Key to Darren’s essay comment codes
Amb Ambiguous—the statement says more than one thing, or it says
something you might not intend.
Def.
Define the term or terms I have marked.
Gr
Grammar problem
Unc
Unclear--usually related to a grammar problem
Ir
Irrelevant, omit or explain why this is necessary
Rhe
Rhetorical questions—don’t ask them unless absolutely
necessary, ESPECIALLY if you aren’t going to answer them.
They do not count as thinking.
MAE
Make Argument Explicit—unpack or reveal the argument,
define terms, explain or support your statement/opinion.
Q
quote problem—either you didn’t cite the quote (plagiarism)
or the quote is too lengthy, or you aren’t showing to me that
you understand the quote, or it is not appropriate to the context
where you used it.
Sp spelling problem.
Usually I just circle the letters that are incorrect.
Tr
Transition problem—lack of focus/organization.
Jumped from one idea to another without clear connection.
May be a case of MAE if not a case of wandering, disjointed
thoughts.
Mis
Misunderstanding of the reading or text in question.
Other
markings
Circled words:
probably a poor choice of words, or I am pinpointing
a specific word as central to my criticism of your argument.
Circled letters in a word: an incorrect
spelling, or incorrect grammatical form of word
Diagonal line through a word or letter:
omit
Two words connected by an S on its side:
Indicates that you words reversed.
Alot is not a word.
A large quantity is a lot (two words).
To allow or provide is allot.
You
are encouraged to rewrite relevant portions of your tests and
bring them to me with your original for a discussion.
The main intent of the comments is to help guide you to
improve on future essays, and let you know what sorts of writing/thinking
expectations I have.
You do not HAVE to respond to my suggestions to expand,
explain, rewrite, etc.
If you do, however, I will definitely consider raising
a grade—with a personal discussion/interview about the paper.
If
there are numerous errors in English composition, then I will
not mark them. Instead, I will give them to you with a
note to see a tutor in the Learning Assistance Center, and go
over the paper carefully so that you learn to correct some of
those errors in the future.
