Writing problems common among many college students are "phrasal" errors such as limited vocabulary, inability to distinguish standard usage from slang or jargon, a tendency to frame thoughts in cliches, a peppering of meaningless intensifiers, and a gift for redundancy and wordiness. To help correct these problems, a text-checking system called…

Eleven learning-handicapped students, ages 8-13, generated text at microcomputers both alone and as members of dyads. Examination of mechanical errors revealed a lower error rate in the dyad condition compared to working alone. The relationship between error monitoring and the social interaction needed for collaboration is discussed. (Author/JDD)