LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. 
 
 
 172. 
 
THE WRITER'S BLUE 
 
 BOOK 
 
 A USEFUL MANUAL 
 FOR ALL WHO WRITE, 
 PARTICULARLY FOR EDITORS, 
 REPORTERS, PROOF-READERS, TYPE- 
 WRITERS, CLERKS, BUSINESS HOUSES, SECRE- 
 TARIES OF COMPANIES, CLUBS, AND LIKE BODIES. 
 RULES FOR THE USE OF CAPITAL LETTERS 
 RULES OF PUNCTUATION, ERRORS OF 
 SPEECH CORRECTED, A DICTION- 
 ARY OF READY REFERENCE, 
 AND A COMPLETE 
 INDEX. 
 
 BY 
 
 AN EDITOR 
 
 FRANCISCO 
 
 CROWN PUBLISHING^ CO. 
 
GENERAL 
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1OO2 
 
 BY 
 
 CROWN PUBLISHING COMPANY 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 To all who write 7 
 
 I. How to write clearly 10 
 
 II. Use of words and phrases 17 
 
 III. Punctuation 32 
 
 IV. Concerning style-codes 45 
 
 V. The Maritime World code 49 
 
 VI. How rules are often violated 61 
 
 VII. Dictionary of capitals 63 
 
 VIII. Forms of address 77 
 Alphabetical index _____ 80 
 
 105884 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 THIS HANDBOOK is for all who write the English 
 language. It has been prepared, however, with 
 special reference to the needs of editors, typewriters, 
 clerks, and persons in charge of correspondence for busi- 
 ness houses. Country editors, it is believed, will find 
 the work of great value. 
 
 Language and printing have undergone many changes 
 during the last twenty years. This manual gives the 
 usage of such high-class magazines as the Century, and 
 offers helpful suggestions concerning that which few 
 schools teach the art of preparing copy for printers. 
 It so chances that this information is exactly what type- 
 writers and others who write ought to master. 
 
 With such a guide the reader will have the satisfaction 
 of the highest authority the Century, Theodore L. De 
 Vinne, Teall, Moon, and others for the style of his 
 compositions. 
 
 October, 1902. THE EDITOR. 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 TO ALL WHO WRITE. 
 
 CALL THE RULES and principles 
 announced in this little book original 
 would be as misleading as if the compiler 
 of a treatise on arithmetic should pretend 
 to be the author of the multiplication table. 
 In a wider sense, however, every person 
 who exhibits old things in a new light may 
 be said to be original. Under these terms 
 this volume is the author's production. 
 
 After more than twenty years' experi- 
 ence as editor, author, proof-reader, and 
 corrector of the manuscript of others, I am 
 compelled to say that few people, even 
 among professional newspaper writers and 
 authors, follow any definite or consistent 
 style or system in the preparation of man- 
 uscripts. The columns of newspapers 
 abound in gross errors of grammar, the 
 
 (7) 
 
' The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 writings of public men often are crude, 
 and the letters of many representative 
 business houses exhibit such shocking 
 ignorance of the English language that 
 one wonders whether the knack of correct 
 writing is not becoming a lost art. 
 
 In a highly critical sense no writing is 
 free from errors. Great scholars that 
 have hired corps of critical proof-readers 
 to perfect their works often have been 
 made to blush for their printed pages; but 
 the accuracy required in the business of 
 every day should be far greater than it is 
 now. A careful study of elementary prin- 
 ciples would add to the correctness of the 
 world's work. 
 
 It is believed that many of the grosser 
 errors abounding in the work of editors, 
 stenographers, correspondence clerks, and 
 others may be avoided by observing the 
 principles set forth in this little com- 
 pendium. A study of these pages will 
 put the reader in touch with the style 
 prevalent among the most careful and cul- 
 tured authors and publishers of the day. 
 Modern methods have wrought some 
 changes in the rules of grammar and 
 rhetoric; but there are many reasons for 
 most of them, and the person who desires 
 to be abreast of the times must work by 
 system. By keeping the BLUE BOOK 
 within reach it will be easy to solve many 
 puzzling problems of grammar and usage. 
 
 (8) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 A complete cross-index at the end of the 
 volume adds to its value, quick reference 
 saving time. 
 
 Typewriters and others whose business 
 is the writing of letters and legal docu- 
 ments should master everything in this 
 volume so thoroughly that they can readily 
 paraphrase its rules in concise English of 
 their own. 
 
 A thorough understanding of the system 
 of capitalizing here explained means the 
 mastery of a correct and consistent method 
 in one's work. To be able to solve ques- 
 tions without hesitation will certainly add 
 to the value of every writer's and every 
 typewriter's services. 
 
 It is not pretended that this volume will 
 take the place of treatises on grammar and 
 rhetoric, but it is believed that it is a more 
 practical desk-book than any manual now 
 extant. Its character is fully indicated by 
 the name manual, a book small enough for 
 handy reference. It is hoped that famili- 
 arity with its contents will add to the 
 efficiency of every writer's manuscripts, be 
 they editorials or sermons, letters or law- 
 yers' briefs. 
 
 It is hoped that thousands of desk-toilers 
 will discover that this modest little com- 
 pendium will prove a clear-voiced and wel- 
 come companion, lightening their burdens, 
 improving their work, and adding to the 
 value of their services. 
 
 (9) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 I. 
 HOW TO WRITE CLEARLY. 
 
 I. The Blue Pencil, Since grammar and 
 rhetoric are to language what harmony 
 and symphony are to music, every writer 
 should see that his sentences are in tune. 
 Whatever is written should be written 
 well, be it an advertisement or a book, a 
 letter or a trade circular. He who writes 
 carelessly is treading on dangerous ground, 
 if he desires to convey his exact meaning. 
 It is an excellent rule to revise everything 
 you write. But perfection is out of the 
 question, as a writer in 'Vulgarisms and 
 Other Errors of Speech" has aptly said in 
 the following words: 
 
 V 
 
 If any one supposes that he shall ever be able to write 
 perfectly correct English let him disabuse his mind of 
 
 V* 
 
 (10) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 the idea. The shallow critic is the only person who is 
 sure that he can reach perfection in the art. * * * 
 Many able and great writers are not correct writers; 
 many correct writers are neither able nor great. 
 
 The blue pencil has saved countless 
 authors their laurels, many business men 
 their money, and millions of written things 
 from the waste-basket. It insures greater 
 clarity and brevity, often grace and finish. 
 Every well-edited newspaper, magazine, 
 book, and printed speech (if printed cor- 
 rectly) would be spotted with blue marks 
 if one could but see the original. The blue 
 pencil is the writer's chief guaranty of 
 reasonable accuracy, his only insurance 
 policy. Do you use it in your work? 
 
 2. Tlie Blue Pencil Popular, It was the im- 
 mortal Macaulay who said that easy writ- 
 ing makes hard reading. It was his in- 
 variable custom to revise his own work 
 from three to ten times. Do you know 
 that the best writers in the world have 
 always relied upon the blue pencil? If the 
 publishers of newspapers, magazines, and 
 books consider blue-penciling essential to 
 success, can anybody else hope to write 
 or publish readable circulars, pamphlets, 
 etc., without careful revision? 
 
 Can a young woman who earns her liv- 
 ing by typewriting hope to become efficient 
 without giving attention to the principles 
 of correct composition ?^ Can _ a private 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 secretary increase his skill more effectively 
 than by mastering those principles that 
 will enable him to burnish his work and 
 prevent his employer from making 
 blunders? Can an editor make his paper 
 typographically clean and accurate, con- 
 cise and consistent, unless he follows the 
 style-card? But it is a lamentable fact 
 that many educated men and women, even 
 professional writers, are often singularly 
 earless in their work. Even the immortal 
 Charles Dickens said, in a speech delivered 
 in London, in 1837: 
 
 1 I have never gone through the sheets of any book 
 that I have writen without having had presented to me 
 by the corrector of the press something that I have over- 
 looked, some inconsistency into which I have fallen, 
 some lapse I have made. 
 
 If the correctors of others' work can 
 teach the Dickenses of the world, there is 
 certainly reason to suppose that a bright 
 stenographer's touch may prove valuable 
 in correcting the written work sent forth 
 from busy offices by busy people. Even 
 in the many classes of dictated correspond- 
 ence that often must be typed verbatim, 
 the operator's judgment is absolute in the 
 wide field of punctuation, capitalizing, and 
 the compounding of words. The type- 
 writer's or the printer's jurisdiction in 
 punctuation alone frequently determines 
 the life or death of sentences, gives sense 
 
 (12) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 and meaning to language, and makes a 
 record for the operator. Many sentences 
 would be meaningless without punctuation. 
 Try to read the following, and you will see 
 just what is meant; 
 
 That that is is that that is not is not. 
 
 But every word is clothed with meaning 
 when the sentence is punctuated for sense, 
 thus: 
 
 That that is, is; that that is not, is not. 
 
 The example just cited is an extreme one, 
 selected for emphatic illustration. It is to 
 written speech what "the wind ceaseth 
 and the wave dismisseth us all" is to vocal 
 utterance. These examples illustrate the 
 prime rule that great care should be taken 
 to make sentences convey a clear meaning. 
 
 3. Superfluous Words, It is a prevalent 
 error to overload sentences by making 
 them carry unnecessary adjectives, ifs, 
 buts, howevers, exceptions, parenthetical 
 clauses, and time-worn phrases that 
 weaken the composition and tire the 
 reader. It is a good rule to keep subject, 
 predicate, and object in as logical a re- 
 lationship as possible. In ordinary busi- 
 ness letters and other plain statements 
 there is little reason for digression. Make 
 your sentences direct and clear. Write to 
 
 (13) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 the point, and stop when you reach it, 
 designating that stop by a period, a ques- 
 tion mark, or an exclamation point. The 
 story of that sentence is then ended, the 
 job complete. Though this method some- 
 times gives the appearance of abruptness, 
 it is better so than if ' 'ambiguity and long- 
 windedness should cumber the earth. ' 
 
 High forms of literary effort are often ex- 
 pressed in the direct and simple way here 
 advocated for ordinary letters and compo- 
 sition. Here are two examples that show 
 the advantage of telling a story by a few 
 clear sentences, without interrupting the 
 main current of the narrative: 
 
 (a) From the opening of Robert Louis Stevenson's 
 "Kidnapped": I will begin the story of my adventures 
 with a certain morning in the month of June, the year of 
 grace 1751 , when I took the key for the last time out of the 
 door of my father's house. The sun began to shine upon 
 the summit of the hills as I went down the road; and by 
 the time I had come as far as the manse the blackbirds 
 were whistling in the garden lilacs, and the mist that 
 hung around the valley in the time of the dawn was be- 
 ginning to arise and die away. 
 
 (b) From the opening of Leigh H. Irvine's "An 
 Affair in the South Seas": When I saw Atollia first, I 
 neither knew nor guessed how great a part it was to 
 play in my life. The air was tropical, the sun bright, 
 the sky ripe with the colors of afternoon. I had been 
 for years in the fogs of San Francisco, struggling hard 
 to succeed at the bar, but the outlook was discouraging. 
 Here was a promising field of life; the prospect was 
 wild and pleasing and the sight of a new world after 
 many weeks at sea set my pulses leaping. 
 
 (14) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 It is an excellent practice to clip an arti- 
 cle from a newspaper, paste it on a sheet 
 of legal cap, then note errors on the mar- 
 gins. Cut out useless and improper words, 
 and substitute concise and effective words 
 and clauses for those rejected. 
 
 It is an error to use commonplace ex- 
 pressions. People fall into this habit 
 readily, and it is hard to avoid the fault. 
 Expressions that have had no rest since 
 Noah went into the Ark should have a long 
 holiday. 
 
 Two examples of gross carelessness are 
 noted in passing, the first from an evening 
 newspaper of San Francisco, the second 
 from its competitor: 
 
 1. Attorney Heggerty, who with Attorney Knight 
 WERE the ATTORNEYS of the late Charles L. Fair, searched 
 for the will. 
 
 2. The money is contributed mainly by grafters who 
 have designs on THE SPRECKELS' leg. 
 
 There is a shameful confusion of the 
 subject of the sentence in the first ex- 
 ample. In the haste and carelessness of 
 composition, proof-reading, etc., the fact 
 that Heggerty was, is wholly overlooked. 
 
 In the second example the author evi- 
 dently thought he was using the word 
 Spreckels' in the possessive case (but it 
 should have been written Spreckels's, if 
 that was the idea) ; he did not know that 
 
 (15) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 the noun Spreckels qualifies the noun leg. 
 It should be remembered that when the 
 definite article the precedes a noun used in 
 the sense written in the foregoing it is an 
 error to use the possessive sign. In such 
 sentences the noun is used as an adjective 
 
 (16) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 II. 
 USE OF WORDS AND PHRASES. 
 
 4. The Articles and Clarity, A, an, and the 
 
 are known as articles. They are used to 
 define the application of nouns, and great 
 care should be exercised to repeat them in 
 sentences where repetition is necessary. 
 Examples: "A black and red cow" means 
 one cow of two colors. If two cows are 
 meant, * 'a black and a red cow" should be 
 written. In other sentences of general 
 meaning, as, "I am persecuted to the 
 death," it is not proper to use the article, 
 because death generally is meant. 
 
 By the day is better than per day; ten 
 cents a bushel is better than per bushel. 
 Skip per whenever it is possible to do so. 
 
 (17) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 It is well to avoid foreign words or ab- 
 breviations. 
 
 The definite article a can not be put be- 
 fore a plural noun, even if a singular noun 
 should intervene; for which reason the ex- 
 pression, "I saw a house and gardens" is 
 incorrect. A gardens? Never! In this 
 connection it should be said that a and an 
 are merely other forms of one. 
 
 5. Singular and Plural Nouns, Much confu- 
 sion arises at times because some nouns of 
 plural form are really singular in meaning. 
 Instances of these are: Mathematics, 
 acoustics, metaphysics, politics (though 
 this is also plural), physics, news, head- 
 quarters (in some senses), whereabouts, 
 means (also plural at times) , and molasses. 
 Thus it is proper to say: Mathematics 
 is a science; metaphysics is ennobling; 
 politics is warming; physics is abstruse; 
 news has come; his whereabouts is known; 
 light is a means of seeing; means were 
 taken to restore the patient; and molasses 
 is injurious. 
 
 6, Words Always Plural, The following words 
 have no singular: Annals, aborigines, 
 amends, assets, antipodes, bellows, bil- 
 liards, dregs, gallows, tongs, pincers, 
 scales, trousers, whiskers, matins, nuptials, 
 obsequies, spectacles, premises, pains, and 
 scissors. Alms, eaves, and riches are now 
 
 (18) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 regularly construed as plural. When in 
 doubt concerning the number of a noun, it 
 is well to consult the best dictionary at 
 hand and it should be a good one, say the 
 Century, the Standard, or Webster's Inter- 
 national. 
 
 7, Varying Plurals, Some nouns have two 
 plurals, and they differ in meaning. Care 
 should be observed in the use of such 
 words. Examples are: Brothers (by 
 
 blood) , brethern (of a church or society) ; 
 cloths (kinds of cloth) , clothes (garments) ; 
 dies (stamps for coins) , dice (for gaming) ; 
 fish (collectively), fishes (individuals or 
 kinds) ; geniuses (men of genius) , genii 
 (spirits); indexes (to books), indices (signs 
 in algebra) ; peas (separately) , pease (col- 
 lectively); pennies (separately), pence 
 (collectively) ; shot (collective balls) , shots 
 (number of times fired) . 
 
 8, Titles, Figures, etc, There is good au- 
 thority for two ways of designating the 
 plural of names with titles. One may say 
 
 the three Miss Browns, or the three Misses 
 Brown. The latter is the more prevalent 
 expression. 
 
 It is better to make the plural of letters 
 and figures by adding s than by '5. Thus, 
 6s and 7s are preferred to 6 f s and 7's. 
 
 (19) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 9, Some Bad Forms, Disremember for do 
 not remember, is bad; gotten is never a 
 proper word; use proved, never proven; 
 ill, never illly; say over, never overly; un- 
 beknown is not a word; and you have a 
 contemptuous (not contemptible) opinion of 
 a man whose conduct is contemptible. 
 
 When you use either remember that or 
 goes with it as a correlative, but when you 
 use neither, its companion must be nor. Not 
 is also a correlative of nor, as: "He is 
 not drunk, nor half drunk. " The rule is 
 stated by Mr. G. Washington Moon, in his 
 celebrated ' 'Vulgarisms and Other Errors 
 of Speech/' thus: "Or is the correlative of 
 either', and nor is the correlative of neither 
 and not." 
 
 The following sentences from the writ- 
 ings of President Jordan, of Stanford, 
 illustrate the correct use: 
 
 These addresses are designed, not especially for the 
 theologian, nor for the layman; not for the churched 
 nor for the unchurched; not for the Christian, nor for 
 the Jew; but for all who are earnestly interested in these 
 inquiries. 
 
 Avoid the use of commonplace and 
 slovenly legal phrases in ordinary writing. 
 Such expressions as "the said/' "the af ore- 
 said, " "the same/' "the above," "the un- 
 dersigned," and countless phrases equally 
 old, should not be used in correspond- 
 ence or ordinary writing, whatever their 
 
 (20) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 place (questionable) in legal documents. 
 Writers addicted to these vices fre- 
 quently leave out words and phrases, even 
 the subjects of sentences, as in this: 
 
 Dear Friend: Went to theatre last night. Saw 
 Harry and mother. All enjoyed play, and hope to see 
 it again. 
 
 Such carelessness often leads to grave 
 confusion. The writer is the only person 
 who could know whose mother was meant, 
 or who* 'hope to see it again/ It would 
 have been far better if the writer had said 
 that he met Harry and fits mother, and 
 that we or 7 hope to see the play again. 
 
 10, Discard Abbreviations, It is a neat and 
 
 approved style to spell out titles. Doctor 
 and prof esssor should always be spelled in 
 full, and so should general, captain, colonel, 
 major, reverend, and most other titles ex- 
 cept Mr* and Mrs. DeVinne well says 
 that no form of carelessness in writing 
 not even the misuse of capitals so plainly 
 indicates the undisciplined writer as the 
 abuse of abbreviations. The use of the 
 ampersand (&) in the following sense is 
 very frequent, but very bad: "I went 
 home weak & tired." Inst., prox., and 
 ult. are proper in correspondence and other 
 forms of commercial work, but they are 
 out of place in more dignified manuscripts. 
 It is better to spell in full Jas., Jos., 
 
 (21) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 Chas. , Wm. , Geo. , Thos. , and like names, 
 than to print them as here given, or in any 
 other abbreviated form. 
 
 It is proper to print a. m. and p. m. this 
 way rather than A. M. and P. M. , because 
 the capital letters give the abbreviation 
 too much prominence. 
 
 II. Who and That, Some nice distinctions 
 in aid of clarity have arisen in the use of 
 "toho and that. Mr. Alfred Ayres, author 
 of 'The Orthoepist, " etc., holds that 'who 
 and which are co-ordinating relative pro- 
 nouns, and that that is the restrictive rela- 
 tive pronoun. He would say that the sen- 
 tence, "I met the watchman that^ showed 
 me the way" is better than "<who showed 
 me the way," because more definite, and 
 because it is susceptible of but one mean- 
 ing. Other grammarians allow more lati- 
 tude, leaving much to the taste of the 
 writer. The fact remains, however, that 
 that is nearly always the proper word in re- 
 strictive meanings. Its correct use should 
 be mastered, for often it is the only word 
 that should be used. The following illus- 
 trations based on Ayres ' introduction to 
 Cobbett's "Grammar Without a Master" 
 shed light on this subject: 
 
 The familiar line from Goldsmith, "And fools who 
 came to scoff, remained to pray." Does this mean, 
 And the fools that came, though they came to scoff, re- 
 
 (22) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 mained to pray, or does it mean that some of the fools 
 that came, came to scoff, and these remained to pray ? 
 Probably the former is the meaning, but this can only 
 be conjecture. If the latter is the meannig, it is clear 
 that the proper relative to use is THAT. 
 
 Again: "All stenographers WHO are interested in 
 capitalizing should buy a copy of this book." Does 
 this mean that all stenographers are interested in capi- 
 talizing, or does it mean something more restrictive? 
 Suppose the sentence were: "All stenographers THAT 
 are interested," etc., could there be a doubt of the mean- 
 ing? 
 
 A careful study of such examples will 
 prove valuable to the person desiring to 
 master the distinctions set forth in the rule 
 heretofore announced. 
 
 12, Whose, Of Which, That, It was formerly 
 considered improper to apply that to a 
 human being, and to apply whose to either 
 animals or inanimate things. De Quincey 
 was particularly averse to any departure 
 from this rule. Time works changes, how- 
 ever, and we are now permitted consider- 
 able latitude in the use of these words. It 
 is proper to speak of ' 'Mount Shasta, whose 
 snow-crowned peaks are an inspiration, ' 
 and to say, "Everything comes to him that 
 waits. ' Since use is the great law of lan- 
 guage, De Quincey 's strictness must give 
 way to modern custom. Indeed, an ex- 
 amination of the writings of illustrious 
 authors shows that the periphrasis "of 
 
 (23) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 which " is avoided very often. "The fruit 
 of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste 
 brought," etc., is a pretty authoritative ex- 
 ample of old usage. 
 
 13. Double PdSSessiveS, Double possessives 
 (double genitives, more properly) have 
 long been firmly fixed in good English, 
 though many people err by not using them. 
 The double possessives often add em- 
 phasis and prevent ambiguity and non- 
 sense. Sewell says that such forms as 
 hers, ours, yours, and theirs are really double 
 possessives, since they add the possessive 
 5 to what is already a regular possessive 
 inflection. Here are some examples of 
 double possessives: 
 
 No word of ours can describe the fury of the conflict. 
 J. F. Cooper. 
 
 That house of his, that sister of mine, that illustration 
 of President McKinley's these expressions are all cor- 
 rect. To say "that illustration of President McKinley," 
 would leave a question as to whether a picture of Presi- 
 dent McKinley was meant. 
 
 Those lectures of Lowell's had a great influence with 
 me. William Dean Howells. 
 
 He wore that quaint old French sword of the com- 
 modore's. Edward Everett Hale. 
 
 Those sentences of Caesar's. Froude. 
 
 That friend of Roosevelt's talked wildly. Louis F. 
 Post. 
 
 That dog of Smith's (surely not of Smith I ) is dead. 
 
 (24) 
 
OFT 
 
 The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 v c 
 
 14, Two Nouns in the Possessive, When two 
 
 or more nouns in the possessive case fol- 
 low each other and are joined by a con- 
 junctive conjunction, this is the usage: 
 Man, woman, and child's country; Paul, 
 Crow, and Charley's mine. 
 
 15, A Study in Ellipses, Experience con- 
 firms the statement of William Cobbett's 
 that we almost always leave out some of 
 the words that are necessary to the full 
 expression of our meaning. This leaving 
 out is called the ellipsis, which means the 
 skipping of a word that is understood. 
 Every writer should consider the words he 
 has thus omitted, and if he has any doubt 
 he should fill up his sentences by writing 
 in the left out words (for his own eye 
 only). Study the sentence as it would 
 be if all ellipses were printed. By keeping 
 in mind the understood words it will be 
 easy to prevent the use of verbs of the 
 wrong number. The study will also pre- 
 vent the use of the article a before plural 
 nouns. Examples: 
 
 'My father is away and I seldom at home," is a bad 
 sentence becaus3 x -is~ is understood. With the ellipsis 
 supplied it would run : "My father is away and I is 
 seldom at home/' It should have been written: "My 
 father is away and I AM seldom at home." 
 
 "The hospitality of a Scottish chieftain or Irish noble- 
 man was not greater than theirs," should have been "or 
 AN Irish nobleman." 
 
 \ 
 
 (25) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 "License is fixed and saloons cinched" (from a recent 
 newspaper headline), should have been "and saloons 
 ARE cinched;" otherwise the carrying over of is makes 
 "saloons is cinched." 
 
 16. Division Of Words, One is safe in ob- 
 serving the American rule of dividing 
 words at the end of the line according to 
 pronunciation, rather than the British rule 
 of dividing on the vowel to show derivation. 
 This is the rule stated by F. Horace Teall, 
 who was one of the editors and critical 
 proof-readers of the Standard dictionary. 
 The Standard, the Century, or Webster's 
 International should be consulted on this 
 subject frequently. Scholars say that the 
 Standard's system is the simplest and most 
 complete yet devised. Read the best books 
 and note the syllabication. 
 
 17, The Location Of Tense, In an early edi- 
 tion of his ' 'Rhetoric/ Adam Sherman 
 Hill gives this valuable rule concerning 
 tense: ' 'Mistakes are often made from 
 neglect of the principle that the time of 
 the action recorded in a subordinate part 
 of a sentence is not absolute, but relative 
 to the time of the principal clause; and 
 that, therefore, the tense of a dependent 
 verb is determined by its relation to the 
 verb on which it depends. Examples: 'I 
 expected to have found him' is wrong; it 
 
 (26) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 should be, 'to find him. ' So, 'to have writ- 
 ten, should be 'to write/ " 
 
 It is now generally understood by good 
 writers that the location of the tense in 
 the principal sentence is sufficient; but it 
 should be said that this rule is somewhat 
 recent. In the works of Macaulay, Defoe, 
 and others of their time are such sentences 
 as these: 
 
 I had hoped never to have seen [to see] the statues 
 again. Macaulay. 
 
 I expected every wave would have swallowed [would 
 swallow] us up. Defoe. 
 
 1 8, Who and Whom, Baskerville's work 
 on grammar indorses the expression, 4 'Who 
 did you see?" because there is no objec- 
 tive form in spoken English, except the 
 stilted 'whom. This will be a great relief 
 to many people. Here are examples: 
 
 Who have we here ? Goldsmith. 
 
 He hath given away half of his fortune to the Lord 
 knows who. Kingsley. 
 
 Who the devil is he talking to ? Sheridan. 
 
 Who have we got here ? Smollet. 
 
 Who should he find there but Eustache ? Marryat. 
 
 19, Might is Past and Present, Never Future, 
 
 "He might see me next week,' is not a 
 proper expression. Might belongs to the 
 past tense. Though often properly em- 
 
 (27) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 ployed to denote the present tense, it can 
 never denote the future. We work that 
 we may live, and he worked that he might 
 live. 
 
 20. Determining the Number of Verbs, It is 
 
 proper to say either, ! 'twenty dollars was 
 paid," or ' 'twenty dollars were paid/ In 
 the first sentence "the sum of" is implied. 
 Teall says that "twenty dollars is logically 
 singular when one amount of money is 
 meant.' But many good writers make 
 dollars agree with the verb. 
 
 The expression "one and one-quarter 
 inches were measured,' is likewise de- 
 fended as proper because the plural verb 
 must go with "one and something more/ 
 even if that something does not equal 
 another one. 
 
 One may say "ten and eight is 
 eighteen, " or ' 'are eighteen. ' The singu- 
 lar verb implies "the sum of.' In sen- 
 tences of this character the singular verb 
 is tolerated simply because something 
 singular in meaning is implied under the 
 rules of logic, and because use has sanc- 
 tioned the form. 
 
 21, Whether or Not, Whether or No, Each of 
 
 these expressions is correct under certain 
 conditions. As a conjunction: 'Tell us 
 whether you are going or not.' The 
 negative alternative (or not) is often im- 
 
 (28) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 plied rather than expressed. As an ad- 
 verb: "I will do it, whether or no.' "She 
 loved him whether he was good or no.' 
 In these examples no is used at the end of 
 a sentence or clause to express an alterna- 
 tive condition. 
 
 22, Had Rather, Would Rather, Since the 
 
 time of Samuel Johnson, grammarians and 
 good writers have preferred / would rather 
 to I had rather. A few authorities say had 
 rather is good. 
 
 23, Have Never Been, Never Have Been, Bain 
 
 and other grammarians prefer have never 
 been to never have been. One cannot err 
 greatly, however, by choosing either order 
 of words, for good writers vary in the use 
 of these expressions. In his work on 
 grammar, Bain says: 'The adverb is 
 placed between auxiliary and participle- 
 'I shall never forget your kindness'; 'he 
 has carefully studied the case. ' 
 
 24, Anticipate and Expect, One of the most 
 
 frequent errors of every day English, 
 especially in newspapers, is the use of 
 anticipate in the sense of expect. We expect 
 a man to pay his debt when it is due; but 
 if we know he intends to abscond we 
 anticipate him by putting a policeman at his 
 door. We do not anticipate a good time 
 we expect it. 
 
 (29) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 25, Some Puzzling Idioms, There are some 
 such expressions as, "Italian and Chinese 
 American citizens, " which are very puz- 
 zling. The question arises whether 
 hyphens should be used in such ex- 
 pressions, and how. Such sentences 
 are sometimes erroneously written with one 
 hyphen, as, "Italian and Chinese- American 
 citizens. " The sentence is proper as first 
 written, but a somewhat more discrimina- 
 ting use would be, ' Italian- and Chinese- 
 American citizens.' In expressions like 
 these the interrupted compounds are 
 properly written with hyphens. *. The 
 reader should see the twenty-seventh rule, 
 under the heading "General Style Card/ 
 in this book. 
 
 Another queer idiom is seen in the ex- 
 pression, "Erastus P. Rowe is at his 
 cousin, Henry Howe's." Some authors 
 prefer to write the sentence this way: 
 "Erastus P. Rowe is at his cousin's Henry 
 Rowe's." The first form is the better 
 usage. 
 
 "The king of England's lands" is an- 
 other odd idiom, but it is well established. 
 
 The expression, "his six-year-old son,' 
 is good; but a queer use indorses the form, 
 "the four-months-old baby.' Why months 
 should be preferred in one case and year 
 in the other, is not known. 
 
 It is proper to say favo-btt machine, six- 
 
 30 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 foot pole and fine-tooth saw. Such idioms 
 are well received by the very best writers. 
 
 26. Shall and Will, Should and Would, Great 
 
 errors arise in the use of auxiliaries. Sim- 
 ple futurity is expressed as follows: I and 
 we shall; you, he (and they) will. Will 
 (or volition) is expressed thus: I and we 
 will; you (he or they) shall. In the first 
 person shall expresses simple futurity; but 
 when shall is applied to another it expresses 
 compulsion. In the second and the third 
 person "toitt expresses simple futurity. 
 Should and would follow the rules that gov- 
 ern s#a#and will. In official letters ad- 
 dressed to employees fyill is sometimes 
 used in place of shall, for politeness, as: 
 "You will go to New York at once." 
 
 3! 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 III. 
 PUNCTUATION. 
 
 It should be said that punctuation is far 
 from being an exact science, for few 
 authorities agree where all the marks 
 should be placed, and few writers punctu- 
 ate the same way. 
 
 Most rules of punctuation are more or 
 less general, subject to many exceptions, 
 and likely to be construed one way by one 
 writer, another way by another. However 
 there are some points too plain for dispute, 
 and they should be mastered. The reader 
 might ponder over the statement of an old 
 teacher of rhetoric, "that no man has ever 
 so mastered the rules of punctuation that 
 he is able to punctuate a long and intricate 
 manuscript the same way twice. " 
 
 32 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 27, The Period, At the end of every sen- 
 tence one of these three marks must ap- 
 pear: ? ! 
 
 (a) An interrogation point when a 
 direct question is asked. How are you ? 
 
 (b) An exclamation point if the sen- 
 tence is exlcamatory. Death! where is 
 thy victory? 
 
 (c) In all other sentences a period. 
 John saws wood. Ducks swim. 
 
 Use a period after every roman numeral, 
 unless in paging. Gregory IX.; George 
 III. ; Napoleon I. 
 
 Use a period after every contraction that 
 is not written with an apostrophe; as, Wm. 
 for William; Dept. or Dep. for department. 
 
 Use a period before every decimal num- 
 ber. .05 of one per cent; 12.56. 
 
 28, The Colon, In recent years the use of 
 colons has been restricted a great deal, 
 compared with old usage. 
 
 The colon, according to Teall, should be 
 used after a word or clause introductory 
 to a speech (Fellow citizens:); a letter 
 (Dear sir:); a statement of particulars 
 (as follows:) ; or a quotation of a long sen- 
 tence or a number of sentences (The writer 
 said: 'We shall now consider the subject 
 in detail," etc.) ; and before a short quota- 
 tion if that is made a separate paragraph. 
 
 The modern rule is against the doubling 
 
 (33) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 of points. When an abbreviation precedes 
 a colon (as in viz:) drop the period. 
 
 De Vinne says the colon is the joint or 
 hinge which unites the members of the 
 nominative and the objective, which would 
 seem to be disconnected if the colon 
 were omitted. Example: 
 
 Art has been to me its own exceeding great reward : 
 it has soothed my afflictions; it has refined my enjoy- 
 ments; it has endeared solitude; and it has given me the 
 habit of wishing to discover the good and the beautiful 
 in all that surrounds me. 
 
 It is a common custom to use the colon 
 to express time, as in 12:30 p. m. Some 
 authorities prefer the period, but long use 
 is against the new form. It is the writer's 
 opinion that the decimal meaning of a 
 period in proximity to figures leads to con- 
 fusion and doubt as to whether time is 
 meant. 
 
 29, The Semicolon, Semicolons are used 
 following clauses where there is too much 
 of a break in the sense for the use of 
 commas, and not enough for periods. 
 
 The semicolon is proper in sentences of 
 two or more members, ; 'when each mem- 
 ber makes a distinct statement, with some 
 dependence on statements in the other 
 member or members. ' Here is a common 
 use of the semicolon: 
 
 (34) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 President Roosevelt's record of work for the year is : 
 Dne hundred speeches delivered in America; three 
 thousand letters dictated to French people; four hundred 
 informal talks at banquets, 
 
 A fine example of the use of the semi- 
 colon is the following from Teall: 
 
 An author may write carefully; he may use the clear- 
 est language, and make his manuscript conform in every 
 detail to what he desires to have in print; but he can 
 not be sure of having everything right in print unless he 
 reads it in proof with equal care. 
 
 The student of punctuation should read 
 the best books and magazines, noting 
 the punctuation as he reads. This habit, 
 and long practice of writing, will enable 
 him to acquire the art of punctuation 
 sufficiently to express his meaning with 
 fair accuracy. 
 
 30, The Comma, The modern tendency is 
 to punctuate for sense, omitting all commas 
 that are not essential to clear meaning. 
 Under this rule, ' 'it is therefore proper to 
 say say so and so," is preferred to "it is, 
 therefore, proper," etc. "To err is 
 human; to forgive is divine/ supersedes 
 the old, "to err, is human; to forgive, 
 is divine." 
 
 Rules are of considerable value, but 
 practice is the best teacher known. iWll 
 says that a comma should be inserted after 
 each slightest break of connection in the 
 
 (35) 
 
'The' Writer's Blue Book 
 
 grammatical construction of a clause or 
 sentence, but not where the words are 
 closely connected in sense. 
 
 When there is no break in the sense no 
 comma should be used, unless necessary 
 for clearness of expression. 
 
 Bardeen says the comma must be used 
 to separate from the rest of the sentence 
 the vocative expressions the names of 
 persons or things addressed. Thus: "I 
 remain, sir, yours sincerely." "Honesty, 
 my son, is the best policy; I have tried 
 them both. ' ' 
 
 The comma is used to separate from 
 each other words of the same part of 
 speech and in the same construction, when 
 not connected by conjunctions: "A still, 
 small voice.' "He was wise, honest, 
 brilliant, and brave." 
 
 Use the comma when words are more 
 than two in number; as, the deed was 
 done nobly, bravely, and modestly. 
 
 The comma is often omitted (erroneously) 
 before the conjunction connecting the last 
 two words of the series. For Example: 
 Mary, Helen and Julia have come. This is 
 wrong for the reason that there is no per- 
 son whose name is Helen and Julia; and 
 again, as De Vinne says, the impression 
 may be made that Helen and Julia were 
 travelers with each other and not with 
 Mary. 
 
 The comma should go after each but the 
 
 (36) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 last of a series of words and phrases each 
 of which has the same connection with 
 what follows. TEALL. 
 
 An example is this: writers, printers, 
 and teachers should know our language 
 better than they do. Another exampe is : 
 plain, well-punctuated, and otherwise care- 
 fully prepared manuscript is desirable. 
 
 Many careless writers omit the last 
 comma; but such usage is very slovenly. 
 Indeed it should be said that there is 
 authority for the use of one more comma 
 than in the example; for there are those 
 who insist that there should be a comma 
 after the last of a series of nominatives. 
 
 Some of the old school would write: 
 writers, printers, and teachers, should 
 know our language better than they do. 
 
 De Vinne gives the following examples 
 of proper punctuation, which the reader 
 will do well to study: Ulysses was wise, 
 eloquent, cautious, and intrepid, as was 
 requisite in a leader of men. Ease, in- 
 dulgence, luxury, and sloth are causes of 
 misery. 
 
 Here is an example that shows the great 
 value of knowing how to place commas 
 where they belong: 
 
 The prisoner said the witness was a thief. 
 The prisoner, said the witness, was a thief. 
 
 The insertion or omission of commas in 
 
 (37) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 such sentences sometimes marks the 
 difference between a libel suit and a repu- 
 tation for telling the truth. 
 
 When two statements, each with its 
 own subject, verb, and object, are put in 
 one sentence, the comma should be used to 
 show their distinctiveness, even when the 
 sentence is very short. DE VINNE. 
 
 Here are two examples : Jacob saw Isador, and 
 Isador saw Aaron. Roosevelt abused Democrats, and 
 Democrats abused Roosevelt. 
 
 Good writers now discard the ancient 
 rule that commas should be inserted to in- 
 dicate pauses of the voice in reading aloud. 
 Such a custom makes an unsightly page, 
 confusing rather than helping the reader. 
 
 Use commas only where they will be of 
 service in unfolding the sense. In a case 
 of doubt, omit the comma. DE VINNE. 
 
 31. The Dash, The dash must be used 
 when a sentence is broken off abruptly, 
 by interruption or otherwise. Thus: 
 
 "I am my own editor, my own printer, my own 
 proof-reader " "And your own cook," broke in the 
 office devil. 
 
 De Vinne gives the following striking 
 illustrations of the great power and beauty 
 of the dash, the only mark proper in the 
 examples: 
 
 (38) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 Here lies the great false marble ! Where ? 
 Nothing but sordid dust lies here. 
 
 Thus the plot thickens but I weary you, 
 
 "The decision was in your favor, but " Here the 
 speaker was ordered to stop. 
 
 The dash often gives additional point to 
 language in which there is an anticlimax. 
 Example: 
 
 Thou great Anna, whom three states obey, 
 
 Who sometimes counsel takes and sometimes tea. 
 
 Another frequent and proper use of the 
 dash is to amplify the details of a state- 
 ment in a clause not parenthetical, as: 
 
 But you that are polluted with your lusts, that are 
 swollen with pride and wine you judge it straight a 
 thing impossible. 
 
 The dash should be used to show the 
 omission of part of a word or name, as: 
 
 His name was Judge of the town of , 
 
 and it was evident that he was very much pleased with 
 the show. 
 
 The dash is often used to show hesitation 
 or stammering, as: "But you see that's 
 the tr trouble; he has no m m mind of 
 his own. ' 
 
 The dash denotes an abrupt change in 
 the construction, a suspension of sense, an 
 unexpected transition in sentiment, cr a 
 
 (39) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 sudden interruption. Here is a common 
 use: 
 
 Cleveland, Bryan, Debs where are they? 
 
 Cobbett, one of the greatest gram- 
 marians the world has ever known, con- 
 demned the dash as a wholly senseless 
 mark of punctuation, never once using it 
 in his book; but the dash has been a recog- 
 nized mark for many generations, and 
 though it is often misused it has its place 
 in good punctuation. 
 
 One should never use a dash when 
 commas, parentheses, or other marks are 
 needed. Dashes are too often inserted 
 when the writer has no idea what marks 
 should be used. In such cases they have 
 been well called "marks of ignorance/ 
 
 32, Parentheses, A word, phrase, clause, 
 or sentence inserted where it has no con- 
 nection in sense or construction, as for 
 explanation, qualification, or any similar 
 purpose, should be enclosed within marks 
 of parenthesis. TEALL. 
 
 The following will illustrate: 
 
 I (the writer) think this a good rule. 
 
 Bryan (because he was for silver) spoke against gold. 
 
 In many instances there is no choice be- 
 tween commas and parentheses, or be- 
 tween dashes and parentheses. Here are 
 
 (40) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 some further illustrations of the proper 
 use of the parenthesis 
 
 Know this truth (enough for any man to know) : God 
 is love. 
 
 Left now to herself (which was pleasure enough), she 
 painted her face, using double mirrors to give her a 
 good view. 
 
 A comma is seldom needed before the 
 first parenthesis; it should go after the last 
 one. De Vinne says: "When any com- 
 plete sentence is enclosed by parentheses, 
 the period should be before the last pa- 
 renthesis, but when these parentheses en- 
 close a few words at the end of a sentence, 
 the period should be after the last paren- 
 thesis. " 
 
 33. Brackets, An insertion not merely 
 disconnected, but having no effect upon 
 the meaning of the context, should be en- 
 closed within brackets. TEALL. 
 
 Examples: "Were you aboard [on the train] at [the 
 time of] the collision ? 
 
 You will understand, my son, that I must tell you all. 
 [Some details of family matters are here omitted.] 
 There is much for you to learn from my letters. 
 
 I swear that I was naturalized [here state name], in 
 Missouri. 
 
 De Vinne says: "Parentheses always 
 enclose remarks apparently made by the 
 writer of the text. Brackets enclose re- 
 marks certainly made by the editor or re- 
 porter of that text. ' 
 
 (41) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 34. The Apostrophe. The apostrophe is a 
 mark of elision, meaning a striking out. 
 It is most frequently used to indicate the 
 possessive case, as in the words Emerson's 
 home. It is also used in a single or a double 
 form to mark the close of a quotation. 
 
 A loose way of omitting the s in such ex- 
 pressions as "Bill Banks' house" (mean- 
 ing Bill Banks's house) has recently crept 
 into certain newspapers, though it is not 
 sanctioned. Consult the Century and like 
 publications for the correct usage. De 
 Vinne, Teall, Bain, Moon, and others have 
 promulgated the ancient and proper rule 
 that when the sound of a second 5 is given 
 in speech the apostrophe should be in- 
 serted. Bain says: "We say St. James's 
 and St. Giles's, Burns's and Douglas's." 
 As heretofore stated, this is the style of 
 such magazines as the Century. 
 
 Teall is also a stickler for the 5 whenever 
 it is pronounced. De Vinne is equally firm 
 on the subject. Though many scribblers 
 write all sorts of possessives by merely 
 adding an apostrophe to the last 5, as in 
 the expression "Spreckels' newspaper,' 
 the weight of authority is against such a 
 
 slipshod manner of denoting the possess- 
 ive case. 
 
 The apostrophe indicates the omission of 
 letters in such words as the following: 
 I'll for I will; I've for I have; 'twas for 
 it was; the Argonauts of '49; the spirit of 
 '51; the patriots of '76. 
 
 (42) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 35, The Place for Quote-marks. It is some- 
 times a puzzle where to place quote- 
 marks. There is no better rule than that 
 stated by De Vinne. He says that the clos- 
 ing marks of quotation always should be 
 placed after the comma or the period in all 
 places where these marks are needed; but 
 the fact is the proper place of the closing 
 marks of quotation should be determined 
 by the quoted words only; they must in- 
 close those words, and no more; they may 
 be before or after the points, according to 
 the construction of the sentence. ~ When 
 the quotation makes a complete sentence, 
 put the quotation-marks after the period 
 at the end of that sentence; when the quo- 
 tation is at the end of but a portion of this 
 sentence which terminates with a colon, 
 semicolon', or any other point, then put 
 the marks before the point. The mark 
 of punctuation intended to define the con- 
 struction of the completed sentence should 
 not be made a portion of the fragmentary 
 quoted matter. 
 
 36, The Hyphen, The hyphen divides 
 words at the end of a line, but it also 
 connects compound words of one kind 
 (others being written in solid form) , and 
 is used as a leader line to connect words 
 or figures in columns. 
 
 For the use of hyphens in the compound- 
 ing of English words we commend the in- 
 
 (43) 
 
Writer's Blue Book 
 
 valuable work of F. Horace Teall. Mr. 
 TealPs book is to compounding what 
 dictionaries are to the spelling of words. 
 The work may be ordered from the Crown 
 Publishing Co., of San Francisco. 
 
 (44) 
 
Writer's Blue Book 
 
 IV. 
 CONCERNING STYLE-CODES. 
 
 37. Before discussing the use of 
 capital letters it should be said that there 
 are many differences among the authorities. 
 Furthermore it is sometimes difficult, by 
 reason of the many combinations of words 
 in different meanings and grammatical 
 uses, for a writer to maintain uniformity 
 in his style. Despite these conditions, 
 every writer should select an approved 
 style and follow it as closely as possible. 
 
 38. The author is a follower of the 
 method advocated by Theodore L. De 
 Vinne, the eminent authority on composi- 
 tion and typography. De Vinne 's code 
 differs in many respects from that of F. 
 
 (45) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 Horace Teall, one of the editors of the 
 Standard dictionary, and at present (Sep- 
 tember, 1902) one of the editors of the In- 
 land Printer, of Chicago. The author of 
 this work has the word of the manager of 
 the Century Company that the Century 
 and the Century's printing offices have no 
 other style-card than Mr. De Vinne 's "Cor- 
 rect Composition." A critical examination 
 of the Century, however, reveals the fact 
 that the magazine does not follow De 
 Vinne in all respects. For example, De 
 Vinne does not capitalize state in such a 
 sentence as, ' 'the names of the states and 
 territories are sometimes abbreviated/ 
 The Century follows Teall' s style in such 
 cases, setting State with a capital initial. 
 See paragraph 45. 
 
 39, Many of the salient features of the 
 De Vinne method have been adopted by 
 the Maritime World, a monthly magazine, 
 of San Francisco. Its style-card appears- 
 in pages following these explanations, and 
 a study of its code may prove an assistance 
 to the reader. Aside from style-cards, 
 however, certain fundamental rules should 
 be mastered. 
 
 1. Every sentence, every line in poetry, 
 and every proper name must begin with a 
 capital letter. 
 
 Difficulty arises in applying this 
 simple rule, for often there is a question 
 
 (46) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 as to what is a proper noun. A state (not 
 any one in particular) is not capitalized by 
 De Vinne; but Teall capitalizes the word 
 whenever it refers to one of the United 
 States. Again, Teall writes, "Cummings 
 was not an Assemblyman/' De Vinne 
 would not use a capital letter, but would 
 write assemblyman. 
 
 2. The pronoun I and the interjection 
 should always be written in capital 
 letters. 
 
 3. All appellations of God should have 
 capital initials Jehovah, Lord, Omnipotent 
 Father. But pronouns referring to God 
 are not capitalized. The Bible does use 
 capitals for, his, htm, fyhose, etc., when 
 these pronouns mean God. The style of 
 capital letters in this sense came from 
 ancient hymnals. 
 
 4. Headlines, words in legal papers, 
 posters, cards, various forms of job and 
 display work, and sometimes words used 
 in scientific treatises are more freely 
 capitalized then when the same words occur 
 in letters, books, and other forms of more 
 dignified text. 
 
 40, Words Preferred in Legal Documents, It 
 
 should be said that in legal documents and 
 in every writing of formality, as well as 
 in displayed composition, capitals are used 
 
 (47) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 for the general as well as for the specific 
 name, as: State of Missouri, County of 
 Holt, instead of state of Missouri, county of 
 Holt, which is the preferred form in ordi- 
 nary text. 
 
 De Vinne's rule is that words should 
 always be preferred for numbers as well 
 as for dates in legal documents, as in 
 
 This indenture, made the twenty-seventh day of June, 
 in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and 
 ninety-seven. 
 
 Words should also be used in all legal 
 papers for the statement of moneys paid, 
 as well as for the measurements of land 
 and the expression of values, for figures 
 are specially liable to error, alteration, and 
 misconstruction. For this reason state- 
 ments of numbers plainly intended to have 
 special distinction should be in words, even 
 when they appear as arabic figures in ordi- 
 nary writings. Even in compact writing 
 the use of spelled-out words instead of 
 figures is sometimes obligatory. From 
 ' 'Correct Composition. ' ' 
 
 (43) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 V. 
 
 THE MARITIME WORLD CODE. 
 
 41. The following style-card, used by 
 the Maritime World, of San Francisco, 
 is based almost entirely on the De Vinne 
 method, as heretofore explained: 
 
 1. Unless copy is clearly wrong, follow 
 it; but master these rules, which are 
 superior to copy. The editor must be held 
 to the rules; if he departs the compositor 
 may correct him. 
 
 2. Extracts that are set solid or in 
 smaller type (single space on typewriters) 
 have no quote-marks. 
 
 3. When we quote from another we 
 quote his style of capitalizing, spelling, 
 
 (49) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 and general method of typography, unless 
 the matter quoted is either edited or 
 marked ' 'follow our style/ 
 
 4. Capitalize all names of special days, 
 as: Arbor Day, Labor Day, Black Friday, 
 Decoration Day, and all names applied to 
 historic days. The Restoration, the Ad- 
 vent, and Commencement Day are further 
 examples. 
 
 5. In citing a newspaper or magazine 
 the definite article the should not take a 
 capital letter, as the New York Herald, 
 the Liquor Dealer. But The goes up in 
 book titles. ' "The Life of Christ. ' ' 
 
 6. Capitalize Board of Education, 
 Society for the Poor, Assembly of New 
 York, and the leading words of the titles 
 of all organized assemblies, corporations, 
 etc., as: Southern Pacific Railroad Com- 
 pany, Charitable Association of San Fran- 
 cisco, Milpitas Editors' Club. 
 
 7. When definite titles or names are 
 shortened like the Senate, the Club, etc., 
 meaning a particular senate or club, use 
 capitals. Likewise where the State or 
 the Government means one in particular, 
 as following a reference to California, 
 capitals should be used. The Union, the 
 Nation, etc., follow the same rule. 
 
 8. A state, a senate a club, should not 
 be capitalized when not specifying some 
 
 (50) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 particular body. All such words, when 
 preceded by the indefinite a or an, take 
 lower case, because common nouns. 
 
 9. Titles preceding names go up, as: 
 Engineer Ryan, Janitor Jones; but in James 
 G. Blaine, secretary of state, the title is 
 kept down. Alexis, grand duke and envoy 
 extraordinary, is another illustration. 
 
 10. When only the title of a person is 
 named, as the President, the Judge, mean- 
 ing a definite person, as noted by the 
 definite article preceding it, the title goes 
 up, as: "Good morning, Governor,' 
 meaning Governor Gage. This is so be- 
 cause the curtailed expression is used in 
 lieu of a proper noun. 
 
 11. Two capitals are not needed in 
 compound titles, as: Major-general 
 Merritt, Ex-president Cleveland, Ex- 
 mayor Lynch, Ex-supervisor Boxton 
 
 12. Salutations go punctuated in this 
 way: Dear Sir: Ladies and Gentle- 
 men: Fellow Citizens: It is probably 
 more scholarly to omit the dash, but long 
 use approves the two points. 
 
 13. This usage illustrates the rules: 
 The assembly chamber was soon filled with 
 senators and congressmen. Senator Brown 
 asked a governor to drink wine. It was 
 Governor Gage. Then the Governor 
 (meaning Gage) said so and so. A high 
 
 (51) 
 
'The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 court of chancery is not capitalized, but the 
 High Court of Chancery of Goat Island is 
 proper. The definite article indicates the 
 need of capital letters in the examples. 
 
 14. Creole, negro, mulatto, quadroon, 
 gipsy, greaser, and like disparaging titles 
 and nicknames, go down. This rule holds 
 in all cases of like names applied to races. 
 
 15. Arctic, Tropics, Levant, Orient, 
 and all geographical names used as proper 
 nouns go up; but nouns used to specify 
 merchandise go down, as: arctic ivory, 
 india ink, russia leather, morocco, turkey 
 red, port wine, Chinese blue. When words 
 derived from proper nouns have thus lost 
 the direct connection or literal sense of the 
 name there is no need of capitals. 
 
 16. Transatlantic, transpacific, hercu- 
 lean, etc., go down, as do all qualifiers de- 
 rived from proper names, and compounded 
 with prefixes or suffixes in a similar way. 
 
 17. East, West North, South, and their 
 compounds (Northwest, Southwest, etc.), 
 go up; but when used to define the points 
 of the compass only they go down, as: it 
 is an east wind. 
 
 18. Bay of Fundy, Straits of Dover, 
 etc. , go up, also, ' 'he made a trip on the 
 Bay' goes, if a particular bay is meant. 
 The short expression is a synonym for the 
 complete name. 
 
 (52) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 19. In the name "state of New 
 York," or in the expression "empire of 
 Germany," both state and empire thus 
 used go down. New York State goes up, 
 because state in this sense is a part of the 
 name of the organization. 
 
 20. All religious denominations and 
 political parties go up, whether used as 
 nouns or as adjectives: Prohibitionists, 
 Spiritualists, Republicans, Catholics, Meth- 
 odists. The Catholic clergy, the Prohibi- 
 tionist platform. Not so of pagan and 
 heathen. Too indefinite. 
 
 21. All important epochs go up, as: 
 Commencement Day, Middle Ages, Si- 
 lurian Age, etc. 
 
 22. Roman letters, italic letters, bowie- 
 knife, india-rubber, and like expressions 
 are set in lower case. 
 
 23. Direct references to the Bible go 
 up, as: the Scriptures, the Gospels, Holy 
 Writ, the Word, etc. 
 
 24. Everyone, anyone, onesself, etc., 
 are not set as one word, as are football, 
 baseball, and steamboat. Can not is pre- 
 ferred to cannot. One's self is correct. 
 
 25. Choose the simplest permissible 
 spellings, as: traveler, theater, fulfill, ful- 
 ness, whisky, instead of traveller, thea- 
 tre, fullfill, fullness, whiskey. Skilful, 
 
 (53) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 wilful, bazar, draft, and drouth are pre- 
 ferred forms. 
 
 26. When in doubt consult a dictionary, 
 or choose that spelling likely to give the 
 least trouble in the event of a change in 
 proof. 
 
 27. Foot-, top-, and side-notes, quarter-, 
 eighth-, and half -kegs, base- and foot-ball. 
 This is good usage. See the Century 
 magazine for examples, or see any books 
 published by the Century Company. 
 
 28. The seasons are not capitalized: 
 winter, spring, summer. 
 
 29. Except in scientific writings these 
 plurals go: Indexes, cherubs, formulas, 
 seraphs, beaus; but the scientific form is: 
 appendices beaux, cherubim, formulae, in- 
 dices, media, seraphim, and vortexes. 
 Executrices and administratrices are the 
 only plurals known for executrix and ad- 
 ministratrix. 
 
 30. Use an before words that begin 
 with a vowel sound, or when h is silent. 
 Use a. when words begin with a consonant 
 sound, or with a vowel preceded by a 
 strong aspirate, as: an honor, an hour, an 
 heir, an adder, an herb; but a eulogy, a 
 European, a unanimous, a universal, a 
 hotel, a humble, a historical, a hospital, a 
 ewe, a usurper. 
 
 (54) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 31. "Oh, how I suffer!" is correct as 
 an ejaculation of pain or woe; but "0 that 
 I had the speed of the wind!" as an ejac- 
 ulation expressing wish or desire. 
 
 32 Farther is used to imply distance; 
 but "I have no further use for ignorant 
 clerks." Further means besides, or addi- 
 tional. 
 
 33. When expressing whole numbers in 
 text, spell them out in full. The ship had 
 one hundred passengers; the steamer's dis- 
 placement is eighteen thousand tons. 
 
 34. April 20, May 22; but if the number 
 precedes the month 22d of April is pre- 
 ferred to 22nd. 
 
 35. Second Street is better than 2d 
 Street; but 42 Second Street is better than 
 Forty-two Second Street. 
 
 36. Do not capitalize the names of cen- 
 turies. The best magazines run: fifteenth, 
 sixteenth, nineteenth centuries. 
 
 37. Pronouns referring to God (thee, 
 thou, thy, he, him, and his) are not 
 capitalized in the Bible. Follow the Bible 
 in this. 
 
 38. Corporate bodies (including states) 
 defined by the definite article the need a 
 capital, while those that follow the indef- 
 inite article a or an should not have a 
 capital. 
 
 (55) 
 
The. Writer's Blue Book 
 
 39. Capitalize the synonym for the 
 name of a dignitary: Your Honor; Your 
 Majesty; Your Excellency, etc. Any name 
 that stands in lieu of a definite per- 
 son, should follow the same rule. 
 
 40. All personified words go in capitals: 
 the spirit of Fire; War stalked abroad; 
 Peace spoke to the nations; a youth to For- 
 tune and to Fame unknown; Crime ran 
 riot; Fate smote the wretch. 
 
 41. Emphatic quotations go up, as: 
 President McKinley himself said, Thou 
 art the man; the editor answered, Your 
 printers were all drunk. Fragmentary 
 quotations run thus: The speech was de- 
 scribed as * 'truly eloquent throughout/ 
 
 42. Avoid doubling points, but this is 
 good: "They played base-, foot-, hand-, 
 and town-ball." In Co's (possessive) a 
 period is not needed after the o, nor after 
 the z in viz: 
 
 43. It is never necessary to repeat etc. 
 Writing etc., etc., weakens the sentence. 
 Et al is the expression; et als never. 
 
 42, Some Examples, The following cor- 
 rectly written sentences illustrate many of 
 the rules set forth in the foregoing style- 
 card: 
 
 (56) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 A NIGHT OF HORRORS. 
 
 It was Labor Day, but there was a cele- 
 bration equal to that of the Fourth of July. 
 No pagan holiday ever surpassed some of 
 the heathenish performances there en- 
 acted. According to the New York Herald 
 Ex-president Cleveland was there, ac- 
 companied by Colonel Hay, secretary of 
 state. The President of the United States 
 was there, and various ex-presidents' mem- 
 ories were honored. There were senators, 
 assemblymen, judges of the Supreme Court 
 of the United States, and judges from 
 other supreme courts in the throng but 
 not one from the Supreme Court of the 
 state of Georgia, or from New York State. 
 David Bennett Hill wore an arctic coat 
 from the Arctic. During the evening a 
 German sang, and a gipsy danced a jig. 
 The Orient, the Arctic, the Tropics, and 
 the Levant contributed to the decorations. 
 The dances were on a brussels carpet di- 
 rect from Brussels, according to the word 
 of two doctors of divinity who sat near six 
 masters of art. The titled gentlemen 
 laughed until they shook down a bowl of 
 paris green, and a shelf containing china- 
 ware. The Government (or Nation or 
 Union, meaning the United States) was 
 honored by Alexis, grand duke and envoy 
 extraordinary, who presented every sena- 
 tor and every judge a morocco badge two 
 
 (57) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 badges to the Chief Justice of the highest 
 court. A governor took umbrage, but the 
 Governor of California took native claret; 
 and as he sipped it an old greaser with a 
 nose of turkey-red color, who looked like a 
 ward politician from the Fourth Ward of 
 San Francisco, disgraced the South. Later 
 a breeze sprang from the east side of the 
 Bay of Fundy and cooled off the repre- 
 sentative of the empire of Germany, much 
 to the relief of the German Empire itself. 
 Every man present hunted for his bowie- 
 knife, except a Methodist member of the 
 Salvation Army, who quoted the Gospels, 
 speaking often of God and his Word, the 
 Holy Writ. The Middle Ages would have 
 been disgraced if such italic headlines as 
 our papers contained had ever disturbed 
 their quiet life. It was a wonderful 
 demonstration, even for a night of the 
 nineteenth century. Let us hope that 
 foot-, side-, and end-notes in small volumes 
 of history may tell the story to coming 
 generations. 
 
 43. Thoughts On System, Proof-reading and 
 typewriting are really skilled labor of the 
 highest order. These occupations require 
 acute perception, close application, and 
 long practice. When well done such 
 services, like first-class typesetting, re- 
 quire great attention to details. A 
 thorough system (or style-card) is really es- 
 
 (68) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 sential in every properly conducted office. 
 Employers should treat faithful workmen 
 with much consideration, for good workers 
 are scarce. 
 
 One of the safest rules for typewriters 
 and proof-readers to insist upon is that the 
 "0. K.' of persons who write names be 
 marked on proofs whenever this check is 
 possible. The most illegible and ignorant 
 writers are usually the most boisterous 
 and unreasonable when mistakes are made 
 in printing or typing their bad manu- 
 scripts. When there is the slightest doubt, 
 consult the author; otherwise look closely 
 to the context for sense. 
 
 Refer to your favorite dictionary often. 
 Other things being equal, the most studious 
 person will do the best work. A well-used 
 dictionary is a pretty fair recommendation 
 of the owner. 
 
 On behalf of printers and typewriters 
 the author of this little handbook asks 
 that writers take pains with their manu- 
 scripts, remembering that a good general 
 education does not insure careful writing 
 or careful penmanship. 
 
 Professor A. S. Hill, Harvard's eminent 
 author of works on rhetoric and English, 
 says in "Our English ": 
 
 "Every year Harvard sends out men 
 some of them high scholars whose manu- 
 scripts would disgrace a boy of twelve; 
 
 .(59) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 and yet the college can hardly be blamed, 
 for she can not be expected to conduct 
 an infant school for adults. ' 
 
 Hill's words corroborate the statement 
 that the art of preparing copy for printers 
 is not taught in universities. Investiga- 
 tion will show that it is too seldom taught 
 in any other schools. It is for such reasons 
 that good will come from the study of this 
 modest little compendium of a few simple 
 rules and usages. 
 
 (60) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 VI. 
 
 44, How Rules Are Often Violated, Though 
 
 the Century Company, the Century maga- 
 zine, and editors high in authority fol- 
 low the simple, logical rules laid down 
 by De Vinne, careful readers will 
 find many lapses and inconsistencies, 
 even in books bearing the imprint of the 
 Century Company. The student of this 
 little manual may be puzzled some time by 
 such deviations; as, for example, in the 
 beautiful volume, "Sailing Alone Around 
 the World/' by Captain Joshua Slocum. 
 Despite such instances, it should be re- 
 membered that the rule and its reason re- 
 main undisturbed. The editor of the 
 BLUE BOOK knows whereof he speaks, and 
 the following explanation is relevant: 
 The Century Company has many editors, 
 
 (61) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 and each editor has notions of his own that 
 printers are directed to follow. While all 
 of these editors accept nearly all of De 
 Vinne 's rules, now and then they deviate. 
 A study of the Slocum book (and other 
 works) shows that the neglect to capitalize 
 Bay, City, Island, etc. , when the word re- 
 fers distinctly to a proper name, is a com- 
 mon error so common that the proof- 
 readers find it a waste of time to suggest 
 to editors and authors the need of a capi- 
 tal. Yet De Vinne holds stoutly to the 
 correctness of the capital, as explained in 
 these pages. Even careful editors are 
 often overruled by authors. The Century 
 printing house and De Vinne can not be 
 held responsible, with justice, for some of 
 the eccentricities of their printing. It 
 should be borne in mind that a printer's 
 business is to do what he is told. If the 
 reader will study paragraph I. of this 
 book, he will discover other reasons than 
 those given now for many lapses that mar 
 the pages of almost everything that is 
 ever printed. 
 
 (62) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 VII. 
 DICTIONARY OF CAPITALS. 
 
 45, The proper use of capital and lower 
 case (small) letters is shown in this 
 alphabetical list. By glancing at the word 
 desired, examples of usage will be found. 
 
 The reader should bear in mind that if 
 he does not see the exact word he wants 
 he will perhaps find one of the same type 
 or class. For example, all such words as 
 judge, president, king, governor, mayor, 
 director, and supervisor are governed by 
 one principle. All are titles, and an illus- 
 tration of one suffices for others. Similar 
 resemblances will suggest themselves to 
 the thoughtful reader. This feature of 
 the book should be used in conjunction 
 with the style-code on page and with 
 frequent reference to the general index. 
 
 (63) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 A. 
 
 Arbor Day 
 
 Ascension Day, in Bible sense. 
 
 Almighty. See Deity. 
 
 arctic ivory, etc. See merchandise in 
 general index. 
 
 the Arctic 
 
 algebra. See sciences. 
 
 astronomy. See sciences. 
 
 arabic figures and letters. 
 
 autumn, unless personified. 
 
 Association, church, political, and 
 like names, go under one rule, 
 thus: trustee, councilman, super- 
 visor, judge, congressman, di- 
 rector, secretary, president, gov- 
 ernor, superintendent, unless the 
 term precedes a surname, or is 
 used in lieu of the surname. The 
 Tenth Ward Methodist Church is its 
 official name, and it is a Methodist 
 church in fact. If the title used in 
 lieu of a surname may be applied 
 to two or more persons, select a 
 lower case letter. This is De 
 Vinne's rule. See political parties. 
 
 Abbreviated expressions take the 
 capital initial, thus: the Club, the 
 Church, the Senate, the Company, 
 the City, the Chamber, the State, 
 the Nation, the Government, when 
 these single words are used in lieu 
 
 (64) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 of the full names of the organiza- 
 tion. This rule would give the 
 Union, meaning a certain typo- 
 graphical union previously named. 
 
 B 
 
 Bank Holiday 
 
 Bible. All synonyms take the capi- 
 tal initial. 
 
 the Board of Education of Cleveland. 
 
 a board of education none in par- 
 ticular. 
 
 Bay of Naples 
 
 the Bay, when synonymous of one in 
 particular. 
 
 a bay, meaning any one. 
 
 botany. See sciences. 
 
 biology. See sciences. 
 
 Baconian philosophy, because with 
 direct reference to Bacon. See 
 herculean, platonic. Consult gen- 
 eral index. 
 
 C 
 
 Christmas. Synonyms follow the 
 same style. See Yule-tide. 
 
 city of New York, but New York 
 City. 
 
 a city of Missouri 
 
 this City one previously named, 
 
 the Chief -justice 
 
 (65) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 an aged justice or a former chief - 
 
 justice, 
 castile soap. See merchandise in 
 
 general index. 
 
 china goods, china silk, etc. See 
 merchandise in general index. 
 
 cisalpine 
 
 county of Holt, but Holt County. 
 See counties. 
 
 the County, meaning one in par- 
 ticular, in lieu of full name. 
 
 a county any one. 
 
 Counties: Holt County is the name 
 of the political division or corpora- 
 tion, and when the County is used as 
 a shorter expression it is clearly 
 a synonym of the full name* 
 
 the Congress of the United States, 
 or Congress. 
 
 the Congressman, meaning a special 
 one. 
 
 Several congressmen and senators 
 were there. 
 
 conrgessman illustrates De Vinne's 
 rule that a title not a synonym of a 
 specified person (one only) should 
 not begin with a capital, See as- 
 sociation. 
 
 Centuries take a lower case letter: 
 fifteenth century, nineteenth, 
 twentieth, etc. This is an excep- 
 tion to the rule concerning his- 
 torical epochs. 
 
 (66) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 chemistry, same as algebra, botany, 
 
 and other sciences. See sciences. 
 the Constitution, meaning of a state 
 
 of the United States, or of any par- 
 
 ticular society. 
 
 the Continent, meaning of Europe, 
 when used as a substitute for 
 
 the full name of any other conti- 
 
 nent. 
 coolie, same as greaser, negro, and 
 
 like nicknames. See nicknames. 
 canton, same as state, county, city. 
 
 See these. 
 
 Decoration Day. See historic names. 
 
 Deity and all substitutes: Father, 
 Son, Holy Ghost, Lord, Jehovah, 
 Holy Spirit, Saviour, Creator, 
 Providence, Heaven, when used 
 for God. See heaven and hell for 
 common use. 
 
 Democrat. See political parties. 
 
 delft 
 
 the Deluge 
 
 a dub in the sense of a ward club. 
 
 but the Sixth District Ward Club, its 
 exact name. 
 
 devil, as an exp. stive; but Satan, 
 Beelzebub. 
 
 (67) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 -E 
 
 the East, meaning an undefined geo- 
 graphical section. 
 
 an east wind blew 
 
 the Ex-president 
 
 an ex-president, ex-mayor, ex-gov- 
 ernor, etc. 
 
 Erie Canal 
 
 the earth. Though the name of a 
 definite planet, this word is not 
 capitalized. It is a clear exception 
 to the rule. 
 
 F 
 
 Fast Day 
 
 the Flood of the Bible 
 Fourth of July 
 
 Father, meaning God. See Deity, 
 fall of the year, except when person- 
 ified. 
 
 Good Friday 
 
 God in every sense, but the gods of 
 
 fable. See Deity, 
 the General when referring to one in 
 
 particular. See official titles. 
 a general, any one. See official 
 
 titles, 
 grammar, same as botany, chemistry, 
 
 and other sciences. 
 
 (68) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 the Gospels, and all like terms: 
 
 Scriptures, Holy Writ, the Word. 
 the Governor, when in lieu of his 
 
 name, or meaning one in particu- 
 
 lar. 
 a governor, meaning any one. See 
 
 official titles. 
 
 Holy Spirit, but see Deity 
 
 Historic names, thus: Civil War, 
 Commencement Day, Lord's Day, 
 Silurian Age, Dark Ages, the 
 Deluge, the Victorian Era, the Re- 
 naissance. Others suggest them- 
 selves to the reader. 
 
 herculean, meaning full of strength, 
 and unless direct reference is 
 made to Hercules and his age. 
 
 hell and heaven. See Deity. 
 
 House of Commons 
 
 House of Lords 
 
 heathen 
 
 Hades and like poetical names of a 
 future abode. 
 
 Holy Writ. See Deity. 
 
 india ink. See merchandise in gen- 
 eral index. 
 
 india rubber. See merchandise in 
 general index. 
 
 italic letters 
 
 (69) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 the Island, meaning Long Island, or 
 any one previously named; the 
 Islands, meaning a special group 
 previously named or suggested. 
 The various islands of the sea, 
 however. 
 
 J 
 
 Jesus Christ 
 Jehovah. See Deity. 
 
 a king, but the King. See associa- 
 tion. 
 
 Labor Day. See historic names. 
 Lady Day. See historic names. 
 Lord. See Deity, Jesus Christ, 
 
 God, etc. 
 the Levant 
 A lord and a lady, but the Lord. 
 
 See association. 
 
 M 
 
 a mayor, president, lord, governor, 
 
 czar, etc. See association, gov- 
 
 ernor, official titles. 
 the Mayor, King, President, Czar, 
 
 Governor, etc. See above. 
 morocco goods. See merchandise in 
 
 general index. 
 the Manager. See official titles. 
 
 a manager. See association and offi- 
 cial titles. 
 
 (70) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 New Year's 
 
 the North, meaning an undefined 
 
 geographical section. 
 a north wind. 
 Northeast, Northwest, etc., follow 
 
 same rule. 
 Nicknames: Creole, negro, mulatto, 
 
 gipsy, quadroon, greaser, coolie, 
 
 peon, and like nicknames do not 
 
 begin with a capital. 
 Nation, when in lieu of the United 
 
 States or any other particular gov- 
 
 ernment. See state, etc. 
 a nation of workers, however. 
 nature ordinarily, except when in 
 
 lieu of God. See Deity. 
 negro. See nicknames. 
 Nature when used for God. See 
 
 Deity. 
 
 O 
 
 oriental silk. See merchandise in 
 general index. 
 
 the Orient 
 
 the Occident 
 
 Offiicial titles: mayor, judge, jus- 
 tice, king, governor, and the like 
 follow one rule, as do the terms 
 treasurer, secretary of state, etc. 
 If they precede the name of one 
 person (not of two or more) they 
 
 (71) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 take the capital initial. If they 
 follow a name or are preceded by 
 the indefinite article a they need 
 no capital. The name of the office 
 is never written with a capital in 
 this sense: He ran for the office 
 of justice of the peace, president, 
 governor, mayor, etc. See asso- 
 ciation, and consult index under 
 the term style-code, etc. 
 
 a president. See official titles. 
 
 the President, Czar, King, Governor, 
 Mayor, etc. See official titles and 
 association. 
 
 Prussian blue. See merchandise in 
 general index. 
 
 purgatory 
 
 paradise, except the Paradise of 
 John Milton. 
 
 Parliament. Same as Congress. See 
 association. 
 
 platonic follows herculean and Ba- 
 conian. If meaning direct refer- 
 ence to Plato or his system, capital- 
 ize; if meaning merely wise, write 
 platonic. See herculean. 
 
 Political parties: Nationalist, Popu- 
 list, Radical, Tory, Democrat, Pro- 
 hibitionist. Adjectives of the 
 same, same rule. 
 
 (72) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 Personification: Anything may be 
 personified, and all personified 
 words should be capitalized, as: 
 the spirit of Fire; the voice of 
 Crime; the call of Duty; the ghost 
 of Want. 
 
 Pronouns standing for Deity go 
 thus: his wisdom; him we fear; 
 thou God; thy Word; thee we 
 adore. This is Biblical use. 
 
 Q 
 
 Queen. See king, president, gov- 
 ernor, official titles, etc. 
 
 russian leather. See merchandise in 
 general index. 
 
 Religious denominations: Catholics, 
 Protestants, Jews, Mohamme- 
 dans, but pagan and heathen, for 
 these terms are too indefinite to 
 take the capital. 
 
 Republican. See political parties. 
 
 rhetoric. See sciences. 
 
 8 
 
 Saviour is the approved spelling 
 
 when referring to Jesus Christ. 
 a senate 
 the Senate of Illinois 
 
 (73) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 the Society for the Prevention of 
 
 Vice, and like names 
 a society for prevention of vice 
 the Southern Railroad 
 a southern railroad 
 a state of the United States 
 the State, meaning California; but 
 
 the state of California. See states, 
 the South, an undefined geographical 
 
 location 
 The Southeast. Same as South. 
 
 a south wind 
 
 States: the state of New York, the 
 empire of Germany; but New York 
 State, the German Empire, because 
 the official names. The Southern 
 States, the Northern States, but 
 the states and territories of the 
 United States. 
 
 Sciences: All references to algebra, 
 botany, geometry, chemistry, and 
 like names of science are written 
 without the capital initial. 
 
 Streets: First Street, Sixty-first 
 Avenue, etc. Second Corps. 
 
 Seasons: The seasons are not capi- 
 talized, unless in personification. 
 
 spring is here 
 
 summer has departed 
 
 the Scriptures. See Bible and Gos- 
 pels. 
 
 (74) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 T 
 
 the preceding the name of a news- 
 paper or magazine is not capital- 
 ized: the Herald, the Century, but 
 in books it goes in capital initial; 
 as, "The Life of Emerson.' 
 
 the Tropics 
 
 tropical plants, tropical weather, etc. 
 
 turkey red. See index under mer- 
 chandise. 
 
 Titles: It is as proper to say Scaven- 
 ger Smith or Barber Brown as to 
 say Judge Jones and President 
 Roosevelt. All such titles as di- 
 rector, manager, weigher, in- 
 spector, and like names follow the 
 general rule. See association and 
 official titles. Consult index. 
 
 a township. See county, associa- 
 tion, etc. 
 
 transatlantic 
 
 transpacific 
 
 IT 
 
 universe 
 
 the Union, meaning the United 
 
 States, 
 the Union, meaning one organization 
 
 in particular, or when used in lieu 
 
 of the full name. 
 
 (75) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 W 
 
 Whitsunday 
 Whitsuntide 
 
 the West, meaning an undefined geo- 
 graphical section, 
 a west wind 
 a ward meeting 
 the Sixth Ward politicians 
 the wards of the city 
 Winter. See seasons. 
 
 Your Grace 
 
 Your Honor 
 
 Your Majesty 
 
 Your Reverence 
 
 Your Royal Highness 
 
 Yule-tide. See Christmas. 
 
 Z 
 
 zoology. See sciences. 
 
 the zodiac 
 
 the zenith 
 
 Zeus, the Greek god 
 
 (76) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 VIII. 
 FORMS OF ADDRESS. 
 
 46, Every typewriter, indeed, every 
 educated person in the world, should 
 know the correct forms of address. The 
 writer has had reason to know, however, 
 that few persons have ever mastered even 
 the elementary forms. The following list 
 is approved by the best writers, and sanc- 
 tioned by Harper & Brothers, the eminent 
 New York publishers: 
 
 Married Lady. Mrs. John Jones. 
 Madam. Dear Madam. 
 
 Unmarried Lady. Miss Nellie Jones. 
 Madame. Dear Madame, or Miss, or Dear 
 Miss. Two unmarried ladies are addressed 
 as "The Misses ." Mesdames. 
 
 Gentlemen. John Jones, Esq., or Mr. 
 
 (77) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 John Jones. Sir. Dear Sir. My Dear 
 Sir. To a close friend one may send the 
 address, My Dear Jones. 
 
 Clergy of all Denominations. The Rev- 
 erend Joseph E. Scott. Sir. 
 
 Dean. The Very Reverend the Dean 
 
 of . Sir. 
 
 (The term honorable is confined to heads 
 of the great executive departments, judges 
 of the United States courts, senators and 
 representatives, governors of states, and 
 mayors of cities. It is improper to thus 
 designate the chiefs of bureaus, and other 
 subordinates. In official communications 
 the official designation only should be em- 
 ployed.) 
 
 The President. To the President. Mr. 
 President. 
 
 The Vice-president. To the Vice-presi- 
 dent. 
 
 Heads of Cabinet Departments. To the 
 Secretary of State, War, Navy, etc. 
 Wives of such officers are addressed thus: 
 Mrs. Postmaster-general Blair; Mrs. At- 
 torney-general Jones. 
 
 Senators. Hon. George F. Hoar, U. S. 
 
 Senate, or Senator of the United States. 
 Senator. 
 
 Speaker of the House of Representa- 
 tives. To the Speaker of the House of 
 Representatives. If the letter is personal, 
 thus: Hon. Thomas B. Reed, Speaker 
 of the House of Representatives. Mr. 
 Speaker. 
 
 (78) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 Representatives. Hon. William Cow- 
 herd, Representative from Missouri, or 
 House of Representatives. Informally it 
 should run: Hon. William Cowherd, M. C. 
 
 Chief Justice. To the Chief Justice. 
 If the letter is personal: Mr. Chief 
 Justice. 
 
 Associate Justice. Mr. Justice John 
 Brown. 
 
 Judges of the United States Courts. 
 Hon. Joseph McKenna, Judge of the U. S. 
 Circuit Court. 
 
 Governor. To the Governor. In some 
 states: His Excellency, the Governor. 
 
 Mayor. To the Mayor. Hon. Mayor of 
 New York. 
 
 Foreign Diplomatic Representative. --To 
 His Excellency, the . Your Ex- 
 cellency. 
 
 Bishop. To the Rt. Rev. -. 
 
 King or Queen. To His (or Her) Most 
 Gracious Majesty. May it please Your 
 Majesty. 
 
 Royal Family. To His (or Her) Royal 
 Highness. Prince (or Princess). May it 
 please Your Royal Highness. 
 
 Duke. To His Grace the Duke of Fife. 
 My Lord Duke. 
 
 Duchess. To Her Grace the Duchess of 
 Fife. Your Grace. A duke's daughter is 
 addressed as Lady. 
 
 ^^\~\ B R A ?rp^*3 
 
 
 
 I UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF 
 
 (79) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 ALPHABETICAL INDEX. 
 
 The References are to Pages of This 
 
 Book. 
 
 Abbreviations, when bad 21 
 
 Anticipate and expect 29 
 
 Apostrophe, use of 42 
 
 Articles, the, and clarity 17 
 
 Bad forms, 20 
 
 Brackets, use of 41 
 
 Capitals, use of 63 
 
 Colon, use of 33 
 
 Comma, use of 35 
 
 Dash, use of 38 
 
 Dickens on proof-reading 12 
 
 Dictionary of Capitals 63 
 
 Direct style valuable 14 
 
 Division of words , 26 
 
 Double possessives 24 
 
 Ellipsis, a study in 25 
 
 Errors in all writing 8, 10 
 
 Expect and anticipate 29 
 
 Figures and titles ......... 19 
 
 Had rather, would rather 29 
 
 Have never been 29 
 
 Hyphen, how used 43 
 
 Idioms that puzzle 30 
 
 Legal documents, style of 47 
 
 Location of tense 26 
 
 (80) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 Might is never future ^7 
 
 Modern Methods 8 
 
 Merchandise Rule 15 on page 52 
 
 Never have been 29 
 
 Newspaper blunders 15 
 
 Nouns in the possessive 24 
 
 Number of verbs 28 
 
 Of which, whose, that 23 
 
 Parenthesis, use of 40 
 
 Per, bad use of 17 
 
 Period, use of 33 
 
 Possessive, double 24 
 
 Proof-reading essential 12 
 
 Punctuation useful 12 
 
 Quote-marks, where placed 43 
 
 Rules violated, how 61 
 
 Semicolon, use of 33 
 
 Shall and will 31 
 
 Should and would 31 
 
 Singular and plural verbs 18 
 
 Style-codes 45 to 58 
 
 Style, value of direct 14 
 
 System, use of 58 
 
 Syllabication 26 
 
 Superfluous words i3 
 
 Tense, location of 26 
 
 That and who t 22 
 
 That and whose 23 
 
 Titles, figures, etc 19 
 
 Varying plurals 19 
 
 Verbs, number of. 28 
 
 (81) 
 
The Writer's Blue Book 
 
 Whose, of which, that 23 
 
 Who and whom 27 
 
 Who and that 22 
 
 Whether or not, whether or no 28 
 
 Will and shall 31 
 
 Would and should 31 
 
 Words always plural 18 
 
 Would rather. 29 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERS 
 
 OF 
 
 (82) 
 
THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE 
 STAMPED BELOW 
 
 AN INITIAL FINE OF 25 CENTS 
 
 WILL BE ASSESSED FOR FAILURE TO RETURN 
 THIS BOOK ON THE DATE DUE. THE PENALTY 
 WILL INCREASE TO SO CENTS ON THE FOURTH 
 DAY AND TO $1.OO ON THE SEVENTH DAY 
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