do not mean the same things. Look them up.
Use _preventive_, not _preventative_.
Distinguish between _ambassador_, _minister_, _consul_, _envoy_.
Avoid feminine forms of such words as _author_, _artist_, _dancer_,
_violinist_, _pianist_, _poet_. It may be necessary occasionally to
change more than the spelling. For example, _the world's greatest
pianiste_ may not mean _the world's greatest pianist_.
Prefer motorist to automobilist and autoist.
_Sewer_ is a drain. _Sewage_ is what goes through it. _Sewerage_ is a
system of drains.
Don't use _divine_ as a noun.
Don't write _couple_ unless you mean two things joined and not merely
two.
Don't write _party_ for _person_, nor _people_ for _persons_.
Don't use _citizens_ when you mean simply _persons_.
Don't write _a large per cent of_ when speaking of persons when you mean
_a large proportion_.
When nouns are attended by participles, two constructions are possible.
One may say either _I know of John's being there_, or _I know of John
being there_; _The fact of the battle's having been lost_, or _The fact
of the battle having been lost_. The possessive is to be preferred with
proper names and in most simple constructions; it is _altogether to be
preferred with pronouns_ when the principal idea is in the participle.
One says: _I saw him going_, _I heard them singing_; but _I heard of his
going_; _I urged his going_; _I advised their attending_; _I objected to
his staying_; _I opposed their going_; _the fact of his being there made
a difference_; _On his saying this the people shouted_; _With their
consenting the thing was settled_; _He spoke of my setting out as
already agreed to_; _He found fault with our accepting the place_, etc.
Collective nouns are usually singular, as, _The club has increased its
membership_. However, a collective noun, when it is used to refer more
particularly to individuals than to the mass, is plural, as _The crowd
was orderly_, but, _The crowd threw up their hats_. In using collective
nouns beware of mixing the number. Do not write, _The audience was in
their seats_, but _The audience was seated_, or _The audience were in
their seats_.
PREFER
_Station to depot_
_House or home to residence_
_Woman to lady_
_Man to gentleman_
_Telephone to phone_
_Automobile to auto_
_Motor car to motor_
_Bridegroom to groom_
_Rest to balance_
THE JOURNALIST'S CREED
_By WALTER WILLIAMS_
I believe in the profession of journalism.
I believe that the public journal is a public trust; that all connected
with it are, to the full measure of their responsibility, trustees for
the public; that acceptance of lesser service than the public service is
betrayal of this trust.
I believe that clear thinking and clear statement, accuracy and fairness
are fundamental to good journalism.
I believe that a journalist should write only what he holds in his heart
to be true.
I believe that suppression of the news for any consideration other than
the welfare of society is indefensible.
I believe that no one should write as a journalist what he would not say
as a gentleman; that bribery by one's own pocketbook is as much to be
avoided as bribery by the pocketbook of another; that individual
responsibility may not be escaped by pleading another's instruction or
another's dividends.
I believe that advertising, news and editorial columns should alike
serve the best interests of the readers; that a single standard of
helpful truth and clearness should prevail for all; that the supreme
test of good journalism is the measure of its public service.
I believe that the journalism which succeeds best--and best deserves
success--fears God and honors man; is stoutly independent, unmoved by
pride of opinion or greed of power; constructive, tolerant, but never
careless; self controlled, patient; always respectful of its readers,
but always unafraid; is quickly indignant at injustice; is unswayed by
the appeal of privilege or the clamor of the mob; seeks to give every
man a chance and, as far as law and honest wages and recognition of
human brotherhood can make it so, an equal chance; is profoundly
patriotic, while sincerely promoting international good will and
cementing world comradeship; is a journalism of humanity, of and for
today's world.
NOTES
PRONOUNS
Never use _I_ in referring to yourself except in a signed article.
Avoid the use of _he or she_ and _his or her_. The use of either phrase
is seldom required for clearness' sake. When a noun is used which may
refer indifferently to both sexes, the accepted practice is to use the
masculine pronoun. For example, say: _Let the teacher do his duty and he
need not fear criticism_, not _Let the teacher do his or her duty and he
or she need not fear criticism_.
Similarly after indefinite singulars like _each_, _every_, _somebody_,
_anybody_, use the masculine singular pronoun. Thus, _Everyone should do
his duty and he should do it every day_. Here one is not only to avoid
the use of _he or she_ and _his or her_, but also particularly and
constantly to be on guard against _they_ and _their_. Sentences like
_Nobody knows what they can do till they try_; _Everyone is urged to
come and bring their pocketbooks with them_, are frequently heard and
often get into print.
Do not use _the same_ for a third personal or a demonstrative pronoun.
_The farmer brought a load of wheat to town and sold it_ (not _the
same_) _at the mill_.
Do not make _such_ a pronoun, except in the phrase _such as_. _He has
fruits of all sorts and his prices for such are unreasonable_, is the
sort of use to be avoided.
Distinguish between _its_, possessive pronoun, and _it's_, contraction
of _it is_.
Use _either_ or _neither_ only of two, _any one_ or _none_ of more than
two, as: _In one group are Russia, Germany and Austria, in another
France and England. Any one of the first group acting with either of the
second could determine the question_. (As conjunctions, _either_ and
_neither_ may introduce the first of a series of particulars consisting
of three or more. It is correct to say _Neither this nor that nor the
other thing_; but when used as pronouns, _either_ and _neither_ should
be rigidly confined to use with reference to two only.)
Prefer always _no one_ and _nobody_ to _not any one_ or _not anybody_,
as _It is no one's_ (or _nobody's_) _business_, not, _It is not any
one's_ (or _not anybody's_) _business_.
Do not use _apiece_ for _each_ of persons. Say: _The men each took an
apple_ or _took an apple each_, not _The men took an apple apiece_. But
they might have bought the apples at so much _apiece_.
Be careful not to say _these sort of things_, _these kind of men_, for
_this sort of things_ or _this kind of men_.
In questions direct or indirect be careful to use _whom_ when the
objective case is required. Do not say, _Who did you see there?_ or, _I
do not know who he meant_.
The relative _who_ should be used only of persons (or of beasts or
things personified). Do not say: _The dog whom you saw_ or _He drove the
horse who made the best record_. The relative _which_ should be used
only of beasts and inanimate objects. Do not say: _The women and
children which were numerous then came trooping in_.
The relative _that_ may be used regardless of gender and the antecedent.
_That_ should be used after a compound antecedent mentioning both
persons and animals or things, as, _The soldiers, the ambulances and the
pack mules that were recaptured, were sent to the rear_.
Be careful of the case of _who_ if a parenthetical sentence intervenes
between it and its verb. _He said that Gen. Harrison, whom, everybody
well knew, had long been interested in the case, would make the closing
argument._ Such faulty objective is often heard in daily speech and not
infrequently gets into the papers. Of course _who_ should be used. But
_whom_ should be used when the infinitive follows: _He said that Gen.
Harrison, whom everybody admitted to be profoundly versed in the law,
would discuss the point_.
It is proper to omit the relative pronoun on occasion when it is the
object of the following verb, as _He was among the men (whom) I saw_.
CONJUNCTIONS
Never use _like_ as a conjunction. John may look _like_ James or act
_like_ James or speak _like_ James, but he never looks, acts or speaks
_like_ James looks, acts or speaks; he never looks _like_ he wanted to
do something, nor conducts himself _like_ he thought he owned the earth,
or _like_ he was crazy. _Like_ (as in the first example) may be followed
by an objective case of a substantive, with which the construction is
completed: _You are like me in this_; _You, like me, believe this_; _He
conducted himself like a crazy man_. When a clause is demanded, _as if_
should be used: _He looks as if he wanted something_; _he acts as if he
were crazy_.
Do not use _if_ for _whether_ in introducing indirect questions: _I
doubt whether_ (not _if_) _this is true_; _I asked whether_ (not _if_)
_he would go_.
Do not use _as_ for _that_. Not _I do not know as this is so_, but _I do
not know that this is so_.
Do not use _without_ for _unless_. _We cannot go unless_ (not _without_)
_he comes_.
Do not use _but what_ for _but that_ or _that_. _I do not doubt that_
(or _but that_) _he will come_, not _but what he will come_; _They did
not know but that_ (not _but what_) _they might accept it_.
Do not use _while_ for _although_, as, _while it is probable_. _While_
refers to time.
VERBS
The verb should agree with its subject in person and number. It ought
not to be necessary to give this obvious rule, but hardly a day passes
without violation of it in almost every paper. Its violation is
especially common in the inverted sentence, introduced with _there_.
_There is likely to be some changes_; _There is, at the present writing,
some hopes of peace_; _There seems to be, in view of all the conditions,
many objections to this plan_, are examples of the faulty usage.
The _to_ should not be separated from the infinitive by word or phrase.
The modifier should precede the _to_ or follow the verb. Do not say _to
promptly act_, but _to act promptly_ or _promptly to act_. Such use as
in the example just given is bad enough, but it is not so offensive as
the intrusion of time adverbs and negatives as, for example, _He decided
to now go_, or _He expected to not only go but to stay_, or _He
preferred to not stay_.
Do not end a sentence with the _to_ of an omitted infinitive; as: _He
could not speak but tried to_; but _He refused to go but he ought to
go_, or _He ought to go but he refuses_.
Subordinate infinitives and participles take their time from the verb in
the principal clause. They should therefore be the simple so-called
present forms. Do not say: _I intended to have gone_, or _I intended
having gone_, but _I intended to go_, _I intended going_; not _He had
expected to have been present_, but _He had expected to be present_; not
_He would have liked to have seen you_; but _He would have liked to see
you_; not _I was desirous to have gone_, but _I was desirous to go_.
With the verbs _appear_ (in the sense of _seem to be_) and _feel_,
_look_, _smell_ and _sound_ (used intransitively) use an adjective and
not an adverb, i. e., _The rose smells sweet_; _Miss Coghlan as Lady
Teazle looked charming_; _She appeared happy_. But _appear_ in the same
sense of _behave_ is followed by an adverb, as _He appears well_; and
the other verbs used transitively of course take an adverb, as _He
looked sharply at the man_.
When one wishes to imply doubt or denial in a condition of present or
indefinite time, the imperfect subjunctive should be used, as _If the
book were here, I should show you_--but the book is not here; _If it
were true, you would long ago have heard it_--but it is not true. But if
one is referring to past time, the imperfect indicative must be used,
as, _If he was here yesterday, I did not know it_.
Be careful to distinguish between _lay_ and _lie_, _raise_ and _rise_,
_set_ and _sit_. The first of each pair is transitive, and always
requires an object; the second is intransitive and never takes an
object. (The only exception is _sit_ used of a rider, as, _He sits his
horse well_.) One _lays_ or _sets_ a thing down and _raises_ it up. One
_lies_ or _sits_ down and _rises_ from one's place. Land _lies_ this way
or that. (But we speak of the _lay_ of the land.)
Especially pains must be taken to keep straight the past tenses and
past participles of _lay_ and _lie_. Of _lay_ past tense and participle
are alike _laid_. _He laid_ or _he has laid the case before the
authorities_. The past tense of _lie_ is _lay_ (the same as the present
tense of the transitive verb), the past participle is _lain_. These
forms are seldom if ever used for parts of _lay_; but for them _laid_ is
very often used, as, _He laid_ or _he has laid down to take a nap_,
where the correct usage is _He lay_ or _he has lain down_, etc.
Prices _rise_, wages _rise_, bread _rises_, bread is _set_ to _rise_;
men _raise_ prices or wages; _He rose and raised his hand_. Clothing of
every sort _sits_ well or ill, it does not _set_. The corresponding
noun, however, is _set_; _He admired the set of the garment_. You _set_
a hen, but the hen _sits_ and is a _sitting_ hen. The heavenly bodies
_set_, but that is another word, which means to _sink_ or to _settle_.
Inanimate objects are not _injured_ but _damaged_.
Use _wish_ to mean simple desire, as, _I wish to see him_. Use _want_ to
mean acute need, as, _I want food_.
Only moving objects _collide_. Two automobiles may _collide_, but an
automobile does not _collide_ with a fence.
PREFER:
_lend_ to _loan_
_lives_ to _resides_
_leaves_ to _departs_
_obtain_ or _procure_ to _secure_
_turn over_ to _turn turtle_
_bought_ to _purchased_
_live at hotel_ to _stop at hotel_
_robbed of_ to _relieved of_
Things of a general class are compared _with_ each other to bring out
points of similarity or dissimilarity. One thing is compared _to_
another of a different class. He compared Detroit _with_ Cleveland. He
compared Detroit _to_ a busy hive of bees.
Things _occur_ or _happen_ by chance and _take place_ by design. An
accident _happens_ or _occurs_; a pre-arranged act _takes place_.
Except in legal papers use _proved_ instead of _proven_.
_Transpire_ does not mean to take place but to leak out, as, _They tried
to keep their deliberations secret, but it transpired that * * *_
_Enthuse_ is not a good word. Say _become enthusiastic_.
Medicine, laws and oaths are _administered_; blows and punishment are
_dealt_.
_Allege_ is used only in referring to formal charges and not as a
synonym for _say_ or _assert_.
The past tense and past participle of _dive_ are _dived_. Don't use
_dove_.
The past tense and past participle of _forecast_ are _forecast_. Don't
use _forecasted_.
The past tense and past participle of _hang_ are _hung_, except in
reference to an execution; then write, _He was hanged_.
The past tense and past participle of _plead_ are _pleaded_ and not
_plead_ or _pled_. Don't write, _He plead guilty_, but _He pleaded
guilty_.
The past tense of _swim_ is _swam_, and the past participle is _swum_.
BARRED BY THE SUN
Newspaper men can read with profit this list of words and phrases to be
avoided, compiled by Charles A. Dana for his associates on the New York
Sun:
_above_ or _over_ for _more than_
_aggregate_ for _total_
_balance_ for _remainder_
_call attention_ for _direct attention_
_claim_ for _assert_
_commence_ for _begin_
_comprise_ for _compose_
_conscious_ for _aware_
_couple_ for _two_
_cultured_ for _cultivated_
_date back to_ for _date from_
_donate_ for _give_
_fall_ for _autumn_
_from whence_ for _whence_
_indorse_ for _approve_
_inaugurate_ for _establish_, _institute_
_individual_ for _person_
_infinite_ for _great_, _vast_
_last_ for _latest_
_less_ for _fewer_
_materially_ for _largely_
_named after_ for _named for_
_notice_ for _observe_
_onto_ for _on_ or _upon_
_partially_ for _partly_
_past two years_ for _last two years_
_practically_ for _virtually_
_party_ for _person_
DOUBLING UP HAVE'S
Mark Twain in "A Tramp Abroad" wrote: "Harris said that if the best
writer in the world once got the slovenly habit of 'doubling up his
have's,' he could never get rid of it; that is to say, if a man gets the
habit of saying 'I should have liked to have known more about it'
instead of saying 'I should have liked to know more about it,' his
disease is incurable."
+-----------------------------------------+
| ... REFLECTOR OF EVERY HUMAN INTEREST |
| ... FRIEND OF EVERY RIGHTEOUS CAUSE ... |
| ENCOURAGER OF EVERY GENEROUS ACT. |
+-----------------------------------------+
NOTES
ADVERBS
Great liberty may be exercised in placing the adverb according to the
emphasis desired. In general it should be placed near the word or phrase
it modifies to express the thought most clearly. One should not say,
_Not only he spoke forcefully but eloquently_; nor _He was rather
forceful than eloquent_, but _He was forceful rather than eloquent_.
Note particularly that when the adverb is placed within the verb, it
should regularly follow the first auxiliary. For example: _This can
truthfully be said_, not _This can be truthfully said_; _He will
probably have set out by noon_, not _He will have probably_, etc.; _It
has long been expected_, not _It has been long expected_.
If the adverb is intended to modify the whole sentence, it very properly
stands first, as, _Decidedly, this is not true_; _Assuredly, he does not
mean that_. In such sentences the adverb really modifies some verb
understood, as, _I say decidedly this is not true_.
Do not use _this_, _that_ and _some_ as adverbs. Never say _this high_,
_this long_, _that broad_, _that good_, _this much_, _that much_, _some
better_, _some earlier_. Say _thus_ or _so_ whenever tempted to use
_this_ or _that_ in such connections, and use _somewhat_ instead of
_some_.
Do not say a man is _dangerously ill_; say _alarmingly_ or _critically_.
Never use _illy_; you might as well say _welly_.
After a negative use _so_ in a comparison. _This is as good as that_,
but _This is not so good as that_.
Say _as far as_, _as long as_, etc.; not _so far as_, _so long as_.
Thus, _As far as I know, this is true_; _As long as I stay here, you may
use my book_.
Use _previously to_, _agreeably to_, _consistently with_, etc., instead
of the adjective forms, in such expressions as _Previously to my
arrival, he had been informed_; _We acted agreeably to the
instructions_.
Beware of _only_. Better not use it unless you are sure it is correctly
placed. Observe the difference in the meaning here: I have _only_ spoken
to him. I have spoken _only_ to him.
Don't use _liable_ when you mean _likely_. A man is _likely_ to park his
automobile so he will be _liable_ to arrest.
Don't use _painfully cut_ and similar expressions. One is not
_pleasantly cut_.
_Occasionally_ means _on occasion_. So don't write _very occasionally_,
but _very seldom_ or _infrequently_.
_Farther_ is used to denote distance; _further_ in other senses, as, _I
told him further that I walked farther than he_.
ADJECTIVES
Be sparing in the use of epithets and of adjectives and adverbs
generally. Especially avoid the use of superlatives. Superlatives are
seldom true. Rarely is a man the most remarkable man in the country in
any particular; rarely is an accident the worst in the history of the
city. Better understate than overstate; better err on the side of
moderation than excess. William Cobbett says: "Some writers deal in
expletives to a degree that tires the ear and offends the understanding.
With them everything is excessively, or immensely, or extremely, or
vastly, or surprisingly, or wonderfully, or abundantly, or the like. The
notion of such writers is that these words give strength to what
they are saying. This is a great error. Strength must be found in the
thought or it will never be found in the words. Big sounding words,
without thoughts corresponding, are effort without effect."
Be sure to remember that _nee_ means born. It is of course impossible
then to speak of _Mrs. Doe, nee Mary Roe_, as one is never born with a
Christian name, but _Mrs. Doe, nee Roe_. And, of all things when a widow
has remarried, do not write _Mrs. Richard Roe, nee Mrs. John Doe_.
Adjectives, if wisely used, give desirable color to a story. A thesaurus
will brighten up a reporter's adjectival vocabulary. These are
suggestions for possible substitutions of fresh words for more or less
hackneyed words:
_fast_--_fleet_, _swift_
_good_--_meritorious_, _laudable_
_repentant_--_penitent_, _contrite_
_temperate_--_abstemious_
_intemperate_--_inabstinent_
_modest_--_decorous_
_distressing_--_piteous_, _pitiable_, _rueful_
_witty_--_jocose_, _nimble-witted_
_fearful_--_timid_, _apprehensive_, _tremulous_
_crafty_--_cunning_, _artful_
_frank_--_ingenuous_, _guileless_
Prefer _agreeable_ to _nice_, which means accurate; and _long_ to
_lengthy_.
Words like _perfect_ and _unique_ cannot be compared. Never write, _more
perfect_, _most perfect_, _most unique_.
Eschew the word _very_. It seldom strengthens a sentence.
It is better to use such words as _feline_, _bovine_, _canine_, _human_
as adjectives only.
Prefer _several_ or _many_ to _a number of_.
_Healthy_ means possessing health, as, _a healthy man_. _Healthful_
means conducive to health, as, _healthful climate_, _surroundings_,
_employment_. Do not use _healthful_ in speaking of food, but
_wholesome_.
_Parlous_ is archaic. Don't use the phrase _in these parlous times_. The
word in good usage is _perilous_.
Nobody has explained the difference between _actual photographs_ and
_photographs_.
_Awful_ means inspiring _awe_, _fearful_ inspiring _fear_, and
_terrible_ inspiring _terror_.
_Anxious_ implies _anxiety_. Say _eager_ if you mean it.
The first meaning of _hectic_ is habitual. The second meaning is
_fevered_. It connotes _heat_ more particularly than _red_.
Great care is needed in using these three words: _livid_, _lurid_ and
_weird_. _Livid_ means primarily black and blue. It also means a
grayish blue or lead color, as flesh by contusion. It doesn't mean
anything else. _Lurid_ means a pale yellow, ghastly pale, wan;
figuratively it means gloomy or dismal, grimly terrible or sensational.
When used in its first sense it is properly applicable to the yellow
flames seen through smoke. It does not mean fiery red. In its figurative
sense it can be used to describe a series of incidents calculated to
shock or to stun by the enormity of them. _Weird_ means primarily
pertaining to witchcraft and is used in reference to the witches in
"Macbeth." It also means unearthly, uncanny, eerie. A green light might
be called _weird_. It must not be used to mean peculiar, as, _She wore
a weird hat_.
YOUR AUDIENCE
Says Irvin S. Cobb: I'd rather have my work read by thousands of people
throughout the country than be the author of the greatest classic that
ever mouldered on a shelf.
In my opinion, the masses are worth our art. If we believe in a
democratic form of government we should believe in a democratic attitude
toward the art of the short story, and I, for one, frankly admit that I
write for the shop girl and business man rather than for the high-brow
critic. That does not mean you must necessarily choose between them, but
if I had to choose I would let the critic go.
+----------------------------------------------+
| DEFENDER OF CIVIL LIBERTY ... STRENGTHENER |
| OF LOYALTY ... PILLAR AND STAY OF DEMOCRATIC |
| GOVERNMENT. |
+----------------------------------------------+
NOTES
PREPOSITIONS
Be careful to use the proper prepositions in all connections.
Say _different from_, not _different to_.
We say a man lives _on_, not _in_, a street, an avenue, etc. Children
play _in_ the street, but _on_ the pavement.
One writes _under_, not _over_, a signature. The preposition has no
reference to the place of the signature.
Do not overwork _on the part of_. This phrase is often used where _by_
or _among_ is to be preferred, as, _Much patriotism is displayed on the
part of the Greeks_.