Grading Codes in use by Prof. Schlabach
	This list overlaps with the one inside the back cover of The Little, Brown Essential Handbook for Writers – but provides additional codes and explanations.
ab	Faulty abbreviation 90
ad	Misuse of adjective or adverb 40
agr	Error in agreement 27, 35
amb	Ambiguous. Usually marks pronouns that do not refer clearly to a previous noun. Sometimes marks a phrase that can be read different ways.
ap	Apostrophe needed or misused 603
appr	Inappropriate word 8
awk	Awkward construction. This is like SS but may not actually be wrong grammatically.
cap	Use capital letter 86
case	Error in pronoun form 33
cit	Missing source citation or error in form of citation 103-38
colloq	Colloquial. The phrase or wording may be all right in conversation, but sounds too slang for formal writing.
con	Be more concise 13
coord	Coordination needed 2
cs	Comma splice 48 Marks places in which you have used a comma to join together two phrases when either a semi-colon or an entirely new sentence would be better.
det	Add details 7
dictionaritis	Misuse of dictionary. Somewhere back in high school a teacher told you to start an essay with a dictionary definition. But now we’re in college studying history, philosophy and literature, and we should be noticing that words do not have timeless or singular meanings. Don’t trust Webster! The dictionary definition is probably not wrong, but it may still mislead you -- especially if the meaning of the term or idea in the work or period of study is precisely what you are being asked to examine!
dm	Dangling modifier 46
emph	Emphasis lacking 3
feely	Use of the verb "feel" when "believe," "think," "judge," etc. would be more accurate. We live in a culture where subjective feeling often reigns. But human hearts and minds can do more than feel! If you are talking about emotions, fine, but even then you should consider a wider range of feeling verbs.
frag	Sentence fragment 47
fs	Fused sentence 48
hyph	Error in use of hyphen 85
I-ism	This is when you are using 1st person singular ("I," "me") more as a crutch or out of habit than from necessity. Yes, there are times when 1st person can be appropriate, even in formal writing, but unless you learn to avoid it, you won’t recognize when it is necessary. The following phrases are almost always signs that you are using 1st person as a crutch: "I feel... [or believe, or think]," "I will show that...."
inc	Incomplete construction, usually a sentence fragment. This hand-out is full of them, but hey, it doesn’t claim to be an essay.
ital	Italicize (or underline) 88
iuy	Impersonal use of "you." I.e., you aren’t really addressing anyone in particular (the way I am addressing you in this hand-out) but are referring to "one," any person. Don’t, you hear.
lc	Use lowercase letter 86
mm	Misplaced modifier 44
mng	Meaning unclear
no cap	Unnecessary capital letter 86
num	Error in use of unbers 92
p	Error in puncuation 52-69
¶, para	Start new paragraph
¶L	Paragraph length. I.e., you could have helped your reader by finding a way to divide the paragraph into two or more shorter paragraphs, but didn’t.
¶U	Paragraph unity. I.e., the paragraph should be a discreet unit of thought but is not.
¶U/L	Paragraph unity and length. Both of the above!
pass, pv	Ineffective or unnecessary passive voice 16, 26 Example: the cat was bitten by the dog. Passive voice is sometimes appropriate, but I mark it in situations where you do not need it. Passive voice ends up deadening your language and often hides who is doing the action, or even the true nature of the action itself.
pn agr	Error in prounoun-antecedent agreement 35
qt	Quotation technique. Either your prose does not flow smoothly with the quotation you are using, or punctuation is inappropriate. 103-38
ref	Error in prounoun reference 37
rep	Unnecessary repetition 15
run-on	Run-on (fused) sentence 48 Even if the sentence is grammatically correct, you would have done your reader a favor by breaking it up into two or more shorter sentences.
sp	Misspelled word
spec	Be more specific 7, 12
ss	Sentence structure problems. The sentence may be illogical, ungrammatical, or just plain contorted.
sweat	Refers to places where you have let your anxiety and perspiration seep into your writing by speaking self-consciously about the process you are going through in writing, the problems you had doing the research, etc. Write about your subject, not yourself! By the way, really good writing does not need to announce that "in this paper I will show,..." or "I have now demonstrated that...." (There are exceptions; some kinds of writing may require these prose outlines to guide the reader. But too often they are crutches upon which otherwise able scholars rely too much.)
t	Error in verb tense 21
Thesauritis	Misuse of your thesaurus (or thesaurus-like feature on your word processor). Maybe I’m wrong, but I have a sneaking suspician here that you turned to your thesaurus for a better word, but didn’t really know the definition of the word you found there. A thesaurus is a great tool, but like any tool, you have to know how to use it or you might get hurt.
trans	Transition needed 163
und	Underline (italicize) 88
vb	Error in verb form 18
vb agr	Error in subject-verb agree3ment 27
vti	Verb tense inconsistency. As in: "Jane went to the store. She walks in." Usually I mark a few inconsistencies and get tired of them, so you should look for more. By the way, it really is easiest to keep verb tenses straight if the past stays in the past tense. But at least be consistent!!
w, wordy	Wordy. Many words when one will do; long words when short ones will do. Often abstract words when concrete ones are available.
wc	Word choice, i.e. a poor one.
ww	Wrong word
//	Faulty paralellism 4
	Close up space
#	Separate with a space
	Delete
	Transpose letters or words
^	Something missing
	Capitalize
	Solid underline on rubric indicates affirmation
	Squiggly line on rubric indicates problem