Common Editing and Proofreading Marks in Composition
Common Proofreading Marks Explained The following proofreading marks have a brief explanation of the definition your instructor is likely trying to convey for your revisions.
ab: Abbreviation (Use a standard abbreviation or write out the word in full.)
ad: Adjective or adverb (Use the correct form of the modifier.)
agr: Agreement (Use the correct ending to make the verb agree with its subject.)
awk: Awkward expression or construction.
cap: Capital letter (Replace a lowercase letter with a capital letter.)
case: Case (Use the appropriate case of the pronoun: subjective, objective, or possessive.)
cliché: Cliché (Replace the worn-out expression with a fresh figure of speech.)
coh: Coherence and cohesion (Make clear connections as you move from one point to the next.)
coord: Coordination (Use coordinating conjunctions to relate equal ideas.)
cs: Comma splice (Replace the comma with a period or a conjunction.)
d: Diction (Replace the word with one that's more precise or appropriate.)
dm: Dangling modifier (Add a word so that the modifier refers to something in the sentence.)
emph: Emphasis (Restructure the sentence to emphasize a key word or phrase.)
frag: Sentence fragment (Add a subject or verb to make this word group complete.)
fs: Fused sentence (Separate the word group into two sentences.)
gloss: Glossary of usage (Check the glossary to see how to use this word correctly.)
hyph: Hyphen (Insert a hyphen between these two words or word parts.)
inc: Incomplete construction.
irreg: Irregular verb (Check our index of verbs to find the correct form of this irregular verb.)
ital: Italics (Put the marked word or phrase in italics.)
jarg: Jargon (Replace the expression with one your readers will understand.)
lc: Lowercase letter (Replace a capital letter with a lowercase letter.)
mm: Misplaced modifier (Move the modifier so that it clearly refers to an appropriate word.)
mood: Mood (Use the correct mood of the verb.)
nonst: Nonstandard usage (Use standard words and word forms in formal writing.)
org: Organization (Organize information clearly and logically.)
p: Punctuation (Use an appropriate mark of punctuation.)
' apostrophe
colon, comma — dash . period ? question mark " " quotation marks ¶: Paragraph break (Begin a new paragraph at this point.)
//: Parallelism (Express paired words, phrases, or clauses in grammatically parallel form.)
pro: Pronoun (Use a pronoun that refers clearly to a noun.)
run-on: Run-on (fused) sentence (Separate the word group into two sentences.)
slang: Slang (Replace the marked word or phrase with a more formal or conventional expression.)
sp: Spelling (Correct a misspelled word or spell out an abbreviation.)
subord: Subordination (Use a subordinating conjunction to connect a supporting word group to the main idea.)
tense: Tense (Use the correct tense of the verb.)
trans: Transition (Add an appropriate transitional expression to guide readers from one point to the next.)
unity: Unity (Don't stray too far from your main idea.)
v/^: Missing letter(s) or word(s).
#: Insert a space.
wordy: Wordy writing (Cut out unnecessary words.)
ww: Wrong word (Use a dictionary to find a more appropriate word.)
Also a handy list of what to look out for!