When two words connected by a conjunction are severally compound parts
of a following word, the hyphen is omitted, as:
We use cast and wrought iron pillars.
I have pruned my peach and apple trees.
Some authors follow the German style, inserting the hyphens, thus:
We use cast- and wrought-iron pillars.
I have pruned my peach- and apple-trees.
The style in the last example is known as the =interrupted compound=. It
is gaining ground rapidly in the best printing-houses, and is
recommended by De Vinne, who uses it in his books. Here are some
examples: Foot-, top-, and side-notes; quarter-, eighth-, and half-kegs;
base- and foot-ball, foot- or side-note. This is good usage. See the
_Century_ magazine for examples, or see any books published by the
Century Company. There seems to be no other way to signify that both
words in such examples are compounds.
=46. No Fixed Rules.= There are no hard and fast rules regarding
compounds. It is, in fact, almost impossible to hold to a uniform,
consistent style. Here are some of De Vinne’s compoundings:
(a) Subject-matter, lower-case, making-up, memorandum-book,
proof-reader, fault-finding, type-setting, style-card, letter-writing,
printing-house, quote-marks, quotation-marks, piece-compositors,
five-to-em body, book-making, book-work, pre-historic, pre-raphaelite,
ill-bred, well-formed, good-looking, composing-room, dining-table,
canal-boat, ferry-house, dwelling-house [See list on page 74 of De
Vinne’s _Composition_], over-wide, spelled-out, title-page, table-work,
old-style, bold-faced, hymn-book, to-morrow, to-day, head-lines,
type-writing, catch-lines, hair-space, thin-space, type-founders,
side-heading, type-setting, foot-note, letter-writer, side-notes,
six-point, cut-in note, center-note, shoulder-note, three-em indention,
wide-leaded, double-leaded, every-day world. Note that they do not agree
with the Chicago Proofreaders’ Association list.
(b) The following are approved forms: Fine-tooth saw, six-bit machine,
six-foot pole, two-year-old horse, but six-months-old baby. Bluewing,
whitefish, bricklayer, gaspipe, footboard, motherhood, widowhood.
=47. Specials.= The following list is for use in trade-journals:
Hopvine, hopyard, hop-picker, labor-union, labor-saving, liquordealer,
liquorseller, liquor-saloon, liquor-store, liquor-bottle, wine-merchant,
wineroom, winedealer, wine-taster, wine-press, wine-party, wine-vault,
wine-vinegar, wineglass, wineglassful, wine-stone, vine-disease,
trade-union, trade-mark, trade-journal, trade-name, trade-wind,
street-car, street-railroad, street-sweeper, street-sprinkler,
street-walker, pastepot, paperknife, papercutter, saloonmen,
saloonkeeper, barkeeper, barkeep, wood-alcohol.
(a) Many words that might be solidified, under the rules of logic, are
set with hyphens because they present an unsightly appearance as one
word. These things are largely matters of fancy.
(b) There are some such expressions as, =Italian and Chinese American
citizens=, which are very puzzling. The question arises whether hyphens
should be used in such expressions, and how. Such sentences are
sometimes erroneously written with one hyphen, as, =Italian and
Chinese-American citizens=. The sentence is proper enough as first
written, but a somewhat more discriminating use would be, =Italian- and
Chinese-American citizens=. In expressions like these the interrupted
compounds are properly written with hyphens. See paragraph 45.
=48. Dashes.= Avoid dashes in side-headings, as in this _Style-code_.
They are not needed at the end of a quotation, between it and the
credit. See paragraph 22.
Also see De Vinne’s _Correct Composition_, page 273.
=49. De Vinne Rules Violated.= Though the Century Company, the _Century
Magazine_, and editors high in authority follow the simple rules laid
down by De Vinne, there are many violations of these rules in the
_Century_ itself, as well as in its publications. Sometimes names of
newspapers are quoted, and sometimes they are set in italic. The system
of capitals is not closely followed. In a letter to the editor of this
work, Mr. De Vinne thus explained the failure of the publications of
the Century Company to show uniformity: “The Century Company has many
editors, and each editor has notions of his own that printers are
directed to follow. Though most of these editors abide by the rules
expounded by me in my works on typography, a study of some of our books
shows that the neglect to capitalize Bay, City, Island, etc., when the
word refers distinctly to a proper name, is a common error--so common
that the proofreaders find it a waste of time to suggest to editors and
authors the need of a capital. Yet I hold stoutly to the correctness of
the capital. Even careful editors are often overruled by authors. The
Century printing-house can not be held responsible, with justice, for
some of the eccentricities of our printing. It should be borne in mind
that a printer’s business is to do what he is told.”
=50. Division of Words.= De Vinne says the system most approved now
authorizes the division of a word, when consistent with pronunciation,
on the vowel at the end of the syllable. The system is defective in its
inability to make provision for the syllables that end with consonants.
Divisions of all kinds should be prevented as often as possible. The
Chicago Proofreaders’ Association offers the following rules concerning
divisions. The reprint ‘follows copy’ as published by the Association:
The proper division of words is an important matter. An improper
division is as much an error as a misplaced letter, and is oftentimes
more misleading.
Follow the American rule of dividing words at the end of the line
according to pronunciation rather than the British rule of dividing on
the vowel or to show derivation. The dictionary in use in any particular
office should be followed, unless otherwise directed.
Where a vowel constitutes a syllable in the middle of a word, place this
vowel in the first line, as promi-nent is preferable to prom-inent,
quali-ties to qual-ities, particu-lar to partic-ular, dili-gence to
dil-igence, sepa-rate to sep-arate, etc. Exceptions: In words ending in
-able or -ible, the single vowel should be carried into the second line.
There are frequent instances where a particular division of a word will
aid the reader in its pronunciation at first sight, obviating a
faltering or repetition, as pro-gress, verb, and prog-ress, noun;
distrib-ute, verb, and distri-bution, noun; pre-fer, verb, and
pref-erable, adjective.
Never divide a word pronounced as one syllable, as “changed,”
“drowned,” “dipped,” etc.
Avoid all two-letter divisions except in very narrow measures or where
very large types are used.
Avoid having three or more successive divisions at the ends of lines.
Divide En-gland and En-glish as pronounced and as they are here printed.
The addition of s to form the plural of a word--as horses, fences,
etc.--does not justify a division on the last portion so formed, as,
circumstan-ces, etc. Avoid all such divisions.
51. EDITORIAL OBSERVATIONS.
(1) =Employee= is a good English word. Avoid employe whenever possible
to do so.
(2) =Headquarters= is usually plural, sometimes singular.
(3) =Last held= meeting. =Held= is useless. Newcomer and Teall oppose
such expressions.
(4) =Etc.= It is a common error to write =etc., etc.= Once is enough.
(5) =Et al.= The use of =et als= is an error. It is always =et al.=
(6) =Follows, as follows.= As follows is always the form, because it is
impersonal. =As follow= is not needed where the nominative is plural.
This is on the authority of the _Oxford Dictionary_, also of Doctor
Fernald of the _Standard_.
(7) =Plurals.= These are preferred plurals: Cannon, craft for vessels,
heathen, fowl, cherubs, indexes, seraphs, beaus. In scientific writings
it may be =seraphim=, =formulae= instead of =formulas=, =beaux=, etc.
(8) =Spoonfuls= and handfuls rather than spoonsfull and handsfull.
(9) =The following named persons.= Omit =named=. Newcomer and Teall say
named is useless.
(10) =Some preferences.= Use controller, not comptroller; draft, not
draught; drouth, not drought; program, not programme; dulness, not
dullness; fulness, not fullness; skilful, not skillful; wilful, not
willful; bazar, not bazaar; employee, not employe.
(11) =On yesterday, on Sunday.= On is usually superfluous, except in
some sentences, where euphony or emphasis may make the =on= seem an
element of strength.
(12) =Welsh rarebit.= Welsh =rabbit= is the correct expression. The use
of rarebit in this connection is from ignorance long current. See
Walsh’s _Handbook of Literary Curiosities, Greenough & Kittredge’s Words
and Their Ways in English Speech_, and the late editions of standard
dictionaries.
(13) =Self-confessed.= Omit =self= in such expressions as
=self-confessed= murderer, etc. =Confessed= conveys the idea without any
assistance from =self=.
(14) =er= words. Spell =theater=, =center=, and like words er, never
ending re.
=52. Books=, papers, plays, operas, and periodicals should be cited in
italic, as: Bowie’s _Tenting On Coral Strands_, the _Sun_, _Lucia_,
_Mascot_, the _Century_. De Vinne notices an irregularity in the style
of setting credits. However, bibliographers prefer italic; but printers
(on account of the saving of labor), select quote-marks. If the name of
the play and that of the character are the same, as _Ingomar_, the name
of the play must be quoted, the character italicized. See De Vinne’s
_Correct Composition_, page 224. See also paragraphs 22, 39.
=53. Ships and Vessels.= There is not any need to either quote or
italicize the names of vessels, unless there would be doubt as to what
the name means. In such cases italics are preferred, though quoting the
name will do.
=54. Newspapers and Magazines.= Names of newspapers and magazines should
be set in italic. Some papers and magazines quote magazines and
italicize newspapers. Italics are better in both cases. De Vinne runs
both in roman. The name of one’s own paper is run in small capitals.
Linotype machines have upset these rules somewhat, but unwisely so in
careful work.
=55. Farther.= Use farther for distance. Further is used in the sense of
besides, moreover, being equivalent to additional. “I have gone further
in astronomy, you have traveled farther in miles.”
=56. Foreign Words and Phrases.= All foreign words and phrases that have
not been Englished by long use should be italicized. Vice versa, en
route, pro tem, and like words should go in roman. Aid-de-camp, addenda,
ad valorem, alias, alibi, alma mater, anno Domini, ante bellum, a
propos, billet doux, bona fide, bravos, cafe, cantos, carte blanche,
viva voce, rendezvous, ultimatum, post-mortem, per cent., per capita,
per annum, facsimile, and about fifty like words go under the same rule.
=57. Unfamiliar Words.= Unfamiliar words are run in italic the first
time, but in roman thereafter, as: _Aloha_, _renigging_, _mulching_. But
see paragraph 68.
=58. Plays.= _Julius Caesar_ should be set in italic when it refers to
the character in Shakespeare’s play, but the name Julius Caesar for the
man. The play itself should be “Julius Caesar,” or _Julius Caesar_. See
paragraph 52.
=59. Salutations.= Under the old way salutations such as _Dear Sir_:
were put in italics with the colon as indicated. Dear Sir: as here
written is just as proper. Take your choice and you will not err. The
dash is not needed. It is well to let =Dear Sir:= occupy a line by
itself, properly indented.
De Vinne says he never writes such salutations as Dear Sir in italic
though he admits that italic with a colon and no dash is the commonly
accepted form. He advises roman lower-case.
=60. Salutations and Indentions.= Salutations should be set in ordinary
roman, with hanging indention, thus:
The Writers’ and Proofreaders’ Society for the Prevention of
Burial in the Potter’s Field, 216 Goodfellows street. Office
of the Secretary, 37 New Testament House, New Orleans,
January 1, 1908.
To the Superintendent of the Home for the Unfortunate Dead.
_Dear Sir_:
In reply to your request for a list of our members, etc.
The signature should be set in small capital letters. See De
Vinne’s _Correct Composition_, page 168.
=61. Punctuation.= The Chicago Proofreaders’ Association has these
rules:
Omit periods after per cent, and after roman numerals when used strictly
as figures, but not when used in names, as Napoleon III.
Use em dash in conversations such as this:
Mr. Smith--Is your task completed?
Mr. Brown--Nearly.
=62. Punctuation with Parentheses.= The comma should usually go after
the last parenthesis; it is seldom needed before the first one. De Vinne
says: “When any complete sentence is enclosed by parentheses, the period
should be before the last parenthesis, but when these parentheses
enclose a few words at the end of a sentence, the period should be after
the last parenthesis.”
=63. Medieval= and such words are spelled the simplest way. See the
_Standard Dictionary_. Subpena, diarrhea, Etna Company.
=64. O, Oh, Oh!= These expressions are punctuated thus: O for a South
Sea home! O that I had insured in the Etna! Oh, how my tooth aches! Oh!
my crimes are deep and dark.
=65. Plural of Proper Names.= It is a common newspaper error to run
sentences like this, from the social columns of the San Francisco
_Examiner_ of July 15, 1906: “The Thomas H. Williams have been visiting
the City.” The attempt to make the singular do the duty of the plural in
such a case is ridiculous. Williamses is the plural of Williams.
Printers and writers should learn how to write the plural of proper
names.
=66. Quote-marks.= It is sometimes a puzzle where to place quote-marks.
There is no better rule than that stated by De Vinne, who says that the
closing marks of quotation always should be placed after the comma or
the period in all places where these marks are needed; but the fact is
the proper place of the closing marks of quotation should be determined
by the quoted words only; they must inclose those words, and no more;
they may be before or after the points, according to the construction of
the sentence. When the quotation makes a complete sentence, put the
quotation-marks after the period at the end of that sentence; when the
quotation is at the end of but a portion of this sentence which
terminates with a colon, semicolon, or any other point, then put the
marks before the point. The mark of punctuation intended to define the
construction of the completed sentence should not be made a portion of
the fragmentary quoted matter.
A fine example of this is seen in the following: He asked, “Who said my
mother lied?” and didn’t Jones reply, “Nobody dared to say that”?
=67. Smaller Type.= Quote-marks are not needed when extracts or
quotations are set in smaller type than the body of the book or paper.
Some reputable publications do not quote the extracts, even when they
are set in the regular type of the publication and run in separate
paragraphs. The indenting of the matter one em at the beginning and one
em at the end of a line suffices. Such matter should be set solid when
the main text is leaded.
=68. Quote-marks, single.= When especial attention is called to a word
the single quote-marks are used in lieu of the old way of double quotes
or italic. Thus: He said he thought the word ‘grafting’ applied to
politics, not to horticulture. See De Vinne’s _Correct Composition_,
page 213, where authors are advised to make one such emphasis of a word
suffice, because repetition irritates the reader.
=69. Reverend and the reverend.= Never say Reverend John Brown. It must
always be the Reverend John Brown, for reverend is not a title to be
used like captain or doctor. Honorable should be used in the same way,
if at all.
=70. Saviour and savior.= Preserve the historic way of spelling the
Saviour when Jesus Christ is meant. Other saviors are without the _u_.
=71. Specials.= Print birdsnest, birdseye, bullseye, heartsease (a plant
or flower), calvesfoot and neatsfoot as single words, without apostrophe
or hyphen, except when signifying the actual nest of a bird, the eye of
a bird or of a bull, etc.
=72. Spellings.= The Chicago _Proofreaders’ Stylebook_ has given the
following list of generally misspelled words. The spellings here given
are in accordance with the _Century_, the _Standard_, and _Webster_.
absinthin
acoustic
ax
amidin
antemetic
arabin
adz
backward
baptize
barytone
benzoin
Bering (Sea)
blond (adj.)
bluing
bouquet
Budapest
bur
caldron
calk, -er, -ing
calligraphy
camellia
cantharadin
carbureted
Chile (S. A.)
colter
consensus
cozy
darky
defense
denouement
dilettante
downward
dram (weight)
dumfounded
Eskimo
forward
gelatin
glycerin
gully
hacienda
Hindu
Hindustan
Mohammedan
mold, -er, -ing
molt, -ed, -ing
moneys
mustache
nickel
oculist
offense
paraffin
pedagogy
polt
quartet
quintet
rarefy
ruble
Rumania
straitlaced
sestet or
sextet
smolder, -ing
sobriquet
stanch
supersede
tranquility
typify
upward (not wards)
upward
veranda
vermilion
vitreous
whir
whisky
=73. United States are or United States Is.= If the expression is used
as a collective term, designating one great nation, the singular is
correct, but there are many sentences in which the plural verb must be
used. It is proper to follow copy or query the expression, if there is
doubt as to its correctness.
=74. Verbs, singular or plural.= There should be no hesitation in using
the singular form of a verb when the subject has a singular meaning.
Sometimes the logical subject is singular, the grammatical plural, as
in, =Ten dollars was paid.= By ellipsis, =the sum of= is understood.
(a) =Addition.= Shall we say “two and two is four?” Professor William
Dwight Whitney decided for the _Century Dictionary_ (of which he was one
of the editors), that =two and two is four=, because the full meaning is
=the sum of= two and two, or something “=similarly unifying= in the
sense of two and two.”
(b) The singular verb should be used when the subject is plural in form,
though it represents a number of things to be taken together as forming
a unit. Here is an example: Thirty-four years =affects= one’s
remembrance of some circumstances. _De Quincey._
(c) The singular verb is to be used with =book titles= and =similar
names and singulars= that are plural in form but logically a unit. See
Baskervill and Sewell’s _English Grammar_, pages 312, 313. An example
from Goldsmith is: “The Three Pigeons expects me down every moment.” So,
we should say the Odd Fellows meets to-night, meaning, by ellipsis, the
lodge of Odd Fellows.
(d) Companies, associations, etc., are usually singular in meaning, as:
The Southern Pacific Company =is= in trouble, the Bar Association =is=
incorporated. However, collective nouns are to be followed by a plural
verb when the individuals are thought of separately, as: A multitude
=go= mad about it. _Emerson._ All our household =are= at rest.
_Coleridge._
(e) The following is from Teall: Three dollars =was= paid, ten dollars
=was= the price. When the meaning is simply a sum of money as one sum,
and not so many actual separate dollars, the verb should be singular.
Though the verb should be singular, this is so under the rules of logic,
rather than those of grammar. In literal strictness it would not be
ungrammatical to say ten dollars =were= paid.
(f) Collective nouns are always singular in form, but many of them, if
not most, may be used even in that form with a plural verb, but such use
depends upon the nature of the thought to be expressed. Considered as
really singular are a =crowd=, an =army=, a =multitude=. It should be
remembered that these words also have regular plural forms, though often
used with the plural verb in the collective form.
(g) All words like ethics, mathematics, physics, and politics are plural
in form, but they are usually treated as singular in meaning. The
dictionary definitions of such words all begin, “the science which
treats,” etc. James Russell Lowell wrote politics _are_, and this has
been held sufficient justification for this use. _Teall._
(h) Either =bricks= or =brick= is proper as a plural. =Brick= probably
has the better standing. The _Century Dictionary_ says =brick= is the
proper singular collective.
=75. Whereabouts.= Whereabouts =is=, which is never =are=, is often
written with the plural verb, but it should not be considered a plural.
The error doubtless occurs from some fancied resemblance to
=headquarters=, which may be either singular or plural.
=76. Women.= Women’s names should never be preceded by their husbands’
titles, as: Mrs. Governor Pardee, Mrs. General John Jones, Mrs. Doctor
Charles Ketchum.
=77. Variations.= In many of the job offices of the country, also in
newspaper offices where composition is done by the linotype, there will
be many variations from the style expounded in this little manual. For
example, it will not be practical to follow the italic citations of
books, magazines, newspapers, etc., in offices where the equipment does
not contain italic magazines. In such cases the use of roman is
recommended, without quote-marks, which are unnecessary and unsightly.
If the equipment does not carry small capitals, newspapers should run
their own names in roman, making no distinction between their own and
other publications.
When there is no italic, it may be well to quote the names of books and
plays, also the names of vessels and characters in novels, plays, etc.
This should not be the custom with vessels and characters, except when
it is necessary to indicate that a vessel or a character, rather than a
person, is meant.
Offices not able to carry out the code as set forth in detail in these
pages, should make notes of deviations, abiding by such portions of the
code as their equipments make possible. By a few interlineations,
notations, etc., or by an office card of deviations this work will be
made useful even where it is not followed to the letter.
=78. Wave-lines, etc.= The custom is almost too well known to record
that one line under a word or words means that the underscored matter is
to be set in italics, that two lines mean small capitals, and that three
signify capitals. Similarly, a wave-line under a word or words means
that the portions of the manuscript thus underscored are to be set in
lower-case bold-faced type. Two wave-lines under matter mean that it is
to be set in bold-faced capitals. A single line down the left side of
matter means that it is to be set in type smaller than the body of the
article, and two lines indicate that the matter is to be set in type of
still smaller face.
=79. Writers’ Absurdities.= Book-offices have their own intricacies of
style, with the additional bother of having to suit the varying whims of
authors and publishers. “Many men of many minds” write for the papers,
but their various whims need not be humored as those of book-writers
need be. Authors of books frequently insist upon having things their own
way, and too often the printers have to make that way for them, in
opposition to what the authors write. This is certainly something for
which the authors should be made to pay. If an author is determined to
have certain matters of style conform to a certain set of whims, or
even of good, logical opinions, he should write accordingly, or pay
extra for the necessary changes. _Teall._
=80. Work of Stenographers.= If stenographers would master the
principles of the system explained herein they would increase their
efficiency. As conducted nowadays there is great lack of system in the
work turned out by stenographers and others who use typewriting
machines.