PUBLISHED BY
THE MYSELL-ROLLINS BANK NOTE CO.
THE
MAGAZINE
STYLE-CODE
BY
LEIGH H. IRVINE
CROWN PUBLISHING CO.
SAN FRANCISCO
1906
PRINTERS LITHOGRAPHERS ENGRAVERS
22 Clay Street, San Francisco, Cal.
THE MAGAZINE STYLE-CODE
A MANUAL FOR THE GUIDANCE OF AUTHORS,
REPORTERS, TYPEWRITERS, MINISTERS,
LAWYERS, PROOFREADERS, COMPOSITORS,
PUBLISHERS, AND
ALL WHO WRITE.
LARGELY CODIFIED FROM THE SYSTEM OF
THEODORE LOW DE VINNE, FROM THE
CENTURY MAGAZINE, THE CENTURY
COMPANY’S BOOKS,
AND THE TREATISES
OF F. HORACE
TEALL.
ABBREVIATIONS, THE USE OF CAPITAL
LETTERS, COMPOUND WORDS,
ETC., FULLY ILLUSTRATED
AND EXPLAINED.
BY
LEIGH H. IRVINE
_Author of The New California, An Affair in the South Seas,
The Writer’s Blue Book, and Other Works._
CROWN PUBLISHING COMPANY
SAN FRANCISCO.
1906.
_Copyright, 1906_,
SAMUEL EPPSTEIN
DEDICATED
TO
THEODORE LOW DE VINNE,
WHOSE WORKS ON TYPOGRAPHY HAVE BEEN
THE AUTHOR’S GUIDE AND INSPIRATION
IN THE PREPARATION OF
THIS LITTLE BOOK.
SOURCES OF AUTHORITY.
=1.= It is to be regretted that every publishing-house does not start on
the principle that a thorough system of doing things right should
precede the turning out of printed matter; but the press of business is
so great, the demands for ‘rush work’ are so many, that system comes
last, if at all. Managers are busy with the cash account and the
pay-roll, for which reason a great deal is left to chance.
Thus it falls that the negligence, incompetence, or preoccupation of
printing-office managers makes good systems of typography the exception
rather than the rule. It is a reflection on the art preservative that
the slipshod methods and unscholarly composition of the daily newspaper
type often corrupt the pages of trade-and class-publications, as well as
of magazines and books. See paragraph 45 of this book for an explanation
of the use of hyphens in the foregoing sentence. See paragraph 68 for
the use of single quote-marks herein.
The hurried work of newspapermen may be partly excused on the ground of
haste, yet in another sense it requires no more time to do a thing the
right way than to do it the wrong way.
Printing-houses that pretend to turn out careful work, such as
publishing books and periodicals, should follow some model of
unquestioned authority; but as proper exemplars are not often at hand,
the daily newspaper, being omnipresent, is taken for a pattern.
The purpose of this handbook is to furnish a guide based on the
scholarship and technical knowledge of some of the world’s greatest
authors and printers. As blunders and inconsistencies creep into print
everywhere, even when special care is taken to avoid them, the author
expects this very work to be an example of the mistakes it warns others
to avoid. Such shortcomings as here appear, however, should serve to
emphasize the need of great pains by all who write and print.
Some years ago it fell to the author to harmonize the style-codes of
three printing-houses that were doing work for him. In seeking a model
of accuracy and typographical neatness the system expounded by Theodore
Low De Vinne, used by the _Century Magazine_ and the Century Company,
was chosen.
It was discovered that there never has been any formal style-code in use
by the De Vinne-Century printers. They have learned the style by
studying De Vinne’s _Correct Composition_ and like works of his on
typography. Office experience teaches printers the written and unwritten
laws of the De Vinne code.
The method of the Century printers has been largely the method of the
author of this manual. By correspondence with Mr. De Vinne, by studying
his books, and by the practical application of his rules to the work of
many offices the writer has come to know his methods, which are believed
to be the simplest and most scholarly in use in the United States
to-day. More than eighty per cent of the rules herein expounded are
codified from the works of De Vinne, or gleaned from Teall and similar
sources of indisputable authority. The work of the Chicago Proofreaders’
Association has been found helpful in the compounding of words.
System is as necessary in a printing-house as in a bank, and
classification and obedience to the law of the office are absolutely
essential to the production of correct composition. Since many editors
and patrons, authors and others are usually either careless or untrained
in the art of preparing copy, the printer must be extremely painstaking
and methodic, or his work will be censured, and he will be blamed for
every fault that shows itself in ‘cold type.’ The owners of newspapers
printed at other men’s offices are especially unreasonable when mistakes
occur. No matter how careless such customers are with their work, they
expect the printer to be infallible. Every publisher of wide experience
will corroborate this statement. The skilful writer expects reasonable
accuracy, the ignoramus wants printers to be Macaulays and mind-readers
as well.
=2. Why Style-codes are Necessary.= Style-codes are necessary because
much of the copy that is presented to printers is neither written nor
edited with reference to accuracy, consistency, or the rules of orderly
typography. Indeed much copy is not edited at all; it reaches the case
or the machine with its original crudities thick upon it, and if
blunders are discovered by the public the slovenly authors defend
themselves by charging them to ‘errors of the types,’ or blunders of the
printers. On account of the general carelessness of writers, style-codes
are necessary; they enable printers and proofreaders to hold writers
within reasonable bounds. If all things were written just as they should
be printed, style-codes would be useless.
=3. Edited Manuscripts Save Money.= Just as short words and short,
simple sentences save the time and energy required to gather the meaning
that would be clouded by the use of long, involved sentences, so clearly
written and accurately prepared manuscripts save time, energy, and money
in the printing-office.
Typewritten copy is almost a necessity in this busy age, but whether
penned or typed, manuscripts should be consistent in style, and above
all readily legible. Fast typesetting machines should not be made slow
and expensive by the carelessness and indistinct manuscripts of editors
and other writers for the press.
=4. Uniformity is Essential to Success.= Uniformity in the method of
using capital letters, compound words, punctuation marks, etc., is
essential where any care is taken with printed matter. It is astonishing
that many editors, reporters, ministers, lawyers, and others who write
for publication are not only ignorant of typographical niceties, but of
fundamentals as well. Going further, it may be said that many
printing-houses are conducted in a haphazard way, as if uniformity and
accuracy were luxuries beyond price. Even under the best system,
contradictions and other errors are certain to abound. The best that can
be expected is to reduce blunders to the minimum.
=5. Passing the Blame to Printers.= Many writers pass the responsibility
and the blame to printers. This is a slovenly and unreasonable course.
Printers do not agree, some are incompetent, all are busy with other
details than editing copy, and it is not the duty of printers to correct
the blunders of writers. Again, a printer may see but a fraction of a
given manuscript, and may not know, unless there is an office
style-card, what system is the author’s desire. A style-card will show
printers the way out of many dark places, and will overcome many of the
obstacles presented by the copy of untrained editors and writers. In
well-arranged offices, however, the compositor’s right to make changes
is a limited one.
It is the duty of typographers to follow copy unless there is a clear
inadvertence, such as going =too= town instead of =to= town, for
example. Writers should understand that printers, though often highly
competent to write or edit manuscripts better than those who present
them as copy, are too busy at the case or the machine to stop and edit
copy, form a style-code, consult dictionaries, verify quotations,
harmonize discrepancies, and prevent the blunders of writers in general.
If nobody edits copy, one of two things happens--the blunders are put
into type for the public eye, or they are corrected by the proofreader.
The former course destroys the printer’s reputation, the latter adds to
the cost of work.
=6. Making Copy is an Art.= The world’s universities do not teach how to
prepare copy for printers. Often college men are not only poor writers
of English, but they are as careless of the niceties of typography as
are printers in most houses, editors of some publications, ministers,
school-teachers, reporters, and public officers. In most manuscripts
inconsistencies abound. Numbers, for example, should be spelled out, or
written in arabic or in roman numerals, yet the three methods are
sometimes seen on one page of copy.
=7. Uniform Methods Throughout.= Abbreviations, the use of italic, of
smaller bodies of types, of varying measures, of bold-face, light-faced
antique, and like typographical methods for indicating headings, cut-in
notes, emphatic words, etc., should be under some definite and sensible
plan.
=8. Points for Writers.= Paper for linotype operators as well as that
for hand-compositors should be about the size of commercial note, and
the writing should run the long way of the page, the reason being that
sheets of the commercial note size fit into the machine ‘copy-holder’
very neatly. Good margins should be left at the top and sides, this for
side-notes and catch-lines for headings. Names of persons, etc., should
be ‘printed out’ carefully in manuscripts, and interlineations should be
avoided. Blind hands have always caused infinite trouble in
printing-houses. (Consult ‘blind’ in the _Standard Dictionary_.)
=9. Style-codes Should be Mastered.= Those in authority in
publishing-houses and elsewhere should compel reporters, editors,
printers, proofreaders, and others whose duty it is to know =style= to
master the office code. In many instances the carelessness of writers
adds to the cost of production in every other department of publishing.
Strangely, however, many writers assume offhand that anybody can
capitalize words correctly and uniformly. Such writers jump to
conclusions in the most reckless way imaginable. Their methods and
definitions are no more correct than were the definitions given by a
band of amateur scientists who described a crab in answer to the great
Cuvier’s question. They said a crab was a small, red fish that walks
backward. “A perfect definition,” said Cuvier, “except that the crab is
not a fish, is not red, and does not walk backward.”
=10. Office Dictionary Should Govern.= One dictionary should be selected
as the sovereign guide in every printing-house. If some things in the
chosen dictionary seem wrong there should be a list or card of
variations from authority. For many reasons the author of this little
book prefers the _Standard Dictionary_ to all others. It seems to have,
among other things, the most consistent and thorough method of
compounding words. Its spellings are the simplest, its pronunciations
the most rational. The incomparable work of F. Horace Teall shines in
the department that deals with the important subject of compounding
English words. Teall’s _English Compound Words and Phrases_ should be
before every editor. As elsewhere explained, his system is a little
behind the times, owing to a recent movement to solidify words. See
paragraph 41.
=11. What Printers Should Edit.= There is a class of matter which
printers should edit as they proceed in their work, and this they should
do without delay or risk of exceeding authority. Reprint should be made
to conform to the office style. Often editors have ample time to read
clippings with sufficient care for acceptance, but without time or means
to make such excerpts conform to the governing code. Owing to lack of
marginal space and space between printed lines, there is no room for
certain emendations, the changing of compounds, and the rearrangement
of capitals. For these reasons most reprint reaches the printer as it
originally appeared in the ‘exchange’ from which it was clipped.
Even if an editor should take pains to change the style of reprint the
result would be an unsatisfactory net-work of interlineations, carets,
transpositions, rings, and other marks--in short, it would be bad copy.
Some editors make it a rule to quote the general style of the clipping,
holding that the style of the clipping is as much a part of the author’s
personality as are his words and sentences. Unfortunately there are
usually so many contradictions and inaccuracies, so many evidences of
_no style whatever_, that it is not a sensible plan to follow reprint
copy. The best system is for the compositor to follow the code of his
office, and the code should be so well known to him that to follow it
would be a pleasure.
In many small offices, where copy-readers or copy-editors are not
employed, a knowledge of the style-code by printers and proofreaders is
of vital importance. It has been computed by a committee of printers of
wide experience that a style-code will save from three to five per cent
of the cost of composition. In offices conducted along the lines of
chaos the waste of time is great.
=12. Authors are the Supreme Authority.= There is no doubt that every
author has the right to dictate what shall be the typographical form of
his work, but no self-respecting publisher’s imprint or hall-mark ever
appears on the pages of slovenly work. Even the author who demands his
own way should be shown his inconsistencies and slacknesses, if they
exist. The productions of some authors, who insist that copy be followed
by the printer, betray lack of system before the work has reached the
end of a galley; but if a writer urges that his faults be put in type
his orders should be followed. Instructions are often obeyed, greatly to
the amusement of everybody in the office, including the battery boy and
the devil.
ABBREVIATIONS IN GENERAL.
=13. Anno Domini= should be printed with small capitals when abbreviated
as A. D.
=14. Apostrophes for Plural of Letters Wrong.= De Vinne aptly says on
page 285 of _Correct Composition_ that the apostrophe is not proper to
express plurality. Its use in print for this purpose is the repetition
of an indefensible colloquialism, even though the dictionaries record
the form. Letters should be spelled as follows; aes, bees, cees, dees,
ees, efs, gees, aitches, ies, jays, kays, els, ems, ens, oes, pees,
ques, ars, esses, tees, ues, vees, ws or dubleyuz, exes, wyes, zees.
With the exception of esses this is the form given by the _Standard
Dictionary_.
=15. Apostrophe to be Omitted.= Mida’s _Criterion_ and Dean’s Landing
need the apostrophe as a sign of possession, but when referred to as
_Midas_ and Deans, the apostrophe is useless, and should be omitted.
Harper’s Ferry, but only Harpers when used in the curtailed form for the
Ferry, meaning Harper’s Ferry. See De Vinne’s _Correct Composition_,
page 284. Consult paragraph 68 of this book.
=16. Apostrophe in Possessives.= Do not omit the apostrophe in such
names as James’s, Banks’s, and Williams’s in possessive use. It is a
slovenly newspaper custom to omit apostrophes, except when the sound of
a second ess makes a disagreeable hissing. Whenever the second ess is
distinctly pronounced it should be inserted after the apostrophe. De
Vinne, Teall, Bain, Alford, Moon, and others are firm in demanding the
ess and the apostrophe whenever the sound of the second ess is given in
speech. Bain says: “We say St. James’s and St. Giles’s, Burns’s, and
Douglas’s.” This is also the style of such magazines as the _Century_.
See paragraphs 15 and 68.
=17. Arabic Numbers.= Books should be disfigured as little as possible
by arabic numerals in the text. Numbers thus set are always dry and
forbidding in appearance. See paragraphs 19, 24, and Words, under
paragraph 27, division (16).
=18. A. M., etc.= Capital and small capital letters are not needed in
abbreviating time, as a. m. and p. m. for ante meridiem and post
meridiem. It is best to spell out =six o’clock=, etc. A. M. means
master of arts and anno mundi. P. M. means postmaster. If _time_ is
meant, confusion sometimes arises. De Vinne uses the period, and says
the colon is an ignorant substitution in this sense: =2.30= p. m. and
=1.45= a. m., not =2:30=, or =1:45=. See De Vinne’s _Correct
Composition_, page 82.
=19. Ages of Persons.= Spell out the ages of persons. John Jones is not
=aged= twenty-one years. He is twenty-one years =of age=, or twenty-one
years old--not an =aged= person. The last use of =aged= is proper.
=20. Books.= See paragraphs 36, 52; also see division twelve under
paragraph 27.
=21. Co. and Company.= Co. should be set in capitals (=CO.=) when the
firm name is in capitals. The name JOHN BROWN’S Co. is unsightly. Unless
=Co.= is the style of the company, or incorporation, spell out the
word. In Co’s no period is needed after the =o=. De Vinne’s _Correct
Composition_, page 291.
=22. Credits.= See paragraph 52. Credits at the end of matter are best
set in italic lower-case, without any em dash to connect the credit with
the quotation. See De Vinne’s _Correct Composition_, page 150.
=23. Dates.= When the numeral precedes the name of the month it may be
written as the =28th= of November, but when the numeral follows, it
should be November =28=. In =2d=, =3d=, and like abbreviations, there is
no need of =n=, as in =2nd=.
=Years.= Two consecutive years should be run thus: During 1897-98, and
not 1897-8. It is proper to say the heroes of ’49. See paragraph 24.
=24. Figures.= Commas are not needed in four figures, as: 1897, 5798.
The comma should not be inserted between figures expressive of dates, as
in June, 1898.
Numbers of infrequent occurrence should be spelled out rather than put
in roman numerals. The engine weighed five thousand tons, there were
fifty-two gallons in the barrel, there were seventeen thousand men in
the regiments. See paragraph 17.
=25. Hours.= Print 11.30 a. m., and not 11:30 a. m. Use the period
rather than the colon. See paragraph 18.
=26. Month, etc.= Month, inst., prox., and ult., often abbreviated in
letters, are improper in all first-class work. Spell out the name of the
month, as March and January, not Mar. and Jan. Spell out days of the
week.
27. MISCELLANEOUS.
(1) =e. g.= for exempli gratia, i. e. for id est, q. v. for quod vide,
viz. for videlicet or to wit, etc. for et cetera, are barely tolerated
in good work and are discarded by many houses. If authors will use such
symbols they should spell them out. Italic is not needed in these
examples. See De Vinne’s _Correct Composition_, page 41.
(2) =Dep’t=, treas., sec., gov’t, and similar abbreviations are not
permissible.
(3) =Do= not use Xmas and Xtns for Christmas and Christians.
(4) =MS. and MSS.= MS. for manuscript and MSS. for manuscripts. There
should be no period after the =M=.
(5) =New York.= Do not use N. Y. when you refer to New York City.
(6) =Towns and Cities.= Do not abbreviate the names of towns and
cities, and avoid abbreviation of the names of states, except when they
follow town and city names. See paragraph 29.
(7) =Titles.= It is a proper and decorous system to spell out doctor,
professor, general, colonel, captain, major, and like titles. Good book
and magazine work oppose abbreviations of such titles. Mr., Mrs., Jr.,
Sr., are allowed as here written.
(8) =To wit= should not be compounded.
(9) =Spell out= fort, mount, point, port, saint, etc. in every use.
(10) =Parentheses.= Inclose the names of states in parentheses when used
in the following way: The Albany (N. Y.) Law School; the Milpitas (Cal.)
_Gazette_. See paragraph 29.
(11) =Pet Names.= Bill, Bob, Jim, Tom, Joe, etc., are not abbreviations,
and therefore they need no period after the last letter.
(12) =Quarto=, octavo, twelvemo, thirty-twomo, etc., are best, but 4to,
8vo, and 12mo may be used, if they do not begin a sentence.
(13) =Streets.= The numerical names of streets should be spelled out, as
Fifteenth Street, Twenty-second Street.
(14) =Time.= See paragraph 18. Spell out the names of days of the week,
as well as names of months.
(15) =Titles.= If John Jones has many titles following his name, it is
best to set them in small capitals, as: M. D., F. R. S., PH. D., K. C.
B. To set all in capitals is to give the name too little prominence. One
or two titles may be set in capitals, but when there are three or four,
use small capitals.
(16) =Words.= Words are preferred in legal documents, as: Jean must
appear in court on the tenth of August, in the year of our Lord one
thousand nine hundred and six.
(17) =PS.= PS. (for postscript or postscriptum) without a period or
space between the letters. See MS., number (4), paragraph 27.
(18) =Commas Essential.= Commas are essential in certain cases where
they are often omitted. Many printers seem to think it is treason to put
a comma before =and= in a series of three words, and the Chicago
Proofreaders’ Association omits commas in such instances. The system is
slovenly, however. De Vinne properly expounds the rule. On page 253 of
_Correct Composition_ he says: “The comma is needed when the simplicity
and directness of a sentence are broken by the addition or repetition of
nouns, verbs, adjectives, or adverbs that do not qualify the words that
directly follow.” He cites this example: “Ulysses was wise, eloquent,
cautious, and intrepid.” Note the comma after =cautious=. Use the comma
without hesitation when the qualifying words are more than two in
number; as, the bay was calm, beautiful, and clear as crystal. The comma
is sometimes erroneously omitted before the conjunction in such cases
as: Jean, Lucinda and Alice have departed. There is no person whose name
is Lucinda and Alice. Again, the impression may be made, by the omission
of the comma, that Lucinda and Alice went together, and not with Jean.
Another point to be remembered is that when the words are not in pairs,
the comma must be used, even if =or= frequently intervenes. _Correct
Composition_, page 254. When the words are in pairs, connected by the
word =and=, or disconnected by the word =or=, the comma is needed only
at the end of each pair. _De Vinne._
=28. Names.= Never abbreviate Jas., Jos., Thos., Geo., Wm., Theo.,
Chas., and other Christian names. The decorous system is to spell the
names in full, except when following exact signatures in legal documents
and other formal matter.
=29. Names of States.= Names of states following names of towns, except
the names of Alaska, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, and Utah, are
abbreviated as follows:
Alabama Ala.
Arizona Ariz.
Arkansas Ark.
California Cal.
Colorado Colo.
Connecticut Conn.
Delaware Del.
Florida Fla.
Georgia Ga.
Illinois Ill.
Indiana Ind.
Indian Territory I. T.
Kansas Kan.
Kentucky Ky.
Louisiana La.
Maryland Md.
Massachusetts Mass.
Michigan Mich.
Minnesota Minn.
Mississippi Miss.
Missouri Mo.
Montana Mont.
Nebraska Neb.
Nevada Nev.
New Hampshire N. H.
New Jersey N. J.
New Mexico N. M.
New York N. Y.
North Carolina N. C.
North Dakota N. D.
Oklahoma Okla.
Oregon Ore.
Pennsylvania Pa.
Rhode Island R. I.
South Carolina S. C.
South Dakota S. D.
Tennessee Tenn.
Texas Tex.
Vermont Vt.
Washington Wash.
Virginia Va.
West Virginia W. Va.
Wisconsin Wis.
Wyoming Wyo.
=30. Brackets.= Teall says that an insertion not merely disconnected,
but having no effect upon the meaning of the context, should be inclosed
within brackets. Examples: I swear that I was naturalized [here state
name] in Missouri. My son, I must tell you all. [Some private details
are here blotted out. _Editor._] You must keep these things secret. De
Vinne says: “Parentheses always inclose remarks apparently made by the
writer of the text. Brackets inclose remarks certainly made by the
editor or reporter of that text.” See _Correct Composition_, page 279.
=31. By-laws.= De Vinne says: “By-laws are frequently printed with the
side-headings Art. 1 for Article 1, Sec. 2 for Section 2, etc., but it
is better practice to print the word in full in the paragraph where it
first appears, and to omit the word in subsequent paragraphs, using the
proper figure only, as is customary in verses of the Bible and in
hymn-books.”
=32. Can not.= =Can not= is preferred to =cannot=, though there is
authority for both forms. =Can not= and =shall not=, according to the
usage of good writers, are treated as shown.
33. CAPITAL LETTERS IN GENERAL.
A
Arbor Day, Decoration Day, Labor Day, Black Friday.
Ascension Day, in Bible sense.
Almighty and like terms in lieu of God.
arctic ivory and all similar mercantile uses of such words as arctic
in that sense. Even titanic and herculean, in some uses.
Arctic when referring to that region.
algebra, botany and all sciences. See sciences.
arabic when referring to letters of that name or to merchandise.
autumn unless the word is personified. Seasons are not capitalized.
See seasons.
association, church, companies, political, and similar names are
written in small letters, thus: trustee, councilman, supervisor,
congressman, director, secretary, president, governor,
superintendent, etc., unless the title precedes a surname, in which
case it is capitalized as a title. If a title selected may be
applied to two or more persons use the small letter, not the
capital. Abbreviated expressions take the capital letter as an
initial, as: =the= Union, =the= Club, =the= Church, =the= Senate,
=the= Company, =the= Chamber, =the= State, =the= Nation, when such
shortened expressions are clearly used in place of the full name of
the body in question. The Union, if you mean of states, or if you
mean a certain typographical union.
B
Bank Holiday, because this is its proper name as much as Wednesday is
the name of a day.
Bible, and all names like Scriptures, Holy Writ.
the Board of Education, meaning a special one.
a board of education, meaning any one.
Bay of Naples.
a bay, meaning any one.
Baconian philosophy, because with direct reference to Bacon; but
=herculean=, meaning strong, platonic, etc., unless referring
directly to Plato.
Bills are capitalized, as: Pure Food Bill, Highway Bill, Labor Bill,
Revenue Bill.
Buildings. Capitalize Chronicle Building, White House, Pressmen’s
Hall, Linotype Building, Carnegie Free Library Block, etc.
C
Christmas and all synonyms, as Yule-tide.
city of New York, but New York City, its official name.
a city of Kentucky, or any city of a class, because common nouns.
this City, meaning San Francisco or any other place clearly meant.
a chief-justice.
the Chief-justice of Missouri.
an aged justice, or a former chief-justice.
castile soap. See merchandise.
china goods, china silk, etc. See merchandise.
cisalpine, transatlantic, etc.
county of Holt, but Holt County, its exact name. See counties.
the County, meaning one in particular; in lieu of full name.
a county--any one.
Counties: Holt County is the name of the political division or
corporation, and when =the County= is used as a shorter expression,
it is clearly a synonym for the full name.
the Congress of the United States, or Congress, the Legislature.
the Congressman, meaning a special one. Several congressmen and
senators were there. In this sense the nouns are common.
=Congressman= illustrates De Vinne’s rule that a title not a synonym
for a specified person (one only) should not begin with a capital.
See Association.
Centuries take a lower-case letter: fifteenth century, nineteenth,
twentieth, etc. This is an exception to the rule concerning
historical epochs, but custom has made it proper.
a club, meaning any.
the Club, meaning the Century Club.
Columbia College, Stanford University, etc.
the Constitution of the United States, of any particular state or
society.
a constitution, meaning any.
the Continent, meaning of Europe, or when used as a substitute for
the full name of any other continent.
coolie, negro, greaser, gringo, gipsy. See nicknames, which are never
capitalized.
D
Decoration Day, like all historic names. See Historic names.
Deity, God, Father, Son, Holy Ghost, Jehovah, Holy Spirit, =Saviour=,
Creator, Providence, Heaven, when used for God, and all words that
refer directly to Deity as a name, heaven and hell in ordinary use.
Heaven, meaning God.
devil as an expletive.
Devil, if John Milton’s is meant, also Satan, Beelzebub.
Definite Titles. When definite titles or names are shortened, like the
Senate, the Club, etc., meaning a particular senate or club, use
capitals. Likewise where =the= State or =the= Government means one
in particular, as following a reference to California, capitals
should be used. The Union, =the= Nation, etc., follow the same rule.
E
the East, meaning an undefined geographical section.
an east wind blew, however, meaning mere direction.
the Ex-president.
an ex-president, ex-mayor, ex-governor, etc. When capitalized, the
first letter of the compound takes the capital, as: Ex-president
Cleveland. Many good writers prefer the expression _former_
president, etc.
Erie Canal.
the earth. Though the name of a definite planet, this word is not
capitalized. It is a clear exception to the rule. The sun and the
moon usually go in lower-case.
F
Fast Day.
the Flood of the Bible.
Fourth of July.
Father, meaning God. See Deity.
fall of the year, except when personified. See seasons.
Federal Government, meaning the Government of the United States.
G
Golden Rule, the.
Good Friday.
God in every sense, but the gods of fable. See Deity.
the General when referring to one in particular. See official titles.
a general, any one. See official titles, definite titles, etc.
grammar, same as botany, chemistry, and other sciences.
Geographical names thus: The South Side, the East Side, the West, the
Northeast, Back Bay, Tenderloin District, Monterey Bay, Missouri
River, Goat Island, Gold Mountain. Sherwood’s Pier, Idora Park, Ross
Valley, Waverley Place.
Glacial, Triassic, etc., referring to geological uses.
the Gospels, and all like terms; Scriptures, Holy Writ, the Word.
the Governor, when in lieu of his name, or meaning one in particular.
a governor, meaning any one. See official titles.
H
Holy Spirit, but see Deity.
Historic names, thus: Civil War, Middle Ages, Commencement Day, Lord’s
Day, Silurian Age, Dark Ages, the Deluge, the Victorian Era, the
Renaissance.
herculean, meaning full of strength, and unless direct reference is
made to Hercules and his age.
hell and heaven. See Deity.
House of Commons.
House of Lords.
heathen.
Hades and like poetical names of a future abode.
Holy Writ.
I
india ink, used as merchandise.
india rubber. Same as india ink.
italic letters, never Italic.
the Island, meaning Long Island, or any one previously named; the
Islands, meaning a special group previously named or suggested. The
various islands of the sea, however, but the South Sea Islands.
J
Jesus Christ.
Jehovah. See Deity.
K
a king, but the King. See association. Kaiser, Czar, and President
follow this rule.
L
Labor Day. See historic names.
Lady Day. See historic names.
Lord, Deity, Jesus Christ, God, etc.
the Levant.
A lord and a lady, but =the= Lord.
M
a mayor, president, lord, governor, czar, etc. See association,
governor, official titles.
the Mayor, King, President, Czar, Governor, etc.
morocco goods. See merchandise.
the Manager. See official titles.
a manager. See official titles.
Merchandise. Arctic, Tropics, Levant, Orient, and all geographical
names used as proper nouns go up; but nouns used to specify
merchandise go down, as: arctic ivory, india ink, russia leather,
morocco, turkey red, port wine, chinese blue. When words derived
from proper nouns have thus lost the direct connection or literal
sense of the name there is no need of capitals. Consult De Vinne’s
_Correct Composition_, page 119.
N
Names. White House, Gillis Opera House, Handel Hall, etc.
New Year’s.
the North, meaning an undefined geographical section.
a north wind.
Northeast, Northwest, etc., follow same rule. Do not compound such
words.
Nicknames: Creole, negro, mulatto, gipsy, quadroon, greaser, coolie,
peon, and like nicknames do not begin with a capital. See De Vinne.
Nation, when in lieu of the United States or of any other particular
government. See state, etc.
a nation of workers, however.
nature ordinarily, except when in lieu of God. See Deity.
negro. See nicknames.
Nature when used for God. See Deity.
O
oriental silk. See merchandise.
the Orient.
the Occident.
Official titles: Mayor, judge, justice, king, governor, and the like
follow one rule, as do the terms treasurer, secretary of state, etc.
If they precede the name of one person (not of two or more) they
take the capital initial. If they follow a name or are preceded by
=the indefinite article a=, they need no capital. The name of the
office is never written with a capital in this sense: He ran for the
office of justice of the peace, president, governor, mayor, etc.
See association.
P
a president. See official titles.
the President, Czar, King, Governor, Mayor, etc. See official titles
and association.
prussian blue. See merchandise.
purgatory.
paradise, except the Paradise of John Milton.
Parliament. Same as Congress. See association.
platonic follows herculean and Baconian. If meaning direct reference
to Plato or his system, capitalize; if meaning merely philosophical,
write =platonic=. See herculean.
Political parties: Antis, Nationalist, Populist, Radical, Tory,
Democrat, Prohibitionist. Adjectives of the same, same rule.
Personification: Anything may be personified, and all personified
words should be capitalized, as: The spirit of Fire; the voice of
Crime; the call of Duty; the ghost of Want.
Pronouns standing for Deity go thus: his wisdom; him we fear; thou
God; thy Word; thee we adore. This is Biblical use. Capitalizing was
an error of hymn-books of the long ago.
Q
Queen. See king, president, governor, official titles, etc.
R
russia leather. See merchandise.
Religious denominations: Catholics, Protestants, Jews,
Mohammedans--but pagan and heathen, for these terms are too
indefinite to take the capital.
Republican. See political parties.
rhetoric. See sciences.
S
Saviour is the approved spelling when referring to Jesus Christ.
a senate.
the Senate of Illinois.
the Society for the Prevention of Vice, and like names.
a society for prevention of vice.
the Southern Railroad.
a southern railroad.
a state of the United States.
the State, meaning California; but the state of California. See
states.
the South, an undefined geographical location.
the Southeast. Same as South.
a south wind.
States: The state of New York, the empire of Germany; but New York
State, the German Empire, because the official names. The Southern
States, the Northern States, but the states and territories of the
United States.
Sciences: All references to algebra, botany, geometry, chemistry, and
like names of science are written without the capital initial.
Streets: First Street, Sixty-first Avenue, etc.
Second Corps.
Seasons: The seasons are not capitalized, unless in personification.
spring is here.
summer has departed.
the Scriptures. See Bible and Gospels.
T
=the= preceding the name of a newspaper or magazine is not
capitalized: =the= Herald, =the= Century, but in books it goes in
capital initial; as, “The Life of Emerson.”
the Tropics.
tropical plants, tropical weather, etc.
turkey red. See merchandise.
Titles: It is as proper to say Scavenger Smith or Barber Brown as to
say Judge Jones and President Roosevelt. All such titles as
director, manager, weigher, inspector, and like names follow the
general rule. See association and official titles.
a township. See county, association, etc.
transatlantic, transpacific, transmissouri.
U
universe.
=the= Union, meaning the United States; the Nation, Republic, Federal
Government, etc.
the Union, meaning one organization in particular, or when used in
lieu of the full name. See definite titles.
W
Whitsunday.
Whitsuntide.
the West, meaning an undefined geographical section.
a west wind.
a ward meeting.
the Sixth Ward politicians.
the wards of the city.
winter. See seasons.
Y
Your Grace.
Your Honor.
Your Majesty.
Your Reverence.
Your Royal Highness.
Yule-tide. See Christmas.
Z
zoology. See sciences.
the zodiac.
the zenith.
Zeus, the Greek god.
=34. Illustrations of the Code.= The following sentences illustrate the
rules herein expounded. See section 49:
Saloon-keepers of the Reservation are in session at the Log Cabin Saloon
in this City, and Government officials of Federal and State power will
be asked to do nothing until the Supreme Court passes on the decisions
of other courts. If no satisfaction is obtained, the State will be asked
to refund sums expended in the two Kansas Citys--Kansas City, Mo., and
Kansas City, Kan. Notice that _the two Kansas cities_ would convey the
idea of two cities in Kansas, and _the two Kansas Cities_ would not be
an improvement.
A NIGHT OF HORRORS.
It was Labor Day, but there was a celebration equal to that of the
Fourth of July. No pagan holiday ever surpassed some of the heathenish
performances there enacted. According to the New York Herald
Ex-president Cleveland was there, accompanied by Colonel Hay, secretary
of state. The President of the United States was there, and various
ex-presidents’ memories were honored. There were senators, assemblymen,
judges of the Supreme Court of the United States, and judges from other
supreme courts in the throng--but not one from the Supreme Court of the
state of Georgia, or from New York State. David Bennett Hill wore an
arctic coat from the Arctic. During the evening a German sang, and a
gipsy danced a jig. The Orient, the Arctic, the Tropics, and the Levant
contributed to the decorations. The dances were on a brussels carpet
direct from Brussels, according to the word of two doctors of divinity
who sat near six masters of art. The titled gentlemen laughed until they
shook down a bowl of paris green, and a shelf containing chinaware. The
Government (or Nation or Union, meaning the United States) was honored
by Alexis, grand duke and envoy extraordinary, who presented every
senator and every judge a morocco badge--two badges to the Chief Justice
of the highest court. A governor took umbrage, but the Governor of
California took native claret; and as he sipped it an old greaser with a
nose of turkey-red color, who looked like a ward politician from the
Fourth Ward of San Francisco, disgraced the South. Later a breeze sprang
from the east side of the Bay of Fundy and cooled off the representative
of the empire of Germany greatly to the relief of the German Empire
itself. Every man present hunted for his bowie-knife, except a Methodist
member of the Salvation Army, who quoted the Gospels, speaking often of
God and his Word, the Holy Writ. The Middle Ages would have been
disgraced if such italic head-lines as our papers contained had ever
disturbed their quiet life. It was a wonderful demonstration, even for a
night of the nineteenth century. Let us hope that foot-, side-, and
end-notes in small volumes of history may tell the story to coming
generations.--_Maritime World Code_, January, 1899.
=35. Chemical Terms.= In many chemical terms the final =e= is dropped,
as: Oxid, chlorid, quinin, chlorin, fibrin.
CITATIONS IN GENERAL.
=36. Books.= See paragraphs 22, 27, 52. Here is a standard form:
Macaulay’s 2 History, iv, 14. This means the second volume of the work,
the fourth chapter, the fourteenth page. The iv should be set in
lower-case.
Law Books. In citing law books abbreviate as follows: Briggs vs. Ewart,
51 Ala., 576; 78 Fed. Rep., 398, etc.
=37. Paragraphs.= Paragraphs, pages, verses, and sections of books are
marked in arabic, but cantos of poetry should be set in lower-case
roman.
=38. Pages.= Pages 145, 168, 172, and never p 145 or pp 145, 168, 172.
Spell out all such references.
=39. Publications.= In citing such publications as periodicals and
newspapers it is not necessary to use a capital for _the_ in _the New
York Herald_. In _The Life of Christ_ or the title of any other book
capitalize _The_. See paragraph 52.
=40. Scriptural Citations.= Unless many citations are made it is best to
spell out the names of books of Scripture, but when the references are
numerous they should be as follows:
Old Testament.
Gen. xi, 17
Ex.
Lev.
Num.
Deut.
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Sam.
2 Sam.
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chron.
2 Chron.
Ezra
Neh.
Esther
Job
Ps.
Prov.
Eccles.
Cant. or Song of Sol.
Isa.
Jer.
Lam.
Ezek.
Dan.
Hos.
Joel
Amos
Obad.
Jonah
Mic.
Nahum.
Hab.
Zeph.
Hag.
Zech.
Mal.
New Testament.
Matt.
Mark
Luke
John
Acts
Rom.
1 Cor.
2 Cor.
Gal.
Eph.
Phil.
Col.
1 Thess.
2 Thess.
1 Tim.
2 Tim.
Titus
Philem.
Heb.
Jas.
1 Pet.
2 Pet.
1 John
2 John
3 John
Jude
Rev.
The Apocrypha.
1 Esdras
2 Esdras
Tobit
Judith
Rest of Esth.
Wisd. of Sol.
Ecclus.
Baruch
Song of Three Childr.
Susanna
Bel and Dragon
Pr. of Manasses
1 Macc.
2 Macc.
=Scriptural Citations.= Scriptural citations of chapter and verse should
be thus: Chapter in lower-case roman numerals, and verse in figures, as:
Acts vii, 16.
=41. Compounds.= See also paragraphs 10 and 27. As stated in the
introduction, the _Standard Dictionary_ seems to be the only one that
gives the compounding of words. By its system both solidified and
hyphenated words of the compound type are shown. Teall’s book on this
subject is really a codification of the compounds appearing in the
_Standard Dictionary_. Since Teall’s list was made there have been some
changes in the system preferred by good writers. Every change has been
in the direction of solidifying. Teall gives bookkeeper as one word, but
make proof-reader two. He makes postmaster one word, post-office a
compound. The Chicago Proofreaders’ Association is more consistent in
such cases, printing all words of this type in the solidified form.
The following list is believed to be more consistent than the
Standard-Teall handling of the same words, and is therefore preferred:
=42. Some Examples.= (a) Words denoting an occupation or calling, as
baggagemaster, bagmaker, watchmaker, proofreader, bricklayer.
(b) Words denoting a connecting use, as barnyard, crosshead, carwheel,
footboard, gaspipe.
(c) Words denoting a state of being, as motherhood, fatherhood,
widowhood.
(d) Words that are pronounced as one word and usually printed as such,
as claptrap, crackerjack, daredevil, haphazard.
=43. Approved Consolidations.= Words like steamboat, railroad, fishline,
firearms, pineapple, catfish, bluebird, blackboard, quartermaster are
best as here printed. It is proper to consolidate all words denoting a
species, kind or class of birds, animals or plants, as kingfisher,
meadowlark, bulldog, bloodhound, wildcat, goldenseal.
(a) Anybody, anything, anywhere, evermore, everybody, everything,
everywhere, forevermore, somewhere, nobody, something, nowhere, nothing,
afterpiece, crossexamine, crossquestion, countermarch, antislavery,
antedate, schoolboy, schoolmate, schoolmistress, but school teacher,
school children and school teaching.
(b) Other approved solidifications are words denoting tools, materials,
and implements, as: Strawboard, halftone, guidebook, screwdriver,
rosewater, typewriter, handbook.
=44. Compounds and Solids.= The following list of compound words should
be used with hyphens or in the solidified form, as indicated:
afterthought
after-years
agateware
aide-de-camp
air-brake
air-castle
air-cushion
air-faucet
air-filter
air-dried
alarm-clock
alcohol-engine
ale-bench
ale-brewer
ale-drinker
ale-drinking
alepot
alevat
alleyway
apple-moth
apple-seed
apple-peel
alehouse
almshouse
anglebar
angleworm
antechamber
baggagemaster
bakeshop
ballroom
barn-yard
bartender
baseball
bath-house
bathroom
bearskin
bedchamber
billboard
billposter
birdhouse
birdseye
blackboard
blackmail
blacktail
blockhouse
bloodroot
bluebird
bluefish
bluestone
bluewing
bobtail
boilermaker
bondholder
bookbindery
bookkeeper-ing
bookmaker
bookmaking
bookman
bookmark
bookroom
bookstore
brakebeam
brakeshoe
brassfounder
brickyard
brownstone
bulldog
bullseye
cakewalk
candlelight
cardboard
carwheel
casehardened
cashbook
catbird
catchline
catchword
catfish
churchyard
clambake
claptrap
clingstone
clockmaker
clockwork
clubhouse
clubroom
coalhod
coalmine
coalyard
coonskin
copperplate
cornerstone
cornfield
cornmeal
cornstalk
cottontail
cottonwood
countershaft
countersunk
countinghouse
countingroom
courthouse
courtyard
cowbell
cowboy
crackerjack
crosshatch
crosshead
crosspiece
cutthroat
daredevil
darkroom
daybook
deathbed
deerhound
dewdrop
dockyard
doorkeeper
doormat
downpour
drawbar
dreamland
drugstore
drumfish
dugout
dustproof
dyewood
earmark
eggcase
electroplate
eyebolt
eyepiece
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