Part 3

Sometimes marks of punctuation belong inside quotation marks and sometimes outside, as: "_Did you hear him say, 'I am here'?_" But in this case: "_I heard him say, 'Are you here?'_" Continental usage permits this form: "_Are you shot!?_" but it is not in good use on this side.

Use no quotation marks with slang of your own writing.

Use no quotes in writing testimony with question and answer. This is the style:

Q.--What is your name? A.--John Jones.

Observe the style on quotes within quotes: _The witness said: "I asked him, 'Where is my copy of "Paradise Lost"?'"_

OBSERVATION

Writes Arnold Bennett: One is curious about one's fellow-creatures: therefore one watches them. And generally the more intelligent one is, the more curious one is, and the more one observes. The mere satisfaction of this curiosity is in itself a worthy end, and would alone justify the business of systemized observation. But the aim of observation may, and should, be expressed in terms more grandiose. Human curiosity counts among the highest social virtues (as indifference counts among the basest defects), because it leads to a disclosure of the causes of character and temperament and thereby to a better understanding of the springs of human conduct. Observation is not practiced directly with this high end in view (save by prigs and other futile souls); nevertheless it is a moral act and must inevitably promote kindliness--whether we like it or not. It also sharpens the sense of beauty. An ugly deed--such as a deed of cruelty--takes on artistic beauty when its origin and hence its fitness in the general scheme begin to be comprehended. In the perspective of history we can derive esthetic pleasure from the tranquil scrutiny of all kinds of conduct--as well, for example, of a Renaissance Pope as of a Savonarola. Observation endows our day and our street with the romantic charm of history, and stimulates charity--not the charity which signs cheques, but the more precious charity which puts itself to the trouble of understanding. The condition is that the observer must never lose sight of the fact that what he is to see is life, is the woman next door, is the man in the train--and not a concourse of abstractions. To appreciate all this is the first inspiring preliminary to sound observation.

NOUNS

Watch for nouns ending in _-ics_. Many of them are singular, such as _politics_, _mathematics_, _ethics_.

Make sums of money singular: _Five dollars was spent_, unless individual pieces of money are meant, as: _Five silver dollars were placed on the table_. Write _moneys_, not _monies_.

Remember that _data_, _memoranda_, _phenomena_, _paraphernalia_, _bacteria_ and _strata_ are plural.

Distinguish between _majority_ and _plurality_. _Majority_ means the lead of a candidate over _all other_ candidates. _Plurality_ means the lead of a candidate over _one other_ candidate.

_Event_, _incident_, _affair_, _occurrence_, _happening_, _circumstance_ do not mean the same things. Look them up.

Use _preventive_, not _preventative_.

Distinguish between _ambassador_, _minister_, _consul_, _envoy_.

Avoid feminine forms of such words as _author_, _artist_, _dancer_, _violinist_, _pianist_, _poet_. It may be necessary occasionally to change more than the spelling. For example, _the world's greatest pianiste_ may not mean _the world's greatest pianist_.

Prefer motorist to automobilist and autoist.

_Sewer_ is a drain. _Sewage_ is what goes through it. _Sewerage_ is a system of drains.

Don't use _divine_ as a noun.

Don't write _couple_ unless you mean two things joined and not merely two.

Don't write _party_ for _person_, nor _people_ for _persons_.

Don't use _citizens_ when you mean simply _persons_.

Don't write _a large per cent of_ when speaking of persons when you mean _a large proportion_.

When nouns are attended by participles, two constructions are possible. One may say either _I know of John's being there_, or _I know of John being there_; _The fact of the battle's having been lost_, or _The fact of the battle having been lost_. The possessive is to be preferred with proper names and in most simple constructions; it is _altogether to be preferred with pronouns_ when the principal idea is in the participle. One says: _I saw him going_, _I heard them singing_; but _I heard of his going_; _I urged his going_; _I advised their attending_; _I objected to his staying_; _I opposed their going_; _the fact of his being there made a difference_; _On his saying this the people shouted_; _With their consenting the thing was settled_; _He spoke of my setting out as already agreed to_; _He found fault with our accepting the place_, etc.

Collective nouns are usually singular, as, _The club has increased its membership_. However, a collective noun, when it is used to refer more particularly to individuals than to the mass, is plural, as _The crowd was orderly_, but, _The crowd threw up their hats_. In using collective nouns beware of mixing the number. Do not write, _The audience was in their seats_, but _The audience was seated_, or _The audience were in their seats_.

PREFER

_Station to depot_ _House or home to residence_ _Woman to lady_ _Man to gentleman_ _Telephone to phone_ _Automobile to auto_ _Motor car to motor_ _Bridegroom to groom_ _Rest to balance_

THE JOURNALIST'S CREED

_By WALTER WILLIAMS_

I believe in the profession of journalism.

I believe that the public journal is a public trust; that all connected with it are, to the full measure of their responsibility, trustees for the public; that acceptance of lesser service than the public service is betrayal of this trust.

I believe that clear thinking and clear statement, accuracy and fairness are fundamental to good journalism.

I believe that a journalist should write only what he holds in his heart to be true.

I believe that suppression of the news for any consideration other than the welfare of society is indefensible.

I believe that no one should write as a journalist what he would not say as a gentleman; that bribery by one's own pocketbook is as much to be avoided as bribery by the pocketbook of another; that individual responsibility may not be escaped by pleading another's instruction or another's dividends.

I believe that advertising, news and editorial columns should alike serve the best interests of the readers; that a single standard of helpful truth and clearness should prevail for all; that the supreme test of good journalism is the measure of its public service.

I believe that the journalism which succeeds best--and best deserves success--fears God and honors man; is stoutly independent, unmoved by pride of opinion or greed of power; constructive, tolerant, but never careless; self controlled, patient; always respectful of its readers, but always unafraid; is quickly indignant at injustice; is unswayed by the appeal of privilege or the clamor of the mob; seeks to give every man a chance and, as far as law and honest wages and recognition of human brotherhood can make it so, an equal chance; is profoundly patriotic, while sincerely promoting international good will and cementing world comradeship; is a journalism of humanity, of and for today's world.

NOTES

PRONOUNS

Never use _I_ in referring to yourself except in a signed article.

Avoid the use of _he or she_ and _his or her_. The use of either phrase is seldom required for clearness' sake. When a noun is used which may refer indifferently to both sexes, the accepted practice is to use the masculine pronoun. For example, say: _Let the teacher do his duty and he need not fear criticism_, not _Let the teacher do his or her duty and he or she need not fear criticism_.

Similarly after indefinite singulars like _each_, _every_, _somebody_, _anybody_, use the masculine singular pronoun. Thus, _Everyone should do his duty and he should do it every day_. Here one is not only to avoid the use of _he or she_ and _his or her_, but also particularly and constantly to be on guard against _they_ and _their_. Sentences like _Nobody knows what they can do till they try_; _Everyone is urged to come and bring their pocketbooks with them_, are frequently heard and often get into print.

Do not use _the same_ for a third personal or a demonstrative pronoun. _The farmer brought a load of wheat to town and sold it_ (not _the same_) _at the mill_.

Do not make _such_ a pronoun, except in the phrase _such as_. _He has fruits of all sorts and his prices for such are unreasonable_, is the sort of use to be avoided.

Distinguish between _its_, possessive pronoun, and _it's_, contraction of _it is_.

Use _either_ or _neither_ only of two, _any one_ or _none_ of more than two, as: _In one group are Russia, Germany and Austria, in another France and England. Any one of the first group acting with either of the second could determine the question_. (As conjunctions, _either_ and _neither_ may introduce the first of a series of particulars consisting of three or more. It is correct to say _Neither this nor that nor the other thing_; but when used as pronouns, _either_ and _neither_ should be rigidly confined to use with reference to two only.)

Prefer always _no one_ and _nobody_ to _not any one_ or _not anybody_, as _It is no one's_ (or _nobody's_) _business_, not, _It is not any one's_ (or _not anybody's_) _business_.

Do not use _apiece_ for _each_ of persons. Say: _The men each took an apple_ or _took an apple each_, not _The men took an apple apiece_. But they might have bought the apples at so much _apiece_.

Be careful not to say _these sort of things_, _these kind of men_, for _this sort of things_ or _this kind of men_.

In questions direct or indirect be careful to use _whom_ when the objective case is required. Do not say, _Who did you see there?_ or, _I do not know who he meant_.

The relative _who_ should be used only of persons (or of beasts or things personified). Do not say: _The dog whom you saw_ or _He drove the horse who made the best record_. The relative _which_ should be used only of beasts and inanimate objects. Do not say: _The women and children which were numerous then came trooping in_.

The relative _that_ may be used regardless of gender and the antecedent.

_That_ should be used after a compound antecedent mentioning both persons and animals or things, as, _The soldiers, the ambulances and the pack mules that were recaptured, were sent to the rear_.

Be careful of the case of _who_ if a parenthetical sentence intervenes between it and its verb. _He said that Gen. Harrison, whom, everybody well knew, had long been interested in the case, would make the closing argument._ Such faulty objective is often heard in daily speech and not infrequently gets into the papers. Of course _who_ should be used. But _whom_ should be used when the infinitive follows: _He said that Gen. Harrison, whom everybody admitted to be profoundly versed in the law, would discuss the point_.

It is proper to omit the relative pronoun on occasion when it is the object of the following verb, as _He was among the men (whom) I saw_.

CONJUNCTIONS

Never use _like_ as a conjunction. John may look _like_ James or act _like_ James or speak _like_ James, but he never looks, acts or speaks _like_ James looks, acts or speaks; he never looks _like_ he wanted to do something, nor conducts himself _like_ he thought he owned the earth, or _like_ he was crazy. _Like_ (as in the first example) may be followed by an objective case of a substantive, with which the construction is completed: _You are like me in this_; _You, like me, believe this_; _He conducted himself like a crazy man_. When a clause is demanded, _as if_ should be used: _He looks as if he wanted something_; _he acts as if he were crazy_.

Do not use _if_ for _whether_ in introducing indirect questions: _I doubt whether_ (not _if_) _this is true_; _I asked whether_ (not _if_) _he would go_.

Do not use _as_ for _that_. Not _I do not know as this is so_, but _I do not know that this is so_.

Do not use _without_ for _unless_. _We cannot go unless_ (not _without_) _he comes_.

Do not use _but what_ for _but that_ or _that_. _I do not doubt that_ (or _but that_) _he will come_, not _but what he will come_; _They did not know but that_ (not _but what_) _they might accept it_.

Do not use _while_ for _although_, as, _while it is probable_. _While_ refers to time.

VERBS

The verb should agree with its subject in person and number. It ought not to be necessary to give this obvious rule, but hardly a day passes without violation of it in almost every paper. Its violation is especially common in the inverted sentence, introduced with _there_. _There is likely to be some changes_; _There is, at the present writing, some hopes of peace_; _There seems to be, in view of all the conditions, many objections to this plan_, are examples of the faulty usage.

The _to_ should not be separated from the infinitive by word or phrase. The modifier should precede the _to_ or follow the verb. Do not say _to promptly act_, but _to act promptly_ or _promptly to act_. Such use as in the example just given is bad enough, but it is not so offensive as the intrusion of time adverbs and negatives as, for example, _He decided to now go_, or _He expected to not only go but to stay_, or _He preferred to not stay_.

Do not end a sentence with the _to_ of an omitted infinitive; as: _He could not speak but tried to_; but _He refused to go but he ought to go_, or _He ought to go but he refuses_.

Subordinate infinitives and participles take their time from the verb in the principal clause. They should therefore be the simple so-called present forms. Do not say: _I intended to have gone_, or _I intended having gone_, but _I intended to go_, _I intended going_; not _He had expected to have been present_, but _He had expected to be present_; not _He would have liked to have seen you_; but _He would have liked to see you_; not _I was desirous to have gone_, but _I was desirous to go_.

With the verbs _appear_ (in the sense of _seem to be_) and _feel_, _look_, _smell_ and _sound_ (used intransitively) use an adjective and not an adverb, i. e., _The rose smells sweet_; _Miss Coghlan as Lady Teazle looked charming_; _She appeared happy_. But _appear_ in the same sense of _behave_ is followed by an adverb, as _He appears well_; and the other verbs used transitively of course take an adverb, as _He looked sharply at the man_.

When one wishes to imply doubt or denial in a condition of present or indefinite time, the imperfect subjunctive should be used, as _If the book were here, I should show you_--but the book is not here; _If it were true, you would long ago have heard it_--but it is not true. But if one is referring to past time, the imperfect indicative must be used, as, _If he was here yesterday, I did not know it_.

Be careful to distinguish between _lay_ and _lie_, _raise_ and _rise_, _set_ and _sit_. The first of each pair is transitive, and always requires an object; the second is intransitive and never takes an object. (The only exception is _sit_ used of a rider, as, _He sits his horse well_.) One _lays_ or _sets_ a thing down and _raises_ it up. One _lies_ or _sits_ down and _rises_ from one's place. Land _lies_ this way or that. (But we speak of the _lay_ of the land.)

Especially pains must be taken to keep straight the past tenses and past participles of _lay_ and _lie_. Of _lay_ past tense and participle are alike _laid_. _He laid_ or _he has laid the case before the authorities_. The past tense of _lie_ is _lay_ (the same as the present tense of the transitive verb), the past participle is _lain_. These forms are seldom if ever used for parts of _lay_; but for them _laid_ is very often used, as, _He laid_ or _he has laid down to take a nap_, where the correct usage is _He lay_ or _he has lain down_, etc.

Prices _rise_, wages _rise_, bread _rises_, bread is _set_ to _rise_; men _raise_ prices or wages; _He rose and raised his hand_. Clothing of every sort _sits_ well or ill, it does not _set_. The corresponding noun, however, is _set_; _He admired the set of the garment_. You _set_ a hen, but the hen _sits_ and is a _sitting_ hen. The heavenly bodies _set_, but that is another word, which means to _sink_ or to _settle_.

Inanimate objects are not _injured_ but _damaged_.

Use _wish_ to mean simple desire, as, _I wish to see him_. Use _want_ to mean acute need, as, _I want food_.

Only moving objects _collide_. Two automobiles may _collide_, but an automobile does not _collide_ with a fence.

PREFER:

_lend_ to _loan_ _lives_ to _resides_ _leaves_ to _departs_ _obtain_ or _procure_ to _secure_ _turn over_ to _turn turtle_ _bought_ to _purchased_ _live at hotel_ to _stop at hotel_ _robbed of_ to _relieved of_

Things of a general class are compared _with_ each other to bring out points of similarity or dissimilarity. One thing is compared _to_ another of a different class. He compared Detroit _with_ Cleveland. He compared Detroit _to_ a busy hive of bees.

Things _occur_ or _happen_ by chance and _take place_ by design. An accident _happens_ or _occurs_; a pre-arranged act _takes place_.

Except in legal papers use _proved_ instead of _proven_.

_Transpire_ does not mean to take place but to leak out, as, _They tried to keep their deliberations secret, but it transpired that * * *_

_Enthuse_ is not a good word. Say _become enthusiastic_.

Medicine, laws and oaths are _administered_; blows and punishment are _dealt_.

_Allege_ is used only in referring to formal charges and not as a synonym for _say_ or _assert_.

The past tense and past participle of _dive_ are _dived_. Don't use _dove_.

The past tense and past participle of _forecast_ are _forecast_. Don't use _forecasted_.

The past tense and past participle of _hang_ are _hung_, except in reference to an execution; then write, _He was hanged_.

The past tense and past participle of _plead_ are _pleaded_ and not _plead_ or _pled_. Don't write, _He plead guilty_, but _He pleaded guilty_.

The past tense of _swim_ is _swam_, and the past participle is _swum_.

BARRED BY THE SUN

Newspaper men can read with profit this list of words and phrases to be avoided, compiled by Charles A. Dana for his associates on the New York Sun:

_above_ or _over_ for _more than_ _aggregate_ for _total_ _balance_ for _remainder_ _call attention_ for _direct attention_ _claim_ for _assert_ _commence_ for _begin_ _comprise_ for _compose_ _conscious_ for _aware_ _couple_ for _two_ _cultured_ for _cultivated_ _date back to_ for _date from_ _donate_ for _give_ _fall_ for _autumn_ _from whence_ for _whence_ _indorse_ for _approve_ _inaugurate_ for _establish_, _institute_ _individual_ for _person_ _infinite_ for _great_, _vast_ _last_ for _latest_ _less_ for _fewer_ _materially_ for _largely_ _named after_ for _named for_ _notice_ for _observe_ _onto_ for _on_ or _upon_ _partially_ for _partly_ _past two years_ for _last two years_ _practically_ for _virtually_ _party_ for _person_

DOUBLING UP HAVE'S

Mark Twain in "A Tramp Abroad" wrote: "Harris said that if the best writer in the world once got the slovenly habit of 'doubling up his have's,' he could never get rid of it; that is to say, if a man gets the habit of saying 'I should have liked to have known more about it' instead of saying 'I should have liked to know more about it,' his disease is incurable."

+-----------------------------------------+ | ... REFLECTOR OF EVERY HUMAN INTEREST | | ... FRIEND OF EVERY RIGHTEOUS CAUSE ... | | ENCOURAGER OF EVERY GENEROUS ACT. | +-----------------------------------------+

NOTES

ADVERBS

Great liberty may be exercised in placing the adverb according to the emphasis desired. In general it should be placed near the word or phrase it modifies to express the thought most clearly. One should not say, _Not only he spoke forcefully but eloquently_; nor _He was rather forceful than eloquent_, but _He was forceful rather than eloquent_.

Note particularly that when the adverb is placed within the verb, it should regularly follow the first auxiliary. For example: _This can truthfully be said_, not _This can be truthfully said_; _He will probably have set out by noon_, not _He will have probably_, etc.; _It has long been expected_, not _It has been long expected_.

If the adverb is intended to modify the whole sentence, it very properly stands first, as, _Decidedly, this is not true_; _Assuredly, he does not mean that_. In such sentences the adverb really modifies some verb understood, as, _I say decidedly this is not true_.

Do not use _this_, _that_ and _some_ as adverbs. Never say _this high_, _this long_, _that broad_, _that good_, _this much_, _that much_, _some better_, _some earlier_. Say _thus_ or _so_ whenever tempted to use _this_ or _that_ in such connections, and use _somewhat_ instead of _some_.

Do not say a man is _dangerously ill_; say _alarmingly_ or _critically_. Never use _illy_; you might as well say _welly_.

After a negative use _so_ in a comparison. _This is as good as that_, but _This is not so good as that_.

Say _as far as_, _as long as_, etc.; not _so far as_, _so long as_. Thus, _As far as I know, this is true_; _As long as I stay here, you may use my book_.

Use _previously to_, _agreeably to_, _consistently with_, etc., instead of the adjective forms, in such expressions as _Previously to my arrival, he had been informed_; _We acted agreeably to the instructions_.

Beware of _only_. Better not use it unless you are sure it is correctly placed. Observe the difference in the meaning here: I have _only_ spoken to him. I have spoken _only_ to him.

Don't use _liable_ when you mean _likely_. A man is _likely_ to park his automobile so he will be _liable_ to arrest.

Don't use _painfully cut_ and similar expressions. One is not _pleasantly cut_.

_Occasionally_ means _on occasion_. So don't write _very occasionally_, but _very seldom_ or _infrequently_.

_Farther_ is used to denote distance; _further_ in other senses, as, _I told him further that I walked farther than he_.

ADJECTIVES

Be sparing in the use of epithets and of adjectives and adverbs generally. Especially avoid the use of superlatives. Superlatives are seldom true. Rarely is a man the most remarkable man in the country in any particular; rarely is an accident the worst in the history of the city. Better understate than overstate; better err on the side of moderation than excess. William Cobbett says: "Some writers deal in expletives to a degree that tires the ear and offends the understanding. With them everything is excessively, or immensely, or extremely, or vastly, or surprisingly, or wonderfully, or abundantly, or the like. The notion of such writers is that these words give strength to what they are saying. This is a great error. Strength must be found in the thought or it will never be found in the words. Big sounding words, without thoughts corresponding, are effort without effect."

Be sure to remember that _nee_ means born. It is of course impossible then to speak of _Mrs. Doe, nee Mary Roe_, as one is never born with a Christian name, but _Mrs. Doe, nee Roe_. And, of all things when a widow has remarried, do not write _Mrs. Richard Roe, nee Mrs. John Doe_.

Adjectives, if wisely used, give desirable color to a story. A thesaurus will brighten up a reporter's adjectival vocabulary. These are suggestions for possible substitutions of fresh words for more or less hackneyed words: