Common Editing Abbreviations
"run on" or "run on sentence"
This means you have a sentence that your editor thinks needs to be broken up into two sentences, usually for clarity's sake. Some call this a "fused sentence."
"awkward" or "awkward sentence" and "imprecise wording"
This means your phrase sounds awkward to the reader and needs to be rephrased to make it more pleasing to the ear. Your word choice may also be imprecise or could be improved with a little work. This is a request that you consider trying to rewrite the phrase or sentence so it sounds clearer, more precise, or less "clunky."
"sp" or "spelling"
This means you have a spelling error. If the editor's mark is "sp?" (with a question mark) that means the editor is not absolutely sure that you have misspelled the word but it looks wrong to them and it looks to them like it may be misspelled. Look up the spelling in the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Edition. Spelling errors should be circled in red and "sp" put over the word. It is not the responsibility of the editor to correct your spelling but to point out possible mistakes by circling them quickly and putting "sp" next to them. It is the author's responsibility to correct their own spelling. Some words sound alike but have different meanings like "site," "sight," and "cite." To correct this, read your rough draft through for commonly confused word pairs and pay particular attention to p. 579-580 in Chapter 43 in the Longman Handbook. Start listing particular words you are having difficulty recognizing. Other kinds of spelling errors include combining two words that should be separate e.g. "everyone of them" instead of "every one of them" and not combining two words that are actually one word e.g. "driveway" is one word rather than "drive way."
, and ,
^ ... v
An editor's suggestion for a comma, period, or word insertion may have a small "v" or "^" where the punctuation should go. Use a "v" if you are writing the correction above the line and a "^" if you are writing the correction below the line.
"comma?"
Your editor is questioning your usage of commas. This means either that your reader thinks that you need a comma put into the sentence, or the one you have placed in the sentence may need to come out of the sentence. The various rules of comma usage are explained in Chapter 32 of the Longman Handbook. If two "independent clauses" (i.e. they could stand alone as complete English sentences) are joined by a conjunction like "and" or "but" you should put a comma before the conjunction. For example, "I ran the marathon, and I tripped at the end." If the last clause could not stand alone as a complete English sentence and is important to the main idea of the sentence then you generally do not use a comma before the conjunction. For example, "I ran the marathon and tripped." "Tripped" is not a complete English sentence that could stand alone. Commas also generally go where people would pause in their breathing in reading the sentence out loud in order to make the meaning of the sentence clear. This is using a comma to improve clarity. Excessive use of commas can be distracting however and should be avoided. If you have three items in a row the APA Manual puts a comma before the word and e.g. "He had coffee, eggs, and toast for breakfast." Newspapers usually do not do it this way.
"slang"
Generally speaking, slang is avoided entirely in formal academic writing such as in academic journal articles or a research paper, and it is considered a writing error. In the long run, slang dates your writing and sounds too informal. On the other hand, slang may be entirely appropriate in fiction writing where dialogue is present or in creative writing. If you want to use slang to make a stylistic point, you certainly may do so, but it should be placed in quotation marks. This tells an academic audience that you are consciously using slang to make your point and are not just ignorant of your audience's writing expectations. Phrases like "I gave him input on the paper" (a computer term) or made up words like "journaling" (the correct English verb is "journalizing") are considered slang expressions. Check Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary 10th edition if you have any doubts about word usage.
"elaborate"
This usually means that you have made an interesting point, but the reader would like to see more discussion of the point and more explanation or support.
"sentence fragment"
This means you do not have a complete English sentence. Part of the sentence is obviously missing. A complete English sentence just needs a subject and a verb, but it must have both, e.g. "I ran" is a complete English sentence.
"missing words?"
This means you have probably been typing and revising too fast and it appears that you have inadvertently left a word or words out of the sentence.
"comma splice"
This means you are using a comma to link two sentences when you should have used a period and capitalized the beginning of the second sentence. This is often seen with "run on" sentences. Sometimes a semicolon and an uncapitalized start to the next clause can also be used for proper punctuation. Read Chapter 21 of the Longman Handbook starting on p. 323 to learn the rule and correct this error.
"use past tense consistently"
This usually means you are switching between tenses. Do not switch between the past tense and the present tense when you are talking about things that happened in the past. If you are describing a completed and published study in a journal for example you should describe everything about it in the past tense. As a stylistic matter you can write personal narratives in the present tense but do it consistently throughout. Switching between past and present tense is a common error in beginning writers. It is jarring to the reader and imprecise writing since you are signaling a shift in time. To correct this will require that you proofread especially for that problem with a separate reading in order to spot it. As an example, the word "was" refers to the past and is writing in the past tense. The word "is" refers to the present. Read Chapter 24(b) starting on p. 366 of the Longman Handbook to learn this rule of writing and to correct this error.
"use active voice"
Using active verbs like "The car hit the bicyclist" or "Everyone likes Joe" gives life to writing. Passive writing, with passive verbs, like "The bicyclist was hit by the car" or "Joe is liked by everyone" eventually makes a piece of writing sound dull and "flat." Give your writing "sparkle" by using an active voice.
"misplaced modifier"
You are saying something you probably do not intend because your modifier is located in the wrong place in the sentence. Rearrange the sentence.
"subject-verb agreement"
The number of your subjects and the number of your verbs do not agree. For example, "The editors is important" should be "The editors are important."
"font change"
The font size and font style should not change in a paper from "Times New Roman" at 12 point font. When making editing corrections to the final draft, the corrections will inadvertently be added in the default font size which is often the smaller size 10. To correct this, "select all" and push the 12 point size button to make sure everything in the final paper is consistently at the 12 point font size.
"missing an apostrophe" and "its" versus "it's"
Words need an apostrophe in order to show possession. For example, "the teams logo" should be "the team's logo." The apostrophe shows possession. To correct this problem read Chapter 34 in the Longman Handbook at p. 497. Remember the confusing exception that "it's" is a contraction meaning "it is" and "its" shows possession for "it" without using the apostrophe. (See p. 499 of Longman.)
"paragraph structure and organization"
According to the Longman Handbook, "Every time you begin a new paragraph, you send a signal to readers: you tell them to watch for a shift in topic, a different perspective, or a special emphasis. You make promises too: you will develop ideas and details in ways appropriate to your writing task, and you'll link sentences and ideas in ways that make their relationships clear" (Longman p. 86). Paragraphs should be about one idea and supporting information. A typical error is to put too many different ideas in a paragraph. A separate problem is to put only one sentence in a "paragraph" that could better go in the paragraph above or below it. To correct this, read Chapter 8 in the Longman Handbook.
"thesis sentence needs to be clearer"
Readers should normally not need to guess at what the main idea is. Somewhere in the first paragraph a crystal clear thesis sentence should appear that summarizes the point of what will follow. Sometimes it is best to write or rewrite this thesis sentence after you have completed the body of the text. Each paragraph should also have a clear topic sentence.