Codes for correcting grammar and word choice mistakes in essays 
 

When I type this code into  a student's email:

 

  This message is inserted into their essay:  

 

   2n

 

 

What’s the correct secondary adjective ending here?

   e  e  e  n

   n  e  e  n

   n  n  n  n

   n  n  n  n

 

   ac

 

 

   ●  Why is this in the ACCUSATIVE CASE?  Choose one:

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agr

 

 

  Does your verb AGREE with your SUBJECT?

 

askm

 

 

● ask me in class  

 

ax

 

 

● Is the auxiliary verb here HABEN or SEIN?     HINT: If the verb connotes TRAVEL or state of BEING, the auxiliary is often a form of SEIN (bin, bist, ist, sind, seid.  Otherwise a form of haben.)   Check out VERBIX to be sure.  

 

bw

 

 

  BEKOMMEN means to RECEIVE something, WERDEN means TO BECOME or indicates FUTURE tense = Wir werden tanzen.

 

ch

 


Take a few minutes to review and relearn this chart.

       m         n         f        pl

NOM          Ø re      Ø se        e e      e n

ACC     n n      Ø se        e e      e n

DAT       m n      m n        r n      n n+ noun-n                                                                                                          

GEN       s n+         s n+s      r n       r n

 

cmp

 

 

  What is the COMPARATIVE FORM for this adverb or adjective?  Hint:  German never uses the word mehr for the comparative!

 

cn

  A comma always separates two clauses:  SV, SV. 

cnj

 

  Choose a different conjunction!

 

cp

 

 

  What about CAPITALIZATION here?

 

cs

 

 

  What should this CASE be?  Why?

 

cwr

 

 

  Isn't the comma in the wrong place here?

 

czu

 

 

  A comma precedes a zu-clause, right?

 

dfpr

 

 

  This PREPOSITION doesn't quite work here.   Can you choose a different one?

 

dssds

 

 

   dass is a subordinating conjunction preceded by a comma, das is an article meaning THE  (das Auto)  or it is used as a pronoun  (Das weiß ich!)

 

dt

 

 

●  Why is this in the DATIVE CASE?  Which one of the six uses

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dtpl

 

  What is the ending for all nouns in the dative plural?  n, right?

 

duw

 

 

  please use DU for students your age

 

dw

 

 

    There is a BETTER WORD for this idea.  try  http://www.dict.cc/   or   http://www.linguee.com/english-german

 

eng

 

 

   This sounds like an English idiom.  Try it again, using a more German expression.

 

ew

 

 

   Don't you need a form of EIN here?

 

fm

 

 

  Shouldn’t this be feminine?  Please check you genders!

 

fut

 

 

  How do you form the future tense?   Hint: form of WERDEN plus the INFINITIVE.

 

gdr

 

 

     What is the GENDER of this noun?  HTTP://WWW.DICT.CC/   makes it easy to check all your genders – always open it before you start writing!  

 

gn

 

 

  Why is the GENITIVE CASE needed here?  Choose one: 

          1.  shows POSSESSION -- das Haus meines Vaters  

          2.  GENITIVE PREPOSITION (statt, trotz, während, wegen) -- wegen des Wetters  

          3.  INDEFINITE TIME -- eines Tages.

 

gnd

 

 

  What is the GENDER of this noun?  HTTP://WWW.DICT.CC/   makes it easy to check all your genders – always open it before you start writing!

 

ib

 

 

  (inserts a bullet for teacher comment)

 

ij

 

 

  indicate a year with NO preposition or :  im Jahre 2012

 

imp

 

 

  What is the correct form of the IMPERATIVE here?   no ending?  t ending?   Sie plus -en ending?

 

inf

 

 

  Why is the INFINITIVE needed here?

 

mnac

 

  MAN goes to EINEN in the accusative and EINEM in the dative, right?

 

mnmn

 

 

  MAN stays MAN instead of going to ER

mnnmn

 

 

   der Mann means man or husband;  man (no capitalization, no article, no double n ) means one

 

mw

 

 

  missing word, right?  

 

mz

 

 

● you do not need the word ZU after a modal verb (können, dürfen, müssen, sollen, wollen, möchten)

nc

 

 

● you do not need the word ZU after a modal verb (können, dürfen, müssen, sollen, wollen, möchten)    

 

ne

 

 

   German don't use the expression NICHT EIN do they?  Try a form of KEIN.

nm

 

 

   ●  Why is this in the NOMINATIVE CASE?  Which one of the three uses?

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ns

 

 

  this is not a sentence – add a bit more!

 

omt

 

 

  You can OMIT this word, right?

 

ow

 

 

● Make this one word instead of two

pl

 

 

  What is the correct PLURAL of this noun?

 

pu

 

 

  What is the correct PUNCTUATION here?

 

pp

 

 

   What is the correct PAST PARTICIPLE here?  Do you have your list of past participles handy whenever you write? http://www.dict.cc/  also gives principle parts – open it now!

 

pr

 

 

  Use a  primary (strong, gendered) ending here!  Please memorize the chart:

         der das die die 

         den das die die   

         dem dem der den   

         des des der der

 

pr

 

 

  PRONOUNS come early in the sentence, right?

 

prp

 

 

● Please insert a preposition!   

 

ps

 

 

● The passive voice uses a form of WERDEN plus the past participle.

 

pss

 

 

   Past subjunctive = form of hätte or wäre plus the past participle.

 

pt

 

 

  What is the correct PAST TENSE form of this verb?  If the verb is strong, you need to look it up. If it is weak, you will use -TE as all or part of the ending!    http://www.dict.cc/   gives principle parts – open it now!

 

rcl

 

 

   Your RELATIVE PRONOUN here acts like a SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTION:  COMMA comes right before it.... the VERB goes LAST.

 

rfpr

 

 

   Use a REFLEXIVE PRONOUN with this verb.  (The dictionary will say sich)

          mich/mir      uns

          dich/dir         euch

          sich             sich   sich

 

rlpr

 

 

  What is the correct form of the RELATIVE PRONOUN here?

GENDER (look for the NOUN it refers back to) …

CASE (how does the pronoun function in its own clause?)

                der       das          die        die

                den      das          die        die

                dem     dem         der       denen

                dessen  dessen   deren   deren

 

sbcn

 

 

   What is the correct SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTION here?

 

sbj

 

 

  What is the correct form of the SUBJUNCTIVE here?  Try looking up the SUNJUNCTIVE mood in a good grammar book!

 

sim

 

 

  Can you rewrite or simplify this idea to make it easier to understand?               

 

sn

 

   Can you create a complete sentence?

sp

 

 

   Check the spelling of this word!  You can simply type it into Google and Google will often guess the right spelling!

 

spr

 

 

   What is the correct form of the SUPERLATIVE here?

                google this:  German superlative

                http://www.dict.cc/ also gives comparative and superlative forms – use it!

 

stry

 

 

   Past perfect, PAST TENSE, and conditional (würde) fit together --  and are often used to tell a story.

sv, stv

 

 

   Isn't this a STRONG VERB?   Check the verb forms here: http://www.verbix.com/languages/german.shtml

         Here is a  o good list:   http://www.vistawide.com/german/grammar/strong_and_irregular_german_verbs.htm

 

 

ßlg

 

 

  Use "ß"  after LONG VOWELS -- stoßen ... weiß ...

 

ti

 

 

● Tolle Idee.  

 

tm

 

 

  Don't TIME ADVERBS come early in the sentence?   Try the PREFIELD or right after the VERB

tn

 

 

   What TENSE should this be?

 

tns

 

 

   What TENSE should this be?

 

tt

 

 

  please break this complex sentence into two or three shorter sentences.  It will help your reader understand what you are trying to say.    

 

tw

 

 

   You need a THE word, right?

 

undr

 

● I don't quite understand what you are trying to say

 

v2

 

 

 Isn’t the inflected verb always the second element in normal word order?

 

vb

 

 

   Check the verb forms here: http://www.verbix.com/languages/german.shtml

 

vl

 

 

  Put this verb last!  Why?   

 

vv

 

 

viel is singular, viele is plural  

 

wd

 

 

    There is a BETTER WORD for this idea.  try  http://www.dict.cc/   or   http://www.linguee.com/english-german

 

wh

 

 

  Here are the options for answering W O H I N

      ZU usually used with persons and buildings

             zu Anna --- zur Bibliothek -- zur Schule -- zum Supermarkt -- zu meiner Oma

     NACH with cities and most countries -- and going home

            nach St. Joe -- nach Österreich -- nach München -- nach Salzburg -- nach Hause

     IN is used frequently for buildings a some countries

            in den Wald --  in die Kirche -- in die Schweiz -- in die Vereinigten Staaten -- in die Türkei

 

wm

 

 

  This is a weak masculine noun.  What ending does it get in acc, dat and gen?

 

wn

 

 

   Wunderbar.  Keine Fehler.  

 

wo

 

 

● take a look at word order.

 

wv

 

 

   Isn't this a WEAK verb?   here is the pattern:    lieben, liebte, hat geliebt

                Isn't the simple past tense ending always -te f or WEAK VERBS?

                For the PRESENT PERFECT TENSE, doesn't the past participle end in –t ?  check out http://www.dict.cc/

                Check all verb forms here: http://www.verbix.com/languages/german.shtml

wwa

 

 

  wenn means if and when,  wann is a question word,  als mean when and is used only with the past tense (Als ich 15 war,…)  

 

ze

 

 

  ein words have NO ending in MASC NOMINATIVE

     ein words have NO ending in NEUTER NOM or ACC!
 

                mein          mein     meine    meine

                meinen      mein      meine    meine

                mienem     meinem   meiner   meinen

                meines      meines    meiner   meiner 

 

Here are all the words that follow this pattern:  mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, euer, ihr, Ihr, ein, kein