Chapter XIIIMECHANICS
In putting your ideas upon paper you must follow certain customs which good taste and convenience have established as correct at the present time. Since manners change from generation to generation, however, and since writing machines and printing methods are constantly being improved, some of these customs necessarily vary. The ensuing rules, therefore, have been composed in accordance with the best present usage and are passed on to you as describing those customs which are least subject to change.
900. Write upon only one side of the paper.
901. Place the title upon the first line, or about two inches from the top of the sheet.
902. Leave one line blank between the title and the body of the composition.
903. Write legibly and without flourishes, using black ink.
904. Number the pages in the upper right-hand corner.
905. Leave the space of the lettermafter each markof punctuation within the sentence, and the space of threem’safter marks of end punctuation.
906. Never crowd a word in order to get it all upon one line. Divide the word and mark the division with a hyphen.
907. Place the hyphen that marks the division of a word at the end of a line after the first part of the word. Do NOT place a hyphen before the second part of the word. Divide a word only at the end of a syllable.
908. Maintain a left-hand margin of at least an inch, and endeavor to keep the right-hand margin even.
909. Indent each paragraph half an inch.
910. Never write below the last line upon a ruled sheet. In typewritten manuscript leave at least half an inch at the bottom of the page.
911. Underscore a word once for italics, twice for small capital letters, and three times for large capital letters.
912. Never underscore a word for emphasis.
913. Use superior figures for footnotes, placing the figure after the expression referred to.
914. Place footnotes at the bottom of the page preceded by the superior figure corresponding to that used in the text.
915. Use no abbreviations in formal composition exceptMr.,Mrs., orDr.
916. Begin all proper nouns and proper adjectives with a capital letter.
Russia, Bible, Pike’s Peak, English, Christian, Napoleonic.
Russia, Bible, Pike’s Peak, English, Christian, Napoleonic.
917. Begin the first word of every sentence with a capital letter.
918. Begin every line of verse with a capital letter.
919. Begin every direct quotation with a capital letter.
920. Begin each important word in the name of a social, a political, or a religious organization with a capital letter.
Sigma Delta Chi, Democratic party, Unitarian church.
Sigma Delta Chi, Democratic party, Unitarian church.
921. Begin every word that refers to the Deity with a capital letter.
922. Capitalize the pronounIand the interjectionO.
923. Begin the important words in the names of books, of plays, of musical compositions, of paintings and of pieces of sculpture with capital letters.
924. Begin with capital letters personal titles when they are written with personal names.
Colonel Morrison, Professor Hunt, Secretary McAdoo.
Colonel Morrison, Professor Hunt, Secretary McAdoo.
925. Begin the names of months, days of the week, and holidays with capital letters.
926. Write out in full only those numbers that can be expressed in two words.
Ninety-nine, fifty thousand, one million.
Ninety-nine, fifty thousand, one million.
927. Write out in full sums of money in even dollars which can be expressed in two words; otherwise use the dollar sign and figures.
928. Use the dollar sign and figures for sums of money in dollars and cents.
929. Write out in full sums of money less than one dollar.
930. Write out in full numbers used as names of streets or districts.
Fifty-fifth street.
Fifty-fifth street.
931. Never begin a sentence with a number expressed in figures.
932. Write out in full sums of money used as adjectives.
She bought six-dollar gloves.
She bought six-dollar gloves.
933. Write the full address of the writer and the date of writing in every letter, preferably at the head.
934. Use one of the following forms for the salutation of a business letter:
935. Use one of the following forms for the salutation of a personal letter:
936. Use one of the following forms for the closing phrase of a business letter:
937. Use one of the following forms for the closing phrase of a personal letter:
938. Write the envelope address in not more than four lines.
939. Omit punctuation after each line of the envelope address.
940. Be consistent in the use of the third person in formal notes.
941. Sign letters clearly so that the signature can be easily read.