Correction colours

I like to use colour-coding in my feedback on students' writing.  In a long assignment of 1500 - 4000, it's likely that if I find an example of one type of error in the first couple of pages, I'll find further examples throughout the student's work.  By highlighting text in different colours (or just underlining text), I can indicate the type of problem to my students, and they can correct it by themselves. For more details about error types and how to correct them, click on the relevant labels in the right-hand column of this blog.

Underlined text : Articles and Referents (including a/an, the, this, that, and issues related to singular / plural nouns and countability)
Text highlighted in yellow: Vocabulary (including spelling, capitalization, word form, and collocation)
Text highlighted in green: Sentence structure (including relative clauses, parallel structure, word class, and missing subjects and verbs)

Text highlighted in cyan : Pattern grammar. This is where vocabulary meets grammar, so it’s about the pattern that a particular word should be used in (e.g. I look forward to seeing you, not *I look forward of I will see you)

Text highlighted in grey : Verb phrase (including tense, aspect, modal verbs, and use of the passive)
Text highlighted in dark grey : Punctuation

Text highlighted in red : Mistakes that should be easy to correct (subject-verb agreement, typos)

Text highlight in pink : Register (not appropriate for academic writing).  Note that this includes use of sources (including referencing problems, possible plagiarism, and quoted text that could be paraphrased more effectively)

Text highlighted in brown : inappropriate use of linkers 

Colour-coded advice

I'm not expert enough in HTML and blogging to be sure that this will work, but what I've tried to do in this post is create some colour-coded advice on how to correct errors that have been highlighted in your writing. If I've highlighted an error in yellow, for example, the yellow boxes below will contain advice on how to fix the problem. Click on an error type for advice

articles and countability	collocation	inappropriate linkers
modal verbs	noun phrase construction	parallel structure
pattern grammar	punctuation	referents
sentence structure	spelling / typos	style and register
subject-verb agreement	verb phrase	vocabulary choice
word class	word form	word order

 

Look at the noun that is expressing your meaning. Is it countable? Should it be singular or plural? Does your reader know exactly which one(s) you are referring to?

What’s the key word you are trying to use? Are you sure that it means what you want to express? Check collocations resources for appropriate collocates.

What’s the key word you are trying to use? Check a dictionary to see what patterns it should be used with.

Is your linking expression English? Is it logical? Will it help your reader to see a connection between sentences or sections? Do you really need it?

Have you used an appropriate combination of TENSE and ASPECT? Think about when your verb “happened”? Is it a completed action? Is it a repeated action? Think about the precise meaning of your verb. Is it an action that was “done” by someone or something? Does your sentence structure reflect this? If you are using a modal verb, are you sure that it expresses your intended meaning? Will your reader understand exactly what you want them to?

Check the structure of your sentence. How many verbs are there? How many subjects are there? Do you need to use any clever grammatical devices to include more than one subject and verb in your sentence? Do your nouns look like nouns? Do your verbs look like verbs? Are adjectives used to modify nouns? Are adverbs used to modify verbs? Does your sentence include any addition adverbial references to time, place, or attitude?

Does every sentence begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop? Are there any strange capital letters in the middle of sentences? Read your text aloud and pause wherever you have used a comma. Do commas help express your meaning clearly?

Have you turned on the spelling and grammar check on Microsoft Word? Are there any red or green lines for you to fix? Have you asked a friend to read your text for sloppy mistakes?

Is your choice of vocabulary suitable for a piece of academic writing? Have you avoided contractions and colloquialisms? Is it possible to express the same meaning with fewer words?