PROOFREADER’S MARKS
The following marks are used to identify the problems in your writing:
RO = run on or fused sentence; two sentences are run together without any punctuation.
The proper punctuation is a period, semicolon, or a comma preceding one of the seven coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS).
CS = comma splice; two sentences are joined by a comma instead of a period, a semicolon, or one of the seven coordinating
conjunctions (FANBOYS).
FRAG = fragment; this is part of a sentence. The missing elements may be a subject, a verb, or both.
AWK = awkward (confusing); the sentence may be two long, joined by a series of ands when it needs to be separated into
manageable units.
TENSE = tense shifts; typically students move from the past tense to the present throughout the essay with no justification for doing
so.
WW = wrong word; an incorrect word is used instead of the right one; this may be the result of a wrong homonym or a word that
does not fit the meaning of the sentence.
CASE = incorrect pronoun that is used
PV = point of view; you or your is typically used in the text where another pronouns should be. You or your can only be used in
dialogue.
WORDY – using too many words; usually a one-word synonym is needed
SP = spelling error; a spelling error also occurs when you fail to spell out contractions (unless they are quoted)
^ = a word or words needs to be inserted
# = space is needed; sometimes this occurs when a word is written as one word instead of two
DS = double space; this means entire document should be in double spacing (one blank line between each line).
ARROW = indention is needed
SLANG = informal speech used instead of standard formal English, which is unacceptable unless it is in dialogue.
ROUTINE TITLE; one that needs to be changed because it is not clever and does not capture the readers’ attention
FORMATTING RULES:
1. Center the title in ALL CAPS; do not put title in quotes or underline it.
2. Hit the tab once to indent for each paragraph.
3. Place two spaces after a period at the end of a sentence but one space after a
period within a sentence.
4. Place one space after a comma.
5. Double space the entire document by going to the line spacing default, which is set for
single spacing and changing it to double spacing.
6. Leave your margins set as they are when you create a document—even on all sides.
7. Use footers (3 lines on left bottom and one line on right bottom).