William Dana Orcutt

“ A verbal noun must never be preceded by an adverb: e.g., That proved of as little use as his afterward trying to explain his presence there should be as his trying afterward to explain Inside of, is a vulgarism when used in the sense of within: e.g., The snow will be gone inside of [within] a week Invent, see Discover Kind, is singular. The common expression those kind is absolutely wrong. Say this kind or these kinds, that kind or those kinds Kind of, should not be followed by the article a or an. Say What kind of man is he? not What kind of a man is he? ”

“ All mail matter should be so wrapped as safely to bear transmission without breaking, or injuring mail bags or the contents of mail bags or the persons of those handling them. Second, third, and fourth-class matter must be so wrapped or enveloped that the contents may be examined easily by postal officials. When not so wrapped, or when bearing or containing writing not authorized by law, the matter will be treated as of the first class. ”

“ Any article of the first, second, third, or fourth class mail matter may be registered at any post-office in the United States. The fee on registered matter, domestic or foreign, is 10 cents for each letter or parcel, to be affixed in stamps, in addition to the postage. Full prepayment of postage and fee is required. Two or more letters or parcels addressed to, or intended for, the same person cannot be tied or otherwise fastened together and registered as one. ”

“ Between expressions in a series which have a common dependence upon words at the beginning or end of a sentence: e.g., The half-sick man is a nuisance to his entire household: he is not ill enough to accept restraint; he is too ill to be reasonable. ”

“ In monosyllables and words not accented on the last syllable, an added termination does not double the final consonant when it is preceded by a diphthong or by two vowels: e.g., profit, profited; cancel, canceled; benefit, benefited; equal, equality, novel, novelist, and all the derivatives of parallel.
6. Words which end in any double letters retain the double with a termination not beginning with the same letter. This rule also holds for derivatives formed by means of prefixes: e.g., agreeing, calling, recall. ”

“ Postage must be fully prepaid and great care exercised not to add any written words or figures except such as are permissible.
Parcel Post includes all (unsealed) matter not embraced in the three classes already enumerated, except seeds, cuttings, bulbs, roots, scions, and plants, on which the rate is one-half cent per ounce. Important changes are certain to be made from time to time during the experimental period, so readers are urged to secure the {132} latest information from their own post-office. ”

“ Smoothness of diction in a paragraph calls for the intelligent use of proper connective words between closely related sentences. A common fault, however, is the incorrect use of such words as and or but between sentences which are not closely related.
8. In developing the paragraph, emphasis is secured by a careful consideration of the relative values of the ideas expressed, giving to each idea space proportionate to its importance to the whole. ”

“ If the continuation of the prose writing does not call for a new paragraph, the next line of prose text begins without indention.
5. When a prose quotation is introduced, it should be treated as in Rule 4 if it contains more than a single sentence; otherwise it is “run in,” with the proper quotation-marks and punctuation.
6. There are different forms of indention in typography which are used for different purposes, viz.:
Irregular indention.— For this form of in­den­tion there are no spec­i­fied rules, and it is used prin­ci­pal­ly in cer­tain styles of po­et­ry and in dis­play work. ”

“ Italic is used in the following words, phrases, and abbreviations employed in literary and legal references: e.g., ibid, idem, loc. cit., op. cit., ad loc., s.v., supra, infra, passim, vide, circa (ca.) . Exceptions: cf., i.e., e.g., v. (versus) , viz., etc., which are always roman.
10. Punctuation marks which are placed after italicized words should be italic.
Italic is used:
1. For the names of plaintiff and defendant in the citation of legal causes.
2. In algebraic, geometric, and similar matter to designate unknown quantities, lines, etc. ”

“ To say I had an awfully good time is as ridiculous as it is meaningless Badly, should not be used for very much or a great deal. The expression, If you don’t care to do a thing very badly, do it very badly, shows the absurdity. Do not confuse the adjective with the adverb. He looks badly means “He makes a bad use of his eyes.” He looks bad is correct Bank on, a slang expression not recognized by good usage. ”

“ In words ending in boat, house, look, room, side, yard, shop, mill, field, work, chair, maker, holder, keeper, skin, store, book, fold, score, penny, pence when the prefixed noun {50} contains but a single syllable: e.g., twofold, schoolroom, handbook, windmill, bookkeeper, workshop, etc. Exceptions: Court-house and State House.
When prefixed noun contains two syllables, use the hyphen: e.g., bucket-shop, twenty-fold, ante-room, mason-work, paper-mill, etc.9
When prefixed noun contains three or more syllables write as two separate words: e.g., policy shop. ”

“ High o’er our heads; I’ll for I will; Don’t for do not, sha’n’t, etc.
4. The custom of substituting the apostrophe for the letter e in poetry, at one time common, is now obsolete: e.g., At ev’ry word a reputation dies. This rule is disregarded when the letter is omitted for metrical reasons.
THE HYPHEN
The hyphen is employed to join words together which have not become single words through general usage, and where words are necessarily broken at the end of a line. It is also used to separate the syllables of words, in showing the correct pronunciation. (See Compound Words.) ”

“ When another vowel (except e or i) immediately precedes the final e, the final e is usually dropped before a consonant: e.g., argue, argument; awe, awful; true, truly, etc. There are, however, many exceptions to this rule: e.g., eye, eyesight, etc.
When the termination begins with a vowel, the final e is omitted: e.g., sale, salable; bride, bridal; force, forcible. Exceptions: mileage, etc.
9. When words end in ce or ge the final e is retained before added terminations beginning with a or o: e.g., change, changeable; courage, courageous. ”

“ The colon is much less used today than formerly, as modern writers employ shorter and less formal sentences than those of a century ago. It should always be placed outside the quotation-marks unless included as a part of the quotation itself.
Use the colon:
1. Before as, viz., that is, namely, etc., when these words introduce a series of simple particular terms in apposition with a general term: e.g., There are three genders in Latin: namely, masculine, feminine, and neuter. ”

“ Between a complete sentence and an additional clause enlarging upon the same idea without a conjunction: e.g., Imagination {11} is essential to business success: without imagination, plans for future development cannot intelligently be made.
4. Before particulars definitely stated: e.g., These new duties of the management are grouped under four heads: first, they develop a science for each element of a man’s work, etc.
5. Before formal quotations: e.g., In a recent speech attributed to you by the daily press, you are reported to have used these words: “Good principles follow good habits.” ”

“ Exceptions: words ending in -able and -ible, which should carry the vowel over into the next line.
7. The letters c and g must never be separated from the vowels e, i, and y upon which their soft sound depends: e.g., re-li-gion, ca-pa-ci-ty, etc.
8. X must never begin a syllable, j must never end one, and q must not be separated from u, which invariably follows it.
9. When used as terminations, ing, en, ed, er, est, and the plural es are considered as syllables, except when the preceding consonant is doubled, or when they follow c or g soft: e.g., speak-ing, tak-en, long-er ”

“ Of the Apothecaries’ measure of weight, the grain is the same as the Imperial grain; and the Apothecaries’ ounce contains 480 grains, like the Troy ounce. But, of the measures of capacity, the Apothecaries’ drachm is not the same as the Imperial dram, and the two words are spelt differently. A fluid ounce of distilled water at a temperature of 62° Fahrenheit is equal in weight to the Imperial ounce (437.5 grains) , and the fluid drachm (54.6875 grains) is equal in weight to two Imperial drams. ”

“ Do not use the hyphen:
1. When writing points of the compass: e.g., northeast, southwest; but north-northeast, etc.
2. In words ending in like, unless compounded with nouns containing more than one syllable (except when ending in l) : e.g., childlike, lifelike; but business-like, bell-like, etc.
3. In compounds ending with man or woman: e.g., workman, needlewoman, etc.
4. In phrases such as by and by, by the bye, good morning, attorney at law, coat of arms, etc. ”

“ An indention of one or more ems should be allowed at the end of the last line of a paragraph.
10. The same space should be left on each side of short words, such as a, an, etc.
11. It is poor typography to thin-space or wide-space a line in order to avoid a turn-over.
12. Beginning and ending a line with the same word in wide measure should be avoided, but not at the expense of good spacing.
13. The kerned letters f and j require a hair-space before them when they begin a line. When kerned letters end a line a hair-space is necessary after them to prevent breaking off in printing. ”

“ Exceptions for Cuba, Mexico, Canada, and Republic of Panama
Matter mailed in United States addressed to MEXICO is subject to the same postage rates and conditions as that addressed in the United States, except that articles of miscellaneous merchandise (fourth-class matter) in unsealed packages not sent as bona fide trade samples are required to be sent by “Parcels Post,” and that the following articles are absolutely excluded from the mails:
All sealed packages other than letters in the usual form ”

“ The force of business competition has introduced short-cuts in business correspondence which are regrettable from a literary standpoint; the universal use of the typewriter has altered conditions; the multiplicity of social demands makes impossible the leisurely written and carefully considered letters between friends which used to be a valued expression of friendship itself. ”

“ Party, should not be used for person Per, should not be used with English words. Say One dollar a year, or One dollar per annum Perception, means the inlet of all the materials of knowledge; apperception means the knowledge that one possesses these materials. A man with perception knows; a man with apperception knows that he knows PLURALS: of foreign words should be carefully ascertained: e.g., cherubim is the plural of cherub ”

“ Always spell out a figure, whatever its size, when it begins a sentence. If for any reason this is impracticable the sentence must be reconstructed.
10. In ordinary reading matter spell out the time of day, but in enumerations, and {33} always in connection with A.M. and P.M., use figures, omitting the word o’clock: e.g., The doors open at 7:30 P.M.
DIPHTHONGS
1. Avoid all diphthongs, especially æ and œ, but retain æ and œ in Latin words and in nominal English forms like formulæ and other plurals, arbor vitæ, etc. ”

“ Between adjectives and adverbs when not connected by a conjunction: He possessed a calm, exasperating manner; but the comma may be omitted between two adjectives when the idea is close: e.g., A clear cold day. {5}
3. After adjectives and adverbs where three or more are used in succession: e.g., The man possessed a calm, cynical, exasperating manner.
4. In a succession of three or more words where the conjunctive and is used before the last one: e.g., He was tall, thin, and pale. ”

“ Parcels Post conventions are in effect with the following countries, the rate of postage being 12 cents a pound or fraction: Australia,28 Austria,28 Bahamas, Barbadoes,28 Belgium,28 Bermuda, Bolivia, British Guiana, British Honduras, Chili, certain places in China; Costa Rica, Denmark.28 Dutch Guiana — Parcels cannot be registered. Ecuador — Parcels must not exceed $50 in value. France — Parcels cannot be registered and must not weigh over 4 pounds 6 ounces or exceed $50 in value. Germany. Great Britain and Ireland — Parcels cannot be registered. ”

“ Former, should not be used to designate one of more than two persons or things. If reference is made to one of three or more, say The first Gentleman, should be used to designate only a person of refinement, and never as a mere designation of sex. ”

“ Lozenge in­den­tion re­quires an ar­range­ment of the lines in this manner:
{57} PARAGRAPHING
Indention and Display are the methods employed in typography to secure clearness and to add distinction to the printed page, but clearness in the body of the text is dependent upon the skill of the writer in properly dividing his composition into paragraphs. Just as correct punctuation assists the reader in his understanding of a sentence, so does correct paragraphing add to the understanding of the composition as a whole. ”