel led quotation
almost fewer
most capital less lectern raise
capitol podium rise
allready flaunt
already casual flout liable respectful
causal likely respective
allude good
elude censer well loose retch
censor lose wretch
allusion censure hanged
illusion hung maybe scan
cite maybe skim
among site healthful
between sight healthy moral sensual
morale sensuous
amount climactic home
number climatic hone oral set
verbal sit
anymore complement if
anymore compliment whether passed stationary
stationery summery supposed through waver

summary suppose thorough waiver