Markings and Corrections Guide

Markings and Corrections from Your English Teacher

Because You Need Serious Correction

You’ll see comments of various kinds on most writing that you get back from me.  The purpose of each is to improve your writing.  This document is a guide to interpreting those corrections and using them to your advantage.  Also, somebody has to know these things. 

“affect”/“effect”

These two words sound a lot alike but mean different things.  This is one of the tricks played by language on people who don’t read enough.  I think it does this on purpose.

“Affect” is a verb:  The plight of the soulful, suffering English teacher affected her strongly.

“Effect” is a noun:  The main effect of alcohol is senior prom.

(Note that there is an uncommon noun use of “affect” and an even rarer verb use of “effect,” but you will never need them unless you go to graduate school.  Do you really want to do that?)

agreement

A clause’s subject and verb must agree in number:  The dog likes cheese. Dogs like cheese.

Pronouns should also agree with their antecedents:

            Incorrect:  A person needs their enemies. (This is a very common mistake.)

Correct:  A person needs her enemies.

Other than that, nobody really has to agree about anything.  If they did, we wouldn’t have literature.

analysis

(See “A Few Notes on Literary Analysis” in your coursepack.  Then write a five-page essay exploring only arbitrarily chosen and extremely picky details from that article out of context. )

awkward (or awk.)

A sentence is awkward when something about its structure isn’t right.  Maybe you have piled up too many prepositional phrases, or have strung together too many “because” clauses, or have created a clunky phrase, or something else.  Maybe you’re just at a certain age where your body does uncomfortable things, and you have feelings that scare you and that you don’t understand.  In any case, an awkward sentence is difficult to follow for reasons of grammar or clarity.  It should be rewritten, usually in a simpler form.  Also, try not to embarrass yourself in front of your peers.

block quotations

When a certain passage would take more than three lines to quote, format it as a block quotation.

           

A block quotation is single-spaced even when the rest of your writing is double-spaced, which means you have to consider whether the quotation is really going as far as you think it is towards filling the page.  The whole block is indented half an inch on both sides (not just the left), so that’s a plus.  Block quotations don’t need quotation marks, and they look stupid in italics.  Employment of a block quotation implies that you have read the passage.

character description  (see also summary)

See analysis above.  If you are only describing characters and their behavior, you are not writing an academic argument.  You are merely doing literature.

citation

When you make use of an outside source, you must cite that source in your work.  This will deflect blame away from yourself.  The most basic citation format is to list all works cited at the end of your essay while referring to the source and the page number using parenthetical citation.  For example:

It has been argued that Shakespeare’s critique of power in Measure for Measure implies a sort of Foucauldian archaeology of power avant-la-lettre (Ernie 134).  Others say, “Meh” (Bert 12).

Having introduced your reader to these sources, you may walk away with clean hands, confident that the issue is no longer your problem.

clause (see also phrase)

A full grammar lesson on clauses is beyond the reach of this handout.  (You’re welcome.)  In brief, a clause is a group of words containing a verb and its subject.  In this sense, all clauses are equal.  Some sentences contain more than one clause, and some of these may be dependent (or subordinate) to other clauses.  Thus, some clauses are more equal than others.

cliché

A cliché is a phrase, idea, or set of words that have been overused to the point of meaninglessness.  Use of clichés will make you sound like a television.

            Some common clichés:  grow as a person, across the board, think outside the box, accept herself for who she is, be proactive, fair and balanced.

comma usage

The comma is a bitch-goddess beholden only to its own laws.

            Commas are used between independent clauses (before the coordinating conjunction):

                        The day passes slowly under a hot sun, and at night the weasels come.

                        I had never seen such a huge mob, but I was impressed with their manners.

            Commas are used after introductory clauses and phrases:

                        When the shit hits the fan, act surprised.  (Introductory clause)

                        Happily, there was really no reason to be in class at all.  (Introductory adverb)

                        During the day, we never seem to worry about the undead.  (Introductory phrase)

            Commas separate items in a series:

                        Larry’s voice was high, reedy, and despondent.

            Commas are used to set off non-essential clauses (see “which”/“that”/“who” below).

Unnecessary commas:

            Do not put a comma between a subject and verb or a verb and its object.

                        Incorrect:  The boys on the bus[,] always make such a noise.

            Do not put a comma between the elements of a compound subject or compound verb:

                        Incorrect:  The flag bearer[,] and the sergeant both went down in cannon smoke.

                        Incorrect:  We ran as fast as we could[,] and sidestepped the controversy.

comma splice (or splice or c.s.)

A comma splice is an error that occurs when you try to join two independent clauses using only a comma.  Who do you think you are, Marcel Proust?  A comma splice is like botched plastic surgery.

The soldiers raised their rifles, they uttered a fearful cry.

There are several ways to correct this kind of error:

            Make it two sentences.  The soldiers raised their rifles.  They uttered a (etc.).

            Use a semicolon:  The soldiers raised their rifles; they uttered a fearful (etc).

            Choose a conjunction:  The soldiers raised their rifles, and they uttered a (etc.).

                                    The soldiers raised their rifles, but they uttered a fearful (etc.).

                                    The soldiers uttered a fearful cry as they raised their rifles.   

coordinating conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions are the small words that can join independent clauses together, producing a compound sentence.  The coordinating conjunctions are For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So, and WTF.

double-space

If you submit work that is single-spaced, your instructor will not have room to make comments or corrections.  Think about that for a minute.

fragment (or sentence fragment or frag.)

A fragment occurs when a sentence is incomplete as written.  This usually means that it lacks a core independent clause.  It’s like you’re not even trying.

            Whenever I feel afraid.  Because that’s the way I like it.  Like rain on your wedding day.

Sometimes it is just one clause that is fragmentary (e.g. if it lacks a subject or verb).

literary present tense

When discussing literature, you should base your discussion in present tense.  The temptation is to use past tense since you are pretending that you have read the book, but this causes confusion in certain cases.  Literary present reminds you that the book will still be around long after you are gone and forgotten.

            Incorrect:  Romeo almost found Juliet in time, but he was too late.

            Correct:  Romeo almost finds Juliet in time, but he is too late.

numbers

You should spell out any number than can be expressed in a word or two (e.g. “sixteen,” “ninety-seven,” “twelve million”).  All numbers are actually words.  Algebra is grammar.  Geometry is like type-setting or something.

passive voice (or passive)

Passive voice sentence construction obscures agency; that is, it hides the true agent of the action described.  Without practice, passive voice sounds stilted and dishonest.  Done well, it can deflect responsibility even under oath.

            Mistakes were made.  (Who made them?)  The car was wrecked.  (Who wrecked it?)

            The girls were being taught to do anything that made them look good.  (By whom?)

The opposite of passive voice is active voice, which foregrounds a clearly-discernible subject.  This should usually be someone else.

plot summary

If you must summarize plot in your essay, be sure to do the reading first.

pronoun antecedent

There’s nobody in the whole damn world who can’t be replaced by a pronoun.

quotation usage

A quotation included within one’s own writing is called an embedded quotation.  A quotation long enough to take more than three lines should be set off as a block quotation.  Never quote unless you have something to say not just about what the passage says but also about how it says it.

            The great thing about quotations is that someone has already said something interesting about what you’re talking about.  The not-so-great thing is that it wasn’t you.

(See also citation.)

repetition

Repetition is like redundancy, but more obnoxious and less subtle.  It is the Frat Boy of errors.

run-on

A run-on sentence is an error that occurs when two otherwise complete and unattached sentences are not properly set off by the condom of punctuation.

            Incorrect:  The open sea is my best friend without it I would be lost on land.

            Correct:  The open sea is my best friend; without it I would be lost on land.

            Correct:  The open sea is my best friend, for without it I would be lost on land.

“shall”/“will”

According to Garner, the will/shall distinction is both pretentious and illusory. It is unnecessary in American English.  Thus, one says "I will crush this puny planet," and never "I shall crush this puny planet."

“thee”

Even worse than the subjunctive.  Don’t go there unless you’re a Quaker.  It also works for sonnets, but only if you’re dead.

“their”/“there”/“they’re”

“Their” is possessive.  The bears dragged their hapless victim away into the murk.

“There” is an adverb referring to “that location” (as opposed to “here,” which refers to “this location.”)

            Put it there and never bring it here again.

“They’re” is a contraction of “they are.”  “They’re at it again,” she said ruefully.

Mixing these up tells your reader that you don’t care enough to read your own writing.  I’m sorry I even assigned it.

theme

Literary authors generally return to certain key issues, problems, conflicts, or other matters in their work.  Often this is because they can’t afford therapy.  Whenever you identify such a main concern in a text, you have identified a theme.  Most analytical writing about literature focuses on themes, but not just their identification.  Equally important is how the author explores the theme in the work.

            When asked about theme, think this way:  what is the author asking us to see or think about differently in this work, how are they doing it, and why does it matter?  Answer this question, and then subordinate that issue to whatever particular axe it is that you have to grind.

thesis and thesis statement

Your thesis is what you are trying to prove, argue, or otherwise explore in your writing.  A thesis statement is a single, clear, distinctive sentence that states what this thesis is.  It usually occurs in your introduction paragraph, often (but not always) as the last sentence of that paragraph.

            The plural of thesis is theses, which rhymes with feces.

titles (of your essay)

Imagine that you pick up a magazine article with no title or a book with no cover.  Like, say, you picked it out of the dumpster behind a bookstore.  Have you ever done this?  I have done this.

titles (of books, etc.)

Titles of books, movies, magazines, albums, and other objects published on their own are underlined or italicized (but never both):  Gone with the Wind, Romeo and Juliet, Europe Central, Newsweek.

Titles of stories, poems, essays, songs, and anything published within something larger get quotation marks:  “The Hollow Men,” “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “How To Tell a True War Story,” “Hey Jude.”
Sometimes books out of a dumpster don’t have visible titles, but I think I’ve mentioned this already.

transition

Writing must flow logically.  When one sentence follows another with no apparent connection to what was just being discussed, there is a problem with transitions.  Marking a transition can be as simple as including an appropriate phrase (e.g. thus, however, therefore, on the other hand, etc.) or as complex as alluding to a point made much earlier in the writing.  One way to describe writing that lacks good transitions is to say that it is “jumpy.”  Another way is to say that it is “awful.”

unnecessary

It’s always tempting to include intensifiers, personal anecdotes, and even small amounts of cash folded into your writing, but these are seldom appropriate to straightforward argument and analysis.  When I mark something as unnecessary, try to rewrite the sentence without it.  The following example sentences are all stronger with the bracketed portions simply removed.

            [I have argued in this essay that] Shakespeare’s women are often crippled by words.

            No one [that I know of] has ever said that Shakespeare’s women are simple.

                        (Even better:)  Shakespeare’s women are not simple.

            [We have to ask ourselves,] what does it mean to be a strong female character?

Sometimes whole sentences will be marked “unnecessary.”  This is often a nice way of saying that they are “boring.”

vague

I mark words as vague when they are so general or universally applicable as to say almost nothing.  Common problem words here include interesting, unique, special, and such.  Absolutely everything is “unique” when you think about it.  Instead of saying that something is “interesting,” come right out and tell us what is so interesting about it.  The opposite of vague is precise.  In writing, precision is a twin to clarity, while vagueness is the mutant Siamese doppelganger of bullshit.

verb tense

Jumping around with verb tense is confusing.  Keep it consistent.  One day at a time.  Or, er, yesterday.

“who”/“whom”

“Who” is for subjects, just as “he” and “she” are for subjects.

“Whom” is for objects,” just as “him” and “her” are for objects.

            Who wrote the letter?  (She wrote the letter?)

            You gave the book to whom?  (You gave the book to her?)

            We gave a party last year, and who came to it?

            Whom do you love?

“Whom” is also for people who want to sound like English teachers or certain British movie stars.  William Shakespeare used it.  He also coined the word “pedant.”