Mrs. Mancini’s
Comment Codes, Revision Marks, and Suggested Methods of Revision
Keep this in the Writing Section of your binder and refer to it to better understand my codes on your papers before completing writing reflections and revisions.
Comment Code Translation Explanation
# Insert Space Press the space bar once after each middle mark (comma, semicolon, or parenthesis) and twice after each end mark (period, question mark, exclamation point, quotation mark).
AV Change from Passive Voice
to Active Voice In passive voice the subject is not active. It is being acted upon by the verb. Passive: “The boy was bitten by the dog.” In an active sentence the subject is doing the action
Active: The dog bit the boy. Active voice is usually preferable.
AH! or C I like what you have written and the way you put it all together (syntax; sentence style, etc.)
Smile – you’ve done a great job!
Boxed-in word or phrase with lines connecting
repetitive words or phrases elsewhere in your paper.
Too many of your sentences begin in the same way; you are repeating the same word or name too often.
Experiment with different ways to begin your sentences so they do not all sound alike.
Circle
Something pertaining to format is askew.
You might have abbreviated where you should not, used a contraction (it’s) where you should have used the more formal two words (it is), written the wrong
information in your heading, failed to italicize a title, etc. You figure it out. CS Combine Sentences
(Combine Clauses or Sentences)
CS Comma Splice - Two sentences have been joined together with only a comma.
Pick one:
1.Make two separate sentences.
2.Provide a conjunction after the comma. 3.Replace the comma with a semicolon. DATS
DAQ
Doesn’t Address Thesis Statement
Doesn’t Address Question
Take a look back at your thesis statement. Does the information you’ve provided do anything to advance your thesis?
DPA/DPW Don’t Praise the Author
Don’t Praise the Work You have not been asked to praise the author or the work, only to analyze the work.
DS Double Space It is likely that you did not double space your entire MLA paper.
EW Empty Words This sentence or paragraph offers nothing of substance to the paper. Make it matter or get rid of it.
FD Formal Diction Formal diction is required in a formal essay. Avoid abbreviations and limit your use of contractions.
FRAG You have written a fragment or an incomplete thought.
First read it aloud. It might work for you to combine it with your previous sentence. If not, see what information is missing (subject, predicate) and revise accordingly. GD/SW? Go Deeper!
So What?
Why are you sharing this information? How does it lead back to your thesis? Think more; delve deeper; offer more profound thought.
ICE Introduce, Cite, Explain Introduce background, insert quote accurately and smoothly, and
explain/analyze quote in at least two sentences. You might even refer back to a portion of the quote.
KISS Keep it short and simple Revise the sentence(s) by getting rid of every word that is unnecessary to making the sentence clear and complete. Perhaps you should omit it completely. Imagine being awarded $100 for every word you can cut from the sentence.
___________
MTS More Textual Support What you have written here does not sufficiently support the argument or ideas you present in your thesis. Provide more specific support from the text.
NPP
NSP No Personal pronounsNo Second Person I, me, my, and you are not permitted in a formal paper unless otherwise approved. Nor is second person you, your
NTS No Thesis Statement You have no identifiable thesis statement. What are you going to argue in your paper?
OT
OOP Off Track, Off TopicOut of Place Why did you include this information? It does not appear related to the argument or ideas you present in your thesis. Or perhaps it belongs elsewhere in your paper.
Paragraph Break Separate ideas into smaller paragraphs. Each new idea deserves its own paragraph.
PD You did not use
parenthetical
documentation (-in-text citation) to acknowledge that the information quoted or paraphrased is not your own.
Insert author and page number in MLA format to indicate from where information was borrowed.
PR Proofread Take out the time to do a quick read for a timed essay, and scrutinize a take-home essay to catch errors before handing it in. R Repetitive You said something similar earlier in your
paper. R-O Your sentence is running on
without proper punctuation. Three ways to repair a run-on sentence:1. Replace it with two or more simpler sentences
2. Use a coordinating or subordinating conjunction with the proper punctuation . 3. Instead of forcing the words that you have in place to work for you, start all over again and create a new and better
sentence. SDT Show Don’t Tell – This part
of your writing lacks detail. It needs more life injected into it so that the reader can better visualize what is going on.
You might provide a more detailed
example to support your thesis, or detail of an event simply by adding more specific nouns, stronger verbs, or more interesting adjectives.
rule.
TMPS Too much plot summary Assume your reader knows the basic plot of the story. Instead, provide a particular scene that serves to support your thesis. Transpose Change the order of the
words. – Ex.Wrong: Should already have arrived.
Right: Should have already arrived.
TS Thesis Statement
Your thesis statement
should tell your reader what
the paper is about and also
help guide your writing and
keep your argument focused.
ts topic sentence missing or weak
The first sentence in your body paragraph is not a valid topic sentence. It does not introduce a point in your thesis. Look back at your thesis and write a topic sentence that leads back to your thesis.
VT Verb Tense The wrong tense of the verb has been
used. It could be that you have to stay in one tense. Note: When writing about literary works and characters in literature, write in the present tense.
WC Word Choice You might have written effect when the
sentence required affect. You might have used an informal word when a formal word was required. Etc.
WTS Weak Thesis Statement
Your TS must clearly tell the reader what you’re going to address in your paper. It is customary to place your TS at the end of your first paragraph.
WOC Work on Conclusion Don’t repeat what you’ve already written in your introduction. Instead, go back to your thesis and discuss how what you have written relates to the universal theme you’ve been discussing throughout your paper. Go beyond the obvious. WOI Work on Introduction You might have left out one or more of the
following: title, author, thesis statement. You might need to find a better HOOK to entice your reader.
your paper. S
?
Syntax
I don’t understand what you’ve written here.
Syntax is the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences. What you’ve written is unclear. You can mold a better sentence/paragraph. Read it aloud. Does it roll off your tongue?
^
Insert information. First, read the sentence aloud. Then determine whether you have to insert a comma, a word, or a phrase in the space where the carrot has been placed.For example, if I write GD on your paper, it would mean that you don’t offer enough information in support of your thesis and that you need to think more deeply or discuss in more depth how your ideas relate to the importance of the work as a whole.
* Do you notice similar codes from one paper to the next? What can you learn from them?