How to Save Time Grading Essays
Grading essays with specific comments can be very time-consuming. Rather than simplistically giving a wholistic score without specific comments, use the editing tools of Microsoft Word® to give prescriptive comments and still save time. These are comments that students will actually read. Require students to modify their writing, according to your comments, by using the Track Changes function in Microsoft Word®, to help students refine their essays.
Here are the most frequently used prescriptive comments for essay commentary. A quick one-page “Editing Short-Cuts” reference follows. To program these comments into Microsoft Word®, simply open “Tools” and then “Autocorrect Options.” Put e1 into “Replace” and then copy and paste Use commas before or after speaker tags. Example: She said, “Call me at home.” into “With.” Continue with the rest of the list.
On the students’ Microsoft Word® essays, click the cursor where you want to make a comment. Open “Insert” and then “Comments.” Type in e1 and the comments with appear in the comment bubble.
e1. Use commas before or after speaker tags. Example: She said, “Call me at home.”
e2. Use commas to set apart appositives. Example: That man, the one with the hat, left.
e3. Use commas after each item in lists (except the last). Example: John, Jane, and Jose left early.
e4. Use commas after introductory words or phrases. Example: First of all, you should listen to me.
e5. Use commas between number dates and years. Example: It all happened on May 3, 1999.
e6. Use commas between geographical places. Example: She lived in Tampa, Florida.
e7. Use commas after greetings/closings in personal letters. Example: Dear Ralph, …Sincerely, …
e8. Use commas after nouns of direct address. Example: Kristin, leave some for your sister.
e9. Use commas before conjunctions to join two independent clauses. Example: I liked her, and she liked me.
e10. Use exclamation points for surprise or strong emotions. Example: The decision really shocked me!
e11. Use quotation marks before and after direct quotations. Example: Sue said, “I’m going to bed.”
e12. Use quotation marks before and after songs, poems, document titles, book chapters, magazine articles, and short story titles. Example: Whenever I hear “Clementine,” it reminds me of “Leaves of Grass” and “The Gettysburg Address.”
e13. Use colons after business letter greetings. Example: Dear Sirs:
e14. Use colons to introduce lists. Example: The following: shoes, pants, and…
e15. Use colons between numbers in relationship. Example: 8:52 P.M.
e16. Use semicolons to join independent clauses without conjunctions. Example: Jamal went to school; Larry met him there.
e17. Underline movie, television show, book, magazine, play, and work of art titles.
e18. Use apostrophes for contractions. Example: I can’t see what they’re doing.
e19. Use apostrophes for singular and plural possessives. Example: Tom’s and the girls’ coats were red.
e20. Use parentheses to explain or define. Example: The hombre (man) rode off alone.
e21. Capitalize proper nouns (a name that is given to special persons, places, or things). Example: Ryan visited the Holocaust Museum in Los Angeles.
e22. Capitalize holidays, dates, groups, organizations, and businesses. Example: Last Easter on March 24, 2002 the P.T.A. and McDonald’s helped out.
e23. Capitalize the first, last, and any important words in titles. Example: Prince Charles’s favorite book was Islands of Adventure.
e24. Capitalize the names of languages and peoples. Example: He spoke Spanish to the Indians.
e25. Capitalize special events and historical periods. Example: The New Year’s Day Parade celebrates the Year of the Dog.
e26. The “i” before “e” Rule—Usually spell “i” before “e” (believe), but spell “e” before “i” after a “c” (receive) and when the letters are pronounced as a long /a/ sound (neighbor).
e27. The Final “y” Rule—Keep the “y” when adding an ending if the word ends in a vowel, then a “y” (delay-delayed), or if the ending begins with an “i” (copy-copying). Change the “y” to “i” if the word ends in a consonant, then a “y” (pretty-prettiest).
e28. The Silent “e” Rule—Drop the “e” (have-having) if the ending begins with a vowel. Keep the “e” (close-closely) if the ending begins with a consonant, has a soft /c/ or /g/ sound, then an “ous” or “able,” or if it ends in “ee”, “oe”, or “ye.”
e29. The Double the Consonant Rule—Double consonants, when adding on endings if these conditions are met: 1. last syllable is accented (per/MIT) 2. last syllable ends in a vowel–consonant (permit) and 3. ending begins with a vowel (ed).
e30. The Ending “an”–“en” Rule—End words with “ance”, “ancy”, or “ant” if the root has a hard /c/ or /g/ sound or it ends with “ear” or “ure.” End words with “ence”, “ency”, or “ent” if the root has a soft /c/ or /g/ sound, after “id,” or it ends with “ere.”
e31. The “able”–“ible” Rule—End words with “able” if the root has a hard /c/ or /g/ sound, after a complete root word, or after a silent “e.” End words with “ible” if the root has a soft /c/ or /g/ sound, an “ss,” or after an incomplete root word.
e32. The Ending “ion” Rule—Spell “sion” (illusion) for the final zyun sound or the final shun sound (expulsion, compassion) if after an “l” or “s.” Spell “cian” (musician) for a person and “tion” (condition) in most all other cases.
e33. The Plurals Rule—Add an “s” even with “y” or vowel—“o” endings. Spell “es” after /s/, /x/, /z/, /ch/, or /sh/ sounds or a consonant— “o.” Change a “y” to “i” and add “es” when the word ends in a consonant—“y.” Change “fe” or “lf” ending to “ves.”
e34. —=Delete
e35. vt=verb tense error
e36. ww=wrong word
e37. ¶=needs new paragraph
e38. v=Close gap
e39. ~=Reverse
e40. ro=run-on sentence
e41. frag=sentence fragment
e42. ‘=Insert an apostrophe
e43. awk=awkward
e44. mm=misplaced modifier
e45. dev=inadequate development
e46. irr=irrelevant
e47. nc=not clear
e48. red=redundant
e49. sup=add support evidence
e50. trans=needs transition
e51. wordy=excessively wordy
e52. //=lacks parallel structure
e53. voice—needs third person
e54. slang—informal language
e55. figure of speech—Avoid idiomatic expressions in formal writing.
e56. verb—Too many “to be” verbs
e57. Abbv—Do not use abbreviations in formal writing
e58. cont=Don’t use contractions in formal writing
e59. wc=word choice (word overused)
e60. db neg=double negative
e61. pv=passive voice unnecessary
e62. Rhetorical question in which answer is assumed
e63. Too many prepositional phrase strings
e64. Avoid (parenthetical) remarks.
e65. Don’t start sentences with coordinating conjunctions, e.g. but, and, so, or.
e66. Don’t split infinitives, e.g. “to carefully walk”
e67. Don’t end sentences with prepositions.
e68. Don’t refer to your own writing.
Writing Content
e69. def=Define this term.
e70. spf=Get more specific.
e71. cit=Needs citation
e72. Needs sentence variety
e73. Off topic—focus is off of central idea
e74. Overstated idea—exaggerated
e75. seq=sequence problems
e76. Inconsistent argument
e77. Needs topic sentence
e78. Needs variety of types of evidence
e79. Needs another introduction strategy
e80. Needs variety of introduction strategies
e81. Thesis is unclear—must state purpose or point of view.
e82. Re-state the thesis to introduce the conclusion.
e83. Needs another conclusion strategy
e84. Needs variety of conclusion strategies
e85. Proper Heading (Left, Top, Four Lines): John Doe–Mr. Pennington–English-language Arts–7 March, 2009 Then, have two double spaces before indenting your first paragraph one Tab space.
e86. Set one inch margins; double space; use Times New Roman 12 (no bold face); and indent each paragraph one inch–don’t skip lines between paragraphs.
Editing Marks Short-Cuts
Mechanics
1. Commas—speaker tags
2. Commas—appositives
3. Commas—lists
4. Commas—introductory word(s)
5. Commas—dates
6. Commas—geography
7. Commas—letters
8. Commas—direct address
9. Commas—before conjunctions
in independent clauses
10. Exclamation points
11. Quotation marks for dialog
12. Quotation marks—titles
13. Colons—letters
14. Colons—lists
15. Colons—relationships
16. Semicolons
17. Underline titles
18. Apostrophes—contractions
19. Apostrophes—possessives
20. Parentheses
21. Capitalize—proper nouns
22. Capitalize—holidays, dates, groups, organizations, and businesses
23. Capitalize—titles
24. Capitalize—languages and peoples
25. Capitalize—special events and historical periods
Spelling
26. The “i” before “e” Rule
27. The Final “y” Rule
28. The Silent “e” Rule
29. The Double the Consonant Rule
30. The Ending “an”–“en” Rule
31. The “able”–“ible” Rule
32. The Ending “ion” Rule—
33. The Plurals Rule—
Writing Errors
34. —=Delete
35. vt=verb tense error
36. ww=wrong word
37. ¶=needs new paragraph
38. v=Close gap
39. ~=Reverse
40. ro=run-on sentence
41. frag=sentence fragment
42. ‘=Insert an apostrophe
43. awk=awkward
44. mm=misplaced modifier
Writing Revisions
45. dev=inadequate development
46. irr=irrelevant
47. nc=not clear
48. red=redundant
49. sup=add support evidence
50. trans=needs transition
51. wordy=excessively wordy
52. //=lacks parallel structure
53. voice—needs third person
54. slang—informal language
55. figure of speech
56. verb—Too many “to be” verbs
57. Abbv—Do not use abbreviations
58. cont=Don’t use contractions
59. wc=word choice (word overused)
60. db neg=double negative
61. pv=passive voice unnecessary
62. Rhetorical question
63. Too many prepositional phrase strings
64. Avoid (parenthetical) remarks.
65. Don’t start sentences with coordinating conjunctions
66. Don’t split infinitives
67. Don’t end sentences with prepositions
68. Don’t refer to your own writing.
Writing Content
69. def=Define this term.
70. spf=Get more specific.
71. cit=Needs citation
72. Needs sentence variety
73. Off topic
74. Overstated idea
75. seq=sequence problems
76. Inconsistent argument
77. Needs topic sentence
78. Needs variety of types of evidence
79. Needs another introduction strategy
80. Needs variety of introduction strategies
81. Thesis is unclear
82. Re-state the thesis
83. Needs another conclusion strategy
84. Needs variety of conclusion strategies
85. Needs proper MLA heading
86. MLA formatting needs work
