This is a guide to the symbols I use when marking up your writing assignments. Each symbol stands for a particular kind of error. By marking the types of errors you're making, my aim is to help you identify the areas on which you need to focus to improve the accuracy of your written English.
Important: When I mark up your assignments, I will not necessarily mark every single error you make. Instead, I will mark those errors that seem to occur most frequently in your writing, or those that cause the greatest difficulties for the reader.
When looking over my feedback on your writing, look for patterns. Which symbols do you see most often on your writing? Make sure you understand that particular category of error (ask me if you're unclear!) and in your future writing, focus on that specific issue.
Note: This guide is a work in progress. As I gather more examples I will add them to this guide, and add more detailed descriptions as well. If you want know more about a type of error I haven't documented very extensively, please ask me!
Standard editing marks
These are marks and symbols that are widely used in the English-speaking world when editing documents. I use them when marking up your papers, and you may well see other teachers using them as well.
Austin's special editing marks
These are symbols and abbreviations that I've invented. You won't necessarily see other people using these marks.
= this sentence is structured like a Chinese sentence rather than an English sentence
（中式句型）
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= formatting is incorrect or sloppy
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= you’re using the word as a mass noun when it should be a count noun, or vice versa
（可数/不可数名词问题）
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= what you’ve written is close to the correct phrase but contains a minor error or deviation
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= this isn’t a real word
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= run-on sentence
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= you need to add something here
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= this word doesn’t mean what you think it does, or it doesn’t usually go with the word(s) you’ve paired it with
（用词不准确/词语搭配问题）
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