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, circumstance do not mean the same things. Look them up.

Use preventive, not preventative.

Distinguish between ambassador, 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 pronouns when the principal 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 mass, 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 God 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