CORRECTION SYMBOLS

Sentence Errors

frag

incomplete sentence: verb, subject, or complete thought missing. Will probably adopt the proposal.

fused

compound sentence with no punctuation between main clauses. The foreperson will allot two weeks to the project then she/he wants an on-site inspection.

comma splice

compound sentence incorrectly punctuated with a comma and without a conjunction. The foreperson will allot two weeks to the project, then she/he wants an on-site inspection.

m cons

mixed construction: two or more phrases masquerading as a complete sentence. By fastening the catch will make the product safe to use. The reason radwaste cannot be easily transported is because it is highly volatile.

mm

misplaced modifier: an adjective or adverb too far removed from the word or phrase it describes. Johnston and Perry studied the thermo-mechanical reliability of plastics working under a grant from AmCom Cooperative .

dm

dangling modifier: the word the adjective or adverb describes is absent from the sentence. Water was finally reached at 435 feet, drilling at a forty-five degree angle . (The person doing the drilling is absent.)

//

not parallel: series of items begins with different parts of speech. The proposal was brief, imaginative and cost too much.

Word Errors

sv agr

subject-verb agreement: the subject and verb do not agree in number. Engineering politics provide the basis for her investigation.

p agr

pronoun-antecedent agreement: the noun and pronoun do not agree in gender and/or number. Langston's architectural group is known for their innovative designs.

ref

vague pronoun reference: the pronoun refers either to a nonexistent or the incorrect antecedent. Sparrow hawks prey on small birds and insects. They are abundant in England. (The hawks, the birds, or the insects?)

ca

pronoun case: the type of pronoun has been used incorrectly. The engineers are better workers than us .

cf

frequently misused word: the word is used incorrectly because it has been confused with another word that it either looks or sounds like. The principle risk posed by logging is destruction of wildlife habitats.

ww

wrong word: the word is defined incorrectly or spelled incorrectly resulting in a different word from the one intended. Cacti grow in the dessert .

wordy

wordiness: using unnecessary words and/or phrases that lengthen the sentence without contributing to its meaning. She was terminated due to the fact that she failed the drug test.

trans

transition: start of paragraph has no transitional marker. Examples of markers include numbers (first, second, third),phrases (on the other hand, in comparison, as a result).

red

redundancy: the same idea has been stated twice. My education and work experience make me a valuable asset to your corporation.

rep

repetitious: a word or phrase has been used too many times in the report. The general consensus was that the chancellor had generally exceeded his authority.

pv

passive voice: the sentence is written in the passive voice when the active voice would be more appropriate. I will complete the report by Dec. 10. The report will be submitted on Dec. 11.

shift/t

shift in tense: unnecessary change of tense: more than one tense is used in a report without a logical reason for the change. Each accountant keeps up-to-date records so that she had needed data.

shift/p

shift in person: unnecessary change of person: the report changes from one person to another for no logical reason. The students signed up for Math 204 because you can con the instructor.

shift/v

shift in voice: unnecessary change of voice: a sentence is written in both the active and passive voice. A portion of the instructions was ambiguous, so they were not followed by the assemblers (the first clause is in the active voice, the second in the passive voice).

shift/m

shift in mood: unnecessary change from statement to command or question. The participants meet in the lobby; don't leave the hotel before the sponsors arrive (the first clause is a statement, the second, a command).

vt

verb tense: the tense used is incorrect in form. The participants had went in alphabetical order.

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