CHAPTER XIII

ABBREVIATIONS AND MISCELLANY

We shall not attempt to treat the subject of abbreviations exhaustively or even fully, for it goes beyond the subject of punctuation; but its importance seems to justify its consideration at some length.

In the best printing-offices, if their expert copy-readers prepare the manuscript, few abbreviations are permitted in book-work; and it is well to follow their rules in all formal, if not in all business, correspondence.

FORM OF ADDRESS

The abbreviations in forms of address accepted by the printing-offices issuing three works on punctuation and style, especially mentioned in our preface, are the following:

By the De Vinne Press, _Mr._, _Mrs._, _Messrs._, _Jr._, and _Sr._

By the University of Chicago Press, _Mr._, _Messrs._, _Mrs._ (French, _M._, _MM._, _Mme_, _Mlle_), _Dr._, _Rev._, _Hon._, _St._ [Saint], and _Esq._

By The Riverside Press, _Mr._, _Mrs._, _Messrs._, _M._, _Mme._, _Mlle._, _Jr._, _Sr._, _Dr._, _Esq._, _Rev._, _Hon._

These lists are somewhat misleading. Although not uniform, it is probable that the practice of the three offices from which they come, is uniform, with one exception. In the list from the “Manual for Writers” (University of Chicago Press), _Mme_ and _Mlle_ are not written with periods, as, we think, they should be.

It is a matter of course that the plural form _MM._, given in only one list, and the plural forms _Mmes._ and _Mlles._, not given at all, are treated the same as the abbreviations of the singular forms of the same.

NOTE.—We are unable to interpret the parenthesis in the above list from the University of Chicago Press. The terms within the parentheses are only remotely, if at all, explanatory of the preceding terms; and, although they belong in the list of abbreviations, they are taken out of the list by being put in parentheses. Moreover, “Mlle,” which is within the parentheses, has no reference to any term outside of the marks.

While the above and other points in abbreviations discussed herein, are closely to be observed in the text of a book and in formal correspondence, abbreviations of technical terms, in tabulated work, in foot-notes, indexes, etc., are used freely.

FIRM OR CORPORATION NAMES

In business correspondence courtesy requires that abbreviations adopted in a firm or a corporation name be carefully observed by others, regardless of the in elegance of such forms.

_Bro._, _Bros._, and _Co._ are used in firm names following _&_, but not otherwise. They should always be spelled out when preceded by a proper adjective.

_John Smith & Bro._; _Brown, Smith & Co._, and like forms are used.

In _Smith Brothers_, _Smith Company_, and like forms the final word is not abbreviated.

While the “short and” (&) is commonly used in firm names, “and” is frequently seen:

_Armour and Company_.

It is very rare that a comma is used before the final “and” or “&” in firm names of three or more words constituting a series. If a firm prefers so to punctuate its name, others who write the name should not insert a comma.

FIGURES

As there are few fixed conventional uses for figures, we shall give simply our preferences.

In ordinary reading matter, spell out all round numbers, and numbers of one or two digits, unless of a technical character. When several numbers occur close together, and are to be compared, they may be expressed in figures:

120. Admission, one dollar.

120-1. Admission, fifty cents.

120-2. Admission: Men, $2; women, $1.50; children, 50 cents.

In No. 120-2 we use “50,” instead of “fifty,” because figures are used to express other numbers in the sentence.

TIME OF DAY

The time of day is generally spelled out in ordinary reading matter:

121. We shall start at four o’clock this afternoon.

But with A. M. and P. M. (these abbreviations are best set in small capitals) figures are always used:

121-1. We shall start at 4 P. M.

TEMPERATURE, ETC.

Figures are used to express temperature, specific gravity, and like technical matter.

122. The specific gravity of gold is 19.27. Its melting-point is 1947° F. (1064° C.)

The letters “th,” “st,” and “d” (“d” is preferable to “nd” or “rd”) should not be used with the number expressing the day of the month, except when preceding the name of the month:

123. We left on July 9, 1915.

123-1. We left on July 9.

123-2. We left on the 9th of July.

Many good writers would use “th” in No. 123-1, probably because it expresses the usual oral form of the date.

In printing consecutive numbers, like dates, numbers of pages, etc., certain omissions may be indicated by the dash; but the exact meaning of this and another mode of writing these numbers should be understood. Examples will illustrate this:

124. He was in England in 1914-15.

124-1. He spent the winter of 1914-15 in England.

125. Further information will be found on pages 25-27.

125-1. Further information will be found on pages 25, 26, 27.

125-2. Further information will be found elsewhere (pp. 25, 26) in this work.

125-3. Further information will be found on pages 25 to 40.

No. 124, strictly interpreted, means _all_ of the two years indicated; but it may be an indefinite portion of the last of 1914 and a like portion of the first of 1915. In No. 124-1 the latter meaning is specifically given by the word _winter_.

No. 125 means that the subject is treated continuously on the pages mentioned; but it may not occupy _all_ of pages 25 and 27.

No. 125-1 means that the subject is referred to on each of the pages numbered, but not to the exclusion of other matter.

In No. 125-2, in order to save space, the comma takes the place of “and” between two numbers, just as the dash takes the place of “to” between “25” and “27” in No. 125. Such omission of “and” is found in the text only when the figures are enclosed in parentheses; but it is common without the parentheses in foot-notes, tables, and indexes.

In No. 125-3 we use “to” instead of a dash. “To” is generally used when a considerable number of pages is named. No definite rule can be given for such usage.

An apparent exception to the interpretation of the numbers in No. 125 is not infrequently found in the manner of writing the street numbers of a building, especially as found on letter-heads:

126. John Smith & Co.

25-27 Water Street

Chicago

As buildings on one side of a street take the odd numbers, and on the other side the even numbers, we know that John Smith & Co. are located at 25 _and_ 27 Water Street.

An accepted form of shortening an address which contains the words _street_ and _avenue_ is to write “avenue” first with its number expressed in words, followed by the street with its number in figures:

127. He resides at the corner of Tenth Avenue and 52d Street.

If a house number precedes the spelled-out name of the street, the former takes figures, in order readily to distinguish it from the name of the street:

127-1. He resides at 34 Tenth Avenue South.

If it is desirable to begin a sentence with a number, such number should be spelled out, and not expressed in figures:

128. Two thousand people met in the park.

BIBLE REFERENCES

As the forms of Bible references are very numerous we shall give only two, which, we think, represent the best modern usage:

129. Matt, iv, 4; 1 Cor. i, 29.

130. Gen. 2:3-6, 9; 3:17.

As the Roman numerals were formerly, and still are to some extent, followed by a period, this usage would give the following in the place of No. 129:

129-1. Matt. iv. 4; 1 Cor. i. 29

We think No. 129 the better style.

FOOT-NOTES

The style in foot-notes is so varied that we shall consider only one or two points involved.

Superior figures in the text have taken the place almost altogether of the star, dagger, etc., both because they are less conspicuous and because they can be extended in number.

The lower-case superior italic letters are sometimes used instead of, or together with, superior figures, as in the Bible.

In ordinary work, the superior figures or letters follow the word or group of words concerning which the reference is made. In the Bible the figures and letters precede such word or words.

The figures before the notes corresponding to the figures in the text are generally superior figures; but the ordinary figures are sometimes used, because, as each number begins a paragraph, the superior figures are too small to look well.

The punctuation of foot-notes, and other details of their composition, are treated differently by different writers. A single illustration will serve to show a well-recognized style of composing such notes:

130. 5 Morris Schaff, “The Battle of the Wilderness,” _Atlantic Monthly_, June, 1909.

130-1. 5 Morris Schaff, The Battle of the Wilderness, Vol. ii, p. 204.

No. 130 specifies foot-note No. 5, and refers to an article in a magazine, which is named.

No. 130-1 refers to a book, the volume and page being indicated.

These foot-notes often appear in the following form:

130-2. 5. Schaff, Morris: The Battle of the Wilderness.

Foot-notes are often extensively used in scientific periodicals and books; and the larger establishments that print such matter usually have their style-cards, which should be followed by authors submitting manuscripts to such establishments.

The lower-case italic letters, “_a_,” “_b_,” and “_c_,” and sometimes the superior letters, are used to indicate the first, second, and third parts of a verse, paragraph, or page referred to by an accompanying figure. For instance, Romans vi, 5a means the first part of verse 5 of Romans vi.

STAR, DAGGER, ETC.

Because of the clumsy appearance of these marks, and because of the inconvenience they cause in the mechanical make-up of printed matter, they are used sparingly; but they are quite indispensable in tabulated matter, scientific works, etc.

If several of these marks are required on a page, they follow the following order: star, dagger, double dagger, section, parallel lines, paragraph.

MISCELLANEOUS

The word _cent_ in _per cent_ is now generally written without a period.

_Etc._ is preferable to _&c._ when used for “and others” or “and so on”; but not a few good writers use the latter for this purpose.

The terms _4to_, _8vo_, _12mo_, etc., used to denote the sizes of books, are not abbreviations, and so do not take periods after them. Each number stands for a suppressed part of the word in which it appears.

The abbreviations _i. e._, _e. g._, _vs._, _viz._, etc., are often printed in italics. The words for which they stand are generally preferred to the abbreviations.

THE APOSTROPHE

There are but few uses of the apostrophe, and they are well settled, as follows:

1. To indicate the omission of letters or figures in contractions: _ne’er_, _don’t_, _it’s_ (it is), _’t_ will, class of _’83_, the gold-seekers of _’49_, etc.

2. To indicate the possessive case of nouns, but not of pronouns: _Henry’s_, _man’s_, _Jones’s_, a _boy’s_ task, the _boys’_ play-ground, for _conscience’_ sake, etc.

3. To indicate, with _s_, the plurals of letters, figures, symbols, and certain unusual or peculiar names: _i’s_ and _t’s_, _6’s_ and _7’s_, four _t’s_, several _D.D’s_, the _stay-at-home’s_, etc.

WHEREAS—RESOLVED

In the absence of a better place to note the conventional form of printing and punctuating the above words and what follows them, we consider the subject here. Two illustrations are sufficient to show the best usage. We prefer the first style. The second is that of the Century Dictionary, and is good style:

130A. WHEREAS, Our neighbors have suffered great loss ...

_Resolved_, That we give them immediate financial assistance ...

130B. _Whereas_, Our neighbors have suffered great loss ...

Resolved, that we give them immediate financial assistance ...

If the words “therefore be it” are used, they are put at the end of the line preceding “Resolved,” and set in Roman, with or without a dash following:

130C. WHEREAS, Our neighbors have suffered great loss; therefore be it

_Resolved_, That ...