Part 3
facewise facsimile fairyland farmhouse farmyard feedlot fencerow fieldbook filmholder firearm firefly fireplace fireproof fishplate fishoil flagship flagstaff flintlock flourmill flywheel foodstuffs football footboard footbridge foothills footnote footplate footrace footsore footstool fourfold, etc. fourscore (80) foxhound foxskin Freemason freestone
gagewheel gamebag gamedealer gamekeeper gaspipe gatepost glassblower glassworks goldenrod goldenseal goldmine grandam granddaughter greenhouse greenstone gristmill guidebook gunmaker
hailstorm hairbreadth halftone handbook handcar handrail haphazard harbormaster hardtack headband headboard hilltop homemade horsecar horseshoe hothouse
indoor inkmaker inkmaking ironclad ironfounder ironware
jackscrew jacksnipe jellyfish jobroom junkshop
keelboat kennelman keyboard knifebar
ladylike lambskin landholder landowner lawbreaker lawmaker lawsuit lifelong lifetime lighthouse lockout loophole
manhole mantelpiece meadowlark milestone milldam millpond millstone mockingbird moldboard mopboard mouthpiece mudhen multicolor multiphase
nailhole newsdealer notebook nowadays
oatmeal Oddfellowship officeholder officeseeker oilcloth onlooker outbuilding outdoor (a.) outhouse oxgall
packhorse packmule payroll pinkroot plateholder platemaker pocketbook pokeroot poolroom portemonnaie postoffice postmaster pressroom proofreader-ing proofroom prorate
racecourse racehorse racetrack rainfall rainstorm rattletrap redbird ricebird redhead redwing reedbird roadbed rollermaker ropewalk rosewater roundhouse rowboat runway
sagebrush sagehen sailboat saloonkeeper salthouse sandbar sandhill sandstone sawmill scalebeam scattergun schoolbook schoolboy schooldame schoolfellow schoolgirl schoolhouse schoolmaster schoolmate schoolmistress schoolroom scorecard scrapbook screwdriver seagirt sealskin seashore sedgefield sheepdog sheepskin sheetwise shipbuilding shipchandler shotgun showcase sidenote signboard skylark slavepen slidemaker slugcasting smokestack snowdrift snowflake snowstorm spaceband spacebar sprigtail staghound standpoint statehouse staybolt stockholder stockhouse stockyard stonecutter stonedresser storehouse storeroom storekeeper strawboard subhead sunburned switchboard
tablecloth tablespoonful tailpiece tapeworm taxpayer teaspoon telltale textbook thoroughbred threefold thumbscrew thunderstorm tidewater tieplate tinware tiptoe to-day to-morrow trademark transshipment triphase turnout turnover twofold, etc. twoscore (40, etc.) typefounder typefoundry typemaking
voltmeter
walkover warehouse washstand wastepipe watchcase watercourse watermark watershed waterworks waterproof wayfaring weakfish weekday wellwisher whitefish windrow windstorm wirehaired wolfskin woodyard workaday workbag workday workingman
yellowlegs
=45. Interrupted Compounds.= Benjamin Drew says, in _Pens and Types_: When two words connected by a conjunction are severally compound parts of a following word, the hyphen is omitted, as:
We use cast and wrought iron pillars.
I have pruned my peach and apple trees.
Some authors follow the German style, inserting the hyphens, thus:
We use cast- and wrought-iron pillars.
I have pruned my peach- and apple-trees.
The style in the last example is known as the =interrupted compound=. It is gaining ground rapidly in the best printing-houses, and is recommended by De Vinne, who uses it in his books. Here are some examples: Foot-, top-, and side-notes; quarter-, eighth-, and half-kegs; base- and foot-ball, foot- or side-note. This is good usage. See the _Century_ magazine for examples, or see any books published by the Century Company. There seems to be no other way to signify that both words in such examples are compounds.
=46. No Fixed Rules.= There are no hard and fast rules regarding compounds. It is, in fact, almost impossible to hold to a uniform, consistent style. Here are some of De Vinne’s compoundings:
(a) Subject-matter, lower-case, making-up, memorandum-book, proof-reader, fault-finding, type-setting, style-card, letter-writing, printing-house, quote-marks, quotation-marks, piece-compositors, five-to-em body, book-making, book-work, pre-historic, pre-raphaelite, ill-bred, well-formed, good-looking, composing-room, dining-table, canal-boat, ferry-house, dwelling-house [See list on page 74 of De Vinne’s _Composition_], over-wide, spelled-out, title-page, table-work, old-style, bold-faced, hymn-book, to-morrow, to-day, head-lines, type-writing, catch-lines, hair-space, thin-space, type-founders, side-heading, type-setting, foot-note, letter-writer, side-notes, six-point, cut-in note, center-note, shoulder-note, three-em indention, wide-leaded, double-leaded, every-day world. Note that they do not agree with the Chicago Proofreaders’ Association list.
(b) The following are approved forms: Fine-tooth saw, six-bit machine, six-foot pole, two-year-old horse, but six-months-old baby. Bluewing, whitefish, bricklayer, gaspipe, footboard, motherhood, widowhood.
=47. Specials.= The following list is for use in trade-journals: Hopvine, hopyard, hop-picker, labor-union, labor-saving, liquordealer, liquorseller, liquor-saloon, liquor-store, liquor-bottle, wine-merchant, wineroom, winedealer, wine-taster, wine-press, wine-party, wine-vault, wine-vinegar, wineglass, wineglassful, wine-stone, vine-disease, trade-union, trade-mark, trade-journal, trade-name, trade-wind, street-car, street-railroad, street-sweeper, street-sprinkler, street-walker, pastepot, paperknife, papercutter, saloonmen, saloonkeeper, barkeeper, barkeep, wood-alcohol.
(a) Many words that might be solidified, under the rules of logic, are set with hyphens because they present an unsightly appearance as one word. These things are largely matters of fancy.
(b) There are some such expressions as, =Italian and Chinese American citizens=, which are very puzzling. The question arises whether hyphens should be used in such expressions, and how. Such sentences are sometimes erroneously written with one hyphen, as, =Italian and Chinese-American citizens=. The sentence is proper enough as first written, but a somewhat more discriminating use would be, =Italian- and Chinese-American citizens=. In expressions like these the interrupted compounds are properly written with hyphens. See paragraph 45.
=48. Dashes.= Avoid dashes in side-headings, as in this _Style-code_. They are not needed at the end of a quotation, between it and the credit. See paragraph 22.
Also see De Vinne’s _Correct Composition_, page 273.
=49. De Vinne Rules Violated.= Though the Century Company, the _Century Magazine_, and editors high in authority follow the simple rules laid down by De Vinne, there are many violations of these rules in the _Century_ itself, as well as in its publications. Sometimes names of newspapers are quoted, and sometimes they are set in italic. The system of capitals is not closely followed. In a letter to the editor of this work, Mr. De Vinne thus explained the failure of the publications of the Century Company to show uniformity: “The Century Company has many editors, and each editor has notions of his own that printers are directed to follow. Though most of these editors abide by the rules expounded by me in my works on typography, a study of some of our books shows that the neglect to capitalize Bay, City, Island, etc., when the word refers distinctly to a proper name, is a common error--so common that the proofreaders find it a waste of time to suggest to editors and authors the need of a capital. Yet I hold stoutly to the correctness of the capital. Even careful editors are often overruled by authors. The Century printing-house can not be held responsible, with justice, for some of the eccentricities of our printing. It should be borne in mind that a printer’s business is to do what he is told.”
=50. Division of Words.= De Vinne says the system most approved now authorizes the division of a word, when consistent with pronunciation, on the vowel at the end of the syllable. The system is defective in its inability to make provision for the syllables that end with consonants. Divisions of all kinds should be prevented as often as possible. The Chicago Proofreaders’ Association offers the following rules concerning divisions. The reprint ‘follows copy’ as published by the Association:
The proper division of words is an important matter. An improper division is as much an error as a misplaced letter, and is oftentimes more misleading.
Follow the American rule of dividing words at the end of the line according to pronunciation rather than the British rule of dividing on the vowel or to show derivation. The dictionary in use in any particular office should be followed, unless otherwise directed.
Where a vowel constitutes a syllable in the middle of a word, place this vowel in the first line, as promi-nent is preferable to prom-inent, quali-ties to qual-ities, particu-lar to partic-ular, dili-gence to dil-igence, sepa-rate to sep-arate, etc. Exceptions: In words ending in -able or -ible, the single vowel should be carried into the second line.
There are frequent instances where a particular division of a word will aid the reader in its pronunciation at first sight, obviating a faltering or repetition, as pro-gress, verb, and prog-ress, noun; distrib-ute, verb, and distri-bution, noun; pre-fer, verb, and pref-erable, adjective.
Never divide a word pronounced as one syllable, as “changed,” “drowned,” “dipped,” etc.
Avoid all two-letter divisions except in very narrow measures or where very large types are used.
Avoid having three or more successive divisions at the ends of lines.
Divide En-gland and En-glish as pronounced and as they are here printed.
The addition of s to form the plural of a word--as horses, fences, etc.--does not justify a division on the last portion so formed, as, circumstan-ces, etc. Avoid all such divisions.
51. EDITORIAL OBSERVATIONS.
(1) =Employee= is a good English word. Avoid employe whenever possible to do so.
(2) =Headquarters= is usually plural, sometimes singular.
(3) =Last held= meeting. =Held= is useless. Newcomer and Teall oppose such expressions.
(4) =Etc.= It is a common error to write =etc., etc.= Once is enough.
(5) =Et al.= The use of =et als= is an error. It is always =et al.=
(6) =Follows, as follows.= As follows is always the form, because it is impersonal. =As follow= is not needed where the nominative is plural. This is on the authority of the _Oxford Dictionary_, also of Doctor Fernald of the _Standard_.
(7) =Plurals.= These are preferred plurals: Cannon, craft for vessels, heathen, fowl, cherubs, indexes, seraphs, beaus. In scientific writings it may be =seraphim=, =formulae= instead of =formulas=, =beaux=, etc.
(8) =Spoonfuls= and handfuls rather than spoonsfull and handsfull.
(9) =The following named persons.= Omit =named=. Newcomer and Teall say named is useless.
(10) =Some preferences.= Use controller, not comptroller; draft, not draught; drouth, not drought; program, not programme; dulness, not dullness; fulness, not fullness; skilful, not skillful; wilful, not willful; bazar, not bazaar; employee, not employe.
(11) =On yesterday, on Sunday.= On is usually superfluous, except in some sentences, where euphony or emphasis may make the =on= seem an element of strength.
(12) =Welsh rarebit.= Welsh =rabbit= is the correct expression. The use of rarebit in this connection is from ignorance long current. See Walsh’s _Handbook of Literary Curiosities, Greenough & Kittredge’s Words and Their Ways in English Speech_, and the late editions of standard dictionaries.
(13) =Self-confessed.= Omit =self= in such expressions as =self-confessed= murderer, etc. =Confessed= conveys the idea without any assistance from =self=.
(14) =er= words. Spell =theater=, =center=, and like words er, never ending re.
=52. Books=, papers, plays, operas, and periodicals should be cited in italic, as: Bowie’s _Tenting On Coral Strands_, the _Sun_, _Lucia_, _Mascot_, the _Century_. De Vinne notices an irregularity in the style of setting credits. However, bibliographers prefer italic; but printers (on account of the saving of labor), select quote-marks. If the name of the play and that of the character are the same, as _Ingomar_, the name of the play must be quoted, the character italicized. See De Vinne’s _Correct Composition_, page 224. See also paragraphs 22, 39.
=53. Ships and Vessels.= There is not any need to either quote or italicize the names of vessels, unless there would be doubt as to what the name means. In such cases italics are preferred, though quoting the name will do.
=54. Newspapers and Magazines.= Names of newspapers and magazines should be set in italic. Some papers and magazines quote magazines and italicize newspapers. Italics are better in both cases. De Vinne runs both in roman. The name of one’s own paper is run in small capitals. Linotype machines have upset these rules somewhat, but unwisely so in careful work.
=55. Farther.= Use farther for distance. Further is used in the sense of besides, moreover, being equivalent to additional. “I have gone further in astronomy, you have traveled farther in miles.”
=56. Foreign Words and Phrases.= All foreign words and phrases that have not been Englished by long use should be italicized. Vice versa, en route, pro tem, and like words should go in roman. Aid-de-camp, addenda, ad valorem, alias, alibi, alma mater, anno Domini, ante bellum, a propos, billet doux, bona fide, bravos, cafe, cantos, carte blanche, viva voce, rendezvous, ultimatum, post-mortem, per cent., per capita, per annum, facsimile, and about fifty like words go under the same rule.
=57. Unfamiliar Words.= Unfamiliar words are run in italic the first time, but in roman thereafter, as: _Aloha_, _renigging_, _mulching_. But see paragraph 68.
=58. Plays.= _Julius Caesar_ should be set in italic when it refers to the character in Shakespeare’s play, but the name Julius Caesar for the man. The play itself should be “Julius Caesar,” or _Julius Caesar_. See paragraph 52.
=59. Salutations.= Under the old way salutations such as _Dear Sir_: were put in italics with the colon as indicated. Dear Sir: as here written is just as proper. Take your choice and you will not err. The dash is not needed. It is well to let =Dear Sir:= occupy a line by itself, properly indented.
De Vinne says he never writes such salutations as Dear Sir in italic though he admits that italic with a colon and no dash is the commonly accepted form. He advises roman lower-case.
=60. Salutations and Indentions.= Salutations should be set in ordinary roman, with hanging indention, thus:
The Writers’ and Proofreaders’ Society for the Prevention of Burial in the Potter’s Field, 216 Goodfellows street. Office of the Secretary, 37 New Testament House, New Orleans, January 1, 1908.
To the Superintendent of the Home for the Unfortunate Dead.
_Dear Sir_:
In reply to your request for a list of our members, etc. The signature should be set in small capital letters. See De Vinne’s _Correct Composition_, page 168.
=61. Punctuation.= The Chicago Proofreaders’ Association has these rules:
Omit periods after per cent, and after roman numerals when used strictly as figures, but not when used in names, as Napoleon III.
Use em dash in conversations such as this:
Mr. Smith--Is your task completed?
Mr. Brown--Nearly.
=62. Punctuation with Parentheses.= The comma should usually go after the last parenthesis; it is seldom needed before the first one. De Vinne says: “When any complete sentence is enclosed by parentheses, the period should be before the last parenthesis, but when these parentheses enclose a few words at the end of a sentence, the period should be after the last parenthesis.”
=63. Medieval= and such words are spelled the simplest way. See the _Standard Dictionary_. Subpena, diarrhea, Etna Company.
=64. O, Oh, Oh!= These expressions are punctuated thus: O for a South Sea home! O that I had insured in the Etna! Oh, how my tooth aches! Oh! my crimes are deep and dark.
=65. Plural of Proper Names.= It is a common newspaper error to run sentences like this, from the social columns of the San Francisco _Examiner_ of July 15, 1906: “The Thomas H. Williams have been visiting the City.” The attempt to make the singular do the duty of the plural in such a case is ridiculous. Williamses is the plural of Williams. Printers and writers should learn how to write the plural of proper names.
=66. Quote-marks.= It is sometimes a puzzle where to place quote-marks. There is no better rule than that stated by De Vinne, who says that the closing marks of quotation always should be placed after the comma or the period in all places where these marks are needed; but the fact is the proper place of the closing marks of quotation should be determined by the quoted words only; they must inclose those words, and no more; they may be before or after the points, according to the construction of the sentence. When the quotation makes a complete sentence, put the quotation-marks after the period at the end of that sentence; when the quotation is at the end of but a portion of this sentence which terminates with a colon, semicolon, or any other point, then put the marks before the point. The mark of punctuation intended to define the construction of the completed sentence should not be made a portion of the fragmentary quoted matter.
A fine example of this is seen in the following: He asked, “Who said my mother lied?” and didn’t Jones reply, “Nobody dared to say that”?
=67. Smaller Type.= Quote-marks are not needed when extracts or quotations are set in smaller type than the body of the book or paper. Some reputable publications do not quote the extracts, even when they are set in the regular type of the publication and run in separate paragraphs. The indenting of the matter one em at the beginning and one em at the end of a line suffices. Such matter should be set solid when the main text is leaded.
=68. Quote-marks, single.= When especial attention is called to a word the single quote-marks are used in lieu of the old way of double quotes or italic. Thus: He said he thought the word ‘grafting’ applied to politics, not to horticulture. See De Vinne’s _Correct Composition_, page 213, where authors are advised to make one such emphasis of a word suffice, because repetition irritates the reader.
=69. Reverend and the reverend.= Never say Reverend John Brown. It must always be the Reverend John Brown, for reverend is not a title to be used like captain or doctor. Honorable should be used in the same way, if at all.
=70. Saviour and savior.= Preserve the historic way of spelling the Saviour when Jesus Christ is meant. Other saviors are without the _u_.
=71. Specials.= Print birdsnest, birdseye, bullseye, heartsease (a plant or flower), calvesfoot and neatsfoot as single words, without apostrophe or hyphen, except when signifying the actual nest of a bird, the eye of a bird or of a bull, etc.
=72. Spellings.= The Chicago _Proofreaders’ Stylebook_ has given the following list of generally misspelled words. The spellings here given are in accordance with the _Century_, the _Standard_, and _Webster_.
absinthin acoustic ax amidin antemetic arabin adz
backward baptize barytone benzoin Bering (Sea) blond (adj.) bluing bouquet Budapest bur
caldron calk, -er, -ing calligraphy camellia cantharadin carbureted Chile (S. A.) colter consensus cozy
darky defense denouement dilettante downward dram (weight) dumfounded
Eskimo
forward
gelatin glycerin gully
hacienda Hindu Hindustan
Mohammedan mold, -er, -ing molt, -ed, -ing moneys mustache
nickel
oculist offense
paraffin pedagogy polt
quartet quintet
rarefy ruble Rumania
straitlaced sestet or sextet smolder, -ing sobriquet stanch supersede
tranquility typify
upward (not wards) upward
veranda vermilion vitreous
whir whisky
=73. United States are or United States Is.= If the expression is used as a collective term, designating one great nation, the singular is correct, but there are many sentences in which the plural verb must be used. It is proper to follow copy or query the expression, if there is doubt as to its correctness.
=74. Verbs, singular or plural.= There should be no hesitation in using the singular form of a verb when the subject has a singular meaning. Sometimes the logical subject is singular, the grammatical plural, as in, =Ten dollars was paid.= By ellipsis, =the sum of= is understood.
(a) =Addition.= Shall we say “two and two is four?” Professor William Dwight Whitney decided for the _Century Dictionary_ (of which he was one of the editors), that =two and two is four=, because the full meaning is =the sum of= two and two, or something “=similarly unifying= in the sense of two and two.”
(b) The singular verb should be used when the subject is plural in form, though it represents a number of things to be taken together as forming a unit. Here is an example: Thirty-four years =affects= one’s remembrance of some circumstances. _De Quincey._
(c) The singular verb is to be used with =book titles= and =similar names and singulars= that are plural in form but logically a unit. See Baskervill and Sewell’s _English Grammar_, pages 312, 313. An example from Goldsmith is: “The Three Pigeons expects me down every moment.” So, we should say the Odd Fellows meets to-night, meaning, by ellipsis, the lodge of Odd Fellows.
(d) Companies, associations, etc., are usually singular in meaning, as: The Southern Pacific Company =is= in trouble, the Bar Association =is= incorporated. However, collective nouns are to be followed by a plural verb when the individuals are thought of separately, as: A multitude =go= mad about it. _Emerson._ All our household =are= at rest. _Coleridge._
(e) The following is from Teall: Three dollars =was= paid, ten dollars =was= the price. When the meaning is simply a sum of money as one sum, and not so many actual separate dollars, the verb should be singular. Though the verb should be singular, this is so under the rules of logic, rather than those of grammar. In literal strictness it would not be ungrammatical to say ten dollars =were= paid.
(f) Collective nouns are always singular in form, but many of them, if not most, may be used even in that form with a plural verb, but such use depends upon the nature of the thought to be expressed. Considered as really singular are a =crowd=, an =army=, a =multitude=. It should be remembered that these words also have regular plural forms, though often used with the plural verb in the collective form.
(g) All words like ethics, mathematics, physics, and politics are plural in form, but they are usually treated as singular in meaning. The dictionary definitions of such words all begin, “the science which treats,” etc. James Russell Lowell wrote politics _are_, and this has been held sufficient justification for this use. _Teall._
(h) Either =bricks= or =brick= is proper as a plural. =Brick= probably has the better standing. The _Century Dictionary_ says =brick= is the proper singular collective.