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A List of Proofreading Marks for Kids

The ability for a child to edit his own writing is yet another step toward accurate self-expression. Editing a classmate's writing teaches him patience, critical and detail-oriented thinking and respect for an author's literary voice. Learning and utilizing basic proofreading marks is key for a child to begin this process. As various forms of writing and editing are often parts of everyday life, knowing a few proofreading marks will likely serve him for a lifetime.
  1. Period, Comma and Colon

    • To insert a period into a sentence, write a period where one belongs and circle it. To insert a comma, draw an upward caret symbol where the comma belongs and write a comma within it. To insert a colon, draw an upward caret symbol where a colon belongs and write a colon within it. For each of these corrections, also draw the mark on the same line as the correction in the far right margin.

    Apostrophe

    • To insert an apostrophe, draw a downward caret symbol where an apostrophe belongs and write an apostrophe within it. Also draw the mark on the same line as the correction in the far right margin.

    Quotation Marks

    • To insert quotation marks, draw two downward caret symbols -- one symbol where the opening quotation marks belong and one where the closing quotation marks belong. Write a set of quotation marks within each symbol. Also draw the mark on the same line as the correction in the far right margin.

    Capital Letters

    • To capitalize a letter, draw three small lines underneath each letter that needs capitalizing. Also write the letters "cap" on the same line as the correction in the far right margin.

    Lowercase Letters

    • To lowercase a letter, draw a backward-slanting line through each letter that needs lowercasing to strike it out. Also write and circle the letters "lc" on the same line as the correction in the far right margin.

    Spell Out

    • To suggest that a word be spelled out, circle the word and write the letters "sp" to the top right of the word. Also write and circle the letters "sp" on the same line as the correction in the far right margin.

    Insert Space and Close Up

    • To insert a space, draw a backward slanting line where a space should be inserted and draw a pound sign to the top right of the mark. Also repeat the pound sign mark on the same line as the correction in the far right margin. To close up a space, draw the top half of a circle above and the bottom half of a circle below the two letters or words that need connecting. Also repeat an empty version of the mark on the same line as the correction in the far right margin.

    Transpose Letters

    • To fix the order of letters or words, draw a sideways "S" shape with the first hump arcing over the first letter or word that needs to be moved and the second hump arcing underneath the letter or word the first should be transposed with. Also repeat an empty version of the mark on the same line as the correction in the far right margin.

    Delete and Insert

    • To delete a letter or word, draw a forward-slanting line with a small looped-the-loop at the end through the letter or word to be omitted. To insert a letter or word, draw an upward caret symbol underneath and between the two letters or words that need a letter or word inserted between them. For each of these corrections, also repeat the mark on the same line as the correction in the far right margin.

    Start a Paragraph or No New Paragraph

    • To suggest the starting point for a new paragraph, draw what looks like a backwards "P" but with two vertical lines for the stem rather than one. To suggest a point at which two paragraphs should become one, draw the same mark you would to suggest a new paragraph but write the word "no" before it. For each of these corrections, also draw the mark on the same line as the correction in the far right margin.

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