Law Books. In citing law books abbreviate as follows: Briggs vs. Ewart, 51 Ala., 576; 78 Fed. Rep., 398, etc.
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:
45. Interrupted Compounds. Benjamin Drew says, in Pens and Types: 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.
