Chapter C: Fire Stories with More Than One Feature (6)

| Grace George and her small but |
|excellent company of artists added one |
|more to their long list of successful |
|performances last night in the production |
|of Geraldine Bonner's clever comedy of |
|modern life, "Sauce for the Goose," at |
|the ---- Theatre. That the moody and |
|sparkling Miss George has a good claim to |
|the title of America's leading |
|comedienne, no one who saw the |
|performance last evening could deny. In |
|this piece she is cast for the part of |
|Kitty Constable, who is in the third year |
|of her married life and living with her |
|husband in New York City. Mr. Constable |
|has been engaged in writing a book on the |
|emancipation of woman and as a result has |
|come to neglect his pretty little wife |
|and seek the companionship of a certain |
|woman of great intellect, Mrs. Alloway, |
|who leads him on by an affected sympathy |
|with his work. He chides his wife for her |
|seeming negligence of the culture of her |
|mind, telling her that she lacks grey |
|matter. The climax comes when Mr. |
|Constable tries to get away from his wife |
|on the evening of their wedding |
|anniversary to dine with Mrs. Alloway. |
|Kitty tries the emancipated woman idea |
|and goes to the opera with another man |
|and has dinner with him in his |
|apartments. She lets her husband know of |
|her plans and he comes to the room in a |
|rage. By thus playing first on his |
|jealousy and then by ridiculing his |
|ideas, she wins him back to herself. The |
|company was made up of artists and there |
|was not a crude spot in the whole |
|performance. The part of Harry Travers, |
|the friend of Mrs. Constable's, was |
|excellently done by Frederick Perry, as |
|was that of Mr. Constable by Herbert |
|Percy. Probably the most difficult |
|character in the play to portray was that |
|of the "woman's rights" woman, Mrs. |
|Alloway, which was most admirably done by |
|Edith Wakeman. |

The word criticism must not lead the reporter to think that, as a critic, his only function is to find fault. To criticize may mean to praise as well as to condemn. If the critic is not restricted by the policy of his paper, he should be as willing to praise as to condemn, and vice versa. But whichever course he takes he must be ready to defend his criticism and to tell why he praises or why he condemns. There is always a tendency to praise a play in return for the free tickets; this should be put aside absolutely. The critic owes something to the public as well as to the manager. If the play seems to him to be bad, he must say so without hesitation and he must tell why it is bad. Too many really bad plays are immensely advertised by a critic's undefended statement that they are not fit to be seen. Had the critic given definite reasons for his condemnation, his criticism might have accomplished its purpose. In the same way it is useless to say simply that a play is good. Its good points must be enumerated and the reader must be told why it is good.

However, criticism must be written with delicacy. If your heart tells you to praise, praise; if your heart tells you to condemn, condemn with care. Remember that your condemnation may put the play off the boards or at least hurt its success, and there must be sufficient reason for such radical action. The critic's debt to the public is large, but he owes some consideration to the manager. He must hesitate before he says anything that may ruin the manager's business. Critics very often condemn a play for trivial reasons; they feel indisposed, perhaps because their dinner has not agreed with them, the play does not fit into their mood and they turn in a half column of ruinous condemnation. Perhaps they like a certain kind of production--farces, for instance--and systematically vent their ire on every tragedy and every musical comedy. They do not use perspective; they do not judge the stage as a whole. No matter how poor a play is or how much a critic dislikes it, he must consider what the stage people are trying to do and judge accordingly. In many cases it is not the individual play that deserves adverse criticism, but the kind of play. All of these things must be considered; every dramatic critic must have perspective. He must be fair to the stage people and to the public; his influence is greater than he may imagine.

No matter how strong the occasion for condemnation may be, the dramatic critic is never justified in speaking bitterly. The poor production is not a personal offense against him nor against the public. It is simply a bad or an unworthy attempt and his duty is confined to pointing how or why it is not worthy. That does not mean that he is justified in using bitter, abusive, or even sarcastic language. It is great sport to make fun of things and to exercise one's wits at some one's else expense--it is also easy--but that is not dramatic criticism. The public asks the critic to tell them calmly and fairly, even coldly, the reasons for or against a production--the reasons why they should, or should not, spend their money to see it--bitter sarcasm overreaches the mark. Just as soon as a critic tries to be personal in his remarks on a play he is exceeding his prerogative and is open to serious criticism himself.

The necessary attributes of a dramatic reporter, as we have seen, are: fairness, logical thinking, and a background of stage knowledge. And of these three, the background is of the greatest importance; it is the stimulus and the check for the other two. The more a critic can know about every phase of the theatrical profession, contemporary or historical, the better will be his criticisms. The more knowledge of the stage that his copy shows, the more greedily will his readers look for his "Theatrical News" each day. However clear his idea of a play may be he cannot express it clearly and readably without a background of other plays to refer to. And, by the same sign, a wealth of allusions and a quantity of theatrical lore will often carry a critic past many a play concerning which he is unable to form a clear opinion. To develop your ability as a dramatic reporter, watch the theatrical criticisms in reputable dailies and weeklies and learn from them.

XVII

STYLE BOOK

_Being a copy of the Style Book compiled for the Course in
Journalism of the University of Wisconsin from the style
books of many newspapers._

=1. Capitalize:=

All proper nouns: Smith, Madison, Wisconsin.

Months and days of the week, but not the seasons of the year: April,
Monday; but autumn.

The first word of every quotation, enumerated list, etc., following
a colon.

The principal words in the titles of books, plays, lectures,
pictures, toasts, etc., including the initial "a" or "the": "The
Merchant of Venice," "Fratres in Urbe." If a preposition is
attached to or compounded with the verb capitalize the preposition
also: "Voting _For_ the Right Man."

The names of national political bodies: House, Senate, Congress, the
Fifty-first Congress.

The names of national officers, national departments, etc.:
President, Vice President, Navy Department, Department of Justice
(but not bureau of labor), White House, Supreme Court (and all
courts), the Union, Stars and Stripes, Old Glory, Union Jack,
United States army, Declaration of Independence, the (U. S.)
Constitution, United Kingdom, Dominion of Canada.

All titles preceding a proper noun: President Taft, Governor-elect
Wilson, ex-President Roosevelt, Policeman O'Connor.

The entire names of associations, societies, leagues, clubs,
companies, roads, lines, and incorporated bodies generally: Mason,
Odd Fellow, Knights Templar, Grand Lodge of Knights of Pythias,
Woman's Christian Temperance Union, Wisconsin University, First
National Bank, Schlitz Brewing Company (but the Schlitz brewery),
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, Chicago and Northwestern
Railway Company, the Association of Passenger and Ticket Agents of
the Northwest, Clover Leaf Line, Rock Island Road, Chicago Board
of Trade, New York Stock Exchange (but the board of trade and the
stock exchange).

The names of all religious denominations, etc.: Catholic,
Protestant, Mormon, Spiritualist, Christian Science, First
Methodist Church (but a Methodist church), the Bible, the Koran,
Christian, Vatican, Quirinal, Satan, the pronouns of the Deity.

The names of all political parties (both domestic and foreign):
Republican, Socialism, Socialist, Democracy, Populist, Free
Silverite, Labor party, (but anarchist).

Sections of the country: the North, the East, South America;
southern Europe.

Nicknames of states and cities: The Buckeye State, the Hub, the
Windy City.

The names of sections of a city and branches of a river, etc.: the
East Side, the North Branch.

The names of stocks in the money market: Superior Copper, Fourth
Avenue Elevated.

The names of French streets and places: Rue de la Paix, Place de la
Concorde.

Names of automobiles: Peerless, the White Steamer, Pierce Arrow.

Names of holidays: Fourth of July, Christmas, New Year's day,
Thanksgiving day.

Names of military organizations: First Wisconsin Volunteers,
Twenty-third Wisconsin Regiment, Second Army Corps, second
division Sixth Army Corps, National Guard, Ohio State Militia,
First Regiment armory, the militia, Grand Army of the Republic.

The names of all races and nationalities (except negro): American,
French, Spanish, Chinaman.

The nicknames of baseball clubs: the White Sox, the Cubs.

Miscellaneous: la France, Irish potatoes, Enfield rifle, American
Beauty roses.

=2. Capitalize when following a proper noun:= Bay, block, building, canal, cape, cemetery, church, city, college, county, court (judicial), creek, dam, empire, falls, gulf, hall, high school, hospital, hotel, house, island, isthmus, kindergarten, lake, mountain, ocean, orchestra, park, pass, peak, peninsula, point, range, republic, river, square, school, state, strait, shoal, sea, slip, theatre, university, valley, etc.: South Hall, Park Hotel, Hayes Block, Singer Building, Dewey School, South Division High School, Superior Court, New York Theatre, Beloit College, Wisconsin University, Capitol Square.

=3. Do not capitalize when following a proper name:= Addition, avenue, boulevard, court (a short street), depot, elevator, mine, place, station, stockyards, street, subdivision, ward, etc.: Northwestern depot, Pinckney street station, Third ward, Harmony court, Amsterdam avenue, Broad street, Wingra addition, Washington boulevard, Winchester place.

=4. Capitalize when preceding a proper noun:=--All titles denoting rank, occupation, relation, etc. (do not capitalize them when they follow the noun): alderman, ambassador, archbishop, bishop, brother, captain, cardinal, conductor, congressman, consul, commissioner, councilman, count, countess, czar, doctor, duke, duchess, earl, emperor, empress, engineer, father, fireman, governor, her majesty, his honor, his royal highness, judge, mayor, motorman, minister, officer, patrolman, policeman, pope, prince, princess, professor, queen, representative, right reverend, senator, sheriff, state's attorney, sultan: Alderman John Smith (but John Smith, alderman), Senator La Follette (but Mr. La Follette, senator from Wisconsin).

The same rule applies when the following words precede a proper noun as part of a name: bay, cape, city, college, county, empire, falls, gulf, island, point, sea, state, university, etc.: City of New York, Gulf of Mexico, University of Wisconsin, College of the City of New York, College of Physicians and Surgeons.

=5. Do not capitalize:=

The names of state bodies, etc.: the senate, house, congress,
speaker, capitol, executive mansion, revised statutes. (These are
capitalized only when they refer to the national government:
e. g., the capitol at Madison, the Capitol at Washington.)

The names of city boards, departments, buildings, etc.: boards,
bureaus, commissions, committees, titles of ordinance, acts,
bills, postoffice, courthouse (unless preceded by proper noun),
city hall, almshouse, poorhouse, house of correction, county
hospital, the council, city council, district, precinct: e. g.,
the fire department, the tax committee.

Certain other governmental terms: federal, national, and state
government, armory, navy, army, signal service, custom-house.

Points of the compass: east, west, north, south, northeast, etc.

The names of foreign bodies: mansion-house, parliament, reichstag,
landtag, duma.

Common religious terms: the word of God, holy writ, scriptures, the
gospel, heaven, sacred writings, heathen, christendom,
christianize, papacy, papal see, atheist, high church, church and
state, etc.

The court, witness, speaker of the chair, in dialogues.

Scientific names of plants, animals, and birds: formica rufa.

a. m., p. m., and m. (meaning a thousand); "ex-" preceding a title.

The names of college classes: freshman, sophomore.

College degrees when spelled out: bachelor of arts; but B. A.

Seasons of the year: spring, autumn, etc.

Officers in local organizations (election of officers); president,
secretary, etc.

Certain common nouns formed from proper nouns: street arab, prussic
acid, prussian blue, paris green, china cup, india rubber,
cashmere shawl, half russia, morocco leather, epsom salts,
japanned ware, plaster of paris, brussels and wilton carpets,
valenciennes and chantilly lace, vandyke collar, valentine,
philippic, socratic, herculean, guillotine, derby hat, gatling
gun.

=6. Punctuation:=

Omit periods after nicknames: Tom, Sam, etc.

Always use a period between dollars and cents and after per cent.,
but never after c, s, and d, when they represent cents, shillings,
and pence: $1.23, 10 per cent., 2s 6d.

Punctuate the votes in balloting thus: Yeas, 2; nays, 3.

Punctuate lists of names with the cities or states to which the
individuals belong thus: Messrs. Smith of Illinois, Samson of West
Virginia, etc. If the list contains more than three names, omit
the "of" and punctuate thus: Smith, Illinois; Samson, West
Virginia; etc. Where a number of names occurs with the office
which they hold, use commas and semicolons, thus: J. S. Hall,
governor; Henry Overstoltz, mayor; etc.

Never use a colon after viz., to wit, namely, e. g., etc., except
when they end a paragraph. Use a colon, dash, or semicolon before
them and commas after them, thus: This is the man; to wit, the
victim.

"Such as" should follow a comma and have no point after it: "He saw
many things, such as men, horses, etc."

Set lists of names thus without points:

Mesdames-- George V. King
Charles C. Knapp Henry A. Lloyd
John H. Cole Jr.

Do not use a comma between a man's name and the title "Jr." or "Sr."
as John Jones Jr.

Use the apostrophe to mark elision: I've, 'tis, don't, can't, won't,
canst, couldst, dreamt, don'ts, won'ts, '80s.

Use the apostrophe in possessives and use it in the proper place:
the boy's clothes, boys' clothes, Burns' poems, Fox's Martyrs,
Agassiz's works, ours, yours, theirs, hers, its (but "it's" for it
is). George and John's father was a good man; Jack's and Samuel's
fathers were not.

Do not use the apostrophe when making a plural of figures, etc.: all
the 3s, the Three Rs.

Do not use the apostrophe in Frisco, phone, varsity, bus.

Use an em dash after a man's name when placed at the beginning in
reports of interviews, speeches, dialogues, etc.: John Jones--I
have nothing to say. (No quotation marks.)

In a sentence containing words inclosed in parentheses, punctuate as
if the part in parentheses were omitted: if there is any point put
it after the last parenthesis.

Use brackets to set off any expression or remark thrown into a
speech or quotation and not originally in it: "The Republican
party is again in power--[cheers]--and is come to stay."

Use the conjunction "and" and a comma before the last name in a list
of names, etc.: John, George, James, and Henry.

Use no commas in such expressions as 6 feet 3 inches tall, 3 years 6
months old, 2 yards 4 inches long.

Punctuate scores as follows: Wisconsin 8, Chicago 0.

Punctuate times in races, etc.: 100-yard dash--Smith, first; Jones,
second. Time, 0:10 1-5.

Peters carried the ball thirty yards to the 10-yard line.

=7. Date lines:=

Punctuate date lines as follows:

MADISON, Wis., Jan. 25.--

Do not use the name of the state after the names of the larger
cities of the country, such as New York, Chicago, Boston,
Philadelphia, Baltimore, San Francisco, Seattle. Abbreviate the
names of months which have more than five letters.

=8. Quoting:=

Quote all extracts and quotations set in the same type and style as
the context, but do not quote extracts set in smaller type than
the context or set solid in separate paragraphs in leaded matter.

Quote all dialogues and interviews, unless preceded by the name of
the speaker or by "Question" and "Answer":

"I have nothing to say," answered Mr. Smith.
William Smith--I have nothing to say.
Question--Were you there?
Answer--I was.

Quote the names of novels, dramas, paintings, statuary, operas, and
songs: "The Brass Bowl," "Il Trovatore."

Quote the subjects of addresses, lectures, sermons, toasts, mottoes,
articles in newspapers: "The Great Northwest," "Our Interests."

Be sure to include "The" in the quotation of names of books,
pictures, plays, etc.: "The Fire King"; not the "Fire King";
unless the article is not a part of the name.

Do not quote the names of theatrical companies, as Her Atonement
Company.

Do not quote the names of characters in plays, as Shylock in "The
Merchant of Venice."

Do not quote the names of newspapers. In editorials put "The Star"
in italics, but in "The Kansas City Star" put "Star" in italics
and use no quotation marks.

Do not quote the names of vessels, fire engines, balloons, horses,
cattle, dogs, sleeping cars.

=9. Compounds and Divisions:=

Omit the hyphen when using an adverb compounded with -ly before a
participle: a newly built house.

Use a hyphen after prefixes ending in a vowel (except bi and tri)
when using them before a vowel: co-exist. When using such a prefix
before a consonant do not use the hyphen except to distinguish the
word from a word of the same letters but of different meaning:
correspondent, but co-respondent (one called to answer a summons);
recreation, but re-create (to create anew) reform, but re-form (to
form again); re-enforced; biennial, etc.

Do not use the hyphen in the names of rooms when the prefix is of
only one syllable: bedroom, courtroom, bathroom, etc. (except blue
room, green room, etc.).

When the prefix is of more than one syllable use the hyphen. Follow
the same rule in making compounds of house, shop, yard, maker,
holder, keeper, builder, worker: shipbuilder, doorkeeper.

In dividing at the end of a line:

Do not run over a syllable of two letters.
Do not divide N. Y., M. P., LL. D., M. D., a. m., p. m., etc.
Do not divide figures thus: 1,-000,000; but thus 1,000,-000.
Do not divide a word of five letters or less.

=10. Figures:=

Use figures for numbers of a hundred or over, except when merely a
large or indefinite number is intended: twenty-three, 123, about
a thousand, a dollar, a million, millions, a thousand to one,
from four to five hundred.

Use figures for numbers of less than 100 when they are used in
connection with larger numbers: There were 33 boys and 156 girls;
there were 106 last week and 16 this week.

Use figures for hours of the day: at 7 p. m.; at 8:30 this morning.

Use figures for days of the month: April 30, the 22nd of May.

Use figures for ages: he was 12 years old; little 2-year-old John.
If the words "2-year-old John" begin a sentence or headline, spell
out the age.

Use figures for dimensions, prices, degrees of temperature, per
cents., dates, votes, times in races, scores in baseball, etc.: 3
feet long, $3 a yard, 76 degrees, Jan. 14, 1906. Time of
race--2:27.

Use figures for all sums of money: $24, $5.06, 75 cents.

Use figures for street numbers: 1324 Grand avenue.

Use figures for numbered streets and avenues above 99th; spell out
below 100th: 123 Twenty-third avenue, 10 East 126th street.

Use figures in statistical or tabular matter; never use ditto
marks.

Use figures, period, and en quad for first, second, etc.: 1.--,
2.--.

Do not begin a sentence or paragraph with figures; supply a word if
necessary or spell out: At 10 o'clock; Over 300 men.

Do not use the apostrophe to form plurals of figures: the 4s, rather
than the 4's.

In all texts from the Bible set the chapters in Roman numerals and
the verses in figures: Matt. xxii. 37-40; I. John v. 1-15. In
Sunday school lessons say Verse 5.

Say three-quarters of 1 per cent.; not 3/4 of 1 per cent.

Set tenths, hundreds, etc., in decimals: 1.1; 2.03.

=11. Abbreviations:=

Abbreviate the following titles and no others, when they precede a
name: Rev., Dr., Mme., Mlle., Mr., Mrs., Mgr. (Monsignore), M.
(Monsieur).

Do not put Mr. before a name when the Christian name is given
except in society news and editorials: Mr. Johnson; but Samuel L.
Johnson.

Supply Mr. in all cases when Rev. is used without the Christian
name: Rev. Henry W. Beecher; but Rev. Mr. Beecher.

Never use "Honorable" or the abbreviation thereof except with
foreign names, in editorials, or in documents.

Abbreviate thus: Wash., Mont., S. D., N. D., Wyo., Cal., Wis.,
Colo., Ind., Id., Kan., Ariz., Okla., Me. Do not abbreviate
Oregon, Iowa, Ohio, Utah, Alaska, or Texas.

Abbreviate thus: Madison, Dane County, Wis.: but Dane County,
Wisconsin.

Use the abbreviations U. S. N. and U. S. A. after a proper name.

Y. M. C. A., W. C. T. U., M. E. are good abbreviations.

Abbreviate names of months when preceding date only when the month
contains more than five letters: Jan. 20; but April 20. When the
date precedes the month in reading matter spell it out: the 13th
of January; the 26th inst.

Abbreviate "Number" before figures: No. 10.

Abbreviate contract, article, section, question, answer, after the
first in bills, by-laws, testimony, etc.: Section 1., Sec. 2.;
Question--, Answer--, Q.--, A.--.

Do not abbreviate railway, company, the names of streets, wards,
avenues, districts, etc.: Madison Street Railway Company; State
street, Monona avenue.

Street and avenue are sometimes abbreviated in want-ads:
State-st, Monona-av.

Spell out numbered streets and avenues up to 100th:
Thirty-fourth street, 134th street.

Use & in names of firms, but use the long "and" in names of
railroads. Use Etc. and not &c.; use Brothers and not Bros.
(except in ads); use & only when necessary to abbreviate in
stocks.

Do not abbreviate the names of political parties except in election
returns, then: Dem., Rep., Soc., Lab., Ind., Pro., Un. Cit.

Put in necessary commas in abbreviating railroad names: C., M. & St.
P. Ry. (Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway); C., C., C. & St.
L. R. R. (Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad).

Abbreviate without periods in market review and quotations: 25c, bu,
brls, tcs, pkgs, f o b, p t, etc. Spell out centimes except when
given thus: 10f 20c.

Do not abbreviate Fort and Mount: Fort Wayne, Mount Vernon.

=12. Preparation of Copy:=

Use a typewriter or write legibly; some one must read your copy.

If you write with a typewriter, double or triple space your copy;
never use single space.

Don't write on more than one side of the paper.

Leave sufficient margin for corrections and leave a space at the top
of the first page for headlines; leave an inch at the top of each
page.

Don't put more than one story on a single sheet of paper.

Don't trust the copy-reader to fill in blanks or to correct
misspelled names. If you write by hand print out proper names as
legibly as possible; underscore _u_ and overscore _n_.

Don't assume that the copy-reader, the proofreader, or the editor
will punctuate for you, or eliminate all superfluous punctuation.

Remember that uniformity is more to be desired than a strict
following of style.

Don't turn in copy without re-reading carefully and verifying all
names and addresses.

Use short paragraphs; always paragraph the lead separately; indent
paragraphs distinctly.

Don't write over figures or words; scratch out and rewrite.

Number your pages; when pages are inserted use letters: pages 2, 3a,
3b, 4, 5.

A circle around an abbreviation or a figure indicates that the word
or number is to be spelled out. A circle around a spelled-out word
or number indicates that it is to be abbreviated or run in
figures.

Mark the end of your story, thus: # # #

=13. Don'ts:=

Don't use "Honorable" or abbreviations thereof, except in extracts
from speeches or documents, in editorials, or before foreign
names.

Don't add final s to afterward, toward, upward, downward, backward,
earthward, etc.

Don't use "signed" before the signature of a letter or document; run
signature in caps.

Don't begin a sentence or paragraph with figures; insert a word
before the figures or spell out.

Don't use commas in dates or in figures which denote the number of a
thing, as A. D. 1908, 2324 State street, Policy 33815; in other
cases use the comma, as $5,289; 1,236,400 people.

Don't forget that the following are singular and require singular
verbs: sums of money, as $23 was invested; United States; anybody,
everybody, somebody, neither, either, none; whereabouts, as "His
whereabouts is known."

Don't forget that things OCCUR by chance or accident, and that
things TAKE PLACE by arrangement.

Don't "sustain" broken legs and other injuries.

Don't "administer" punishment.

Don't confound "audiences," "spectators," and casual "witnesses."

Don't say "party" for "person."

Don't use "suicide," "loan," "scare," as verbs.

Don't use "gotten"; it is questionable; use "got."

Don't use "burglarize."

Don't use "transpire" for "occur."

Don't use "locate" for "find"; to locate a thing is to place it.

Don't use "stopped" for "stayed": He stayed at the Central Hotel.

Don't "tender" receptions nor "render" songs; use simply "give" and
"sing."

Don't "put in an appearance"; just appear.

Don't use "don't" for "doesn't."

Don't use "stated" for "said."

Don't say "per day" or "per year," but "a day," "a year"; per is a
Latin word and can be used only before a Latin noun, as "per diem"
or "per annum."

Don't say "the meeting convened"; members might convene but a single
body cannot.

Don't "claim that" anything is so; you can "claim" a thing,
however.

Don't say "Mrs. Dr. Smith," just "Mrs. Smith."

Don't say "between" when more than two are mentioned.

Don't use "proven" for "proved."

Don't confound "staid" with "stayed."

Don't say "different than," but "different from."

Don't split infinitives or other verbs.

Don't use "onto."

Don't use "babe" or "tot" for "baby" or "child."

Don't use superlatives when you can help it.

Don't use trite expressions or foreign words and phrases.

Don't use "corner of" in designating street location.

Don't say "died from operation," but "died after operation"--to
avoid danger of libel.

Don't get the _very_ habit.

Don't use "couple of" instead of "two."

Don't use Mr. before a man's full name.

Don't use slang unless it is fitting--which is seldom.

Don't mention the reporters, singly or collectively, unless it is
necessary. It rarely is.

Don't qualify the word "unique"; a thing may be "unique," but it
cannot be "very unique," "quite unique," "rather unique," or "more
unique."

Don't use the inverted passive: e. g., "A man was given a dinner,"
"Smith was awarded a medal."

Don't concoct long and improper titles: Justice of the Supreme Court
Smith, Superintendent of the Insurance Department Jones,
Groceryman Brown. If the title is long put it after the man's
name; thus: George Smith, justice of the Supreme Court.

Don't use the verb "occur" with weddings, receptions, etc.; they
take place by design and never unexpectedly.

Don't say "a number of," if you can help it. Be specific.

Don't use the word "lady" for "woman," or "gentleman" for "man."

Don't say "a man by the name of Smith," but "a man named Smith."

Don't use "depot" for "station"--railway passenger station.