The Abrams Style Manual
The French natural historian Georges Buffon (1707-1788) once said, “Le style est
l’homme même” (“The style is the man himself”). How we dress, in other words, says a
lot about who we are. Likewise, how we write says much about what we think: sloppy
writing usually means sloppy thinking, whereas lucid writing typically means lucid
thinking. For that reason, papers, for no matter which subject, must be graded for style
as well as substance.
This style manual is divided into four parts: Grammar; Words Often Confused; Spelling;
and Correction Symbols and Abbreviations. Mistakes in papers will be underlined, with
codes appearing in the margins corresponding to explanations in the grammar portion
of the manual below.
This manual should be used as preventive medicine, too. Read it here and there, on
the subway or at home with a tall glass of milk and some oatmeal-raisin cookies, to
improve your grammar, vocabulary, and spelling.
Grammar
What follows is a grammar survey. For more detail, students are advised to consult
Warriner’s High School Handbook (1992) by John E. Warriner, MLA Handbook for
Writers of Research Papers (1995) by Joseph Gibaldi, and The Elements of Style
(1979) by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White
I Sentence Structure
I.1 Modification: When one uses words or groups of words to modify other words or
groups of words, one must be sure the modification is specifically applied.
- I.1.1 Misplaced Modifying Word: Notice the difference between the following two
sentences.
The stockbroker almost lost a million dollars today.
The stockbroker lost almost a million dollars today.
If the writer means the first but wrote the second or vice versa, then the writer has
committed an error in modification.
- I.1.2 Misplaced Modifying Clause: Notice the awkwardness of the following sentence.
There was a textbook on the desk that someone took.
This is wrong, unless the writer means that someone took the desk, not the textbook.
- I.1.3 Misplaced Modifying Phrase: Notice the difference between the following two
sentences.
The policeman chased the mugger with a whistle in his mouth.
The policeman with a whistle in his mouth chased the mugger.
Of course, the first could be correct, but it’s unlikely.
- I.1.4 Dangling Participle:
This common error occurs because one or more words have been left out of the
paricipial phrase or because the wrong word was selected as subject of the
independent clause.
While reading, the telephone rang. (Telephones don’t read.)
While I was reading, the telephone rang. (Correct.)
Driving on the highway, a Taco Bell was spotted. (This could
mean a Taco Bell was spotted driving on the highway.)
Driving on the highway, I spotted a Taco Bell. (Correct.)
I.2 Parallelism: Similar elements of a sentence should be expressed in a similar
manner. Lack of parallel structure is a common mistake in writing.
Leslie watered her plants and the flowers every day. (Wrong.)
Leslie watered her plants and flowers every day. (Correct.)
The referee was running and shouted the whole game. (Wrong.)
The referee was running and shouting the whole game.
(Correct.)
Lisa threw like her sister Jane but ran the same way her
sister Jamie did. (Awkward.)
Lisa threw like her sister Jane but ran like her sister
Jamie. (Correct.)
I.3 Incorporation of Quoted Material: Be sure your incorporation of quoted material
includes attribution and flows.
“All animals are equal,” wrote George Orwell in his novel
Animal Farm, “but some animals are more equal than others.”
As George Orwell wrote in his novel Animal Farm, “All animals
are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
The speaker closed her remarks on totalitarianism by citing
a famous line from George Orwell’s Animal Farm: “All
animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than
others.”
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II Verbs
II.1 Verb Moods: There are three verb moods.
- Indicative mood: used to state the factual.
Everyone loves school.
- Subjunctive mood: used to express a wish or a situation contrary to fact.
Everyone should love school.
If I were playing a sport, I would love school.
If Patrick were in the orchestra, the cello section would be stronger.
*All pronouns (I, you, he, she, we, you, they) take were if the mood is subjunctive.
- Imperative mood: used to express an order.
Love school, or else.
Join the orchestra, Patrick. They need you.
II.2 Verb Tenses: There are six verb tenses.
- Present tense: to denote that which concerns present time.
I call
we call
you call
you call
she calls
they call
(Present progressive: I am calling.)
- Past tense: to denote that which concerns past time.
I called
we called
you called
you called
he called
they called
(Past progressive: You were calling.)
- Future tense: to denote that which concerns future time.
I shall call
we shall call
you will call
you will call
she will call
they will call
(Future progressive: They will be calling.)
*Shall and will. Strunk and White clearly distinguish these two (Elements of Style, p.
58): “In formal writing, the future tense requires shall for the first person, will for the
second and third. The formula to express the speaker’s belief regarding his future
action or state is I shall; I will expresses his determination or his consent. A swimmer
in distress cries, ‘I shall drown; no one will save me!’ A suicide puts it the other way: ‘I
will drown; no one shall save me!’”
- Present perfect tense: to denote that which happened in the indefinite past or that
which has happened in the past and applies to the present.
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I have called
we have called
you have called
you have called
he has called
they have called
(Present perfect progressive: You have been calling.)
I have called him often.
She has practiced for an hour.
- Past perfect tense: to denote past action completed prior to another past action or
occurrence.
I had called
we had called
....
(Past perfect progressive: you had been calling.)
After we had finished our homework, we watched televsion
- Future perfect tense: to denote future action that will be completed prior to another
future action or occurrence.
I shall have called ....
(Future perfect progressive: they will have been calling.)
By the time the boss gets in, we will have finished our project.
I will lend you this magazine once I (will) have read it.
You will be paid Friday for the work you (will) have done this week.
II.3 Agreement: Correct agreement between subject and verb is tricky stuff. The
following four rules and two lists should be of assistance.
- When the subject and predicate nominative are different in number, the verb agrees
with the subject.
Rising prices are a danger sign in the economy.
A danger sign in the economy is rising prices.
- either ... or, neither ... nor: the verb agrees with the nearer subject.
Neither they nor he is going to the party.
Neither he nor they are going to the party.
- The pronouns some, all, any, most, and none may be either singular or plural.
Some of the dessert is still in the refrigerator.
Some of the musicians are tuning their instruments.
None (not one) of the tomatoes is ripe.
None are so at peace as those who acknowledge their
limitations.
One of the players is sick today.
- A singular subject takes a singular verb even if other nouns are connected to it by
with, as well as, in addition to, except, together with, along with, or no less than.
Her speed along with her toughness makes Nancy a force under the basket.
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- Plural words that take singular verbs:
acoustics* economics*
measles
physics*
aeronautics* ethics*
mumps
politics*
alms
headquarters
news
whereabouts
civics*
mathematics*
optics*
*These words are thought of as singular when considered as topics of study.
(Acousitics is Professor McIntyre’s area of expertise. The acoustics in 122 need
improvement.)
- Words that have no singular forms and take plural verbs:
pants
scissors
tongs
tweezers
pliers
shears
trousers
II.4 Irregular Verb Conjugations: The standard way to conjugate a verb in the past
tense is to ad ed to its base (or infinitive) form. For example, call becomes called,
dance becomes danced, etc. However, there are many verbs that don’t follow this rule.
Below is a list of some of the most common exceptions. Make sure you know these
exceptions.
Base Form
be
begin
bring
choose
cost
draw
drink
feel
fit
forget
freeze
get
lay (place)
lead
lie (recline)
pay
read
ring
rise
shine (give light)
shine (polish)
sing
swim
wear
Past
was, were
began
brought
chose
cost
drew
drank
felt
fitted or fit
forgot
froze
got
laid
led
lay
paid
read
rang
rose
shone
shined
sang
swam
wore
Past Participle
been
begun
brought
chosen
cost
drawn
drunk
felt
fitted or fit
forgotten or forgot
frozen
got or gotten
laid
led
lain
paid
read
rung
risen
shone
shined
sung
swum
worn
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III Punctuation and Usage
III.1 The Apostrophe: used for three purposes.
- III.1.1 Possession: the apostrophe precedes the s if the noun or pronoun is singular
and follows the s if the noun or pronoun is plural. There is one exception: the
apostrophe follows the s of ancient singular proper names.
The school’s musical instruments are brand new.
The Girls’ Club will hold a dance Friday night.
The teachers’ meeting is in Ms. Lacey’s office.
Some historians see Daniel Shays’s Rebellion in 1785-6 as a
major turning point in American history.
Charles’s mother is on the phone.
Achilles’ bravery in Homer’s Iliad defines heroism.
- III.1.2 Contraction of Noun or Pronoun with the Verb to be: this is why
it and is become it’s, who and is become who’s.
Who’s playing on whose team?
*Many teachers consider the use of contractions unacceptably informal.
- III.1.3 Nested Quotation Marks: note that the nested quotation mark falls inside an
inapplicable question mark or exclamation mark.
President Rodgers finished his commencement speech with a
favorite line from the works of Plato. “When you’re in
doubt,” Rodgers said, “certainly seek the counsel of
others. But learn to turn inward. As Plato wrote,
‘What is good and what is not, need we ask anyone to know
these things?’”
Dimilsa asked the teacher, “For the test on the Constitution,
do we need to know about the ‘elastic clause’?”
III.2 The Comma: a comma should be used in a series as well as after a dependent
clause and between two independent clauses joined by a conjunction.
- III.2.1 The Serial Comma: to separate terms in a series; be sure to include a comma
in a series of three terms or more between the penultimate term and the conjunction.
Caesar came, he saw, and he conquered.
Up, up, and away.
Hook, line, and sinker.
Blood, sweat, and tears.
- III.2.2 The Dependent Clause Comma: to separate a dependent clause preceding an
independent clause; note the difference in the second example.
After eating dinner, Dave washed the dishes.
Dave washed the dishes after eating dinner.
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- III.2.3 The Independent Clause Comma: to separate two independent clauses joined
by a conjunction; if the sentence is very short, the comma may be left out.
Peter played the banjo in college, Paul played drums, and Mary sang.
I like bagels and cream cheese for breakfast, but my husband likes pancakes
and waffles.
Chris plays center and Kwame plays sweeper.
- III.2.4 The Vocative Comma: to follow an interjection or precede a person or group of
persons addressed.
Hey, could you please stop talking here. This is a library.
We’ve got to talk, Nino, about whether we’re going to the play tonight.
III.3 Hyphenation: Hyphens bind words that are split at the end of a line, compound
terms, and some numbers.
- III.3.1 Keeping Words Together: When hyphenating a word at the end of of a line,
place the hyphen between syllables; check the dictionary when in doubt.
The party was a great success, all agreed, even curmudgeonly George. (Wrong.)
The party was a great success, all agreed, even curmudgeonly George. (Correct.)
- III.3.2 Compound Nouns and Adjectives: Some compound nouns need hyphens:
e.g., sister-in-law, go-between, high-mindedness. A compound adjective always
needs a hyphen if it precedes the noun it’s modifying: e.g., an ill-informed reporter, a
well-paid lawyer, eighteenth-century art. If the compound adjective follows the noun
it’s modifying, no hyphen is used: e.g., a reporter who is ill informed; a lawyer who is
well paid; art that is eighteenth century in style. (Do note the big difference, by the
way, between an ill-informed reporter and an ill informed reporter.) There’s one more
exception. If an adverb ending in ly precedes an adjective or participle before the
modified term, do not hyphenate: e.g., highly favorable conditions, a poorly
understood problem.
- III.3.3 Hyphens with Prefixes: A hyphen should be used when adding
such prefixes as self-, post-, ex-, anti-.
Such self-analysis is typical of the post-game experience.
- III.3.4 Hyphenated Numbers: A hyphen should be used with compound numbers from
twenty-one to ninety-nine and with fractions (e.g., a three-fourths majority, two-thirds
of the pie). This rule applies to compound numbers as nouns as well as adjectives.
Some grammarians disagree, using hyphens only for compound numbers that are
adjectives.
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IIII.4 Capitalization:
- All proper nouns should be capitalized (e.g., Bronx Zoo, Shea Stadium, Joe Smith).
- All titles preceding the proper nouns they modify should be
capitalized.
We met Mayor Bloomberg yesterday.
We met the mayor of the city yesterday.
- Capitalize days of the week and months of the year, but not seasons.
- Capitalize language courses (e.g., English, French, Latin), as they’re proper nouns,
but not other courses (e.g., biology, math, science), as they’re common nouns--unless
these other courses go by a special name (e.g., College Algebra I, Biology of Marine
Invertebrates).
III.5 Numbers: Follow the rules below.
- Numbers of one or two words should be spelled out while numbers of three or more
words should be written in numeral form. However, if you’re including within one
sentence numbers of both kinds, write them all in the same way.
We ordered 70 hotdogs, 120 hamburgers, and 150 sodas.
- Always write out numbers at the beginning of a sentence.
One hundred twenty hamburgers were eaten by fifty students.
- Always spell out ordinal numbers.
The Yankees are now playing their thirtieth game of the season.
- A hyphen should be used with compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine and
with fractions (e.g., a three-fourths majority, two-thirds of the pie). This rule applies to
compound numbers as nouns as well as adjectives. Some grammarians disagree,
using hyphens only for compound numbers that are adjectives.
- Money and percentages should be written in numeral form. This is not true, however,
for amounts of money greater than one million dollars.
2.1%, 74%
$3.16, $453,366, $1.5 million, $17 billion
III.6 Quotation Marks:
- Quotation marks enclose material taken directly from somewhere else (i.e., something
read or heard) as well as the titles of television shows, movies, and articles. The titles
of books, plays, magazines, and newspapers should be either italicized or underlined.
“All animals are equal,” wrote George Orwell in his novel
Animal Farm, “but some animals are more equal than others.”
In her editorial “No More Mr. Nice Guys” in The New York
Times (6 July 1995), Maureen Dowd described the new
faces of Republican presidential hopefuls Robert Dole and
Phil Gramm.
- Nota bene: While the British don’t place the closing quotation mark outside the
period, Americans do. This results in an inconsistency, because Americans do not
place the closing quotation mark outside the colon or semicolon.
8
Maureen Dowd wrote the following in her editorial “No
More Mr. Nice Guys”: “The beauty of a cheerful politician,
of course, is that personal charm can help mask harsh
policies.”
- As for the nested quotation mark, an apostrophe is used, as described in I.3.1. The
nested quotation mark falls inside an inapplicable question mark or exclamation mark.
President Rodgers finished his commencement speech with a
favorite line from the works of Plato. “When you’re in
doubt,” Rodgers said, “certainly seek the counsel of
others. But learn to turn inward. As Plato wrote,
‘What is good and what is not, need we ask anyone to know
these things?’”
Lisa asked the teacher, “For the test on the Constitution,
do we need to know about the ‘elastic clause’?”
“For the test on the Constitution,” the teacher responded,
“you are responsible for the ‘elastic clause.’”
III.7 The Colon: Use the colon to introduce a list of details, an amplification, or a
quotation.
A skier needs three pieces of equipment: skis, boots, and
poles.
There was a sadness to the old man’s gait: he walked
slowly, head down, shoulders dropped.
Jim has a lot of homework tonight: he has to write a onepage essay on Book Six of The Iliad, do a long problem
set for math, and finish a lab report for biology.
The Joker’s shrewdness brought to mind a line from
Euripides: “Cleverness is not wisdom.”
III.8 The Semicolon: The semicolon also has three basic purposes.
- The semicolon joins closely related independent clauses without
use of a conjunction.
Take into consideration a number of explanations; don’t go
with just one.
- The semicolon should be used between independent clauses linked
by such terms as however, therefore, otherwise, nevertheless,
for example, that is, accordingly, or hence.
I liked the movie; however, the seats in the theater were
really uncomfortable.
Ryan’s behavior at the movie theater was egregious; for
example, he didn’t stop making comments and he kept getting
up to get more popcorn and soda.
Nota bene: a comma must follow these linking terms that follow the semicolon.
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- If items in a series contain commas, they should be separated by semicolons.
The trip will take us to four New England cities:
Hartford, Conn.; Holyoke, Mass.; Burlington, Vt.; and
Portland, Me.
III.9 The Dash: “A dash is a mark of separation stronger than a comma, less formal
than a colon, and more relaxed than parentheses” (Strunk and White, Elements of
Style).
The journalist liked his coffee black--totally black,
utterly without milk or sugar.
The money in the athletic budget--if there’s any money
left--will be used for new uniforms.
III.10 The Ellipsis: To indicate the omission of words from quoted material, use three
dots if you’re staying within the sentence you’re quoting and use four dots if you’re
moving on to a new sentence so to include the period in the first sentence. If the
ellipsis is at the end of a sentence, it also, of course, must include four dots.
“When in the Course of human events,” opens the Declaration
of Independence, “it becomes necessary for one people to
dissolve the political bands ... and to assume among the
powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to
which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them,
a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that
that they should declare the causes which impel them to
the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by
their Creator with certain unalienable Rights....”
The quoted material ends with four dots because the second sentence has not been
quoted fully.
10
Words Often Confused
Below is a list of words often confused. It would be wise to go through this list on
occasion to know the various distinctions. If you use the wrong word, “woc” will appear
in the margin to point you to this list.
affect (v.) to influence [inadequate sleep will ~ your performance in school].
effect (v.) to bring about, to produce [more sleep should ~ better performance in
school].
effect (n.) result.
allusion (n.) an indirect reference.
illusion (n.) a false impression or idea.
already (adv.) before, previously.
all ready (adj.) totally ready.
all together (adj.) assembled.
altogether (adv.) completely [these instructions are not ~ clear].
among (prep.) connecting more than two persons or things [the booty was divided
evenly ~ the ten pirates].
between (prep.) connecting two persons or things; may be used to connect more than
two persons or things if each entity is considered separately [a treaty ~ six
nations].
capital (n.) the city; money.
capital (adj.) significant or major.
capitol (n.) the building with the dome.
choose (v., present tense)
chose (v., past tense)
cite (v.) to refer to as a source [in her sermon, the minister ~ed the Gospel of Luke].
site (n.) place.
sight (n.) 1. the visual sense; 2. spectacle.
complement (n.) that which completes [that tie is a good ~ to the suit].
complement (v.) to complete [that tie ~s the suit].
compliment (n. or v.) praise.
consul (n.) diplomat.
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council (n.) a group that advises [student ~].
councilor (n.) a member of such a group.
counsel (n.) 1. advice; 2. attorney [a good ~ gives good ~].
counsel (v.) to advise.
counselor (n.) summer job.
continual (adj.) happening repeatedly.
continuous (adj.) happening without interruption.
desert (n.) 1. arid terrain; 2. due punishment or reward.
desert (v.) to leave, to abandon.
dessert (n.) that postprandial reason for living.
farther (adv.) distance in the literal sense [Lisa can throw ~ than Monica].
further (adv.) distance in the figurative sense [Mr. Streep suggested the student discuss
the matter ~ with her teacher].
fewer (adj.) for quantity that can be counted [there are ~ glasses in the cupboard than I
remember].
less (adj. or adv.) for general quantity [with the new schedule, there’s ~ opportunity to
hang out].
i.e. abbreviation in Latin (id est) meaning “that is”; used to elaborate [If you take six
courses, you’ll have too much on on your plate; ~, you won’t have time to relax].
e.g. abbreviation in Latin (exempli gratia) meaning “for example”; used to illustrate [Mike
likes winter sports: ~, skating, skiing, snowshoeing].
imply (v.) to suggest.
infer (v.) to conclude.
its (pron.) the possessive of it [the school will not change ~ policy].
it’s (pron. and v.) combination of it and is [~ the school policy].
lead (v.) present tense [you ~, we’ll follow].
led (v.) past tense [you ~, we unfortunately followed].
lead (n.) the metal [the atomic weight of ~ is 207.2].
lie (v.) present tense of the intransitive verb, meaning to recline (past tense: lay; past
participle: lain].
lay (v.) present tense of the transitive verb, meaning to place (past tense: laid; past
participle: laid].
like (prep.) similar to; to introduce a phrase [“float ~ a butterfly, sting ~ a bee”—
Muhammad Ali].
as (conj.) such as; to introduce a clause [the practice went ~ the coach had planned].
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loose (adj.) apart, free.
lose (v.) 1. suffer defeat; 2. misplace.
passed (v.) past tense of the verb to pass.
past (n., adj., or prep.)
peace (n.) harmony.
piece (n.) fragment.
plain (n.) flat territory.
plain (adj.) ordinary [the explanation is ~ and simple].
plane (n.) 1. short for airplane; 2. tool for smoothing wood.
plane (adj.) flat.
principal (n.) 1. the head of a school; 2. capital necessary for financing.
principal (adj.) most significant.
principle (n.) rule or idea.
stationary (adj.) in a set position.
stationery (n.) paper and envelopes for writing letters.
that (relative pron.) the restrictive, or defining, relative pronoun [there must be a foreign
language ~ interests him], [dogs ~ live in glass houses shouldn’t throw sticks].
which (relative pron.) the nonrestrictive, or nondefining, relative pronoun, always
following a comma [he’s interested in German, ~ isn’t offered at the school],
[dogs, ~ typically like fetching sticks, are a person’s best friend].
than (conj.) for comparison [Lisa throws farther ~ Monica].
then (adv.) at a particular point in time [they went to elementary school together but
they didn’t know each other ~].
their (possessive pron.) third-person plural possessive [~ car is brand new].
there (adv.) place where [let’s not have the prom ~].
there (pron.) introductory function term [~ are many books to choose from at the book
fair].
they’re (pron. and v.) combination of they and are [~ not home].
to (prep.) [we’re not going ~ the mall again].
too (adv.) also [Jimmy likes hamburgers and hotdogs, ~].
two (n.) the number [Jimmy ate ~ hamburgers and ~ hotdogs].
weather (n.) outdoor conditions.
whether (conj.) concerning possibility [I don’t know ~ I can go out tonight].
who’s (interrogative pron. and v.) combination of who and is or of who and has [Do you
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know ~ teaching Marine Invertebrates this year?] [Do you know ~ been using my
computer?].
whose (possessive pron.) possessive form of who [Do you know ~ calculator that is?].
your (possessive pronoun) possessive form of you (Oh, it’s ~ calculator].
you’re (pron. and v.) combination of you and are [~ up next at the plate].
Spelling
14
This segment of the style manual comprises a list of spelling rules and a list of spelling
demons.
Spelling Rules
Contrary to common belief, there actually are rules for spelling in the English language,
though exceptions do, of course, exist, as will be noted. These rules come directly from
John E. Warriner, Warriner’s High School Handbook (1992). Quotation marks enclose
language taken straight from this book.
1. ie and ei:
- Use ie when the sound is e, except after c.
- Exceptions: either, seize, neither, weird, leisure.
- Use ei when the sound is not e, particularly when the sound
is a.
- Exceptions: friend, mischief.
2. Adding Prefixes:
- “When a prefix is added to a word, the spelling of the word
itself remains the same.” Examples: il+legible,
il+legitimate, un+necessary, dis+similar, mis+spell.
3. Adding Suffixes:
- The following suffixes are simply added to the word:
-ness, -ment, -ly. Examples: mean+ness, commit+ment,
usual+ly.
- Exceptions: for words ending in y, change the y to i
before -ness and -ly: steady > steadiness,
steadily; sloppy > sloppiness, sloppily.
- “Drop the final e before a suffix beginning with a vowel.”
Examples: dine+ing, sense+ible, use+able, move+able,
practice+able.
- Exceptions: “keep the final e before a suffix
beginning with a or o to retain the soft sound or c
or g preceding the e”: service+able, advantage+ ous,
manage+able.
- “Keep the final e before a suffix beginning with a consonant.” Examples: use+ful, advertise+ment.
- Exceptions: true+ly, argue+ment.
- “Double the final consonant before a suffix that begins
with a vowel if both of the following conditions exist:
(1) the word has only one syllable or is accented on its
last syllable (2) the word ends in a single consonant
preceded by a single vowel.” Examples: win+ing=
winning, omit+ed=omitted, begin+er=beginner, prefer+
ed=preferred.
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4. The Plural of Nouns:
- “The plural of nouns ending in y preceded by a consonant
is formed by changing the y to i and adding es.”
Examples: city > cities, spy > spies, penny > pennies.
- “The plural of nouns ending in y preceded by a vowel is
formed by adding an s.” Examples: turkey > turkeys,
attorney > attorneys.
- “The plural of nouns ending in o preceded by a vowel is
formed by adding s. The plural of most nouns ending in
o preceded by a consonant is formed by adding es” (e.g.,
tomatoes, heroes), with the exception of words
associated with music (e.g., altos, sopranos, pianos,
solos).
- “The plural of compound nouns consisting of a noun plus a
modifier is formed by making the noun plural.”
Examples: editors-in-chief, sons-in-law, lookers-on,
passersby.
- Exceptions: drive-ins, tie-ups.
- “The plural of numbers, letters, signs, and words considered as words is formed by adding an apostrophe and
s. Examples: “Don’t use so many and’s in your
writing.” “There are three 7’s in my telephone number.”
Spelling Demons
16
The following is a list of frequently misspelled words. It would be wise to review this list
on occasion. Many of these words come from Teresa Ferster Glazier, Basic Writing
Skills (1979).
absence
abundant
accommodate
across
actually
adolescent
allege
all right
a lot
amateur
among
analyze
apostrophe
appearance
apparatus
appreciate
argument
athlete
athletics
attendance
awkward
becoming
beggar
beginning
belief
believe
benefit
bookkeeper
buried
business
calendar
cellar
certain
committee
complete
conscientious
consciousness
criticism
cruelty
curriculum
debacle
decision
definitely
dependent
development
difference
disastrous
discipline
discussed
disease
divide
eighth
eligible
eliminate
embarrass(ed)
environment
especially
etc.
exaggerate
excellent
exercise
existence
experience
explanation
extremely
familiar
fascism
feasible
February
feminine
finally
fluorescent
foreign
gauge
government
grammar
grateful
guarantee
guard
guidance
harassment
height
hereditary
hindrance
hoping
humorous
immediately
incidentally
independent
intelligence
interest
interfere
involved
irrelevant
irresistible
knowledge
laboratory
leisure
length
library
likely
liquor
lying
marriage
mathematics
meant
medicine
miscellaneous
misspell
necessary
neither
ninety
ninth
nuclear
17
nuisance
occasionally
occurred
occurrence
opinion
opportunity
orchestra
pageant
paltry
parliament
parallel
particular
perceive
permanent
persuade
physically
planned
playwright
pleasant
precede
preferred
prejudice
privilege
propaganda
propagate
prophesy
psychology
psychoanalysis
pursue
receipt
receive
recommend
reference
relieve
religious
reminiscent
repetitive
rhythm
ridiculous
sacrifice
scene
schedule
secretary
separate
significant
similar
sincerely
sophomore
straight
succeed
success
suggest
supersede
suppress
surprise
susceptible
symmetry
temperament
thorough
though
tomorrow
tragedy
truly
twelfth
tyranny
undoubtedly
unnatural
unnecessary
villain
vinegar
Wednesday
weird
whisper
whistle
withhold
yacht
yield
Correction Symbols and Abbreviations
18
The following are correction symbols and abbreviations as well as their meanings. The
correction symbols listed below come from Warriner’s High School Handbook (1992).
The correction abbreviations come from The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research
Papers (1995).
Correction Symbols
The Beacon school
Capitalize a lowercase letter.
I like French and Math
Lowercase a capital letter.
letter the editor
Insert a missing word, letter,
punctuation mark.
definate
Change a letter.
at campus
Replace a word.
in the the cafeteria
Delete a word, letter, punctuation
mark.
tommorrow
Delete and close up.
drum beat
Close up space.
sieze
Transpose letter order.
The second chapter
Begin a new paragraph.
Stay out of my life
Add a period.
red, white and blue
Add a comma.
highschool
Add a space.
these ingredients
Add a colon.
Austin, Tex. Boston, Mass.
Add a semicolon.
well informed reporter
Add a hyphen.
Mr. DiLullos math class
Add an apostrophe.
best play of the game in the
second half
Transfer circled words (tr in the
margin).
19
a case of very bad judgment
Keep crossed-out material (stet
in the margin).
he liked cooking but not to
wash dishes
Lack of parallel structure.
Correction Abbreviations
ab
adj
adv
agr
amb
awk
cap
d
dgl
frag
lc
num
p
ref
rep
r-o
sp
ss
t
tr
vb
wdy
woc
faulty abbreviation
improper use of adjective
improper use of adverb
faulty agreement
ambiguous expression or construction
awkward expression or construction
faulty capitalization
faulty diction
dangling construction
fragment
use lowercase
error in use of numbers
faulty punctuation
unclear pronoun reference
unnecessary repetition
run-on sentence
error in spelling
faulty sentence structure
wrong verb tense
transpose terms
wrong verb form
wordy writing
see Words Often Confused list
20
21