UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
AT LOS ANGELES
SI ENOGRAPI ER'S
MANUAL
EDWARD JONES KILDUFF, M.A.
Professor of Business English, New York University
Author of THE PRIVATE SECRETARY
Co-author of the
HANDBOOK OF BUSINESS ENGLISH
47085
HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS
NEW YORK AND LONDON
1921
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THE STENOGBAFHER'S MANUAL
Copyright, 1921, by Harper & Brother*
Printed in the United States of America
A-V
56
55s
CONTENTS
PA OB
INTRODUCTION BY GEORGE E. ROBERTS vii
PREFACE ix
I. THE QUALITIES OF A GOOD STENOG-
RAPHER
Your Chances of Success 1
What a Stenographer Should Be Able to
Do 2
Qualities That Make a Stenographer a Good
Stenographer 5
The Good Stenographer Is Accurate 5
Necessity for Self -analysis 6
Are You Accurate? 7
The Good Stenographer Has an Agreeable
Personality 9
The Good Stenographer Is Trustworthy. . 12
The Good Stenographer Is Diligent 13
A Good Stenographer Has Judgment. ... 15
Good Deportment in the Office 16
H. YOUR CONDUCT IN THE OFFICE
Office Rules Should Be Observed 17
Be Punctual 19
Attendance 20
Using the Telephone for Personal Calls... 21
"Visiting" in the Office 21
The Proper Attitude Toward Your Work. 22
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
Conduct Toward Other Workers 23
Your Personal Appearance 23
III. WHEN YOU TAKE DICTATION
The Importance of Taking Dictation Right 25
Be Prepared 25
Your Manner When Taking Dictation ^7
Points on Taking Dictation 28
Carefully Note Instructions 30
IV. TRANSCRIBING AND TYPING
You Are Judged by Your Completed Work :;,'
Accuracy in Transcription 33
Why You Should Be Up on Your Grammar :> I
Editing Dictated Material 35
Paragraphing the Letter 36
Punctuation and Capitalization 30
Always Read Over Your Work 30
The Appearance of Your Work 37
Making Erasures and Changes 37
Keep Your Machine in Good Condition.. 39
Don't Dispute with the Dictator 40
Taking Care of Your Notebooks 40
Office Supplies 40
V. THE MECHANICAL MAKE-UP OF THE
LETTER
Know and Use Good Mechanical Make-up 42
Placing the Letter on the Page 43
The Parts of the Mec-hanical Make-up of a
Letter 46
The Heading 46
The Inside Address. . 48
CONTENTS
[APTEB PAGE
The Salutation 57
The Body of the Letter 58
The Complimentary Close 60
The Signature 60
Miscellaneous Points 62
The Envelope 63
Official Letters 64
Formal Official Letters 66
Informal Official Letters 66
The Mechanical Display of Reports 66
VI. ABOUT YOUR SPELLING
The Importance of Correct Spelling 71
Technical and Trade Words 73
Words Spelled Correctly in Two or More
Ways 73
Foreign Words and Phrases Commonly
Used in English 78
Plurals of Foreign Words 81
.Words That Have the Same or Nearly the
Same Sound 82
Words Commonly Misspelled 89
Words Ending in "-able" or "-ible" 92
Spelling of Possessives 94
Forming the Plural of Figures, Letters,
Signs, Etc 95
When and When Not to Spell Out Num-
bers, Amounts, and Sums 96
Dividing Words at the Ends of the Lines. 100
Compound or Hyphenated Words 103
Use of Abbreviations 107
After You Have Finished the Work.. , 113
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
VII. COMMON MISUSES OF WORDS 114
VIII. HOW TO PUNCTUATE AND CAPITAL-
IZE
The Ability to Punctuate Correctly 133
What Punctuation Is 134
Uses of the Comma 1 : '. t
Uses of the Semicolon 141
Uses of the Colon 142
Uses of the Period 1 14
Uses of the Exclamation Point H.~>
Uses of the Dash 146
Uses of Parentheses 147
Uses of Brackets 148
Uses of Quotation Marks 148
Punctuation of Quoted or Parenthetical
Material 150
Uses of the Apostrophe 151
Uses of the Question Mark 153
Uses of the Hyphen 153
Other Punctuation 155
Good Style in Punctuation 155
Capitalization 156
IX. MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
Points About Telephoning 160
Telegrams 163
Use of Proof Marks to Indicate Corrections
or Changes 163
Keep Your Desk in Good Order 166
Study Your Employer's Business 166
INTRODUCTION
BY
GEORGE E. ROBERTS
Vice-President of the National City Bank of New York City
TEAMWORK is one of the big needs of business. If con-
sistently efficient results are to be secured, each depart-
ment of a business organization must work in harmony with
every other department, and each worker with his co-
worker. The best efforts of one department or of one
Worker can easily be nullified by the inefficiency of another.
Having thus stated a generally recognized principle of
good business, I wish to apply it specifically to the relation-
ship between the dictator and his stenographer. I may
perform my share of the task involved in the Writing of
a letter by carefully dictating what I wish to say, but if
my stenographer is not wholly accurate and dependable
in transcribing her notes her share of this mutual work
the effectiveness of my letter suffers. Through care-
lessness she has made me appear to say things I did not
say, she has inclined my reader to the belief that I am un-
grammatical, and by her inaccuracies in typing she has
caused my letter to make an unfavorable impression. Is
this teamwork?
Letter writing is an important function in business, and
is becoming of greater importance because of the fact that
the transactions carried on by means of letters are rapidly
increasing in number. The personal contact between a
business house and its customers that existed in former
years is being supplanted by a contact by letters. And all
this means that we must to-day make our letters more
efficient. To do so we must enlist the co-operation of our
INTRODUCTION
stenographers to perform efficiently their share of the work
of getting out good letters letters that are accurate in
transcription, correct in spelling, grammar, and punctua-
tion, and pleasing in appearance.
For many years I have realized that the work of the
stenographer is not so unimportant as it is sometimes
thought to be. Any business man can tell you of the
satisfaction he enjoys in dictating to a good stenographer,
knowing, as he does, that he can sign his name to his
letters without being compelled to read them word by
word to make sure that they are correct in all respects.
This same business man can tell you that he is saved much
time and worry because he knows he can depend upon his
stenographer. And if the saving of time and worry is not
important to a business man, then nothing else is.
In glancing over the proof-sheets of this book which Pro-
fessor Kilduff has written, I was glad to note that he 1m
placed so much emphasis upon accuracy. It seems to me
that this is a quality that is indispensable in a stenographer,
for certainly if a stenographer is inaccurate in her work,
she cannot be of much assistance to her employer. Upon
him falls the burden of correcting her work work that
should be correct. And then the letter usually must be re-
typed. All this added effort can be saved if the stenogra-
pher will take pains to see that her work is done right the
first time.
Professor KildufTs book will be of much help to the am-
bitious stenographer who will read and put into practice
the ideas that are presented in it. I believe it will go far
in making stenographers realize how much their co-opera-
tion is needed in business, and in teaching them how to
do their share of the work in helping the dictator to put
out better letters.
PREFACE
To Stenographers, Typists, and Dictating -machine
Operators:
THIS book was written to help you in your work, to aid
you to do better work, and to assist you in making your-
self a success in your chosen vocation. Read it carefully,
study it, and put into practice the information it gives
you. Keep it handy in your desk and refer to it as you
would to a dictionary. And every now and then read it
again, so that you will always have fresh in your mind
a knowledge of those points in which the business man
expects a good stenographer to be proficient.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I WISH to acknowledge my indebtedness for information
concerning the attitude of business concerns toward the
work of the stenographer to various officers, office man-
agers, and chief stenographers of the following business
houses: National City Bank of New York, United States
Steel Products Company, S. S. Kresge Company, General
Cigar Co., Inc., United States Rubber Co., Vacuum Oil
Company, American Chicle Co., The American Sugar
Refining Company, John Wanamaker, Brunswick-Balke-
Collender Co., Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., The New
PREFACE
Jersey Zinc Company, Ideal Cocoa & Chocolate Com-
pany, Proctor and Gamble Distributing Co., and the
Chase National Bank.
Much of the material on the mechanical make-up of
letters, punctuation, and capitalization is taken from the
Handbook of Business English, by Hotchkiss and Kilduff.
E. J. K.
NEW YORK CITY, August 15, 1920. '
THE STENOGRAPHER'S
MANUAL
Chapter I
The Qualities of a Good Stenographer
Your Chances of Success
WHETHER you look upon stenography and typewriting
as a trade or vocation from which you are to secure your
living or whether you consider this work as a stepping
stone to advancement in business, you should give some
consideration to your chances of success in this field.
Do you wish to make more money? Then remember
that a business house will pay you according to your value
to the house and is only too glad to pay more money if
you increase your value if you do better work.
Do you wish to advance in business to secure a more
responsible position? If so, remember that you must
show by your efficiency in your present position that you
have mastered it and that you are, therefore, probably
capable of mastering the next higher position.
Many workers in business seem unable to realize the
fact that they cannot expect higher pay or promotion
until they do better work. They often say to themselves,
"I should do better work if they would pay me more
1
money." But that is reversing the natural process. The
rule in business is, " Prove by doing better work that you
are worth more and you will get it." But the proof must
come first. You must first show your ability.
Some of these same people say that ability is not
recognized and appreciated in business. Such a state-
ment is absolutely unsound, for in business, above all other
places, ability is keenly sought and well paid for. No
concern could long remain in business, facing the fierce
competition of to-day, were it not for the ability of its
workers. It is nearly as difficult to hide ability in business
as it is to hide a light on a dark night. Ability is too rare
and too valuable a thing not to be recognized and ap-
preciated. But do not think that the employer is un-
selfish in this matter he is not. He knows how valuable
to him and to his business are the services of an efficient
and able worker. So bear in mind, then, this fact:
If you will train yourself to do your work well, you need
not worry about not being rewarded.
Your success as a stenographer is assured if you will
resolve here and now to become a good stenographer.
The efficient, well-trained stenographer has an exceedingly
easy time in securing a good position at any time, for the
demand for really good stenographers is far greater than
the supply. There are plenty of mediocre and ordinary
stenographers, but very few good ones. The first step
toward your success can be taken by you now: Resolve
to be a good stenographer.
What a Stenographer Should Be Able to Do
Disregarding for the time being her other duties, the
work of the stenographer can be divided into two parts:
stenography and typewriting. Proficiency in each of these
2
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
two fields constitutes the chief stock in trade of the
stenographer; or, in other words, the stenographer is hired
because she can take dictation and transcribe it on the
typewriter.
Proficiency in stenography means the ability to take
dictation as rapidly as the dictator gives it and to take
it accurately. You will note that the proficiency in
stenography is made up of two things speed and ac-
curacy. You will also note that speed does not necessarily
mean the ability to take 80 or 120 or 150 words a minute.
If you can take dictation as fast as your dictator gives it,
you are proficient at least so far as he is concerned. If
you hold back your dictator you must practice to develop
more speed.
Accuracy in taking down dictation means that you make
no mistakes that can be justly charged against you. In
fact, accuracy is more important than speed, for if there is
anything a dictator dislikes it is the reading of his letter
in which what he has dictated is incorrectly reported. He
does not mind very much being asked to dictate a little
more slowly (often it flatters him), provided the stenog-
rapher is accurate. Above all things train yourself to be
accurate in setting down what the dictator has said. No
other quality is more appreciated in a stenographer than
accuracy. Do not sacrifice accuracy to speed.
The same fact is true with respect to transcription or
typewriting: accuracy is more important than speed.
What is the good of typing the letter fast if, on account
of errors in it, it either has to be retyped or is sent out
with a number of corrections written in? Do it right the
first time even though you don't do it so fast.
Good transcribing means much more than the accurate
typing of the stenographic notes. It includes such mat-
ters as these : a knowledge of the mechanical operation of
3
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
the typewriter, as, for instance, how to prevent the pnprr
from slipping, so that good work may result ; a knowledge
of the correct mechanical make-up of the letter and other
business forms; the ability to place the typing on the
page so that it will look good; neatness in the appearance
of the finished work; correct spelling, capitalization,
punctuation, and the proper breaking of words at the ends
of the lines, and a good working knowledge of grammar and
rhetoric.
The stenographer must know all these things about her
work and many more. The knowledge of and the ability
to use the knowledge of these matters constitute her
stock in trade; and the greater her knowledge and the
better her ability, the greater and better stock has she to
sell and the more will be the pay for this stock. Cer-
tainly, if she expects to succeed in her field of work and
get better pay and promotion, she must master the use
of the tools of her trade. Yet how many girls are there
in business who can do these things well these things
which every stenographer who calls herself a stenographer
should be able to do with 100 per cent efficiency? Ex-
ceedingly few, if we are to believe what most business
men tell us.
Stenography and typewriting are not difficult subjects
to learn. Any bright girl can make herself fairly proficient
in them within six months' time and quite expert, if she
sufficiently applies herself, within a year. Such a matter
as spelling, for example, is not hard to learn, and even if
you aren't quite sure of the correct spelling, you can look
it up in a minute in your dictionary. Yet incorrect spell-
ing is one of the most common errors.
The rules of punctuation and capitalization are few and
simple, and no stenographer who has spent a little time
in studying them should ever have much difficulty with
4
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
them. But mistakes in these two matters are continually
cropping up in letters.
All these subjects, to repeat, are not difficult to master.
Carelessness, more than ignorance, is responsible for most
of the errors in them. But carelessness is as bad a fault
as ignorance. You can make yourself a stenographer
among stenographers merely by mastering these subjects
that you have seen are so easy to learn, and by being
careful, because the great majority of stenographers either
haven't mastered them or haven't learned to be careful.
Qualities That Make a Stenographer a Good
Stenographer
A stenographer may be efficient in stenography and
typewriting, but yet she may not be a good stenographer.
It may be that her personality is such that she cannot get
along with her fellow workers; or she may be found to be
untrustworthy she may have disclosed business secrets
to outsiders. You can see, therefore, that the good ste-
nographer must possess, in addition to her ability to take
dictation and to transcribe well, certain personal qualities.
These qualities are as follows:
1. Accuracy.
2. Agreeable personality.
3. Trustworthiness.
4. Diligence.
5. Judgment.
6. Good deportment.
The Good Stenographer Is Accurate
Although all the six qualities mentioned above are
essential, the one which the employer values most in a
2 5
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
stenographer is, probably, the quality of accuracy. A
stenographer is accurate if her work is free from mistakes,
if she takes pains to make sure that what she doors or has
done is correct. The accurate stenographer holds herself
responsible for the correctness of her work.
Just think how pleased an employer is to have a ste-
nographer whose work is accurate! No longer is he com-
pelled to read carefully every letter he has dictated, mak-
ing a correction in spelling here and in punctuation there.
No longer does he find the ideas he so carefully thought
out and dictated appearing before him in the typed lrtlT
unrecognizable. He can now sign his letters with a free
mind. He knows, too, that the right inclosures will go
with the letter; that any changes or additions he may
have made will be correctly copied on the carbon copu-s
of the letter; and that any special directions he may have
given concerning the letter will be accurately executed.
An accurate stenographer can save her chief a great deal
of time and worry and he appreciates it, perhaps more
than you think.
Inaccuracy is the most common defect among stenog-
raphers. It holds more back from advancement in salary
and position than does any other defect. Lack of sufficient
training is sometimes the cause of inaccuracy, but care-
lessness is usually the cause of it.
Necessity for Self-analysis
Most of us can easily see the faults in other persons,
but few of us can see our own faults. The ambitious
stenographer must be able to take an inventory of herself
to determine just what her defects are. None of us is
perfect; faults exist in every one of us. Isn't it better
that you should find out what is wrong with yourself, so
6
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
that you can correct it, than to be held back by faults
that you don't see or don't care to see, yet which the
employer sees? No stenographer can be a success until she
has analyzed herself, found out her shortcomings, and
taken steps to remedy them.
You have had enough experience in life to know that
few persons outside your immediate family will criticize
you, your work, your manners, etc., to your face, though
they may and probably do behind your back. To you
alone is given the privilege and responsibility of making
yourself. And since others don't tell you your faults,
you must find them out for yourself.
The necessity for self-analysis is, therefore, ever present.
You want to make yourself a success, you want to make
your life a success. So you should continually strive to
improve yourself, and honest self-examination will show
you wherein to make yourself better.
Are You Accurate?
You now know that accuracy is a very valuable quality
of a stenographer. Suppose that you were asked this
question, "Are you accurate?" Without much thinking
you might say, "Yes." But are you? To find out, exam-
ine yourself now by giving an honest answer to each
of the following questions:
1. Do you make mistakes in taking dictation? How often?
. Are these mistakes caused by inability to take dictation as
rapidly as the dictator gives it? By lack of training? By
carelessness on your part?
3. If you don't understand what the dictator said, do you ask
him to repeat it or do you "take a chance" that in reading
the typed letter he won't notice that you didn't get his exact
wording?
7
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
4. In typing the letter, do you make mistakes because of in-
ability to read your own notes? What is the reason care-
lessness when you made the notes or carelessness in reading
them?
5. Do you make frequent erasures in your letter? Why care-
lessness in typing or carelessness in spelling?
6. How many mistakes do you make in spelling? What is the
reason lack of training or carelessness?
7. If you aren't sure of the spelling of a word do you look it up
in a dictionary, or do you sometimes take the chance that
you have spelled it correctly?
8. Do you make mistakes in punctuation?
9. Do you know the rules of punctuation?
10. If, when you are transcribing your notes on the typewrit or,
you find some notes that you don't understand, do you ask
the dictator what he said or are you afraid to expose your
carelessness and make the second mistake of typing a jumble
of words which do not convey the sense as the dictator gave
it to you?
11. Do you ever put the wrong inclosures in the letter? Or leave
inclosures out?
If you rarely make these mistakes you are accurate;
otherwise you are not.
And in reading the questions did you notice how often
carelessness is the cause of the error? This fact should
show you that, above all things, you must always be on
your guard against carelessness. Remember that stenog-
raphy and typewriting are exact subjects, like arithmetic,
for instance. One mistake in multiplying one set of fig-
ures by another set means that the answer is wrong. One
mistake in taking dictation or in transcribing means that
your letter is incorrect. Strive to be 100 per cent accurate.
Never let the employer find mistakes in your work. If
you do make any mistakes find them yourself, and correct
them. For example, if you are asked to do some copying,
go over your work after you have finished it, and carefully
8
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
compare it with the original from which you are copying.
Make certain that your work is correct before you hand
it in.
The Good Stenographer Has an Agreeable
Personality
The second quality that the good stenographer possesses
is an agreeable personality. At first glance it may not
be clear why this quality is so important. After a little
thought, however, you will see that the qualities under
discussion are being considered from the employer's point
of view. Why is it, then, that the employer values this
quality in his stenographers? For one thing because he
has learned from experience that a stenographer who has
a disagreeable personality can cause much trouble among
the office force. In fact, she is known in business as a
"trouble maker." Among the things she does to make
herself disliked are these: she carries tales, she criticizes
her fellow workers behind their backs, she is discourteous,
she is dissatisfied with her job and doesn't care who
knows it. The result is that she causes others to become
dissatisfied, arouses friction among her fellow workers,
and the office is no longer a pleasant place to work in.
Is it any wonder that the employer, afraid that she will
entirely disrupt his office organization, requests her to
resign? Such a case, although not uncommon, is, however,
rather extreme.
Agreeable personality is made up of courtesy, cheerful-
ness, and the inclination to be agreeable to people. Cour-
tesy is more than the use of polite expressions it is the
sincere regard for, and consideration of, the other person's
feelings. Suppose, for instance, that a dictator said to a
stenographer, "Miss Blank, will you take dictation,
9
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
please?" and the stenographer said: "Just a minute. I
want to finish this letter." In such a case the stenogra-
pher is not courteous, for she is placing her own con-
venience ahead of the dictator's. Or suppose that during
the time she is taking dictation the dictator pauses to
consider what to say. If she nervously taps her pencil on
the desk and thereby distracts the dictator, she is dis-
courteous, for she is not considerate of his feelings.
In the two instances just mentioned, and, for that mat-
ter, in most instances, the stenographer intended no dis-
courteous act. Indeed, she was probably unconscious of
the fact that her actions were in any way annoying to
the dictator. If the situation were explained to her she
would probably say, "I didn't think that it would annoy
him." And that is just the point! Few people try to be
discourteous. Most acts of discourtesy occur because
some one "did not think."
The good stenographer is cheerful and because she is
cheerful she is liked. The " grouchy " stenographer is dis-
liked both by her employer and by her fellow workers.
It will pay the ambitious stenographer to train herself to
be consistently cheerful. By "consistently cheerful" is
meant that she should be cheerful not only when work is
slack, but also when she is working under pressure or is
asked to stay late. Many a stenographer, otherwise
cheerful, has injured herself by becoming sulky when she
was asked to finish some letters after business hours or to
do some work that she doesn't like to do. She shows her
petulance by spitefully hammering the keys of the type-
writer. She indicates by her manner that she knows she
is being imposed upon. Such a mood irritates the em-
ployer to a great extent and creates in his mind a decidedly
unfavorable opinion. If you are ever asked to stay late
to finish some work, do it with good grace even though
10
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
at heart you may feel disappointed at not getting out on
time. Such work is important, or otherwise the employer
would not ask you to stay. And since you have to stay,
make the best of it, put on a good face, and do the work
cheerfully. You will never regret it, for it is in just such
an occasion that the employer is able to see how much
better you are than the average stenographer.
Many stenographers are far too sensitive. If the chief
speaks harshly they immediately retire for a cry or be-
come very cold and distant to him. If the employer
should ever criticize your work or speak sharply to you,
don't be sensitive and show your resentment. Keep your
good nature, be cheerful, and forget it as soon as possible.
You are in business not at a social gathering and you
must take these things as they come. If you "nurse"
your resentment you will only make matters harder for
yourself. Remember that the chief has his troubles, too,
and did not mean to speak in such a manner. Of course
this does not excuse his fault, although he probably is
sorry the moment after the words have left his mouth.
It is better for you and for all concerned that you be big
enough to overlook it and to proceed with your work as
if nothing unusual had occurred.
Analyze yourself to find out whether you can improve
your personality. These questions will help you:
1. Do you feel that you are liked by your fellow workers, and
do you get along well with everyone in the office?
2. Do you try to make yourself liked, by being agreeable?
3. Are you consistently courteous and agreeable to your fellow
workers?
4. Are you consistently cheerful, or do you have "blues" and
"grouches"?
5. When you are overburdened with work do you become vexed
and irritated, or do you still try to keep cheerful?
11
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
6. When you have to stay late to finish some work, do you allow
your vexation to show?
7. If you are criticized, do you resent it?
8. If your employer or any other superior speaks harshly, do
you flare up or show your resentment in other ways?
9. Do you cause anguish to others by thoughtless gossip about
them?
10. Do you grumble about the work you do, or make others dis-
satisfied with their work? Are you jealous and suspicious of
the chief's seeming preferences for fellow workers?
The Good Stenographer Is Trustworthy
The stenographer is in a position of confidence, and
she should recognize it as such. Whatever she learns from
her dictation or from her position of trust in the office
she should consider confidential, and should not speak of
it to others not even to other people in the office. Much
trouble has been caused in business offices by stenogra-
phers telling one another information of a confidential
nature. Don't gossip about the contents of your letters
or about what you heard the employer say. Be discreet;
keep these things to yourself. Show your chief that you
are discreet, that you can keep a secret, that you are
worthy of trust do these things and the chief will n-ly
more and more on you, secure in the knowledge that you
can be trusted.
The good stenographer is loyal to her chief. In all her
actions she has the best interests of her chief at heart and
he knows that he can place implicit trust in her. She
may know his faults and shortcomings, but she keeps
them to herself she never disparages him to others, but
sticks up for him when others disparage him.
The good stenographer is reliable. Her chief can trust
her to do her work without supervision. If he leaves the
office he knows that she will go on doing her work as if
12
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
he were there. She is reliable in her work, in her state-
ments, and in her conduct.
Are you trustworthy? To find out, answer these
questions :
1. Do you ever talk to outsiders or to others in your office (except
for business reasons) about the contents of your letters?
2. Have you always kept to yourself everything that you learned
from or about your employer?
3. Do you ever criticize your employer to others?
4. When your chief was out of the office have you worked as if
he were there?
5. Suppose you are the employer. Would you now say that you
had always been discreet, that whatever you said or did was
to his best interests?
The Good Stenographer Is Diligent
Diligence is a quality that business always admires and
values highly. Any worker who is diligent, already bears
the stamp of success. Witness the fact that both men
and women who have made successes in business possess
this quality to a marked degree.
Diligence means energy, industry, and steady applica-
tion. It suggests the worker who is always "on the job"
eager to do her work, who does her work, does it well,
and looks for more. It suggests the worker who does not
have to be watched one who will work just as indus-
triously when the chief is away as when the chief is there,
and one who takes an interest in her work and in the work
of the business. Is it any wonder that employers cannot
get enough of such workers and that such workers rise
rapidly in business?
The good stenographer is that kind of worker. She is
energetic; she is industrious not only during the first
week or two on the new job, but all the time. Whenever
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
she is given letters to transcribe she immediately starts
work and keeps at it until they are done. There is no
dawdling around, no carrying on of conversations with
others, no "visiting." She attacks her work with zest
and finishes it as quickly as she can. Then she applies
herself to the next piece of work. If the chief has nothing
for her she attends to her filing; or, if she has no filing to
do, she cleans her machine or sharpens her pencils or
works at any other of the many things that she can do.
She is always caught up with her work and ready for more
work. She is an industrious, hard-working stenographer
for a time and then you next find her as somebody's
private secretary, or as assistant chief stenographer, or
chief stenographer, or in charge of an office department.
Lack of diligence is one of the most common and worst
faults found with stenographers as a general class not
that they are lazy, but they often seem to lack ambition ;
they are indifferent; they apparently don't care whether
business keeps or not. Many an otherwise capable girl
is paid less than she might get and is kept back from
advancement because she is not industrious. Even though
we may grant that many stenographers look upon their
occupation as temporary while they are waiting for mar-
riage, is it wise for them to get into the habit of letting
their work "slide"? And it does become a habit very
quickly. Once the stenographer lets herself go, once she
begins to become slack in her work, she rapidly goes down-
hill to join that vast throng of mediocre stenographers
who do just as little as they can and must be watched to
see that they do that little. After all, there is a great
personal satisfaction in knowing that "your work is well
done and that you are thought highly of because of your
efficiency.
Above all things, keep up with your work. Go after it
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
with energy and with the desire to do it and do it well.
Then turn to something else. But keep active, keep doing
things it is the only way to keep out of the rut of
indolence.
To find out whether you are diligent or not, answer
these questions:
1. Do you waste time in starting to do your work?
2. Do you practically have to force yourself to start work?
3. Do you dawdle over your work and allow yourself to "take
things easy"?
4. Do you try to get your work done as quickly as possible?
5. Do you allow others, for no good reason, to interrupt you in
your work?
6. Are you easy on yourself? Do you make excuses to yourself
for not working at high speed?
7. When the chief is away do you take your time in doing your
work?
8. Do you work as diligently now as you did during your first
week in your present position?
9. Are you always caught up with your work, or are there odds
and ends of work lying about now, such as some back filing,
which you are planning to do but never seem to get to?
10. Do you put off doing work that ought to be done? Do you
have to be asked a second time to do a thing?
A Good Stenographer Has Judgment
Too many stenographers are "mechanical"; that is,
they do their work in a mechanical way, like an automa-
ton, and do not "use their heads." They believe that if
they take dictation fairly well, and transcribe it just as it
was given, they are doing their work efficiently. But this
is not true, as you know. Oftentimes the dictator makes
a slip in grammar, word-use, or statement that should be
caught and corrected and will be by the girl who is
alert and thinking. Sometimes the dictator forgets to
15
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
give the stenographer the right inclosure but if she is
watchful she will detect this mistake and see to it that she
does get the proper inclosure. Or, again, he may overlook
asking to have a letter placed in the follow-up file; but
the stenographer who has judgment will know what to do.
The good stenographer is constantly striving, while she
is typing, to have everything correct. She is on her guard
to prevent errors creeping into her work, she takes a per-
sonal pride in having her work right, and she is just as
eager as the dictator that each letter should go out neat,
clean, and free of mistakes. She uses judgment while she
is typing. She makes certain that the letter makes sense
throughout and if her notes don't make sense she either
asks the dictator for information or she exercises her dis-
cretion and judgment in working out the right meaning.
Good Deportment in the Office
Good deportment has to do with actions, manners, and
conduct in the office. Too often the stenographer over-
looks the importance of such matters, perhaps because
they have never been brought to her attention. Yet an
otherwise good stenographer may be thought less of by
her employer on account of the fact that she either is
careless of how she conducts herself, or does not realize
the bad impression she makes by her unbusinesslike man-
ners. So important is this subject that the next chapter,
"Your Conduct in the Office," is given over entirely to a
detailed discussion of it.
Chapter II
Your Conduct in the Office
Office Rules Should Be Observed
NEARLY every business office has a set of rules that
have been laid down for the purpose of standardizing the
routine of the office and making the office run efficiently.
If you were in charge of an office you would probably put
these same rules into effect yourself, for you would then
appreciate why they are needed if the office is to be run
right and not in a haphazard, happy-go-lucky fashion.
Some stenographers feel that these rules do not apply
to them and that it doesn't make much difference, any-
way, if they don't observe them. Such ideas are wrong
and will only lead to trouble. The rules apply to all, and
no girl should consider that she is an exception. She
should never, by her failure to observe them, compel the
office manager or chief stenographer to "call her down"
for breaking them. And it does make a lot of difference
whether she observes them or not. She may not know it
at the time she may even think that she is "getting
away with it" but her conduct seldom escapes the ob-
servation of those in authority, with the result that she
conies into disfavor with them.
The stenographer often makes such a mistake because
she does not appreciate the necessity for such rules. For
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
example, in your office there may be a rule against using
the telephone for personal calls, except for important
reasons. You may say to yourself: " Why, that's a foolish
and unjust rule. What difference can it make if I use the
telephone just once or twice a day?" The answer is that
just one or two calls wouldn't make much difference.
But if you have the right to use the telephone for personal
calls, so have the other girls. And then it does make a
difference. Besides, you leave your work to do the tele-
phoning, you distract others near the telephone, and just
when you are carrying on your very interesting conversa-
tion the chief may be waiting to give you dictation or to
get that letter that you left unfinished in your machine.
You may retort: "I would use the telephone only when I
had a few slack minutes. I wouldn't interfere with the
work of the office." But the answer to that is, you may
be discreet, but how about others? If everyone were dis-
creet and made sure that her actions didn't interfere with
the work of the office, there would be no need for any
rules. But everyone is not so discreet as you are; hence,
office rules were made.
Often the office rules are a source of annoyance to the
girls. They feel that they aren't being trusted to do the
proper thing. If you are annoyed by the fact that your
office has rules, please remember that not all girls can be
trusted, that office efficiency demands rules, and that they
exist for the benefit of all. How would you feel, if there
were no office rules about punctuality, to be on time
yourself every day and then see another girl come in ten
or fifteen minutes late every other day without anything
being said to her? You wouldn't like it, would you?
After a while you would probably say, "If she can do it,
I have the right to do it," and all the other girls would
say the same thing. Then, the first thing you know,
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
everyone would be coming in ten or fifteen minutes late.
What kind of office would that be then?
No matter what others do about the rules, you stick by
them. You will often see other girls disregarding them,
and, because you may see no action taken in their cases,
you may think that their infractions of the rules are being
overlooked. And that fact may make you dissatisfied and
may tempt you to do the same. But don't think it!
Such things are seen and taken note of. And some day,
when such a girl is least expecting it, the result shows up :
she may ask for more salary and be refused; she may be
passed by at the time raises are made; she may lose an
opportunity to be advanced; or she may be asked to
resign. She is not the kind of employee that benefits an
office- and those in authority know it. So, no matter
what others do, observe your office rules. Some day you
will be glad that you did.
Be Punctual
One of the chief office rules is that regarding punc-
tuality. Violations of this rule probably cause more
trouble than the violation of any other rule : first, because
they are so common; and second, because they disrupt
the efficient operation of the office so much. How would
you feel if you were a dictator and got down to the office
on time, only to find that you had to wait ten or fifteen
minutes until your stenographer arrived? How would
you feel toward an employee, if you were running a
business, and found that that employee was often late,
was not working during the time for which you were pay-
ing him? After all, however, there are three big reasons
why you should be punctual: first, because, especially in
the morning, there usually is work waiting to be done
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
which should not be held up; second, because your late-
ness may make other girls feel that they have a right to
be late; and third, because for your own benefit punc-
tuality is a good habit.
Of course it's hard to be on time. But it is just as hard
for others as it is for you. Train yourself to get up in
plenty of time to make your toilet properly and to eat a
good breakfast. Don't lie in bed until the very last mo-
ment, then jump up, rush through dressing, eat a hasty
and scanty breakfast, and just get to the office on time.
You can't work well if you eat breakfast like that, and
your hurrying is not doing you any good. Get up so that
you will have ample time for these things.
Another infraction of the punctuality rule occurs at
lunch time. Many girls impose on their employers by
taking an extra ten or fifteen minutes at this time. This
is not right. You know the length of time you are
allowed for luncheon; so don't take any more. Be back
at your desk ready to start your work on time. This also
applies to rest periods. And at night, don't clip off five
or ten minutes from your leaving time. Remember that
you are in business, that your time is bought and paid
for; so be businesslike, be punctual, and give to the office
the time that you are paid to give. You need not be
reminded that such matters are noted and that every
lateness adds a black mark to your record.
Attendance
Some stenographers stay home or away from work on
the slightest provocation, and often because of imaginary
ailments. Perhaps they do not realize that their absence
means an increased burden on the other stenographers in
the office or that it may prevent one or more dictators
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
from getting their work done. Be careful and conscien-
tious in this matter. Keep as good an attendance record
as you possibly can. The girl who is frequently absent is
not dependable, for her attendance can never be depended
upon, and sooner or later she must be replaced.
If you are unable, on account of sickness or for any
other good reason, to go to the office, at least telephone
to the office and let them know so that other arrangements
can be made to take care of your work.
Using the Telephone for Personal Calls
Do not use the office telephone during business hours
for your own personal calls except in cases of real impor-
tance. Your telephoning may distract others from their
work, and, moreover, such actions are not considered
businesslike. In addition, discourage your friends and
acquaintances from telephoning to you at the office. Very
often such calls interrupt the dictator or make you stop
your work. The office is a place of business; it is not
your home, and therefore you should not expect to be
allowed the same amount of freedom. Many stenogra-
phers get themselves into disfavor because of these calls.
" Visiting " in the Office
"Visiting" in the office is a harmful practice, both to
you personally and to the efficiency of the office. By
"visiting" is meant the carrying on of conversations with
other workers in your office on matters not strictly relevant
to the business. For example, a stenographer on her way
to her desk, after having taken dictation, passes by the
desk of a friend or acquaintance and pauses to talk about
such a topic as dress, what they did last night, or where
3 21
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
they are going for the week-end. The temptation to do
this is very great, but the good stenographer will avoid
it because she knows that she is wasting time when she
ought to be working, that she is causing another worker
to waste business time, and that the conversation is likely
to annoy or distract others. She also knows that such
"visiting" is a violation of good business conduct it is
out of place in the office. When you are in business, be
businesslike.
The Proper Attitude Toward Your Work
One of the most common criticisms made by business
men against stenographers as a general class is that they
are not businesslike, that they do not have the proper
attitude toward their work. This criticism is probably
a sound one and is partly due to the fact that many women
do not take business as seriously as do men. They do
not take the same amount of interest in it, but often allow
other matters to take precedence.
Since you are in business, and since you do not know
how long you will remain in it, why not play the game
right? Take the proper businesslike attitude toward
your work, strive to do your work better and more
efficiently, and have the interests of the business at heart.
Do these things if not for the sake of the business, at
least for your own sake, and for your own benefit in the
form of a larger salary and a better position. If you
will take the proper attitude toward business you will
understand why it is necessary that you deport yourself
in accordance with the office rules, and even if there are
no definite rules laid down, you will appreciate that there
are certain broad rules of business conduct that you
ought to follow.
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Conduct Toward Other Workers
Since there are other workers in the office it is neces-
sary for the good of the office that you follow out certain
rules of conduct toward them. The first rule is that of
courtesy. As you want your own work at the office to
be as agreeable as possible, you must do your share toward
keeping up a good spirit in the office. If everyone is
courteous and agreeable to everyone else, yours will be
a pleasant place to work in. But if there are little cliques
and groups, if there are discourtesy and quarrels, if there
are criticism and countercriticism, if there are suspicion and
jealousies then your office life will not be very pleasant.
Do your share, therefore, to keep these troubles out.
Courtesy and agreeableness make up the oil that lessens
friction.
Co-operate with your fellow workers, and if you can
help them, do so. Team work means better results for
you, for your fellow workers, and for the office.
Do not become familiar with the men workers or allow
them to become familiar with you. This does not mean
that you are to be cold and distant to them; not at all.
You should be pleasant and agreeable, but bear in mind
that actions that are perfectly all right outside business
hours are not considered all right in a business office. This
is a matter for your own discretion and judgment. But
it is safer to be considered too strict in these matters than
too liberal.
Your Personal Appearance
Little, if any, advice can be given to women stenog-
raphers concerning the subject of personal appearance, for
women appreciate more than do men the value of such
matters as correct dress, neatness, and cleanliness. Yet, a
23
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
suggestion or two from the business man's point of view
may be found valuable or at least of interest. These mat-
ters are of such a personal and intimate nature that,
although he sometimes would like to say something about
them, the business man is afraid to. Moreover, even a
girl's best friends will seldom, if ever, tell her about her
deficiencies in these things for fear of losing her friendship.
Hence, a girl must be her own mirror, her own counselor.
First of all the business man silently criticizes the
stenographer who wears an attire more suited for social
affairs than for office work. He may like "dressy"
clothes, but he believes that the office is not the place to
wear them. He much prefers to see the girl appropriately
attired for her work and this means simple, plain, work-
aday clothing. He knows from experience that the over-
dressed girl is usually an inefficient worker, for she either
thinks more about how she looks than about her work, or
is so much dressed up that she can't get down to work, or
is so uncomfortable that she can't do good work. He
believes that for work she should wear working clothes,
not playing clothes. A girl who dresses in a businesslike
way appears to be a better worker, and she usually is, for
fashionable shoes, high heels, a tight dress these will not
let a girl do good work. She is too uncomfortable.
Then there is the matter of overdoing the use of per-
fume, powder, and other cosmetics. The business man
strenuously, but silently, objects to them. He doesn't
like to have his office turned into a beauty parlor. He is
there for work, he wants others to be there for work, and
he likes to have the office look like a working place.
Cleanliness in respect to one's person and dress need
not be discussed, for all know, or should know, its businrss
value. But just one hint: the stenographer's hands and
nails are usually under the direct gaze of the dictator.
24
Chapter III
When You Take Dictation
The Importance of Taking Dictation Right
THE employer or dictator usually has only two occa-
sions on which he has an opportunity to judge the value
and ability of the stenographer: first, when she takes his
dictation; and, second, when he sees the completed work
before him. Disregarding, for the time being, the latter
occasion, let us consider the first taking dictation. This
occasion is a very important opportunity for the stenog-
rapher, because it is at this time (often the only time)
that she comes under the direct, personal attention and
notice of the dictator; it is at this time that he receives
a favorable or unfavorable impression of his stenographer's
ability, personality, and other qualities. And it is from
these frequent meetings that there is gradually built up
in the dictator's mind the judgment that you are an
unusually efficient, or a mediocre, or a poor stenographer.
Taking dictation is indeed an opportunity for the ste-
nographer, and she should know how to make the most
of it.
Be Prepared
When you are asked to take dictation, drop all work
immediately, take your book and pencils, and go to the
25
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
dictator's desk. Even though you may be part way
through a letter that you are typing, leave it in your
machine and prepare to take dictation. Never make the
dictator wait. If you do so you will only make things
harder for yourself, for being made to wait usually affects
the temper of most dictators.
Whenever you are called by a dictator and do not know
whether it is for dictation or not, always take your note-
book and pencils with you.
In order not to keep the dictator waiting, be sure to keep
two or three well-sharpened pencils in your desk so that
you will never be forced to stop to sharpen one. If you
use a fountain pen, be sure that it is in good working order
and that it is filled.
Keep your dictation book in one place so that you can
always find it quickly. On your way to the dictator's
desk turn the pages of your book to the proper place, so
that when you arrive at the desk you won't have to waste
time trying to find it. In. fact, it is advisable to have the
next blank page indicated by a rubber band around your
book or by a turned-down page. Take two pencils with
you in order that if the point of one of them should break
or become dull, as so often happens, you will still have one
to use. This precaution will save you the embarrassment
of being forced to keep the dictator waiting while you
sharpen another pencil or while you go to your desk to get
one. Give some attention to these details, make such
matters a habit, and you will earn the good will of your
dictator.
When you reach the dictator's desk, pull up a chair for
yourself, pull out the slide of the desk, or place your book
on the desk, or rest it on your knees, and signify that
you are ready.
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Your Manner When Taking Dictation
One of the main points to watch is your manner when
taking dictation. Remember that you can help the dic-
tator a great deal in his dictation by your attitude. The
dictator is trying to concentrate his mind on what he is
to say or is saying, and the slightest distraction will cause
him annoyance. So, whatever you do, don't fidget while
he is reflecting or hesitating over what he is going to say
next. Some stenographers, while they are waiting for the
dictator to dictate something, unconsciously distract his
attention by tapping their pencils on the desk or book,
by examining their finger nails, and by similar practices.
You can spend this time to good advantage by reading
your notes and making sure that you have everything
right, by planning your letters, by putting in punctuation
and paragraph marks if these are not given to you, and
so forth.
And don't look expectantly into his face while he is
trying to think. This action either hurries him or makes
him nervous, with the result that he is dissatisfied with
his dictation.
It is rather difficult to take dictation that is slow, jerky,
and labored, but be as patient and sympathetic in your
attitude as you can. The dictator will appreciate it more
than you know.
When the dictation is lengthy some stenographers be-
come sulky, pretend weariness, or appear anxious to get
away. Such an attitude is very trying to the dictator,
although he may not say anything about it. Be patient
and cheerful throughout the dictation.
Some stenographers become very nervous when they
are asked to take dictation. They are afraid of the dic-
tator or afraid that they will make mistakes. It is need-
27
. THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
less to say that they must overcome this feeling, for a girl
who is in such a frame of mind cannot take dictation well.
Points on Taking Dictation
In beginning the day's dictation put the date at the top
of a new page, so that if you are called upon a week or so
later to read your notes on a letter that is questioned, you
can quickly find the proper place.
One of the first suggestions concerning the taking of dic-
tation which, if followed by the stenographer, will make
her more efficient, is this: Don't interrupt the dictator
when he is dictating, unless he is going too fast. The
reason for this is that if you interrupt him when he is in
the middle of an idea,, you will very likely cause him to
lose the thread of his thought. If you fail to understand
a word or phrase that he gave you, mark that spot in some
manner and wait either until the end of the letter or until
he has paused, before asking what it was that he said.
The next suggestion is this: Remember that the cor-
rectness of your finished letter depends upon your accuracy
in getting down exactly what the dictator said. Your
notes must be 100 per cent perfect, or otherwise your
letter may have to be retyped. Save yourself this extra
work, and the embarrassment of being compelled to do
your work over again, by taking the utmost precautions
to be sure that your notes are right.
Many stenographers, when they have failed to catch
what the dictator said or when they have not understood
an unfamiliar word, are afraid to reveal to the dictator
their inattention, carelessness, or lack of understanding,
by asking him to repeat or to spell out the word. They
"take a chance" that they can later work out the sense
or can find the word in the dictionary. But don't you do
28
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
it. These things, nine times out of ten, show up very
noticeably in the finished letter and are nearly always
caught by the dictator before he signs the letter. // you
don't know, ask, and have the dictator set you right.
Don't add to one fault by making another. So far as the
dictator is concerned he would much rather have you ask
than be compelled later to have you retype your letter
on account of the inaccuracies in it. It saves him time
and annoyance.
Bear in mind, then, that your ability to take dictation
is judged by your finished letter, and that accuracy is the
most important quality of a stenographer. Certainly your
letter cannot be accurate if your notes aren't. Accord-
ingly, before you leave the dictator, be sure that you have
no doubts about the accuracy of your notes. // you aren't
sure, ask. Then, again, remember that you will have to
read your notes when you are typing them out. Accord-
ingly, take pains to make your notes legible. Care now
will save time and trouble when you are transcribing.
Be particularly careful of names and addresses. If the
dictator begins by giving you the name of the person or
persons to whom he is writing, or if he uses a name else-
where in his dictation and does not spell it out for you,
make sure that you know how to spell that name. Write
it out in longhand. As you know, there are no rules for
the spelling of names : Cramer sounds the same as Kramer,
Coughlan sounds like Coughlin, and Spalding like Spaul-
ding, but they are spelled differently. You have no way
of knowing the correct spelling unless from experience
with this dictator you know to whom he refers, or unless
you ask. The misspelling of a customer's name is a busi-
ness blunder. If the dictator is in the habit of turning
over to you the letters he has answered, it is only necessary
to number the letters in your book or write down a part
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
of the name; as, Johnson Co., or Acker son. Always follow
exactly the identical form used by the firm addressed on
its own letterhead. For examples note the ampersand (&)
in Gordon & Jones, the article "The" in The Plimpton
Press, the hyphen in The Globe-Wernicke Co., and also the
fact that Co. is not spelled out.
The same rule concerning the asking about spelling
holds true with respect to the spelling of names of streets,
cities, and other places, trade articles, technical words and
expressions, etc. It is easier and more efficient to ask
than to spend ten or fifteen minutes trying to find out
how they are spelled after you have left the dictator.
And sometimes you can't find out, especially in the case
of the names of streets. Be especially careful of figures
and amounts. Make certain that you get them correct.
A blunder here may be very costly to the firm.
If the dictator does not give you the punctuation to go
into the letter, you should put it in while you are taking
the dictation.
Carefully Note Instructions
The dictator will often give you instructions about what
he wants you to do. He may say, " Put that letter in the
follow-up file so that it will come back to me on the 15th " ;
or, "Make two extra carbon copies of that and give them
to me"; or, "Send this letter by special delivery." When-
ever he does give you such instructions don't try to carry
them in your mind, because you may forget them, and,
besides, because there is no need to burden your memory
with them. Make a note of them in your book. On
other occasions he may hand you an inclosure to go with
one of the letters. If he does so, make a note in your
book of the inclosure, and also mark the inclosure, so that
you will know into which letter it is to go.
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
In some offices the dictator may have various styles of
letterheads that he uses on different occasions. He may
have the regular business letterhead for the usual business
letters; he may have an official or private letterhead for
semi-business, semi-personal matters; and he may have
his own personal letterhead for his own personal letters.
If you aren't sure which letterhead you should use, ask
him.
After he has indicated that he has finished dictating,
make sure again that you have no doubts about your
notes. Then gather up the letters he has answered, the
incloeures, your book and pencils, and go back to your
desk. Don't, by carelessness or oversight, leave anything
of yours on the dictator's desk.
Chapter IV
Transcribing and Typing
You Are Judged by Your Completed Work
AT the beginning of the last chapter the statement was
made that the employer or dictator usually has only two
occasions on which he has an opportunity to judge the
value and ability of the stenographer: first, when she
takes his dictation; and, second, when he sees the com-
pleted work before him. This second occasion now re-
mains to be discussed.
Even a poor stenographer may make a good impression
on the dictator at the time she takes dictation. She may
apparently know her business and seem to take dictation
well. But, after all, it is the completed work that the
dictator sees and judges by; in fact, it is the finished
result that counts, that shows the dictator that the
stenographer is accurate and otherwise efficient. Thus it
may be said that, so far as tangible and apparent results
are concerned, the typed letter or other matter is the most
certain method of determining the ability of a stenogra-
pher, for it shows whether she can take dictation accu-
rately, it shows her knowledge of such matters as spelling,
punctuation, capitalization, grammar, and mechanical
make-up; and it shows her neatness and ability as a
typist. In view of the fact that so much importance is
32
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
attached to the finished work it should be apparent to
the stenographer that she must concentrate her utmost
efforts to insure that her work is as good as she possibly
can do.
Accuracy in Transcription
The dictator judges the finished work of the stenographer
under two general heads: (1) accuracy and correctness,
and (2) appearance. As has been said before, the most
important quality of the letter is accuracy. It is better to
go more slowly with your typing and get everything correct
than to go faster and make mistakes. Hence, accuracy is
the keynote of efficient transcribing and typing, as it is
also of the efficient taking of dictation. Assuming, there-
fore, that your notes are accurate and legible, there is no
reason except downright carelessness why your letter
shouldn't be accurate with respect to sense and meaning.
It sometimes happens, however, that your notes don't
make sense, either because the dictator himself made a
slip or because you did. In this event either get the neces-
sary information from the dictator, or, if you are sure
that you know what he meant to say, put that down.
Don't bother the dictator unless you have to. But when
you cannot proceed intelligently with your work, have
the courage to ask for the necessary information. What-
ever you do, don't type sentences that make no sense, even
though your notes read that way. This is an important
point, and should be carefully noted. It is a good plan
to read a sentence or two of your notes at a time to make
sure they read all right before you type them.
Misspelling is a common error that causes much trouble,
for misspelling means that the letter will have to be re-
typed or corrections made on the typewriter, or in ink by
the dictator. And there is little or no excuse for mis-
33
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
spelling. It results either from carelessness in typing or
from ignorance. If you aren't sure of how the word is
spelled don't "take a chance" on it, but look it up in your
dictionary. If your concern does not furnish you with a
dictionary, buy one, for it will be worth a good deal more
to you than the money you spend on it. And buy a good
one not a ten- or twenty-five-cent one, but a good one,
in which you can find the words that give you trouble.
The small, cheap dictionaries are so much abridged or
so brief that often you will not find in them the words
you are looking up. [A complete discussion of spelling is
given in Chapter VI, page 71.]
Another error, but one not so common as misspelling,
is the use of a word which sounds like the one the dictator
used, which has the same or nearly the same outline as
another word, but which is the wrong word. Some of
these words are advise and advice, bad and bade, born and
borne, canvas and canvass, formally and formerly. [A list
of these words is given beginning on page 82. You should
know them, their different meanings and spellings, so that
you will know which one to use.]
Why You Should Be Up on Your Grammar
It sometimes happens that the dictator in his haste, or
on account of concentration on his ideas, or, it must be
said, because of his ignorance, makes a grammatical blun-
der. He may have used a singular subject and followed it
with a plural verb, as in the sentence, "Each one of
my five recommendations were approved," when he should
have said, "Each one of my five recommendations was
approved." Or he may have dictated a sentence that is
ambiguous on account of the misplacing of a phrase, as,
" Please fill out the credit blank that you will find inclosed
34
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
in ink," when he should have said, "Please fill out in ink
the credit blank that you will find inclosed." When the
stenographer notices such blunders and she should al-
ways be on the watch for them she should correct them.
But she should be sure that there is a blunder and that
she knows how to correct it. If she isn't sure she should
bring it to the attention of the dictator. If she watches
for and corrects mistakes in the grammar of the dictator,
she can often save the concern from making a poor im-
pression upon its customer because of the grammatical
mistakes in the letter.
A sound knowledge of grammar should be part of the
stock in trade of the good stenographer. The stenogra-
pher who knows grammar is all the more valuable to a
company. If you aren't sure of your grammar, brush up
on it. Buy a grammar and review it carefully. Some
day you will be glad that you did, for it may bring you
the opportunity that you want.
Editing Dictated Material
The stenographer is often troubled about the liberty
she can take in editing dictated material. Of course, if
the mistake is a bad one, and very obvious, there is no
question about it. But at other times the circumstances
in the case must govern her actions. In general, it may
be said the stenographer's experience with the dictator,
and her knowledge of his ability and wishes, will serve as
a guide. Some dictators don't want you to change a
single word unless you first consult them; others, and
they are in the majority, are only too glad to have a
stenographer who will take the responsibility to see that
the letter is clear, correct in English and grammar, and
free from incorrect statements.
35
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Paragraphing the Letter
If the dictator does not give you the paragraphing, it
is necessary to use your own judgment about it, for sel-
dom, except in very short letters, should the letter be
solidly typed, with no paragraphs. This fact means that
you should know how to break a letter into paragraphs.
The general rule is that each idea should be given a
separate paragraph. Accordingly, when you are transcrib-
ing your notes, begin a new paragraph whenever you come
upon a new idea or a break in the thought. It might be
advisable, also, to read and study the chapters on para-
graph structure which you will find in any book on
English rhetoric.
Punctuation and Capitalization
The subject of punctuation and capitalization is dis-
cussed in detail in Chapter VIII, beginning on page 133.
At this point, therefore, it is only necessary to remind
you of the importance of attention to these matters when
you are transcribing.
Always Read Over Your Work
After you have finished transcribing the letter, read it
over very carefully before you take it out of the machine,
and try to find any errors that you may have made. It
is better to make corrections while the letter is in the
machine, for you are then assured of good alignment when
you make the correction. Read for sense, but watch the
grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling. Be
especially careful that you have not transposed numbers.
It is much better for you to find the error on yourself than
36
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
to have the dictator find it. At this time bear in mind
the fact that accuracy and correctness are the most
valuable qualities of your work. Be sure that your letters
are correct before you hand them in to be signed.
If you have been given some copying work to do, always
compare your finished work with the original. There is
no excuse for errors in copying.
As you finish each letter put any inclosures that bo-
long with the letter into the addressed envelope so that
you won't forget them. It is a dangerous practice to
leave this matter until all the letters are done. By that
time you may have forgotten about the inclosure.
The Appearance of Your Work
The second quality by which your work is judged is
that of appearance. Your work should be clean and neat;
it should have good mechanical make-up, and in general
should make a good appearance. In these days business
concerns are paying more and more attention to the
appearance of the letters that go out and represent them
to their customers. Hence, the stenographer who can get
out good-looking letters is in greater demand than ever
before. The appearance of the letter is a very important
matter, remember that. Try to make your letters as
good-looking as you can. Be proud of your work. Bear
in mind that your ability is judged to a great extent by
the appearance of your letters and that you are responsible
for the appearance of your letters.
Making Erasures and Changes
First of all, the letter should be neat and clean-looking.
There should be no unsightly erasures, smudges, or other
4 37
47085
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
marks indicating slovenly work. Erasures seem to cause
most of the trouble. Of course, it is hardly possible to
type all letters perfectly; but try to make as few mistakes
as possible. Again, it is better to go a little more slowly
and do better work.
Whenever it is necessary to make an erasure make it
first in the letter, being sure, however, to place a piece of
heavy paper between the carbon paper and the carbon
copy, so that your erasing won't smudge up the latter.
In making the erasure use an erasure shield, so that you
won't erase letters or marks other than those you wish to
erase, and make the erasure lightly and neatly, but still
do it completely. Brush and blow away any particles of
paper or rubber that remain on the letter sheet, so that
when you strike over the erased spot the new letters or
marks will be neat, and also so that these particles will not
get into and clog the typewriter keys. Then make a
neat erasure on the carbon copy.
Sometimes you do not detect the error until after you
have taken the letter from the machine. In this case
make your erasures before you put the letter back into
the machine. Be sure that the carbon copy is in its
proper position, and that, when you strike the key to put
in a letter or word, the proper alignment is secured. Be
careful of these things, for careless work in these matters
is very noticeable. The same is true when the dictator
has indicated on the letter certain corrections, additions,
or changes. Try to make them so that they will not be
noticeable. Here is where your skill in operating the type-
writer is put to a real test. But when you do make these
corrections, changes, or additions, be sure to make them
on the carbon copy also, in order that the copy will be a
"true" copy.
Never strike one letter over another except in such
38
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
cases as striking "h" over "n," and "p" over "o." Other-
wise the work doesn't look right. It is better to erase
and make a good job of it while you are at it.
Keep Your Machine in Good Condition
Even a good workman can't do good work with poor
tools. Nor can you do good work if your machine isn't
in good working condition. The responsibility of seeing
that it is in good order rests upon you. Of course, if there
should be something seriously wrong with it, such as
letters out of alignment, you aren't expected to be able
to repair it, but you are expected to take steps to have it
put in repair as soon as possible. Bring the matter to
the attention of the chief stenographer, or, if you are in
a small office, ask your employer for permission to have
the repairs made.
Keep the type letters clean. The moment you notice
that a letter is clogged, stop your work and clean that
letter. At least once a week you should give the faces of
the type and the whole machine a good cleaning. If you
don't know how to clean and oil your machine, read the
printed instructions that the manufacturer of your
machine will be glad to give you. In oiling the machine
be careful that there is no superfluous oil left on the
machine, for this oil will make oil spots on your paper
and will gather dust. Wipe off the machine carefully
with a cloth after you have oiled it.
If your paper slips and doesn't move with the roller
or platen, put in another sheet with it. If it still slips,
use emery paper to roughen the platen so that it will grip
the paper.
A worn-out ribbon is often the cause of poor-looking
work. The moment that you notice that the typing looks
39
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
faint or "spotty," either "turn" the ribbon or get a new
one.
Take good care of your machine and it will do good
work for you. This suggestion is given, not because your
care of the machine may make it last longer, but because
your care will mean that your letters will be better-looking
and that's what you want.
Don't Dispute with the Dictator
Sometimes the dictator may call you back and tell you
that you made him appear to say certain things in his
letters that he didn't say. Don't bridle under this criti-
cism and retort that that was what he said according to
your notes. Your notes may be incorrect. Even if the
dictator is in the wrong let him have his way. You gain
nothing by disputing his statements. If you gain a repu-
tation with him for being accurate, he will soon realize
that you were right in these matters.
Taking Care of Your Notebooks
As you finish transcribing each page, draw a cross
through it or indicate in some way that its contents have
been typed.
After you have filled your notebook write your name
on the cover, and also note on it the dates covered by the
contents, as January 5-January 18, 1921; then file it.
In case of any questioning of the correctness of a letter
you can then easily find the notes of the letter.
Office Supplies
Make sure that you have in your desk adequate office
supplies, such as pencils, the various types of letterheads
40
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
and envelopes, notebooks, carbon paper, and second
sheets. You should have at least a day's supply of
such things, so that you will not have to interrupt
your work while you are getting enough supplies to go
on with.
Chapter V
The Mechanical Make-up of the Letter
Know and Use Good Mechanical Make-up
THE appearance of your letters depends to a large
extent upon the mechanical make-up you use. By
mechanical make-up is meant such matters as placing the
letter properly on the letter sheet so that the margins
will be right, the spacing of the letter, the observance of
good usage with respect to titles, to forms of the saluta-
tion and of the complimentary close, and similar points
that often cause worry. The competent stenographer
should be well informed on these matters, for such knowl-
edge will help much in getting out good-looking letters,
and will insure that the form used conforms with correct
usage.
In some offices the stenographer is provided with a
standardized form and arrangement of a letter, which
she is asked to follow, so that all letters going out of that
office will have the same kind of mechanical rnake-up.
This fact does not imply that the way you learned to
arrange and type your letters is incorrect; it merely means
that the office wants all its letters to be standardized in
appearance and form. If you are provided with such in-
structions and rules, you should, of course, follow them
out fully. If you are not so provided you may be in-
42
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
terested in the following points that will help make your
letters present a good appearance and that will inform
you as to what is considered correct usage.
Placing the Letter on the Page
Before you start typing the letter you should first
glance over your notes and get a pretty accurate estimate
of the amount of material in the letter. This step is
necessary if you wish to have the proper margins and
good margins help the appearance of your letter a great
deal. Some stenographers always begin their letters the
same distance from the top of the sheet and the same dis-
tance in from the edge. This practice will mean that the
letter consisting of only three or four lines will not look
right, for the typed matter will be too near the top. If
you find that the letter contains only a small amount of
material, begin your letter lower down on the sheet [this
means the date, too], and leave a wider margin at the left.
The right-hand margin should be the same as the left-
hand one. The margin at the foot of the letter should be
the biggest.
Sometimes it is advisable, in very short letters, to double
space between the lines of the address and also between
the lines in the body of the letter.
If the letter is longer, begin nearer the top and make
your margins smaller. But never crowd the letter so that
there is less than one inch between the signature and the
bottom edge of the sheet, and never make your side mar-
gins less than three-quarters of an inch. It is much
better to go to a second sheet. But if you do go to a
second sheet, do not have only the complimentary close,
like "Yours truly," and the signature on that sheet.
There should be at least three or four lines of typing on it;
43
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANIA I,
THE ^VA\S PRtfPOaS CO/flPAIZY
5O CMVRCM STREET .... REWYORK.
Hoyember 16, 1920.
John tfananajcer,
8th Street and Broadway,
NOT York City.
Attention of Superintendent of Building
This letter will ierre to introduce to you Ur. R. A. Holne of the Manhattan
Sxport Coap.ny ho isies to impect toe condition of the wood flooring on
t.;a eiijhto floor of t..e new builiinn, which our conpany treated eeroral jreare
ajo. 3e, ioU appreciate your courtesy in tiia natter.
Very truly your,
SiE SAUUS PS03UCTS COUPA2TT
7. S,
EXAMPLE OF POOR PLACING OF MATTEU ON THE LETTER SHEET
44
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
THE S\VA\5 PROPOCTS COMPART
SO C/WRC/V STREET - - - - KBWYORlt
NoTWber 16, 1920.
John Wanama>er,
8th Street and Broadway,
HOT York City.
Oentlomen:
Attention of Superintendent of Gliding.
Holmes of the Manhattan Sxport Company ho wishes to
inspect the condition of tne wood flooring on the
eighth floor of the new builiinn, hich our conpaay
treated several years ago. We shall appreciate your
.courtesy in this matte-
Very truly yours,
THE SAWliS PRODUCTS COtPAUT
F. S. Injriihan - C. F.
EXAMPLE OF BETTER PJLACING OF MATTER ON THE LETTER SHEET
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
otherwise the second sheet won't look right. Try to plan
out these things in advance. And be especially careful
of these points when you are approaching the foot of the
letter. You must then decide whether or not you have
enough space left to complete the letter on that sheet and
still leave a good margin, or whether you will have to go
to a second sheet. All this is a matter of judgment and
experience on your part.
Of course, it is impossible to make the right-hand edge
of your typed letter exactly even, as you can do with the
left-hand edge, but you can 'at least try not to have it
look too jagged and irregular. Be particularly careful
in typing the end of your first line, for the end of the last
word in this line determines the imaginary margin line
that you are trying to keep for the right-hand side of the
typed matter.
The Parts of the Mechanical Make-up of a Letter
For the purpose of discussion, the mechanical make-up
of the letter may be divided into six parts: the heading,
the inside address, the salutation, the body of the letter,
the complimentary close, and the signature. In reading
what is said about these matters, please remember that
this book attempts to give you examples of what is con-
sidered correct usage. Other forms are not necessarily
incorrect.
The Heading
1. Since you are provided with printed letterheads,
the only part of the heading that you will type is the date.
This is sometimes placed in the center, or on the date line
printed on the sheet. The most common practice, how-
ever, is to place it at the right, below the heading. If
46
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
you place it at the right, remember before you do so that
its position depends upon the length of the letter. [See
"Placing the Letter on the Page," page 43.] Remember
also that the last figure in the date is often used to deter-
mine the imaginary line which you try to keep at the
right as the margin line of your typing.
2. The date should consist of the month, the number of
the day, and the number of the year. Do not use a num-
ber for the month, and do not abbreviate the year.
Wrong: 4-8-'21
4/8/'21
Right: April 8, 1921
3. Although on the face of it the use of the number of
the month and of the year seems to be more efficient than
the use of the month written out, nevertheless the reader
is often confused in trying to find out exactly what month
is meant. In many European countries, 4-8-'21 would
be read "the 4th of August, 1921," instead of "April 8,
1921."
4. In ordinary business letters the numbers in the
date should not be written out in full, as May twenty-four,
Nineteen hundred twenty-one. In certain cases, however,
such as in official letters, the date is spelled out to secure
a greater formality.
5. The number of the day does not need to be followed
by d, nd, rd, st, or th.
Incorrect: May 5th, 1921
Correct: May 5, 1921
NOTE. This rule holds good when referring, in the
body of the letter, to the date. It is permissible, how-
ever, to use such forms as "the 10th of May."
47
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
The Inside Address
1. The name and address of the person or group to
whom the letter is directed is placed at the left-hand side
of the page, below the heading. Its distance below the
printed heading depends upon the arrangement of the
matter in the body of the letter [see page 43]. When
"window" envelopes are used, however, it is necessary
to type the inside address within a prescribed space.
These two forms, the straight edge and the indented, are
used:
The Smith Hardware Company, Inc.,
35 Broadway,
New York City.
[Or]
The Smith Hardware Company, Inc.,
85 Broadway,
New York City.
2. According to custom and courtesy, some title should
always be used with the name of the person or persons
addressed; but no title is used before names of corpora-
tions (United States Rubber Company), nor before part-
nerships with an impersonal style (Electric Novelty Manu-
facturing Company). Moreover, it is now good practice
to omit the title (Messrs.) before the style of a partnership
that contains the names of the individuals (Meyer &
Ayres). The commonest titles used in business are as
follows: Mr., Messrs,, Mrs., Miss, Dr., Rev., Hon., Prof.,
Esq.
3. In addressing a person, always use whatever title
the person may possess; for example, Dr., Rev., Lieutenant.
4. Sometimes a woman, whose letter is being answered,
will have signed her name without the title Mrs. or Miss
48
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
before it. In such an instance try to ascertain whether
she is married or unmarried, so that you can use the
proper title. If you cannot find out, assume that she is
unmarried, and use the title Miss. Note that the title
Miss is not now considered an abbreviation and is there-
fore not to be followed with a period.
5. The title Esq. (Esquire) follows the name of the man
addressed. It has practically gone out of general use in
the United States, although it is still commonly used by
banks and lawyers, and in addressing a man residing in
the British Empire. When it is used it should not be
used together with Mr.
Wrong: Mr. Howard T. Maxwell, Esq.
Right: Howard T. Maxwell, Esq.
[Or, preferably]
Mr. Howard T. Maxwell
6. The title Messrs, is an abbreviation of Messieurs.
It is a common error to write it Messers. or Mess. This
title should not be used in addressing corporations or in
addressing partnerships with an impersonal style (name) ;
and it need not be used with other partnership styles.
Wrong: Messrs. American Chain Company, Inc.
Right: American Chain Company, Inc.
Wrong: Messrs. The II. K. McCann Company
Right: The H. K. McCann Company
Wrong: Messrs. Cluett, Peabody & Co., Inc.
Right: Cluett, Peabody & Co., Inc.
Right: Messrs. Meyer & Ayers [a partnership]
[Or]
Right: Meyer & Ayers
49
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
K. & G. WIRELESS SUPPLY CO.
MANUFACTURERS OF
DEPENDABLE APPARATUS
1M.IU CHAMKJU STRUT NEW YORK CITY
Noveaber 18, 1920.
Montgomery a Smith,
415 North Perry Street.
P*ori<i. Illinois.
V* thank you for your cheek for t49.SO offered ui in payment
of our invoice of November 1, 1920.
Upon comparing Vie amount of your check with the amount of
Thie deduction was probably caused by an oversight on t.ie part of
your bookkeeper, for our terns, as you know, are 1)1 discount for
payment within 10 days. As payment was not nade until the dis-
count period had elv**d, we are unable to alia* the discount of
1*.
The sum involved is insignificant and we should gladly charge,
our customers the sons fair and square treatment. This treatnent
cannot be fair and square unless the billing terms are lived up
to by everyone. Of course you understand that if we began malting
exceptions in the natter of discounts, t..o rule would soon break
down entirely.
e know that when this utter is called to your attention
you will see toe fairness of our position. We are returning
your check enclosed and ask that you send us your corrected check
for tSO by return nail to cover this invoice.
Very truly yours,
X. a 0. WIRELESS S'JPPL? CO.
End.
O.S.C. - C.r.
ARRANGEMENT OF BUSINESS LETTER (INDENTED FORM)
50
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
K. & G. WIRELESS SUPPLY CO.
MANUFACTURERS OF
DEPENDABLE APPARATUS
ISO. 152 CHAMBERS STREET KEW YORK CITY
TCLXTHONE. BARCLAY 1262
Hovenber IB. 1920.
Montgomery 4 Smith,
Peoria, Illinois.
Gentlemen:
We think you for your check for 449.50 offered us in payment o?
our invoice of November 1, 1920.
Dpon comparing the amount of your check with the amount of our
'deduction was probably caused by an oversight on the part of your
bookkeeper, for our terms, as you know, are 1% discount for pay-
period had elapsed, we are unable to'allow the discount of l.
The sum involved is insignif icant and we should gladly charge
our customers the same fair and square treatment. This treatment
to by everyone. Of course you understand that if we began making
.down entirely.
C'leck enclosed and ask that you send us your corrected check for
J50 by return mail to cover this invoice.
Very truly yours,
K. t 0. WIRELESS SOPPUT CO.
Encl.
O.S.G. - C.F,
ARBANGEMENT OF BUSINESS LETTER (BLOCK FORM)
51
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
7. Do not use Mr. with the incorporated name of an
individual.
Wrong: Mr. James Butler, Inc. [a corporation]
Right: James Butler, Inc.
Wrong: Mr. Thomas A. Edison, Inc. [a corporation]
Right: Thomas A. Edison, Inc.
8. Such business titles as President, V ice-President, and
Cashier follow the name of the person addressed. They
are usually placed on the same line with the name. It is
advisable not to abbreviate such titles.
Mr. George B. Cortelyou, President,
Consolidated Gas Company,
New York City.
NOTE. A title that consists of more than two words
may be written on a separate line between the name of
the individual and the name of the group.
Right: Professor James Melvin Lee,
Head of the Department of Journalism,
New York University,
New York City.
9. Initials indicating degrees, societies, or other honors
acquired by an individual may follow his name. Care
should be taken to see that they are not used when they
are suggested by the title of respect preceding his name.
Similarly avoid using the initials of a succession of uni-
versity degrees unless they are in different fields; use only
the initials of the highest degree.
Wrong: Dr. Tasker Howard, M.D.
Right: Dr. Tasker Howard.
Right: Tasker Howard, M.D.
52
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Wrong: Prof. Lee Galloway, A.B., A.M., Ph.D.
Right: Prof. Lee Galloway, Ph.D.
But,
Right: Dean Joseph French Johnson, D.C.S., LL.D.
10. Do not abbreviate the first name of the person
addressed, even though he does it in his signature; in
other words, do not abbreviate Joseph to Jos., Robert to
Rob't, William to Wm. When the first name is abbrevi-
ated in the firm style, the same form should be used in
addressing that group, as Robt. H. Ingersoll & Bro. The
same rule applies to Brother, Brothers, etc. Any words
that are abbreviated in the printed name of the concern
addressed may be abbreviated in addressing that concern.
In fact, always follow the identical form used by the
business house addressed. For examples note the use of
the ampersand (&) in Cosden & Company, the article
"The" in The H. K. McCann Company, the hyphen in
The Fierce-Arrow Motor Car Co. Also note that Co. is
not spelled out in The Century Co., and that McMahon &
Co. is spelled with Me and not with Mac. Always make
sure that the name of the person or group is correctly
spelled.
11. In addressing officials of governments and of
churches, care should be taken to use the title of respect
which custom has prescribed. Most of these titles should
not be used with the last name alone, as Rev. Jones, Rever-
end Jones, Honorable Smith. The following are among
the more important titles:
President of the United States The President [Name not required .]
Cabinet Officers Honorable
Honorable Newton D. Baker.
Secretary of War,
Washington, D. C.
R 53
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Senators Senator or Honorable
Senator Gilbert Hitchcock,
Washington, D. C.
[Or]
Honorable Gilbert Hitchcock,
U. S. Senate,
Washington, D. C.
Congressmen Honorable
Governors of States His Excellency
His Excellency, Alfred H. Smith,
Albany, N. Y.
Mayors Hit Honor or Honorable
Other Public Officials Honorable
Clergymen Reverend or Rev. [Use abbreviation only with full
name.]
Dean (ecclesiastical) Very Reverend
Bishop Right Reverend
Archbishop Moat Reverend
Cardinal Hit Eminence
Pope His Holiness
NOTE. These and similar titles are used comparatively
little in business communications; their chief use is in
official correspondence. But note that the form of address
used when writing on a business matter is not always the
same as that used when writing on an official matter.
For example, in writing to President Wilson on a business
matter, the correct form of address is:
Honorable Woodrow Wilson,
White House,
Washington, D. C.
Dear Sir:
54
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
In writing to him on an official matter, the correct form
of address is:
The President,
White House,
Washington, D. C.
Sir:
12. Honorable and Reverend, when used as parts of
titles in the address, are capitalized. Note that they are
to be followed by (1) the Christian name, or the initials,
or the title Mr. or Dr., and (2) the surname.
Wrong: Reverend Anderson
Right: Reverend George Anderson
[Or]
Reverend G. A. Anderson
[Or]
Reverend Dr. Anderson
NOTE 1. When Honorable and Reverend are used as
parts of titles in the body of the letter they are capitalized,
preceded by the, and followed by (1) the Christian name,
or the initials, or the title Mr. or Dr., and (2) the surname.
Wrong: The meeting was addressed by Honorable Penrose.
Right: The meeting was addressed by the Honorable Boies
Penrose.
NOTE 2. When Professor is used as part of a title in
the body of the letter it should not be abbreviated to Prof.
unless it is followed by (1) the Christian name, or the
initials, and (2) the surname.
Wrong: Write to Prof. Bacon for his opinion.
Right : Write to Prof. C. F. Bacon for his opinion.
Right: Write to Professor Bacon for his opinion.
55
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
13. In official letters the inside address is placed in the
lower left-hand part of the letter, slightly below the sig-
nature, but beginning at the left-hand margin.
14. Neither No. nor # is needed before the street
number.
Wrong: # 33 West Main St.; No. 425 Western Ave.
Right: 33 West Main St.; 4525 Western Ave.
15. To prevent confusion, numeral names of avenues
and streets should be spelled out unless preceded by a
compass direction. The most common practice is to
abbreviate Avenue and Street.
Examples: 124 Fifth Ave.; not 124 5th Ave.
348 Twelfth St.; not 348 12th St.
98 East 22nd Street
16. It is permissible to omit punctuation marks at the
ends of the lines; but if the last word of any line
is an abbreviation, like Co. or Ave., the period is retained.
17. Many business houses do not permit the use of the
word city alone in the inside address, as shown below, for
they feel that such use cheapens the appearance of the
letter.
Mr. John Andrews,
415 Seventh Ave.,
City.
Perhaps a better reason against its use is the fact that
the postmasters of most of the large cities are opposed to
such use. From experience they have learned that let-
ters so addressed often go astray or are delayed in de-
livery because they were not mailed in the city, but were
carried home to a suburban town and mailed there.
56
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
The Salutation
1. The complimentary address at the beginning of a
letter is called the salutation. In business letters it is
practically limited to four forms : Dear Sir, Gentlemen, Dear
Madam, and Ladies or Mesdames. Dear Madam is used
in addressing a woman, whether married or unmarried.
More formality is shown by the use of the salutation
My dear Sir or My dear Madam. Note that the first letter
of the second word is not a capital. In exceptional cases,
as in writing to government officials on official matters,
the plain and highly formal Sir is used. If the writer is
personally acquainted with the addressee or has corre-
sponded with him before, he may use such a salutation
as, My dear Mr. Fox or Dear Mr. Fox.
2. The salutation should be written directly below the
inside address and the same distance from the edge of the
paper as the first line of the inside address. It should
always occupy a line by itself.
Brooks Brothers,
Madison Ave. and 44th St.,
New York City.
Gentlemen:
3. Never use the salutations Dear Friend, My dear
Friend, and Dear Miss.
4. Do not use the abbreviation Messrs, as a salutation.
Wrong: Rogers Peet Company,
New York City.
Messrs. :
Right: Rogers Peet Company,
^New York City.
Gentlemen :
57
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
5. Dear Sirs is still used by some banking houses and
other conservative institutions, but seems to be practically
obsolete elsewhere.
6. In addressing such firms as John Wanamaker or
James Butler, Inc., the correct salutation is Gentlemen,
because these firms are corporations. This is the correct
form for any firm composed of men.
7. Avoid such abbreviated forms as D'r, Gents, S'r.
8. The salutation is followed by a colon or a comma,
never by a semicolon. The dash is unnecessary.
9. In official letters the salutation is Sir, Sirs, or some-
times Gentlemen.
The Body of the Letter
1. If you indent your paragraphs, all of them should
be indented an equal distance from the margin, determined
by the first letter in the first line of the inside address
say ten spaces, or one inch regardless of the length of the
salutation. It is also wise to double space between para-
graphs. Many business houses use no indention, but
begin each paragraph flush with the margin. In this case,
paragraphs are indicated by double or triple spacing
between the paragraphs. In the illustrations on pages 50
and 51 may be seen the correct forms of a typewritten
letter.
2. Only one side of the paper should be used. When
more than one sheet is necessary to contain the message,
plain sheets without the letterhead, but of the same size
and material as the letterhead, should be used. At the
top of these additional sheets is placed the number of the
sheet and the initials or the name of the firm or person to
whom the letter is sent, as
The Eastern Manufacturing Company 2.
58
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Ideal Co coa.fi Oh
HIGH GRADE CHOCOLATE SPECIALTIC
"-"*ii ' IT** 8 !
olate Company
QOORS-CO*
Kove'aber 10. 192Q.
Miss H. R. Stenographer
fcl Broad-.vay,
New York City
Dtar Madaa:
Plftse note
with
te that each lin? of the insiie adlr^se begins flush
typing e&rgin and that ther? are single spc-ces b^twsen
Ur.fS. A cotrrLa should end each Una with the eicecption of the
las'- line, next coras a double space betveen the inside dc'.re3
end it* stlutatlon (Dear llaiam) , which is followed by a oolon( .
After you hve typed, the salutation, double space, &ai begin your
first pirn^rtpi. flush' with the c.rin. Double space bet.veen
paragri-phs
Oocd leokins leiter* are generally the result of havir.g the typed
bony' of the letter well placed on the page Glance over your
notes, accordingly, before you start to type the letter anl *udse
how Ion,-,, u.t letter .nil be If, for instc--.ce, you see that the
letter contists of only one short paragraph, begin the inaise
Since the right-hand cafgin should be equs.1 to the left-hand
o.argln, you should cake your typed line a little shorter thw.
usutl. A bit of forethought on your yert will mean gooa-loclung
letters one of the chief ways by which your work is judged,
In closing a letter, begin tne co^plinjentary close in the center
cf the line and end with a coou.
ours t
e-t.^6
Sale, s !'ar.ager
Tn case there is & postscript to your letter, begir. it thrre
spaces down from the title of the signer, tnd flush witi, the
oarr.ir.. Do' rat put the letters "P.S." before it^ Tliey are
unnicessary.
EXAMPLE OF GOOD MECHANICAL MAKE-UP OF A BUSINESS LETTER
59
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
3. If a second page is necessary, care should be taken to
see that it contains at least three lines of the body of the
letter.
The Complimentary Close
1. The complimentary close is placed two or three
spaces below the body of the letter and usually begins
midway between the right- and left-hand margins.
2. The following forms are most used in business letters :
Yours truly, Truly yours, Very truly yours, Yours very truly,
Yours respectfully.
S. Sometimes in place of truly it is permissible to use
Cordially, or Sincerely, though these should usually be re-
served for cases where there is an established acquaintance-
ship between writer and reader.
4. Do not use any abbreviation such as Y'rs or Resp'y
in the complimentary close. Do not write respectively for
respectfully.
5. In the complimentary close only the first word should
begin with a capital. The proper punctuation at the end
is a comma.
6. In official letters the complimentary close is Respect-
fully, Respectfully submitted, or Yours respectfully.
7. The innovation in writing the complimentary close
at the left in alignment with the left-hand type margin
has little to recommend it, and does not seem likely to
receive general adoption. The space there is necessary
for other purposes.
The Signature
1. The word "signature" is used to designate every-
thing necessary to fix responsibility for the letter. Some-
times it consists only of the name of the writer; sometimes
60
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
it includes also the name of the business house or other
group whom he represents and in whose interests he is
writing.
2. If the letter is from the company, the company name
should be typewritten, and below it should come the
written signature of the person directly responsible for
the letter. If he is an official, his signature should be
followed by his title, as, President, Secretary, Cashier, and
the like. This title should be typewritten. If he is not
an official his signature may be preceded by the word by.
[It is not necessary to capitalize the letter b.]
3. It is a wise practice to type the name of the dictator
two or three spaces down from the signature and flush
with the left-hand margin. This insures against misdirec-
tion of a reply to the dictator, for it is sometimes very
difficult to decipher a signature. Then add your own
initials. In other cases, only the initials of the dictator
and stenographer are used.
Examples: G. R. Walters C. H.
G. R. W. C. H.
G. R. W./C. H.
4. The signature of the writer, if a man, should not be
preceded by any title, such as Mr. or Prof.
5. A married woman signs her full name (this includes
her maiden name) and places immediately below, in paren-
theses, the name used in her mailing address.
Anna Templeton Parsons
(Mrs. Edward F. Parsons)
6. An unmarried woman signs her name with Miss in
parentheses before it. The practice of omitting " (Miss) "
61
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
seems to be growing in favor, doubtless on the assumption
that it will be taken for granted if the name is feminine.
Initials in such cases cause confusion.
Miscellaneous Points
1. Inclosures should be indicated by the abbreviation
IncL (or End.) placed next to the left-hand margin, below
the initials of dictator and transcriber; e.g., 3 incls.
2. Reference numbers for filing and other purposes may
be placed above the body of the letter, just below the date;
e.g., In replying, refer to A 407.
3. The personal attention of a certain individual in a
firm is secured to a matter of the firm's business by the
expression Attention of Mr. Blank written in the center
of the page. This may be placed below the salutation or
above the inside address. The former position is prefer-
able. The salutation should agree, however, with the
firm addressed; e.g., Gentlemen rather than Dear Sir.
Corn Exchange Bank,
Astor Place,
New York City.
Gentlemen:
Attention of Mr. Cronin
4. When a postscript .is added it is not necessary to
place the letters P. S. before it. Drop down two spaces
below the signature and begin it at your paragraph
margin.
5. In folding the letter, fold up the bottom edge until
it is exactly even with the top edge or one-half inch from
the top edge, and crease; then fold over from the right
a little more than one-third of the letter and crease. The
62
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
remainder of the letter is folded over from the left. The
free edge of the letter is thus slightly separated from the
right-hand crease. It should be placed in the envelope
with the free edge toward yourself.
6. If the letter is to be inclosed in a window envelope
(one with a transparent oval to obviate the necessity of
writing the address twice), it must, of course, be folded so
that the inside address will show through the "window"
in proper position.
The Envelope
1. For most letters, the ordinary No. 6 envelope is used.
But for bulky letters, and when there are many or large
inclosures, a larger envelope must be used. Have this
point in mind when you are choosing the envelope for the
letter. The address should begin slightly below the mid-
dle of the envelope and should be well centered. Two
forms are used, just as in the inside address.
The Smith Hardware Company,
35 Broadway,
New York City.
[Or]
The Smith Hardware Company,
85 Broadway,
New York City.
2. When the straight-edge or block form is used in
the inside address this form should be used also on the
envelope. The main thing to be considered is that the
address should be well balanced.
3. The order of the address is usually as follows: first
line, name of addressee; second line, street address or
box number; third line, city or town, and state or country;
63
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
or state or country may be placed on a fourth line. Be
especially certain that the address is correct.
4. The personal attention of a certain individual in a
firm is secured to a matter of the firm's business by the
expression " (Attention of Mr. Blank) " placed in the lower
left-hand corner of the envelope.
5. If the letter is to go special delivery, or is to be
registered, or is going to a foreign country (in which case
extra postage is required), it is a wise practice to write in
red ink on the envelope at the place where the stamps will
go such directions as "Special Delivery," "Registered,"
"Foreign." In case a return receipt is needed, type
"Return Receipt Requested" at the lower left-hand side
of the envelope.
Official Letters
Official letters are used in writing about matters that
are outside the scope of regular business. Any letter that
is written by or to an official, or to a business man, on
any other question than those which come up in the regu-
lar routine of business, may be considered an official
letter.
The stationery used in these letters is different from
that used for other business communications. As a rule,
it is of folder form, like social stationery, and may be
smaller in size than the 8^x1 1-in. business sheet. When
four-page folder sheets are used the fold should be at the
right, or, in other words, that page which is ordinarily
the back page of a folder is the first page to be written on.
If a second page is necessary, the other outside page is
used. When three or four pages are to be written on, the
best order is the natural, as 1, 2, 3, 4; and not 1, 2, 4, 3,
or 1, 4, 2, 3.
64
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
K. 4 G. WIRELESS SUPPLY CO.
152 CHAMBERS STREET
NEW YORK CITY
Montgomery & Smith,
415 North Perry Street,
Peoria, Illinois.
ARRANGEMENT OF ADDRESS ON ENVELOPE (BLOCK FORM)
K. & C. WIRELESS SUPPLY CO.
JS2 CHAMBERS STREET
NEW YORK CITY
Montgonery & Stilth,
415 North Perry Street,
Peoria, IllinoiB.
ARRANGEMENT OF ADDRESS ON ENVELOPE (INDENTED FORM)
65
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Formal Official Letters
There are two classes of official letters the formal and
the informal. The formal letter is sent to government
officials, members of Congress, and others in high position.
The mechanical form of the formal official letter differs
from that of other business letters. The inside address
is written at the close of the letter at the left-hand side.
In it, all titles are given in full. No abbreviations should
be used except initials of degrees, societies, etc., as LL.D.,
F.R.G.S.
The salutation is Sir or Sirs. The complimentary close
is Respectfully or Very respectfully.
In the body of the letter, the strictest formality is
observed. No abbreviations or colloquial expressions are
permissible.
Informal Official Letters
Informal official letters are used between business men
who are on terms of familiarity with one another, about
matters outside the routine of business.
As in the formal official letter, the inside address is at
the lower left-hand corner of the sheet at the end of the
letter.
The salutation is informal, as Dear Johnston, Dear Mr.
Johnston, Dear Fred, or any other appropriate salutation
the writer pleases to use. The complimentary close may
be Sincerely, Cordially, or Faithfully, and others of like
tenor.
The Mechanical Display of Reports
A typewritten report should be made as attractive as
possible in mechanical display. Moreover, a report should
be made convenient for reference purposes. To accom-
66
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
39 PARK PLACE
NEW YORK
Novsmber 10, 1920,
My dear Mr. Bronson:
Upon my return free Philadelphia I fovmd
your letter of November 15 awaiting me.
I certainly shall be pleased to meet you
at the Yale Club at the tine you suggest,
7:30 P. M. I shall bring with me all the
data that I have been able to gather on
the subject in question.
Cordially ycurs,
Mr. T. L. Bronson,
10 Wall Street,
New York City.
ARRANGEMENT OF LETTER IN OFFICIAL STTLE
67
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Different
7.indt of
Ecportt
of the
Report
Main Kei..lt
fub-hfadt
Peportt range ail the- wey froir the thort report of nearly
tli figure* to long report! made up of narration, detcription
and cxpoiition. There it every grade of report from the
pertuution and the raOcing of important rec^mendatlcni. But
pay.
pr
important. The value of the report it largely dependent
upon the method of trrangeccnt and physical appearance.
ry
able to
inr<iii-teljr
Ir. orde.r that the reader say be
<nl in order that he may know exactly what covered in a
certain paragraph or Motion, the report ehould have numerou
parc.grc.phe to which the tub-head refrn.
Tc tllrw tufficitnt space for the lub-headi which appear
in the oargin and to perx.it of the placing o
Icou-Uaf blnjar to that the written port
ill not be obtcured, le&vc & ijargin of two
left-U^il tide. A aarcin of three- quartert
Lould be It ft at the richt-i.a.nd tia*. All
bfin fluab with the left type-n-^r^in Hot.
HEACIHC6
Main hrRti tl.o-ild b'; writun in c*fit*l letur< and thculd
bf etnUrtt on the pc.y .
ncho at th*
i inch
i thould
The flrtt lcttr
the
wort-i in a tUi-het.1,
exception of crticlet tnd i-ix JJOBI tioni, thoul- b b d.pit^.1
letter. The ub-l.cd thould begir. in U^ Lrg-.r., on u lint
>l U- vul op-ojite the paragraph to VUich it rfert. Ltt
at li-it fc tuarur inch b< tten tte nd of the tub-htt-d '
cnil thb p*re-jraph r^rgln.
?p.'.en:o
pi-ri.r*pht. Shencvtr there it A u>in healii., drop doan
three trucct, typt the oMr> hradir-t nnd then drop ion t-w
trt fftH* befort it^rtir.g th* xt paraiyrajh.
KXAMPLE OF ARRANGEMENT OF A REPORT PAGE (PUNCHING AT TOP)
68
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
purpose a skilled repair machinist snould be
of these machines to tha bead of the department,
secured far enough ahead.
nornical care of
and files should be furnished by the accounting
Planning of the Planning of the work for the day should be
the had of th having been completely chocked by tlie head of
Eochanice should bo signed by the head of the
department.
EETECTS OF SVOSESTIO
Departnental With properly standordited equipment, work may
equipment save time in making estimates but will safeguard
.the company from errors in estimates.
Considerable saving will result from the" benefit
$14,000, With the standardized equipment
Testnent for such items will not exceed 43,000
at catalog prices.
.Tne loss ir. "idle tine", both of labor and of
EXAMPLE OF ARRANGEMENT OF A REPORT PAGE (PUNCHING AT LEFT)
ft 69
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
plish these two purposes, the following suggestions will
help:
1. Leave a wider margin than you ordinarily use in letters, at the
left-hand side of the sheet, for often these pages are stapled
together or bound at the left, and a narrow margin will mean
that the reader will have difficulty in reading the words at the
beginnings of the lines.
2. Type subheads in capitals, in red, underline them, or in some
other way separate them from the body of the reading matter
so that they will be seen at a glance. Sometimes they are
placed in the left-hand marginal space. The appearance and
efficiency of the report can be materially enhanced by good
display of titles, captions, main heads, subheads, etc.
3. The page number may appear either at the top or at the bot-
tom of the sheet.
4. Leave good margins at the top and bottom; in other words,
don't crowd the page.
Chapter VI
About Your Spelling
The Importance of Correct Spelling
THE ability of the stenographer to spell correctly all
the words in her letters is important, not only to the
stenographer, but to the dictator and to the business
concern as well. It is important to the dictator because
he is made to appear in a disadvantageous light to the
reader of the letter if the letter contains misspelled words.
He is made to appear either ignorant or careless. More-
over, if he is not sure of the ability of his stenographer to
make certain that there are no faults in spelling in his let-
ters, he is obliged to read every word carefully to assure him-
self that it is correctly spelled. If he is compelled to do this
before he is willing to attach his signature to the letter, it
means a loss of time and much worry. You can readily
realize, therefore, why the dictator thinks highly of the
stenographer who is consistently dependable in her spelling.
Correct spelling is an important matter to the business
concern, for it, too, cannot afford to have its name attached
to letters that contain misspelled words. Such letters
injure its standing in the eyes of its readers. How would
you yourself feel if you received a letter from a high-class
firm and then found several mistakes in spelling in the
letter? Wouldn't you look down on that firm? And,
again, the business house loses money whenever one of
71
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
its highly paid dictators is forced to spend time checking
the spelling of his letters.
For these reasons, therefore, you can see why your
ability to spell correctly all the time is important to them,
and because it is an important matter to them it is im-
portant to you. It makes you more valuable to your
dictator and to the house. You have possibly never
looked at this seemingly unimportant matter from this
viewpoint; but now that you understand the business
reasons for good spelling you can appreciate that correct
spelling means a lot to business houses.
Consistently dependable spelling is, and always will be,
an asset to the stenographer. It should be part of her
stock in trade, a tool that she needs constantly in her
work. Probably in no other trade or occupation is the
ability to spell well more important. Resolve now, there-
fore, to develop your ability in this matter, and resolve
never to misspell another word if you can help it. If you
really want to, you can so develop your ability that you
will be very close indeed to 100 per cent proficient in it.
And since it is so valuable to you, you should want to.
Spelling, after all, is not a difficult subject to master. It
is chiefly a matter of carefulness and close concentration.
It is not as though you were taking part in a "spelling
bee" and could not look up a word about which you were
not sure, for you can always assure yourself of the correct
spelling by consulting your dictionary. Surely that is
easy. And if you don't look up the word it is downright
laziness or neglect of your duty. It is just carelessness
in matters like this that brands a stenographer as being
lazy, negligent, and incompetent.
Some stenographers think it is a disgrace to be seen
using a dictionary. Quite the contrary; it shows that a
girl is careful and is trying to do accurate work. The
72
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
girls who have the best record for correct spelling are not
those who neglect the use of the dictionary. Remember
that there is absolutely no excuse for even one misspelled
word in the letter, for you always have the opportunity
to use the dictionary. So make it a rule and a habit with
yourself to look up every word concerning the spelling of
which you have any doubts. If you do this you will find
in time that you will have to use the dictionary only rarely.
There is no need to give space in this book to the rules
of spelling. You will find them given in complete detail
in any good dictionary. It might be advisable to study
them, for if you can remember them you need not spend
so much time looking up words.
Technical and Trade Words
Every trade, business, and profession uses words and
expressions that are peculiar to it. The dictator in the
printing business uses such words as em, pica, Caslon, and
saddle stitching; in the banking business, such words as
amortize, debenture, bearish, and when, as, and if issued;
and in the legal profession, such words as garnishee, prcecipe,
quash, and "on all fours." Some of these words and ex-
pressions cannot be found in the dictionary. For this
reason it is necessary for you to make yourself acquainted,
by study and observance, with the spelling of the technical
or trade words common to your business, because you will
constantly use them. It might not be inadvisable to make
a list of them for your own convenience.
Words Correctly Spelled in Two or More Ways
You will frequently come upon words that are correctly
spelled in two or more ways. The only rule to observe
73
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
here is to be consistent. Don't spell the word in one way
in one part of your letter and in a different way in another
part. A list of some of these words follows:
PREFERRED SPELLING
acknowledgment
agriculturist
almanac
amortize
appall
appareled
appraise
aught
ax \
axe/
acknowledgement
agriculturalist
almanack
amortise
appal
apparelled
apprize
ought
B
balk
barreled
behavior
beveled
biased
brier
burned (c)
baulk
barrelled
behaviour
bevelled
biassed
briar
burnt
caliber
canceled
catalog
center
check
chock-full \
chuck-full /
color
cozy
criticize \
criticise /
calibre
cancelled
catalogue
centre
cheque
colour
cosy, cosey
74
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
D
decrepit
defense
demeanor
dependence
dependent
develop,-ment
dexterous
disk\
disc /
dispatch
distill \
distil /
distributer
dryly
dye (color)
ecstasy
embarkation
enclose \
inclose /
encumber
endear
endeavor
endure
enroll
envelop (v)
envelope (n)
E
decrepid
defence
demeanour
dependance
dependant
develope,-ment
dextrous
despatch
distributor
drily
die
ecstacy
embarcation
incumber
indear
endeavour
indure
enrol
envelope (v)
envelop (n)
favor
formulas \
formulae /
favour
gauge
gayly
gray
guaranty (n) \
guarantee (n) /
guarantee (v)
75
gage
gaily
grey
guaranty (e)
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
H
harbor
hindrance \
hinderance /
honor
humor
harbour
honour
humour
imperiled
incase
incumbrance
indexes \
indices /
indorse
inquire
install 1
instal /
installment \
instalment /
intrust
inveigle
imperilled
encase
encumbrance
endorse
enquire
entrust
enveigle
labeled
labor
leveled
libeled
license
labelled
labour
levelled
libelled
licence
M
mantelpiece
marshaled
marveled
memoranda \
memorandums /
mileage
mold
mould /
moneyed
moneys
movable
mantlepiece
marshalled
marvelled
milage
monied
monies
moveable
76
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
N
naught
neighbor
nought
neighbour
odor
offense
odour
offence
paneled
paralyze
peddler
penciled
plow \
plough /
practice \
practise /
pretense \
pretence /
program
\
panelled
paralyse
pedler
pencilled
programme /
quartet \
quartette /
rancor
re-enforce
rigor
rivaled
rancour
reinforce
rigour
rivalled
salable
shyly
skillful
suite (n)
survivor
saleable
shily
skilful
suit
surviver
77
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
T
theater \
theatre /
transship tranship
traveled travelled
U
unbiased unbiassed
until untill
W
wintry wintery
woolen woollen
Foreign Words and Phrases Commonly Used in
English
There are certain foreign words and phrases commonly
used in dictation, the spelling of which will trouble you.
Look them up in the main section of the dictionary; if
you don't find them there consult the section on foreign
expressions. A short list of the most commonly used
foreign words follows :
A anno Domini
a posteriori apropos
a priori au fait
ad intinii inn au revoir
ad interim
ad valorem
addendum (plural, addenda) bagatelle
alias bete noire
alibi blas
alma mater bona fide
alumnus (m.) \ bon voyage
alumni /
alumna (/.) \
alumnae / camaraderie
amanuensis carte blanche
caveat emptor
78
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
chaperon
et cetera
charge d'affaires
ex cathedra
confrere
ex officio
connoisseur
ex parte
contra
expos6
contretemps
extempore
coup d'etat
crises (plural of crisis)
criteria (plural of criterion)
facsimile
cuisine
faux pas
fete
D
fiasco
datum (plural, data)
finale
de facto
finesse
debris
finis
debut
denouement
formulae \ / , , , , , .
formulas/ (plurak f formula)
depot
fracas
desideratum (plural, desiderata)
devoir
G
dictum (plural, dicta)
genre
dilletante
gratia
distingue
distrait
H
dramatis personse
habitat
habitue
E
hauteur
eclat
hoi polloi
elite
honorarium
emeritus
hors de combat
encore
en masse
I
en rapport
ignis fatuus
en route
impedimenta
ennui
impromptu
ensemble
in toto
entre nous
in transitu
entree
incognito
entrepreneur
erratum (plural, errata)
indices \ ( , uralg of index}
indexes /
esprit de corps
ingenue
79
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
innuendo,-oes
insouciance
instanter
interim
ipso facto
L
laissez-faire
M
magnus opus
inal de mer
manifesto
manoeuvre
masseur (m.)
masseuse (/.)
maximum (plural, maxima)
melee
memoranda \ (plurals of mem-
memorandums / orandum)
minima \ ( lura]s of min i mum )
mimmums J
modus operandi
N
naive
nalvet6
negligee
Hum de plume
nonchalance
nota bene (N.B.)
O
onus
outr6
par excellence
passim
penchant
per annum
per capita
per cent (or, per cent.)
per centum
per contra
per diem
per se
persona non grata
personnel
phenomena (plural of phenomenon)
poseur
post mortem
post prandial
prima facie
pro forma
pro rata
pro tempore
protege
Q
quasi
questionnaire
quondam
quota
R
r6gime
rendezvous
rdle
sanctum sanctorum
sang-froid
savant
savoire faire
seance
sine die
sine qua non
sobriquet
sotto voce
stet
sub rosa
80
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
T
terra firma
totum
tout ensemble
U
ultimatum
ultra
verbatim (et literatim)
via
vice
vice versa
vis-a-vis
viva voce
Plurals of Foreign Words
Many words adopted from foreign languages retain their
original plurals. Some of the most commonly used are
given below. Many of them, while retaining the original
plural form, have also a second, or English, plural form.
Singular
addendum
alumna (/.)
alumnus (m.)
analysis
antithesis
apex
appendix
axis
basis
cherub
crisis
criterion
curriculum
datum
desideratum
dictum
encomium
erratum
focus
formula
hypothesis
index
Original Plural
addenda
aluiiinse
alumni
analyses
antitheses
apices
appendices
axes
bases
cherubim
crises
criteria
curricula
data
desiderata
dicta
encomia
errata
foci
formulae
hypotheses
indices
81
English Plural
apexes
appendixes
cherubs
criterions
curriculums
encomiums
focuses
formulas
indexes
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Singular Original Plural English Plural
matrix matrices
maximum maxima
memorandum memoranda memorandums
minimum minima
nucleus nuclei nucleuses
oasis oases
parenthesis parentheses
phenomenon phenomena
radius radii
stratum strata stratums
synopsis synopses
tableau tableaux
terminus termini
ultimatum ultimata ultimatums
Words That Have the Same or Nearly the Same
Sound
In the English language there is many a word that has
the same or nearly the same sound as another word that
is spelled differently and has a different meaning. Since,
in stenography, the phonetic outlines of these words are
often the same, or nearly the same [clothes, cloths], you
must be especially careful that you use the right word
when you transcribe. To do this you should know what
these words are and what different meanings they have, so
that you won't make a mistake. A list of the most com-
mon ones is given below. Several words are included,
however, which differ in spelling in spite of a logical rela-
tionship [maintain, maintenance].
accept (to receive) affect (to influence)
except (to exclude; with the excep- effect (to bring about)
tion of)
allusion (a reference)
advice (noun) illusion (o deceiving appear-
advise (verb) once)
82
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
all right
almost
all ready (completely prepared)
already (previously)
altogether
all ways
always (at all times)
aloud
allowed
alley (a narrow passage)
ally (o confederate)
altar (o structure used in worship)
alter (to change)
base
bean
been
bin
born (brought into being)
borne (carried)
boy
buoy
breath (noun)
breathe (verb)
by
buy
angel (a celestial being)
angle (the meeting-place of two lines) calender (a machine)
calendar (a register of the days, etc.)
appraise (to set a value on)
apprise (to inform) capital (the sum invested in a busi-
ness; the chief city, etc.)
capitol (a statehouse)
canvas (a cloth)
canvass (to solicit)
ascent
assent
assistants (those who aid)
assistance (aid)
bad
bade (past tense of to bid)
cede (to give up)
bail (the security for the release of a
P ner ) ceiling
bale (a large bundle) sealing
cease
seize
bare
bear
baring (making bare)
barring (obstruction)
bearing (carrying)
cellar
seller
cereal (edible grain)
serial (pertaining to a series)
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
cession (a yielding up)
desert (a barren country)
session (the actual sitting of a court dessert (food)
or other body; the time during
which the body meets)
choir
quire
clause
claws
close
clothes (garmenti)
cloths (pieces of cloth)
device (noun)
devise (verb)
disappear
disappoint
disavowal
dissatisfaction
dissimilar
dissipate
dissuade
discomfit (to thwart)
discomfort (to make uneasy)
coarse (not fine)
course (route, method of behavior)
done (past participle of to do)
complement (to supply a dcfi- dun (an urgent request for pay-
ciency)
compliment (to praise)
ment; as verb, to ask a debtor for
payment)
conscious (aware)
conscience (an inner moral sense)
dual (expressing the number f)
duel (a combat between two persons)
corespondent (a joint respondent emerge (to come forth from conceal-
in a divorce suit)
correspondents (those who write
communications)
correspondence (communication by faint
letters)
ment)
immerge (to plunge into anything)
currant (a dried berry)
current (a flow)
dairy
diary
feint (a pretense; a mock attack)
fair
fare (the sum paid for a jour-
ney, etc.)
flea (an insect)
flee (to run away from)
decent (respectable, etc.)
descent (downward slope or motion) formally (in a formal way)
dissent (o disagreement)
formerly (in time pott)
84
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
forth
forty
four
fourth
foul
fowl
isle (an inland)
aisle (a narrow passage)
its (possessive pronoun)
it's (contraction of it is)
key
quay (a wharf)
gambling (wagering money on
games of chance) know
gamboling (frisking or leaping with no
joy)
later (comparative of late)
latter (the second)
gate
gait (a manner of walking)
great
grate
hear
here
heard
herd
hinder
hindrance
holly (a tree)
holy (hallowed, sacred)
wholly (altogether)
hoping (from hope)
hopping (from hop)
lead (a metal)
led (past tense of to lead)
leased (let by written contract)
least
lessen (verb)
lesson (noun)
lesser (smaller; inferior)
lessor (one who gives a lease)
loan
lone
loose (free, not bound)
lose (to suffer the loss of)
main
mane
ingenious (possessed of or proceed-
ing from genius) maintain
ingenuous (frank, open)
instance (an example)
instants (periods of time)
1
maintenance
medal
meddle
85
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
meat
meet
mete
miner
minor
need
knead
nineteenth
ninetieth
ninety
ninth
not
knot
ore
oar
ought (should)
aught (anything)
naught (a cipher, nothing)
pail
pale
pain
pane
pair
pare
pear
past (adjective, adverb, prepon-
tion)
passed (verb, past tense of to pass)
patience
patients
peace (a state of calm)
piece (a fragment)
peer (an equal; to look narrowly)
pier
perceive
perform
persevere
persuade
purchase
pursue
perquisite
prerequisite
personal (private, individual)
personnel (the body of persons en-
gaged in some activity)
Philippines
Filipino
plain (clear)
plain (flat region)
plane (geometrical term)
planed (past tense of to plane)
planned (past tense of to plan)
pleasant
please
pored (looked with close attention)
poured
precede
proceed
succeed
exceed
concede
intercede
86
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
recede
supersede
precedence (act or right of preced-
ing)
precedents (things said or done be-
fore, now used as authority or
model)
presence (state of being present)
presents (gifts)
prevail
prevalent
pride
pried (inspected closely; raised with
a lever)
principal (chief, leading; the leading
official of a school; a sum of money)
principle (a general truth)
profit
prophet
prophecy (noun)
prophesy (verb)
quiet (still)
quite (completely)
rain
reign (rule of a monarch)
rein (part of a harness)
rap
wrap (to roll together; a wrapper)
recent (of .late occurrence)
resent (to consider as an affront)
re-sent (sent again)
respectfully (with respect)
respectively (in a way proper to
each; should never be used to
close a letter)
rest
wrest (to force from by violence)
right
rite (ceremony)
write
ring
wring (to twist)
sail
sale
scene (part of a play)
seen (past participle of to see)
shone vpast tense of shine)
shown (past tense of show)
seize
siege
serge (twilled woolen stuff)
surge (a large wave)
sight (view, spectacle)
site (situation, a plot of ground re-
served for some use)
cite (to bring forward as evidence)
sole
soul
speak
speech
87
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
stairs (a serifs of steps)
stares (fixed looks)
stationary (not moving)
stationery (writing materials)
statue (a sculptured likeness)
stature (height, figure)
statute (a law)
steal (to lake by theft)
steel (a variety of iron)
suite
sweet
tear
tier
than
then
their (belonging to them)
there (m that place)
they're (contraction of they are)
therefore (for that reason)
threw
through
till
until
to
too
two
track (an imprint; on a road)
tract (an area of land)
tract (a treatise)
village
villain
wade
weighed
waist (the middle of the body; a
garment)
waste (a loss, a useless expense)
waive (to forego)
wave (to move one way and the
other)
way
weigh
weak (not strong)
week (seven days)
wear
ware
weather
whether
therefor (to that end, for that thing) who , e
hole (an opening)
who's (who is)
whose (the possessive of who)
wood
would
wrote (past tense of to write)
rote (a repetition of words or
sounds)
your (the possessive of you)
you're (contraction of you are)
88
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Words Commonly Misspelled
Here is a list of words that are commonly misspelled.
Study the list with care, for these are the words that give
trouble.
apparel
business
conscience
appearance
busy
conscientious
absurd
appropriate
considered
accept
arctic
C
continuous
accidentally
argument
calendar
control
accommodate
arising
candidate
controlled
accumulate
arithmetic
can't
convenience
accustom
arrange
cemetery
convenient
acquainted
arrival
certain
co-operate
acquitted
ascend
changeable
corroborate
across
asks
changing
country
addressed
athletic
characteristic
course
adviser
audience
chauffeur
courteous
affects
auxiliary
choose
courtesy
aggravate
awkward
chose
critici/e \
alley
chosen
criticise j
allotted
B
chute
cruelty
all right
balance
clothes
cylinder
ally
barbarous
coarse
already
baring
column
D
altar
barring
combating
dealt
alter
based
coming
debater
altogether
bearing
commission
deceitful
alumnus
becoming
committee
decide
always
begging
comparative
decision
amateur
beginning
compel
deferred
among
believing
compelled
definite
analogous
benefited
competent
derived
analysis
biscuit
concede
descend
angel
boundaries
conceivable
describe
angle
brilliant
confectionery
description
annual
Britain
conferred
despair
anxiety
buoyant
conquer
desperate
apparatus
bureau
conqueror
destroy
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
device
exhaust
guard
irrelevant
devise
exhilarate
guess
irresistible
difference
existence
guidance
its
digging
exorbitant
it's
dilemma
expense
H
itself
dining room
experience
harass
disappear
explanation
haul
J
disappoint
having
judgment
disavowal
F
height
discipline
familiar
hesitancy
K
disease
fascinate
holy
knowledge
dissatisfied
feasible
hoping
dissipate
February
huge
L
distinction
fiery
humorous
laboratory
distribute
fifth
hundredths
ladies
distributor
finally
hurriedly
laid
divide
financier
hygienic
later
divine
forfeit
latter
doctor
formally
I
lead
don't
formerly
imaginary
led
drudgery
forth
imitative
liable
dying
forty
immediately
library
four
immigration
license
E
fourth
imminent
lightning
ecstasy
frantically
impromptu
likely
effects
fraternity
incidentally
literature
eighth
friend
incidents
loose
eliminate
fulfil
incredulous
lose
embarrass
furniture
independence
losing
eminent
indiscreet
lying
encouraging
G
indispensable
M 1
enemy
gambling
induce
equipped
gauge
influence
maintain
especially
generally
infinite
maintenance
etc.
government
instance
manual
everybody
governor
instant
manufacturer
exaggerate
grammar
intellectual
many
exceed
grandeur
intelligence
marriage
excellent
grievous
intentionally
Massachusetts
except
guarantee
intercede
material
exceptional
guaranty
invitation
mathematics
90
mattress
opinion
possibly
rarity
meant
opportunity
practically
ready
messenger
optimistic
prairie
really
miniature
original
precede
recede
minutes
outrageous
precedence
receipt
miscellaneous
overrun
precedents
receive
mischievous
preference
recognize
Mississippi
P
preferred
recommend
misspelled
prejudice
reference
momentous
paid
preparation
referred
month
pantomime
prerequisite
regard
murmur
parallel
primitive
region
muscle
parliament
principal
religion
mysterious
particularly
principle
religious
partner
prisoner
repetition
N
passenger
privilege
replies
necessary
pastime
probably
representative
negroes
peaceable
procedure
restaurant
neither
perceive
proceed
rheumatism
nickel
perception
proceeding
ridiculous
nineteenth
peremptory
prodigy
ninetieth
perform
profession
ninety
perhaps
professor
sacrilegious
ninth
permissible
proffered
safety
noticeable
perquisite
prohibition
sandwich
nowadays
perseverance
promissory
schedule
personal
prosecute
science
O
personnel
prove
scream
perspiration
psychology
screech
oblige
persuade
purchase
secede
obstacle
pertain
pursuant
seems
occasion
pervade
pursue
seize
occasionally
physical
putting
sense
occur
picnic
sentence
occurred
picknicking
Q
separate
occurrence
planned
quantity
sergeant
occurring
pleasant
quiet
several
o'clock
politician
'quite
shiftless
officers
politics
shining
omitted
possession
R
shone
omission
possible
rapid
shown
91
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
shriek
supersede
treasurer
siege
sure
tries
similar
surprise
triple
simulate
suspicion
trouble
since
syllable
truly
smooth
symmetrical
Tuesday
soliloquy
two
speak
T
typical
specimen
temperament
tyranny
speech
temperature
statement
tendency
u
stationary
than
stationery
statue
their
there
universally
until
stature
therefor
statute
steal
therefore
they're
usin^
usually
steel
thorough
stops
thousandths
V
stopped
till
stopping
stories
to
together
vacancy
vegetable
straight
stratagem
stretch
too
track
tract
vengeance
vigilance
village
strictly
tragedy
villain
succeeds
tranquillity
successful
transference
w
succession
transferred
summarize
translate
wafer
superintendent
treacherous
waive
warehouse
weak
wear
weather
Wednesday
week
weird
welcome
welfare
where
wherever
whether
which
whole
wholly
who's
whose
wintry
wiry
within
without
women
world
writing
written
your
you're
Words Ending in "-able " or "-i6/e "
Since no useful rules can be laid down for the correct
spelling of words ending in -able or -ible, the best thing to
do is to observe carefully how they are spelled in the
following list:
92
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
able
agreeable manageable
amenable passable
bearable peaceable
breakable perishable
changeable preferable
chargeable regrettable (or regretable)
comfortable salable (or saleable)
commendable suitable
debatable (or debateable) tenable
eatable (but edible) tolerable
excusable traceable
forgetable (or forgettable) unbearable
forgivable unmistakable
indispensable unnamable (or unnameable)
insufferable unspeakable
likable valuable
lovable wearable
-ible
admissible intelligible
audible invincible
comprehensible irresistible
contemptible legible
convertible perceptible
credible permissible
edible (but eatable) plausible
eligible possible
flexible responsible
forcible sensible
incorrigible susceptible
indefensible tangible
inexpressible terrible
infallible visible
NOTE. Observe that final e is regularly dropped before the
suffix beginning with a vowel, unless it is retained to preserve
the soft sound of c or g before a, as in peaceable, changeable; it is
not necessary to retain or insert e for this reason before i: intelli-
gible.
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Spelling of Possessives
The spelling of possess! vcs sometimes causes trouble.
Here are a few rules on this point:
1. The possessive of singular nouns is formed by the
addition of an apostrophe and s ('s).
The company's policy.
The secretary's report.
NOTE 1. Even though a noun ends in s, its possessive
singular is formed in the usual way by the addition of an
apostrophe and s ('s), unless the repetition of the s sound
makes the word difficult to pronounce or unpleasant in
sound. Hence we write " Lewis' 's salary," "Jones's ac-
count"; but "for goodness' sake," "Ulysses' sales ter-
ritory."
NOTE 2. It will be well to notice the following: Some-
body else's (not somebody's else), everybody else's (not
everybody's else), no one else's (not no one's e/.sr).
2. The possessive of plural nouns that end in s is formed
by the addition of an apostrophe (') alone.
Youths' suits.
Ladies' umbrellas.
Boys' blouses.
3. The possessive of plural nouns that do not end in s
is formed by the addition of an apostrophe and s ('s).
Men's shoes.
Children's clothing.
Women's cloaks.
94
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
4. The possessive of a compound noun or noun phrase
is formed by the addition of an apostrophe and s ('s) to
the last word only.
The secretary-treasurer's signature.
The Palace Theater's new show.
NOTE 1. When two or more nouns are so used that
joint possession is indicated, the sign of the possessive ('s)
is added to the last only.
Lord & Taylor's windows.
John and George's new houses. (This expression indicates that
John and George are joint owners of the new houses.)
NOTE 2. But if separate possession is indicated the
sign of the possessive follows each name.
John's and George s new houses. (This expression indicates that
both John and George separately own new houses.)
Wanamaker's and Gimbel's new advertising campaigns.
5. The possessive pronouns ours, yours, theirs, hers, its
should not be written with an apostrophe. But one, used
as a pronoun, forms its possessive case in the regular way,
as, one's. Do not confuse the pronoun its with the con-
traction it's (it is}.
Forming the Plural of Figures, Letters, Signs, Etc.
The plural of a figure, letter, or any other character or
sign, or of a word mentioned without regard to its meaning,
may be indicated by the addition of the apostrophe and
s ('s).
Examples:
All the 3's on the page were blurred. . . . His i's are indistinguish-
able from his e's. . . . The report received the O.K.'s of the officers.
. . . Two and's were omitted.
95
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
NOTE. In such expressions as the following the number
has a specific meaning, and is always spelled out:
The eights rowed side by side to the finish line. . . . The strikers
walked in front of the entrance in twos and tJirees. . . . The men
were formed in ranks of fours.
The plural of a figure that is spelled out is formed by
the addition of * or es to the singular form.
Example:
He was very careless in the way he wrote his ticos and sixes.
When and When Not to Spell Out Numbers,
Amounts, and Sums
It is often very puzzling to know how to type a number
i.e., whether to spell it out or to use digits. Although no
hard-and-fast rules can be laid down since many businos
houses have personal preferences in these matters the
following suggestions may be of help.
1. Always spell out a number if it begins a sentence.
If the number is a large one, rearrange the sentence.
Wrong: S,J^18 of these parts were shipped to you on August
15.
Right: Two thousand four hundred and eighteen of these
parts were shipped to you on August 15.
Rearranged: We shipped to you 2,^18 of these parts on August 15.
2. If two groups of figures come together, spell out one
or the other of the group, or rearrange the sentence to
prevent confusion.
96
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Wrong: In 1920, 4,624 employees received bonuses for good
attendance.
Rearranged: In 1920, bonuses for good attendance were given to
4,624 employees.
3. Use figures in statistical tables, measurements, serial
numbers of bonds, policies, etc.
Examples :
The land measures 20 by 110 [or, 20x110] ft.
We have no more -lb. containers in stock.
The chart appears on page 18 of the report.
We need four 16-candlepower lamps.
4. A number that is preceded by the abbreviation No.
should always be expressed in figures, as "Your order
No. 2468 . . ." "File No. 146."
5. Numbers used in the usual dictated matter, unless
specifically governed by other rules, should be written out
if they can be expressed in one or two words; if they re-
quire three or more words, they should be expressed in
figures.
Examples:
There were seventeen desks in the office.
More than a hundred customers canceled their orders.
The letter was sent to 2,183 agents.
The reservoir covered 1,410,000 acres.
We shipped four cases containing 8,248 parts each.
NOTE. In applying this rule you should exercise your
judgment and experience. Build up your experience by
observation of the usage in newspapers and magazines.
6. In a series of numbers maintain a consistent treat-
ment throughout.
97
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Examples:
We have fire typists in the foreign exchange department, ten in
the credit department, and twenty-two in the main stenographic
department.
The packages contained, respectively, 10, 60, and 200 sheets.
[Note that a space must be left between the comma and the fol-
lowing number.]
7. In ordinary dictation sums of money under one
dollar may be spelled out, as in "The tickets cost me
seventy-five cents apiece." The more common practice
seems to be to express them in figures and with the char-
acter $ or c., as in " Please send 34c. in stamps for postage."
But do not use this form, $.03, except in tabulations.
8. Round sums of money over a dollar may be written
out if they can be represented in a few words; otherwise
they may be given in figures. The latter way is the more
generally used. [See "Note" under 5.]
Examples :
The bill came to twenty-two dollars.
Thank you for your check for $18.
NOTE 1. It is not good practice to use this form:
$18.00 or $2,500.00.
NOTE 2. Except in very formal commercial letters or
in legal documents in which it is important that numbers
and sums of money be spelled out to prevent misunder-
standing, it is not necessary to follow a spelled-out sum
with the sum expressed in figures within parentheses, as
in "Five hundred dollars ($500) shall be paid. . . ." And
it is not necessary to capitalize the first letter of each
word of the sum.
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
9. Mixed amounts are usually written in figures, as in
"His balance at the bank is $2,416.84-"
10. The time of day is expressed as follows:
a. The bell will ring at five minutes of five. [Not, The bell will
ring at 5 minutes of 5.]
b. The bell will ring at 4.55 p.m.
11. Ages should be written out in words.
Example :
He is forty-two years old.
12. A fraction, when used alone, should be spelled out,
except in tabulations, specifications, and the like.
Example :
Only one-fourth of the shift turned up for work. [Not, Only J^
of the shift turned up for work.]
t
NOTE. If your machine has no fraction keys, as J^,
3/, be sure to leave a space between a whole number and
the fraction; or, a hyphen may be used.
Examples :
4 1/2%, 4-1/2%.
13. Use figures for numbers designating numbered pages,
rooms, etc.
Examples:
Pages 4 and 5 are missing.
Send these to the McAlpin Hotel, Room 425.
Folder 254 is out.
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
14. Except in formal letters, it is not advisable to spell
out the number of the day or of the year.
Example :
The invoice was sent on July 15, 1920. [Not July fifteen.]
15. Numbers used with such characters as %, @, #, tf,
and with such abbreviations as ft., in., Ibs., bbls., and bus.
should be expressed in figures as follows: 5% (not five %),
4 ft., 8 Ibs. (or, eight pounds').
16. In writing decimals supply a cipher if there is no
unit, as 0.251.
17. Be consistent. Do not, in one part of your letter,
write out the amount or number and in another part use
figures, unless, of course, the cases are not similar.
Dividing Words at the Ends of the Lines
In order that the right-hand margin of the letter or
other typed matter might be as regular as possible, the
stenographer is constantly compelled to divide words at
the ends of the lines. For this reason, and because of the
fact that the incorrect division of words makes reading
difficult for the reader, she should be careful of the' way
in which she divides such words. The following sugges-
tions, accordingly, may be helpful:
1. In dividing a word at the end of a line, indicate the
connection of the parts by placing a hyphen at the end
of that line. Never place it at the beginning of the next
line.
2. Avoid unnecessary division of words. Whenever
100
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
consistent with good spacing, type the whole word on
that line or carry it over to the next line. If possible,
do not divide words at the ends of two or more consecutive
lines.
3. Unless absolutely necessary, do not divide amounts
or numbers expressed in figures, as $5,214-17, and 14,156
[sq. miles]; nor names of persons or places, as Johnson
and Watertown; nor the initials of a name, as W '. S.
[Smith]; nor such combinations as a.m., p.m., c. o. d.;
nor dates, as September 15.
4. Divide a word between syllables. Correct pronuncia-
tion is the best guide to follow in dividing words; it is better
than dividing according to derivation.
Examples:
democ-racy, not demo-cracy; knowl-edge, not know-ledge.
5.- So far as is compatible with proper pronunciation
and good spacing, divide according to meaning: dis-
pleasure is better than displeas-ure; school-master is better
than schoolmas-ter; mani-fold is better than man-ifold.
6. Words of four letters, but of more than one syllable,
only and city, for examples, should not be divided; words
of five or six letters, but of more than one syllable, oc-cur,
of-fice, and rare-ly, for examples, should seldom be divided.
Little is to be gained by dividing such words.
7. Do not divide such words as nothing, also, besides,
over, and through; nor such words as many, reason, and
smoky. A division of such words is likely to confuse the
reader.
8 101
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
8. Do not divide words pronounced as one syllable,
even though they contain more than one vowel.
Examples :
sure, worked, fringe, marked.
Never divide before -ed unless it is pronounced as a
separate syllable. Right: un-skilled, not unskill-ed.
9. When two or more consonants come between vowels,
the division is made according to the following rules
correct pronunciation governing, of course, in all cases:
a. When the syllable ends with a consonant, divide between con-
sonants.
Examples :
advan-tage, finan-cier, foun-dation, destruc-tive, let-tcr.
b. When the consonants belong to the preceding or to the follow-
lowing syllable, divide accordingly.
Examples :
selling (not set-ling), miss-ing (not mis-sing), grasp-ing,
firm-ness, second-ly, de-spair, sti-fling, pam-phlct.
10. Words which according to pronunciation may be
divided before or after a vowel should be divided after
the vowel.
Examples:
criti-cize is preferable to crit-icize, medi-tative to mrd-itatire, fraudu-
lent to fraud-ulent. But note that words ending in able and ible
are exceptions: read-able is preferable to reada-ble; convert-ible to
convert i-ble.
11. Do not divide a word so that either part is unpro-
nounceable.
Examples:
ship-ment, not shipm-enl; sal-vage, not salv-age; mem-ber, not
memb-er; illus-trat.cd, not iU.itr-titf<!.
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
12. Endeavor to divide the word so that the first part
suggests what the rest of the word is to be. Do not
divide so that the reader is led to infer the wrong pro-
nunciation.
Examples:
re-adjust, not read-just (read may suggest readable or reading},
plu-rality, not plural-ity; hide-ous suggests a word like hidebound,
and no division is desirable; and ear-nest is hardly recognizable as
earnest.
13. Avoid dividing a word after or before a single letter.
Examples :
enor-mous is preferable to e-normous, odious-ly is preferable to
o-diously, bac-teria is preferable to bacteri-a, pana-cea to panace-a.
14. Do not divide the last word of a paragraph so that
the next line consists of only a fragment of a word.
15. Do not divide words between pages.
Compound or Hyphenated Words
It is sometimes difficult to decide whether a compound
word or expression should be spelled as one word, like
steamship; whether it should be hyphenated, like two-
thirds; or whether the words should be separate, like
public opinion. Often it is possible to settle the point by
consulting the dictionary, but in many instances the com-
pound expression will not be found in the dictionary and
you must rely upon your own judgment.
In view of the fact, moreover, that current usage is so
varied, and that often (as in the compounding of adjec-
tive phrases like "a well-to-do man") the decision depends
upon the sense of the dictated matter, no rigid rules can
be given.
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
It should be borne in mind, however, that the chief
purposes of hyphenation are to make the meaning clear to
the reader. In this connection, note the difference in
meaning between a crude oilman and a crude-oil man;
between good looking-glasses and good-looking glasses; be-
tween the new stock-room and the new-stock room. Hy-
phenation is also used to avoid certain combinations of
letters that may confuse the reader, as in wall-like (not
walllike), and that may cause trouble in the pronunciation
of the word, as in co-ordinate (not coordinate).
One of the best ways by which to acquire a good knowl-
edge of this subject is to notice the usage in the magazines
and newspapers that you read. The following sugges-
tions, however, may be of assistance:
NOTE. Compound words are formed by adding to a complete
word one or more independent words, as "self-defense" and
"buttonhole"; by adding a prefix, as in "ex-mayor" and " sub-
way"; or by adding a suffix, as in "steel-/i%-e" and "hope/w/."
1. The .hyphen should not be used unless clearness
demands it. In fact, the tendency in business is to restrict
its use. Many business houses no longer hyphenate such
words as today, tomorrow, and tonight, though conservative
writers still retain the hyphen. It is good practice to
combine as one word closely related parts that have been
used together so long as to have lost their separate mean-
ings or have come to stand as one entity, as bondholder,
bookkeeper, taxpayer. Loosely, related parts (if indepen-
dent words) should be written as separate words, as de-
partment store, life insurance company, card index.
2. Words compounded with man, power, ship are
usually inseparable units, as foreman, workman, horse-
power, waterpower, steamship, airship.
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
3. Compound adjectives preceding the noun they modify
are usually written with the hyphen to express one attribute,
as law-abiding citizen, well-to-do man, well-informed sales-
man, eight-cylinder car, long-deferred payment, thirty-first
order, short-time investment, up-town office, cotton-and-
wool fabric, hard-and-fast rule.
NOTE. This general rule also governs the following specific cases:
a. Fractions are hyphenated, as in one-tenth interest; a two-thirds
vote.
b. Numerals, whether expressed in words or in figures, used in
combination with another modifier, are united by a hyphen,
as in a two-story house, ten-cent store, a 6-inch rope.
4. Compound adjectives used as predicate adjectives
are usually written as two words.
Examples:
Our salesman is well informed on this matter.-
The office is up town.
NOTE. Observe the difference in compound adjectives in
this sentence:
"His well-deserved success in the chain-store field together
with his recently acquired backing enabled him to organize
a corporation that is now well known."
But note the hyphenation in such commonly used com-
binations as those shown in these sentences:
"His action was ill-advised," "He is well-to-do"
5. Prefixes and suffixes are usually joined to a word
without the use of a hyphen.
Examples :
transatlantic, resell, sublet, semiannual, interstate, threefold,
brother/tood, authorship, ladylike.
Exceptions:
a. In general, if the prefix ends and the word begins with the same
105
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
vowel, or if the letter following the prefix is a capital, use tl:e
hyphen, as in anti-imperial, anti-Knglixh, unti-Hrilixh, coordi-
nate, re-elected.
b. Always use the hyphen after ex, as in ex-officer, ex-Congress-
man.
c. The hyphen is generally used between a prefix and a word if
the combination is similar to another in form but dim-rent in
meaning.
Examples:
The soldiers were re-formed [formed into lines again].
The soldiers were reformed [their habits were amended].
He re-presented the argument [presented it again].
He represented his company at the convention [he performed
the duties of].
d. Use the hyphen after quasi, as in quasi-contract, quasi-
corporation.
e. If the word ends with doubled letters and the suffix begins
with the same letter, the hyphen may generally be used, as in
doll-like.
6. Points of the compass are generally written as one
word, as southeast, northwest. But when one of the words
is repeated, use the hyphen, as south-southeast.
7. Civil and military titles composed of two or more
words may be hyphenated, as in sergeant-at-arms, lieu-
tenant-colonel, commander-in-chief. [The United States
Government Style Book, 1913, p. 92, attempts to stand-
ardize practice in such cases and gives the rule "Omit
the hyphen in civil and military titles, as Attorney Gen-
eral . . . lieutenant colonel, etc." The trend of usage seems
to favor this rule.]
8. Unusual combinations of words that express a unity
of idea are commonly hyphenated, as "take-ii-or-leaic-ii
attitude," "bull-in-the-china-shop activities."
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Use of Abbreviations
1. As a general rule it is not advisable to use abbrevia-
tions in the body of a letter, for the reader may not under-
stand the abbreviation. Exceptions to this rule are such
common and well-known abbreviations as i.e., e.g., etc.,
and a.m.
2. Do not capitalize abbreviations unless the words
themselves are properly capitalized; for examples, use
c. o. d. instead of C. 0. D., a.m., instead of A.M.; but A.D
is properly capitalized and so are C.P.A. (Certified Public
Accountant), B.A. (Bachelor of Arts), C. P. R. (Canadian
Pacific Railroad).
3. Do not abbreviate Christian names, as Chas. for
Charles, Wm. for William. Either use the full initials or
spell out the name, as C. T. Brown or Charles T. Brown.
4. Most abbreviations are followed by a period. But if
the abbreviation is a contraction, like reed and ass'n
(association), the apostrophe is used to show that letters
are omitted. The period is not needed. (See pages 151
and 152, rules 1 and 2.)
5. The period that indicates an abbreviation may be
used with any other punctuation mark, but not with
another period.
Right : The goods were sent c. o. d., for their credit rating was not
good.
Right: We delivered the package to 215 West 10th St. (Not
West 10th St..)
6. The plural of most abbreviations is formed by add-
ing s.
107
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Examples:
bldgs., hrs., mfrs., bbls., Ibs.
NOTE. The plural of B/L is written Bs/L and also B/Ls.
The former seems to be the more logical form.
7. The authorized forms for O.K. are: O.K.'d, O.K.ing,
O.K.'s.
8. Following is a list of the more common abbreviations
and their meanings :
abst. abstract
acct. or a/c account
A. D. In the year of our Lord
(Since the birth of Christ)
ad inf. (ad infmitum), without
end
ad int. (ad interim), in the
meantime
ad lib. (ad libitum), at pleasure
admr. administrator
admrx. administratrix
ad vol. (ad valorem), according
to value
adttt. or ad. advertisement
ni.it. agent
A.M. or a.m. forenoon
unit, amount
anon, anonymous
ana. answer
apt. apartment
art. article
a/ account sales
asm. association
d.^-t. assistant
asstd. assorted
ntt. attention
fir. average
Ave. avenue
Al first class
bal.
b.b.
bbl.
bdl.
bds.
B. C.
balance
bill book
barrel
bundle
boards
Before Christ
b/e or 6. e. bill of exchange
I x.1*. bags
bk. bank; bark; book
bkt. basket
B/L or b/l bill of lading
bldg. building
Uk. black
Us. bales
b.m. board measure.
b. o. buyer's option
Bro(s). Brother (Brothers)
bu. bushel
B/P Bills payable
B/R Bills receivable
B/S bill of sale
bx. box
c. or cts. cents
c. a. d. cash against documents
c. a. f. cost and freight
cap. capital
c. b. cash book
cf. compare
108
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
chap, chapter
chgd. charged
c.i.f. cost, insurance, freight
c. I. carload lots
Co. company
C/0 or c/o care of
C. 0, D. or c. o. d. cash on delivery
cr. creditor
c/r company's risk
c/s or cs. cases
ctg. cartage
c. w. o. cash with order
cwt. hundredweight
d. pence
dbk. drawback
d.d. day's date; days after date
d. & w. t. f. daily and weekly till
forbidden
deb. debenture
dept. department
dfl. draft
disct. discount
div. dividend
d/o delivery order
do. ditto (the same)
doz. dozen
dr. debtor
d.s. days after sight
ds. days
D. V. God willing
dwt. pennyweight
ea. each
ed. editor
e. e. errors excepted
e. & o. e. errors and omissions
excepted
e. g. for example
Eng. English
e. o. d. every other day
e. o. m. end of month
et al. and others
etc. et cetera (and so forth)
et seq. and the following
ex. example
exch. or ex. exchange
ex cp. without coupon
ex div. or xd. without dividend
exp. expense
exp. express
/. a. a. free of all average
/. o. g. fair average quality
/. a. . free aside ship
/. or fol. folio
fcp. foolscap
fig. figure
F. 0. B. or /. o. b. free on board
/. o. r. free on road; free on rail
for'd forward
/. o. s. free on steamer
/. o. t . free on truck
Fr. French
fr. francs
frt. or fgt. freight
ft. feet or foot
g. a. general average
gal. gallon
gen. or gen I general
g. m. q. good marketable quality
g. t. c. good till canceled
gr. gro. great gross
gro. gross
grs. grains; gross
hdkf. handkerchief
hf. half
hhd. hogshead
h. p. horsepower
hund. hundred
109
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
i. 6. invoice book
ib. or ibid, the same; from the
same source
id. the same
i. e. that is
in. inches
Inc. Incorporated
ins. insurance
inat. instant (the present month)
int. interest
inc. invoice
invt. inventory
/. 0. U. I owe you
j/a joint account
jour, journal
jr. junior
k. carat
kg. keg
Ib. pound or pounds
I. c. I. less than carload lota
l/c letter of credit
/./. ledger folio
/. /. long ton
Lid. Limited (With name of
British firm it signifies a
limited liability corpora-
tion)
M. thousand
m. or mm. minute
max. maximum
mdse. merchandise
mem. or memo, memorandum
mfd. manufactured
mfg. manufacturing
mfr. manufacturer
mgr. manager
tniii. minimum
m. o. money order
mss. manuscripts
m/s months after sight
iritg. mortgage
n. b. note carefully
n. g. no good
no.(.v) numlier (s)
n. o. p. not otherwise provided
for
N. P. Notary Public
o/d on demand
0, e. omissions excepted
0. K. all correct
o. r. owner's risk
oz. ounce or ounces
p. (pp.) page (pages)
p. & I. profit and loss
p. b. x. private board excnange
payt. payment
p. c. per cent
pc. piece
pd. paid
pfd. preferred
pk. peck
pkg. package
P.M. or p.m. afternoon
P. 0. post office
pr. pair
pref. preferred
pres. president
prin. principal
pro tern, for the time being
prox. next month
P. S. postscript
q. e. d. which was to DC proved
qr. quarter; quire
110
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
qt.
q.i
quart
which see
reed received
rear, receiver
reg. registered
R. R. railroad
refd returned
r. f. d. rural free delivery
r. s. v. p. please reply
Ry. railway
s. shillings
s. a. subject to approval
S/D sight draft
sec. or secy, secretary
sh. share
shipt. shipment
sic thus (Ordinarily bracketed
in a quotation to certify that
the preceding word is accu-
rately quoted)
sq. square
sr. senior
s.s. steamship
St. saint
St. street
stet restore
star, storage
str. steamer
super, superfine
supt. superintendent
t. ton
t. b. trial balance
t/c till countermanded
tcs. tierces
t. f. till forbidden
tel. telegraph
t. m. o. telegraph money order
ton. tonnage
tr. transpose
treas. treasurer
ult. last month
ves. vessel
via by way of
vid. see
viz. namely
vol. volume
vs. versus
w/b way bill
wk. week
wt. weight
yd. yard
yr. year
Commercial Characters
@ at
a/c account
& and
% per cent
c/o care of
(5 cents
$ dollars
pound sterling
$ number
9. The following list contains the proper abbreviations
of the names of states, territories, etc., according to the
United States Style Book. If no abbreviation is recognized
the full name is given.
Ill
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Ala. La. Oreg.
Alaska Mass. P. I. (Philippine Islands)
Ariz. Md. P. R. (Porto Rico)
Ark. Me. Pa.
Cal. Mich. R. I.
Colo. Minn. S. C.
Conn. Miss. S. Dak.
D. C. Mo. Samoa
Del. Mont. Tenn.
Fla. N. C. Tex.
Ga. N. Dak. Utah
Guam N. H. Va.
Hawaii N. J. Virgin Islands of the
Idaho N. Mex. United States
111. N. Y. Vt.
Ind. Nebr. W. Va.
Iowa Nev. Wash.
Kans. Ohio Wis.
Ky. Okla. Wyo.
10. The generally accepted abbreviations for the months
and days of the week are as follows:
Months Days
Jan. (May) Sept. Sun. Thurs.
Feb. (June) Oct. Mon. Fri.
Mar. (July) Nov. Tues. Sat.
Apr. Aug. Dec. Wed.
NOTE. In tables, accounts, and wherever matter must
be greatly condensed, the following are used, but they are
undesirable elsewhere:
Months Days
Ja. My. S. Sn. Th.
F. Je. O. M. F.
Mr. Ju. N. Tu. St.
Ap. Ag. D. W.
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
After You Have Finished the Work
After you have finished the work go over it carefully
while it is in the machine, to make sure that you have not
misspelled or transposed letters in any words. If you
practice this safeguard you will be able to catch errors
that otherwise may come to the dictator's attention.
Chapter VII
Common Misuses of Words
ON the following pages you will find listed words and
phrases that are commonly misused in letters. Read
and study this list carefully, for you will find that this
information will be of great use to you in your work.
A, an. An is used before vowel sounds; a, before consonant sounds.
The sound of a first letter of a word must be noticed, for a conso-
nant is often silent and the word really begins with a vowel sound;
on the other hand, some letters may be either vowels or consonants,
according to their position, and hence the word may begin seem-
ingly with a vowel, but actually begins with a consonant. Ex-
amples: a youth's suit, a union suit, an honor, such a one, a humble
letter.
Accept, except. Accept means to receive vnth a consenting mind, as in
"They accepted the goods." Except [verb] means to exclude, as
in " We want you to except the last clause of this contract." Except
[preposition] means vnth the exception of, as in "We found every-
thing except the box of lace."
Affect, effect. Affect means to influence, as in "The price of the ma-
terial was greatly affected by this rumor." Effect [verb] means to
accomplish, to bring about, to cause, as in "This new system will
effect a great saving." Effect [noun] means result, as in "The effect
of the dissolution was immediately felt." Affect is never used as
a noun. Effect is used both as a verb and as a noun. Affect has
another meaning, to feign, as in "lie affected surprise at my state-
ment."
114
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Aggravate should never be used for annoy, vex, or exasperate. It means
to make worse, as in "His financial difficulties were aggravated by
this failure."
All ready, already. Already is an adverb and means by this time, as in
"When I had arrived, the business had already been completed."
All ready, an adjective phrase, means wholly ready, prepared in
every particular, as in "We are all ready to begin negotiations with
you."
All right should never be written alright.
Almost, most. Almost should be used as an adverb; most, as an ad-
jective or noun. "Most all the employees reported" is incorrect.
Write "Almost all the employees reported," or "Most of the
employees reported." [Most is also used as an adverb to form
the superlative, as hi "The most beautiful hat in stock."]
Alternative, choice. Alternative means the choice between only two
things.
Correct: One of three courses. [Not "One of three alter-
natives."]
He was given his alternative of these two courses of
action.
He had his choice of five samples at the same
price.
Among, between. Among is used in referring to more than two things;
between, in referring to two only.
Correct: The dissension among the five firms arose over a
matter of rebating.
The differences between the two departments were
soon settled.
Amount should not be used for number. Do not say, " A large amount
of people came to the store."
Anyplace, everyplace, etc. Use in any place or anywhere, etc., as in
"He could not find the letter anywhere [not anyplace]." Or,
"He could not find the letter in any place [not anyplace]."
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Apt, liable, likely. Apt, usually applied to persons, implies habitual
tendency or natural capability, as "He is apt to delay action on
such a matter." "He is apt at figures." Apt, sometimes applied to
things, is used in the sense of fitting, appropriate, as "You used an
apt word in describing him." Liable expresses openness to some-
thing disadvantageous; it suggests danger, as "By breaking your
contract, you have become liable to damages." Likely expresses
probability, as in "It is likely [not apt, liable] to rain to-morrow."
As ... as, so ... as. So ... an \s used in negative statements instead
of as ... as.
Correct: The catalogs are not so good looking as you said
they would be.
As, like. As is the correct word when a verb follows or is understood
to follow. "He is not prompt in his payments like we are" is in-
correct. It should be, "He is not prompt in his payments as we
are." See Like.
As, that. As should never be confused with that. "We do not know
as we can do that" is incorrect.
At about. Drop the at. "The letter was mailed at about two o'clock"
is incorrect.
Awful should not be used loosely. It means inspiring urith awe. "He
does awful work" is incorrect.
Badly should not be used for very much or a great deal. " We want badly
to have you come to see us" should read "We want very much
to have you come to see us."
Balance, remainder, rest. It is incorrect to say "We spent the balance
of the day at his office." Balance means the difference between the
two sides of an account, as in "Our balance at the bank is $2,514."
We say "The rest [not balance] of the directors stayed in the room,"
and "Kindly send the remainder [not balance] of the goods."
Beside, besides, are not interchangeable. Beside.t means in addition to,
moreover, as in "Besides this inducement, we can offer you others."
Beside means near, close to, as in "His desk is beside the entrance."
Never use beside of.
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Best of any. Do not use best or any other superlative with any, as in
the following sentences marked "Wrong":
Wrong: This pencil-sharpener is the best of any I've tried.
Right : This pencil-sharpener is the best of those I've tried.
Wrong: My hats are the most stylish of any manufactured in
America.
Right: My hats are the most stylish of those manufactured
in America.
Blame it on is incorrectly used for put the blame on or blame. Blame a
person [direct object] for a thing; do not blame the thing [it] on
the person.
Both, each. Use both for two considered jointly; each, for one of two
or more.
Correct: Each salesman [not both salesmen] was presented
with a watch.
Each jobber [not both jobbers] tried to cut prices on
the other.
Bound, determine. Bound refers to outside compulsion. Determine
means a decision made by a person.
Correct : We are not bound by law to pay this debt, but we
are determined to do so.
Bring, carry, fetch, take. These words have different meanings.
Bring suggests motion toward the speaker, as in "Bring me that
catalog." Take suggests motion away from the speaker, as in
" Take these books from my desk." Fetch suggests going away
from the speaker for a thing and returning with it. Carry suggests
an indefinite motion.
But. Do not use but after a negative in the sense of only.
Wrong: There aren't but ten boxes left.
Right: There are but ten boxes left.
But that is often incorrectly used for that.
Correct: We have no doubt that [not but that] you sent the
full dozen.
It is not unlikely that [not but that] you overlooked
this fact.
9 117
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
But what is often incorrectly used for that, but that, etc.
Correct: I don't know but that [not but what] he is right.
I don't doubt that [not but wfuit] he will try it again.
There is no salesman who does not iruike [not but
what makes; not but who makes] some errors in his
report. But what is correctly used in " He wrote a
long letter, but what he said was not important,"
and "He does nothing but what he wants to do."
Can, may. Can denotes power or ability and should not be used for
may, which denotes permission.
Wrong: Can I forward these suits to you?
Right: May I forward these suits to you?
Cannot but. This expression should not be used interchangeably
with can but, as the two expressions differ in meaning. The ex-
pression "We can but try" means "All we can do is to try." " We
cannot but try" means "We cannot help trying."
Can't seem is a vulgarism. Write "seem unable" or "do not seem able."
Wrong: I can't seem to get it.
Right: I seem unable to get it.
Capacity, ability. Capacity means the power of receiving. It has refer-
ence to the receptive powers, as in "He has the capacity to learn."
Ability means the power to perform, to do. It has reference to
the active exercise of our faculties, as in "He has the ability to do
this work."
Character, reputation. A person's character is his real nature; hia
reputation is his supposed nature.
Common, mutual. Common means belonging to more than one. Mutual
means interchanged, reciprocal.
Wrong: Hawkins and I had a mutual purpose in calling on
Davis & Co.
Right: Hawkins and I had a common purpose in calling on
Davis & Co.
Right: Since that time, George and I have had a mutual
respect for each other.
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Consul, council, counsel. A consul is an official governmental repre-
sentative. A council is an assembly convened for consultation and
advice. Counsel means advice or a legal adviser.
Custom, habit. Custom means an action voluntarily repeated. Habit
means a tendency to repeat a certain action without volition.
Data is the plural of datum. Hence, we speak of these [not this] data,
and say "My data were [not was] convincing."
Deal is a vulgarism for transaction, arrangement, agreement, etc.
Differ from, differ with. Persons, things, and opinions differ from
one another; persons differ in opinion with one another. "I differ
from him in attitude, but I do not differ with him with regard to the
final action."
Different than. "Our paint is different than all others" is incorrect.
It should read "Our paint is different from all others." Different
should not be completed by a than clause, but always by a from
phrase.
Directly is often misused for as soon as, as in "Directly we receive your
order we shall ship it." This should read "As soon as we receive
your order we shall ship it."
Disagree is generally followed by with, not from.
Correct: He disagreed with me over the terms of the con-
tract.
Don't is a contraction of do not; therefore, it is ungrammatical when
used with a subject in the third person singular. One may say
"/ don't" but not "He don't." Say "He doesn't."
Due to should not be used unless it definitely refers to a noun. It is
used in the sense of attributable.
Faulty: He succeeded, due to his persistence.
Correct: He succeeded because of his persistence. [Or,]
His success was due to his persistence.
Each other should not be used for one another. Each other should not
be use,d unless each member of a group is represented as in a cer-
tain relation to every other member.
119
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Wrong: The changes in the style of cloaks to be worn next
year are rapidly following each other.
Right: The changes in the style of cloaks to be worn next
year are rapidly following one another.
Right: The two members of the firm are very much
devoted to each other.
Right: In this crisis we have decided to stand by each
other.
[Each member of the group governed by the word
we has decided to stand by every otfier member.]
Effect. See Affect.
Either, neither. Either and neither should not be used to designate
more than two persons or things. To designate one of three or
more, write any one or none.
Wrong: The firm ordered three of its salesmen to report on
Friday, but neither of them came in.
Right: The firm ordered three of its salesmen to report on
Friday, but none of them came in.
Else. Write "Somebody else's desk"; not " Somebody's else desk."
Enormity, enormousness. Enormity has reference to moral quality;
enormousness to size.
Right: He does not realize the enormity of his crime.
Right: The enormousness of the undertaking did not affect
them.
Enthuse. Not in good use.
Correct: He became enthusiastic [not enthused].
The sales prospects made me enthusiastic [not
enthused me].
Everyplace. See Anyplace.
Excellent should not be qualified; it is superlative.
Wrong: This proposition is most excellent.
Right: This proposition is excellent.
Except (verb). See Accept.
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Except (preposition) should not be used as a conjunction.
Wrong: The shippers won't do that except you ask them.
Right: The shippers won't do that unless you ask them.
Exceptional, exceptionable. Exceptional means forming or making an
exception, out of the ordinary. Exceptionable means liable to ob-
jection.
Correct : In exceptional cases, we do allow an extra discount
of 2 per cent.
I considered his manner of speaking exceptionable.
[Compare with "I took exception to his manner of
speaking."]
Expect, suppose, suspect. Expect means to entertain at least a slight
belief that an event will happen. Suppose means to believe, to receive
as true. Suspect means to mistrust, to imagine that something
exists, but untliout proof.
Correct: I suppose [not expect] that is so.
I expect [not suspect] that he will telephone to us.
I suspect that he has not treated us fairly.
Farther, further. Farther refers to distance; further, to that which is
more or additional. "We wrote no thing further." "tie is farther
from his source of supply than is any other dealer."
Fewer, less. Fewer refers to number; less, to amount, degree,
quantity, etc.
Correct: The fewer [not less] accounts we have, the less
money we shall need.
Find, locate. Find means to come upon by seeking. Locate means to
set in a particular place.
Correct: I could not find [not locate] you in your office yes-
terday.
We shall locate our store in New Haven.
Former, latter. Former and latter should not be used to designate one
of more than two persons or things. For designating one of three
or more, say "first," "first-named," or "last," "last-named."
Got is very often misused. " What has that got to do with it? " should be
"What has that to do with it?" "We have got to leave" should
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
be "We are obliged to leave." "Have you got timo?" should be
"Have you time?" "I have got their order" is correct becau.M- it
means "I have secured their order." Got should, therefore, not be
used unless the intended meaning is secured.
Gotten is an obsolete form. Say got.
Had of. See Of.
Had ought. Ought is never used with an auxiliary.
Wrong: He had ought to have written.
Right : He ought to have written.
Hanged, hung. Hanged should be used in reference only to an execu-
tion, as in "Hanged on the gallows."
Wrong: Many pictures had been hanged in the display
window.
Right : Many pictures had been hung in the display window.
Hardly. Do not use hardly after a negative.
Wrong: We couldn't hardly change our plans now.
Right: We could hardly change our plans now.
Have got. See Got.
Healthy, healthful, wholesome. We say "a healthy [possessing health]
man"; "a healthful [conducive to health] place"; "wholesome
food."
Help should not be used for employees, workers, etc.
Imply, infer. Imply means virtually to include or virtually to mean, as
in " Your attitude implies that you desire to break your contract."
Infer means to conclude, to deduce, as in " I infer from your attitude
that you desire to break your contract."
In is generally incorrect when used to express motion. Use into.
Correct: We saw him just as he stepped into [not in] the
store.
Infer. See Imply.
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Inside of. In expressions of time, say within, as in " This will be shipped
within four days." [Not "inside of four days."]
Its, it's. The -possessive pronoun is its. It's is the abbreviation of it is.
Kind, sort, are singular. Do not say "We do not have those kind of books
in stock."
Kind of, sort of (1) should not be followed by a or an.
Wrong: We do not have that kind of an engine.
Right: We do not have that kind of engine.
Wrong: What sort of a man is he?
Right : What sort of man is he?
(2) should not be used to modify verbs or adjectives;
say somewhat, somehow, or rather.
Wrong: Business is sort of quiet.
Right: Business is rather quiet.
Correct : I rather [not kind of] thought that he would do that.
Kindly. Be careful of the position of kindly.
Wrong: We kindly ask that you let us know by return mail.
Right: We ask that you kindly let us know by return mail.
Lay, lie, are frequently confounded. Lay [to put down] is a transitive
verb and takes an object. Lie [to recline] is an intransitive verb
and does not take an object. The principal parts are:
Present Past Perfect
I lie I lay I have lain
I lay I laid I have laid
Correct: I left the office and went home to lie down.
He laid the file on my desk.
Feeling sick, he lay down.
Feeling tired, I laid the books on the table.
Leave, let. Leave means to abandon; let means to allow.
Correct: Let [not leave] him be.
Let [not leave] that stand as it is.
Led, lead. Lead is commonly misused for the past tense [led] of to lead.
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Less. See Fewer.
Liable. See Apt.
Like sometimes means similar to, as in "The selling plan was like one
of which we had heard before." "He is like the old Mr. Arth."
Like, in the sense of in the same manner as, is followed by a noun
or a pronoun in the objective case, and is called by some gram-
marians an adverb; by others, a preposition e.g., "He writes
like the bookkeeper." " He talks like me." Like should never be
used to introduce a subject with a verb; use as or as if.
Correct: Do this as [not like] we want you to do it.
Do as [not like] I do.
It looks as if [not like] it may snow to-morrow.
Likely. See Apt.
Lose, loose. Loose is commonly misused for lose.
Correct : If we lose [not loose] this sale you are to blame.
Loose means to untie, to set free.
Lot, lots. Lot means a distinct part or parcel. Do not use for much
or many.
Correct: We know many [not lots of] business concerns that
will be glad to buy this appliance.
Majority, plurality, most. Majority means more than half the whole
number, as in "The majority of the directors favored my plan."
[This suggests a formal count of votes.] "Most of the directors
favored my plan." [This suggests an informal test of opinion.]
Use most for the greater number in ordinary cases, when a technical
majority or plurality is not meant. Majority is sometimes used
to designate the number by which votes cast for one candidate
exceed those of the opposition, as in "He was elected treasurer
by a majority of five votes." Plurality designates a number greater
than any other one number within the whole. In an election, A
receives 612 votes; B, 514 votes; and C, 230 votes. A's 612 votes
constitutes a plurality, but not a majority. A's plurality [the excess
of votes over the nearest competitor] is 98 votes.
May. See Can.
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Might of. See Of.
Most. See Almost. See Majority.
Much, many. Do not use much for many. Much refers to quantity;
many, to number.
Wrong: We shipped as much as twenty-five boxes.
Right: We shipped as many as twenty-five boxes.
Much, too, very. Do not use too or very with participles when the verbal
idea prevails. Use much, too much, or very much.
Wrong: I was too disturbed to take any action.
Right: I was too much disturbed to take any action.
Wrong: We were very pleased to receive your letter.
Right : We were much pleased to receive your letter.
Must of. See Of.
Myself is an intensive or reflexive pronoun. Do not use it when the
simple personal pronoun [7 or me] will suffice.
Correct: The chief engineer and / [not myself] inspected the
factory.
He wrote to John and me [not myself].
Near should not be used for nearly.
Wrong: The final returns from this bond will be not near
so much as from the other.
Right: The final returns from this bond will be not nearly
so much as from the other.
Neither. Do not use neither with reference to more than two objects.
Wrong: Neither of the four applicants came to the office.
Right: Not one of the four applicants came to the office.
Notoriety, notorious, are almost always used in an ill or unfavorable
sense, as in "The notoriety of his crime" and "a notorious thief."
Say "a business man of note" [not a notorious business man, unless
you mean "a business man of ill repute"]; say "much publicity was
given to this real-estate transaction" [not notoriety, unless you
mean unpleasant publicity].
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Of. Could of, may of, might of, must of, should of, and would of arc illiterate
vulgarisms for could have, may have, might have, must have, should
have, and uoould have.
Off of. Of is unnecessary.
Right: When we took the cover off [not off of] the box, we
noticed that the contents seemed to be damaged.
One. "Not a one returned to work." Omit a.
Ones. Do not say the ones; say those.
Wrong: The ones we have received are shop-worn.
Right : Those we have received are shop-worn.
Only is very commonly misplaced, so that the real meaning is not clear.
Place only next to the word or phrase to be qualified.
He only signed the letter. [He did not dictate it.]
He signed only the letter. [He did not sign anything else.]
Only he signed the letter. [No one else signed it.]
He signed the letter only. [He did not sign anything else.]
Onto. Upon, or some equivalent expression, is usually preferable.
Ought. See Had.
Partial may mean incomplete or biased. Hence, ambiguity sometimes
arises, as in " His letter contained a partial statement [incomplete?
biased?] of the accident." Whenever you use partial, guard against
such ambiguity.
Party means a person or group of persons taking part. It is incorrectly
used to mean simply a person, except in legal phrases.
Wrong: The party who ordered the samples was Fred Jones.
Right : The person who ordered the samples was Fred Jones.
Right: The contracting parties signed the lease.
Right: Each party to the contract was satisfied.
Per cent., percentage. Per cent or per cent, means per hundred. Per-
centage is a noun meaning rate per cent, rate per hundred.
Correct: The legal rate is six per cent.
In addition to my salary, I receive a percentage [not
per cent] on all sales.
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Plenty is incorrect when used as an adverb.
Wrong: He is plenty good for us and should be for you.
Right: He is good enough for us and should be for you.
Plurality. See Majority.
Posted. Use inform instead. Ledgers are posted. "He is well informed
[not posted] on that point."
Practicable, practical. Practicable means capable of being put into
practice, feasible. It is never used of persons, but of things only.
"His plan is practicable." Practical, used of persons, means
experienced by actual practice, as in "He is a practical man in the
candy business." Practical, used of things, means valuable in prac-
tice, useful as opposed to theoretical, as in " He has a practical knowl-
edge of this business."
Prefer should be completed by to, above, or before; not by than, or rather
than.
Wrong: I prefer this style of hat rather than that style.
Right: I prefer this style of hat to that style.
Wrong: We prefer dealing with you than with any one else.
Right: We prefer dealing with you to dealing with any one
else.
Principal, principle. Principal [noun] means a leader or chief; the em-
ployer of one who acts as agent; a sum on which interest accrues.
Principal [adjective] means highest in character, rank, or importance.
Principle is used only as a noun and means a general truth, in-
formation, or belief.
Correct : The principal of this note must be paid by January 8.
He is the principal of the school.
The principal man is the Mayor.
It is the principle of the case which interests us.
Propose means to offer for consideration, as in "I proposed that we
should enter the candy business." Do not use propose for intend
or purpose.
Wrong: I propose to tell you the whole story.
Right: I intend to tell you the whole story.
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Proposition means a thing proposed or the act of proposing. Do not use
for work, task, problem, project, etc.
Correct: To handle these forty salesmen is a hard task [not
proposition}.
Proven should not be used except as an adjective; otherwise use proved.
Provided, providing. Do not use the participle providing [meaning
to furnish] in place of the conjunction provided [meaning on con-
dition that, if],
Wrong: Providing the firm is willing, I shall be glad to
handle that.
Right : Provided the firm is willing, I shall be glad to handle
that.
Quantity should not be used for number. See Amount.
Wrong : We have had a large quantity of suits returned to us.
Right: We have had a large number of suits returned to us.
Rarely ever. Do not use. Say rarely or hardly ever.
Wrong: They rarely ever act as agents.
Right: They rarely act as agents. [Or,] They hardly ever
act as agents.
Real. Do not use for very.
Wrong: We consider this a real good offer.
Right: We consider this a very good offer.
Reason is, the. Such an expression as the reason is should not be com-
pleted with (1) a because of phrase, as in "The reason he did not
agree to the'eontract vfas.because of their impatience," (2) a because
clause, as in "The reason he did not agree to the contract was
because they were impatient," (3) a due to phrase, as in "The
reason he did not agree to the contract was due to their im-
patience." Complete it with a that clause, as in " The reason he did
not sell was that the price offered was too low."
Same. Do not use for it, they, etc., except in legal or quasi-legal writing.
Wrong: We have received your order and shall fill tame
within five days.
Right: We have received your order and shall fill it within
five days.
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Wrong: We are sending you two extra parts. If you cannot
use the same, kindly return them to us.
Right : We are sending you two extra parts. If you cannot
use them, kindly return them to us.
Scarcely. Do not use scarcely after a negative.
Wrong: There was not scarcely five dollars in the cash
register.
Right : There was scarcely five dollars in the cash register.
Seem, can't seem. See Can't.
Seldom or ever. Used incorrectly for seldom or never, and seldom if ever.
Should of. See Of.
Show up. Vulgarly used in the sense of appear, come, be present, or in
the sense of show or expose.
Wrong: He showed up at the last minute.
Right: He appeared at the last minute.
Wrong: We are going to show up your last transaction.
Right: We are going to expose your last transaction.
Size. Do not use size as an adjective; use sized or of size.
Wrong: We are sure that you can use these larger size
plates.
Right: We are sure that you can use these larger sized
plates.
Wrong: We have in stock every size tire.
Right: We have in stock tires of every size.
Size up. Vulgarly used in the sense of judge, estimate, as " It didn't
take long to size him up."
Some is often incorrectly used for somewhat.
Correct: This plot of land is somewhat larger than French's.
[Not some larger.]
Some place. Misused for somewhere.
Correct: He put it somewhere [not some place],
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Sort of. See Kind of.
Such. (1) Do not use who, which, or ttiat in the relative clause completing
such; use as.
Wrong: He offered to complete the transaction under such
conditions that we proposed.
Wrong: Such officers who see fit should sign and mail the
inclosed card.
(2) When such is completed by a result clause use that alone,
not .-" that.
Wrong: We are bound by such an agreement so that we are
unable to do business with you.
Right: We are bound by such an agreement that we are
unable to do business with you.
Take used in connection with other verbs is sometimes superfluous.
Wrong: Take and use the bottle of polish which we are
sending to you.
Right : Use the bottle of polish which we are sending to you.
That [relative pronoun]. See Who.
That there. See This here.
Therefore, therefor, are often confounded. Therefore means for that
reason, as in "As we have carefully tested this varnish for five
years, we therefore recommend it to you." Therefor means for that,
for this, for it, as in "The party of the second part agrees to pay
therefor the sum of $500."
These here. See This here.
These kind, these sort. See Kind.
This here, these here, that there, those there. Do not use. Say this,
these, those, or that.
Through. Do not use in the sense of finished, left.
Wrong: We are not through with the construction of the
building.
Right: We have not finished with the construction, of the
building.
ISO
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Wrong: He got through with us in April.
Right: He left us in April.
Till, until, are interchangeable when the meaning is to the time of.
To [preposition] is often carelessly used for too [adverb].
Correct: He has gone too [not to] far in this matter.
Too alone should not modify a past participle, as in "I was too disturbed
to do anything." Insert much. See Much.
Transpire is not correctly used in the sense of occur or happen. It means
to become known.
Wrong: The robbery transpired in broad daylight.
Right: The robbery occurred in broad daylight.
Unique means the only one of its kind. It does not mean odd or rare.
Correct: These Japanese prints are very rare [not unique].
Unique is incapable of comparison. We cannot say " These wrist
watches are most unique."
Up should not be used with such words as divide, finish, open, settle,
write; as in "He finished up his work and then wrote up his
report."
Very is a much overworked word. Like best, it has lost a great deal of
its power. See Much, also.
Way should be used with a preposition.
Wrong: Why did you act that way?
Right: Why did you act in that way?
What. See But what.
Where is often misused for that.
Wrong: I saw in your report where we should use a new
system.
Right: I saw in your report your recommendation that
we should use a new system.
Which. Do not use which to refer to persons. See Who.
131
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MAM AL
Wrong: The employees which signed that paper ought to
be discharged.
Right : The employees who signed that paper ought to be
discharged.
Who, which, that [as relative pronouns]. Who relates usually to per-
sons, as in "We shall send our attorney, who will try to make an
agreement with you." It is usually better to use which in referring
to animals. Which relates to animals and things, as in "The
cattle which we shipped you should have been looked after more
carefully," "Some of the books which we received were damaged."
That relates to persons, animals, and things, as in "The only man
that can do this kind of advertising is Frank Worth," "Prices
ruled low on all the calves that we sent to Chicago," "The only
point that you should remember is the quality of this silk." Who
and which introduce both restrictive and unrest rictive clauses;
that, usually a restrictive clause only. [See page 139, rule 18,
notes 1 and 2.]
Wholesome. See Healthy.
Whose is the possessive case of who and not of which. Do not use it in
referring to inanimate things.
Wrong: I turned to the next page, on whose margin certain
figures had been written.
Right: I turned to the next page, on the margin of which
certain figures had been written.
Without should not be used in the sense of unless.
Wrong: I told him not to do that without he first asked me.
Chapter VIII
How to Punctuate and Capitalize
The Ability to Punctuate Correctly
THE ability to punctuate correctly is an essential part
of the general ability that the good stenographer must
possess. It is as much a part of her stock in trade as is
her ability to take dictation in shorthand. This statement
is true because of the fact that a letter which is incorrectly
or inadequately punctuated often lacks clearness or con-
veys a meaning the dictator did not intend. Hence, the
effect of incorrect punctuating may offset the correct
taking of dictation. Consider this sentence, taken from a
letter: "I found him in the hallway smoking a thing I do
not like to see." What the dictator had in mind was
this: "I found him in the hallway smoking a thing I do
not like to see." The omission of the dash entirely
changed the meaning. And here is another example show-
ing how the omission of a punctuation mark can obscure
the meaning of a sentence: "As he refused to pay his
account was handed to our attorneys for collection."
A comma is needed after "pay" if the reader is to
secure the correct sense when he reads the sentence
the first time.
In view of the fact that many dictators do not dictate
the punctuation to go into the letter, it is necessary that
10 133
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
the stenographer be able to supply the proper punctua-
tion. To do this so that the dictator's meaning will be
correctly and exactly set forth, the stenographer must
have at her finger tips such a ready command of punctua-
tion that she can insert just the right marks while she is
taking the dictation. It is hardly possible to do this cor-
rectly after the dictation, for by that time she may have
forgotten the sense of the dictation, the pauses and in-
tonations of the dictator, and the other matters which
at the time of dictation will tell her how this sentence and
that sentence should be punctuated.
What Punctuation Is
Punctuation is a device for indicating to the reader the
exact meaning, sense, and emphasis of the writer's thought.
It helps to suggest pauses, inflections, and intonations that
in speaking are so useful in making thoughts clear. In
some instances (abbreviations, for example) the rules are
binding; in other instances, the rules permit of the use
of personal judgment. But in order to exercise your judg-
ment wisely you should know, and know well, the precise
result in meaning that is secured by the use of the various
punctuation marks. Study the following rules and master
them not in a mechanical way, but in a way that will
help you to indicate unmistakably to the reader the dic-
tator's exact meaning.
Uses of the Comma (,)
1. The comma (,) indicates the smallest degree of
separation. It suggests that the thought is still unfinished
and that the words which follow are closely related with
those which precede^
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
2. To separate long numbers for quick and easy com-
prehension, use commas to divide the figures into groups
of threes. The division begins at the end of the numbe^r,
or at the decimal point, if there is one, and proceeds to
the left.
Right: 84,107,932
Right: $73,666.67
NOTE. It is good practice not to use commas to divide
into groups of threes the serial numbers of bonds, stocks,
insurance policies, etc.
Three 8% U. S. Rubber Co. debenture bonds, numbered respec-
tively A34685, A34686, and A28690.
3. After the salutation of a letter, use the colon or
comma.
Right: Dear Sir:
Dear John,
4. To indicate the omission of words that can easily
be supplied by the reader [called an ellipsis], use the
comma.
Right: Price, $2.50
Right: Some of the ooxes were snipped yesterday; the rest,
to-day.
5. After each of a series of words or phrases in the same
construction, unless they are all connected by conjunctions,
use a comma.
Right : The colors are red, white, and blue.
NOTE. The comma is sometimes omitted between the
last two members of the series when the conjunction and
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
is used, but the safer practice is to insert it. For example,
in such a series as "Omelettes: plain, jelly, ham, Spanish
o^nion and cheese," it is easy to misinterpret the last-
named varieties as a single combination. A comma after
the word "onion" prevents this mistake.
6. Between the members of a series of adjectives or
adverbs that are co-ordinate in construction, equal in
value, and not connected by conjunctions, use commas.
Right: She is a willing, steady worker.
Right: We have shipped a large open boat.
[Here the adjectives are not co-ordinate in thought;
"open" modifies "boat"; "large" further modifies the
general term "open boat."]
Right: Send me a sample of pure white Castile soap.
[Each of these adjectives limits to a smaller group the
general group indicated by all the words that follow.]
NOTE. To determine whether adjectives or adverbs
are co-ordinate and equal, see whether their order might
properly be changed and whether they might properly be
connected by the conjunction "and."
7. To set off a noun used in apposition with, or in ex-
planation of, another noun or pronoun, use commas.
Right: You will understand, Mr. Fall, that we have done our
best in this matter.
Right: He stayed at our headquarters, the Hotel Astor.
8. To separate the elements of a date or address, use the
comma.
Right: Springfield, Mass.
Right: January 12, 1921.
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
NOTE. In England it is customary to set off the name
of the month from the number of the day, as "January,
12, 1921."
9. Commas are unnecessary at the ends of the lines
composing an inside address or envelope superscription,
although the more conservative practice is to include
them there. The tendency in business, however, is to
omit punctuation where separations are made by other
means.
10. To set off from the rest of the sentence any con-
nective that breaks the continuity of thought, especially
the adverbs however, too, perhaps, and indeed, use commas.
Right: Your first letter, however, has not reached us.
NOTE. The ordinary conjunctives at the beginning of
the sentence do not require to be set off in this way.
11. To set off a descriptive or explanatory participial
phrase, or any absolute participial phrase, use commas.
Right: Denying that he was responsible for the loss, he refused
to pay.
Right: Our factory being oversold, we are unable to accept your
order.
12. To separate from the context any short quotation
introduced directly, but informally, as the words of a
speaker, use commas with the quotation marks. [But
see page 150, rule 2.]
Right: When we read in his letter, "I shall be sure to send word
on Friday," we awaited his message.
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
NOTE. For long quotations formally introduced see
page 144, rule 6.
13. Use a comma to separate any two sentence elements
that might be misunderstood if read together.
Wrong: Ever since we have refused to do business with them.
Right: Ever since, we have refused to do business with them.
Right: I tell you, you are hurting only yourself by your attitude.
Right: We have done this, not because it is our policy, but
because this is an exceptional case.
Right: You should have taken his point of view, not your own.
NOTE. A declarative sentence, when quoted within a
sentence, has a comma at the end instead of a period. A
declarative sentence in marks of parenthesis usually has
no other punctuation at the end.
Right: When he said, "I am prepared to undertake the job,"
I handed over the contract (this was according to your
own instructions) and he signed it.
14. A short dependent clause directly following its in-
dependent clause and closely connected with it is not
separated from it by any punctuation mark.
Right: His plan received general approval although it was still
incomplete.
NOTE. In case either clause is extremely long, the
comma may be used to separate them.
15. A dependent clause preceding its independent clause
is usually separated from it by a comma.
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Right: Although his plan was incomplete, it received general
approval.
16. A dependent clause which breaks the continuity
of the independent clause is set off from it by commas.
Right: His plan, although it was incomplete, received general
approval.
17. A non-restrictive relative clause introduced by who,
which, that, and similar pronouns, is separated from the
rest of the sentence by commas.
Right: Louis, who has been with us only two years, is our best
salesman.
18. A restrictive clause is not separated from the rest
of the sentence.
Right: An investment which nets about 4% is what I am looking
for.
NOTE 1. The following test may be used to decide
whether a given clause or phrase is restrictive or non-
restrictive. If the main assertion in the sentence remains
unchanged in meaning and can stand alone when the
clause or phrase is omitted, the clause or phrase is non-
restrictive. If the main assertion of the sentence is in-
complete and cannot stand alone in meaning unless the
clause or phrase be present, the clause or phrase is re-
strictive. In the sentence, "Louis, who has been with us
only two years, is our best salesman," the clause "who
has been with us only two years" may be omitted, and the
main assertion is unaffected, namely, "Louis is our best
salesman." But in the sentence "An investment which
nets about 4% is what I am looking for," the clause
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MAM AI,
"which nets about 4%" cannot be omitted from the
sentence, for then the sentence would read, "An invest-
ment is what I am looking for," which does not give the
real meaning. In this latter case, therefore, the clause; is
restrictive.
NOTE 2. That almost invariably indicates a restrictive
clause. Who and which may indicate either a restrictive
or a non-restrictive clause.
19. A dependent clause that is essential for the com-
pleteness of the grammatical construction or the idea of
the principal clause is not separated from it.
Wrong: I said, that I would go.
Right: I said that I would go.
20. Two short independent clauses connected by one
of the simple conjunctions, such as and, but, or, and for,
are separated by the comma.
Bight: We are entitled to this privilege, for we have maintained
an average balance of $500.
NOTE. No comma is usually needed between two
parallel predicates having the same subject or between
two very short clauses.
Right: We are entitled to this discount and intend to have it.
Right: You want it and you shall have it.
21. Two independent clauses not connected by any
conjunction usually require some other mark than the
comma. Violation of this rule is known as the "comma
fault." The only exception is the case of a series of short
140
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
independent clauses, parallel in form, and closely con-
nected in idea.
Wrong: There are only a few of these machines left, we are
selling them at a great reduction.
Right: There are only a few of these machines left. We are
selling them at a great reduction.
Right: He wrote, he telephoned, he telegraphed.
Uses of the Semicolon (;)
1. The semicolon (;) indicates a wider degree of separa-
tion than does the comma, usually a separation between
clauses.
2. Two independent clauses that are co-ordinate or
contrasted in idea, but are not connected by a conjunc-
tion, are usually separated by a semicolon.
Right: Ten years from now this machine will not be in the scrap-
heap; it will be running as smoothly and silently as it
is to-day.
3. Two independent clauses joined by one of the weaker
or less common connectives, such as accordingly, besides,
hence, however, moreover, nevertheless, so, still, then, there-
fore, thus, and the like, are separated by a semicolon.
Wrong: This camera is made of aluminum, therefore it is very
light.
Right: This camera is made of aluminum; therefore it is very
light.
Wrong: You see, the motor had too much oil, then it heated up
and smoked like a volcano.
Right: You see, the motor had too much oil; then it heated up
and smoked like a volcano,
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
4. Two independent clauses that are long or complex,
and contain commas themselves, are usually separated by
the semicolon, even when joined by and and but.
Right: Although every precaution was taken to pack the goods
carefully, they suffered considerable damage, with re-
sulting loss to us; and unfortunately this state of affairs
seems likely to continue indeflnitely.
5. Any two clauses or other elements of a complex or
compound sentence may be separated by semicolons,
when commas would not make their relationship clear.
Right: We have been informed that he has refused to honor his
draft; that he has paid none of his bills, although here-
tofore he has borne a good reputation in this respect;
and that his bank account is greatly depleted.
Wrong: If we had your territory, we should sell this product to
every banker, and merchant, and nobody would escape us.
Right: If we had your territory, we should sell this product to
every banker and merchant; and nobody would escape us.
6. Two independent clauses connected by and, but, or
one of the other common conjunctions, may be empha-
sized by using the semicolon instead of the comma for
separation. [See page 140, rule 20.]
Right: The books have been audited; but the error has not
been found.
Uses of the Colon (:)
1. The colon (:) indicates a still wider degree of separa-
tion and suggests that what follows is equivalent in some
way to what precedes.
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
2. After the salutation of a letter the colon or comma is
used.
Gentlemen:
3. Between the hours and minutes indicating exact
time, use the colon.
Right: Your train leaves at 9:45.
4. Between two independent clauses that are substan-
tially equal in idea and that are not joined by any con-
junction, the colon is used. This rule covers the many
cases in which the first clause clearly anticipates and points
to the idea of the second.
Right: A man is judged by the company he keeps: to be in-
cluded in this list is in itself a proof of merit.
Right: There can be only one reason for his silence: he is unable
to answer.
5. Any series of clauses, group of ideas, or enumera-
tion that is connected with the preceding part of the sen-
tence by such expressions as namely, that is, i.e., or the like,
is set off by the colon. This rule holds good in cases where
the connective is not expressed, but is understood, as is
usual when the preceding clause ends "as follows." [The
rule does not apply to cases where a single clause follows
the connective; in such cases use the semicolon. See
page 142, rule 4.]
Right: Up to the present time, we have opened five new ac-
counts: namely, the Johnson Company, The Smith
Company, The White Company, The Jones Company,
and the Stone-Black Company.
Right: The functions of modern industry may be divided into
three parts, as follows: producing, marketing, financing.
143
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MAM'AL
NOTE. An enumeration following the colon may be
very long and consist of several sentences or even para-
graphs. Wherever each item can be written as a clause or
sentence it is preferable to make a separate paragraph
of each one, and to separate them by semicolons. The
last one, of course, ends with a period.
Right: In arranging the typography of a page the following
points should be kept in mind:
First, see that the type matter is centered slightly
above the mathematical center;
Second, see that the margins are ample, with the
widest margin at the bottom and the next widest
at the top;
Third, see that the type is easy to read, and that the
lines are not more than four and one-half inches long.
6. After a word, phrase, or clause that introduces a
long quotation, especially one that contains more than
one sentence, use the colon.
I quote from his report: "There is great need of standardization
in our letters. In one day's mail, fourteen different styles of
make-up were discovered. Many of these were correct, but a few
were sadly defective."
NOTE. Even a short quotation at the end of a sentence
may be preceded by a colon if the introduction is formal.
Right: These were his exact words: "It will cost at least two
millions."
Uses of the Period (.)
1. The period (.) is the widest mark of separation and
indicates that a thought has been completed.
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
2. After every complete declarative sentence use a
period.
Right: This work will have my personal supervision.
3. For extreme emphasis two independent clauses,
whether connected by conjunctions or not, can be isolated
and written as two separate sentences. The period here
marks the widest possible degree of separation.
Right: He promised prompt delivery. But I did not believe him.
4. After abbreviations that arc not contractions, use
the period.
Right: The Ass'n and the Co. are agreed on Mr. John Brown,
M. E., as Sec'y and Treas.
NOTE. If the abbreviation is formed by the omission
of letters and the apostrophe is used to indicate the
omission, the period at the end is unnecessary.
5. Periods are unnecessary after numerals, whether
Roman or Arabic.
Right: In Chapter XX, page 37, the author discusses this question.
Uses of the Exclamation Point (!)
1. After every complete exclamatory sentence use an
exclamation mark.
Right: What a mistake that was!
2. Exclamations are not always grammatically com-
plete. If a fragmentary thought is intended to stand
145
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
alone, it is usually best to consider it as an exclamation
and use the exclamation mark.
Right: Twenty dollars! And for that! Profiteering, pure and
simple!
3. The exclamation mark inclosed in parentheses sug-
gests irony.
This token of respect (!) was received in silence.
Uses of the Dash ( )
1. The dash ( ) indicates abruptness of change from
one idea or part of an idea to another.
2. To join numbers indicating the extremes of a series
that includes all intervening members, use the dash.
Right: 1914-1918 (This indicates a period of time beginning in
1914, proceeding through 1915, 1916, and 1917, and end-
ing in 1918.)
Right: Chapters VII-XII
3. Parenthetical phrases or clauses, ordinarily set off
by commas or parentheses, may be set off by dashes for
greater emphasis. [This device is frequently overworked.]
Right: The more you smoke our mixture you will soon find
this out the more you will like it. [Compare with rule
2, page 148.]
Right: The checking device our new feature adds much to
its efficiency.
4. In place of the comma in any of its functions the
dash may be used to secure abruptness of effect and
thereby emphasize the ideas.
146
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Right: Down down down have gone our prices. [Contrast
the effect of "Down, down, down have gone our prices,"
and "Down! Down! Down have gone our prices!"]
5. To secure a pause before an important word, espe-
cially at the end of a sentence, a dash may be used, even
though no mark of punctuation is ordinarily required
there.
Right: The secret of our success is service.
6. At the end of an unfinished statement, whether
grammatically complete or not, a dash may be used to
suggest to the reader the fact that he is expected to sup-
ply the rest of the idea himself.
Right: It's an ill wind
Right: And as for the price
7. To secure the suggestion of haste or urgency, a series
of short sentences may be run together, separated only
by dashes instead of periods.
Don't miss this chance to-morrow may be too late decide
now sign the card and mail it.
8. The dash is used before a word that sums up a preced-
ing part of the sentence, as in "His stock certificates, his
bonds, his insurance policies all were found in the safe-
deposit box."
Uses of Parentheses ( )
1. Parentheses ( ) indicate that the material within
them is merely explanatory and might have been omitted.
If read aloud, this material would probably be spoken as
an aside.
147
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
2. A complete sentence or independent clause inter-
polated in a sentence by way of explanation should he
set off by marks of parenthesis. [See also rule 3, page 146.]
Right: If you will take up this question with Mr. F. W. Banks
(he is the new manager of our Chicago office), we believe
that he will be able to remedy the trouble.
Uses of Brackets [ ]
1. Brackets [ ] are similar to parentheses, but indicate
that the material within is independent of the rest of the
sentence or is supplied by some one other than the writer
of the rest of the passage, as, for example, an editor.
2. Brackets are used in the same manner as paren-
theses, but emphasize the fact that the material inclosed
was inserted by some one other than the author of the
rest of the passage. In business messages they are most
commonly used in quotations to explain some matter
which might otherwise be obscure.
Right: This was your promise: "Next month [September] I
will surely send you a check."
NOTE. The comparatively rare use of brackets in busi-
ness messages is evidenced by the fact that many type-
writers do not have these marks.
Uses of Quotation Marks (" ")
1. Quotation marks (" ") indicate that the material
within them contains the exact words of some speaker or
writer, whether he is specifically named or not.
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Wrong: They telegraphed that "they were coming."
Right: They telegraphed, "We are coining."
2. In an indirect quotation, quotation marks are not
required, but may be used to emphasize the fact that
the exact words of a speaker are repeated. Care should
be taken not to place within the quotation marks any
words not actually used by the speaker.
Wrong: One user says "that his maintenance cost was less than
ten dollars for two years."
Right: One user says, "My maintenance cost was less than
ten dollars for two years."
Right: One user says that his maintenance cost was less than
ten dollars for two years.
Right (more emphatic): One user says that his maintenance
cost was "less than ten dollars for two years."
3. Long quotations, covering more than one paragraph,
should have quotation marks at the beginning and end
of the whole quotation and also at the beginning of every
paragraph. This method emphasizes the fact that the
quotation is continued 1 . Formerly it was the custom to
repeat the quotation marks at the beginning of each line,
but such emphasis is rarely needed and the practice is no
longer common except in messages of legal or quasi-legal
character.
Right: Lord & Thomas say:
"I have wanted to write you for some time in apprecia-
tion of your data service. I find it of threefold value:
first, in saving much time; second, in bringing to my
attention the work of many bright minds; third, in
providing a ready reference on numerous trade, adver-
tising, and economic subjects. We keep a permanent
file of your bulletins and index cards, and can always
call on our librarian for helpful data bearing on the sub-
ject that we are looking for.
"I congratulate you on the success you are having."
11 149
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
4. Single quotation marks (' ') are used to inclose a
speech within a speech.
Right: He wrote, "I have seen Mr. John Lewis, who said, 'Ship
no more orders until I let you know.' "
Punctuation of Quoted or Parenthetical Material
1. With quotation marks other marks may be used.
Even here, however, only one other mark should ac-
company the quotation marks. The position of this
depends on whether it belongs to the quoted material only
or to the sentence as a whole. A period or comma always
goes within the quotes; other marks go outside unless
they properly belong to the quoted material
Right: Don't say "aint"; the correct form is "am not."
Wrong: He wrote, "Where did you get that"?
Right: He wrote, "Where did you get that?"
Wrong: Did you say, "Ship at once?"
Right: Did you say, "Ship at once"?
Wrong: Did he write, "We accept."?
Right: Did he write, "We accept"?
Wrong: We removed the sign, "Fire Sale!", and then left.
Right: We removed the sign, "Fire Sale!" and then left.
2. A question or exclamation within a sentence, whether
directly quoted or parenthetical, retains at the end the
same mark of punctuation it would have if it stood alone.
Right: When he inquired, "How soon can you make delivery?"
I immediately wired our factory.
150
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Right: His continual promises (Bad luck to him!) have been
continually broken.
Right: The question, How can we do it? still remains to be
answered.
NOTE. When a parenthesis ends a sentence, the closing
punctuation mark is placed outside the parenthesis, unless
the pair of parentheses incloses a whole parenthetical
expression.
He sent the letter the same day (April 3).
This point is fully covered by the contract. (See clause 15.)
3. An indirect quotation of a question or exclamation
does not retain the original mark.
Wrong: He asked whether this could be done?
Right: He asked whether this could be done.
Right: He asked, "Can this be done?"
4. To separate from the context any quoted word or
short phrase, use quotation marks only.
Right: We introduce no "cut and dried" system.
Right: Distinguish between "affect" and "effect."
Uses of the Apostrophe (')
1. To indicate the omission of letters in a word, as in
an abbreviation, use the apostrophe.
Right: We will join the Eastern Ass'n if we are allowed to.
NOTE. The apostrophe, in forming possessives, really
indicates an omission. "John's book" is a contraction of
151
TI I K ST I vVOGRAPIIER'S MANUA 1 ,
"John, his book." [See also page 94 on the spelling of
possessives.]
2. Apostrophes are properly omitted from abbreviations
that have become recognized as such and have been
established by usage.
Mr.. Messrs., jr., Ky.
NOTE. No apostrophe is required in any abbreviation
that is merely a contraction of a word with no letters
omitted from the part that remains. When an apostrophe
is used in any abbreviation it should be placed where the
letters were omitted. For example, advertisement is ab-
breviated to ad. or to adv't, not ad'vt; association to ass'n,
not as'sn. Moreover, if an apostrophe is used to indicate
the omission of letters in a contraction, the period should
not be used after the contraction.
Vrs for years, disc't for discount, for' d tor forward,
3. An apostrophe is not used with the possessive pro-
nouns theirs, ours, yours, his, hers, its. Do not confuse
the pronoun its with the contraction it's (it is}. One, used
as a pronoun, forms its possessive case in the regular way,
as, one's.
4. To indicate the plural of figures, letters, signs, etc.,
use the apostrophe.
Right: He had only three 5's on his card.
Right: Cross your t's and dot your i's.
NOTE. Numbers may also be spelled out, as follows:
fives, sixes, ones [see page 95].
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
5. The apostrophe is used to indicate the omission of
figures from the dates of the century, as in '96 for 1896.
Uses of the Question Mark (?)
1. After every complete interrogatory sentence use the
question mark.
Right: How many men have you interviewed to-day?
NOTE. After the rhetorical question or "question of
courtesy," which is really a request, a period is used
instead of a question mark.
Right: Will you kindly take care of this for us at your early
convenience.
2. The question mark inclosed in parentheses suggests
doubt as to the accuracy of the preceding expression.
The company was founded in 1852 (?) and moved to Chicago in
1866.
This token of respect (?) was received in silence.
Uses of the Hyphen (-)
1. The hyphen ( - ) is used to indicate that the word or
the part of a word following is to be joined with the pre-
ceding word or part.
2. Use the hyphen when a word must be divided at the
end of a line. [See "Dividing Words at the Ends of the
Lines," page 100.]
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
3. Use the hyphen in compounding certain words or
expressions. [See "Compound or Hyphenated Words,"
page 103.]
4. Hyphens are now omitted from many words formerly
regarded as compounds.
Goodby, warlike, semiannual.
5. Never divide a word except at the end of a syllable.
The hyphen belongs at the end of the first line, not at the
beginning of the second.
6. To save repetition, the hyphen may be used in a
series of numbers to indicate the omission of the first part
of the number, as in "Coupons were clipped from bonds
numbered 549210, -11,-12,-13,-14"
7. Whenever, to save repetition, the second part of a
hyphenated compound word or expression is omitted, the
hyphen is used to indicate that the second part is to
follow.
He sold all of his two- and three-year-old horses.
The left- and right-hand sides of the office were lined with desks.
NOTE. In these instances be sure to leave a space
between the hyphen and "and."
8. To secure the effect of deliberateness, a word or
phrase may be spaced out with hyphens.
Consider this question s-1-o-w-l-y a-n-d c-a-r-e-f-u-1-l-y.
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THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
9. To give the effect of novelty and flippancy, a series
of related words may be compounded by the use of
hyphens.
This is a cross-my-heart once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Other Punctuation
1. To lay stress upon a word that is not otherwise
emphasized, underlining may be used.
We will let you be the judge.
2. To indicate the omission of words that cannot be
supplied by the reader, and that are not considered rele-
vant or necessary to his understanding of the passage,
use a line of dots (periods).
Right: He reported: "There is no advantage in ordering fuel
... at present prices."
3. Marks of punctuation, with the exception of quota-
tion marks, should never come at the beginning of a line;
they belong with the preceding words at the end of the
preceding line. This rule holds with the hyphen used at
the end of a line when a word has to be broken.
Good Style in Punctuation
Punctuation is largely a matter of judgment, but a
writer should be consistent in his practice. He should
also avoid tendencies which are contrary to those of
general usage. The present tendency is toward a loose
system in which marks are used as little as possible. Too
little punctuation is dangerous because it may result hi
155
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
obscurity or ambiguity. Too much punctuation, on the
other hand, may conceal the idea and retard the reader's
progress. The safe principle is to avoid using a mark
unless it clarifies or re-enforces the idea.
Double punctuation, such as the comma with the dash
(, ), is generally to be avoided. The period that indi-
cates an abbreviation, however, may be used with any
other mark, but not with another period.
Cap it a liza tion
1. Capital letters are an important device for securing
emphasis. By their size and contrast to the small letters
they help to call attention to ideas and words which are
regarded as important. Usage has established certain
rules of capitalization, but there is still room for the exer-
cise of personal judgment. As with all other means of
emphasis, the value of capitals lies in using them sparingly;
too much emphasis results in no emphasis. The tendency
of modern business English is expressed by the general
rule: When in doubt do not capitalize.
2. Capitalize the first word of every sentence, of every
complete direct quotation, of every line of poetry, and of
every paragraph (even though the paragraph consists of
a clause).
Right: The manager wired, "We cannot obtain the sugar."
Right: "You will see," he asserted, ''a great change."
[The second part of an interrupted quotation does not
have a capital unless it is a word that would be capi-
talized in any case.]
NOTE. In formal resolutions capitalize Whereas, Re-
solved, and the word immediately following each one, as
156
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
well as the first word of every paragraph. (Formal reso-
lutions are usually composed in a single sentence, though
they may occupy pages.)
3. Capitalize every important word in the title of a
book, article, periodical, or the like.
Right: Imagination in Business; At the Sign of the Dollar;
the Saturday Evening Post; the Chicago Tribune;
The Man Who Was.
NOTE. The is not considered a part of the title in the
case of most periodicals.
4. Capitalize all proper names, including nicknames,
and all words derived from them.
Right: England, English, Paris, Parisienne, James, Cecil Rhodes,
Northcliffe, Dixie Flyer, Elizabethan, Maid of Athens,
Old Man Eloquent.
NOTE 1. Derivations that have lost their suggestion of
the individual person or thing are not capitalized. For
example: china (dishes), dahlia, pasteurize, boycott.
NOTE 2. Foreign names like de Maupassant, Van
Dyke, van Dyke, von Liebig, Le Sage, etc., should be
capitalized according to the practice of the one who bears
the name, provided his practice is ascertainable. His
precedent is particularly important in addressing letters
to him. Arbitrary rules should not stand in the way of
proper courtesy. In general, however, all prepositions
except von may be capitalized when not preceded by a
forename, initials, or title. When so preceded only La,
Le, and Van are usually capitalized.
157
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
5. Capitalize all titles of office or distinction when used
with a proper name.
Right: Governor Coolidge, Sir Thomas Lipton, Colonel Scott,
Senator Underwood, Lord Byron, Dean Joseph French
Johnson, LL.D.
6. Capitalize names of oceans, rivers, streets, churches,
hotels, and similar things having an individuality that
can be identified. Do not capitalize the general word
standing for a class of objects.
Right: Atlantic Ocean, Hudson River, Fifth Avenue, Wall Street,
Hotel Astor, St. Paul's Cathedral, Rotary Club, League
of Nations, Treaty of Versailles, the Republican Party,
the Sixteenth Amendment.
Right: Upon the river, across the street, going to church, at
his club, offered an amendment, the republican form of
government.
NOTE. In the case of geographical names the modern
tendency is to capitalize only the specific name. For
example: Fifth avenue, Hudson river, Wall st.
7. Capitalize the names of months and days. Capi-
talize the names of seasons when referring to a specific
season, but not when referring to the season in general.
Capitalize points of the compass when referring to specific
sections, but not when referring to directions.
Right : We started north on the first Monday in March.
Right : In the South the winter is mild.
Right: Our worst season was the Winter of 1918.
8. Capitalize a general name, such as those included. in
rule 6, when it refers definitely to a specific individual,
even though that individual is not named.
158
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Right : The King is dead. Long live the King.
[But: A cat may look at a king.]
Right: He made his money on the Street [Wall Street].
Right: Just off the Avenue [Fifth Avenue].
Right: The President favors this amendment.
9. Capitalize names of the Deity, and personal pro-
nouns referring to the Deity, unless the name immediately
precedes.
Right : The Lord be praised.
Right: Praised be His name.
NOTE. Here also distinguish between names of the
individual and names of the general class. For example:
"The Pilgrims worshiped God. Their descendants have
been accused of worshiping the god of commercialism."
10. Capitalize any common noun used by personifi-
cation as a proper name.
Right: Our people are ruled by Selfishness.
11. It is not necessary to capitalize a.m. (before noon),
p.m. (after noon), or such abbreviations as c. o. d. (cash
on delivery), b/l (bill of lading); in fact, the general trend
is toward the use of fewer capitals.
12. The abbreviations Jr. (Junior) and Sr. (Senior)
when used as a part of a name (Charles M. Niles, Jr.) may
or may not be capitalized. Newspaper usage is generally
to use a small letter, as Henry B. Stout, jr.
13. Stress may be increased by setting a word entirely
in capitals.
We will let YOU be the judge.
159
Chapter IX
Miscellaneous Information
Points About Telephoning
IN some offices it is a part of the stenographer's duties
to handle incoming and outgoing telephone calls. If such
is the case in your office, the following points may increase
your efficiency:
1. Be prompt in answering the call. If you are in the
midst of some typing, stop your work immediately and
go to the telephone. A delay to finish a few more words
may cause the loss of the call. Moreover, it is not cour-
teous to make the other person wait. If the call comes
while you are taking dictation, your action depends upon
your knowledge of the dictator. Some dictators want to
finish the idea they have started on; but most business
men appreciate the value of answering a call promptly
and are glad to see you prompt in this respect. In any
case, excuse yourself to the dictator as soon as possible,
and answer the telephone.
2. Pick up the receiver with your left hand so that in
case you need to write down a message you can do so
with your right hand. It is usually advisable to have
your pencil with you in case there is a message, and it is
160
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
also wise to have a pad of paper handy. It is rather
annoying to the other person to be compelled to wait
while you are trying to find pencil and paper.
3. It is not necessary to say "Hello." It is preferable
to say "Mr. Blank's office," or "Blank Company," or
"Blank Department," or whatever is most suitable ac-
cording to your experience. Such a statement immediately
informs the listener that he has the right place.
4. Be careful of your voice. It is not necessary to
speak loudly in fact, a low, restrained voice is more
distinct over the telephone than a loud voice. Your lips
should be close to or nearly inside the mouthpiece of the
transmitter. Speak slowly, clearly, and with every word
well enunciated. From your own experience you know
how vexing it is trying to understand a person who speaks
indistinctly over the telephone. And knowing that, you
should realize the value of speaking distinctly. If the
other person asks you to repeat, don't shout, for shouting
makes the matter worse. Try, rather, to speak more
slowly, enunciate more clearly, and speak in a lower tone.
The habit of slow, deliberate, careful talking must be
acquired.
5. Cultivate the tone of your "telephone voice." Be
careful of the inflection of your voice. Don't be curt or
snappish. Be very courteous and speak gently. You
will thus make the telephoning more agreeable to the
other person. A pleasant voice, "a voice with a smile,"
is of great value in telephoning, for it shows that the
listener's feelings are being considered, and it aids in
transacting the business quickly, easily, and pleasantly
for both persons.
161
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
6. If the other person wishes to have you take down a
message, make sure that you understand it and that you
write it down correctly. If a name is unfamiliar to you,
have the other person spell it out. And after you have
finished, read back the message to make certain that it is
correct. If you have trouble in understanding the
speaker, don't get flurried, but keep on trying to get the
message.
7. All messages should be put in writing immediately
lest they be forgotten or reported incorrectly. Put down
the time of receipt of message in case it seems important.
And then see that the message is given to the proper
person or that it is placed on his desk where he will be
sure to find it.
8. If the call is for a person who is then in the office,
ask for the name of the caller so that you can then tell
Mr. Blank that Mr. Dash wishes to speak to him. It
sometimes happens that Mr. Blank is busy and is unable
to come to the 'phone just then. Explain this to the
caller and ask him whether he wishes to hold the wire,
whether he will call again, whether he will leave his
telephone number so that Mr. Blank can call him, or
whether he wishes to give you the message. Take the
responsibility upon yourself to see that the call is properly
handled.
9. If you are asked to get a certain person on the
'phone, make sure that you get him, and not the operator
of the private board exchange. When you get him on the
wire, say: "This is Mr. Blank's office speaking. Mr.
Blank wishes to speak to you." And then get Mr. Blank
to take up the receiver promptly.
162
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Telegrams
Special care should be used in the taking of dictation
and in the transcribing of telegrams, for a small mistake
may easily cause a large financial loss or much trouble.
No salutation or complimentary close is used. The
entire telegram should be typed in capitals and with no
punctuation marks. The use of punctuation marks is a
fruitful cause of errors, and telegraph companies expressly
state that they will not be responsible for the correct
transmitting of punctuation. In some instances where it
is essential that the message should be punctuated, the
punctuation mark should be spelled out, as follows:
SEE CLAUSE FIVE LAST LINE SHOULD READ QUOTES
AND COMMA ALSO COMMA TWENTY-FIVE PER CENT
IN ADDITION PERIOD UNQUOTE PLEASE CHANGE
BEFORE SIGNING
The receiver of the telegram will read it as follows:
See clause number five. Last line of it should read "and, also,
twenty-five per cent in addition." Please change before signing.
Four copies of the telegram should usually be made:
the original is given to the telegraph company; the second
is sent by mail to the person addressed, in confirmation;
the third is sent to the files; and the fourth is sent to the
cashier or bookkeeper, to be used in checking against the
bills rendered by the telegraph company.
Use of Proof Marks to Indicate Corrections
or Changes
The dictator may be in the habit of indicating, by the
use of proof marks, that certain corrections or changes are
163
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
to be made in the typed letter. In order that you may
know the kind of correction or change desired, the follow-
ing list of proof marks is given:
Mark Mark
in in Meaning
Margin Text
. A line under a word or letter means " Capitalize."
' C,, / A line drawn through a capital means that the
letter should be made a small letter.
\P f A line drawn through a word or letter means that
it should be erased.
A line of dots under a word or letter means that
. the change marked was wrong, and that the word
or letter should be left as it was.
.
A
Indicates an insertion.
*/
A
Insert the letter k.
9U^
/A
Insert the word house.
=/
A
Insert a hyphen.
A
Insert a period.
^
A
Insert a comma.
Insert a superior character, such as quotation
marks, apostrophe, etc.
Insert an apostrophe.
Bring word or words or line more to the left
Bring word or words or line more to the right
164
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Mark Mark
in in
Margin Text
Separate words or letters.
Bring words or letters together.
Transpose words or letters.
New paragraph.
Continue in the same paragraph. The line unites
the two portions of the text.
Compare with copy. Words are omitted.
Our sales in the wast nave been so greatly /ffeeted
by the coal strike that we are unable to f^j^o what
the demand will be in the /pring. We pref-er^tlierefoix,
to run the rial; of-lo/sing some sales to overstocking
ourselves. Last year we Ignljj/hadl twenty A two of your
machines left unsold on our hands, but this year ilfs
apparent that we shall have more than two hundred.
EXAMPLE OF PHOOF-READ LETTER
Our sales in the West have been so greatly affected
by the coal strike that we are unable to gauge what
the demand will be in the spring. We prefer, therefore,
to run the risk of losing some sales to overstocking
ourselves. Last year we had only twenty- two of your
machines left unsold on our hands, but this year it' a
apparent that we shall have more than two hundred.
AFTER THE CORRECTIONS HAVE BEEN MADE
165
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
Keep Your Desk in Good Order
A workman is usually marked by the condition in which
he keeps his working place. If his tools are slovenly
arranged and scattered about, if bis work bench is in
disorder, it shows that he is not orderly, neat, and efficient.
The good workman is neat and he is efficient partly
because he can lay his hands on the necessary tool imme-
diately. So with you. Your desk is your work bench.
Don't have your tools (your pencils, erasers, stationery,
etc.) all jumbled together in the drawers. Keep every-
thing neatly arranged in its proper place so that you can
find it when you are in a hurry. If you are called for
dictation don't be compelled to waste time looking for
your notebook and pencils.
And keep the top of your desk clean, too. Don't
have odds and ends of papers, pencils, carbon sheets,
etc., scattered over it while you are working there. A
clean top inspires good work. Be orderly about these
things.
When you leave the office at night, be sure that every-
thing is in its proper place in the drawers of your desk,
that there is nothing on top of the desk that doesn't be-
long there, and that your machine is protected from the
dust that will arise when the office is being cleaned that
night.
Study Your Employer's Business
If you are really interested in your work, if you
are ambitious to advance, if you wish to make a larger
salary, study your employer's business. Try to learn
as much as you can about the way the business is
carried on. Go to the library and draw out books
166
THE STENOGRAPHER'S MANUAL
on your business, for the more you know about the
business the more valuable you will become. Take an
interest in the business and try the best you can to
help the employer. Do these things and your future
is assured.
INDEX
Abbreviations, of first names, 53,
107; of Avenue and Street, 56;
of Messieurs, 49; incorrect
forms, in salutation, 58; in
complimentary close, 60; not
allowed in formal official letters,
66; use of, 107-113; punctua-
tion of, 107; plurals of, 107;
list of, 108-112
Accuracy, value of, 5; questions
about, 7; in taking dictation,
28; in transcription, 33; in
spelling, 71-73; after work, 113
Address, inside, 48-56 (also see
Inside Address); on envelope, 63
Agreeable personality, value of, 9;
questions about, 11
Apostrophe, uses of, 151153
Appearance, personal, 23; of work,
37
Attendance, 20
Attention of, position of in letter,
62; on envelope, 64
Attitude toward your work, 22
B
Body of the letter, 58-60; placing
on page, 43; indention, 58;
spacing, 58; second sheet, 58, 60
Brackets, uses of, 148
Capitalization, of abbreviations,
107; uses of, 156-159
Care of machine, 39; of notebooks,
40
Changes and erasures, 37
City, incorrect use of in address, 56
Colon, uses of, 142-144
Comma, uses of, 134-141
Complimentary close, 60; position
of, 60; forms of, 60; incorrect
abbreviations, 60; punctuation
of, 60; in official letters, 60, 66
Compounding words, 103-106;
compound titles, 106
Conduct in the office, 17; office
rules, 17; punctuality, 19; at-
tendance, 20; using telephone,
21; "visiting," 21; attitude
toward work, 22; conduct to-
ward other workers, 23; per-
sonal appearance, 23
Contractions, spelling of, 107, 151,
152; punctuation of, 107
Courtesy, 9
D
Dash, uses of, 146-147
Date of letter, 46; position of, 46;
points about writing date, 47
Days, abbreviations of, 112
Deportment in the office, 16
Desk, good order of, 166
Dictated material, editing of, 35;
163-165
Dictation, importance of, 25; be
prepared, 25 ; manner when tak-
ing, 27; points on, 28; noting
instructions, 30
169
INDEX
Diligence, value of, 13; questions
about, 15
Disputing with dictator, 40
Dividing words at ends of lines,
100-103
E
Editing dictated material, 35,
163-165
End., position of, 62
Envelope, size of, 63; address on,
63; other matter on, 64; illus-
trations of, 65
Erasures and changes, 37
Esq., use of, 49
Exclamation point, uses of, 145-
146
Figures, sums, etc., spelling of, 95-
96
Folding letter, 62-63
Foreign words used in English,
78-81
Formal official letters, 66
G
Grammar, need of, 34
H
Heading of letter, 46-47
Honorable, proper use of as title, 55
Hyphen, used in compounding
words, 103-106; uses of, 153-155
Hyphenated words, 103-106
IncL, position of, 62
Indenting paragraphs, 58
Informal official letters, 66; illus-
tration of, 67
Initials of typist, 61
Inside address, 48-56; position of.
48; arrangement of, 48; titles
in, 4s .)(>; abbreviation of first
names, 53; punctuation of, 56;
use of City, 56; position of in
official letters, 66
Judgment, value of, 15
Letter, mechanical make-up of,
42-70 (see Mechanical Make-
up for specific references)
M
Machine, care of, 39
Manners, 10
Margins, 43, 58; of report, 70
Mechanical display of reports, 66-
70; illustrations of, 68, <i!t;
points about, 70
Mechanical make-up of letter, 4 1 J
70; placing letter on page, 4,'i;
parts of, 46; heading, 46-47;
inside address, 48-56; titles, 48-
55; the salutation, 57-58; the
body of the letter, 58-60; the
complimentary close, 60; the
signature, 60; miscellaneous
points, 62-63; envelope, 63-04;
official letters, 64-66; mechani-
cal display of reports, 66-70
Messrs., proper use of as title, 49
Miss, as title, 48
Misspelling (see Spelling)
Misused words, 114-132
Months, abbreviations of, 112
Mrs., as title, 48
N
Names that sound alike, 29; get-
ting them correct, 29, 157, note 2
170
INDEX
Necessity for self-analysis, 6
Notebooks, care of, 40
Numbers, spelling of plurals of,
95-96; when and when not to
spell out, 96-100
O
Office rules, 17
Office supplies, 40
Official letters, 64-66; when used,
64; stationery of, 64; formal,
66; mechanical make-up of, 6(5;
informal, 1)6; illustration of, 67
Paragraphs, indention of, 58
Parentheses, uses of, 147-148
Parenthetical material, punctua-
tion of, 150151
Period, uses of, 144-145; with ab-
breviations, 107
Personal appearance, 23
Personality, value of, 9; questions
about, 11
Placing letter on page, 43
Plurals of foreign words, spelling
of, 81-82; of figures, sums, etc.,
95-96; of abbreviations, 107
Possessives, spelling of, 9495
Postscript, position of, 62
Professor, proper use of as title, 55
Proof marks, 163-165; list of, 164-
165; illustrations of use, 165
P.S., not needed, 62
Punctuality, 19
Punctuation, of inside address, 56;
of salutation, 58; of compli-
mentary close, 60; of contrac-
tions, 107; uses of punctuation,
133-156; comma, 134-141; of
restrictive clause, 139; semi-
colon, 141-142; colon, 142-144;
period, 144-145; exclamation
point, 145-146; dash, 146-147;
parentheses, 147-148; brackets,
148; quotation marks, 148-150;
quoted or parenthetical mate-
rial, 150-151; apostrophe, 151-
153; question mark, 153; hy-
phen, 153-155; other punctua-
tion, 155; good style, 155-156
Qualities of a good stenographer,
1, 5
Question mark, uses of, 153
Quotation marks, uses of, 148-150
Quoted material, punctuation of,
150-151
R
Reports, display of, 66-70
Restrictive clause, punctuation of,
139
Reverend, proper use of as title, 55
Rules, office, 17
Salutation, 57-58; forms of, 57;
position of, 57; incorrect forms,
57-58; punctuation of, 58; in
official letters, 58, 66; in infor-
mal official letters, 66
Second sheets, 58, 60
Self-analysis, necessity for, 6
Semicolon, uses of, 141-142
Signature, 60-62; titles in, 66
Spacing between paragraphs, 58
Spelling, 71-113; importance of,
71; technical and trade words,
73; words correctly spelled in
two or more ways, 73-78; for-
eign words, 78-81; plurals of,
81-82; words of similar sound,
82-88; words commonly mis-
spelled, 89-92; words ending in
"able" or "ible," 92-93; pos-
171
INDEX
ives, 94-95; plural of fig-
ures, etc., 95-96; spelling out
numbers, etc., 96-100; dividing
words, 100-103; compound or
hyphenated words, 103-106;
use of abbreviations, 107-113
States, abbreviations of, 111, 112
Taking dictation, 25; preparation
for, 25; manner when, 27;
points on, 28; noting instruc-
tions, 30
Telegrams, 103
Telephone for personal calls, use
of, 21
Telephoning, points about, 160-162
Titles in address, 48-56; position
of, 48; common, 48; Mrs. and
Miss, 48-49; Esq., 49; Messrs.,
49; with corporations, 49, 52;
business titles, 52; initials, 52;
proper use of, 53-55; position
of in official letter, 56, 66; com-
pound titles, 106
Transcribing and typing, 32;
judged by, 32; accuracy in, 33;
mistakes in grammar, 34; edit-
ing dictated material, 3.5; para-
graphing letter, 36; punctua-
tion and capitalization, 36;
reading completed work, 37;
appearance of work, 37; era-
sures and changes, 37; keeping
machine in good order, 39;
don't dispute with dictator, 40;
care of notebooks, 40; office
supplies, 40
Trustworthiness, value of, 1 J;
questions about, 13
Typing and transcribing, :; :
Transcribing and Typing)
Value of accuracy, 5
"Visiting" in the office, 21
W
Words, spelled in two or more
ways, 73-78; misused, 114-132
Words, spelling of (see Spelling)
TIIE END
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES
THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
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