(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.