Revision Codes for Grammar & Punctuation

Revision Codes for Grammar & Punctuation Using the Codes: The revision codes in the left hand column of this handout are used to evaluate and critique your essays. When a code is written on your paper, you should cross reference it with this list of codes and their explanations. An explanation of each revision code is below. Wherever possible, a sample has been given to show the rule at work. The codes on this page that are marked with an asterisk () are considered major errors. If you have questions about your paper after using this handout, you should speak to your instructor. You can also find more information on many of these items in either the course handbook or in Formulas for Composition*.
Code	Explanation and Sample
adv	Use an adverb to modify the verb, not an adjective. Correct: She dressed casually. Incorrect: She dressed casual.
ag	The word that is circled must agree in number with the word to which the arrow points. Correct: They own too many cars. Incorrect: They own too many car. "Many" implies more than one, which is plural. Some constructions require plurals even though you might think they look singular. For example: Correct: One of the most beautiful things I can appreciate is the love shown by all members of the family. Incorrect: One of the most beautiful thing I can appreciate is the love shown by all members of the family. "One of" implies there is more than one thing to appreciate, so the plural "things" must be used instead of the singular "thing" in the sentence. To make the construction even more complicated, notice that the verb of the sentence ("is") agrees with the subject of the sentence ("one") and that both are singular.
apos-c	An apostrophe is needed for contractions. For example: Correct: Don't arrive late. Incorrect: Dont arrive late. Note that the use of contractions indicates informal language, which may not be appropriate for your assignment. Be sure to read the assignment requirements.
apos-p	An apostrophe is needed to show possession. For example: Correct Singular: The bird's beak is gray. [One bird] Incorrect Singular: The birds beak is gray. [Many birds, but no possession shown] Correct Plural: The birds' houses are red. [Many birds/houses] Incorrect Plural: The birds houses are red. [Many birds, but no possession shown] Notice in the plural example that "houses" and the sentence's verb are plural, too. Each bird had its own house! Here's another possibility. The birds' house is red. Several birds are using the same bird house.
apos-pl	An apostrophe is NOT used to show plurals. Correct: That tree is full of birds. [Many birds are in the tree.] Incorrect: That tree is full of bird's. [What belongs to the birds in this sentence? Nothing! so, possession is not used.]
app tense	Use an appropriate verb tense, instead on the tense you have used, to express your meaning.
awk	This is an awkward construction; find a better way to say what you mean. There are several situations that may lead to awkward phrasing. The student's vocabulary is not large enough to express what he or she wants to write. The student is attempting to make his or her language sound more formal. However, that does not mean that the writing should be stuffy or that you should use big words when shorter words will do, especially if you do not know or are not sure of the words' meanings. Formal language is mostly a matter of avoiding certain things in your writing. If you are not sure what separates formal from informal language, you should go to the course resource page and review the "Formal language" presentation there. Examples: Lists of awkward phrasing and confused words
cap	Capitalized is required. For titles, see the code "format" below.
cliché	A cliché is a worn-out phrase that gets used over and over again without giving its meaning much thought. At one time, it was new and an interesting way to express an idea. In fact, it was so interesting that everyone started to repeat it. However, after a while, it wasn't new and interesting anymore. In fact, given enough time, people aren't even sure what it's original meaning was. For example, you probably know that "learning the ropes" means learning how something, like an organization, works, but do you know what it really means? It originally was nautical in meaning. Sailors on the tall sailing ships had to learn which rope raised which sail on the ship. Whoever applied that meaning to other areas was really clever, but now the cleverness has worn off. Create your own new and interesting way to say what you want to say, and let the old, tired clichés die a long-overdue death!
coherence*	The material marked in your essay violates coherence. All the pieces of the paragraph must work smoothly together. Make sure that sentences amd paragraphs move smoothly from one to the next. Coherence can be improved with the use of transitional words or phrases, or the use of pronouns and synonyms. See your Handbook for more information on these topics. Sometimes, a coherence problem occurs in the introduction when the lead-in does not smoothly lead to the thesis statement. This can usually be corrected with a transitional word or phrase. However, sometimes, one or two sentences are needed to make the lead-in more adequately lead up to the thesis statement.
com-conj	Use a comma BEFORE a conjunction joining two sentences. ["The mouse ran , and the cat pounced," not "the mouse ran and the cat pounced," and not "the mouse ran and, the cat pounced."]
com-dep	There is a comma error involving a dependent clause. This code can refer to two possibilities. First, knowing the so-called "dependent words in important so that they can be recognized in your essay. See: List of dependent words. Once you have found the dependent word in your sentence, that word plus the rest of the sentence that logically works with the dependent word is called a "dependent clause." The meaning of the clause depends on the rest of the sentence. (For example, if this clause were punctuated as thought it were a complete sentence, it would actually be a fragment. (See frag-dep below.) Once you have found the dependent clause in your sentence, how you use a comma to punctuate it depends on where in the sentence the dependent clause occurs. Dependent clauses that start a sentence are a type of introductory element. In that case, a comma is required at the end of the dependent clause. If you read the sentence aloud, you will notice that your voice naturally pauses at the end of the dependent clause. That is the spot where the comma is needed. For example: Correct: Before it is too late, you should finish your assignment. Incorrect: Before it is too late you should finish your assignment. Dependent clauses can also end sentences. In that case, a comma is not used. For example: Correct: You should finish your assignment before it is too late. Incorrect: You should finish your assignment, before it is too late.
com-det	Use a comma to set off material at the end of a sentence that defines the term immediately before that definition. [My favorite holiday meal is steak pie, a combination of steak, onions and potatoes layered into a deep baking dish, covered with a pastry crust, and baked until it's golden brown and bubbling. The term "steak pie" is being defined.] There are also key words that are sometimes used to point out an added-detail. "Like" and "such as" let the reader know an added detail is coming up. The added detail is an example of something earlier in the sentence. If the added detail is punctuation as though it were a separate sentence, the result is a fragment (frag-det). "Especially," "including," and "which" also show an added detail is coming up. Left as a separate sentence, the added detail also results in a fragment (frag-det). Phrasing that starts with an -ing word is often an added detail. Here is an example. Notice the comma before "making": Correct: The diversity of ethnicities in South Florida creates its own culture, making the area a significant place. Incorrect: The diversity of ethnicities in South Florida creates its own culture making the area a significant place. These added details are always set apart from the rest of the sentence by commas. Sometimes, they are placed at the end of the sentence, just like the added-detail in the earlier example. However, sometimes, they are placed in the middle of the sentence. When that happens, the writer must place a comma immediately before the key word that points out the added-detail and immediately after the added-detail ends. Here is an example. Notice the key work "like" and the placement of the two commas. This situation can also be thought of an a sentence interruption (see com-inter). Correct: Helping our parents is unusual because my sister and spend a lot of time preoccupied with our own plans, like going out with friends, rather than staying home to help out. Incorrect: Helping our parents is unusual because my sister and spend a lot of time preoccupied with our own plans like going out with friends rather than staying home to help out. Also see frag-det below.
com-inter	Use commas around a sentence interruptions. The following words are always interruptions when they are in the middle of sentences: of course, however, too, hopefully. [In the order listed: "Ricardo, of course, won again." "Carlos, however, tried hard." "Karym, too, did her best." "Next year, hopefully, someone else will win the prize."]
com-intro	Use a comma after introductory material elements in a sentence. Examples: List of introductory words
com-quote com-qt	Use commas with quotations, either when you are quoting a written source or using direct dialogue. ["John repeated a famous old saying, "A stitch in time saves nine." "A stitch in time saves nine," repeated Elaine."]
com-series	1. Use a comma to separate items in a series; the comma before "and" at the end of the series is optional. (Note: if the word "or" is used instead of "and," the comma before "or" is required.) Correct example using the optional comma before "and": [We ate pizza, chips, and ice cream.] Correct example leaving out the optional comma before "and": [We ate pizza, chips and ice cream.] Incorrect example: [We ate pizza chips and ice cream.] Correct example using "or": [We couldn't decide what to have for lunch, but finally narrowed our choices to pizza, sandwiches, or burgers.] 2. Also use a comma between two adjectives if the word "and" could be substituted for that comma. [Although we probably wouldn't use it, "and" could be substituted for the comma between the two adjectives in the following sentence: "The old, rusted car needed lots of work. The sentence would read: "The **old and rusted car needed lots of work. Since we could use "and," the comma is required. " However, "and" would not be used in the sentence that follows: "The dirty white jacket is still my favorite." Therefore, the comma is not used.]**
com-sub	Do not use one comma between a subject and its verb. [One reason we left *was* lack of interest," not "one reason we left, was lack of interest."]
com-tag	Use a comma to set off contrasting elements, interjections, direct address, and tag questions or comments. [In the same order as listed: "Of course, you should go." "You, despite your fear, should go." "You, Jose, should go." "You should go, too."]
com-un	You have an unnecessary comma and should review the comma rules explained on this page.
com-x	Use comma to set off dates, addresses, and numbers. ["July 4, *1776,* was a great day in our history." "I live at 46 Beverly Drive, Alstead, FL." "My best friend now lives 1,500 miles away."]
conj	Do not use a conjunction to start a sentence. Instead, use a transitional word or phrase that supplies the same meaning. (Conjunctions include: and, but, for (meaning "because"), or, so (meaning "therefore"), nor, yet) [For example, "So, it's better to resolve conflicts before they escalate" should be revised to replace "so" with a transitional word or phrase that draws a conclusion.]
CS*	Comma Splice: This is a type of run-on. A comma is not strong enough punctuation to end a sentence. Add a conjunction after the comma or use . ; ! ? Mini-lesson: Comma Splices
dbl*	Do not use double negatives. [Write: "The pitcher has been neither ejected from the game nor fired. "Neither" and "nor" work together correctly in this construction. However, there would be a double negative problem if the sentence were written: The pitcher has not been neither ejected from the game or fired.]
dev*	This paragraph needs further development/explanation.
diction*	Poor word choice. You have either used a word incorrectly or the word you have chosen does not work in this context. Examples: Lists of awkward phrasing and confused words
ex*	A specific example is needed here to clarify your general statement.
format*	Titles require proper formatting. There are usually two parts that need to be taken into consideration. Format requires capitalization. Using MLA-style, which used in this course, caps are used for the first word of any title and then for all nouns, verbs, and pronouns. If the title is from a source , that title needs to be formatted even further. For a "large" source (book, website, film, etc.), use either italics or underline. For a "part" of a larger source (a chapter in the book, a web page, an article in a periodical - magazine, journal, or newspaper), use double quotation marks. For a "small" source (a short story or poem, etc.), also use the double quotation marks. For example: Correct: In the article "At Home on the Bay" in the current issue of Coastal Living, the author celebrates the final days of summer on the California coast. The article title gets the caps, as all titles do, and the double quotations marks because it is only a small part of the whole magazine. The magazine title gets the italics (underline is also correct) because it is the whole magazine, the "large" source. Correct: "Young Goodman Brown" is a very popular short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne in which he draws heavily from this Puritan heritage. The short story title always gets caps and double quotation marks.
frag*	Your word group is a fragment because it has no verb. A complete sentence has a subject, a verb, and expresses a complete thought. Incorrect: The house next door.
frag-dep*	Your word group is a dependent word fragment; the thought expressed in the word group is not complete. See the Mini-Lesson: Dependent Word Fragments. See the list of examples: List of dependent words.
frag-det*	Your word group is an added detail fragment; it is probably a definition, perhaps an explanation of a word in the previous sentence, and it should be attached to that sentence. It could also be additional information about something in the previous sentence that is not absolutely necessary to that sentence. Therefore, that additional information should also be attached to that sentence. Correct: We had my favorite kind of pizza, pepperoni and black olive. [Notice the comma before the added detail. See com-det for further information.] Incorrect: We had my favorite kind of pizza. Pepperoni and black olive." ["Pepperoni" and "black olive" are defining what kind of pizza we had.]
frag-ing*	Your word group is an "-ing" fragment; the -ing form of the verb cannot act as the main verb in a sentence. Sometimes, you need to add helping verbs in front of the "-ing" verb; other times, you need too change the "ing" verb to the appropriate verb tense for your sentence. See the Mini-Lesson: -ing Fragments.
frag-sub*	Your word group is a missing subject fragment. Insert the appropriate subject or attach the fragment to a complete sentence. Correct: It is the right thing to do. Incorrect: Is the right thing to do. See the Mini-Lesson: Missing subject fragments
frag-to*	Your word group is a "to" fragment; the infinitive cannot act as the main verb in a sentence; it always has helping verbs before it. Correct: Jose practiced soccer everyday to improve his skills. Incorrect: Jose practiced soccer everyday. To improve his skills.
FS*	Your word group is a fused sentence, a type of run-on. Use appropriate punctuation to separate the two sentences. See the Mini-Lesson: Fused Sentences
lead-in*	You have no lead-in in your introductory paragraph. Think about who your reader is and find a way to get his or her attention before you write your thesis statement. Remember, follow the introduction formula, I=L+T, and put the two pieces of the introduction in the order the formula requires.
no cap	There is a word or words that do not need to be capitalized. See the code "cap" to review when caps are required.
passive	Sentences are written in active and passive voice. In active voice, the subject of the sentence is performing the action expressed in the verb. for example: Active voice: "We put on our sunglasses as we headed for the beach." [The subject (we) is doing the action (put on) in the sentence.] On the other hand, in passive voice, the subject of the sentence is being acted upon. Passive voice: Our sunglasses were put on as we headed for the beach." [The subject of the sentence (sunglasses) is being acted upon (were put on) in the sentence. Active voice makes the more concise, direct and effective sentence. Write in active voice whenever possible.
PD*	Parenthetical documentation must be inserted at this point in the essay. This code is usually indicated with an insertion symbol [^] below the point on the line where the insertion is to be made.
POV*	A point of view error is an unnecessary change in person in your pronouns. When you begin to write, you should think carefully about point of view and, then, be consistent. See the Mini-Lessons: Personal Pronouns and Pronouns: Subjects/Objects/Possessives
pp end*	The past participle ending is missing from the verb. Come past participles are created by adding "d" or "ed" to the verb. Correct: It had to be finished on time. Incorrect: It had to be finish on time. A few past participles are created by adding "n" to the verb. Correct: She had proven it to be true. Incorrect: She had prove it to be true
pro ag*	Your pronoun agreement is incorrect. Both the pronoun and the word it replaces must be either singular or plural. Correct Singular: Eat a good breakfast. It will keep you satisfied until lunch. ["Breakfast is singular, so it needs the singular pronoun "it" as a replacement in the next sentence.] Correct Plural: A good breakfast includes cereal, milk and fruit. They will keep you satisfied until lunch. ["Cereal, milk and fruit" are plural, so they need a plural pronouns "they" as a replacement in the next sentence.] Be especially careful with "indefinite pronouns," which are always singular. Correct: Anyone can make a good pizza if he or she follows the recipe. [Both "anyone" and "he or she" are singular.] Incorrect: Anybody can make a good pizza if they follow the recipe. ["Anybody" is singular, but "they" is plural.] See the examples: List of indefinite pronouns See the Mini-Lesson: Personal Pronouns
pro ref*	The pronoun reference for the circled word is either unclear or nonexistent. A pronoun must always have a word to refer back to, called it antecedent - the word that come before. For example: Eat a good breakfast. It will keep you satisfied until lunch. ["It" refers back to "breakfast in the next sentence.]
rep	The underlined words or phrases are repetitive. Find another way to write this to eliminate the unnecessary repetition. You should repeat words only when you want to emphasize there meaning to your essay, not because you have not thought about using a synonym.
semi*	Use a semicolon to link two closely related sentences. The semicolon is "strong" punctuation, like a period, to indicate the end of a sentence. At the same time, however, it shows the reader that there is a clear relationship between the two sentences it connects. Keep in mind that it does not express what that relationship might be. Use an appropriate transition after the semicolon and follow it with a comma (com-intro) to be sure your reader understands the relationship between the two sentences. For example: Correct: I'm spending a lot of time updated the revision handout to help my students; however, that means I am not grading papers at the moment. [The action in the second sentence is happening because of the action in the first sentence.] Incorrect: Lions at the Miami Metro Zoo are provided with ample food and water; they zoo also has a staff to clean up their area. [There is not logical connection between these two sentences, so they should not be joined with the semicolon. A period is needed between them.] Make sure you understand why you are using a semicolon, and do not succumb to the temptation to use it in place of a comma. A misplaced semicolon tends to result in a fragment.
SOF*	The thesis you have attempted to write is actually a statement of fact: it is a true statement that does not need proof. Make sure that your thesis (which must also follow the thesis formula T=S+P) does three things. It has a subject. It makes a point about the subject. The statement requires proof before the reader will accept it as true; in other words, it needs to be supported in the body of the essay.
sp	The word is spelled incorrectly. Use a dictionary or spell check to find the correct spelling. Spelling errors include words that have been incorrectly split between to lines. Words must be split (hyphenated) between syllables if you are going to split them at all. It is best to move the whole word to the next line. Spelling errors can also occur if you have left out the hyphen in a hyphenated word or phrase, like "ten-year-old" or sixty-six." Another problem is separating a compound word, like "overprotective," into two words. Let your spell check be your guide! This revision code may also mean that you have used a symbol instead of writing out the word. For example, using "&" or "+" instead of "and," or using "1" instead of "one." There is a rule for numbers. If the number is more than three syllables, you can use the number. Here are some samples: 152 (6 syllables) one (2 syllable) forty-three (3 syllable)
sub vb ag*	The subject-verb agreement is not correct in this sentence; a singular verb is needed for a singular subject, and a plural verb is used for a plural subject.
tense sw	There is an unnecessary shift in tense in this section of the essay. Use a consistent verb tense, call it your "basic verb tense," unless you have a very good reason to change tense. Keep in mind that we usually write in either present or past tense. For the most part, it is best to stick with the simple present or past tenses. Sometimes, people use conditional verbs. "Would" can be used to indicate action in the past that occurred regularly. For example: Last summer, we would go to the beach every weekend. "Could" can be used as the past these of "can." Yesterday, I could not go to the beach, but today I can. If you use these words, make sure that you are using the past tense as your "basic tense." Also, using the word "will" indicates future tense. Make sure you are really referring to the future when you use this word.
thesis*	Your introductory paragraph does not have a thesis statement that is supported by the body of the essay. Keep in mind that the thesis statement is one sentence that tells what the whole essay is about, but in a very general way. The thesis statement should be constructed following the formula T = S + P. Tutorial: Formulas for Composition: The Thesis
trans*	A transitional word or phrase is needed here to ensure coherence. Be sure to choose a transition that works with what you are trying to accomplish in the sentence. See Formulas for Composition for examples of transitions and there uses.
T sent*	This paragraph needs a topic sentence. The topic sentence governs what the whole sentence is about. Without one, the reader cannot know what your details are trying to support. Topic sentences should accomplish two things: The topic sentence should be a supporting idea for the thesis statement, for example one reason why the thesis is true. The topic sentence should show the reader the whole body paragraph is about. Therefore, if the details in the body to not support the topic sentence, the body paragraph is not unified. (See the code "unity" below.)
unity*	The marked section of the essay is not unified. It could be that the material in the body paragraph does not support the paragraph's topic sentence (see the code "T sent" above), or it may be that the material does not support the thesis statement. Either way, the material should be moved to an appropriate spot in the essay or, if there is not appropriate spot for it, deleted from the essay.
vague*	Your thesis statement has more than one point in it. Do you remember the thesis formula for a basic essay? T = S + P When there is no number in front of a letter in a formula, the number is understood to be one.
é ç è	Arrows indicate that the line in question must be moved. é indicates that the line in question must be moved up to the horizontal line place immediately above the up arrow. ç indicates that the line must be moved to the left. è indicates that the line must be (1) indented 1/2 inch at the start of a new paragraph. (2) An elongated right arrow that reaches all the way to the right margin in a Works Cited entry indicates that the whole line should be used.
^	This symbol is called a caret. (Sounds like "carrot"!) It is placed below the line and indicates that something is being inserted, a letter, word or phrase. The insertion is written above the other words in the line and directly above the caret. Hint: This is a neat way to insert something you missed when you are writing an in-class essay. However, you should keep your insertions short and to a minimum.
¶*	Start a new paragraph here. New paragraphs are started for a number of reasons: The introduction of a new main idea a change in time a change in place/location a logical spot to break up a long paragraph (close to or over one full page typed and double spaced) into smaller, easier to digest pieces. [This means that you have more than one paragraph for one main idea only because a single paragraph would be too long for the reader to handle easily.]
No ¶*	A new paragraph is not needed. The new paragraph may contain support for the topic sentence of the previous paragraph. [This is a problem only if the paragraph is not too long for the reader (close to or over one full page typed and double spaced). (See ¶, #4)]. You should combine the two (or more) paragraphs.
?* Huh?*	Material in your essay is not clear. The reader cannot be sure what you are saying here. You must find another way to write your ideas so that they are clear to read. With "Huh?", you can be sure that I, as your reader, am completely confused by what you are trying to say!

Dependent Words This is a list of often used "dependent words," so called because they introduce "dependent" thoughts rather than "independent" thought (complete sentences.) If you use one of these words to start a sentence, you may write a fragment rather than a complete sentence. Analyze the word group carefully to make sure that the thought is complete on its own. If it is not, study the explanation for frag-dep.
after	even though	that	whenever	who
although	how	unless	where	whose
as	if	until	wherever
because	in order that	what	whether
before	since	whatever	whichever
even if	so that	when	while

Introductory Words Introductory words belong in specific categories of words. Whenever you start a sentence with a word from one of these groups, you are beginning a word group that introduced the main thought of the sentence. According to the rule com-intro, a comma is required after this introductory material.
dependent words	If you happen to see Carlos, tell him that I'm looking for him.
words ending in "-ing" ( "seeing, walking")	Walking through the park, Mary found a ten dollar bill that someone had found. "Walking through the park" refers to what "Mary," the subject of the sentence, is doing.
Note: Whatever is being said in the -ing section must refer to the subject of the sentence. If the sentence is not written properly, the result will be a statement that is at best impossible and at worst ridiculous.	For example: Ranging up to twenty feet in length and being one of the top predators in the ocean, I can see how the great white shark can be misunderstood. This sentence says that "I," the subject of the sentence, ranges "up to twenty feet in length" and is "one of the top predators in the ocean." Ridiculous, right?
word groups starting with an infinitive ("to see, to walk")	To get a better view of the stage, Marta started looking for an empty seat.
transitional words and phrases that do not act as the sentence's subject	First, we piled into the car.
word groups starting with a preposition	In my house, most of the cleaning is done on Saturday morning.

Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns are always singular! Therefore, pay particular attention to any other pronoun you use in relation to them in order to avoid a pro-ag error.

one anyone no one someone each

body anybody nobody somebody either

thing anything nothing something neither

Awkward Phrasing

Awkward: Replace with:

"Being that" "because"

Confused Words
Amount	Used with items that cannot be counted: There was a large amount of milk on the floor. ["Milk" cannot be counted.]
Number	Used with items that can be counted: There were a number of plates on the table. ["Plates" can be counted.] A number of people were taking an early morning walk. ["People" can be counted.]

Indefinite Pronouns Indefinite pronouns are always singular! Therefore, pay particular attention to any other pronoun you use in relation to them in order to avoid a pro-ag error.
one	anyone	no one	someone	each
body	anybody	nobody	somebody	either
thing	anything	nothing	something	neither

Using the Codes:

Code

Explanation and Sample