could sing like_ [as] _you do_. See also «Love»
«Likely», means “any probability”; _liable_ means an “unpleasant
probability”
«Loan», is not in accord with good usage when used as a verb: Say, _He
lent me a dollar_, and _The loan was of real assistance_
«Locate», is a vulgarism when used for _settle_. Say, _He settled in
Boston_, and _He located his business in Cambridge_
«Love», describes that which appeals to our affections; _like_, that
which appeals to our taste, appetite or fancy
«Luxuriant», means “superabundant”; _luxurious_ means “consequent upon
luxury”
«Mad», means “insane,” and is not a synonym for _angry_
«Man», see «Gentleman»
«May», see «Can»
«Me», is often wrongly used for _I_: e.g., _Between you and I_ [me];
_It is me_ [I]; _You know as well as me_ [I]
«Means», may be either singular or plural. Say, _No other means was at
hand_, or _Various means were suggested_
«Most», should not be used for _almost_
«Must», should not be used for _had to_ or _was obliged_: e.g., _The
hour arrived when he must_ [had to] _decide_. In its proper use it
refers to the present or future: e.g., _The hour will arrive when he
must decide_ {108}
«Mutual», should not be used in the sense of “shared in common,” as
it means “reciprocal.” It can refer to but two persons or things.
_Mutual_ friendship is that which exists between two friends; _common_
friendship that which is shared by two friends for a third
«Negligence», implies failure to conform to an established custom;
_neglect_ means “a failure to act”
«Neither», signifies one of two. In designating one of three or more,
say _No one_
«News», is singular in construction
«Nice», should not be used loosely; as, _She was nice to us_. It
means keenness in discrimination; as, _It was a fine point, nicely
considered_. The incorrect use of this word is an Americanism
especially offensive to the English. Oscar Wilde, when in America,
remarked, “I think _nice_ is a nasty word,” to which his hearer
retorted, “I don’t think _nasty_ is a nice word”
«No place», should be written _nowhere_
«Nor», see «Or»
«Not . . . but», forms a double negative: e.g., _I have not asked you
but once_ should be _I have asked you but once_
«Notorious», is not a synonym for _celebrated_ or _famous_. It means
“of bad repute”
«Nowhere near», is a vulgarism for _not nearly_
NUMBER: pronouns are often used which differ in number from their
antecedents: e.g., _Nobody should feel that their_ [his] _interests
have been neglected_; _Each of the ladies, like two excellent
actresses, were_ [was] _perfect in their_ [her] _parts_ [part].
Singular nouns are sometimes used with plural verbs, or the reverse:
e.g., _None but the brave deserve_ [deserves] _the fair_; _There’s_
[there are] _the boys_
«Of», is sometimes wrongly used for _have_: e.g., _I shouldn’t of_
[have] _come if I had known_
«Or», should not be used with _neither_. Use _nor_ {109}
«Ought», should never be combined with _had_: e.g., _You hadn’t ought
to do that_ should be _You ought not to do that_
«Out loud», should never be used for _aloud_
«Partake of», should not be used in the sense of _eat_. It means “to
share with others”
«Party», should not be used for _person_
«Per», should not be used with English words. Say _One dollar a year_,
or _One dollar per annum_
«Perception», means the inlet of all the materials of knowledge;
_apperception_ means the knowledge that one possesses these materials.
A man with _perception_ knows; a man with _apperception_ knows that he
knows
PLURALS: of foreign words should be carefully ascertained: e.g.,
_cherubim_ is the plural of _cherub_; _memoranda_, of _memorandum_;
_data_, of _datum_; _donne_, of _donna_; _strata_, of _stratum_;
_addenda_, of _addendum_; _rubaiyat_, of _rubai_. Do not say, _A
memoranda_
«Pretty», should not be used in a modifying sense, nor as a synonym
for _very_: e.g., _It is not as good as yours, but it is pretty_
[fairly] _good_; _I didn’t hit it, but I came pretty_ [very] _close_
«Propose», meaning “to offer,” should not be confused with _purpose_,
meaning “to intend.” Say, _He proposed an amendment_, and _I have told
you what I purpose_
«Quite», should not be used in a modifying sense as if meaning
“rather.” _It is not what I expected, but it is quite good_ is wrong.
The word means “wholly”: e.g., _Not quite_ = not wholly; _quite
satisfactory_ = wholly satisfactory
«Raise», should not be used as a noun
«Rarely ever», is a vulgarism for _rarely_ or _hardly ever_
«Reference», should be used with _with_ rather than _in_. Say, _With
reference to_ rather than _In reference to_ {110}
«Regard», see «Reference»
«Respect», see «Reference»
«Reverend», should always be preceded by _the_: e.g., _The Reverend
James Brown Smith_
«Same», should not be used as a pronoun: e.g., _Your letter received,
and in reply [to same] would say_. Omit bracketed words
«Same as», should not be used for _just as_ or _in the same way_:
e.g., _Treat him the same_ [just] _as you would wish to be treated_
«Scarcely», see «Hardly»
«Seldom ever», see «Rarely ever»
«Sensible of», means “having perception”; _sensitive to_ means
“affected by”
«Set», should not be confused with _sit_. _To set_ means “to cause to
sit”: e.g., _The bird sits upon the tree_, and _The waiter set two
chairs for us_
«Sewage», means the contents of sewers; _sewerage_ means the system
«Shall», signifies simple expectancy in the first person, and _will_
represents determination. This reverses with the second and third
persons: e.g., EXPECTANCY, I shall (should), thou wilt (wouldst), he
will (would), we shall (should), you will (would), they will (would).
DETERMINATION, I will (would), thou shalt (shouldst), he shall
(should), we will (would), you shall (should), they shall (should).
This time-honored illustration of the misuse of these words is easily
remembered: _I will drown, nobody shall save me_. In interrogative
sentences, the forms of the future are the same as in a declarative
sentence, and their proper use may be easily remembered by noting that
the same auxiliary is used as is expected in the reply: e.g., _Shall
you go?_ suggests merely future action, anticipating the reply, _I
shall_ or _I shall not_; _Will you go?_ shows that the speaker expects
a reply of determination, _I will_ or _I will not_
«She», see «Her» {111}
«Should», ought not to be used for _to_: e.g., _I want you should_
[to] _do this_. (See also «Want».) As between _should_ and _would_,
see «Shall». The same usage obtains, except that sometimes _should_
is used in the sense of _ought_: e.g., _He should be here now_; and
_would_ sometimes signifies habitual action: e.g., _Whenever the name
was mentioned he would speak slightingly of him_
«Show», should not be used for _play_: e.g., _I went to a show last
evening_; nor in the sense of _chance_: e.g., _He has an excellent
show of winning_
«Show up», is a vulgarism when used for _expose_
«Since», should not be used for _ago_. Say, _How long ago_ rather than
_How long since_
«Size up», is a vulgarism when used for _estimate_
«So», should be used sparingly to modify an adjective: e.g., _I feel
so unhappy_. It should not be used for _so that_: e.g., _I wrote him
so_ [that] _he understood_
«So . . . as», is required, rather than the correlatives _as . . . as_
in negative statements: e.g., _James is not as_ [so] _clever as John_
«Some», should not be used for _somewhat_: e.g., _The patient is
some_[what] _better_
«Some place», should be written _somewhere_
«Sort», see «Kind»
«Sort of», should not be used for _rather_: e.g., _I feel sort of
tired_ is incorrect. See also «Kind of»
«Splendid», should not be used for _fine_ or _skilful_. It implies
“splendor”
«Start», should not be used for _begin_: e.g., _He started_ [began]
_to speak_
«Stop», should not be used for _stay_: e.g., _I am stopping_ [staying]
_with my uncle while in San Francisco_
«Take», is superfluous in connection with other verbs: e.g., _Suppose
we [take and] use the drawings we have_. It should not be confused
with _bring_: e.g., _I will bring_ [take] _it home with me_; _I will
take_ [bring] _the book to you tomorrow_ {112}
«Take stock in», is a slang expression not recognized by good usage.
Say _rely on_ or _trust in_
TENSE: errors are often made by neglecting the principle that the
time of the recorded action in the subordinate portion of a sentence
is relative to the time of the principal clause. The tense of the
dependent verb, therefore, is determined by its relation to the
verb on which it depends: e.g., _I meant to have done it_ should
be _I meant to do it_; _He expected to have told him_ should be
_He expected to tell him_. A common mistake is made in replying to
formal invitations: e.g., _Mr. Robert Gorham regrets that a previous
engagement will prevent_ [prevents] _him from accepting_; _Mr. Gorham
will be_ [is] _happy to accept_
«That», see «Which»
«Them», is often misused for _they_: e.g., _It is them_ [they]
«They», see «Them»
«This», should not be used as an adverb. Say, _Thus much is clear_
rather than _This much is clear_, and _Having said thus much_ [or _as
much as this_] . . . rather than _Having said this much_ . . .
«Through», should not be used for _finished_. Say, _He has finished
speaking_ rather than _He is through speaking_
«Too», alone should not modify a past participle: e.g., _He was too_
[much] _excited to reply_
«Treat», should be followed by _of_ rather than _on_: e.g., _This
volume treats of conditions in China_
«Try», should be followed by _to_ rather than _and_: e.g., _I will try
and_ [to] _get the information you desire_
«Ugly», should not be used in the sense of _vicious_ or _malicious_.
It means “repulsive to the eye.” A color may be _ugly_, but an
ill-tempered dog is _vicious_
VERBS: should not be omitted: e.g., _He could do it if he wished to_
[do it]
«Very», should be used sparingly. Foreigners say that America is a
country of superlatives, — if anything is good, it is _very_ good,
and if bad, it is _very_ bad. Too {113} much emphasis weakens
conversation or writing and defeats its object
«Visitor», is a human caller; _visitant_, a supernatural one
«Vocation», means “calling” or “profession”; _avocation_, means an
interest outside one’s profession
«Want», should not be used in the sense of _wish_: e.g., _I want it_
really means “I feel the want of it,” or “I lack it.” An example of
the correct use of both words is, _China wishes the coöperation of the
United States, — a coöperation which is at present wanting_
«Way», should not be used for _away_
«What», is often misused for _that_: e.g., _He has no doubt but what_
[that] _he will succeed_
«Whence», means “from where.” Do not say _from whence_
«Which», should not be used with a clause as its antecedent: e.g., _He
replied hotly, which was a mistake_ should be _He replied hotly; this
was a mistake_. Do not use _which_ (a neuter pronoun) to represent a
masculine or feminine noun. Say _whom_. Between _which_ and _that_,
let euphony decide
«Who», is often misused for _whom_ or _whose_: e.g., _Who_ [whom] _did
you wish to see?_ _Washington, than whom_ [whose] _no greater name is
recorded in American history._ Impersonal objects should be referred
to by _which_ rather than _who_
«Whom», see «Who» and «Which»
«Will», see «Shall»
«Woman», see «Gentleman»
«Womanly», means “belonging to woman as woman”; _womanish_ means
“effeminate”
«Would», see «Should» {114}
LETTER WRITING
Although it is quite improbable that there will ever be a return to the
painstaking, literary art of letter writing, of which we have so many
admirable examples in the past, the value of the art as a medium of
expressing personality must always be recognized. The force of business
competition has introduced short-cuts in business correspondence which
are regrettable from a literary standpoint; the universal use of the
typewriter has altered conditions; the multiplicity of social demands
makes impossible the leisurely written and carefully considered letters
between friends which used to be a valued expression of friendship
itself. These changes in conditions have been inevitable, but they do
not explain the carelessness and the evidences of ignorance of even
simple rules of expression and arrangement which are too frequently
apparent in the letters even of those whose position in life demands
more, in this respect, than they seem able or willing to give. For this
reason the present writer does not hesitate to resort to elementary
outlines in making clear the basis upon which the art of letter writing
rests. {115}
THE HEADING
«I. Business.» — 1. The stationery of a business house invariably
contains in its printed heading the name of the house and the location
of the business, with a space for filling in the date. The arrangement,
therefore, is arbitrarily and usually correctly fixed. The name of the
city or town, with street address, if required, comes first, occupying
one or two lines, followed by the date, always at the right, either in
the same line or in a line by itself: e.g.,
BOSTON, 12 March, 1912
or
189 State St., Boston
12 March, 1912
2. If there is no punctuation at the ends of the printed lines, there
should be no point used after the date.
3. The number of the day should not be followed by _st_, _nd_, _rd_,
_d_, or _th_: e.g., _12 March_, not _12th March_.
«II. Informal.» — 1. There is considerable latitude in the heading in
informal or friendly letters. The address of the writer may be placed
at the beginning or the end of the letter, or omitted altogether if
well-known to the addressee.
2. The date may be at the beginning or the end, but should never be
omitted.
«III. Formal.» — 1. In formal letters the place and date should be
written at the end, on the left. {116}
THE ADDRESS
«I. Business.» — 1. The name and address of the addressee should
be placed at the beginning of every business letter, on the left,
immediately preceding the salutation. It should be in two or three
lines, the indention being either blocked[14] or _en échelon_[14]: e.g.,
Messrs. Smith, Robinson & Co.
713 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, Pa. (_blocked_) _or_
Messrs. Smith, Robinson & Co. (_en échelon_) _or_
Philadelphia, Pa.
Messrs. Smith, Robinson & Co.
713 Chestnut Street (_en échelon_)
Philadelphia, Pa.
«II. Informal.» — 1. The same latitude is allowed here as in the matter
of the date. It is customary, however, to omit the address in informal
or friendly correspondence.
«III. Formal.» — 1. The address is always placed at the end in formal
letters, on the left, below the place and date. Its arrangement may
be blocked[15] or _en échelon_,[15] but this should be the same
arrangement as that adopted for the place and the address.
2. In making reply to formal invitations, the address of the addressee
is omitted.
THE SALUTATION
«I. Business.» — 1. The salutation should be so written as to line with
the first line of the address, on the left. {117}
[14] See page 56.
[15] See page 56.
2. Ordinarily it should occupy a line by itself, but when the address
requires three lines, the salutation may be made a part of the body of
the letter, being followed by a colon and a dash: e.g., _Gentlemen:―_
3. When the salutation is in a line by itself it calls for a comma if
the letter is informal, and for a colon if it is formal.
4. The proper form of the salutation is _Gentlemen_, _Dear Sir(s)_, _My
dear Sir_ (if the letter is signed by an individual name), _Dear Madam_
or _My dear Madam_ (to a married or single woman), _Ladies_.
5. The proper capitalization is here shown.
«II. Informal.» — 1. The salutation _Dear Sir_ is less formal than _My
dear Sir_, although in England the opposite opinion prevails.
2. The capitalization is the same as in business letters; i.e., the
first word and the word which stands in place of the person’s name are
capitalized: e.g., _My own dear Sister_, _My dear Aunt Mary_, or _Dear
John_, _My dear Friend_.
3. In an informal letter the comma is usually used after the salutation.
4. Do not use abbreviations in the salutation: e.g., write _Dear Doctor
Smith_, not _Dear Dr. Smith_.
5. Do not omit the salutatory phrase: _Friend James_, or _Mr. James
Smith_ is too abrupt.
«III. Formal.» — 1. A letter to the President of the United States or
to King George {118} should have the salutation _Sir_; to the Pope,
_Your Holiness_; to the Vice-President, _Mr. Vice-President, Sir_; to
a duke, _My Lord Duke_; to a baron, _My Lord_; to a cardinal, _Your
Eminence_; to an archbishop in England, _My Lord Archbishop_, in the
United States, _The Most Reverend ——, Sir_; to a bishop in England, _My
Lord Bishop_, in the United States, _Most Reverend Sir_; to a dean or
to an archdeacon, _Reverend Sir_; to a senator, congressman, mayor, or
judge, _Sir_ or _Dear Sir_; to an ambassador, _To the —— Ambassador,
Sir_.
2. A colon should follow the salutation in formal letters.
THE TEXT OF THE LETTER
«I. Business.»[16] — 1. The idea that curtness and brevity are
essential characteristics of a business letter exists now only in the
minds of the inexperienced, the ignorant, or the careless. One still
finds stock phrases and omitted articles to a surprising extent, — so
much so that a well-written business letter carries with it more
weight because of the contrast which it offers. The writers of the
best business letters today lose no time in getting to the point, but
they extend to their correspondent the courtesy of correct diction.
Arrangement, punctuation, spelling, and grammar reflect favorably or
otherwise upon the reputation of the house. {119}
[16] See example 1 on page 126.
2. Avoid such monotonous expressions as the following: (_a_) _Yours_,
_your favor_, _your esteemed favor_; write _letter_. (_b_) _12th
inst._, _12th_, _recent date_; write _12 March_. (_c_) _I will say_,
_I would say_, _I can say_; write _Allow me to say_, or omit it
altogether. (_d_) _In reply would say_; write _In reply I would say_,
or _In reply allow me to say_. (_e_) _Same_, _the same_; write _it_ or
_they_. (_f_) _Please find enclosed_; write _I enclose_. (_g_) _Hoping
to hear soon_, _thanking you in advance_, _awaiting your response_,
and _oblige_ have all become hackneyed. Omit them unless bearing
specifically upon the text of the letter.
3. Do not omit _I_ or _We_ in such expressions as, _Beg[17] to
acknowledge_, _Have been awaiting your advice_.
4. Do not use the first person singular when the letter is signed by
the firm name.
5. Do not say _the writer_ in one portion of the letter and _I_ in
another.
6. In arrangement, the first line of the text should begin on the line
below the salutation, indented about one inch, and each paragraph
should be similarly indented.[18] Another style, particularly useful
when the letter covers several distinct subjects, is to use the reverse
indention, with subheads in capitals at the extreme left.[19] {120}
[17] This should be Beg leave to acknowledge.
[18] See example 1 on page 126.
[19] See example 2 on page 126.
«II. Informal.»[20] — 1. However informal or friendly, a letter
should tell what it has to say in a straightforward, coherent manner.
Apologies for delay in writing, or for anything else except illness,
absence from town, or other cause which demands explanation, are
wasteful of paper, ink, and the time of two persons.
2. A general fault in informal letters is the paragraphing and
punctuation. The writer should remember that he is trying to express to
another mental ideas which have no opportunity to become crystallized
by the sound of the voice. He should take especial pains to assist
his correspondent in assimilating the thoughts which he expresses, by
not running different topics together, and by separating phrases and
sentences with their proper marks.
«III. Formal.» — 1. The expedient of writing in the third person is
adopted in formal social correspondence.[21] Notes of this kind should
have no heading, address, complimentary close, or signature. The date
alone, omitting the year, is used, being placed at the end on the left.
No abbreviations other than _Mr._, _Mrs._, _Messrs._, and _Dr._ should
be used. The date should be spelled out in full.
2. Notes written to tradespeople[22] conveying {121} orders or
instructions are also frequently written in the third person. In this
case, however, the address is always given at the end on the left, and
the date, using figures, is also employed. There is no signature.
[20] See example 3 on page 127.
[21] See example 4 on page 127.
[22] See example 5 on page 128.
THE COMPLIMENTARY CLOSE
I. «Business.» — 1. The accepted forms of complimentary closes of
business letters are _Yours truly_, and _Yours very truly_. The forms
_Respectfully yours_, _Your obedient servant_, and _Faithfully yours_
are now regarded as too obsequious.
2. The complimentary close should begin in the middle of a line by
itself, below the concluding words of the text.
3. The first word alone should be capitalized.
4. A comma should be placed at end of the line.
5. Do not abbreviate any of the words in the complimentary close. Avoid
such contractions as _Y’rs_ for _Yours_.
6. Expressions used to introduce the complimentary close, such as
_With kind regards_, _I am_, _Believe me_, _Good-bye_, etc., should be
treated as part of the concluding line of the text only when closely
related to the final sentence; otherwise they occupy a separate line.
II. «Informal.» — 1. The nature of the complimentary close of informal
or friendly {122} letters depends upon the degree of intimacy which
exists between the correspondents. The usual forms are, _Yours
sincerely_, or _Yours very truly_, but they may properly be used as
expressions of affection, as _Your devoted husband_, or _Your loving
daughter_.
III. «Formal.» — 1. There is no complimentary close to formal notes
written in the third person.
2. The complimentary closes to formal letters addressed to persons in
high positions are as follows: to the President of the United States,
_I have the honor to be, Sir, your most obedient servant_; to King
George, _I have the honor to be, Sir, Your Majesty’s most obedient
servant_. This form is modified as the rank of the person addressed
becomes less important. To a congressman, for instance, one would say
no more than, _I have the honor to be_.
THE SIGNATURE
1. The signature should be written on a line by itself, a little to the
right of the complimentary close.
2. Women should always sign their full names or indicate in brackets
how they should be addressed. Any one of the following forms is proper:
_a._ (Miss) M. L. Brown
_b._ (Mrs.) Ellen M. Brown
_c._ Ellen M. Brown
(Mrs. J. H. Brown)
{123}
3. In letters to all except the family or intimate friends the
Christian name and the surname should be signed in full.
THE ENVELOPE
1. The arrangement of the address upon the envelope is largely a
matter of taste. It usually occupies three or four lines, written _en
échelon_,[23] but some writers prefer the blocked[24] formation.
2. In business letters the word street and the name of the state may be
abbreviated, but in formal and informal letters it is better form to
spell out in full.
3. Legibility is even more essential in the address than in the letter
itself.
4. It is good form to write the street and number or the postoffice box
in the lower left-hand corner.
5. The abbreviations _No._ and # before the figures in the street
address should be omitted.
6. _In care of_ should be written out in full.
7. The stamp should always be placed in the upper right-hand corner,
as a convenience to the postoffice officials. Care should be taken to
affix the stamp neatly, as carelessness in this respect reflects upon
the sender.
8. Punctuation may be omitted at the ends of the lines; otherwise use a
comma, except at the end of the last line. {124}
[23] See page 56.
[24] See page 56.
9. The title _Esq._ is more complimentary than _Mr._, and the former
should always be used when addressing men holding a college degree or
of social standing. In formal social addresses _Mr._ (or _Dr._, etc.)
is always used.