The Style Book of The Detroit News Part 6

Observe the style on quotes within quotes: _The witness said: "I asked him, 'Where is my copy of "Paradise Lost"?'"_

OBSERVATION

Writes Arnold Bennett: One is curious about one's fellow-creatures: therefore one watches them. And generally the more intelligent one is, the more curious one is, and the more one observes. The mere satisfaction of this curiosity is in itself a worthy end, and would alone justify the business of systemized observation. But the aim of observation may, and should, be expressed in terms more grandiose. Human curiosity counts among the highest social virtues (as indifference counts among the basest defects), because it leads to a disclosure of the causes of character and temperament and thereby to a better understanding of the springs of human conduct. Observation is not practiced directly with this high end in view (save by prigs and other futile souls); nevertheless it is a moral act and must inevitably promote kindliness--whether we like it or not. It also sharpens the sense of beauty. An ugly deed--such as a deed of cruelty--takes on artistic beauty when its origin and hence its fitness in the general scheme begin to be comprehended. In the perspective of history we can derive esthetic pleasure from the tranquil scrutiny of all kinds of conduct--as well, for example, of a Renaissance Pope as of a Savonarola.

Observation endows our day and our street with the romantic charm of history, and stimulates charity--not the charity which signs cheques, but the more precious charity which puts itself to the trouble of understanding. The condition is that the observer must never lose sight of the fact that what he is to see is life, is the woman next door, is the man in the train--and not a concourse of abstractions. To appreciate all this is the first inspiring preliminary to sound observation.

NOUNS

Watch for nouns ending in _-ics_. Many of them are singular, such as _politics_, _mathematics_, _ethics_.

Make sums of money singular: _Five dollars was spent_, unless individual pieces of money are meant, as: _Five silver dollars were placed on the table_. Write _moneys_, not _monies_.

Remember that _data_, _memoranda_, _phenomena_, _paraphernalia_, _bacteria_ and _strata_ are plural.

Distinguish between _majority_ and _plurality_. _Majority_ means the lead of a candidate over _all other_ candidates. _Plurality_ means the lead of a candidate over _one other_ candidate.

_Event_, _incident_, _affair_, _occurrence_, _happening_, _circ.u.mstance_ do not mean the same things. Look them up.

Use _preventive_, not _preventative_.

Distinguish between _amba.s.sador_, _minister_, _consul_, _envoy_.

Avoid feminine forms of such words as _author_, _artist_, _dancer_, _violinist_, _pianist_, _poet_. It may be necessary occasionally to change more than the spelling. For example, _the world's greatest pianiste_ may not mean _the world's greatest pianist_.

Prefer motorist to automobilist and autoist.

_Sewer_ is a drain. _Sewage_ is what goes through it. _Sewerage_ is a system of drains.

Don't use _divine_ as a noun.

Don't write _couple_ unless you mean two things joined and not merely two.

Don't write _party_ for _person_, nor _people_ for _persons_.

Don't use _citizens_ when you mean simply _persons_.

Don't write _a large per cent of_ when speaking of persons when you mean _a large proportion_.

When nouns are attended by participles, two constructions are possible.

One may say either _I know of John's being there_, or _I know of John being there_; _The fact of the battle's having been lost_, or _The fact of the battle having been lost_. The possessive is to be preferred with proper names and in most simple constructions; it is _altogether to be preferred with p.r.o.nouns_ when the princ.i.p.al idea is in the participle.

One says: _I saw him going_, _I heard them singing_; but _I heard of his going_; _I urged his going_; _I advised their attending_; _I objected to his staying_; _I opposed their going_; _the fact of his being there made a difference_; _On his saying this the people shouted_; _With their consenting the thing was settled_; _He spoke of my setting out as already agreed to_; _He found fault with our accepting the place_, etc.

Collective nouns are usually singular, as, _The club has increased its membership_. However, a collective noun, when it is used to refer more particularly to individuals than to the ma.s.s, is plural, as _The crowd was orderly_, but, _The crowd threw up their hats_. In using collective nouns beware of mixing the number. Do not write, _The audience was in their seats_, but _The audience was seated_, or _The audience were in their seats_.

PREFER

_Station to depot_ _House or home to residence_ _Woman to lady_ _Man to gentleman_ _Telephone to phone_ _Automobile to auto_ _Motor car to motor_ _Bridegroom to groom_ _Rest to balance_

THE JOURNALIST'S CREED

_By WALTER WILLIAMS_

I believe in the profession of journalism.

I believe that the public journal is a public trust; that all connected with it are, to the full measure of their responsibility, trustees for the public; that acceptance of lesser service than the public service is betrayal of this trust.

I believe that clear thinking and clear statement, accuracy and fairness are fundamental to good journalism.

I believe that a journalist should write only what he holds in his heart to be true.

I believe that suppression of the news for any consideration other than the welfare of society is indefensible.

I believe that no one should write as a journalist what he would not say as a gentleman; that bribery by one's own pocketbook is as much to be avoided as bribery by the pocketbook of another; that individual responsibility may not be escaped by pleading another's instruction or another's dividends.

I believe that advertising, news and editorial columns should alike serve the best interests of the readers; that a single standard of helpful truth and clearness should prevail for all; that the supreme test of good journalism is the measure of its public service.

I believe that the journalism which succeeds best--and best deserves success--fears G.o.d and honors man; is stoutly independent, unmoved by pride of opinion or greed of power; constructive, tolerant, but never careless; self controlled, patient; always respectful of its readers, but always unafraid; is quickly indignant at injustice; is unswayed by the appeal of privilege or the clamor of the mob; seeks to give every man a chance and, as far as law and honest wages and recognition of human brotherhood can make it so, an equal chance; is profoundly patriotic, while sincerely promoting international good will and cementing world comradeship; is a journalism of humanity, of and for today's world.

NOTES

p.r.o.nOUNS

Never use _I_ in referring to yourself except in a signed article.

Avoid the use of _he or she_ and _his or her_. The use of either phrase is seldom required for clearness' sake. When a noun is used which may refer indifferently to both s.e.xes, the accepted practice is to use the masculine p.r.o.noun. For example, say: _Let the teacher do his duty and he need not fear criticism_, not _Let the teacher do his or her duty and he or she need not fear criticism_.

Similarly after indefinite singulars like _each_, _every_, _somebody_, _anybody_, use the masculine singular p.r.o.noun. Thus, _Everyone should do his duty and he should do it every day_. Here one is not only to avoid the use of _he or she_ and _his or her_, but also particularly and constantly to be on guard against _they_ and _their_. Sentences like _n.o.body knows what they can do till they try_; _Everyone is urged to come and bring their pocketbooks with them_, are frequently heard and often get into print.

Do not use _the same_ for a third personal or a demonstrative p.r.o.noun.

_The farmer brought a load of wheat to town and sold it_ (not _the same_) _at the mill_.

Do not make _such_ a p.r.o.noun, except in the phrase _such as_. _He has fruits of all sorts and his prices for such are unreasonable_, is the sort of use to be avoided.

Distinguish between _its_, possessive p.r.o.noun, and _it's_, contraction of _it is_.

Use _either_ or _neither_ only of two, _any one_ or _none_ of more than two, as: _In one group are Russia, Germany and Austria, in another France and England. Any one of the first group acting with either of the second could determine the question_. (As conjunctions, _either_ and _neither_ may introduce the first of a series of particulars consisting of three or more. It is correct to say _Neither this nor that nor the other thing_; but when used as p.r.o.nouns, _either_ and _neither_ should be rigidly confined to use with reference to two only.)

Prefer always _no one_ and _n.o.body_ to _not any one_ or _not anybody_, as _It is no one's_ (or _n.o.body's_) _business_, not, _It is not any one's_ (or _not anybody's_) _business_.