News Writing Part 21

Lieut. Col.

Lieut. Gen.

M.

Maj.

Maj. Gen.

Mlle.

Mme.

Mr.

Mrs.

Prof.

Rev.

Rt. Rev.

Sergt.

Supt.

=90. Use of t.i.tles.=--Use personal t.i.tles under the following restrictions:

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

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

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

2. After a person's name has been mentioned once in a story, his initials or Christian names are omitted thereafter, and a _Mr._ or his professional t.i.tle is put before the name.

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

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

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

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

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

7. When mentioning a man and his wife, put it _Mr. and Mrs. William Black_, not _William Black and wife_.

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

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

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

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

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

=92. Names of the States.=--Names of states, territories, and island possessions of the United States are abbreviated when preceded by the name of a town or city: as, _Pueblo, Col._; _Manila, P.I._

=93. Miscellaneous Abbreviations.=--The following abbreviations are also in good usage: _Esq._, _Inc._, _Jr._, _A.B._, _Ph.D._, _M.D._, _U.S.N._, etc., when used after proper names; _a.m._, _p.m._, _A.D._, _B.C._, when preceded by numerals.

=94. Forbidden Abbreviations.=--The following abbreviations may not be used on most newspapers:

1. Christian names: as, _Chas._ for _Charles_, _Thos._ for _Thomas_.

2. Mount, Fort, and Saint: as, _Mt. St. Elias_ for _Mount Saint Elias_, _Ft. Wayne_ for _Fort Wayne_.

3. Railroad, Company, Brothers, etc.: as, _New Haven R. R._ for _New Haven Railroad_, _National Biscuit Co._ for _National Biscuit Company_.

11. Numbers

=95. Dates.=--Observe the following rules concerning dates:

1. Write year dates always in figures: as, _1776_.

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

3. Do not write the day before the name of the month: as, _the 25th of December_ for _Dec. 25_.

4. Do not put a _d_, _nd_, _st_, or _th_ after a date: as, _Sept. 7th_ for _Sept. 7_.

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

=97. Street and District Names.=--Spell out street, ward, district, and precinct names designated by numbers: as, _Second ward_, _Tenth precinct_.

=98. Sporting Records.=--Use figures for sporting records: as, _10 feet, 5 inches_; _Time, :49-3/5_; _18-2 balk-line_.

=99. Beginning of Sentences.=--Do not begin a sentence with figures. If impossible to s.h.i.+ft the number to a later place in the sentence, place _about_ or _more than_ before the figures: as, _More than 14,000 persons pa.s.sed through the gates_.

=100. Dimensions.=--Use figures with an _x_ to express dimensions of lots, buildings, floors, boats, machinery, etc.: as, _90x125 feet_, _60-foot beam_, etc.

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

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

MARKS USED IN CORRECTING COPY

amb = Ambiguous.

and = A bad "and" sentence. Make two sentences or subordinate one clause.

ant = Antecedent not clear.

Cl = Not clear.

Cst = Construction faulty.

Coh = Coherence not good.

Con = Wrong connective.

Consult = Bring copy to instructor for discussion.

delta = Delete.