Chapter 7: Giving Correction and Feedback 109
Wielding Your Red Pen
Before I say anything about correcting written work, let me address the red
pen debate. There are those who believe that the colour red is far too aggres-
sive and confrontational to be used for marking. Others say it is the only
colour that really stands out and that other ‘friendlier’ colours such as green
and purple should represent opinions not correction. You have to make up
your own mind about the colour of ink you choose, keeping in mind what is
appropriate in the local culture.Chinese students take offence if you write their names in red. They consider it
rude, unlucky or both.Marking with correction codes
Most teachers use a correction code when they mark written work so that
the student can do some self-correction. You can devise your own symbols
but Table 7-1 shows some possibilities.Table 7-1 Correction Codes
Mark Error Indicated
/\ A word is missing
/ Start a new sentence
// Start a new paragraph
Gr Grammar error
Sp Spelling error
P Punctuation error
Art Error with articles (a, an, the)
c/unc Countable/uncountable error (you can use a/an before countable
nouns but never before uncountable noun)
Wo Wrong word order
Ww Wrong word
Wt Wrong tense
Wf Wrong form
Irreg Irregular verb
? Unclear