1. Definition.—Copy is any manuscript prepared for printing, and is written according to the individual style rules of each newspaper. The first thing for a reporter to do on beginning work in an office is to ask for the style-book, the manual for the guidance of reporters, copy-readers, and compositors. The chances are nine to one that the paper will not have such a book, since only the larger dailies print their rules of style, and that the reporter must study the columns of the paper and the changes made in his own stories for the individual office rules. If the paper happens to be the tenth one, however, the reporter should employ every spare moment studying the manual and should write every story, even his first one, as nearly as possible in accord with the printed rules, as the copy readers will insist on a strict observance of the regulations. Many of the rules will be mere don'ts, embodying common errors of diction. Others may be particular aversions of the editor or the head copy-reader and may have little regard for or relation to best usage. But such rules must be observed, even though they may be as absurd and contrary to all custom, as that of one metropolitan paper which makes its reporters write "Farwell-av," a usage peculiar to that journal. All such requirements may be found in the style-book, which, whenever in doubt, the reporter should consult rather than the columns of the paper, as the paper is not always reliable. Uncorrected matter is frequently hurried into the forms, causing variations that the rules of composition forbid.

2. The Typewriter.—The first requirement in preparing copy is a knowledge of how to handle a typewriter dexterously. In all offices the reporters are furnished with typewriters, and one is helpless until one learns how to use a machine. Longhand copy rarely is sent to the compositors nowadays. If such copy comes into the office, it is generally given to stenographers or reporters to type before being dispatched to the composing room.

3. Longhand Copy.—At times, however, when away from the office, one cannot obtain a machine and must write in longhand. In such cases, write with painstaking care for accuracy. Other things being equal, it is the legible copy that survives. Unusual proper names and technical words that are liable to be mistaken in copying should be printed letter by letter. If there is a possibility at any time of confusing an o with an a, or a u with an n, the u and a should be underscored and the n and o overscored. Quotation-marks should be enclosed in half-circles—thus, Open quote jag Close quote quote in half circle]—to show whether they are beginning or end marks. And instead of a period, a small cross should be used, or else the period be enclosed in a circle.

4. Paper.—Writing paper is always supplied in the office. Even when one is a correspondent in a neighboring town, stationery, including self-addressed envelopes, is frequently furnished by the journal for which one corresponds. Some newspapers, however, do not provide writing supplies. In such cases the correspondent should choose unglazed paper of a neutral tint—gray, yellow, or manila brown. The paper most commonly used is unruled print paper 6 x 9 or 8¹/₂ x 11 inches in size and of sufficient firmness to permit use of either ink or pencil.

5. Margins.—Except for the writer's name in a ring at the extreme left corner of the page, the top half of the first page of copy should be left blank, so that the headlines may be written there by the headline writer. All the sheets should have a margin of an inch at the bottom and at each side of the paper, and all other sheets than the first should have a margin of an inch at the top. The side margins are necessary for the corrections of the copy editors; the margins at the bottom are for convenience in pasting the sheets together; and the top margins are necessary for paging.

6. Paragraph Indention.—All paragraphs, including the first, should be indented an inch, irrespective of where the preceding paragraph has ended, and should be marked with the paragraph sign, a rectangle (L) placed before the first word. If two paragraphs have been run together thoughtlessly and it is necessary to separate them, insert the paragraph symbol (¶) immediately before the word beginning the new paragraph and write the same symbol in the margin. If the paragraph completes the page, a paragraph sign also should be put at the end, to indicate to the compositor that he may conclude his "take" with a broken line. No other lines than the first lines of paragraphs—quotations and summaries of course excepted—should be indented.

7. Consolidation of Paragraphs.—When it is necessary to consolidate two paragraphs that have been written separately, draw a line from the end of the first to the beginning of the second and mark No ¶ in the margin. Use the same method when several lines or sentences have been canceled and the matter is meant to be continuous. Or when a new sentence has been indented unnecessarily, no paragraph being needed, draw a line from the first word to the left margin and mark No ¶ there. If a sentence ends at the foot of a sheet, but the paragraph continues on the next page, draw a diagonal line from the last word to the right corner at the foot of the page, and on the next sheet draw a diagonal line from the upper left corner to the first word of the new sentence. These lines indicate to the compositor that any "take" ending with the first page or beginning with the second is not complete and may not conclude with a broken line or begin with an indented one.

8. Crowded Lines.—Do not crowd lines together. When the copy is typewritten, adjust the machine to make triple spaces between lines. When it is necessary to write the copy in longhand, leave a quarter-inch space between lines. Crowded lines saddle much extra trouble upon copy-readers, compelling them to cut and paste many times to make necessary corrections. Exception to the rule against crowded lines is made only when one has a paragraph a trifle too long for a page. It is better to crowd the last lines of a page a trifle than to run two or three words of a paragraph over to a new page.

9. The Pages.—If a paragraph would normally begin on the last line of a page, leave the line blank and start the new paragraph on a fresh sheet of paper. One may not write on more than one side of a sheet, not even if there are only two or three words to go on the next page. In the offices of the big dailies each sheet is cut into takes, numbered consecutively, and sent to as many different compositors. Irremediable confusion would be caused for a foreman who tried to handle copy written on both sides, for each take would contain a part of some other compositor's copy. The new page, too, should be numbered at the top with an arabic, not a roman, numeral. And in order to prevent the figure from being mistaken for a part of the article, it should be enclosed in a circle.

10. Insertions.—The reporter should make as few corrections as possible. But where any considerable addition or insertion is found necessary on a page, instead of writing the addition in the margin or on a separate sheet, cut the page and paste in the addition. The sheet may be made the same length as its fellows by folding the lower edge forward upon the written page. If it is folded backward, the fold is liable to be unnoticed, and therefore may cause confusion.

11. "Add Stories."—When a story is incomplete, either by reason of the end of the page being reached or because all the story is not yet in, write the word More in a circle at the foot of the page, the purpose of the circle being to prevent the compositor from mistaking the word for a part of the story. "Add" stories,—stories that follow others already written or in type,—are marked with the catch line and the number of the addition. Thus the first addition to a story about a saloon robbery would be marked, "Add 1, Saloon Robbery"; and the second would be, "Add 2, Saloon Robbery." An insert into the story would be slugged, "Insert A, Saloon Robbery"; and the precise place of the insert would be indicated at the top of the inserted page: "Insert after first paragraph of lead, Saloon Robbery." Such directions are always enclosed in rings so that the compositor may not set them in the story.

12. Illustrations, Clippings.—If cuts or illustrations are to be printed with the copy, indicate as nearly as possible where they will appear in the printed story by "Turn rule for cut." That says to the compositor, "Make in the proofs a black ruled line for later insertion of a cut." The make-up editor may change the position of the cut to obtain a better balance of illustrations on the page or to avoid putting the picture where the paper will fold, but the direction will be worth while as an aid in placing the illustration accurately. Clippings included in the story should be pasted in the copy. Pins and clips slip easily and may cause loss of the clipping.

13. Underscoring.—Underscore once for italics, twice for small capitals, and three times for CAPITALS. Use wave-line underscoring to indicate display type. Many newspapers have abandoned italic type and small capitals altogether, because their linotype machines carry only two kinds of type, and black-face type is needed for headlines, etc. Because of this, where one formerly might underscore a word for emphasis, it is necessary now to reword the sentence altogether.

14. Corrections.—When it is necessary to strike out letters or words from copy, run the pen or pencil through them and draw a line between those to be set up together. Do not enclose in parentheses words to be erased. A printer will not omit, but will set up in type, parentheses and everything enclosed within them. When a letter or word has been wrongly stricken out, it may be restored by making a series of dots immediately beneath and writing the word stet in the margin. Two letters, words, or phrases that one wishes transposed may be so indicated by drawing a continuous line over the first and under the second and writing tr in the margin. A capital letter that should be a small letter may be so indicated by drawing a line downward from right to left through the letter. Because of the haste frequently necessary in writing copy, it has become a trick of the trade to enclose within a circle an abbreviation, a figure, or an ampersand that the writer desires the printer to spell out in full. Do not "ring" a figure or a number, however, without being sure it should be spelled out. It is much easier for a copy-reader to ring a number that needs to be spelled out than to erase an unnecessary circle. If it is necessary to have the printer set up slangy, misspelled, or improperly capitalized words, or ungrammatical or poorly punctuated sentences, put in the margin, Follow Copy. For illustrations of these corrections, the reader may examine the specimen proof sheet on page 276.

15. The End.—Mark the completion of the story with an end mark, a #, or the figure 30 in a circle, the telegrapher's sign indicating the end of a day or a night report. Then read carefully every page of the copy, correcting every error, no matter how slight. Finally, give it to the city editor, unfolded if possible, but never rolled. If it is inconvenient to keep the pages flat, they may be folded lengthwise. Folding crosswise makes the copy inconvenient to handle. The sheets should not be pinned together. The pin betrays the novice.

16. The Story in Type.—A reporter should read his story with painstaking care after it has appeared in print, to detect any errors that may have crept into it since it left his hands and to note what changes have been made at the city desk. It is told of a reporter, now a star man on a leading New York daily, that he used to keep carbon copies of all his stories and compare them word for word with the articles as they appeared in the paper. Only in this way can a writer change his style for the better and learn what is expected of him.

II. PUNCTUATION

17. Rules.—While every well-regulated newspaper has rules of its own governing the use of capital letters, commas, dashes, parentheses, and other marks of punctuation, and any article written by a reporter will be punctuated according to the individual style of the paper in which it is printed, no matter how it may have been punctuated originally, it is nevertheless worth while to offer the following general rules of punctuation for the guidance of news writers. And it would be well for every properly trained journalist to have these rules well in hand; for in the eyes of the editor and the printer, bad punctuation is worse than bad spelling, because the meaning of a misspelled word usually can be deciphered, while that of an improperly punctuated sentence is often hopeless. For one, therefore, who hopes to do successful journalistic work a thorough knowledge of the following rules of punctuation is practically a necessity.

1. Capital Letters

18. Proper Names.—Capitalize all proper names. A proper name is one that designates a particular person, place, or thing. In particular:

19. Titles of Books, etc.—Capitalize the first word and all the important words in the titles of books, newspapers, magazines, magazine articles, poems, plays, pictures, etc.: that is, the first word and all other words except articles, demonstratives, prepositions, conjunctions, auxiliary verbs, relative pronouns, and other pronouns in the possessive case. A the preceding the title of a newspaper or a magazine is regarded as part of the title and is capitalized.

Right.—Two copies of The Atlanta Constitution were produced.

20. Names and Titles of the Deity.—Capitalize names and titles of the Deity and of Jesus Christ.

21. Names of the Bible.—Capitalize names of the Bible and other sacred books, of the versions of the Bible, and of the books and divisions of the Bible and other sacred books. Do not capitalize adjectives derived from such names.

Right.—The Koran, the Septuagint, the Old Testament, Psalms; but biblical, scriptural, apocryphal.

22. Titles of Respect, Honor, Office, or Profession.—Capitalize titles of respect, honor, nobility, office, or profession when such titles immediately precede proper names. Do not capitalize such titles elsewhere in the sentence. The prefix ex- before a title is not capitalized and does not affect the capitalization of the title.

Right.—The Rev. Samuel Plantz, President Wilson, ex-President Roosevelt, Senator Newlands.

Right.—The archbishop and the senator were in conference all the morning with Mr. Bryan, former secretary of state under President Wilson.

23. Names Indicating Nationality or Locality.—Capitalize names distinguishing nationality or locality: as, Yankee, Creole, Hoosier, Wolverines.

24. Names of Athletic Teams.—Capitalize names of athletic teams: as, Giants, Cubs, Badgers, Tigers, Maroons.

25. Festivals and Holidays.—Begin the names of festivals and holidays with capital letters: as, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Labor day.

26. Societies, Political Parties, etc.—Write with capitals the names of clubs, secret societies, religious denominations, colleges, political parties, corporations, railroads, and organizations generally: as Riverview Country club, Elks, Baptist church, Mills college, Republican party, Santa Fe railroad, etc. 27. Ordinal Numbers.—Ordinal numbers used to denote sessions of congress, political divisions, and city wards are written with capital letters: as, Sixty-second congress, Tenth precinct, Third ward, etc.

28. Names of Buildings, Squares, Parks, etc.—Names of buildings, blocks, squares, parks, drives, etc., are capitalized: as, Times building, Temple block, Yellowstone park, Sheridan road, etc.

29. Common Nouns Joined with Proper Names.—Capitalize any common noun joined with a proper name and meaning the same thing, when the common noun precedes. Do not capitalize the common noun if it follows the proper name. Thus: Columbia university, University of Chicago, First Presbyterian church, Church of the Savior, National Bank of North America, First National bank, Memorial day, Fourth of July.

30. Boards, Committees, Legislative Bodies, etc.—Do not capitalize names of boards, bureaus, offices, departments, committees, legal, legislative, and political bodies, etc., when standing alone: as, school board, weather bureau, war office, health department, nominating committee, assembly, state senate, lower house, city council.

31. Prefixes "von," "de," etc.—Do not capitalize the prefixes von, de, di, le, la, etc., except when they begin a sentence: as, Capt. von Papen.

32. Toasts.—In toasts, capitalize all the important words in the phrase indicating the person, the place, or the cause to which the toast is made: as, "My Country—May it always be right; but, right or wrong, my country."

33. Nouns Followed by Numerals.—Do not capitalize a noun followed by a numeral indicating position, place, or order of sequence: as, lot 14, block 3; article III, section 6, act v, etc.

34. Resolutions for Debate.—In resolutions for debate, capitalize the Resolved and the That following.

Right.—Resolved, That Missouri should establish schedules of minimum wages for workmen, constitutionality conceded.

2. The Period

35. Roman Numerals.—Omit the period after roman numerals: as, Louis XIV of France.

36. Abbreviations.—Place a period after abbreviated words and after single or double initial letters representing single words: as, Wm., Thos., Ph.D., LL.D., etc.

37. Contractions.—Do not put a period after contracted words, including nicknames: as, Bill, Tom, can't, hadn't, etc.

38. Side-Heads.—Put a period after side-heads, including figures at the beginning of a paragraph. Compare, for example, the period after Side-Heads at the beginning of this paragraph.

3. The Colon

39. Formal Quotations.—A colon is used to introduce a formal quotation.

Right.—The author also makes this significant statement: "There is every reason to believe that this disease plays a larger part in the production of idiocy than has hitherto been admitted by writers on insanity."

40. Formal Enumerations.—In lists of the dead, injured, persons present, and similar enumerations of particulars, use a colon to introduce the series.

Right.—Only four patrons appeared in this morning's police matinee: Chip Owens, Allie McGowan, Alfonso Blas, and Nick Muskowitz.

41. Time Indications.—In time indications and records place a colon between hours and minutes, and minutes and seconds: as, Gates open, 2:30; Time, 1:42.

42. General Usage.—In general, use a colon after any word, phrase, or clause when that which follows explains or makes clear what precedes.

4. The Semicolon

43. Compound Sentences.—A semicolon is used in compound sentences to separate independent clauses that have no connective between. The semicolon in such constructions, however, is fast disappearing from newspaper columns. Complex constructions are avoided. Usage favors making a separate sentence of the second clause.

Right.—Brown came first; Johnson followed five seconds later, with Jones third.

Permissible.—The murder was committed sometime before 12:00 o'clock; at 8:00 this morning the murderer was in jail.

Better.—The murder was committed sometime before 12:00 o'clock. At 8:00 this morning the murderer was in jail.

44. Lists.—In lists of dead, injured, guests, etc., where the name of the town from which the persons come or the place of residence is given, separate the different names by semicolons.

Right.—Among those present were: Allen Rogers of Las Vegas, N. M.; Orren Thomas of Benton, Mo.; Mr. and Mrs. Henry Barnes of Sioux City, Ia.

45. Athletic Results.—In football, baseball, and similar athletic results, use a semicolon to separate the names of the teams and their scores: as, Cornell, 21; Syracuse, 14.

46. Instead of Commas.—A semicolon may be used instead of a comma when a clause or sentence is so broken up by commas as to need some other mark of punctuation to keep the larger phrase- and clause-relations clear.

5. The Comma

47. Parenthetic Expressions.—Parenthetic words, phrases, and clauses, whether used at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence, are set off by commas when they cause a marked interruption between grammatically connected parts of the sentence. If in doubt about the need of a comma, omit it.

Right.—He, like many others, believes firmly in the rightness of the new movement.

48. Words in Apposition.—A word in apposition with another word and meaning the same thing should be set off by commas.

Right.—Henry Owen, lineman for the local telegraph company, was the only witness of the accident.

49. With "namely," "that is," etc.—A comma is placed before and, namely, viz., that is, i.e., as, to wit, etc., when introducing an example, an illustration, or an explanation.

50. Contrasted Words and Phrases.—Set off contrasted words and phrases with commas.

Right.—Hard work, not genius, was what enabled him to succeed.

Right.—The faster they work, the better they are paid.

51. Introductory Words and Phrases.—Introductory words, phrases, and clauses at the beginning of a sentence, when they modify the whole sentence and serve as a connective, are set off by commas.

Right.—Yes, he had even tried to bribe the officer.

Right.—On the other hand, the prisoner had taken her for a member of the gang.

52. In Direct Address.—Words used in direct address are set off by commas.

Right.—Mark this, gentlemen of the jury, in his list of forgeries.

53. Explanatory Dates and Names.—A date explaining a previous date or a geographical name explaining a previous name is set off by commas.

Right.—On April 2, 1916, she was arrested at Chicago, Ill.

54. Phrases Indicating Residence, Position, or Title.—Omit the comma before of in phrases indicating residence, position, or title.

Right.—Among the out-of-town guests were Miss Helen Hahn of Gainesville, Mrs. Henry Bushman of Athens, and Orren Cramer of Atlanta.

Right.—Dwight O. Conklin of the Bessemer Smelting Company was the chief speaker.

55. Academic and Honorary Titles.—Academic and honorary titles are set off from proper names and from each other by commas: as, President O. N. Fowler, Ph.D., LL.D.

56. Names Followed by Initials.—Baptismal names or initials following a surname are set off by commas: as, Arendale, Charles V.

57. Words, Phrases, and Clauses in a Series.—The members of a series of two or more words, phrases, or clauses standing in the same relation and not connected by conjunctions, are separated by commas. When the series consists of three or more members and a conjunction is used to connect only the last two, the comma may or may not be put before the conjunction. Better usage, however, favors the inclusion of the comma.

Right.—The teller was kicked, beaten, and robbed by four masked men.

58. After Interjections.—Interjections that are but slightly exclamatory are followed by commas.

The following distinctions in the use of the interjections O and oh may be noted: oh generally takes a comma after it, O never; except at the beginning of a sentence, oh is written with a small letter, O always with a capital; and oh is used always by itself, while O properly comes only in direct address: as, O Lord of life.

Right.—Ah, the happy days and the happy city!

Right.—Oh, but the way the boys splashed!

59. Short Quotations and Maxims.—Set off short informal quotations and maxims with commas.

Right.—He was last heard to say, "If I don't return in time, call up the office."

60. In Large Numbers.—Use commas to separate large numbers into groups of three figures each: as, $2,518,675. Omit the comma, however, in dates and in street, telephone, and automobile numbers.

61. Athletic Scores.—In football, baseball, and similar records, place a comma between the name of the team and its score: as, New Orleans, 7; Memphis, 4.

62. Biblical Passages.—Place a comma between chapter and verse in citations of biblical passages: as, John 2, 15.

63. Resolutions for Debate.—In resolutions for debate, put a comma after Resolved.

Right.—Resolved, That women should be given the right of suffrage.

64. General Usage.—In general, use a comma to mark any distinct pause not indicated by other marks of punctuation, and to make clear any word, phrase, or clause that may be obscure without a comma. But do not use commas except when they are a distinct necessity. Omit them except when they are needful for emphasis or for the clearness of the sentence.

6. The Dash

65. Sudden Break in Thought.—Use a dash to mark a sudden suspension of the thought or a violent break in the construction of the sentence.

Right.—"You mean to say—Just what are you talking about?" he questioned awkwardly.

66. Date Lines.—In stories written under a date line place a dash between the date or the Special and the beginning of the story. Thus:

67. After "namely," "viz.," etc.—Place a dash after namely, as, that is, viz., etc., when introducing an example or an illustration.

Right.—The mob seemed to hold him responsible for two things, namely—the lost key and the barred door.

68. Lists of Officers.—In giving lists of officers, put a dash between the name of the office and the officer. Thus:

69. Dialogue, Questions and Answers.—In quoting questions and answers, proceedings of public bodies or trials, and dialogue generally, put a dash between the Q. or the A., or the name of the speaker, and the statement made. And make a new paragraph for each speaker. Thus:

Q.—Are you a resident of Montana?

A.—I have been for four years.

70. Slowness of Speech.—Put a dash between words or phrases to indicate slowness or hesitancy in speech. Thus: "These, he said, were his—er—wife's slippers."

7. Parentheses

71. Political Parties.—In legislative or congressional reports in which the political affiliation of a member, or the state or county from which he comes, is given, enclose the party, state, or county name in parentheses: as, Mr. Smith (Dem., S. C.), Mr. Harris (Jefferson).

72. General Usage.—Avoid the use of parentheses within sentences. Two short sentences are better than one long one containing a parenthetic expression. A sentence having a clause within marks of parentheses can generally be cut into two sentences and for newspaper purposes made more effective.

8. Quotation-Marks

73. Direct Quotations.—Quotation-marks are used to set off direct quotations printed in the same type and style as the remainder of the story. A quotation coming within a quotation is set off by single quotation-marks; and a third quotation coming within single quotation-marks is set off by double marks again. Do not fail to put "quotes" at the end of a quotation. This very common error, failure to include the "end quotes," is a source of great annoyance to printers and proof-readers.

74. Quoted Paragraphs.—When a quotation includes more than one paragraph set in the same type and style as the context, put quotation-marks at the beginning of each paragraph, but omit them at the end of every paragraph except the last. In this way the quotation is shown to be continuous. As a rule, a quotation of more than one sentence is written in a separate paragraph. When the quotation is to be set in smaller type than the body of the story, all quotation-marks at the beginning and end of the paragraphs are omitted.

75. Quotations and Summaries.—When reporting a speech or interview and alternately summarizing and quoting verbatim, do not include in the same paragraph a direct quotation and a condensed summary of what precedes or follows. Make a separate paragraph for each. Thus:

76. Books, Plays, etc.—Enclose in quotation-marks the titles of books, dramas, songs, poems, stories, magazine articles, toasts, and lectures.

77. Newspapers, Vessels, etc.—Do not quote the names of newspapers, magazines, paintings, vessels, cars, or animals.

78. Slang and Technical Terms.—Enclose in quotation-marks slang and technical terms that are supposedly unfamiliar to the reader.

79. Nicknames.—Do not quote nicknames of persons or of characters in plays or novels: as, Ty Cobb, T. R., Heinie Zim, Becky Sharp, etc.

9. The Apostrophe

80. Possessive Case.—Use an apostrophe and an s to indicate the possessive case singular, no matter whether the word ends in one or two s's: as, Burns's house, Furness's hat.[51] Use the apostrophe and s to indicate the possessive case plural when the plural does not end in s: as, men's meeting, children's shoes. Use only the apostrophe to indicate the possessive case plural when the plural ends in s: as, boys' hats, ladies' outfitter. In names of corporations, cases of joint authorship, etc., where two names are equally in the possessive case, put the apostrophe, or the apostrophe and s, only after the name nearest the thing possessed: as, Farmers and Merchants' bank, Allen and Bowen's "Classical Mythology."

81. Possessive Pronouns.—Do not use the apostrophe before the s in possessive pronouns: as, its, hers, theirs.

82. Contractions.—Use an apostrophe in contracted words to indicate the omission of letters: as, couldn't, he'll, you're.

10. The Hyphen

83. Compound Words.—Put a hyphen between the members of a compound word. Words compounded with the following prefixes and suffixes are generally hyphenated: able-, brother-, by-, cross-, -elect, ex-, father-, great-, half-, -hand, mother-, open-, public-, quarter-, -rate, self-. In particular, hyphenate the following words:

84. Words Written Solid.—Words compounded of the following prefixes and suffixes are generally written solid: a-, after-, ante-, anti-, auto-, bi-, demi-, -ever, grand-, -holder, in-, inter-, intra-, -less, mid-, mis-, off-, on-, over-, post-, re-, -some, sub-, super-, tri-, un-, under-, up-, -ward, -wise, -with. The following should be written solid:

85. Words Written Separately.—Write the following as two words:

86. Compound Numbers.—Compound numbers between twenty and a hundred, when spelled out, should have a hyphen: as, twenty-one, forty-three.

87. Word Division.—When dividing a word at the end of a line, observe the following rules:

1. Do not break a syllable: as, cre-ditable, attemp-ted, for cred-itable, attempt-ed.

2. Do not divide a monosyllable: as, mob-bed, tho-ugh.

3. Do not separate a consonant from a vowel that affects its pronunciation: as, nec-essity for ne-cessity.

4. Do not divide a diphthong or separate two successive vowels, one of which is silent: as, bo-wing, pe-ople, for bow-ing, peo-ple.

5. Do not separate a syllable that has been added to a word by the addition of an s: as, financ-es.

6. Do not divide hyphenated words except at the syllable where the regular hyphen comes: as, pocket-book, fool-killer. 7. Do not make awkward divisions: as, noth-ing, crack-le.

8. Do not begin a line with a hyphen.

9. As a rule, avoid dividing a word at the end of a line and never divide one at the end of a page.

10. Abbreviations

88. Abbreviations Avoided.—Abbreviations should as a rule be avoided. The coming of the typewriter into journalism has created a tendency to write out all words in full.

89. Personal and Professional Titles.—The following personal and professional titles are abbreviated when preceding proper names:

90. Use of Titles.—Use personal titles under the following restrictions:

1. Do not use Mr. before a man's name when his baptismal name or initials are given.

Not Good.—Mr. A. B. Crayton of Belleville was a guest at the Horton house to-day.

Right.—A. B. Crayton of Belleville was a guest at the Horton house to-day.

2. After a person's name has been mentioned once in a story, his initials or Christian names are omitted thereafter, and a Mr. or his professional title is put before the name.

Right.—Prof. O. C. Bowen of Atawa was a speaker at the local Y. M. C. A. to-day. Prof. Bowen chose as his subject, "The Four Pillars of State."

3. If a person has more than one professional title, the one of highest rank should be used. If he has two titles of apparently equal rank, choose the one last received or the one by which he is best known among his friends.

4. Mrs. always precedes the name of a married woman, Miss that of an unmarried woman, no matter whether the initials or Christian names are used or not.

5. In giving lists of unmarried women, precede the names with Misses, taking care always to give the full Christian name of each woman.

6. In giving lists of married women, Mesdames may introduce the names, though present usage prefers Mrs. before each name.

7. When mentioning a man and his wife, put it Mr. and Mrs. William Black, not William Black and wife.

8. Do not use Master before the name of a boy.

9. Before a Rev. preceding the name of a clergyman always put a the: as, the Rev. T. P. Frost. If the clergyman's initials are not known, write it, the Rev. Mr. Frost, not the Rev. Frost.

91. Names of the Months.—Abbreviations of the months, except March, April, May, June, and July, are permissible when followed by a numeral indicating the day of the month, but not when used alone.

Right.—Richard Malone, who was injured in an automobile collision Sept. 18, died at the county hospital to-day.

Wrong.—The time of the meet has been set for a date not later than the middle of Sept.

92. Names of the States.—Names of states, territories, and island possessions of the United States are abbreviated when preceded by the name of a town or city: as, Pueblo, Col.; Manila, P.I.

93. Miscellaneous Abbreviations.—The following abbreviations are also in good usage: Esq., Inc., Jr., A.B., Ph.D., M.D., U.S.N., etc., when used after proper names; a.m., p.m., A.D., B.C., when preceded by numerals. 94. Forbidden Abbreviations.—The following abbreviations may not be used on most newspapers:

1. Christian names: as, Chas. for Charles, Thos. for Thomas.

2. Mount, Fort, and Saint: as, Mt. St. Elias for Mount Saint Elias, Ft. Wayne for Fort Wayne.

3. Railroad, Company, Brothers, etc.: as, New Haven R. R. for New Haven Railroad, National Biscuit Co. for National Biscuit Company.

11. Numbers

95. Dates.—Observe the following rules concerning dates:

1. Write year dates always in figures: as, 1776.

2. Write month dates in figures when preceded by the name of the month: as, July 7, 1916. When the name of the month does not precede, spell out the date: as, Bills are due on the tenth.

3. Do not write the day before the name of the month: as, the 25th of December for Dec. 25.

4. Do not put a d, nd, st, or th after a date: as, Sept. 7th for Sept. 7.

96. Money.—When mentioning sums of money, use figures for all amounts over one dollar; spell out all sums below a dollar: as, $5.75, fifty cents. But if in the same sentence it becomes necessary to mention sums above and below a dollar, use figures for all.

97. Street and District Names.—Spell out street, ward, district, and precinct names designated by numbers: as, Second ward, Tenth precinct.

98. Sporting Records.—Use figures for sporting records: as, 10 feet, 5 inches; Time, :49³/₅; 18-2 balk-line.

99. Beginning of Sentences.—Do not begin a sentence with figures. If impossible to shift the number to a later place in the sentence, place about or more than before the figures: as, More than 14,000 persons passed through the gates.

100. Dimensions.—Use figures with an x to express dimensions of lots, buildings, floors, boats, machinery, etc.: as, 90x125 feet, 60-foot beam, etc.

101. General Usage.—Observe the following general rules concerning numbers:

1. Use figures to express dates, distances, latitude and longitude, hours of the day, degrees of temperature, percentage, street numbers, telephone numbers, automobile numbers, votes, and betting odds. In other cases spell out all numbers under 100, except where several numbers, some of which are above and some under 100, are used in the same paragraph. In such a case, use figures for all.