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THE WRITER’S DESK BOOK


      *      *      *      *      *      *

OTHER BOOKS BY MR. ORCUTT

 GOOD OLD DORCHESTER. _A Narrative History_

 PRINCESS KALLISTO, _and other Tales of the Fairies_

 ROBERT CAVELIER. _A Novel_

 THE FLOWER OF DESTINY. _A Novel_

 THE SPELL. _A Novel_

 THE LEVER. _A Novel_

 THE MOTH. _A Novel_

      *      *      *      *      *      *


The Writer’s Desk Book

_Being a reference volume upon questions of_ PUNCTUATION ·
CAPITALIZATION · SPELLING · DIVISION OF WORDS · INDENTION · SPACING
ITALICS · ABBREVIATIONS ACCENTS · NUMERALS · FAULTY DICTION · LETTER
WRITING POSTAL REGULATIONS · _Etc_ · _Etc_

_By_ WILLIAM DANA ORCUTT
_for many years Head of The University Press · Cambridge · Now
associated with_ THE PLIMPTON PRESS · _Norwood Mass._







New York · FREDERICK·A·STOKES COMPANY · Publishers · MCMXIII

Copyright, 1912, by
Frederick A. Stokes Co.

Second Edition

[Illustration: FAS Co. _September, 1912_]

The · Plimpton · Press
[W · D · O]
Norwood · Mass · U · S · A




CONTENTS


                                                    PAGE

 PUNCTUATION                                          1

  Importance of correct punctuation — punctuation
  marks and accents — the comma — the semicolon — the
  colon — the period — the dash — the exclamation —
  the interrogation — quotation-marks — parentheses —
  brackets — the apostrophe — the hyphen

 CAPITALIZATION                                      20

  Of religious terms — of proper names — of titles — of
  institutional terms — of references — of ordinals —
  in general — use of small capitals

 SPELLING                                            31

  Importance of adopting an authority — basic rules for
  numbers and diphthongs — simple rules of orthography
  — accented words — participles — variable endings —
  list of variable spellings

 COMPOUND WORDS                                      45

  General theory — changes in modern uses — rules and
  examples

 DIVISION OF WORDS                                   52

  Rules and examples

 INDENTION AND PARAGRAPHING                          55

  Various forms used in display — en échelon —
  irregular — hanging — reverse — lozenge — blocked —
  definition of the paragraph — its value — kinds of
  paragraphs — length of paragraph

 SPACING                                             59

  General principles — kerned letters — examples of
  varying spaces

 ITALIC                                              62

  Its origin — its uses — when required and when not

 ABBREVIATIONS                                       65

  Of dates — of proper names — of titles — commercial
  — of given names — geographical — miscellaneous —
  scriptural — monetary signs — mathematical signs —
  medical signs

 NUMERALS                                            93

  History of their evolution — lists

 CORRECT AND FAULTY DICTION                          99

  Dr. Campbell’s canons — good usage — list of words
  and phrases commonly misused

 LETTER WRITING                                     114

  Its importance — business, informal, formal — the
  heading — the address — the salutation — the text
  — the complimentary close — the signature — the
  envelope — postal cards — in general — examples

 POSTAL INFORMATION                                 129

  Classes of mail — parcel post — wrapping of mail
  matter — forwarding mail matter — what cannot be
  mailed — concealed matter — domestic rates — foreign
  rates — exceptions — foreign parcels post — money
  order fees — registered mail — special delivery
  system — postal distances and time from New York City

 APPENDIX                                           142

  Standard time — values of foreign coins — comparative
  thermometers — weights and measures — British weights
  and measures

 INDEX                                              163

{ 1}




THE WRITER’S DESK BOOK

{2}

PUNCTUATION MARKS, ACCENTS, ETC.


,     Comma
 ;     Semicolon
 :     Colon
.     Period
?     Interrogation
!     Exclamation
 ()    Parentheses
 []    Brackets
 ’     Apostrophe
 -     Hyphen
 ´     Acute accent
 `     Grave accent
 ^     Circumflex accent
 ~     Circumflex or tilde
 ̄     Long or macron
 ˘     Short or breve
 ¨     Dieresis
 ç     Cedilla
 ‸     Caret
 “ ”   Quotation-marks
 {}    Brace
 * * *  Ellipsis
. . .  Ellipsis, leaders
 *     Asterisk
 †     Dagger
 ‡     Double dagger
 §     Section
 ‖     Parallels
 ¶     Paragraph
 ☞     Index
 * * *   Asterisks

The Section-mark is derived from the first letters of the words _signum
sectionis_, meaning sign of the section, the old-fashioned _∫_ being
used. The paragraph mark ¶ is the roman letter P reversed, with black
and white interchanged.

{3}




PUNCTUATION


In early manuscripts the words followed one another without punctuation
points, thus making it difficult for readers to separate the ideas into
the same parts as originally intended by the authors. Later they were
separated by dots or other marks, which method obtained in the earliest
printed volumes. Aldus Manutius (Venice, 1490–1515) and his family
were the pioneers in establishing a basis for systematic punctuation.
From this chaotic condition definite rules have gradually been evolved
for general guidance, but judgment and taste must always be the final
guides to correct punctuation. Assistance may be obtained by observing
a few simple rules which are based upon the idea that the purpose of
every punctuation mark is to indicate to the eye the construction of
the sentence in which it occurs.

No one of the various punctuation marks should ever be used exclusively
or to excess, for each one has some specific duty which it can perform
better than any other. It is always wise to question why, in a given
case, a punctuation mark should be put in rather than why it should
be left out, for of the two evils an over-punctuated book is the more
objectionable. “Close punctuation,” {4} characterized by the use of
many commas, prevailed in the English of the eighteenth century and
is today the best French usage, but “open punctuation,” which avoids
the use of any point not clearly required by the construction, is now
favored by the best English writers.


THE COMMA

Dean Alford once wrote, in disgust, “The great enemies to understanding
anything in our language are the commas,” and prided himself that
in the course of editing the Greek text of the New Testament, he
destroyed more than a thousand of these “enemies.” The chief use of
this, the smallest degree of separation, is to define the particles
and minor clauses of a sentence. It should always be placed inside the
quotation-marks when used in connection with them.


The comma is required:

1. Before a conjunction when the preceding word is qualified by an
expression which is not intended to qualify the word following the
conjunction: e.g., _He suddenly started, and fell_.

2. Between adjectives and adverbs when not connected by a conjunction:
_He possessed a calm, exasperating manner_; but the comma may be
omitted between two adjectives when the idea is close: e.g., _A clear
cold day_. {5}

3. After adjectives and adverbs where three or more are used in
succession: e.g., _The man possessed a calm, cynical, exasperating
manner_.

4. In a succession of three or more words where the conjunctive _and_
is used before the last one: e.g., _He was tall, thin, and pale_.

5. When the word after the conjunction is followed by an expression
which qualifies that word alone: e.g.,

 _’Twas certain he could write, and cipher too._

6. After inverted phrases and clauses: e.g., _Discouraged by constant
opposition, he resigned his position_. Short phrases of similar nature
do not require the comma: e.g., _Of his intentions there could be no
doubt_.

7. To separate the adverbs _however_, _now_, _then_, _too_, _perhaps_,
and _indeed_ from the context when they are used as conjunctions: e.g.,
_This idea, however, had not occurred to him_. When these words are
used as adverbs, the comma is not required: e.g., _It must be done,
however contrary it may be to our present advantage_.

8. To separate parenthetical or intermediate expressions from the
context: e.g., _His intentions, though at first concealed, became
ob