What the Marks on Your Paper Mean

The Worst Errors

• CS = Comma Splice
• FRAG = Sentence Fragment. Click here for Fragment page. (Often fragments happen when a phrase that should be attached to the preceding sentence with a comma is trying to be a sentence. Click here to review the Phrases page.)
• MC or Mixed Const. = Mixed Construction
• RO = Run-On Sentence

The Rest

• AGR = Agreement (Subject-Verb or Pronoun-Antecedent)
• AWK = Awkward Wording
• DGL = Dangling Construction
• LC = Lower Case
• INF = Informal (Don't use "I," "you," contractions, or colloquialisms.)
• MM = Misplaced Modifier
• MV = Missing Verb
• NO PN = Does Not Need Punctuation
• PAR = Faulty Parallelism
• PN = Missing Punctuation (Commas, Periods, Colons, Semicolons, Quotation Marks, Apostrophes)
• POS = Error Involving Possession
• PV = Unnecessary Passive Voice
• RE = Redundant
• REF = Reference Problem
• SP = Spelling
• TS = Tense Shift, usually between past and present.
• UNCL = Unclear
• Vary = Vary your sentences. Don't start them all with the same word or use the same structure in a row too many times.
• VF = Wrong Verb Form
• WDY = Wordy
• WC = Word choice. WC is for when a word doesn't mean what you think it means or is inappropriate.
• WW = Wrong Word. WW is for when you know the word you are looking for and what it means, but you instead use a similar-sounding word or an identicaly pronounced word (homophone). (There/Their, Were/Where, etc.)
• # = Faulty Spacing

Proofreading

DMAC student Hillary Sisson came up with the following mnemonic acronym to help you remember how to proofread: BOO! BOO stands for

1. Backwards (Read the last sentence first, the penultimate second, etc.)
2. Out-loud
3. On paper

More Information

For more information on what is expected of your paper, please review the Grading Rubric and the Five Paragraph Essay handout. Also never forget to do the assigned readings in your textbook. For the paper formatting instructions, click here.