Part 4

Chapter 43,411 wordsPublic domain

_fast_--_fleet_, _swift_ _good_--_meritorious_, _laudable_ _repentant_--_penitent_, _contrite_ _temperate_--_abstemious_ _intemperate_--_inabstinent_ _modest_--_decorous_ _distressing_--_piteous_, _pitiable_, _rueful_ _witty_--_jocose_, _nimble-witted_ _fearful_--_timid_, _apprehensive_, _tremulous_ _crafty_--_cunning_, _artful_ _frank_--_ingenuous_, _guileless_

Prefer _agreeable_ to _nice_, which means accurate; and _long_ to _lengthy_.

Words like _perfect_ and _unique_ cannot be compared. Never write, _more perfect_, _most perfect_, _most unique_.

Eschew the word _very_. It seldom strengthens a sentence.

It is better to use such words as _feline_, _bovine_, _canine_, _human_ as adjectives only.

Prefer _several_ or _many_ to _a number of_.

_Healthy_ means possessing health, as, _a healthy man_. _Healthful_ means conducive to health, as, _healthful climate_, _surroundings_, _employment_. Do not use _healthful_ in speaking of food, but _wholesome_.

_Parlous_ is archaic. Don't use the phrase _in these parlous times_. The word in good usage is _perilous_.

Nobody has explained the difference between _actual photographs_ and _photographs_.

_Awful_ means inspiring _awe_, _fearful_ inspiring _fear_, and _terrible_ inspiring _terror_.

_Anxious_ implies _anxiety_. Say _eager_ if you mean it.

The first meaning of _hectic_ is habitual. The second meaning is _fevered_. It connotes _heat_ more particularly than _red_.

Great care is needed in using these three words: _livid_, _lurid_ and _weird_. _Livid_ means primarily black and blue. It also means a grayish blue or lead color, as flesh by contusion. It doesn't mean anything else. _Lurid_ means a pale yellow, ghastly pale, wan; figuratively it means gloomy or dismal, grimly terrible or sensational. When used in its first sense it is properly applicable to the yellow flames seen through smoke. It does not mean fiery red. In its figurative sense it can be used to describe a series of incidents calculated to shock or to stun by the enormity of them. _Weird_ means primarily pertaining to witchcraft and is used in reference to the witches in "Macbeth." It also means unearthly, uncanny, eerie. A green light might be called _weird_. It must not be used to mean peculiar, as, _She wore a weird hat_.

YOUR AUDIENCE

Says Irvin S. Cobb: I'd rather have my work read by thousands of people throughout the country than be the author of the greatest classic that ever mouldered on a shelf.

In my opinion, the masses are worth our art. If we believe in a democratic form of government we should believe in a democratic attitude toward the art of the short story, and I, for one, frankly admit that I write for the shop girl and business man rather than for the high-brow critic. That does not mean you must necessarily choose between them, but if I had to choose I would let the critic go.

NOTES

PREPOSITIONS

Be careful to use the proper prepositions in all connections.

Say _different from_, not _different to_.

We say a man lives _on_, not _in_, a street, an avenue, etc. Children play _in_ the street, but _on_ the pavement.

One writes _under_, not _over_, a signature. The preposition has no reference to the place of the signature.

Do not overwork _on the part of_. This phrase is often used where _by_ or _among_ is to be preferred, as, _Much patriotism is displayed on the part of the Greeks_.

Say _off_, not _off from_ or _off of_. _He fell off his horse_, or _He fell from his horse_.

Discriminate carefully between _beside_ and _besides_. The first is always a preposition and means either _by the side of_, as, _He stood beside me_, or _aside from_, or _out of_, as, _This is beside our present purpose_; _He was beside himself for joy_. _Besides_ is either preposition or adverb: as the former it means _in addition to_, as _Several others were present besides those you saw_; as adverb it means _moreover_ or _more than that_, as _There were, besides, many pompous volumes_.

Be careful with _between_ and _among_; _between_ is used with reference to two persons, parties or things; _among_ with reference to many: _In this city Democrats and Republicans divide the offices between them; in some cities they are distributed among all the parties_.

Distinguish between _in_ and _into_. _Into_ implies action. A man goes _into_ his house and then he is _in_ the house.

A person dies _of_ typhoid fever rather than _from_ typhoid fever.

Distinguish between _consist in_ and _consist of_. Virtue consists _in_ right living. The family consists _of_ seven persons.

A book is illustrated _with_ sketches and it is illustrated _by_ the artist who made the sketches.

Omit _from_ from the phrases _from hence_, _from thence_, _from whence_.

ARTICLES

Use an article with every noun of a series unless the nouns are so closely related that one concept is implied. Say, _The bread and jam was good_, but _The bread and the jam were good_. Say, _A horse and buggy_, but _A man and a woman_.

Do not repeat an article before each adjective of a series when all modify the same noun. Say, _A red, white and blue flag_. If you mean three flags, say, _A red, a white, and a blue flag_.

Do not write _a_ or _an_ after _sort of_ and _kind of_. Make it: _He is the right sort of man for mayor_.

The definite article is used too often when it might better be omitted, as in this sentence: _The study of the dictionary is helpful_. Write it: _Study of the dictionary_.

NUMBERS

The general rule on The News is that all numbers above nine shall be written in figures, and that all numbers below 10 shall be spelled out. There are, of course, many exceptions to this rule. Figures are always used for degrees of latitude and longitude, degrees of temperature, per cent, prices, racing time, scores, definite sums of money, time, votes, dates (as Sept. 27), ages, street numbers and tabulated statistics.

Spell out indefinite figures, as _about a dollar's worth_.

Use Roman numerals in writing of kings, as _George V_, and then without a period. Do not use Roman numerals in designating centuries. Write it _fourteenth century_, not _XIVth century_.

Write _Monday at 8 a. m._, not _at 8 o'clock on Monday morning_.

Spell out such expressions as _the early seventies_.

Use figures in dimensions when written thus: _a lot 4×6 feet_.

All ages shall be written thus: _John Smith, 8 years old_. Do not write it: _John Smith, aged 8_, or _aged eight_. It will be easy to remember the rule if you observe that in writing it thus: _John Smith, aged 18, 48 Jones street_, you are opening an opportunity for an error easily made. It may appear: _John Smith, aged 184, 8 Jones street_.

All ordinals are spelled out. Write it _thirtieth_, not _30th_. Write a date: _Feb. 6_, not _February 6th_, or _February sixth_.

Do not use both numerals and figures spelled out in one phrase. Write it: _Eight feet eleven inches_. If in a phrase a number over 10 precedes a number under 10, express both in figures, thus _18 hours 4 minutes_. If vice versa, express it thus: _two hours eighteen minutes_.

ROMAN NUMERALS

I 1 II 2 III 3 IV 4 V 5 VI 6 VII 7 VIII 8 IX 9 X 10 XIX 19 XX 20 XXX 30 XL 40 L 50 LX 60 LXX 70 LXXX 80 XC 90 C 100 CL 150 CC 200 CCC 300 CCCC 400 D 500 DC 600 DCC 700 DCCC 800 DCCCC 900 M 1,000

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

7.92 inches make 1 link.

25 links make 1 rod.

16.50 feet make 1 rod.

4 rods make 1 chain.

10 chains make 1 furlong.

8 furlongs make 1 mile.

320 rods make 1 mile.

5,280 feet make 1 mile.

10 square chains make 1 acre.

160 square rods make 1 acre.

640 acres make 1 square mile.

43,560 square feet make 1 acre.

69 geographical miles make 1 degree of latitude.

1,728 cubic inches make 1 cubic foot.

27 cubic feet make 1 cubic yard.

Gunter's chain, 22 yards of 100 links.

A section is 640 acres.

A township is 36 sections, each 1 square mile.

A span is 9 inches.

A hand--horse measurement--is 4 inches.

A knot--nautical--is 6,086 feet.

A fathom--nautical--is 6 feet.

A stone is 14 pounds.

A square acre is 208 7-10 feet on each side.

The metric system is the system of measurement of which the meter is the fundamental unit. It was first adopted in France and is now in general use in most civilized countries except the English-speaking countries. The system is now used throughout the world for scientific measurements. Its use was legalized in the United States in 1866.

The meter, the unit of length, was intended to be one ten-millionth part of the earth's meridian quadrant and is nearly so. Its length is 39.370 inches. The unit of surface is the are, which is 100 square meters. The theoretical unit of volume is the stere, which is a cubic meter. The unit of volume for the purposes of the market is the liter, which is the volume of one kilogram of distilled water at its maximum density and is intended to be one cubic decimeter. For 10 times, 100 times, 1,000 times and 10,000 times one of these units, the prefixes, deca-, hecto-, kilo- and myria- are used. For 1-10, 1-100 and 1-1,000 of the units, the prefixes deci-, centi- and milli- are used.

In this table the equivalents are measures common in the United States and are not to be confused with British measures, which in some cases vary slightly.

1 myriameter 5.4 nautical miles or 6.21 statute miles. 1 kilometer 0.621 statute mile or nearly 5/8 mile. 1 hectometer 109.4 yards. 1 decameter 1.988 rods. 1 meter 39.37 inches or about 1 yard 3 inches. 1 decimeter 3.937 inches. 1 centimeter 0.3937 inch. 1 millimeter 0.03937 inch. 1 hectare 2.471 acres. 1 are 119.6 square yards. 1 centiare (square meter) 10.764 square feet. 1 decastere 13 cubic yards or about 2¾ cords. 1 stere (cubic meter) 1.308 cubic yards or 35.3 cubic feet. 1 decistere 3½ cubic feet. 1 hectoliter 26.4 gallons. 1 decaliter Little more than 2 gallons 5 pints. 1 liter 1 quart ½ gill. 1 deciliter 0.845 gill. 1 millier 2,204.6 pounds avoirdupois. 1 kilogram Little more than 2 pounds 3 ounces. 1 hectogram Little more than 3 ounces 8 drams. 1 decagram 154.32 grains troy. 1 gram 15.43234 grains. 1 decigram 1.543234 grains. 1 centigram 0.154323 grains. 1 milligram 0.015432 grains.

ABBREVIATION

This is the style of The News on abbreviating the names of states and territories:

Ala. Alaska Ariz. Ark. Calif. Colo. Conn. D. C. Ga. Fla. Ida. Ill. Ind. Ia. Kan. Ky. La. Me. Mass. Md. Mich. Minn. Miss. Mo. Mont. N. C. N. D. Neb. Nev. N. H. N. J. N. M. N. Y. O. Okla. Ore. Pa. P. I. (Philippine Islands) P. R. (Porto Rico) R. I. S. C. S. D. Tenn. Tex. T. H. (Territory of Hawaii) Utah Va. Vt. Wash. Wis. W. Va. Wyo.

Do not abbreviate _Port_ to _Pt._

Abbreviate _Fort_ to _Ft._, whether a city or a post.

Abbreviate _Mount_ to _Mt._ in names like Mt. Vernon.

Do not abbreviate names of cities, as Kazoo, Frisco, St. Joe.

Do not use state with names of well-known cities, such as Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, etc.

Follow a firm name as the firm writes it, except in the capitalization of _the_, as _the Ford Motor Co._ Later in the story the name may appear as _the Ford company_. It is _the J. L. Hudson Company_. However, one may say, after writing the firm name, that _the Hudson company will_, etc.

Use _Mich._ after the names of all places in the state except:

Adrian Ann Arbor Alpena Battle Creek Bay City Calumet Flint Grand Rapids Jackson Kalamazoo Lansing Muskegon Mt. Clemens Marquette Port Huron Saginaw Ypsilanti and places so near Detroit that they are generally known.

Beware of the names of cities in other states identical with those in Michigan. Also watch for the names of cities identical with those in other states, as Portland, Me., and Portland, Ore. A few cities that should carry a state designation because there are places of the same name in Michigan are:

Akron, O. Atlanta, Ga. Augusta, Me., or Ga. Bangor, Me. Birmingham, Ala. Brooklyn, N. Y. Canton, O. Caro, Ill. Chatham, Ont. Concord, N. H. Erie, Pa., or N. Y. Fargo, N. D. Frankfort, Ky. Grand Rapids, Wis., or Minn. Hanover, N. H. Helena, Mont. Jackson, Miss. Lincoln, Neb. Lowell, Mass. Manchester, N. H. Memphis, Tenn. Nashville, Tenn. Phoenix, Ariz. Plymouth, Mass. Pontiac, Ill. Portland, Me., or Ore. Quincy, Ill., or Mass. Rochester, N. Y., or Minn. Richmond, Va. Sandusky, O. St. Louis, Mo. Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. Trenton, N. J. Vicksburg, Miss.

Do not abbreviate _Attorney_ to _Atty._ before a name.

Do not abbreviate first names except in reproducing signatures, as, _Wm. H. Taft_, if Mr. Taft wrote it that way.

Abbreviate _senior_ and _junior_ with commas on each side, as _John Jones, Jr., spoke_.

Do not make _Tom_, _Dan_, _Ben_, _Joe_, etc., abbreviations unless you are sure they are. _Alex Dow_ is written without the period.

Write _S O S_ and similar telegraphic abbreviations, and _I O U_ without periods.

Use _Bros._ only when firm name is so written.

Use ampersand (&) in firm name only when the firm uses it.

Abbreviate _number_ when followed by numerals, as _No. 10_.

Spell out United States except in addresses or in army and navy phrases. Military and naval titles should be written thus:

Adjt. Adjt.-Gen. Brig.-Gen. Capt. Col. Corp. First Lieut. Gen. Lieut. Lieut.-Col. Lieut.-Gen. Maj. Maj.-Gen. Private Q. M.-Gen. Q. M.-Sergt. Second Lieut. Second Sergt. Sergt. Sergt.-Maj. Surg.-Gen. Surg.-Maj.

_Class of '08_ may be used for _Class of 1908_.

Abbreviate _degrees_ after a name.

Book sizes, _4to_, _8vo_, _12mo_, should be written without periods.

Use only abbreviations that will surely be understood, such as _Y. M. C. A._, _W. C. T. U._, etc., in referring to organizations.

Never write _Xmas_.

These abbreviations should be used:

Ald. Atty.-Gen. Gov. Lieut.-Gov. Sen. Rep. Cong. Supt.

Abbreviate _saint_ and _saints_ in proper names, as _St. Louis_, _Sault Ste. Marie_, _Ste. Anne's_, _SS. Peter and Paul's church_.

Write scriptural texts _Gen. xiv, 24_; _II Kings viii, 11-15_.

Abbreviate names of political parties only thus, _Smith (Rep.) defeated Jones (Dem.) for alderman_.

Do not abbreviate street, avenue, boulevard, place or other designation of a thoroughfare.

Abbreviate clock time when immediately connected with figures to _a. m._ and _p. m._

Prefer _for example_ to _e. g._

Prefer _namely_ to _viz._

Prefer _that is_ to _i. e._

Write English money _£5 4s 6d_, without commas.

Abbreviate the months thus:

Jan. Feb. March April May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.

Use _don't_ only when you may substitute do not. Perhaps you have seen the advertisement which reads: "Hand Made Tobacco Don't Bite the Tongue."

NAMES AND TITLES

The one infallible way to insult a man is to misspell his name; that is an old newspaper maxim. More care should be taken with the spelling of the names in a story than with any other mechanical detail. Often a name is misspelled because a typewriter is not clean and an _e_ or an _a_ is mistaken for an _o_ or a _u_. It is wise for the reporter to make sure these letters particularly print clearly or he may be held to account for an error. An even better way is to write a proper name in CAPS if it is at all uncommon. When the reporter writes a name such as Willson or Jonnes or Georg, a name which deviates slightly from a familiar name, it is wise to write it thus "... _and Georg (Correct) Brandes who ..._" then the copy reader knows that the reporter has not left off a letter and the printer and proof reader also know that the word must stand as written.

All proper names should be looked up in the directory, dictionary or encyclopedia unless the reporter or copy reader is sure of the spelling. To misspell a man's name shakes that man's faith in the newspaper; leads him to believe that if the newspaper can't write his name correctly, it is likely to make other mistakes.

Never use _Mr._ before a man's Christian name. Give his full name and then speak of him thereafter as Mr. Blank. Do not write: Mr. John J. Blank.

Do not quote familiar nicknames, such as Billy Sunday, Ty Cobb, Sam Crawford, Jim Corbett.

Do not write: Superintendent of Police Marquardt, but Supt. Marquardt, or Ernst Marquardt, superintendent of police.

Never refer to a woman, no matter how lowly her social position, as "the Smith woman." Call her Mrs. Smith or Miss Smith.

Do not use the title _professor_ unless the person spoken of is or was a member of a college or university faculty. Because a man is a principal of a high school, a mesmerist or the trainer of sea lions, he is not for that reason entitled to call himself Prof. Blank.

Do not use name handles, such as _Butcher Smith_, _Grocer Jones_.

Do not use _master_ in referring to a boy.

Write _Mr. and Mrs. James Smith_, not _James Smith and wife._

Do not write Mrs. Judge Smith, or Mrs. Dr. Jones.

Use the indefinite article, as _Frank Smith, a plumber_; _William Jones, a barber_. Use the definite article in naming persons of distinction, as _William Dean Howells, the writer_; _Sarah Bernhardt, the actress_.

The surname is written first among the Chinese. _Sun Yat Sen_ is _Dr. Sun_. _Li Hung Chang_ is _Mr. Li_. Chinese is a monosyllabic language and all names should be written with each syllable capitalized, but hyphens are used with geographical names, as, _Yang-Tse-Kiang_, _Ho-Hang-Ho_, except _Pekin_, _Nankin_, _Shanghai_, _Hankow_ and _Canton_. Drop unnecessary letters in Chinese names whenever possible, as _Pekin(g)_, _Yuan Shi(h) Kai_, _Ho(w)-Hang-Ho_.

Write a man's name as he writes it. It is not _A. H. Frazer_; it is not _Allan Frazer_; but _Allan H. Frazer_. It is not _F. H. Croul_ or _Frank Croul_, but _Frank H. Croul_.

It is the King of the Belgians, not the King of Belgium.

Writing of a knight, be sure that you use his first name with the title _Sir_. He is _Sir Arthur Conan Doyle_, not _Sir Conan Doyle_. Never write _Sir Doyle_. The wife of a knight, however, is addressed as _Lady Blank_, not necessarily _Lady Mary Blank_.

JEW AND HEBREW

The proper use of the words "Hebrew" and "Jew" has been explained by the American Jewish Committee, as follows: "Although no hard and fast rules can be laid down, the word 'Hebrew' has come to have a purely racial connotation. It refers to a race and to the language of that race. Thus we hear of a 'Hebrew Christian,' meaning a person of Hebrew descent who has been raised in or adopted the Christian religion. The word 'Jew,' although often used for denoting a member of the Hebrew race without reference to religion or nationality, has come, in the best usage, to have two restricted meanings--a national and a religious meaning. It used to mean a person who was a subject of the Kingdom of Judah, in the southern part of Palestine, and later it was also applied to those who were subjects of the northern Kingdom of Israel. Under Roman domination Palestine was called 'Judea' and its inhabitants 'Jews.' The word Jew has the same sense now among those who believe that the dispersion of the Jewish people and the fact that they possess no territory of their own has not deprived them of their character as a nation or nationality. The other meaning of 'Jew' is any one who professes the religious principles laid down in the Old Testament as interpreted in the Talmud. Thus, a Gentile who adopts the Jewish faith may be called a Jew, but may not be called a Hebrew, because he does not descend from that sub-class of the Semitic race from which the Hebrews are reputed to come. Up to the last quarter of the nineteenth century the Jews rarely applied the term 'Jew' to themselves, as it was used as a term of opprobrium and as a contemptuous epithet. The Jews preferred to call themselves 'Hebrews' or 'Israelites.' Since about 1880, however, the Jewish people have come to adopt this name more and more generally, and it has begun to lose its derogatory meaning. The word 'Jew' is always a noun, and its use as an adjective in such cases as 'Jew boy' and 'Jew peddler,' etc., is as ungrammatical as it is vulgar."

Don't use _Jew_ as a verb, as, _I jewed him down to a dollar_.

NOTES

CHURCH TITLES

Writing of clergymen, follow this style: _the Rev. Dr. John J. Blank_, _Dr. Blank_, the _Rev. Mr. Blank_. Never _Rev. Blank_ or _the Rev. Blank_.

Bishops of the Catholic, Anglican or Episcopal communions use the prefix _Right Reverend_, abbreviated _Rt. Rev._

Bishops of the Methodist church NEVER use the prefix _Rt. Rev._ They make no claim to apostolic succession. The usage of Methodism is to write, for example, "Bishop Theodore Somers Henderson, of the Methodist Episcopal area of Detroit."

In the Methodist church an episcopal division is denominated, Area; in the Catholic and Anglican communions, Diocese.

Deans of the Catholic and Anglican churches use the prefix _Very Rev._

Under no circumstances call priests of the Roman Catholic church _ministers_. Call them either priests or pastors.

The denominational usage in the Methodist church is to call clergymen _preachers_. In the Congregational and Presbyterian churches it is in accord with denominational usage to call clergymen _ministers_.

Archbishops of the Catholic church carry the prefix _Most Rev._; cardinals, _His Eminence_; as, _His Eminence, James, Cardinal Gibbons_.

Invariably the word _Rabbi_ should be placed before the name of a Jewish pastor. It should be written, _Rabbi Leo M. Franklin, of the Temple Beth El_; never _Dr. Leo M. Franklin, rabbi of the Temple Beth El_.

Never use indiscriminately the prefix _Dr._ in the case of a clergyman. Clergymen of any denomination are not entitled to the prefix _Dr._ unless the degree of Doctor of Divinity has been conferred on them by some recognized college or university.

Write a priest's name, _the Rev. Fr. Blank_, or _Fr. Blank_.

COMPOUNDS