English Writing Errors
(and Correction Symbols)
Style:
Types of Error
(& Correction Symbols)
Examples and Related Web Pages
Amb  Ambiguous
spec

vag

be specific 
http://web.uvic.ca/wguide//Pages/ParDevIntro.html (from The UVic Writer's Guide)
Awk  Awkward expression or construction

awkward 
http://web.uvic.ca/wguide//Pages/MarkAwk.html (from The UVic Writer's Guide)
http://web.uvic.ca/wguide///Pages/SentTooLong.html (from The UVic Writer's Guide)
http://writing2.richmond.edu/writing/wweb/gender.html(from Writer's Web)

id or  \Chinglish (Pidgin English) idiomatic English
-- People will think that only with the people that have the definite blood relationship with them and live together can be called a home.
-- People who care about each other and stay under one roof can be called a home.
-- These insufficient or wrong concepts of sex make them don't know how to protect themselves.
 
http://www.clearcf.uvic.ca/writersguide/Pages/MarkIdiom.html (from The UVic Writer's Guide)
http://www.ruthvilmi.net/hut/help/grammar_help/idioms.html
Rep 

unnecessary repetition 
http://web.uvic.ca/wguide//Pages/MarkRep.html (from The UVic Writer's Guide)
http://web.uvic.ca/wguide//Pages/SentRep.html (from The UVic Writer's Guide)

red

redundancy

-- What is success and what does success mean?
-- I returned back to my aunt's house in the evening.
Typically abstract words: (from Wen-ling Su)

Adjectives: nice, good, interesting, bad, important, fine, major
Adverbs: basically, really, quite, very, definitely, actually, completely

e.g. Those types of major disciplinary problems are really quite difficult to solve. Disciplinary problems are difficult to solve.
e.g. Basically, she was definitely a nice person. She was friendly.

Redundant phrases: small in size, continue to remain, green in color, free gift, repeat again, combine together, final end, the reason why.
http://web.uvic.ca/wguide//Pages/MarkRed.html (from The UVic Writer's Guide)

Wdy

wordiness

-- the woman who are not able to get pregnant the infertile woman

-- Proper room between good friends won't make them distant.

-- People prefer to make friends with those who are famous for their enormous property or for the authoritative ability.  PPeople prefer to make friends with those with fame and position.?

-- Sometimes, I felt too weak to stand up but I still had to go to the hospital on my own. In fact, this didn't mean I was independent enough. Instead, this was the only choice I had.
Sometimes, I felt too weak to stand up but I still had to go to the hospital on my own, which shows my helplessness instead of my independence.

-- Taking Air Express is not a convenience way
 lless convenient

-- I have heard about this movie from my teacher lecturing me Geographywhen I was in the third year of junior high school.
my Geography teacher in my

-- There are really lots of topics mentioned iside the movie. But I was especially moved by the strong wills of pursuing the much better lives and the better spirits which the four women had.
To me, what's particularly moving about the movie is the strong will and great spirit that support the four women to pursue a much better life.

var

sentence variety 
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_sentvar.html
http://web.uvic.ca/wguide//Pages/SentVariation.html (from The UVic Writer's Guide)

cliche

worn-out expression 
http://www.richmond.edu/~writing/wweb/cliche.html(from Writer's Web)

colloq

informal expression
-- I gonna take Freshmen Composition.

Others

plag

plagiarism 

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_plagiar.html   (from OWL)


 

Some useful links regarding style can be found at:
http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/errors/errors.html#s
http://cctc.commnet.edu/HP/pages/darling/grammar.htm
http://www.grammarqueen.com/quest.html
http://www.kanten.com/styleguide/frames1.html
http://www.english.uiuc.edu/cws/wworkshop/grammarmenu.htm
http://www.baysights.com/aardvark/interactive/
http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj/quizzes/grammar.html
http://www.hut.fi/~rvilmi/help/grammar_help/

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