Below is a list of the common marking codes and what they mean.
Grammatical Codes
- // = Faulty Parallelism
- AGR = Agreement fault (could be subject-verb agreement or pronoun agreement)
- COORD = Faulty coordination
- CS = Comma Splice
- DM = Dangling Modifier
- FRAG = Sentence Fragment
- ; FRAG = Sentence Fragment (see link above) before or after the semi-colon
- : FRAG = Sentence Fragment before the colon
- FS or Run-on = Fused or Run-on Sentence
- MM = Misplaced Modifier
- POSS = Possessive Fault
- PRO = Inappropriate pronoun usage. As opposed to agreement faults, this occurs when one confuses the objective and nominative forms of the pronoun (ex. who and whom, he and him)
- PRED = Faulty Predication
- SM = Squinting Modifier
- ST = Shifting Tense
- T = Tense fault
- VPR = Vague Pronoun Reference
Rhetorical Codes
- ? = Unclear
- ^ = Something missing, or insert here.
- ¶ = New paragraph
- AUTH = Use the full name of the author the first time; use the family name in subsequent references.
- AMBIG = Ambiguous point
- ANALYSIS = Analysis needed or develop analysis. This generally follows a quotation.
- AWK = Awkward phrasing
- COH = Cohesion (Paragraph lacks cohesion)
- CONTR = Contraction. Contractions (didn't, isn't, etc.) are inappropriate for formal writing.
- DEV = Develop
- DOC = Either no documentation or faulty documentation
- FORMAT = Inappropriate or incorrect formatting
- INFORMAL or INF = informal word choice or phrasing
- INTRO = Weak introduction to quotations
- INTEG = Awkward or ungrammatical integration of quotation
- LOG = Faulty Logic
- Narrator = Confusing the author and the narrator
- PV = Passive voice
- PROOF = Evidence needed to support the point
- PS = Plot summary
- SP = Spelling error
- SUB = Subordinate, or faulty subordination.
- TRANS = Weak transitions between sentences or paragraphs
- TS = Weak topic sentence. This generally means that the topic sentence is not argumentative or that it doesn't prepare the reader adequately for the paragraph that follows. Sometimes it means that the paragraph, given the topic sentence, has no obvious connection to the central argument of the paper.
- for what follows in the paragraph).
- WC = Weak word choice or diction
- WDY = Wordy
- WW = Wrong word. Confusing words that sound alike (ex., there, their, they're).
