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THE ESSENTIALS OF 
 BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 PORTER LANDER MacCLINTOCK, M. A. 
 
 Of University College, The University of Chicago, 
 Author of "Literature in the Elementary Schools." 
 
 La Salle Extension University 
 -* Chicag^o 
 
 1915 
 
Copyright 1914, 1915 
 LaSalle Extension University 
 
 All Rights Reserved 
 

 PREFACE 
 
 My dear Student : 
 
 In order to make sure of your reading this preface I am 
 putting it into the form of a personal letter. You should 
 never fail to read the title-page and the preface of your 
 book. You will sometimes find explanations and points of 
 view there that will light up the whole book for you. In 
 this preface I want to give you some simple practical direc- 
 tions for doing the work the book calls for; to tell you 
 what you need not expect to get out of it ; and to suggest 
 to you how to get out of it the utmost help it has for you. 
 
 1. I want you to do all the work. Some of it may seem 
 simple and familiar. But such parts are stepping-stones 
 and are necessary. You have noticed that when the team 
 first runs out on the foot-ball field, they toss the ball and 
 run about like children. They are ''limbering up"; and 
 the process is necessary. So I want you to take the easy 
 sentences and exercises as limbering-up movements. If 
 you do you will scarcely notice that they slowly grow more 
 complex. Do everything you are asked to do, and do it as 
 well as possible. 
 
 2. You can see that I have written it air as simply as 
 it could be written, using as few technical termg as possible. 
 But I beg you not to be frightened at the names of things 
 in grammar and the other branches of language study. If 
 you studied an automobile you would learn in five min- 
 utes the words cylinder, sparh-plug, ignition, carburetor, 
 cam-shaft, and a half score more; the very children in 
 the street use the words aeroplane, monoplane, hiplane, 
 
 iii 
 
 389465 
 
iv PEEFACE 
 
 propeller, and a dozen other purely technical terms. They 
 use them correctly and never dream of evading them or of 
 substituting other and simpler words for them. 
 
 The few technical terms you need to know in grammar 
 are easier to learn than the technical names of things in 
 other fields and are quite as necessary to know. I would not 
 insult your intelligence by translating into babble such 
 terms as inflection, agreement, conjugation, or by assuming 
 that you can not learn at a glance a participle or an adverb. 
 
 3. Two things I have taken for granted about you in 
 writing this book. One is that you have had schooling equal 
 in amount at least to that given in the six or seven grades 
 of the public schools. This means that you have had con- 
 siderable drill in grammar and are ready to apply your 
 knowledge. 
 
 The other thing I take for granted is that you are eager 
 to get ready for the thing you want to do in the world and 
 for the world. I do not have to beg you, or to bribe you, 
 or to pull you, or even to lead you tenderly by the hand. 
 I don't even have to interest you. You are already inter- 
 ested — ^what a failure I should be if I could not keep you 
 interested ! 
 
 Now, it is from this point of view that I work for you. 
 If I am mistaken in my first assumption, if you have not 
 had any grammar or if you have forgotten it, or if you 
 were wholly engaged in tying Jane Doe's and Mary Roe's 
 hair-ribbons together while your teacher was teaching the 
 grammar-lessons — then I must depend on you to get a nice 
 simple grammar such as they use in the grades, and have it 
 handy to turn to. What you learn for yourself is doubly 
 yours. And if you are going to be a success in any busi- 
 ness you must learn to master for yourself the tools and 
 machines — including in this case the simple fundamental 
 things of grammar. 
 
PKEFACE 
 
 If I am mistaken in the second assumption — ^but that is 
 impossible. 
 
 4. In preparing your lessons I have followed no hard 
 and fast rule as to the arrangement. No teacher sticks 
 through thick and thin to a ''method." He suits his 
 method to the material and the class. You will notice that 
 in some cases I have given exercises first, showing many 
 views of the form I want you to learn — so that by the time 
 you have done those, you will know the rule. In other 
 cases it seemed a saving of time and energy to state the rule 
 or principle first and then show its application. You don 't 
 have to memorize and remember these rules — except, per- 
 haps, those for spelling: you have only to get the correct 
 form fixed in your head, in your tongue, in your hand. 
 
 5. In a few cases it seemed necessary to give examples 
 of mistaken usage in order to correct it. One would not 
 do this if he were teaching young children. But for ex- 
 perienced students such as those that will use this book, I 
 have no fear that they will learn the wrong form, or that 
 by some psychological perversity the wrong form will stick 
 in their minds and the right one fall away. But as a pre- 
 caution I would ask you never to read the wrong form 
 aloud, and never to write it off. 
 
 6. In addition to this book and to the possible grammar, 
 you will need a dictionary. You may be so fortunate as to 
 have access to dictionaries in a school-room or a library, 
 but you should, if possible, have one of your own always 
 beside you when you write or study. The dictionary work 
 in this book is based on Webster's Secondary School Dic- 
 tionary ; the little desk and pocket volume is too meager in 
 its details to be of much value. There is a liberal education 
 in your dictionary. It would take another volume to tell 
 what I, myself, have learned — curious, interesting, beauti- 
 
vi PEEFACE 
 
 ful, helpful things — from my little dictionary in the 
 process of making this book. 
 
 7. Try to kill as many birds as possible with every stone. 
 When you study a sentence given to illustrate (let us say) 
 a possessive, learn also the spelling of any word you were 
 not sure of before ; remark the punctuation ; read it aloud 
 so as to get an ear image of it ; write it off so as tp get a 
 motion image of it ; construct another like it ; get everything 
 out of it you can. This is what constitutes study, and this 
 is what creates memory. I would modestly boast that every 
 correct sentence given in the book is one that you may easily 
 have use for, or that will serve you as a model. 
 
 8. The title of the book was chosen after much delibera- 
 tion and consultation, and means precisely what it says. 
 You will notice that it has three terms : 
 
 Essentials — I have tried to include everything that will 
 help to the writing of clean, clear, effective English. It is 
 not a complete speller, grammar, composition, or rhetoric, 
 but it tries to give you the practical, useful core of four 
 such books. 
 
 Business — It tries to stick close to what you need in 
 actual communications and transactions involving everyday 
 affairs and the basic matters of business. It does not 
 undertake to teach literary composition or criticism, though 
 it teaches nothing that would not be valuable to a literary 
 student. It simply stops short of the literary training. 
 
 English — It does not undertake to teach business, or a 
 business. It tries to keep as close as possible to its purpose 
 — the purpose of equipping you to express yourself in what- 
 ever business you may go into. If you go on to become an 
 advertiser, or a commercial correspondent, or an expert 
 private secretary, or a professional writer on business, you 
 will have to take advanced professional courses to equip 
 
PREFACE vii 
 
 yourself for these things. But I venture to say you will not 
 have to unlearn the things you learn in this book. 
 
 9. Keep this book on your desk or on your handiest 
 book-shelf and turn to it whenever you feel puzzled in your 
 writing. It ought to serve you as a sort of encyclopedia in 
 its own field. I have attempted to arrange the topics in a 
 natural sequence; but it is almost impossible in such a 
 book to make it entirely evolutionary. You will have occa- 
 sion to turn to the chapter on punctuation, to the chapter 
 on the formal parts of a letter, etc., before you come to 
 them in going regularly through the book. So much the 
 better! The more you can use it as a reference book, the 
 more good you will get out of it. I should like to teach 
 it to you myself; but since that is impossible, I must con- 
 cent myself with wishing you all success in mastering it, 
 and all success in whatever business it may serve you in. 
 
 Among the large number of books consulted I am espe- 
 cially indebted to — 
 
 "Business English." Edwin Herbert Lewis. 
 
 "Business English."^ Rose A. Buhlig. 
 
 "A Manual for Writers." Manly and Powell. 
 
 "The Business Letter." Ion E. Dwyer. 
 
 "A Brief English Grammar." Scott and Buck. 
 
 *'The Practice of Typography." Theodore Low DeVinne. 
 
 "The Essentials of English Composition." J. W. Linn, 
 
 "Advertising as a Business Force." Paul T. Cherington. 
 
 The Author. 
 July, 1914. 
 
 ^My thanks are due to D. C. Heath & Co., for permission to 
 adapt two exercises from Buhlig's "Business English." My thanks 
 are also due to Small, Maynard and Co. for permission to use several 
 passages from Brandeis's "Business a Profession." 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
 Introduction ix 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I. Grammatical Correctness — Inflection . . 1 
 
 II. Grammatical Correctness — Agreement . . 21 
 
 III. Grammatical Correctness — Government . . 31 
 
 IV. Correctness in Diction 36 
 
 V. Correct Arrangement 57 
 
 VI. Vocabulary 69 
 
 VII. Clearness S6 
 
 VIII. Effectiveness 105 
 
 IX. Spoken English 
 
 A. Speaking English 122 
 
 B. Making a Speech 134 
 
 X. Spelling 147 
 
 XI. Punctuation 171 
 
 XII. Business Composition 
 
 A. Business Letters 196 
 
 B. Miscellaneous Business Documents 
 
 AND Social Letters 249 
 
 Index 269 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 Good English is English that is good for its purpose. 
 There may be people who use words for the sake of talking ; 
 but nobody listens to them— so their language doesn't 
 count. Most of us speak and write for the sake of produc- 
 ing an effect. We want to make an idea plain to another 
 person; we want to persuade another person to act; we 
 want to share our pleasure with another ; we want to secure 
 sympathy with our own joys and sorrows or with those of 
 another. 
 
 If we are wise we will adapt our language to the subject 
 we are talking about and to the person we are talking to. 
 Bare and poetical words would be out of place if you 
 were merely ordering your dinner — they would not express 
 your ideas and your cook would not understand them. 
 Fine writing is as much out of place in everyday business 
 as are fine clothes in a business office. 
 
 There is, however, a place for poetical words and for 
 fine writing, just as there is a place for fine clothes. If 
 you are writing an oration for some soul-stirring occa- 
 sion you want that kind of fine and noble words that make 
 eloquence ; if you are writing a poem you want that kind 
 of fine and delicate words that make beauty. But when 
 you are writing about the practical affairs of life you natu- 
 rally choose a simple, direct, conclusive form of expression. 
 
 Nevertheless, the same qualities underlie all kinds of 
 
 ix 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 good writing. There are only four of what we call the 
 qualities of style. They are these : 
 
 Correctness 
 Clearness 
 Force 
 Beauty 
 
 Two of these — correctness and clearness — are necessary 
 in all speech counted good at all. They are the foundation 
 on which all writing and speech must be built. Of course 
 everybody knows that a man who violates every rule and 
 defies every accepted usage may make himself understood. 
 But he is sure to meet his Waterloo. As he goes on into 
 better places and more complex affairs there will surely 
 come a time when he will not be understood. And at what 
 a cost does he conduct his affairs if he is ignorant of or- 
 dinary good usage! What humiliation he feels when he 
 realizes that he can't make his meaning clear! 
 
 And the failure to express oneself clearly and correctly 
 has a practical side. Look at the innumerable troublesome 
 and disastrous law-suitg that come into our courts on ac- 
 count of the double meaning possible to some word or 
 phrase in a business document. A business man who was 
 going to London on a most important mission for his firm 
 arranged to start from his country home near a small town. 
 He was to take an afternoon train which was given in the 
 railroad's folder with a footnote: **Makes regular stop on 
 Sunday." He interpreted ** regular stop" to mean that 
 it stopped every day. When he went to take this train on 
 Monday, he found that it stopped at his station only on 
 Sunday. He missed his boat at New York, he lost his 
 business chance in London. That ambiguous word cost his 
 firm many thousands of dollars — indeed it may have altered 
 the whole course of the firm's history. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 XI 
 
 Yes, it is undoubtedly true that the writer who makes no 
 mistakes in grammar or diction, and whose meaning is un- 
 mistakable has the two qualifications that do most for him 
 as a business writer or speaker. A vast volume of busi- 
 ness English needs just the qualities of correctness and 
 clearness — and needs nothing more. 
 
 But there are circumstances under which you want to 
 add to the two basic qualities the quality of force. You 
 want to make your statement strong, as well as clear and 
 correct; you want emphasis; you want to strike attention 
 so hard as to hold it ; you want to persuade the person you 
 are talking to — to convince him first, and then persuade 
 him to act. This quality of style is very important in busi- 
 ness English. Force is another word for effectiveness and 
 for emphasis. It does not differ in kind from force or effect- 
 iveness in literary writing. It is only applied to a different 
 kind of subject and addressed to a different audience. 
 
 Business English does not make so much of the quality 
 of beauty as literary writing does. We do not neglect it, 
 but we feel that business writing has its own kind of beauty. 
 If it is correct, clear, and forceful, we feel that this union 
 of qualities constitutes its beauty. We do not try for dec- 
 orative words, for musical phrases, or for beautiful images, 
 unless they serve our practical needs. Of the four qual- 
 ities of style, we make least of the quality of beauty. 
 
 Whatever kind of writing you are going to do, you need 
 to learn how to secure these qualities. If you go at once 
 into business, the time may come when you will be an author- 
 ity in your line and will be writing articles and books that 
 must go out and be judged just as all writing is judged. 
 And if you go to college you will find that what you have 
 learned about these standard and accepted qualities of style 
 puts you immediately into line, and perhaps saves you a 
 good year of time in English. 
 
Xii INTRODUCTION 
 
 We should reject that narrowing view that there is an 
 *' academic " or learned correctness or clearness different 
 from practical correctness or clearness. This view is the 
 fruit of ignorance or prejudice. There is only one kind 
 of either quality. The apparent difference is a difference 
 in the subjects treated or a difference in the persons ex- 
 pressing themselves. When I say, ' ' The sages are no more 
 infallible than the saints are impeccable," I am quite as 
 correct as when I say, ' ' The paper boxes are crushable and 
 the glass jars are breakable"; but I am no more so. If 
 one of the sentences sounds more formal, it is because the 
 thought is not familiar and not practical. Of course I can 
 be priggish and pedantic; I can say, ''The receptacles of 
 paper are no more imperishable than those constructed of 
 glass are indestructible"; but I should only be absurd — 
 not incorrect. Especially I should not be ''academically" 
 correct. There is not a teacher in any school — even in a 
 college — ^who would not hoot at such a sentence. 
 
 Two facts make all the differences there are between 
 literary writing and business writing: Business writing 
 deals with objects and facts, and aims at a practical result. 
 Literary writing deals with emotions and ideas, and aims 
 at artistic results. The differences between them do not 
 affect correctness, clearness, and force. Only a knowledge 
 of these qualities and of the means of securing them, will 
 make you safe and firm in any kind of writing. 
 
 II 
 
 We begin naturally and logically with correctness. There 
 are three aspects of correctness that we must study : 
 1. Correctness in grammar; 
 Z. Correctness in the choice of words; 
 3. Correctness in the arrangement of words. 
 We shall begin with grammatical correctness, because 
 
INTRODUCTION xiii 
 
 this will do more than either of the others to put in order 
 the English we already have. 
 
 If you were a merchant, and had reason to think that 
 there was something wrong with your business, you might 
 call in an efficiency man to help you put it on a better foot- 
 ing. And the first thing he would do would be to examine 
 your business just as it stands. He would look over your 
 stock and examine your books; he would show you what 
 goods were unsalable and dead ; he would show you the mis- 
 takes in your books. After that he would advise you about 
 buying a new stock and adopting a new method of keeping 
 your books. But if you were alert you would ask * * Why ' ' at 
 every step of the process. * ' Why can 't I sell these collars, 
 these suspenders, these gloves?" And if he said, **Well, 
 people who know, don 't use them any more ; they are made 
 of cheap and perishable material ; they are made on a poor 
 patent ; that device has gone out because the principle was 
 wrong," you would ask, "What is the right principle? 
 What are the known rules of choice? I must know these, 
 so that I shall make no more accidental mistakes. ' ' 
 
 It seems wise when you desire to improve your language 
 to begin with an examination and rearrangement, if neces- 
 sary, of the supply you have on hand — you have a large 
 stock — and find out what, if anything, is wrong with it. 
 
 Do you say — 
 
 **He ain't" when you mean '*He isn't"; 
 
 "She don't" when you mean "She doesn't"; 
 
 * ' It don 't make no difference ' ' when you mean * * It makes 
 no difference"; 
 
 " It 's me " when you mean " It 's I " ; 
 
 "I will be sorry to see you go" when mere politeness re- 
 quires you to say "I shall be sorry to see you go"; 
 
 "He shall take the medicine" when you have a right to 
 say only "He will take the medicine ' ' ; 
 
Xiv INTEODUOTION 
 
 "I didn't object to him helping" when you mean *'I 
 didn't object to his helping"? 
 
 Now when you read the foregoing paragraph you can at 
 once, and finally, correct these particular mistakes ; but there 
 are many more possibilities of error in the classes from 
 which these are taken, and many more classes of errors. 
 So you ask at once, **How can I avoid, not only these 
 mistakes, but those of the same kind? What are the rules 
 or principles?" 
 
 This takes you at once into grammar. It is a very 
 surprising thing that many people consider grammar a 
 dull and difficult subject. They consider it dull, either 
 because they had poor teaching when they studied it, or 
 because they had no living, practical interest in it, and so 
 no motive for learning it. If they should take it up again 
 when they had immediate use for it, when they could 
 apply it at once in their affairs, or in their preparation for 
 business, they would find it living and far from dull. 
 
 Those who considered it difficult probably found it so 
 because they were led into some of the logical and abstract 
 sides of the subject. Grammar is like all the other sciences 
 — it has simple practical stages or sides, and it has advanced 
 and theoretical sides. You know that when you study elec- 
 tricity you can take it up on a scale that will cost you a 
 lifetime of study in a million-dollar laboratory. But you 
 know, too, that there are aspects of it that you can master 
 in a few months in an ordinarily well-equipped shop that 
 will make you a good practical electrician. 
 
 Grammar, too, has its simple practical sides — those sides 
 that concern correctness of speech — actual, practical speak- 
 ing, the plainest and most everyday writing. It is no diffi- 
 cult task to learn these few important principles, and so 
 safeguard ourselves where mistakes are likely to occur. We 
 are not trying to master the whole science of grammar. 
 
INTRODUCTION xv 
 
 We select and apply those principles that teach us the 
 * ' what ' ' and the ' * why ' ' of simple correctness. 
 
 Mistakes and the chances for mistakes occur almost ex- 
 clusively in connection with one of the three fundamental 
 principles of grammar. These three principles are — 
 
 Inflection 
 
 Agreement 
 
 Government 
 
 Exercise — A quiz on the Introduction 
 
 1. What is good English? 
 
 2. Name the four fundamental qualities of style. 
 
 3. Which two are absolutely essential to all writing? 
 
 4. Which other are we likely to add in business writing? 
 
 5. Point out some of the practical values of correctness and 
 clearness. 
 
 6. Give two reasons why it is best to approach business English 
 on the side of the standard qualities of style. 
 
 7. What can you say about "academic" correctness? 
 
 8. What is the real difference between literary writing and busi- 
 ness writing? 
 
 9. Name the three aspects of correctness. 
 
 10. What are the three principles of grammar that concern correct 
 usage? 
 
CHAPTER I 
 
 GSAMMATICAL COEEECTNESS 
 
 INFLECTION 
 
 Inflection is the word used to name those changes of form 
 that words undergo to express some change of meaning, or 
 to show their uses in the sentence or their relation to other 
 words. The parts of speech that show inflection are nouns, 
 pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, and verbs. 
 
 1. The inflection of nouns and pronouns. — The ar- 
 rangement of nouns and pronouns to show their inflection 
 is called declension. It shows whatever changes of form 
 they undergo to indicate the two numbers, singular and 
 plural ; and the three cases, nominative, possessive, and ob- 
 jective. The following are typical declensions : 
 
 NOUN 
 
 
 
 Singular 
 
 Plural 
 
 ■ K^ ^ ^ ^"^-^ 
 
 *^Nom. 
 
 boy 
 
 boys 
 
 _Poss, 
 
 boy's 
 
 boys' 
 
 
 ^Ohj. 
 
 boy 
 
 boys 
 
 « ^ w>.«^.»'«^ -*^ "^ 
 
 
 PERSONAL PRONOUNS 
 
 
 
 Nom. 
 Poss. i 
 
 I 
 
 -^ , my 
 
 we 
 our 
 
 
 ohj. ; 
 
 C ^^y me 
 
 us 
 
 
 Nom. 
 
 he, she, it 
 
 they 
 
 
 Poss. 
 
 his, her, its 
 
 their 
 
 
 Ohj. 
 
 / ^tjT: him, her, it 
 
 RELATIVE PRONOUN 
 
 them 
 
 
 Nom. 
 
 who 
 
 who 
 
 
 Poss. 
 
 whose 
 
 whose 
 
 
 Ohj. 
 
 (^t^ ; whom 
 1 
 
 whom 
 
2. ^ ■ ; . ; SSS;F*NT:^ALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 When you look at these words you see that the noun has 
 only two changes or inflections — one for the possessive case 
 and one for the plural number. 
 
 These, then, are the troublesome points, and it is at these 
 points that we find mistakes commonly made. 
 
 I. The Possessive Case — 
 
 Exercise 1 
 Study the possessive forms in the following sentences. 
 Make a new sentence containing each of them : 
 
 1. The hoy^s face quickly changed. 
 
 2. The boys* faces were brown with tan. 
 
 3. The secretary's report was approved. 
 
 4. The secretaries' reports are all on file. 
 
 5. This student 's paper is scrupulously neat. 
 
 6. These students' papers are carelessly done. 
 
 7. A man's overcoat was left in the car. 
 
 8. Those men's overcoats were sold below cost. 
 
 9. I found a pair of woman 's gloves. 
 10. The stock of women's gloves is low. 
 
 II. Mr, Adams's address has been lost. 
 
 12. Your watch has lost its second hand. 
 
 13. The chauffeur killed his engine. 
 
 14. The mistake was Tiers. 
 
 15. The responsibility was theirs — ^but the credit was his. 
 
 16. The woman whose gloves you found is here. 
 
 17. The Emperor of Germany's visit to England was timely. 
 
 18. The American National Advertising Association's meeting took 
 place in Chicago. 
 
 19. Earl and Wilson's collars are standard. 
 
 20. My som-in-law's plans are not announced. 
 
 21. I have taken somebody else's hat. 
 
 When you study the foregoing exercise you will gather 
 these facts: 
 
 1. All nouns in the singular form the possessive case 
 by adding the apostrophe (') and s: hoy's, man's. 
 
 2. All nouns that have added an s or an es to form 
 
INFLECTION 
 
 their plural add only the apostrophe to form the plural 
 possessive: secretaries^ students'. 
 
 3. All nouns that form their plural in some other way 
 add the apostrophe and s: men's, women's. 
 
 4. Pronouns do not use aji apostrophe in any possessive : 
 his, its^ hers, theirs. 
 
 Note. — A special warning is needed here for its. You will some- 
 times see the form it 's. But it is a contraction for it is, never properly 
 the possessive. 
 
 5. When the noun is a compound or consists of a group 
 of words, add the apostrophe and s at the end of the 
 group: son-in-law's. Emperor of Germany's, Earl and 
 Wilson's. 
 
 When the noun is a large group of words it is better not 
 to form the possessive with s. Write ''the meeting of 
 the American National Advertising Association." 
 
 Exercise 2 
 
 Write sentences containing the possessives, singular and 
 plural, of the following nouns. Take pains to write a good 
 complete sentence in each case : 
 
 lady 
 
 postman 
 
 he 
 
 the mayor of New York 
 
 nominee 
 
 hero 
 
 she 
 
 the Governor-General of Canada 
 
 soldier 
 
 child 
 
 it 
 
 who 
 
 anybody 
 
 anybody else 
 
 they 
 
 
 The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals 
 
 The possessive with the verbal noun is a weak point with 
 many fairly good writers. A verbal noun is the name of an 
 action; here are some: 
 
 Seeing is "believing. 
 Teaching is an interesting profession. 
 
 Hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling, tasting — these are the activities 
 of our senses. 
 
ESSENTIALS OP BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 / 
 
 When the noun or pronoun naming the person acting is 
 used with one of these verbal nouns, it is put in the pos 
 sessive; as, 
 
 1. The house was old, but we did not think of its burning. 
 
 2. I do not object to Olson's helping you. 
 
 3. They are perfectly satisfied with Mr. Paul's teaching. 
 
 4. I did not know of your sailing on the "Arabic." 
 
 5. Your doing anything so foolish never occurred to me. 
 
 Exercise 3 
 Correct the following : 
 
 1. Does anyone object to him helping me? 
 
 2. They insist on every student doing all the work. 
 
 3. Haven't you heard of him going around the world? 
 
 4. We are interested in him inspecting Chinese schools. 
 
 5. We did not dream of him failing in examination. 
 
 6. Have you not heard of him being killed in an air-ship accident 1 
 
 2. The Plural of Nouns — 
 
 There are a few pitfalls in this inflection that we must 
 look out for. 
 
 Exercise 4 
 Study the following list of words. Construct sentences 
 ^using all the second words in the pairs : 
 
 .>* bill— bills foot— feet 
 
 check — checks tooth — teeth 
 
 hand — hands man — men 
 
 head — heads datum — data 
 
 sheet — sheets phenomenon — phenomena 
 
 address — addresses radius — radii 
 
 box — boxes alumnus — alumni 
 
 fish — fishes forget-me-not — forget-me-nots 
 
 wife — wives spoonful — spoonfuls 
 
 shelf — shelves son-in-law — sons-in-law 
 
 lady — ^ladies hanger-on — hangers-on 
 
 baby — babies by-stander — ^bystanders 
 
 potato — potatoes Mr. Bruce — Messrs. Bruce 
 
 hero — heroes Miss Lewis — Misses Lewis 
 
INFLECTION 
 
 A study of this list will show the following usages in 
 plurals : 
 
 1. The regular way to form a plural in English is to add 
 an s to the singular : hill — hills, check — checks. 
 
 2. If s alone will not unite with the last sound of the 
 singular, es is added : hox — hoxes, fish — fishes. 
 
 3. A few nouns ending in the sound of / change the 
 / into V before the plural inflection -es : wife — wives, shelf — 
 shelves. Some such nouns form a regular plural. 
 
 4. Nouns ending in y with a consonant just before it 
 change the y into i before the -es: lady — ladies, 
 hahy — hahies. 
 
 5. A few nouns that end in o add an e before the 
 -s: hero — heroes, potato — potatoes. Some such nouns 
 form a regular plural. 
 
 6. A few old English nouns seem quite irregular because 
 they keep the plurals they had before the language adopted 
 the rule of the -s : man — men, tooth — teeth, foot — feet. 
 
 7. Some words that have come into English from other 
 languages keep the plurals they have in those languages: 
 datum — data, alumnus — alumni, phenomenon — phenomena, 
 radium — radii. 
 
 8. In the case of compound nouns, when the compound is 
 so familiar that the parts are not thought of separately, the 
 -5 is added to the whole compound: forget-me-not — for- 
 get-me-nots, spoonful — spoonfuls; when one of the parts is 
 more important than the others, add the -5 to the impor- 
 tant part : sons-in-law, hy-standers, hangers-on. 
 
 9. Compound nouns made up of a title and a surname 
 generally give the plural to the title : the Messrs. Bruce, 
 the Misses Lewis. 
 
 Exercise 5 
 Write out the plurals of all the nouns given below. Your 
 dictionary will give you the form of every plural that is not 
 
ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 f 
 
 regular. For example, under tomato you will find the note 
 — pi. -toes. Cod suit your dictionary whenever you are not 
 quite certain. 
 
 desk 
 
 half 
 
 woman 
 
 chair 
 
 jury 
 
 oasis 
 
 wave 
 
 ally 
 
 thesis 
 
 sash 
 
 alley 
 
 axis ^ 
 
 dish 
 
 darkey 
 
 brother-in-law 
 
 tax 
 
 buffalo 
 
 passer-by 
 
 tariff 
 
 cargo 
 
 trade-mark 
 
 loaf 
 
 piano 
 
 foot-note 
 
 thief 
 
 solo 
 
 tender-foot 
 
 grief 
 
 mouse / 
 
 cupful 
 
 beUef 
 
 
 
 2. The inflection of adjectives and adverbs. — The 
 
 changes of form that these words undergo is called com- 
 parison. These changes show the relative degree or measure 
 of the quality the word expresses. Comparison indicates 
 three grades : 
 
 Positive Comparative Superlative 
 
 great greater greatest 
 
 careful more careful most careful 
 
 late later latest 
 
 effective more effective most effective 
 
 fast faster fastest 
 
 slowly more slowly most slowly 
 
 effectively more effectively most effectively 
 
 This shows you the regular comparison, which is the same 
 for adjectives and adverbs. To words of one syllable add 
 -er, -est. To most words of more than one syllable prefix 
 more, most. 
 
 Some adjectives and adverbs are irregular. 
 For example : 
 
 good better best 
 
 ill worse worst 
 
 bad worse worst 
 
INFLECTION 
 
 Note. — Your dictionary will give you the forms of irregular com- 
 parisons. For instance, under well you will find — compar, better, 
 superl. best. 
 
 1. Mistakes in comparison are very common and very- 
 irritating. Study the following sentences and the rules and 
 cautions deduced from them : 
 
 1. This is the larger of the two orders. 
 
 2. This is the largest order we have received today. 
 
 3. Of the two machines I choose the cheaper. 
 
 4. He had three machines to choose from — he chose the cheapest. 
 
 5. This week has passed more slowly than last week. 
 
 6. Of all the days of the week Monday seems to me the most trying. 
 
 7. The railroads are the greatest single industry in the United 
 States, next to agriculture. 
 
 8. Of our two greatest single industries agriculture is the more 
 important. 
 
 You will notice that the comparative degree is used when 
 the comparison is concerned with two persons or things; 
 when there are more than two the superlative is used. 
 
 2. Study'the comparisons in the following sentences: 
 
 1. Her shoes are smaller than any I see here. 
 
 2. These shoes are smaller than any others she has. 
 
 3. Our class has a larger membership than any club in town. 
 
 4. Our club has a larger membership than any other in town. 
 
 You see that you use the comparative with any; and when 
 the things compared are in the same class use other after 
 any. 
 
 Never, never use combinations like smallest of any, 
 largest of any. 
 
 3. Study the following sentences : 
 
 1. Olson is the most promising of all the applicants. 
 
 2. Of all the applications we have received, this is the most intelli- 
 gent. 
 
 3. I have chosen Olson's report for publication because of aU those 
 submitted it is the most orderly. 
 
8 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 You see that you use the superlative when you include 
 the whole class by using the word all. 
 
 Exercise 6 
 
 Study the following sentences, noting the comparatives 
 and superlatives. They are all correct. Read each sentence 
 aloud. 
 
 1. Texas is the largest state in the Union. 
 
 2. Texas is larger than any other state in the Union. 
 
 3. Texas is larger than any New England state. 
 
 4. Of all the states in the Union Texas is the largest. 
 
 5. The Post is the most trustworthy of the evening papers. 
 
 6. Of all the evening papers the Post is the most trustworthy. 
 
 7. The Post is more trustworthy than any other evening paper. 
 
 8. The Post is more trustworthy than the morning papers. 
 
 9. Of the two papers the Post is the more trustworthy. 
 
 10. Of the three afternoon papers the Post is the most trustworthy. 
 
 11. James is slower than any other of the boys. 
 
 12. James is the slowest boy in school. 
 
 13. As between James and George, James is the slower. 
 
 14. Car manager is the most patient person in the office. 
 
 15. Our manager is more patient than any one else in the office. 
 
 16. Your largest asset is your faith in the importance of your busi- 
 ness. 
 
 17. Of all your assets faith in the importance of your business is the 
 largest. 
 
 18. Faith in the importance of your business is larger than any 
 other asset you have. 
 
 Exercise 7 
 
 Write off the following sentences, choosing the correct 
 form in each case: 
 
 1. Which is the older — oldest, John or James? 
 
 2. Which is the more — most expensive, a Waterman or a Swan 
 fountain-pen ? 
 
 3. Of the three applicants, Olson, Bruce, and Lewis, the fir$t — 
 former is the most — more promising.. 
 
INFLECTION 
 
 4. Of the two applicants, Olson and Bruce, the first — former is the 
 vwre — most promising. 
 
 5. Of the two poisons, arsenic and cyanide, which is the Trfore — 
 most deadly? 
 
 6. Of the .three poisons, arsenic, strychnine, and cyanide, which 
 acts more — mdst quickly? y 
 
 7. Of two evils, choose the least — less. 
 
 8. Olson is the older — oldest of tjie three applicants. 
 
 9. Miss Lewis is the elder — eld^t of a family of five. 
 
 10. Is t^ere any difference in your hands? Which handles the pen 
 more — most skilfully? 
 
 11. Of all the machines we have tried, the Royal works most — more 
 satisfactorily. . y 
 
 12. Of the many places opeo/co you, choose the more — most honor- 
 able rather than the more — rmst lucrative. 
 
 13. As there are only two contestants, the prize must go to the one 
 or the other. Choose the worthier — worthiest. 
 
 14. Of the three factoj^in the production of wealth, land, labor, 
 tools, which is more — most important? 
 
 4. There are some adjectives and adverbs that can not be 
 compared, because in their first form they express absolute 
 quality. For example, if a thing is empty, it can not be 
 more empty; if perfect j it can not be more perfect; if square, 
 it can not be .more square, though you may express a shade 
 of meaning by saying more nearly perfect, or more nearly 
 square. 
 
 The following are other adjectives and adverbs that can 
 not be compared : 
 
 absolutely spotless 
 
 conclusive square 
 
 dead straight 
 
 eternal supreme 
 
 faultless universal 
 
 full worthless 
 
 impossible unique 
 
 perfect useless 
 proper 
 
10 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 Exercise 8 
 
 Every one of these sentences contains one or more errors. 
 Correct them. If any of them can be corrected in two 
 ways give both. ^ 
 
 1. The use of the telephone is becoming more universal every day. 
 
 2. Mexico seems to have the most unstable government of any 
 modern state. ,V 
 
 3. The Balkan war was more absolutely js^arbaric than any war of 
 modern times. 
 
 4. If he wants a recommendation from us, he must steer a 
 straighter course than he has. done hitherto. 
 
 5. Of all other cities London is the largest, and by far the most 
 interesting jof any. 
 
 6. Of all the filing systems on the market this is the most perfect. 
 
 7. A more absolutely worthless piece of property I do not know. 
 
 8. The North Western trains give the best service of any ^to San 
 Francisco. 
 
 9. To call on the proprietor was the DaosI proper thing to do. 
 
 10. Of the two reports I consider Olson's the more correct. 
 
 11. We have in this book the completest summary yet given of the 
 arguments in favor of socialism. 
 
 3. llie inflection of verbs. — The arrangement of the 
 verb to show the changes it makes to express changes of 
 meaning and its relation to other words, is called conjuga- 
 tion. 
 
 It is rather an elaborate thing because a verb changes to 
 show: (1) the time of the action — present, past, or future; 
 this change is called tense; (2) the influence of its sub- 
 ject — a verb has person and number; (3) the certainty or 
 uncertainty, definiteness or vagueness of an action; this 
 change is called mood. 
 
 1. In order to discuss^ intelligently the mistakes we are 
 liable to in this inflection, we will study the partial conjuga- 
 tion of the two typical verbs see and learn. 
 
 1 The discussion is limited to one mood — the indicative. Uses 
 of the English subjunctive lie outside the scope of this book. 
 

 INFLECTION 
 
 
 11 
 
 
 PEESENT TENSE 
 
 
 
 Singular 
 
 
 
 Plural 
 
 
 I see 
 
 
 
 we see 
 
 
 you see 
 
 
 
 you see 
 
 
 he sees 
 
 
 
 they see 
 
 
 I learn 
 
 
 
 we learn 
 
 
 you learn 
 
 
 
 you learn 
 
 
 be learns 
 
 PAST 
 
 TENSE 
 
 they learn 
 
 
 I saw 
 
 
 
 we saw 
 
 
 you saw 
 
 
 
 you saw 
 
 
 he saw 
 
 
 
 they saw 
 
 
 I learned 
 
 
 
 we learned 
 
 
 you learned 
 
 
 
 you learned 
 
 
 he learned 
 
 
 
 they learned 
 
 
 
 FUTUEE TENSE 
 
 
 
 I shall see 
 
 
 
 we shall see 
 
 
 you will see 
 
 
 
 you will see 
 
 
 he will see 
 
 
 
 they will see 
 
 
 I shall learn 
 
 
 
 we shall learn 
 
 
 you will learn 
 
 
 
 you will learn 
 
 
 he will learn 
 
 
 
 they will learn 
 
 
 PRESENT-PERFECT TENSE 
 
 I have seen we have seen 
 
 you have seen you have seen 
 
 he has seen they have seen 
 
 I have learned we have learned 
 
 you have learned you have learned 
 
 he has learned they have learned 
 
 PAST-PERFECT TENSE 
 
 I had seen 
 etc. 
 
 FUTURE- PERFECT TENSE 
 
 I shall have seen 
 etc. 
 
 If you study this partial conjugation carefully you will 
 see that the verb see appears in three forms: see in the 
 
12 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 present tense, saw in the past, and seen used with auxiliary- 
 verbs to form the perfect tenses. 
 
 Learn has only two separate forms — learn for the present 
 tense and learned for the past, and it uses the same form, 
 learned, to form the perfect tenses. These three forms are 
 the present, the past, and the past participle; they are 
 called the principal parts of the verb ; and it is in the use of 
 these three forms that most mistakes in the verb occur. 
 
 There are two classes of verbs, divided according to the 
 way in which they form these principal parts : 
 
 a) The regular verb, called by some grammarians the 
 weak verb because it adds an outside ending to form its 
 principal parts. Such are : 
 
 Present Past Past Participle 
 
 learn learned learned 
 
 walk walked walked 
 
 play played played 
 
 sail sailed sailed 
 
 help helped helped 
 
 dive dived dived 
 
 h) The irregular, called by some grammarians the strong 
 verb because it forms its past and past participle by changes 
 within itself without calling in outside aid. Below is a 
 partial list of the strong verbs with their principal parts : 
 
 Present 
 
 Past 
 
 Past Participle 
 
 awake 
 
 awoke or awaked 
 
 awaked 
 
 begin 
 
 began 
 
 begun 
 
 blow 
 
 blew 
 
 blown 
 
 break 
 
 broke 
 
 broken 
 
 bring 
 
 brought 
 
 brought 
 
 burst 
 
 burst 
 
 burst 
 
 catch 
 
 caught 
 
 caught 
 
 come 
 
 came 
 
 come 
 
 do 
 
 did 
 
 done 
 
 drink 
 
 drank 
 
 drunk 
 
 eat 
 
 ate 
 
 eaten 
 

 INFLECTION 
 
 13 
 
 Present 
 
 Pas* 
 
 Pdst Participle 
 
 fly 
 
 flew 
 
 flown 
 
 freeze 
 
 froze 
 
 frozen 
 
 give 
 
 gave 
 
 given 
 
 go 
 
 went 
 
 gone 
 
 grow 
 
 grew 
 
 grown 
 
 know 
 
 knew 
 
 known 
 
 lay 
 
 laid 
 
 laid 
 
 lie (to recline) 
 
 lay 
 
 lain 
 
 ride 
 
 rode 
 
 ridden 
 
 ring 
 
 rang 
 
 rung 
 
 rise 
 
 rose 
 
 risen 
 
 run 
 
 ran 
 
 run 
 
 see 
 
 saw 
 
 seen 
 
 set 
 
 set 
 
 set 
 
 shake 
 
 shook 
 
 shaken 
 
 show 
 
 showed 
 
 shown 
 
 sing 
 
 sang 
 
 sung 
 
 sink 
 
 sank 
 
 sunk 
 
 sit 
 
 sat 
 
 sat 
 
 spring 
 
 sprang 
 
 sprung 
 
 steal 
 
 stole 
 
 stolen 
 
 swim 
 
 swam 
 
 swum 
 
 swing 
 
 swung 
 
 swung 
 
 take 
 
 took 
 
 taken 
 
 teach 
 
 taught 
 
 taught 
 
 throw 
 
 threw 
 
 thrown 
 
 wring 
 
 wrung 
 
 wrung 
 
 write 
 
 wrote 
 
 written 
 
 Your dictionary will give you the principal parts of all 
 strong verbs. 
 
 The mistake commonly made in the use of the verb is the 
 confusion of the past tense with the past participle. Re- 
 member that it is the past participle that you always use 
 with have or had; with am, is, was, have been, had been, 
 will and shall have been. 
 
 Exercise 9 
 
 Point out the verb in each of the following sentences. 
 Classify it as strong or weak. Give the principal parts of 
 each. 
 
14 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 1. I drank two cupfuls of coffee. 
 
 2. I have drujnk all my milk. 
 
 3. Mr. Bruce has hired a new office boy. 
 
 4. He has taught his stenographer to use the dictagraph. 
 
 5. I sang in the choir last year. I have sung in the chorus for 
 many years but my friend has never sung before. 
 
 6. I wrote the telephone message on the pad, but some one has torn 
 off the sheet and written another message. 
 
 7. After the wreck many passengers swam to the life boats; wo 
 picked up one man who had swum a mile. 
 
 8. I took an upper berth — all the lowers were taken. 
 
 9. We have taken passage on the "Arabic," which is known as a 
 very comfortable boat. 
 
 10. If I had known you were an applicant I should have recom- 
 mended you — ^but I did not know — only Mr. Bruce knew it. 
 
 11. When the doctor examined his leg he found that it was broken. 
 But the man did not know when he broke it. 
 
 Exercise 10 
 
 Write sentences employing both the past tense and the 
 past participle of each of the following verbs : 
 
 swing 
 
 run 
 
 give 
 
 see 
 
 ride 
 
 grow 
 
 fly 
 
 rise 
 
 go 
 
 throw 
 
 drive 
 
 do 
 
 2. There are three pairs of verbs that give a great deal 
 of trouble — sometimes to fairly good writers. And indeed 
 they are very confusing. They are — 
 
 Present 
 
 a) sit 
 
 Past 
 
 sat 
 
 Past Participle 
 sat 
 
 set 
 
 b) lie 
 
 lay 
 
 set 
 lay 
 laid 
 
 set 
 
 lain 
 
 laid 
 
 c) rise 
 raise 
 
 rose 
 raised 
 
 risen 
 raised 
 
 One of the verbs in each of these pairs has to have an 
 object to complete it. One in each pair does not take an 
 object. We will arrange them on that principle. 
 

 i:nj*'lection 
 
 
 15 
 
 These need objects: 
 
 
 
 
 Present 
 
 Past 
 
 Past Participle 
 
 
 set 
 
 set 
 
 set 
 
 
 lay 
 
 laid 
 
 laid 
 
 
 raise 
 
 raised 
 
 raised 
 
 
 1. Please set the machine on the table. 
 
 2. The watchman has set the alarm for six o'clock. 
 
 3. Have you set the night-latch ? 
 
 4. He laid down his pen and said, "Lay down these principles 
 first." 
 
 5. He laid his note-book on my desk and forgot it. 
 
 6. They used crude oil to lay the dust. 
 
 7. I fear he has not laid by anything for a rainy day. 
 
 8. The factory laid off a hundred men yesterday. 
 
 9. I laid my task wearily aside. 
 
 10. "We easily raised the fund they needed. 
 
 11. The wreck of the "Titanic" can never be raised. 
 
 12. We raise all the vegetables we can use. 
 
 13. He raised the window and watched the moon as it rose above the 
 trees. 
 
 These do not need objects : 
 
 sit 
 
 sat 
 
 eat 
 
 Ue 
 
 lay 
 
 lain 
 
 rise 
 
 rose 
 
 risen 
 
 1. He sat quietly reading during the excitement. 
 
 2. I have sat in the waiting-room all morning. 
 
 3. I sit by Olson every morning in the car. 
 
 4. I have sat by Olson every morning for six months. 
 
 5. Will you sit down? 
 
 6. I am so fatigued that I shall lie down. 
 
 7. I was so weary that I lay almost unconscious. 
 
 8. The boat lay at the third pier all day yesterday. 
 
 9. The boys lay perfectly still and watched. 
 
 10. These goods have lain on the shelf too long. 
 
 11. He is sure to rise in his position. 
 
 12. The sun rose this morning at six precisely. 
 
 13. The water has risen six inches during the night. 
 
 ^ The sun sets is a special use of the verb set. 
 
IQ ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 There seems to be confusion .in some minds between let 
 and leave, giving rise to such stupid blunders as 
 "leave it be" for "let it be" 
 "leave him lie" for "let him lie." 
 
 Exercise 11 
 Write off the sentences in the following exercise, choosing 
 the correct word in each : 
 
 1. Have you ever ridden — rode a motorcycle? 
 
 2. Their agent has gone — went to Chicago. 
 
 3. When he got home he found his ears were froze — frozen. 
 
 4. He had drove — driven very rapidly. 
 
 5. When the water rises — raises in the lock it rises — raises the boat. 
 
 6. When the bell rang — rung the children all came — come run- 
 ning in. 
 
 7. We hegan — tegun yesterday to take an invoice. 
 
 8. The civil service examinations have begun — hegan. 
 
 9. The bookkeeper has set — sat his watch by mine. 
 
 10. The officer concluded to let — leave the rubbish lie in the alley. 
 
 11. When I lay — laid down I did not expect to sleep. 
 
 12. I have sat — set at this window many evenings to watch the 
 sunset. 
 
 13. Was he toolc — taTcen ill suddenly? 
 
 1 4. She will sit — set the table and then she will lie — lay down. 
 
 15. She will lay — lie the cloth and then she will sit — set down. 
 
 16. The river will have rose — risen sixteen inches in two hours. 
 
 17. Never leave — let the pupils be unoccupied. 
 
 18. The bread will rise — raise in two hours. 
 
 3. The use of shall and iaM. — If we went into all the 
 refinements of the uses of these two words, it might seem a 
 complicated matter. But for practical purposes it is rather 
 simple. Study the following examples presenting the future 
 and the future perfect tenses of call : 
 
 I shall call we shall call 
 
 you will call you will call 
 
 he will call they will call 
 
 I shall have called we shall have called 
 
 you will have called you will have called 
 
 he will have called they will have called 
 
INFLECTION 17 
 
 a) You will notice that the first persons, I and we, use 
 sliall, while the other persons use will. This is the case 
 when you express simple future action. 
 
 h) Now when you want to express determination or make 
 a promise, you reverse this usage and say / will and we will, 
 and use shall for the other persons. 
 
 c) In questions of the first person you use shall; in those 
 of the second and third persons you use the form you expect 
 in the answer. This is called anticipating the answer. 
 
 Note. — Should and ivould in ordinary practical usage follow the 
 same rules as shall and loill. 
 
 Exercise 12 
 The following sentences illustrating the use of shall and 
 will are all correct. Study them with care, reading each 
 one aloud several times. Decide in each case what is ex- 
 pressed, simple futurity, determination, promise, anticipa- 
 tion of answer. 
 
 1. I shall be much pleased to recommend you. 
 
 2. Will you give me a recommendation? 
 
 3. Shall you ask Mr. Olson for a recommendation? 
 
 4. I shall make arrangements to sail on the "Arabic." 
 
 5. The "Arabic" will sail from Boston June 16. 
 
 6. I shall be disappointed if they do not come. 
 
 7. They will be expecting me. 
 
 8. He shall restore what he has taken whether he will or no. 
 
 9. He will restore whatever he has taken. I have great confidence 
 in him. 
 
 10. Shall George bring the machine around? 
 
 11. George, will you bring the machine around? 
 
 12. Won't you mail my letter? 
 
 13. Shall you answer this letter? Yes, I shall. I will write it at 
 once and then we will go. 
 
 14. Shall you prosecute him? I shall; he shall be made to suffer 
 for his dishonesty. Will you not change your mind? No, I shan't. 
 Do, for my sake. No, I won't. 
 
13 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 15. Will you come to dinner with, usf I will, with pleasure. 
 
 16. Will you come to dinner with us on Tuesday? I am sorry, but 
 I shall be out of town. On Wednesday, then? Yes, I shall be happy 
 to come on Wednesday. 
 
 NoTi. — There is a stupid mistake that one often hears — the use of 
 the present after hope, as 
 
 I hope he makes the train. 
 
 I hope he gets the appointment. 
 
 I hope I find the address. 
 
 Hope necessarily implies futurity, and calls for the future tense. 
 Say— 
 
 I hope he will catch the train. 
 
 I hope he will get the appointment. 
 
 I hope I shall find the address. 
 
 Exercise 13 
 Write fifteen sentences of your own — good, interesting 
 sentences, illustrating the various uses of shall and will. 
 
General Exercises in Business Composition 
 the paragraph in thinking and writing 
 Study the following letter: 
 
 My deab Mr. Harding: 
 
 Are you willing that I should give you as a reference in ap- 
 plying for a position with Holt & Eaton? You know my character 
 and my abilities, and there is no one whose good word I would 
 rather have, 
 
 I am making a change because I feel that there is no advancement 
 for me in the place I am in now. There are several men ahead of me 
 in the line of promotion, and I should like to get on a little faster. 
 The position with Holt & Eaton seems to offer just the chance I 
 want. 
 
 I shall be very grateful for your help in this matter and shall try 
 to deserve whatever recommendation you may give me. 
 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 Amos Wells. 
 
 You will notice that this letter falls into three sections, 
 each of which handles a phase of the matter discussed in 
 the letter: 
 
 1. Asks permission to use his friend as a reference. 
 
 2. Explains why he needs a reference. 
 
 3. Expresses gratitude for a possible favor. 
 
 You will find as a matter of fact that you can't follow 
 any train of thought without seeing that it goes in steps 
 or stages. If you reason with a friend you find yourself 
 saying, ''In the first place,'' **In the second place," and 
 so on until you have given all your reasons. If you write a 
 letter that is more than a brief note you find yourself tak- 
 ing up one item, then the next, and the next, until you 
 have treated them all. 
 
 19 
 
20 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 These steps or stages or items are paragraphs. They are 
 little letters within your letter. Each one says all that you 
 would say if you were handling that item alone. 
 
 We may say that an argument or a letter really consists 
 of paragraphs properly joined together. We may call the 
 paragraph the unit of thinking. We may say that if you 
 can think and write good paragraphs you have mastered 
 the art of writing; and these statements, barring a cer- 
 tain allowable exaggeration, are all true. 
 
 Of course a letter or a statement may be so brief and 
 unified as to take only one paragraph. 
 
 In writing or printing, the paragraph is indicated by 
 indenting, i. e., setting in the first word a space from the 
 regular margin. 
 
 Exercise 14 
 
 1. You are writing to a friend your reasons for taking a 
 course in business English. You have these two reasons : 
 
 a) You desire in general to speak and write correctly. 
 
 h) You hope to become an advertising manager, a sales- 
 man in a mail-order business, a commercial correspondent, 
 or a stenographer. 
 
 Having selected one of these positions, write the two 
 paragraphs in the letter. 
 
 2. Give an oral report occupying three minutes, on the 
 fruit in market on the day of your recitation. Make two 
 items : 
 
 a) The various fruits to be had. 
 h) The prices. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 GEAMMATICAL COKEECTNESS 
 AGREEMENT 
 
 One of the prettiest things in the whole science of gram- 
 mar is the principle of agreement. It sometimes seems as if 
 words were living, thinking things, trying to accommodate 
 themselves to one another in a sentence; as if they had 
 memories and a sense of duty that compelled them to take 
 this form or that form because of something that went 
 before or something to come after. Other languages, Ger- 
 man and Italian, for instance, have very complex systems 
 of agreement ; English has a very simple system. Indeed, 
 you could not call it a system at all. We have merely 
 certain usages that are invariable and therefore important 
 for us to know. Under agreement as under inflection, 
 we will study those instances where we are liable to mis- 
 takes. ^ 
 
 1. Agreement of verb and. subject. — 1. The central 
 and most important rule of agreement, and the one most 
 frequently broken, is that the verb must agree with its 
 subject in person and number. 
 
 Examine these forms: 
 
 Singular Plural 
 
 1st Per. I do I am we do we are 
 
 2d Per. you do you are you do you are 
 
 3d Per. he does he is they do they are 
 
 You will see that the form of the verb changes for the 
 third person singular ; you say I do, but he does. It changes 
 
 21 
 
22 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 for the plural number; we say he does, but they do. It 
 follows that we can not say he don't, since don't is the 
 contraction of do not; we must say he doesn't. 
 
 The form ain't is a contraction of am not; consequently 
 it was never correct to use it in any but the first person. 
 Present-day authorities condemn the form I ain't. Substi- 
 tute I'm not. 
 
 The sentences in the following exercise illustrate the 
 agreement of the verb with its subject. The subjects and 
 verbs are indicated by italics. Read these aloud several 
 times : 
 
 1. I am surprised. 
 
 2. You are very late this morning. 
 
 3. He is unsuccessful in business. 
 
 4. They are sending out their new circulars. 
 
 5. She has lately ieen promoted. 
 
 6. He doesn't Jcnow that the shops are all closed. 
 
 7. Every thing that he does is well done. 
 
 8. Your subscription expires with this issue. 
 
 9. In every kind of retail trade the customers insist on quick 
 delivery. 
 
 10. Our customer, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary, insists 
 that he has paid his bill. 
 
 11. The agent who called every day for several days to see you 
 about buying those bonds wants to speak with you now. 
 
 12. The cause of all his troubles with the workmen is his constant 
 demand for greater speed. 
 
 Mistakes often occur in long sentences like this last one 
 in whicii other nouns — it may be some singular and some 
 plural — come between the verb and its subject. Be cau- 
 tious when you have such a subject. 
 
 2. Study the following sentences : 
 
 1. The cashier and the teller have gone. 
 
 2. The skipper, the mate, and the cook are all on board. 
 
 3. My old friend and schoolmate is in town. 
 
AGREEMENT 23 
 
 4. The Secretary and Treasurer keeps the books in his possession. 
 
 5. My guide, philosopher, and friend has deserted me. 
 
 You will notice that the subject may consist of two or 
 more nouns joined by and. When these nouns name dif- 
 ferent persons the verb is plural ; when they name one and 
 the same person (as in 3, 4, and 5) the verb is singular. 
 
 When the two words name one product or customary 
 combination the verb is singular. 
 
 1. Victuals and drink was the chief of her diet. 
 
 2. Bread and milk seems to agree with the patient. 
 
 3. Ham and eggs was his regular order for breakfast. 
 
 4. Bread and butter tastes good when you are hungry. 
 
 3. When two or more singular nouns forming the subject 
 are preceded by each, every, or no, the verb is in the 
 singular : 
 
 1. Every man, woman, and child on board was saved. 
 
 2. Each book and paper is put in its place every night. 
 
 3. Every subscriber and stockholder has a right to know the facts. 
 
 4. When two nouns of the subject are joined by neither 
 . . . nor or either . . , or the verb is singular if both the nouns 
 are singular. If one of the nouns is plural the verb must 
 be plural. 
 
 1. Neither the carpenter nor the plumber has come. 
 
 2. Neither the paperhanger nor his assistants have come. 
 
 3. Neither the first statement nor the second is satisfactory. 
 
 4. Neither the first statement nor any of the subsequent ones are 
 satisfactory. 
 
 5. Either the doctor or the nurse is to blame for her relapse. 
 
 6. Either the doctor or the nurses were to blame for her relapse. 
 
 5. When a subject connected by neither . . . nor or either 
 , , . or consists of personal pronouns the verb agrees with the 
 subject nearest it. 
 
24 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 1. Either he or I am wrong. 
 
 2. Neither she nor / do it well. 
 
 3. Neither she nor they do it well. 
 
 Courtesy and custom dictate the proper arrangement of 
 the personal pronouns when they are of different persons. 
 Study this carefully : 
 
 In the singular the second person comes first, the third 
 person second, the first person last. In the plural the first 
 person first, the second person second, the third person last. 
 The examples will make this plain : 
 
 1. It is agreed that either you or I am to go. 
 
 2. Neither you nor he is expected. 
 
 3. Neither he nor I shall have time to stop over. 
 
 4. We and they have long been competitors. 
 
 5. We and you will probably have to stay late tonight. 
 
 6. We, you, and they must share the expense. 
 
 6. Collective nouns. Study these sentences — they are all 
 correct : 
 
 1. The crowd is much excited. 
 
 2. The crowd are all shouting. 
 
 3. The firm is increasing its business. 
 
 4. The firm are consulting about Olson's promotion. 
 
 5. The audience was enthusiastic. 
 
 6. The audience were scattering in every direction. 
 
 You see that a collective noun takes either a singular or 
 a plural verb, according to the sense in which it is used. 
 When the oneness of the collection is important or em- 
 phatic the singular verb is used. When the persons or 
 things that make up the collection are important or em- 
 phatic use the plural verb. 
 
 7. The nouns number, half, rerrminder, rest, etc., take 
 a singular or plural verb according as they refer to one 
 whole or to the several members of a group. 
 
AGREEMENT 25 
 
 1. The number of trials is limited. 
 
 2. The number of cases of diphtheria grows less every year. 
 
 3. A number of students have already obtained positions. 
 
 4. Half of my orange was bad. 
 
 5. Half of the oranges were bad. 
 
 6. The upper half of the window was dark. 
 
 7. JJaZ/ of the windows were dark. 
 
 8. The rest of the day was spent at my desk. 
 
 9. The rest of the goods were badly damaged. 
 
 8. Certain nouns have a plural form but a singular 
 meaning and always take a singular verb. Such are — 
 
 acoustics gallows molasses 
 
 civics mathematics news 
 
 ethics means (instrument) optics 
 
 1. Mathematics is my favorite study. 
 
 2. Optics is an interesting branch of physics. 
 
 9. There is another group of nouns that are always 
 plural and require a plural verb. Such are — 
 
 alms 
 
 eaves 
 
 riches 
 
 ashes 
 
 goods 
 
 scissors 
 
 shears 
 
 manners 
 
 thanks 
 
 breeches 
 
 means (income) 
 
 tidings 
 
 cattle 
 
 oats 
 
 tongs 
 
 clothes 
 
 proceeds 
 
 wages 
 
 1. Ashes have been sprinkled on the pavement. 
 
 2. Manners make the man. 
 
 3. Riches take wings. 
 
 Exercise 1 
 
 Write sentences using the following words and phrases 
 as subjects : 
 
 cattle means (1) 
 
 civics means (2) 
 
 shears mechanics 
 
 herd mob 
 
26 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 strawberries and cream 
 
 each and every member of the ofl&ce force 
 
 each member of the boards of trustees and directors 
 
 neither he nor I 
 
 both we and they 
 
 Exercise 2 
 
 Write off the sentences of this exercise, choosing the 
 correct verb : 
 
 1. The sheep is — are grazing in the pasture. 
 
 2. Ethics is — are a branch of philosophy. 
 
 3. The means is — are not always justified by the end. 
 
 4. His means are — is limited. 
 
 5. Fifty dollars is — are a large sum to lose. 
 
 6. He doesn't — don't know the difference between good business 
 and bad. 
 
 7. It don't — doesn't take an expert long to find the weak spot. 
 
 8. Either the weather or his anxiety have — Jms depressed him. 
 
 9. The line of motors, carriages, trucks, and omnibuses move — 
 moves steadily down the street. 
 
 2. Agreement of the adjective with its noun. — The 
 
 only English adjectives that change their form to show 
 agreement are this and that. They take a plural form to 
 agree with a plural noun: This certificate — these certifi- 
 cates; that parcel — those parcels. 
 
 Study these sentences : 
 
 1. This sort of envelopes is best for our business. 
 
 2. That kind of clips suits me best. 
 
 3. These kinds of devices never work well. 
 
 4. Those kinds of machines are not popular. 
 
 Avoid the common and annoying mistake — these kind, 
 those sort. 
 
 3. Agreement of a pronoun with its antecedent. — 
 
 1. James said he would bring up the mail. 
 
 2. Miss Lewis found that she had herself copied the letter. 
 
AGEEEMENT 27 
 
 3. The student who is responsible for locking up is gone. 
 
 4. The students who are responsible for closing the oflice are gone. 
 
 1. The rule of agreement is that the pronoun must agree 
 in person, gender, and number with its antecedent — ^the 
 noun that it stands for. 
 
 This is easy to see and to show in the personal pronouns 
 which change their form to indicate person and number 
 and in the singular to indicate gender: hey she, it, I, we, 
 you, etc. 
 
 The relative pronouns, who, which, and what, do not 
 change their form to show even number. But the verb used 
 with them will generally show their correct agreement in 
 person and number. 
 
 1. It is I who am late. 
 
 2. It is he who receives advancement. 
 
 2. Study these sentences : 
 
 1. The foreman and his assistant have lost their places. 
 
 2. Either the foreman or his assistant has lost his place. 
 
 3. Neither the foreman nor his assistants have lost their places. 
 
 You will see that when a pronoun stands for two ante- 
 cedents connected by and, the pronoun is plural. 
 
 "When it stands for two antecedents joined by either . . . 
 or or neither . . . twr, the pronoun is singular if both ante- 
 cedents are singular. 
 
 It is plural if one or both antecedents are plural. 
 
 3. The following sentences illustrate the pronoun when 
 the antecedent is a collective noun : 
 
 1. The firm is increasing its business. 
 
 2. The firm are consulting about their budget. 
 
 3. The jury promptly rendered its verdict. 
 
 4. The jury were much divided in their opinion. 
 
28 ESSENTIALS OP BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 You conclude that when the oneness of the collection is 
 important you use the singular pronoun. When the indi- 
 viduals are considered you use the plural pronoun. 
 
 4. When a singular noun of common gender (this means 
 that it may name either a male or female being) is the 
 antecedent of a pronoun, it is customary to use the mascu- 
 line pronoun. For example : 
 
 1. Every student should prepare his paper promptly. 
 
 2. Each member of the club should register his protest. 
 
 3. Every member of the class may claim his theme. 
 
 In certain cases either the feminine or masculine pronoun 
 is indicated by other details ; as, 
 
 1. Each member of the Woman's Club registered her protest. 
 
 2. Every member of the Vassar senior class contributed her share. 
 
 5. Anyone, miyhody, each, everyone, everybody, either, 
 neither, somebody, some one else, etc., are singular and must 
 be represented by a singular pronoun. For example : 
 
 1. Neither of them has paid his dues. 
 
 2. Somebody has forgotten his umbrella. 
 
 3. Each of us should pay his share of the assessment. 
 
 4. Every variety of business has its advantages. 
 
 5. Has anyone else lost his ticket? 
 
 Exercise 3 
 
 Write off the following sentences, inserting the correct 
 word in each case : 
 
 1. Order more of — kind of athletic goods; is a paying 
 
 line. 
 
 2. No man or woman will be permitted to leave desk in 
 
 disorder. 
 
 3. These lessons were written to enable every student, and even 
 every reader to correct own mistakes. 
 
 4. This book should equip students to correct own mistakes. 
 
AGEEEMENT 29 
 
 5. Any student who applies the knowledge he gains will find 
 
 writing free from ordinary errors. 
 
 6. Neither the lesson nor the exercises yield full value to a 
 
 careless student. 
 
 7. Neither party is eager for a quarrel and will make any 
 
 reasonable adjustment. 
 
 8. In case you return the goods, you will oblige us by sending 
 the original paper with . 
 
 9. We have taken great pains in packing the case of mineral 
 waters and the other goods that may reach you in good order. 
 
 10. Neither the goods I ordered last month nor the machine I 
 bought on Monday have made appearance. 
 
 11. If you are dissatisfied either with the tongs or the shovel, 
 return at our expense. 
 
 12. Make a note of any violation of the rules and regulations that 
 comes under your observation and report to the manager. 
 
General Exercises in Business Composition 
 
 FURTHER practice IN PARAGRAPHING 
 
 When you try to sell a product, you generally have two 
 sides to your task — ^you must tell precisely what it is you 
 have; you must persuade the other person that he wants 
 or needs it, and that it is possible or easy for him to get it. 
 Sometimes only one paragraph is necessary for both pur- 
 poses; you may happen to be dealing with a person who 
 already wants what you have to sell; or you may have 
 goods so useful and necessary that you have only to de- 
 scribe them. 
 
 But usually you need to use both these processes — ^to tell 
 what you have ; to persuade the other person that he wants 
 it. It may take many paragraphs for each of these processes. 
 The nature of your commodity may be very elaborate, and 
 the uses of it very numerous. You may be trying to sell 
 it to a very large and mixed circle of buyers, so that you 
 have to make several kinds of appeal. 
 
 But in the transactions we have set for our exercise, we 
 shall assume that we need but two paragraphs for each 
 transaction. 
 
 1. Write two paragraphs of a letter to an acquaintance 
 offering to sell him — 
 
 a) A typewriter you have used for a year. Describe it. 
 Set a price. 
 
 b) A camera that you have had only a few weeks. 
 Describe it. Ask what he will pay. 
 
 2. Make a five-minute speech on this outline: 
 a) It is not enough to be merely good. 
 
 h) You must be good for something. 
 
 c) You must be good for some one thing. 
 
 30 
 
CHAPTER III 
 GRAMMATICAL CORRECTNESS 
 GOVERNMENT 
 
 The third of the fundamental principles of grammar is 
 government. So far as practical correctness goes,, the 
 working of this principle is quite like that of agreement; 
 it concerns the form that certain words take in connection 
 with other words. Like agreement it is a sort of social 
 relation among the words of a sentence. In actual practice 
 there are not many applications of this principle, since it 
 concerns only the case of nouns and pronouns when they 
 are ''governed" by verbs or prepositions. 
 
 1. Government by verbs. — In the following sentences 
 the nouns and pronouns governed by verbs are italicized; 
 
 1. I have a good position. 
 
 2. The messenger has brought a telegram. 
 
 3. Olson is not in; Mr. Bruce sent him to the library. 
 
 4. In most cases nature does not spontaneously satisfy our wants. 
 
 5. This fact explains all human activity. 
 
 6. Means of satisfying wants are called goods. 
 
 7. We sent him a cablegram in London. 
 
 8. They have sent Mr. Bruce and me tickets to the game. 
 
 9. It is the sales-manager whom you should see. 
 
 You will discover that in practical usage the working of 
 the principle of government is a simple thing as concerns 
 nouns, since they have no change of form for the objective 
 case; but it is important in the case of pronouns. So we 
 deduce the first law of government — nouns and pronouns 
 that are the objects of transitive verbs are in the objective 
 case. 
 
 31 
 
32 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 2. Government by prepositions. — Prepositions are used 
 to show the practically innumerable relations of nouns 
 and pronouns to other words in the sentence. These prep- 
 ositions are said to ''govern" these nouns and pronouns, 
 and they require the objective case. As in the case of 
 government by verbs, the noun makes no change of form. 
 The pronouns are important for study, since they do 
 change their form. 
 
 1. The clerk failed to report to us. » 
 
 2. The bills were sent to them promptly. 
 
 3. Let the matter remain between you and we. 
 
 4. No, we shall have to consult with }ier and him. 
 
 The following is a list of the most commonly used prep- 
 ositions, all governing the objective case : 
 
 about 
 
 beneath 
 
 of 
 
 above 
 
 beside 
 
 on 
 
 across 
 
 between 
 
 through 
 
 after 
 
 beyond 
 
 to 
 
 against 
 
 but (except) 
 
 toward 
 
 along 
 
 by 
 
 under 
 
 among 
 
 concerning 
 
 until 
 
 around 
 
 except 
 
 up 
 
 at 
 
 for 
 
 upon 
 
 before 
 
 from 
 
 with 
 
 behind 
 
 in 
 
 within 
 
 below 
 
 into 
 
 without 
 
 Exercise 1 
 
 In the following sentences point out the verbs and prep- 
 ositions that govern nouns and pronouns and the nouns 
 and pronouns governed by them. All the sentences are 
 correct. 
 
 1. Let us face the facts squarely. 
 
 2. Let her and me copy all the letters. 
 
 3. You should elect the one whom you are sure you can trust. 
 
 4. You should elect the one who will prove most trustworthy. 
 
GOVERNMENT 33 
 
 5. Them that do wrong, I will punish. 
 
 6. They that did wrong should be punished. 
 
 7. Him that is guilty, the law should punish. 
 
 8. He that is guilty should be punished by the law. 
 
 9. Honor to whom honor is due. 
 
 10. He scolded us both — ^but me more than her. 
 
 11. I do not think it is he to whom we should send a complaint. 
 
 12. Your chance for promotion depends on who your competitors 
 are. 
 
 13. Your chances for advancement depend on whom you are com- 
 peting with. 
 
 14. Whom should I meet at the station but Mr. Harding whom I 
 had not seen for years! 
 
 15. How should you like to go with us? 
 
 With you and him ? 
 No, with her and me. 
 With whom else could I go ? 
 With whomever you found going. 
 16. I shall give the book to whoever asks for it. 
 
 3. Miscellaneous cases of apparent agreement or gov- 
 ernment. — 1. Than and as are not prepositions and do not 
 govern nouns and pronouns. They are conjunctions and 
 join subordinate clauses to the rest of the sentence. Usually 
 the verb of such a subordinate clause is omitted, since it is 
 not needed for the sense. 
 
 1. She is as tall as I (am). 
 
 2. She is slower than he (is). 
 
 3. He has a larger salary than I (have). 
 
 4. Miss Lewis can compute faster than I (can). 
 
 5. Mr. Bruce said he would rather send me than him (send 
 him). 
 
 6. They should have chosen him rather than me (have chosen 
 me). 
 
 7. I am not so well fitted for the position as he (is), 
 
 2. The verb he is not a transitive verb and consequently 
 does not govern an objective case. Notice : 
 
34 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 1. I glanced up hastily and saw that it was he. 
 
 2. Hello, Mr. Bruce! This is I— Olson. 
 
 3. It was not they, but we, who discovered the mistakes in the 
 entries. 
 
 4. Those present at the meeting were Harding, Eaton, Olson, 
 and I. 
 
 Note. — There is a feeling that me is more emphatic than 7. You 
 will sometimes find used in a half -humorous way a combination that 
 first respects grammatical correctness, and then adds the emphasis 
 of the wrong word: 
 
 It is I — me that" will change all that. 
 
 3. The verbs of the senses — taste, feel, looh, smell, sound, 
 like the verb he, express state of being rather than activity. 
 Like he they are followed by adjectives, not by adverbs. 
 
 1. The cream tastes sour, 
 
 2. Those wild roses by the wall look heautiful. 
 
 3. I feel unhappy over his misfortune. 
 
 4. How sweet the lilacs smell! 
 
 6. Those whistles sounds very loud. 
 
 ADVERBS DISTINGUISHED FROM ADJECTIVES 
 
 This seems to be a good place to insert the warning 
 against using adjectives when you need adverbs. Adjec- 
 tives modify nouns and pronouns, and they follow he and 
 such other verbs as express state of being ; adverbs modify 
 verbs that express action, adjectives, and other adverbs. 
 
 Right: He solved the problem very quickly. 
 
 Wrong: He solved the problem very quick. 
 
 Right: She set the table promptly and neatly. 
 
 Wrong: She set the table neat and prompt. 
 
 Right: He dictates so rapidly that I can not follow him. 
 
 Wrong: He dictates so rapid that I can not follow him. 
 
 Right: They are offering really desirable bargains. 
 
 Wrong: They are offering real desirable bargains. 
 
General Exercises in Business Composition 
 
 1. Turn to Chapter XII, A, and study rules and models 
 for the heading, address, and salutation of a letter. Using 
 your own address as a heading, write a letter to the firm of 
 Holt & Eaton, 118 N. La Salle Street, Chicago, manufac- 
 turers of blank books, applying for a position. Write four 
 paragraphs : 
 
 a) Name the position you desire, and tell how you 
 heard of the opening. 
 
 h) State your qualifications — schooling, experience, age. 
 
 c) Give your references. 
 
 d) Ask for an interview. 
 
 2. Compose an oral report, to occupy five minutes, on the 
 four most important items of news in the morning paper on 
 the day you make your recitation. Do not write out the 
 report; do not memorize the words of the reports in the 
 paper. 
 
 35 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 CORRECTNESS IN DICTION 
 
 "When we master the principles of grammatical cor- 
 rectness, we find ourselves a long way on the road to 
 correct speech. But there still remain some important 
 problems that are not concerned with grammar. You 
 know that it is quite possible to put the wrong word into 
 correct grammatical form; there are many combinations 
 of words which, while not ungrammatical, are not allowed 
 by custom or by good usage; there are whole classes of 
 words that every cultivated person must reject; there are 
 pairs of words that call for discrimination in their use — 
 some expressing very different ideas, but for some reason 
 confused, some expressing delicate shades of meaning, the 
 misuse of which stamps one an uneducated person. These 
 are the problems we shall consider under correct choice 
 of words, having in mind all the while that we are look- 
 ing toward practical rather than artistic usage. 
 
 1. The use of slang*. — It would be folly to give a sweep- 
 ing order and say, "Never use slang." A young person 
 would have to have superhuman will-power to associate with 
 his mates and never use a word of slang — indeed, he would 
 have to be a bit of a Pharisee, besides. 
 
 It is true that in a few cases the slang of today becomes 
 the accepted usage of tomorrow; that this is one of the 
 ways in which our wonderful living language grows. 
 It is curious to trace some of these reformed slang words. 
 In 1740 Swift, complaining of the corruption of the Eng- 
 lish tongue, condemned as instances of new and unpardon- 
 
 36 
 
DICTION 37 
 
 able slang the words banter, moh, sham, and others which 
 are now useful and respectable words. Dandy has twice 
 been slang — when it first came into our speech, and again, 
 after years of respectability, when, with a slight change of 
 meaning, it became slang in our own day. Undoubtedly 
 some of the slang invented by our generation will pass into 
 permanent use; the idiomatic and humorous ''nothing do- 
 ing ' ' is invaluable and deserves to survive. 
 
 Unquestionably some slang is humorous, even witty ; an 
 occasional slang phrase, when used by a person who does 
 not habitually use it, is picturesque and effective; one 
 might find himself in a company where not to use slang 
 would seem stiff and ''superior." But none of these con- 
 siderations justify the habitual and unchecked use of 
 slang. 
 
 In the first place, by far the larger number of slang 
 expressions have a low origin and a low meaning. Most 
 of them belong to the argot of thieves and other low 
 people. When they have crept up into better company, 
 they still have the marks of vulgarity and coarseness on 
 them. 
 
 In the second place, slang is evanescent — the day of 
 even the most popular slang word is brief. Who now says 
 "cut it out," or "talking through his hat," or "skiddoo," 
 though it was only yesterday that one or another of these 
 expressions defaced every third sentence spoken by a cer- 
 tain type of young person ? He who constantly uses slang 
 adds nothing permanent to his speech. On the contrary, 
 he merely substitutes another short-lived phrase for one 
 already dead. 
 
 In the third place, slang is monotonous and narrowing. 
 By narrowing your vocabulary you narrow your ideas. 
 When you use the same word for many different ideas and 
 objects, your conversation becomes intolerably tiresome 
 
38 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 and sounds vulgar to any experienced person. We have 
 all met in the last few years young persons (and some not 
 so young) whose entire vocabulary seemed to consist of 
 four or five words— *' dope, " ''guy," ''peach," "beat it," 
 "bone-head," and "going some" — with the merely color- 
 less words that joined them together. 
 
 This is very uncultivated and very crippling. Such a 
 person instinctively feels that he can not use these words 
 when he speaks or writes to anyone he respects. Conse- 
 quently when he should speak well he is dumb, and when 
 he would write he has no words for the things he would 
 say. I am convinced that this subjection to slang, and the 
 failure of slang to serve on a really important occasion, is 
 the explanation of the bad impression made by many 
 young people in a formal business interview, or in a piece 
 of writing. They know better than to use slang — ^yet they 
 have no other words at their command. 
 
 Exercise 1 
 
 Make a list of the slang words you use most frequently, 
 and give all the important equivalents for them in proper 
 English. "Write a sentence using each of the good words. 
 
 For example : Dope — 
 
 1. Kindly send me information concerning your automobile. 
 
 2. I have the material for developing the films. 
 
 3. I have all the lecture notes on this course. 
 
 4. He was under the influence of some drug. 
 
 5. There was some dishonesty in his election. 
 
 6. Please give me either mayonnaise or French dressing on my 
 salad. 
 
 7. I do not like curry in my sauce. 
 
 8. They had the whole affair arranged. 
 
 9. I have all the facts as to his guilt. 
 
 10. I have sent in my references and letters of recommendation. 
 
 2. The use of over-worked words. — Almost as bad as 
 slang in its effect and quite as bad in its influence, is the 
 
DICTION 39 
 
 use of a limited number of words, applying them to any 
 and all ideas and circumstances. These words are so gen- 
 eral as to be practically meaningless, and so worn and stale 
 as to be absolutely ineffectual. This is a fault to which 
 business writers seem peculiarly liable. The words given 
 here have all been taken from the business magazines. 
 One of them — proposition — was used in this loose and 
 meaningless way twenty-three times in one issue of an 
 ambitious business periodical. 
 
 The following is a list of such over- worked words: 
 
 proposition 
 
 deal 
 
 individual 
 
 Darty 
 
 feature 
 
 bunch 
 
 ine 
 
 factor 
 
 crowd 
 
 These are not slang words; they have certain legitimate 
 meanings and should be used when they carry their own 
 definite meaning. But you should sometimes substi- 
 tute for them the words they seem to have crowded out, 
 both for the sake of variety and for the sake of correctness 
 and definiteness. 
 
 1. Proposition — 
 
 Keep in mind the following list of words as substitutes 
 for proposition: 
 
 proposal 
 
 transaction 
 
 plan 
 
 occurrence 
 
 suggestion 
 
 project 
 
 offer 
 
 proffer 
 
 bargain 
 
 affair 
 
 concern 
 
 matter 
 
 sale 
 
 purchase 
 
 invention 
 
 device 
 
 statement 
 
 
 2. Line — 
 
 Substitute sometimes for this word grade, quality, vari- 
 ety, class, order, kind, sort. Avoid altogether the expres- 
 sion line of talk. For the phrase along that line, substitute 
 sometimes the phrases in that direction, in that way, on 
 
40 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 that subject. Never be guilty of using the wearisome old 
 phrase all along the line. 
 
 3. Party— 
 
 Never use this word for a person unless you are writing 
 a formal legal document, where you say "the party of the 
 first part," or "of the second part," etc. It is properly 
 used of a group of persons; but even in that case you 
 should sometimes substitute group, company, firm, associa- 
 tion, etc., according to your more definite meaning. 
 
 4. Crowd — 
 
 Never use this word when you mean group, party, 
 friends, club, company, audience, or any other assembly 
 of persons other than a large throng. 
 
 5. Bunch — 
 
 Never use this word as applied to persons at all; when 
 so used, it constitutes a bit of silly and stupid slang. 
 
 6. Feature — 
 
 Substitute sometimes aspect, detail, contrivance, pecul- 
 iarity, device, element, advantage, etc., according to your 
 closer meaning. 
 
 This word used as a verb seems to have established itself 
 in journalistic and business practice. Use it as little as you 
 can. The following extract from a college daily illustrates 
 * ' featuring ' ' gone to seed : 
 
 A feature story on the trip taken by the Glee Club will be one of 
 the features of the Annual; a poem, "The Tower Clock," will also 
 be featured. 
 
 7. Deal— 
 
 Sometimes use instead operation, trade, negotiation, busi- 
 ness, arrangement, sale, purchase, etc., etc. 
 
 Is it too much to ask you to retire permanently a square 
 deal? 
 
 8. Factor — 
 
 This is another good and useful word that has had more 
 work heaped upon it than it should be expected to do. It 
 
DICTION 41 
 
 should share with element, ingredient, part, share, force, 
 power, influence, etc., according to the shade of meaning 
 involved. 
 
 9. Individual — 
 
 Never use this word merely instead of man or person. 
 It is never properly used as a noun, except when the single- 
 ness or the separateness of the person is emphasized. 
 
 Exercise 2 
 
 Write sentences of your own, using each of the following 
 words in its proper sense. 
 
 1. Proposition, proposal, offer, transaction, opportunity. 
 
 2. Line, quality, variety, class. 
 
 3. Party, group, company, person, customer, purchaser. 
 
 4. Feature, aspect, peculiarity, element. 
 
 5. Deal, negotiation, operation, proceedings. 
 
 6. Factor, element, ingredient, influence. 
 
 7. Individual. 
 
 Note. — Here is another list of terms that are in danger of hav- 
 ing their edges worn off in the friction of business writing: system, 
 efficiency, red blood, magnetic, psychology, optimist, organization. 
 
 3. Hackneyed phrases. — These form the peculiar beset- 
 ment of the young journalist, though they often creep into 
 the work of the business writer, especially when he tries 
 to be literary. The following lines constitute a humorous 
 summary of these faded and by-gone beauties. The lines 
 are by an anonymous newspaper writer, and are repro- 
 duced here from Brown and Barnes's "The Art of Writ- 
 ing English." 
 
 There was a writer and he learned 
 
 The art "in all its phases" 
 Of using well-known synonyms 
 
 And penning hackneyed phrases; 
 "Conspicuous by his absence" was 
 
 Another stand-by too; 
 
42 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 A maiden had a "willowy form" 
 
 And hair of "golden hue"; 
 He followed on "with bated breath" 
 
 "So near and yet so far"; 
 *'An eagle glance," "magnetic gaze," 
 
 "The moaning of the bar"; 
 "A sight to make the angels weep," 
 
 "The human form divine," 
 "Dilating nostrils," "flowing locks," 
 
 And "all the muses nine"; 
 "The inner man," "last but not least," 
 
 "A few well-chosen words," 
 The "mellow moon" and "twinkling stars," 
 
 And "little twittering birds," 
 "Arch smiles" and "lips of rosy tint," 
 
 A "dainty gloved hand"; 
 A "succulent bivalve" of course 
 
 Was always in demand. 
 To "philosophic heights" he'd rise. 
 
 Of reason "chew the cud," 
 And never once did he forget 
 
 To use the "sickening thud." 
 
 It would be a good plan to forego all the quoted phrases 
 and all others so familiar and so meaningless. 
 
 4. Exaggerations. — Undue exaggerations make a bad 
 impression, and defeat their own ends. The use of superla- 
 tives and strong words for any trivial idea gives a hyster- 
 ical atmosphere to speech and weakens the effect; for we 
 soon learn to discount strong words where all words are 
 strong. The speech of cultivated persons shows a guarded 
 use of the strongest words; and every sincere person de- 
 sires to save the great and beautiful words for great and 
 beautiful things and feelings. 
 
 Discard completely all such foolish and stupid slang ex- 
 aggerations as the following: 
 
 I thought I should die. 
 It nearly killed me. 
 I am crazy about it. 
 
DICTION 43 
 
 Try to do without the words simply , perfectly, absolutely y 
 positively, etc., in their capacity of strengtheners of words 
 already sufficiently strong. Simply grand, perfectly impos- 
 sible, absolutely disgraceful, positively insulting, awfully 
 monotonous — each phrase is weaker than it would be if the 
 modified word stood alone. If you feel that you must 
 intensify in some way, compromise on very or quite. 
 
 The list of ' ' intensifiers " is instructive — simply, per- 
 fectly, absolutely, utterly, awfully, terribly, fearfully, hor- 
 ribly, dreadfully, tremendously, immensely — there is some 
 irony in the fact that all these, which ought to be the most 
 imposing words in our language, have been cheapened to 
 mere counters in the dialect of a girls' boarding-school. 
 
 Except in humorous passages of friendly letters and in 
 purely literary writing, do not use exaggeration or even 
 the figure of hyperbole. In conversation an occasional 
 exaggeration or conscious hyperbole is not to be con- 
 demned severely. It is the habitual use of them that is 
 fatal to good style and to safe thinking. 
 
 Exercise 3 
 
 Study the words in the following groups by finding their 
 definitions and considering their values. Use two words 
 from each group in sentences of your own, giving the word 
 its true value : 
 
 1. Lovely, pretty, beautiful, handsome, elegant. 
 
 2. Nice, pleasant, dainty, fine, charming, attractive. 
 
 3. Awful, terrible, horrible, dreadful, fearful, fierce. 
 
 4. Grand, imposing, splendid, brilliant, gorgeous. 
 
 5. Smart, clever, bright, wise, brilliant. 
 
 6. Amusing, ludicrous, humorous, witty. 
 
 7. Hate, dislike, despise, abhor, detest, loathe. 
 
 5. Pine writing. — The use of fine, high-sounding, or 
 learned words instead of simple ones is in poor taste and 
 generally incorrect. Even when it is done with a deliber- 
 
44 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 ately humorous purpose, it seems a rather cheap form of 
 wit. 
 
 You should not hesitate to use a rare or learned word 
 when it exactly expresses your thought; but do not sub- 
 stitute fine words for plain ones, other things being equal. 
 Do not say — 
 
 reside for live 
 
 retire for go to bed 
 
 matutinal ablutions for morning hath 
 
 erect a residence for build a house 
 
 eminent divine for well-known clergyman or preacher 
 
 .prominent educator for teacher 
 
 delicious refreshments for sandwiches and coffee 
 
 bountiful repast for a good dinner 
 
 sumptuous banquet for a plentiful supper 
 
 Avoid also false refinements such as, ' ' They built a beau- 
 tiful home'' when you mean house; ''The baby came'' 
 when you mean was horn. 
 
 Observe the propriety that comes of common sense in 
 the use of gentleman and lady. To insist on saleslady is 
 as sensible as it would be to call the man on the engine 
 the fire gentleman. 
 
 6. Vulgarisms. — Many expressions that irritate a per- 
 son of taste are plain vulgarisms and should be discarded. 
 Such are — 
 
 date for engagement or appointment 
 
 nohow 
 
 female for woman 
 
 alright for all right (The use of this form should be made a 
 crime punishable by automatic electrocution.) 
 
 go some place for go somewhere 
 
 go places, as in "She likes to go places with me." 
 
 ways for way, as in "a long ways from here" 
 
 don't know as for don't know that 
 
 nicely, as the answer to the question, "How are you?" 
 
 wants in the sense of needs, as in "a salesman wants to keep his 
 temper"; "You want to use two c's in success." 
 
DICTION 45 
 
 lady friend 
 
 gentleman friend 
 
 dove as the past of dive 
 
 7. Too many words. — In the following sentences the 
 italicized words are unnecessary: 
 
 1. Where are you atf 
 
 2. I fell off of the car. 
 
 3. I have got all the salesmen's reports. 
 
 4. From henceforth Mr. Bruce will handle all adjustments. 
 
 5. From whence would such an impression come? 
 
 6. I got a seat inside of the car on the Elevated. 
 
 7. I stood outside of the theater for an hour. 
 
 8. You had ought to see the new linotype at work. 
 
 Exercise 4 
 
 There are one or more unnecessary words in each of the 
 following sentences. Write them off in correct form. 
 
 1. Where are you living at now? 
 
 2. Where are you going to next? 
 
 3. You hadn't ought to spell Professor with two f's. 
 
 4. Both White and Brown are alike good accountants. 
 
 5. He repeated the directions over and over again. 
 
 6. You will find the road-house a mile from hence. 
 
 7. He will move his mail-order business back to the town from 
 whence he came. 
 
 8. The reason I did it was because of Mr. Bruce 's orders. 
 
 9. My mind often reverts back to the early years of the enter- 
 prise. 
 
 10. There was nothing said about a rebate that I remember of. 
 
 11. There is no use at all in taking so much pains with a trivial 
 matter. 
 
 12. He has been all the summer in the Canadian Rockies. 
 
 13. The telephone girls are the city's real watchmen, keeping 
 guard all the night. 
 
 14. When he drove up we all smiled at his queer horse — a black 
 and a white one. 
 
 15. What kind of a person do they expect to get at that salary? 
 
 16. What kind of a business would you consider most interesting? 
 
46 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 17. Please accept of this bonus as a token of our appreciation. 
 
 18. He returned back again to get his coat. 
 
 19. We have been patient with him, since he is a new beginner. 
 
 20. You will find the drive longer than you think for. 
 
 21. The automobile turned the corner and disappeared from my 
 view. 
 
 22. The little lake was surrounaed by high hills on all sides. 
 
 23-. We were quite powerless and unable to discover the reason 
 for the shortage in our accounts. 
 
 24. Olson rushed hurriedly by us with a telegraph blank in his 
 hand. 
 
 25. The dispatches say that the insurgent army was totally 
 annihilated. 
 
 26. Have you heard that the little town of Albion was entirely 
 wiped out in a general conflagration? 
 
 27. We saw two officers looking out of the window. 
 
 28. Before giving a detailed reply we must consult with our 
 counsel. 
 
 29. The berth opposite to us was occupied by a man ill with 
 tuberculosis. 
 
 30. We will explain later on why we found it impossible to 
 accept your suggestion. 
 
 31. Our seats at the game were just outside of the reserved 
 section. 
 
 32. Olson is late because he stopped to collect together his books 
 and papers. 
 
 33. Miss Brant is a skillful expert in the preparation of copy, 
 but she has found this manuscript a difficult puzzle. 
 
 8. Too few words. — Study the following sentences and 
 notice that the italicized words are necessary. They are 
 often erroneously omitted. 
 
 1. Miss Lewis stayed at home today. 
 
 2. I shall leave for my vacation on the first of July. 
 
 3. The boat was so leaky that we had to give up our sail. 
 
 4. The order was so vague that we had to have it repeated. 
 
 5. We are very much pleased with the itinerary you have made 
 out. 
 
DICTION 47 
 
 6. He has just entered College and will later enter the Univer- 
 sity. 
 
 7. Nowadays when you study in a Business College, you acquire 
 a liberal education. 
 
 8. Both the secretary and the treasurer were in attendance. 
 
 9. He drove two very fast horses — a black and a white. 
 
 9. Idiomatic combinations of words. — ^We mean by this 
 certain combinations that have no reason for being except 
 the usage of the language they belong to; they can not be 
 translated into any other language and are therefore diffi- 
 cult to students of foreign birth or descent. They must 
 be mastered and remembered. 
 
 1. He fell into the water. 
 
 2. He fell in love. 
 
 3. He died of pneumonia (not with or from). 
 
 4. Divide the work between Mr. Bruce and me. 
 
 5. Divide the work among the whole force. 
 
 Note. — Use hetween where there are two, among where there are 
 more than two. 
 
 6. I shall complete my course within a year (not inside a year), 
 
 7. He cut the stick in two. 
 
 8. He put his hat upon his head (not on). 
 
 9. There is no one who can do it besides me (not outside of me 
 nor outside me, unless you are speaking of germs). 
 
 10. He wants to get hold of the details (not a hold of). 
 
 11. We gladly accept your hospitality (not accept of). 
 
 12. I do not plan any change in my work (not plan on). 
 
 13. The circular deals with the problems of correspondence study 
 (not deals on). 
 
 14. I am contemplating a change of employment (not contem- 
 plate on). 
 
 15. I shall try to learn touch writing (not try and). 
 
 16. Do not blame me for the mistake (not blame . .on). 
 
 There is no such preposition as onto. You may see it 
 even in print, but it is incorrect. 
 
48 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 There should be no such prepositional phrase as in hack 
 of; say behind. You sometimes see the absurd phrase 
 would of instead of would have, in such phrases as would 
 have gone, would have learned; avoid it. 
 
 Study the following combinations. You will see that 
 certain words require special prepositions, sometimes 
 changing the preposition to express a change in use or 
 meaning : 
 
 accompanied with — when one thing merely goes with another, 
 as "fish accompanied with egg-sauce." 
 
 accompanied by — as a companion. *'He walks every day accom- 
 panied by his dog," 
 
 agree to — a proposal 
 
 agree upon — a plan 
 
 agree with — a person 
 
 according to 
 
 in accordance with 
 
 characteristic of 
 
 comply with 
 
 correspond to — when things are compared 
 
 correspond with — when persons exchange letters 
 
 compare to — when one merely likens objects 
 
 compare with — when one measures one thing by another, or 
 points out differences or resemblances in detail 
 
 conform to 
 
 convenient to — a person or a place 
 
 convenient for — a purpose 
 
 different from — not than or to 
 
 differ from — when one thing is unlike another 
 
 differ with — when one person fails to agree with another. 
 
 disappointed in — what we have 
 
 disappointed of — what we do* not get; never with in any case. 
 
 else — than— ^not else hut 
 
 other than 
 
 no other than 
 
 another than 
 
 employed at — a given salary 
 
 employed in, on, or upon — a job or a business 
 
 employed for — a purpose 
 
DICTION 49 
 
 enter upon — duties 
 
 enter in — a record or report 
 
 enter at — a door, a station, etc. 
 
 influence upon or over — not on 
 
 inferior to 
 
 superior to 
 
 in search of — not for 
 
 insight into 
 
 identical with 
 
 exception from — as "This case is an exception from the rule." 
 
 exception to — as "I want to take exception to the statement of the 
 last speaker." 
 
 liable to — when you mean an unfortunate tendency; as, "My 
 father is liable to rheumatism." 
 
 Note. — Good usage does not countenance the use of the infinitive 
 after liable. Say: "He is likely to die"; "He is apt to take cold." 
 
 liable for — when you mean responsible; as, "Each partner is 
 liable for the debts of the firm." 
 
 part from — a friend 
 
 part with — money or other possessions 
 
 profit by 
 
 reconcile with — a person 
 
 reconcile to — a condition or situation 
 
 Exercise 5 
 
 Write sentences using properly all the phrases in the 
 foregoing list. 
 
 10. Correlative conjunctions. — These are used in pairs. 
 They are — 
 
 as — as 
 
 so — as 
 
 so — that 
 
 such — as 
 
 not only — but also 
 
 both — and 
 
 either — or 
 
 neither — nor 
 
 whether — or • 
 
50 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 1. San Francisco is as pleasant as Los Angeles. 
 
 2. San Francisco is not so hot as Los Angeles. 
 
 3. We shall not be so comfortable in Los Angeles as in San Fran- 
 cisco. 
 
 Note. — ^Notice that you use so — as in negative statements. 
 
 4. We are so comfortable in San Francisco that we shall stay 
 all summer. 
 
 5. We came early so that we might see the crowd gather (never 
 so as we might ) . 
 
 6. We shall take only such clothing as we shall need. 
 
 Note. — The proper placing of the other correlatives will be dis- 
 cussed under clearness. 
 
 11. Double negatives. — Two words like no and not, used 
 in the same connection, destroy each other and constitute 
 a serious error. 
 
 He wonH have none of that foolishness in this office. 
 
 Hardly, scarcely, only, and hut must be reckoned as 
 negatives. You can not say — 
 
 1. I can't hardly distinguish a word you say. 
 
 2. I can't scarcely wait for my appointment. 
 
 3. I can't spend only a minute. 
 
 4. I haven't but one punch on my ticket. 
 
 A series of words introduced by no should be joined 
 by nor; nor is also used to continue the force of not in a 
 previous phrase or clause. Say — 
 
 1. Any man, woman, or child could write such verses. 
 
 2. No man, woman, nor child would be willing to write such 
 stuflf. 
 
 12. No amount of classification can take care of all 
 cases that involve the correct choice of words. The fol- 
 lowing are cautions and discriminations to guard you 
 against common mistakes of a miscellaneous sort. 
 
 Above should not be used either as a noun or as an adjec- 
 tive. It is correctly used as an adverb. You should not 
 say — 
 
DICTION 51 
 
 1. I have examined the above statement and find it correct. 
 
 2. I have examined the above and find it correct. 
 
 3. I did not witness the above occurrence. 
 
 You may say — 
 
 1. I have examined the foregoing statement and find it correct. 
 
 2. I did not witness the above-mentioned occurrence. 
 
 Same should never be used instead of a pronoun. Don't 
 use it or defend it, no matter how many times you may see 
 it used. 
 
 1. I have received your letter and noted contents of same. 
 
 2. Send fifteen copies of "Business English," as I wish to use 
 same for my class. 
 
 3. If not pleased with our vacuum cleaner, return same at our 
 expense. 
 
 Transpire for happen — Transpire means to come to 
 light, to become known ; as — 
 
 1. This event happened twenty years ago; it transpired only 
 yesterday. 
 
 2. Luckily this plot transpired in time for us to place guards 
 on the property and prevent mischief. 
 
 Raise for rear — 
 
 1. I was reared in Indianapolis. 
 
 2. My mother reared four sons to manhood. 
 
 3. My friend in Indianapolis raised ten cocker spaniels. 
 
 4. We raise in our own garden all the lettuce we need. 
 
 Avoid raise for increase, as in — 
 
 1. I got a raise in my salary. 
 
 2. The agent has raised our rent. 
 
 Last for latest — Don't ask, ''Have you heard my last 
 story?" lest your friend reply, *'I hope so." You may 
 speak of Tennyson 's last poem. As long as Kipling is living 
 and writing you must say his latest poem. 
 
 Stop for stay — 
 
 1. Did you go to Washington? Yes, but I only stopped there. 
 I could not stay. 
 
52 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 2. Did you stop at the Biltmore? Yes, as I passed by I stopped 
 to see it. I could not afford to stay there. 
 
 Couple for two — ^You can properly speak of a couple only 
 when the two objects or persons are linked; as, 
 
 Mr. Bruce and his wife are a charming couple; they have two 
 beautiful children. 
 
 Loan for lend — Loan is not a verb, but a noun. 
 
 1. He agrees to lend me a thousand dollars. 
 
 2. He agreed to a loan of a thousand dollars. 
 
 3. Lend me your umbrella. 
 
 4. He asks the loan of my umbrella. 
 
 Do not confuse lend and horrow. 
 Am or is afraid for fear; as, 
 
 1. I am afraid I can't keep my engagement (I fear). 
 
 2. He is afraid he can't pass the bar examination ( he fears ) . 
 
 3. I am afraid I can't pay my premium next month ( I fear ) . 
 
 Can for may or may for can — 
 
 Can implies ability; may implies permission. 
 
 1. You may swim if you can. 
 
 2. May I have this afternoon free? 
 
 3. Can you find the error in this problem? 
 
 Quite as an adjective — It is always an adverb. Do not 
 say quite a ivhile, but quite a long while; quite a few is 
 always wrong, and when you mean a good many it is doubly 
 absurd. 
 
 Except, without, imless — 
 
 Except and without are prepositions and introduce 
 phrases. Unless is a conjunction and introduces a clause. 
 
 1. No one except me knew the combination of the safe. 
 
 2. No one except Mr. Bruce knows how to turn a complaint 
 into a sale. 
 
DICTION 53 
 
 3. You can not hope to succeed without determination and 
 patience. 
 
 4. Wealth without health is a mere mockery. 
 
 5. You can not hope to succeed unless you develop persistence 
 and patience. 
 
 6. You will not receive an increase in salary unless you show 
 an increase in efficiency. 
 
 Like, as — Like is followed by a noun or pronoun in the 
 objective case. As is a conjunction and introduces a clause. 
 Like can not be substituted for as or as if. 
 
 1. Olson looks like his father. Yes, and he works just as his 
 father did. 
 
 2. I should like to have a voice like yours. 
 
 3. You might develop one like it, if you would practice as I do. 
 
 4. Mr. Bruce is walking slowiy as if he were ill. 
 
 Exercise 6 
 
 With the help of your dictionary, distinguish between 
 the words of each pair in the following list. Do not try 
 to state the difference, but use the word correctly in com- 
 plete sentences. Combine any of the words in sentences 
 as you like, but give each its true value : 
 
 accept — except inventory — invoice 
 
 advice — advise leave — let 
 
 affect — effect less — few 
 
 assure — promise lose — loose 
 
 center — middle more — larger 
 
 expect — hope number — quantity 
 
 fix — mend sick — ill 
 
 healthy — healthful teach — learn 
 
 We must not suppose that we have covered or exhausted 
 the whole wide and fascinating field of correct diction. 
 Let us hope we have done enough to accomplish three de- 
 sirable results : 
 
54 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 1. To furnish you with the correct expression in most 
 cases likely to occur in your practical experience. 
 
 2. To make you aware of some of the problems and pos- 
 sibilities in the choice of words. 
 
 3. To awaken your interest in the improvement of your 
 diction and to strengthen your taste for correct and refined 
 expression. 
 
General Exercises in Business Composition 
 
 The paragraph should treat but one item, or one side, 
 or step of your thought. It should make clear what this 
 item or thought is. In fact, a good paragraph usually has 
 what we call a topic sentence, which states clearly what the 
 whole paragraph is about. The rest of the paragraph is 
 an explanation or a defense of the idea expressed in this 
 topic sentence. In business writing it is a fairly good rule 
 to place your topic sentence first. Desirable variations from 
 this rule will be discussed later. 
 
 Study the following paragraphs, noticing the topic sen- 
 tence in each : 
 
 1. A good headline of an advertisement should be short. It 
 has been determined by experiments that the average person can 
 perceive only four visual objects at the same time — four letters, four 
 words, four persons in a group, four geometrical figures. As the 
 headline is intended to be taken in at one glance, it should not be 
 longer than four words — preferably shorter, provided the interest 
 of the phrase is the same. If the words themselves are also short, 
 the line is all the more certainly grasped at first sight. 
 
 2. In the teaching of ideals, we should remember that we are 
 training our children for citizenship in a democratic community. 
 We must not give them the ideala of those who were trained to form a 
 subject class, who needed to learn only obedience to authority. The 
 children of our high schools — all our children — ^are to be among the 
 rulers of a community which is constantly obliged to change and 
 to make its own laws, and take its own responsibilities. 
 
 3. Democracy has always held up an ideal of equality. This 
 equality in 1776 meant that no one is so superior by birth and 
 privilege that he has a divine right to rule another; it was in a 
 certain sense negative. Today the point which needs emphasis is 
 not that no one is superior to another; it is rather the positive 
 idea, that we must, if possible, make every citizen equal to the best. 
 
 1. Write a letter to your alderman, your mayor, your 
 
 55 
 
56 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 county commissioner — to whomever you should appeal to 
 in your community, urging three of the following im- 
 provements in your neighborhood: 
 
 paving, lighting, park-way, clearing of side-walks, mending a 
 road, building a bridge, putting up sign-posts and speed- 
 warnings. 
 
 Let your letter consist of five paragraphs: an opening 
 paragraph; one for each of the three items you treat, of 
 not less than sixty words; and a brief closing paragraph. 
 Consult the section on letters (Chapter XII, A) and put 
 your heading, address, salutation, complimentary close, and 
 signature into proper form. 
 
 2. Prepare a speech to fill five minutes to be delivered 
 before the council or committee, asking for these same 
 improvements. 
 
 In both the speech and the letter let your paragraphs 
 be of the kind that announce the topic in the opening sen- 
 tence. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 CORRECT ARRANGEMENT 
 
 The normal arrangement of words in the normal declara- 
 tive sentence is — first, the subject, a noun; second, the 
 predicate, a verb; third, the object, a noun. To the two 
 nouns are attached their modifiers, which are adjectives or 
 the equivalent of adjectives. To the verb are attached its 
 modifiers, w^hich are adverbs or the equivalent of adverbs. 
 
 Many sentences contain no object; many contain no 
 modifiers; but every declarative sentence makes a com- 
 plete statement, and every declarative sentence must have 
 a subject and a predicate. 
 
 1. Flies carry germs. 
 
 2. Ordinary house-^ies carry the germs of disease. 
 
 3. Ordinary house-flies, which breed by the thousands in some 
 neglected and unnoticed bit of filth, carry on their feet and in the 
 minute hairs with which their bodies are provided, untold numbers 
 of germs of typhoid and perhaps of other dangerous diseases. 
 
 Each of these three sentences, though they vary so 
 greatly in length, displays the normal arrangement of (1) 
 subject and modifiers, (2) verb and modifiers, (3) object 
 and modifiers. 
 
 This arrangement may be varied for special purposes — 
 some specific effect of clearness or emphasis; these varia- 
 tions will be discussed in their proper places. But what- 
 ever the arrangement of the parts of the sentence, the 
 central rule of correct arrangement is that the modifiers 
 be placed as close as possible to the words they modify. A 
 misplaced modifier may render the meaning doubtful, 
 
 57 
 
58 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 though in most cases it does not — ^you can make out easily 
 enough the meaning intended. But the awkward and some- 
 times ludicrous effect is unfortunate. Take the old-timer 
 that has been given in the text-books for generations, *'I 
 counted twenty-seven meteors sitting on my back porch' '; 
 the meaning is, of course, unmistakable, but the combination 
 is absurd and tempts the light-minded to a giggle. And the 
 fault is so easy to remedy — ''I, sitting on my back porch," 
 etc., or ''Sitting on my back porch, I,'' etc. In a word — 
 place the modifier as close as possible to the word it mod- 
 ifies, or, what amounts to the same thing, place the words 
 so that their connection may be unmistakable. 
 
 1. Words that axe likely to be incorrectly placed. — 
 Perhaps the first word in frequency of misplace- 
 ment is only — 
 
 1. Only I saw him today — he would receive no one else. 
 
 2. I only saw him today — I had no chance to speak to him. 
 
 3. I saw only him today — his brother could not come. 
 
 4. I saw him only today — ^he was engaged yesterday. 
 
 Other modifying words capable of almost as many ad- 
 justments and variations of meaning are not, merely^ cer- 
 tainly, also, even, almost, ever, never, enough, nearly. 
 
 Exercise 1 
 
 There are one or more errors or uncertainties in each 
 of the following sentences. Correct them. If any of the 
 sentences are capable of two correct arrangements, give 
 both. The words to be changed are italicized : 
 
 1. T did not go to criticize the lecture but to enjoy it. (As a mat- 
 ter of fact you did go.) 
 
 2. Send also your booklet on Business English to my brother who 
 will study with me. 
 
 3. I only missed the train for Omaha by three minutes. 
 
 4. He was so embittered he even hated his brother. 
 6. He not only disliked, he hated even his brother. 
 
ARRANGEMENT 59 
 
 6. He hated everybody — he even hated his own brother. 
 
 7. I don't ever remember to have learned the rule for the placing 
 of "ever." 
 
 8. Our business has almost grown beyond our present quarters. 
 
 9. I never expected to receive so many orders in one week. 
 
 10. All the members are not invited. 
 
 11. The two ladies were nearly dressed alike. 
 
 12. Few men can write persuasive enough copy to sell their 
 goods. 
 
 13. I only decided to take return passage on the "Arabic" at the 
 last moment. 
 
 14. I can not find one of those sheets of carbon paper; they have 
 probably all been used. 
 
 15. He is not even able to take the first step in the process. We 
 never expect him to learn. 
 
 (Decide when you should use never and when not . . . ever.) 
 
 16. Will you wait and take my mail? I only have two more 
 envelopes to direct. 
 
 17. Mr. Bruce will see you, but he only has twenty minutes to give 
 you. 
 
 18. I don't think it will be necessary to have the check certified. 
 
 19. You only vote in proportion to the number of shares you 
 own. 
 
 20. The two whistles almost sounded at the same moment. 
 
 21. He merely needs to know the title of a book to tell you the 
 author. 
 
 22. We shall only take such clothing as we shall need. 
 
 2. The place of correlatives. — When you use the cor- 
 relatives either . . . or, neither . . . inor, not only . . . hui also, 
 both . . . and, whether . . . or, you must take care that the two 
 parts or elements that they connect are of equal importance 
 and of the same kind. 
 
 1. Both my father and I intend to go to San Francisco. 
 
 2. Either my father or I will go to Panama; neither my father 
 nor / will go to Brazil. 
 
 3. We shall sail either from Galveston or from New Orleans. 
 
 4. We shall sail neither from Savannah nor from Galveston, but 
 from New York. 
 
60 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 5. We shall either sail from New York or go hy rail from Chi- 
 cago. 
 
 6. Whether we go or remain at home depends on the state of our 
 business. 
 
 Note. — Whether can not be used without or, nor without stating 
 or implying the alternative. You can not correctly say, "I do not 
 know whether I shall go." You must say, "I don't know whether X 
 shall go or stay," or, "I do not know whether I shall go or not." 
 
 7. Whether I go to Panama or not matters little, since not only 
 my father but his partner also will go. 
 
 Exercise 2 
 
 When you have studied the foregoing examples, correct 
 the following: 
 
 1. My partner neither has time nor money to go to Panama. 
 
 2. Either my partner will go to San Francisco or Los Angeles. 
 
 3. I shall either build a monoplane or a biplane this vacation. 
 
 4. Whether we see the Canal next year depends on our business. 
 
 5. I fear we shall neither go next year nor the year after. 
 
 6. We shall go both for reasons of pleasure and profit. 
 
 7. The delegation from the Board of Trade not only will go to San 
 Francisco but also to Seattle. 
 
 8. We hope both to see Vancouver and Victoria. 
 
 9. We hope that both the state of my father's health and his 
 partner's will be improved by the trip. 
 
 3. Participles out of place. — A very useful but rather 
 elusive word is your participle. It seems as if it had a will 
 of its own, peculiarly inclined to go astray in the sentence 
 and likely to do much damage in its wandering. The mis- 
 placed participle is so well known to all students of style 
 that it has received a sort of jocular nick-name ; it is called 
 the * ' dangling participle ' ' and the phrase that it leads with 
 it, ''the dangling phrase/' The fault can sometimes be 
 cured by rearrangement, but very often the sentence must 
 be partially or entirely rewritten. 
 
 The first thing to do is to attach the stray participle to a 
 
ARRANGEMENT Ql 
 
 noun or pronoun. Make it a rule that the participle or 
 participial phrase that introduces a sentence must belong 
 to the subject of the sentence. 
 
 Wrong: Standing on the shore, two boats were seen approaching. 
 
 Right: Standing on the shore, / saw two boats approaching. 
 
 Wrong: Comirg down on the Elevated, a serious accident was 
 witnessed by Olson. 
 
 Right: Coming down on the Elevated, Olson witnessed a serious 
 accident. 
 
 Wrong: Coming up the path, an idea occurred to me. 
 
 Right: Coming up the path, / conceived an idea. 
 
 Wrong: After gulping down my coffee, the train started. 
 
 Right : After / had gulped down my coffee, the train started, 
 or 
 
 After gulping down my coffee, I rushed for the train. 
 
 Wrong: Opening the door, an appalling object met his eyes. 
 
 Wrong: Opening the door, his eyes fell upon an appalling object. 
 
 Right: Opening the door, he saw before him an appalling object. 
 
 W>ong: Exhausted by his hard day's work, his sleep was pro- 
 found. 
 
 Right: Exhausted by his hard day's work, he slept profoundly. 
 
 Wrong: Almost prostrated by the heat, the taking of our inven- 
 tory was postponed. 
 
 Right : Almost prostrated by the heat, we postponed the taking 
 of our inventory. 
 
 Wrong: Thoroughly discouraged, another change of employment 
 confronted him. 
 
 Right: Thoroughly discouraged, he was confronted by another 
 change of employment. 
 
 Exercise 3 
 Revise the following, rewriting when necessary. 
 
 1. Graduating from the stock-room, the firm promoted Lewis to 
 fancy groceries. 
 
 2. Looking down from the third-story window, he was plainly 
 seen entering a saloon. 
 
 3. Going on from one department to another, the whole business 
 became familiar to Lewis. 
 
g2 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 4. Coming into the office early, a huge batch of mail was seen 
 on the manager's desk. 
 
 5. Before becoming a sales-manager, all branches of the business 
 must be well known. 
 
 6. Upon lifting the receiver, a ticking sound is heard. 
 
 7. Absorbed all day in professional details that consume all his 
 energy, his evenings are spent in the most trifling recreations. 
 
 8. Sitting in my office, twenty-five people called me to the tele- 
 phone in two hours. 
 
 4. The infinitive phrase. — It is usually considered wrong 
 to allow any modifier to come between the to and the verb 
 to which it belongs in infinitive phrases, such as to write, to 
 see, to hope, to know. This error, too, has its own name 
 and is called "the split infinitive.'' 
 
 Do not say — 
 
 We regret that it was impossible to immediately answer your 
 letter. 
 
 But say — 
 to answer immediately, or immediately to answer. 
 
 Do not say — 
 
 We have instructed our secretary to in every possible way accom- 
 modate your friend. 
 
 But say — 
 
 to accommodate in every possible vxiy, or in every possible way 
 to accommodate. 
 
 Exercise 4 
 Correct the following : 
 
 1. Allow the tablet to slowly dissolve upon the tongue. 
 
 2. I hope to promptly complete the course and to successfully 
 pass the examination. 
 
 3. The trade-name is the means by which I am able to unmis- 
 takably fix the good will I have for this article of merchandise. 
 
 4. The trade-name gives an opportunity to always connect good 
 will with goods after they have left the hands of the producer. 
 
ARRANGEMENT 53 
 
 5. The purchaser must be given a chance to freely choose. 
 
 6. Producers would have no incentive to always make a good 
 article if buyers could not ascertain its source. 
 
 7. You should learn to rapidly and thoroughly repair your own 
 machine. 
 
 5. Clause and phrase modifiers out of place. — Clause 
 and phrase modifiers out of place are often fatal to the 
 dignity, and sometimes to the meaning of the sentence. The 
 same rule applies as in the cases we have discussed — place 
 them so that their connection with the words they modify 
 is unmistakable. Sometimes it is easy to transpose them to 
 the proper position; sometimes the sentence is incurable 
 and the thought has to be completely reworded. The fol- 
 lowing sentences are given partly for the ''gaiety of na- 
 tions," partly for practice in the proper placing of mod- 
 ifiers : 
 
 1. We sell tailored yoimg men's clothing that are individual 
 creations. 
 
 2. He intimated that there was something wrong with Mr. Mor- 
 ton over the 'phone. 
 
 3. Many alert ad men have distributed thousands of sticks in the 
 past of chewing gum. 
 
 4. Children occupying seats over five years, five cents. 
 
 5. God reigns, and the government still lives in Washington. 
 
 6. Our customer looked up from his bent position over the con- 
 tents of his plate which he was devouring in large mouthfuls. 
 
 7. He was asked if he wanted the appointment twice. 
 
 8. He carved the roast instead of his father. 
 
 9. They are offering prizes to those producing the best adver- 
 tising copy amounting to five hundred dollars. 
 
 10. The vegetables were shipped in a lovely basket which we ate. 
 
 11. I lived in dread of being permanently dismissed for three 
 months. 
 
64 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 6. The arrangement of material in sentences. — It is im- 
 possible to give formal rules about the making of sentences. 
 A sentence should express a complete thought; if the 
 thought is simple the sentence will naturally be short and 
 simple ; if the thought is complex, with shadings and excep- 
 tions, the sentence becomes more complex and involved 
 in order to express the thought; if you have two ideas 
 or two sides of an idea that are so closely united that you 
 can not separate them, you may put them into one sentence, 
 joining them with the proper conjunction. All three kinds 
 of sentences are good when they are good. 
 
 As you gain experience in writing and speaking you 
 will find that your thoughts tend to flow into good sentence 
 forms. There are a few items of advice and caution about 
 the organization of your material into sentences that will 
 help you in the beginning. 
 
 On the whole, it is better to arrange your material in 
 short, concise sentences. Don't be afraid of a long com- 
 plex sentence when your thought flows naturally into 
 that form — -but see that it be compact. 
 
 Avoid the long, loose, flowing sentence, such as this 
 I am now writing which adds on phrases and clauses until 
 one loses his way among them, and does not know what 
 to do with the orphan modifiers that he finds wailing be- 
 side the path with no motherly noun or fatherly verb upon 
 whose bosom they may rest, or beside whose hearthstone 
 they are entitled to sit. 
 
 Instead of a long sentence consisting of these me- 
 chanically joined elements, throw your thoughts into short, 
 complete sentences. Then show the essential union among 
 these by arranging them in a paragraph. The short sen- 
 tence is likely to be more successful in business writing 
 than the long sentence. Below are given a few passages 
 that you will be asked to reconstruct with a series of brief, 
 
ARRANGEMENT 65 
 
 more concise sentences. When you reconstruct them, 
 however, make sure that you make real sentences. Don't 
 cut them up into sections, some of which are only phrases 
 or clauses, or other detached parts of sentences. Make 
 any changes you see fit in reconstructing the passages. 
 
 Exercise 5 
 
 Recast the following passages, making as many sentences 
 as you think necessary. Omit or supply connectives at 
 your discretion. 
 
 1. Managing a business is like steering a ship inasmuch as no 
 matter how well-built a vessel may be, or what speed she may develop, 
 she will never reach port imless there is a man at the helm who can 
 steer, and so many a business with a big idea behind it, and full of 
 vital profit-making possibilities has gone on the rocks because the 
 man at the wheel was not a good manager, and this applies with 
 double force to the small business that is not yet under way, for 
 while in a big business faults in management may be overcome, a 
 young and struggling business must be managed right if it is to 
 grow. 
 
 2. The English Co-operative Wholesale Society operates the big- 
 gest flour mills and the biggest shoe factory in all Great Britain, it 
 manufactures woolen cloths, all kinds of men's, women's, and chil- 
 dren's clothing, a dozen kinds of prepared foods, and as many house- 
 hold articles, it operates creameries, it carries on every branch of the 
 printing business, it is now buying coal lands, it has a bacon fac- 
 tory in Denmark, a tallow and oil factory in Australia, it grows tea 
 in Ceylon, and through all the purchasing done by the society runs 
 the general principle of going direct to the source of production, 
 whether at home or abroad, so as to save commissions of middlemen 
 and agents. 
 
 3. The beginner in any kind of business should never be afraid 
 to ask a sensible question because many mistakes have been made in 
 business by girls, especially those who have not been at work long, 
 who though they did not understand what was wanted of them 
 disliked to ask so as to be told more fully, probably having the 
 feeling that one who can grasp a situation readily and not have 
 to ask questions will be considered particularly bright, and girls 
 
66 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 often think they will not appear to the best advantage if they do 
 not grasp at once what is wanted, while the fact is it is the one 
 who never makes mistakes who is valued more than the one who 
 apparently grasps the situation, but is not sure enough to do properly 
 what is expected of her. 
 
 7. The arrangement of sentences in the paragraph. — 
 
 There is no one good way of arranging your sentences into 
 paragraphs. The best paragraphs are those that, as it 
 were, flower out naturally into sentences. Don't get it 
 into your head that there is any one good kind of para- 
 graph — all kinds are good when they are good. There are 
 three ways of arranging a paragraph that a young writer 
 or scholar may bear in mind : 
 
 1. You place your topic sentence first. Then you am- 
 plify, expand, illustrate, itemize, define — clarify or enforce 
 it in any way you see fit. 
 
 2. You lead up to your topic sentence by your examples, 
 specifications, and other amplifications — then give the topic 
 sentence last. 
 
 3. You combine the two — place your topic sentence first ; 
 then amplify, then sum up, or reiterate your topic at the 
 end. 
 
 8. The arrangement of matter in paragraphs. — The mak- 
 ing of paragraphs will have to be discussed again under 
 clearness, and under effectiveness. For the present, study 
 the three paragraphs given below as illustrating the three 
 main kinds of arrangement. Find the topic sentence in 
 each. 
 
 1. The "private brand" man, manufacturing goods to sell within 
 the state of manufacture, is in the business not to make a reputation, 
 but to make money and to make it rapidly. Hence, his scheme is 
 to doctor and dose the foods in ways calculated to cheapen the cost 
 of production. He employs the cheapest help; he buys the raw 
 products at the lowest price; he even buys the cast-off products of 
 legitimate factories, and by the use of chemical preservatives and 
 
ARRANGEMENT 57 
 
 coloring makes them into foods sold to customers as pure, wholesome 
 comestibles. — National Food Magazine quoted in "Advertising as a 
 Business Force." (Adapted.) 
 
 2. Imagine that you are a druggist in a small town. Suppose 
 that a woman comes in to buy two ounces of camphor and in exchange 
 gives you three eggs. In a few moments, perhaps, a man enters to 
 buy a safety razor, and brings with him wheat enough to pay the 
 bill. Another, again, wishes to trade a turkey for a fountain pen. 
 You can readily see the inconvenience to which you would be put in 
 such exchanges of actual commodities; yet this was the method used 
 in primitive times, a method called barter. — ^Buhlig, "Business 
 English." 
 
 3. The difficulty in making the valuation of the country's rail- 
 roads has been in getting junior engineers who can pass the civil 
 service examinations. There have been about six hundred applicants, 
 but comparatively few have passed the test, because of lack of expe- 
 rience. A large number of candidates have come almost direct from 
 technical schools. The commission has experienced no trouble get- 
 ting senior engineers, as comparatively few are needed; rodmen, line- 
 men, and computers are plentiful. But the whole organization has 
 been retarded by the short supply of junior engineers to make up 
 the field parties. 
 
General Exercises in Business Composition 
 
 1. Write a letter to your family newspaper to call atten- 
 tion — 
 
 a) To the facilities afforded by your public reading-room 
 or school library — 
 i. Seats, lights, and other physical comforts, 
 ii. Attendance, convenience of access to the ma- 
 terial, 
 iii. Periodicals and books. 
 h) To the opportunities for intellectual improvement in 
 your town or neighborhood — 
 i. Schools. 
 
 ii. Lectures, plays, sermons, 
 iii. Clubs. 
 
 iv. Industries and occupations. 
 Choose one or the other of these topics, according to the 
 character of your neighborhood. You will notice that in 
 one topic three paragraphs are suggested, in the other four. 
 This covers only the body of the letter. You will need 
 in each case an introductory paragraph, and you may add 
 a closing paragraph if you think you need it. 
 
 Consult the section on letters (Chapter XII, A) and make 
 sure that you have the formal parts of your letter right. 
 
 2. Prepare a five-minute talk on the same topic to be 
 given at a banquet or a mass meeting where other speeches 
 are given on other aspects of your community life. 
 
 Note carefully any differences you make between the 
 written form and the form to be spoken. 
 
 68 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 VOCABULARY 
 
 Your total "vocabulary" consists of all the words you 
 know the meaning of — whether you use them yourself or 
 only understand them when you hear or read them. As a 
 practical fact most of us have three vocabularies that over- 
 lap only slightly: (1) the comparatively small and inti- 
 mate list of words we use for communing with those we 
 know best — our family and our chums; (2) the larger and 
 more specialized list we use in our business and affairs, and 
 in our larger circle of acquaintances; and (3) the large and 
 ever-growing list that we understand when we read, when 
 we listen to the drama, when we hear a public speaker. 
 
 If you have not studied the matter before, you will find 
 that you have a larger vocabulary than you think. You 
 could probably use 2500 or 3000 words. You could intelli- 
 gently read three or four times that number. But since a 
 complete English dictionary contains about 450,000 English 
 words, you will scarcely plume yourself on the size of your 
 vocabulary. 
 
 You need to increase the size of your active vocabulary, 
 not in order to use more words; you need to know more 
 words so as to choose the right ones — the most effective 
 for your purpose. Increasing your supply of words ac- 
 tually operates to reduce the number you use for a given 
 purpose, because it offers you the chance to choose the 
 most accurate and telling words. 
 
 Everybody, except the most expert literary man on the 
 
 69 
 
70 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 one hand, and the glibbest ignoramus on the other, knows 
 more than he can tell. How often you yourself have to 
 say, '^I know what I mean, but when I try to tell it, it 
 doesn't sound right ! ' ' How often you have to say, * ' I see I 
 have not made you see what I mean. ' ' And this, more often 
 than not, is because you can not find the right word — 
 the one you have, expressing your thought only roughly 
 and crudely. 
 
 Besides, there is this interesting fact about words — 
 they not only express thought and feeling; they also 
 awaken them. When you learn a new word and its mean- 
 ing, new vistas are opened in your mind; you find you 
 have acquired not merely a new word, but a guide into new 
 ways of thinking and into new fields of thought. You can 
 see, then, how important and far-reaching an influence in 
 your education is the acquisition of new words. 
 
 There are two directions in which your vocabulary needs 
 improving : 
 
 First, in range ; this means the constant addition of new 
 words. 
 
 Second, in accuracy ; this means the study of the words — 
 their history, their meaning, their use in sentences, and the 
 development of an ever finer sense of discrimination among 
 words. 
 
 But it is not sufficient to advise a student, in the blithe 
 manner of most of the books, to read a great many good 
 writers and to study his dictionary; to be really helpful 
 we must be much more specific and much more practical. 
 
 This chapter will suggest some dozen processes by which 
 you can improve your vocabulary. You can not use these 
 once and have done with them. As you go through this 
 book for the first time, you may not find it possible to 
 follow out all the suggestions in all their details. But so 
 long as you are a student, and interested in improving 
 
VOCABULARY 71 
 
 your expression, you should keep these suggestions in mind 
 and continue to use them. 
 
 1. Discard slang and cant terms. — Drop all those 
 slang and semi-slang words and phrases that serve as 
 mere blanket terms, and have no color and no central mean- 
 ing of their own — proposition, job, goods, efficiency , red 
 Mood, good, swell, nice, clever, dandy, etc., and force your- 
 self to substitute for them words which have, each in its 
 own place, true color and real meaning. Substitutes for 
 these and others like them have been suggested. (See 
 Chapter IV.) 
 
 2. Reject meaningless summing-up phrases. — Do not use 
 the phrases and so forth, so forth and so on, that sort of 
 thing, such things as that, and all such, and others of the 
 same kind unless you really have an indefinite number 
 of ideas or objects in the same class or series. Unless 
 there is such an indefinite number, you throw in these 
 phrases to make the impression that you have at your com- 
 mand instances too numerous to mention — in which case it 
 is mere bluff, — or you use them because you are too indolent 
 to put into words the other instances you have in mind. 
 When the latter is the case, force yourself to find words 
 for the other objects and instances. You are justified in 
 using the phrases under discussion only when the series is 
 indefinitely long, or really consists of instances too numerous 
 to mention. Notice these : 
 
 1. Football should not be played without careful preparation 
 and all that sort of thing. 
 
 2. Football should not be played without physical examination 
 followed by careful and gradual preparation. 
 
 1. Bruises, sprains, and so forth and so on are not uncommon. 
 
 2. Bruises, sprains, dislocations, and fractures are not uncom- 
 mon. 
 
 1. The knocking out of a football player is due to shock or some 
 such thing. 
 
72 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 2. The knocking out of a football player is due to shock or to 
 exhaustion. 
 
 1. The emergency supplies needed are a few narrow gauze 
 bandages, two Red Cross first-aid packets, and such things as that. 
 
 2. The emergency supplies needed are a few narrow gauze band- 
 ages, two Red Cross first-aid packets, a roll of rubber plaster, a two- 
 ounce bottle of aromatic spirits of ammonia, a sharp knife, a pair 
 of scissors, and a few safety and common pins. 
 
 Exercise 1 
 Continue the following lists, either until the series is 
 complete, or until you have given a sense of the variety or 
 the large number of objects involved : 
 
 1. To write practical English correctly calls for a knowledge of 
 grammatical usage, spelling, and so forth. 
 
 2. Shippers who have adopted cellular boards for packing are 
 making great saving in storage space, packing costs, and all that 
 sort of thing. 
 
 3. To furnish your office conveniently and attractively, you will 
 need a desk, chairs, and such things as that. 
 
 4. It is possible to demonstrate the increased efficiency in the 
 home where the time and labor of servants are replaced by machinery 
 — vacuum cleaners, electric stoves, and all that sort of thing, 
 
 5. The city will gradually acquire control of public utilities, gas, 
 water, and so forth. 
 
 3. Use specific words rather than general terms. — The 
 
 use of specific words is, like the use of a good paragraph 
 structure, so central a point of good writing that we have 
 to consider it in several connections. Specific words are 
 necessary for clearness; they are indispensable for 
 emphasis; they make for simplicity; they conduce to per- 
 suasiveness. You should, therefore, cultivate the habit of 
 substituting them whenever possible for general terms, and 
 you should learn how to analyze a vague general term into 
 its component specific ones. 
 
 Suppose you say you have bought the hardware for your 
 new home. Set yourself to analyze the term hardware into 
 
VOCABULARY 73 
 
 its specific varieties; you will probably acquire several 
 new words in the process. You say, "We raise all manner 
 of vegetables in our garden." Split up the general term 
 vegetables into as many specific varieties as you would find 
 in the ordinary garden. Note these examples : 
 
 1. In a little glen on our farm all kinds of luild flowers bloomed 
 in the Spring. 
 
 2. In a little glen on our farm one could find blooming in 
 April — hepaticas, trilliums, violets, and marsh-marigolds. 
 
 1. I should like to go to some quiet place, build m.e a small house, 
 have some flowers in my garden for the bees, and live alone. 
 
 2. "I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree 
 
 And a small cabin build there of clay and wattles made: 
 Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee, 
 And dwell alone in the bee-loud glade." 
 
 Exercise 2 
 
 Write sentences analyzing into specific terms the general 
 terms italicized in the following sentences: 
 
 1. Each student is provided with the set of hooks he needs for 
 double-entry bookkeeping. 
 
 2. Colorado's output of minerals is valuable. 
 
 3. The office force consists of seven men. 
 
 4. While he was in College he studied a great deal of mathematics. 
 
 5. One who lives in his own house in a large city finds his taxes 
 very burdensome. 
 
 6. In the great technical school of Cornell they train engineers. 
 
 7. Professor Morton is making an exhaustive study of fuel. 
 
 4. Use your dictionary with intelligence and persist- 
 ence. — There are at' least eleven items you may attend to 
 when you study a word in your dictionary. Not all these 
 are always to be attended to. Sometimes you look up the 
 word for the spelling alone; sometimes for the quickest 
 and most obvious definition alone. But it is profitable to 
 make frequent deliberate study of words, following in de- 
 tail the plan given on the next page. 
 
74 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 1. When you turn to the word you are interested in, 
 notice the spelling. If it is a word you did not know 
 before, write it out. 
 
 2. Notice the pronunciation; if it is a new word or 
 one that you have mispronounced, repeat it aloud several 
 times. 
 
 3. Write out any inflections given — ^plurals, past tenses, 
 participles, etc. 
 
 4. Notice its derivation even if you know no language 
 other than English. It will give you some idea of the 
 richness of your language to see the variety of sources 
 from which it has drawn its words. 
 
 5. Notice how many meanings it has — 1, 2, 3, etc. Study 
 these. 
 
 6. If the definition contains words you do not know, 
 look these up at once. 
 
 7. If you are directed to see another word, do not 
 neglect to do it. 
 
 8. If there are synonyms given, look up all those whose 
 meaning you do not know. 
 
 9. Read all the derivatives, noting the pronunciation 
 and spelling. 
 
 10. If you are using an unabridged dictionary, read the 
 quotations given to show the uses of the word, noticing the 
 date of the earliest instance. 
 
 11. Use the word you originally looked for and any 
 others you have learned in the process, if they seem to be 
 useful and congenial words. It is well to keep a list of 
 promising words where you set down, as you study, all 
 the words you learn that have to do with such affairs as 
 you are concerned in, and such subjects as you are inter- 
 ested in. Of course, you will come upon many words in 
 your dictionary studies for which you will not have use — 
 rare and learned words, mere book words, purely literary 
 
VOCABULARY 75 
 
 words. These you need not add to your list, unless they 
 especially interest you. 
 
 Exercise 3 
 
 Study with your dictionary the following words, apply- 
 ing, where possible, the eleven steps of the process given 
 above : 
 
 balance 
 
 finance 
 
 pay 
 
 toll 
 
 business 
 
 guaranty 
 
 profit 
 
 trust 
 
 collateral 
 
 interest 
 
 salary 
 
 
 commodity 
 
 option 
 
 tariff 
 
 
 Write sentences illustrating— 
 
 Three of the meanings of balance. 
 Two of the meanings of collateral. 
 Two of the synonyms of finance. 
 The financial meaning of interest. 
 The primary meaning of tariff". 
 
 5. Read books that will give you new words and varied 
 uses of words. — The stories in the cheap weeklies and 
 magazines, and the reporters' news in the morning papers 
 are not likely to contain any words that do not already 
 belong to you. Read standard authors ; read serious maga- 
 zines and the important weeklies ; read the trade catalogues 
 and the trade journals of the branches of business you are 
 interested in. As you read, jot down the words that interest 
 or puzzle you. Study them with your dictionary, and adopt 
 them into your list, if they are promising. 
 
 Stevenson 's essay on ' ' Child 's Play ' ' supplies the follow- 
 ing words that would interest a young reader: ribaldry, 
 clamant, figment, enviable, poignant, visitant, sociologize, 
 imitable, nonchalantly, demean, bagman, mimetic, divaga- 
 tion, neophyte, bemused, besides dozens of charming and 
 effective combinations of familiar words. To be sure, most 
 of these words belong in literary writing and not many of 
 
76 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 them — perhaps only enviable, imitahle, demean (be sure to 
 get the correct meaning of this last word) — would seem 
 likely to be useful to a practical writer. But turn at random 
 to a page of a mail-order catalogue. The two pages I 
 happen on offer me: Stradivarius, Cremona, hass-har, 
 flamy maple, purfling, hames, hillet, terret, winker-stay, 
 tugs, latigoe, dee, martingales, cock-eyes, housings, nubia. 
 
 6. Lose no chance to hear a good speaker. — Try to hear 
 the same speaker many times. We do not get the same 
 amount of knowledge about a word when we hear it spoken 
 as when we study it thoroughly in our dictionary, but we 
 get its setting in the sentence, and its pronunciation, to- 
 gether with a sense of the flow of words, which is very 
 important to every student of language, spoken or written. 
 You soon learn that there are real and important differ- 
 ences among the three vocabularies — the writing vocabulary, 
 the public- speaking vocabulary, and the conversing vocabu- 
 lary. 
 
 7. Adapt the same material to different purposes or 
 different persons. — Perhaps no single exercise will tell you 
 so much about your own active vocabulary, or so surely 
 force you to enlarge and otherwise improve it as the one 
 here indicated. You will notice that putting the same 
 material first into a letter or an article and then into a 
 speech or an argument are especially helpful. 
 
 Exercise 4 
 
 You have been in the country and you missed the train 
 that you should have taken home. Write an explanation — 
 
 1. To your partner or employer. 
 
 2. To your mother. 
 
 3. To a customer or a client who was expecting to meet you. 
 
 4. To your chum. 
 
 8. The study of synonyms. — These are groups of words 
 
VOCABULARY 77 
 
 kindred in meaning, or so long associated in the same sub- 
 ject, that they have come to denote only more or less delicate 
 shades of meaning. No two words are ever entirely identi- 
 cal in meaning; a delicate sense of values can always dis- 
 tinguish some difference — it may be very slight. But in 
 the give-and-take of affairs many of them are treated as 
 completely interchangeable. It is a very good thing to be 
 able to vary the form of expression; one grows deaf to 
 mere reiteration; it is a still better thing to be able to ex- 
 press nice shades of distinction among things. 
 
 It is impossible to go far into this big and fascinating 
 field here; we can only do enough to show how interest- 
 ing and valuable are the things to be found in it. In your 
 dictionary you will find lists of synonyms appended to many 
 words; you should always read over this list and investi- 
 gate any that sound promising or whose meaning you do 
 not know. For example — 
 Bargain — Syn. stipulation, engagement, covenant. 
 You can see at a glance that you are not likely to need 
 covenant, except in some figurative or literary or legal sense. 
 Engagement you already know. Siipulation you should 
 look up. This will lead you to look up contract, where you 
 will find useful discriminations made in a large group of 
 
 words. 
 Barter — Syn. see Sell. 
 
 Under sell you will find useful distinctions made among 
 sell, barter, vend, trade. You will also learn purchase and 
 exchange. The derivation of barter throws an amusing 
 light on earlier business conditions. 
 
 You will find below many groups of words of kindred 
 meaning, which have been chosen with an eye to the needs 
 of a student of practical affairs. Go through them all once 
 as a means of impressing on your mind the wonderful rich- 
 ness and variety of our speech. If you find among them 
 
78 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 words you do not know, make a special study of these 
 words. Make it a practice to consult the list when you are 
 writing — especially if you find you have a tendency to 
 overwork some particular word. When you see that you 
 are using cojorless and common-place words, turn to the 
 group of synonyms in which your word occurs and try 
 to find a substitute — if possible a more precise or a more 
 suggestive word. 
 
 admission, admittance 
 
 affirm, aver, protest 
 
 answer, rejoinder, reply, response 
 
 assent, consent, agree, acquiesce, concur, accede 
 
 bar, barrier, hindrance, obstacle 
 
 capacity, volume, content 
 
 careful, cautious, wary, prudent, discreet 
 
 cause, reason, motive, incentive, stimulus 
 
 cheat, defraud, swindle, dupe 
 
 cite, quote, repeat, extract 
 
 client, patient, customer, patron 
 
 competent, adequate, fit, capable, suitable, efficient 
 
 confidence, trust, reliance, assurance, dependence 
 
 continual, continuous, constant, incessant 
 
 credible, probable, plausible, likely, possible 
 
 damage, injury, injustice, wrong, harm, mischief 
 
 decline, refuse, reject 
 
 deference, regard, esteem, respect, reverence 
 
 defer, delay, postpone 
 
 deny, dispute, contradict, protest, refuse, reject 
 
 distribute, divide, allot, assign, dispose 
 
 district, circuit, province, region, territory, field, parish, section, 
 
 circle, zone 
 effort, endeavor, exertion, application, pains, trouble 
 eliminate, exclude, remove 
 eminent, prominent, well-known, distinguished, celebrated, illustrious, 
 
 famous, noted, notorious 
 enterprising, adventurous, venturesome, reckless, fool-hardy 
 error, mistake, blunder, fault 
 
 event, incident, occurrence, circumstance, happening, accident 
 example, sample, specimen, instance 
 
VOCABULAKY 
 
 79 
 
 execute, administer, enforce 
 
 finish, close, terminate, conclude, end 
 
 Irugal, sparing, economical, stingy, miserly, avaricious 
 
 gain, profit, increase, increment 
 
 gain, earn, deserve, obtain, secure, procure 
 
 gainful, lucrative, profitable 
 
 goods, wares, commodities, chattels, stock, supplies, merchandise, 
 property, realty, real estate, resources, means, capital, wealth, 
 riches 
 
 guess, surmise, suspect, fancy, suppose 
 
 high, lofty, tall, elevated 
 
 hint, mention, imply, suggest 
 
 implement, tool, utensil, instrument 
 
 impulse, incentive, influence, motive, tendency, bent 
 
 incapable, unqualified, disqualified, incompetent, impotent, incapaci- 
 tated 
 
 increase, enlarge, augment, develop 
 
 initiate, inaugurate, instal, introduce, begin, commence, originate, 
 invent, discover 
 
 intervene, interpose, interfere, mediate, intercede, go-between, arbi- 
 trate, negotiate, adjust, tamper, meddle 
 
 incite, solicit, attract, draw, tempt, allure, entice, persuade 
 
 jocular, jovial, jolly, joyous, joyful, jocund 
 
 journey, tour, trip, jaunt, excursion, voyage 
 
 judgment, sensibility, taste, good sense 
 
 juncture, exigency, emergency, crisis 
 
 knowledge, wisdom, learning, information, education, training, expe- 
 rience, schooling 
 
 lax, loose, relaxed, licentious, dissolute, dissipated 
 
 limit, boundary, confine, termination, border, horizon 
 
 load, burden, cargo, freight, lading, express, carrier, post 
 
 machine, device, contrivance, invention, mechanism, motor 
 
 mechanic, machinist, mechanician, workman, artisan, laborer, pro- 
 fessor, practitioner, expert, specialist 
 
 nation, race, people, tribe, clan 
 
 negligence, neglect, inadvertence, oversight, inattention, carelessness, 
 remissness 
 
 opponent, adversary, antagonist, rival, competitor, enemy, foe 
 
 prevalent, prevailing, current , 
 
go ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 price, charge, cost, expense, value, worth 
 
 power, strength, vigor, energy, force 
 
 prompt, punctual, ready, quick, prepared 
 
 purpose, end, aim, goal, effect, result 
 
 resign, relinquish, surrender 
 
 road, route, course, career, path, track, street, pavement, walk, 
 highway, right-of-way, road-bed, trail, track 
 
 scheme, plan, project, design 
 
 shop, store, factory, depot 
 
 skilful, clever, cunning, crafty, shrewd, dexterous, expert, subtle, 
 smart, sharp, sly, wily, keen 
 
 slow, sluggish, late, tardy, dilatory, inert, inactive 
 
 solve, explain, settle, unravel 
 
 special, particular, peculiar, unique 
 
 submit, offer, refer, report 
 
 sure, certain, confident, positive, definite, convinced 
 
 system, order, organization, method 
 
 trade, craft, business, profession, art, science, industry, occupation, 
 employment, work, calling, vocation, pursuit, job 
 
 trade-industrial-technieal-business-prof essional-voeational school, ele- 
 mentary school, secondary school, college, university 
 
 unoccupied, empty, vacant, blank, vacated, 
 
 useful, serviceable, available, necessary 
 
 useless, futile, vain, fruitless 
 
 usual, habitual, customary, regular 
 
 valid, strong, sound, justifiable, sufficient 
 
 wages, hire, salary, pay, emolument, fee, compensation, remuneration, 
 perquisite 
 
 waste, squander, spend, lose, consume, destroy 
 
 waste, refuse, surplus, discard 
 
 weary, tired, fatigued, exhausted, prostrated 
 
 work, labor, toil, drudgery 
 
 9. The study of antonyms. — These groups are precisely 
 the opposite of the groups of synonyms. They are words 
 which are opposite or contradictory in meaning. Curiously 
 enough, you often come upon the right word in thinking of 
 the wrong one, and it enriches and enlarges your resources 
 
VOCABULARY gi 
 
 of speech to know these pairs of contrasted words. A few 
 examples are given: 
 
 small — large debit — credit 
 
 wide — narrow plaintiff — defendant 
 
 straight — crooked zenith — nadir 
 
 straight — curved cause — effect 
 
 angular — curved weak — strong 
 perpendicular — horizontal export — import 
 
 salt — sweet emigrant — immigrant 
 
 sweet — bitter start — finish 
 
 sweet — sour brevity — length 
 
 sweet — rancid safety — danger 
 
 fresh — stale etc., etc. 
 
 The antonyms of many words are formed by prefacing 
 the word itself with one of the negative prefixes in- or un- 
 or prefixing non- generally with a hyphen. See your dic- 
 tionary under in- and un-. It is not wise for the ordinary 
 writer freely to coin words by prefixing non-. Use only 
 those that are well established in the language. 
 
 Exercise 5 
 
 Write sentences using at least ten of the pairs of anto- 
 nyms given above. Let the sentences be statements of 
 opposing ideas — antitheses. 
 
 10. The study of homonyms. — There are in our language 
 a large number of words — pairs or larger groups — which 
 are alike in sound and sometimes alike in form, but of 
 different origin and meaning. It is quite interesting to 
 distinguish between the words of one of these groups ; and 
 the process will certainly add some new words to your 
 vocabulary. The list of words given below contains only 
 those homonyms that are identical in form; those that are 
 identical in sound but not in form are reserved for a 
 
82 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 spelling lesson. 
 
 The numeral appended to each word tells 
 
 how many meanings you are to find in each case. 
 
 arch ( of stone ) 
 
 exact 2 lumber 3 saw 3 
 
 arch (coy, 
 
 waggish) 
 
 fast 3 meal 2 see 2 
 
 arm 2 
 
 
 flag 4 mean 3 size 3 
 
 bale 2 
 
 
 fuse 3 mint 2 sole 3 
 
 baU2 
 
 
 hale 2 net 2 sound 4 
 
 base 2 
 
 
 hold 2 page 2 spray 4 
 
 bass 2 
 
 
 host 2 pale 2 stay 2 
 
 boot 2 
 
 
 jar 2 peer 3 stem 3 
 
 bow 4 
 
 
 kind 2 plane 3 tender 3 
 
 brief 2 
 
 
 lap 4 post 5 till 3 
 
 case » 
 
 
 last 3 pupil 2 utter 2 
 
 date 2 
 
 
 leave 2 rail 3 vault 2 
 
 die 2 
 
 
 lean 2 rear 3 vice 3 
 
 dock 2 
 
 
 limp 2 rifle 2 wise 2 
 
 dredge 2 
 
 
 long 2 row 3 yard 2 
 Exercise 6 
 
 Make short and simple sentences to illustrate the specified 
 number of meanings for each of these words. 
 
 You will notice that while all the suggestions and ex- 
 amples on vocabulary have a leaning toward the practical, 
 they are not narrowly technical. They suggest the means 
 of strengthening the great back-bone of your speech — of 
 establishing a vocabulary that will serve you in any and all 
 the affairs of life. Your technical or special vocabulary 
 will vary with the business you actually take up. When you 
 go into a business, you should master as quickly and thor- 
 oughly as possible the terms that belong to it. Gather the 
 catalogues and the trade journals concerned with your spe- 
 cial business ; read a good business magazine ; read some 
 of the many valuable and interesting books written in our 
 day concerning business— books which are elevating busi- 
 ness to the intellectual rank of a learned profession. Lose 
 no opportunity of talking with experienced business men, 
 
VOCABULARY 33 
 
 especially those engaged in your own line, and ask ques- 
 tions as long as you can within the limits of courtesy. You 
 will find that your technical vocabulary will be easy to 
 master and that it will accrue very rapidly. 
 
 To illustrate technical vocabularies I append selections 
 from lists of words that belong to special businesses. As 
 an exercise (or, more precisely, as a game), decide what 
 business or what field each vocabulary belongs to. 
 
 1. Column, beam, girder, rivet, pin, truss, arch, footing, founda- 
 tion, drainage, plumbing, fixtures, lime, cement, joining, ventilation. 
 
 2. Electrostatic, resistance, induction, magnetic, direct, indirect, 
 calibration, voltmeter, ammeter, ohmmeter, potentiometer, relay. 
 
 3'. Chassis, sleeve-valve, carburetor, ignition, magneto, reseat, ther- 
 mograph, crankshaft, radiator, lubrication, tonneau, limousine, trans- 
 mission, vibrator. 
 
 4. Security, loan, deposit, savings, exchange, notes, drafts, checks, 
 discount, balance, certified, clearing-house, surplus, reserve, cashier, 
 teller. 
 
 5. Tariff, rates, classification, bill of lading, carriers, shipper, 
 routing, way-bill, consignee, storage, overcharge, inter-road, absorbed, 
 switching, demurrage, yard, report. 
 
 6. Single-entry, double-entry, debit, credit, journal, ledger, cash 
 book, purchase-book, sales-book, posting, trial-balance, opening, clos- 
 ing. 
 
 7. Epic, dramatic, lyric, ode, elegy, sonnet, plot, scenario, hexa- 
 meter, pentameter, rhyme, rhythm, cesura, idyl, romance, local color, 
 realism, fiction, essay. 
 
 8. Drop-curtain, foot-light, wings, foyer, balcony, gallery, prompt- 
 er, manager, leading lady, soubrette, star, ingenue, cue, author, pro- 
 ducer, understudy, supernumeraries. 
 
General Exercises in Business Composition 
 
 You will notice that so far all your exercises have taken 
 the form of letters or speeches; and these are, as a matter 
 of fact, the underlying type-forms for all verbal communica- 
 tion. You have something you want to impart — there 
 is someone to whom you want to impart it. If one or 
 many are present, you speak to them. If they are absent 
 or scattered, you write to them ; your letter may be a brief 
 note, a drama, a poem, a volume of essays, or a learned 
 treatise on some technical subject ; but it may still be said 
 to be a highly developed and specialized letter. 
 
 When you write a letter you have one great advantage : 
 You say what you want to say and nobody interrupts or 
 contradicts or objects. If your correspondent does any 
 of these things in reply, you have the opportunity to think 
 it over quietly and formulate your rejoinder. 
 
 But you also lose a great advantage. If you talked with 
 your correspondent, you would get suggestions from him; 
 not only would he supply new ideas ; his objections would 
 arouse your thought and stimulate your invention. 
 
 For this exercise you are to write some brief business 
 dramas that will in some measure represent the give and 
 take of an interview. The dramatic imagination is almost 
 the first requisite of a salesman. Put yourself in the place 
 of your customer, at the same time keeping every atom of 
 your own personality. 
 
 1. You are trying to sell a man a ''Webster's Secondary 
 School Dictionary" for use in his office. As any self- 
 respecting customer should, he is resisting. He says — 
 
 84 
 
VOCABULARY §5 
 
 a) I have practically the same book that I bought ten 
 years ago. 
 
 h) I have a pocket dictionary. 
 
 c) I prefer to invest all my money for dictionaries in 
 an "Unabridged.'' 
 
 Write out this interview — his objections, your replies, 
 the conclusion. 
 
 2. You are salesman for a typewriter that has an adding- 
 machine attached. You go to see a business manager, who 
 calls in his bookkeeper. 
 
 Write out the interview, representing the three persons 
 by at least three speeches each. 
 
 Write two conclusions to the interview : 
 
 a) They order the typewriter. 
 
 b) They conclude not to buy it. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 CLEARNESS 
 
 You will have noticed as you have gone on with your 
 lessons how closely all your knowledge and practice hang 
 together. You will have seen that each step is a logical one, 
 and that what you have learned in one section becomes the 
 foundation and presupposition of the next. 
 
 So you will realize that all that you have learned about 
 grammatical correctness, about correct diction, about cor- 
 rect arrangement, makes for clearness and effectiveness. 
 
 You will realize that when you acquire new words, and 
 open up new sources from which to draw words, you are 
 working toward an ever-surer, more nearly complete cor- 
 rectness, a truer effectiveness. 
 
 Indeed so interknit are all the things that go to make up 
 a good style, that there is necessarily much repetition and 
 cross-reference in the discussion. It is impossible to divide 
 the aspects of our study of style into water-tight and fire- 
 proof compartments. To achieve correctness is in seven 
 sentences out of ten, especially in business writing, to 
 achieve clearness; and to achieve clearness is in almost as 
 many cases to achieve effectiveness. 
 
 Nevertheless, there is, when we have said all the essential 
 things about correctness, a residuum of matter that belongs 
 to clearness as a distinct aspect of style; these are the 
 things that we shall consider in this chapter. 
 
 There are a few general considerations v^e must touch 
 upon before we go into details. 
 
 1. There is a school of writers who say, apparently 
 under the conviction that they are saying something, 
 
 86 
 
CLEARNESS 
 
 87 
 
 * ' Think clearly and you will write and speak clearly. ' ' This 
 injunction contains on the face of it, two fallacies. One 
 is that 'thinking clearly" is a simple, elementary thing 
 that one has only to say and have done with — as if one said 
 **Tie my shoe'^; whereas, clear thinking is the fruit of 
 study, the result of effort, a compound of many simples. 
 
 The other fallacy comes of ignoring the psychological 
 relation of thought and expression. They are inter-active 
 and inseparable. Clear thinking is a product of clear 
 writing quite as often as clear writing is a product of clear 
 thinking. In the process of saying what you think, and 
 saying it clearly, avoiding well-known obscurities, proceed- 
 ing step by step, choosing among many v^ords the one you 
 need — in this process thinking becomes clear. There are, 
 of course, other helps to clear thinking, but from our point 
 of view nothing is more helpful than the effort to say 
 clearly whatever you think. 
 
 2. The exhortation to brevity is not altogether well 
 considered as a recipe for clearness. Brevity may even 
 cause obscurity. Don't let the fear of saying too much 
 frighten you into saying too little. Write on until you have 
 expressed your thought and have shown it in as many 
 aspects and as many lights as are necessary to make it 
 plain. 
 
 It may be that many writers should at first confine them- 
 selves to short sentences. This practice tends to secure 
 unity, which is the prime necessity of clearness. Besides, 
 the short sentence is the form in which a young and less 
 experienced writer thinks. But he should use enough 
 of them to make his meaning clear. And quite naturally, 
 as a writer grows more experienced, as he handles more 
 subtle phases of his thought, and treats more complicated 
 subjects, his sentences tend to become longer and less 
 simple in structure. But a long and complex or compound 
 
88 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 sentence may be entirely clear, if one takes the proper 
 precautions. 
 
 3. There are similar objections to the unqualified 
 direction, ' ' Be simple, " as a recipe for clearness. We might 
 imitate Dante 's inscription and say, ' ' Be simple ; evermore 
 be simple; be not too simple." Be just as simple as you 
 can be, and still be precise. Don't translate technical 
 terms into prattle. Don't turn your closely reasoned 
 thought into babble. 
 
 There are three things you must have in mind in this 
 connection. 
 
 1. Try to know your audience or your readers well 
 enough to take them on their own ground. But you don't 
 want to leave them on their own ground ; you want to move 
 them on to your ground. So you must explain your terms 
 to them, and lead them ultimately to think in your terms. 
 
 2. You must know yourself and be loyal to your own 
 best thinking. Make your thought clear. Don't be simple 
 at the expense of suppressing the best side of your thought. 
 
 3. You must know your subject, and to this you owe 
 your first loyalty. Don't betray it by translating it into 
 expression that does not represent it. Use its technical 
 terms when they are needed. Define and illustrate them if 
 need be, but don't think you have gained in clearness by 
 losing in precision. In the long run you have gained noth- 
 ing by substituting for the good terms noun and verh the 
 idle paraphrases name-word and action-word. 
 
 Exercise 1 
 
 A quiz on the foregoing discussion. 
 
 1. State in your own words the interrelations of correctness, 
 clearness, and effectiveness. 
 
 2. Why are the three specially closely related in business writing? 
 
CLEARNESS gQ 
 
 3. What are the fallacies in the injunction, "Think clearly, and 
 you will write clearly?" 
 
 4. Why is the converse of this injunction often true? 
 
 5. What qualifications would you offer to the injunction, "Be 
 brief," as connected with clearness? 
 
 6. What qualifications of the direction, "Be simple," would you 
 make as concerning clearness? 
 
 7. What are the three loyalties you ought to feel in your attempt 
 to be clear? Which is the dominating loyalty? 
 
 There are certain classes of words, certain kinds of 
 phrases, and certain types of sentences in the use of which 
 we are especially apt to fail to be clear. It is well to 
 safeguard ourselves at these points. 
 
 1. Reference words. — Much of the obscurity that we 
 notice in ordinary writing arises from the wrong choice and 
 inexact placing of pronouns. 
 
 1. Much confusion arises when you fail to make clear to 
 what noun your pronoun refers as its antecedent. For 
 example : * ' The operator told him his watch was wrong. ' ' 
 Whose watch? As the sentence stands it is impossible 
 to tell ; yet it might be important to know. Often the only 
 way to remove this obscurity is to change entirely the form 
 of the sentence: *'The operator said, 'Your watch is 
 wrong' " or ''The operator said, 'My watch is wrong,' " 
 according to your meaning. 
 
 Study the following sentence and its several possible 
 reconstructions. 
 
 She asked the forewoman if she could go and she said she thought 
 she ought not to go. 
 
 1. She asked the forewoman if she could go and the forewoman 
 said, "I think you ought not to go." 
 
 2. She asked the forewoman if she could go and the forewoman 
 said, "I think I ought not to go." 
 
 3. She said to the forewoman, "Can you go? I think you ought 
 not to go." 
 
90 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 4. She said to the forewoman, "May I go? but I think I ought 
 not to go." 
 
 2. The pronoun it is especially likely to cause confusion 
 of this kind, because it has not only its primary use of 
 standing for any neuter noun, but also what is known as 
 the indefinite reference ; as, 
 
 1. It is good to learn habits of thrift. 
 
 2. It is now a month since I came. 
 
 The abuse of this indefinite reference must be guarded 
 against : 
 
 It doesn't tell much about spelling in this book. 
 
 It is better to say — 
 
 This book doesn't tell much about spelling. 
 
 The same caution applies to they in its indefinite 
 reference : 
 
 1. They mine a great deal of tungsten in Colorado. 
 
 2. They don't have house-flies in England. 
 
 Say rather — 
 
 1. A great deal of tungsten is mined in Colorado. 
 
 2. In England there are no house-flies. 
 
 3. The use of it to refer to some process or idea not 
 named but only shadowed forth, should be carefully 
 avoided. Let it be your rule always to supply some one 
 word to serve as an antecedent for your pronoun. Here 
 are examples of this obscurity : 
 
 Your copy should be revised three or four times if it be possible. 
 
 Say, *'if such revision be possible." 
 
 The manager wants me to become assistant engineer, but it does 
 not attract me. 
 
 You can say — 
 
 The manager wants me to become assistant engineer, but the work 
 does not attract me. 
 
 The manager wants me to take the work of assistant engineer, 
 but it does not attract me. 
 
CLEARNESS 91 
 
 I heard a curious sound in the next room, and found that it was 
 Hobbs rehearsing his speech. 
 
 You can say — 
 
 I heard a curious sound in the next room, and found that it came 
 from Hobbs who was rehearsing his speech. 
 
 4. Precisely the same cautions and the same method of 
 correction apply to the vague use of this, that, and the 
 relatives who and which as reference words. 
 
 Exercise 2 
 
 Correct the following sentences. Revise in any way 
 that seems necessary, so as to make clear and definite the 
 vague or ambiguous reference of the italicized words : 
 
 1. The detective told him his life was in danger. 
 
 2. Our customer told the secretary he did not know the address 
 he wanted. 
 
 3. The same is true of the liquor habit; they drink it because 
 they can not give it up. 
 
 4. The run-about drew up at the curb, and I noticed that it was 
 Mr. Bruce. 
 
 5. If a rabbit's foot is to be good as a charm, it must be the left 
 hind foot, and it must be caught at midnight in the grave-yard. 
 
 6. They have almost doubled their office force, and it has quite 
 doubled their expenses. 
 
 7. It says in the "Tribune" that the marines went ashore at 
 Vera Cruz. 
 
 8. They are urging all their employees to study, which greatly 
 increases their efficiency. 
 
 9. He falsified his tax schedule, which is a dishonorable thing 
 to do. 
 
 10. As the boat lay at the pier, it sounded like a violent wind- 
 storm. 
 
 11. Gambling is permitted in this hotel, which is true of many 
 other places. 
 
 12. Interest may be figured easily for the rate of six per cent, 
 and this applies to all amounts and to all rates, by simple cancella- 
 tion. 
 
92 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 13. Though the firm does business in South America it has no one 
 who knows foreign languages, and they have to send them out to a 
 woman who translates them at twenty-five cents apiece. 
 
 14. What is the use of finding the North Pole? Of course it is 
 of no use commercially. 
 
 15. The world owes you success if you demand it — it owes you 
 nothing if you do not. 
 
 16. I have never had a serious accident while traveling, and I 
 attribute this to the care I have taken. 
 
 17. They have mines in Cornwall running far out under the sea. 
 
 5. Many persons, including some pretty good writers, 
 have trouble with what we call the ''and which" con- 
 struction. This mistake is so common that I shall give what 
 may seem an undue amount of space to it. Notice these: 
 
 1. Mr. Young, president of the company, and who is a friend of 
 Olson's family, offered him a place. 
 
 2. He lives in Orange, a beautiful town, and which is really a 
 suburb of New York. 
 
 3. Jane Addams, founder of Hull House in Chicago, and who is 
 known all over the world, is promoting the cause. 
 
 4. The cut-out folder is in the shape of a barrel, bearing the 
 company's trade-marked label printed in three colors, and which 
 appeared at the head of fifteen of the sixteen pages of the folder. 
 
 The foregoing sentences are all incorrect. You can say 
 and who, mid which, and a7id whom, only when you have 
 previously said who, which, or whom in the same sentence. 
 Thus: 
 
 1. Mr. Young, who is president of the company, and who is a 
 friend of Olson's family, offered him a place. 
 
 2. He lives in Orange, which is a beautiful town, and which is 
 really a suburb of New York. 
 
 3. Jane Addams, who is the founder of Hull House, and who is 
 known all over the world, is promoting the cause. 
 
 4. The cut-out folder is in the shape of a barrel bearing the com- 
 pany 's trade-marked label, which is printed in three colors, and which 
 stands at the head of fifteen of the sixteen pages of the folder. 
 
 6. The use of former and latter as pronouns and ref- 
 
CLEARNESS 93 
 
 erence words, is beset with so many dangers that one is 
 tempted to advise inexperienced writers to avoid it alto- 
 gether. Notice these : 
 
 1. He turned from Charlie to the man in the straw hat and play- 
 fully knocked the latter off his head. 
 
 2. As Olson came up in the elevator he met Hobbs and Morton, a 
 bookkeeper for Holt & Eaton, and exchanged a few words with the 
 latter. 
 
 3. Hobbs came to our office and asked to see Mr. Bruce; Olson met 
 him in the waiting room and the former made an engagement for 
 tomorrow. 
 
 The skillful use of reference words does two things: 
 (1) It saves frequent repetition of the main word; (2) it 
 connects one sentence with another, by bringing forward 
 an idea from the last sentence into the new one. In this 
 way a paragraph is often knit together into a clear whole 
 by reference words. 
 
 Exercise 3 
 Study with care, and memorize Lincoln's '* Gettysburg 
 Address." Notice the perfect clearness which is secured 
 largely by the use of the reference words which I have 
 italicized : 
 
 Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth upon this 
 continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the 
 proposition that all men are created equal. 
 
 Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that 
 nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, cm long endure. 
 We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to 
 dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting-place for those who 
 here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fit- 
 ting and proper that we should do this. 
 
 But in a larger sense we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, 
 we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, 
 who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to 
 add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what 
 we say here; but it can never forget what they did here. It is for 
 
94 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 us, the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work 
 which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is 
 rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before 
 us: That from these honored dead we may take increased devotion 
 to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion; 
 that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in 
 vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of free- 
 dom; and that government of the people, by the people, and for the 
 people, shall not perish from the earth. 
 
 2. Repetition. — Go through the address given above 
 and study the repetitions. You will see that they help the 
 clearness of the sentences in which they stand, and are 
 indispensable to the clearness of the paragraph as a whole. 
 
 Don't be afraid of repetitions when they seem necessary 
 to clearness. Don't, above all things, imitate the method 
 of the sport reporter and editor in inventing tedious and 
 stupid circumlocutions in order to avoid the frequent use of 
 the same term. 
 
 Don't seek repetition, but above all, don't evade it. 
 
 3. Ellipsis or the leaving out of words. — It often pro- 
 duces a desirable effect to omit such words as can certainly 
 be supplied silently from the context. For example ; 
 
 1. Father was arrayed against son, brother against brother. 
 
 2. If you are pleased with the books, send us three dollars; if not, 
 return them at our expense. 
 
 But if the words are not easily supplied from the con- 
 text, or if for any other reason their omission produces 
 confusion, write out the full expression. 
 
 Exercise 4 
 
 In the following sentences, supply the needed words. If 
 a sentence can be rendered in two ways, give both. The 
 caret shows where the missing words are to be supplied. 
 
 1. Dayton is nearer to Pittsburg than A Chicago. 
 
 2. Although A a drunkard I can not help admiring his ability. 
 
CLEARNESS 95 
 
 3. Our rules are the same as A any other office. 
 
 4. The love of bargaining comes not by education but /\ instinct. 
 
 5. Our delegate insisted that the measure was unjust and /\ was 
 opposed to the organization of labor. 
 
 6. The study of grammar did not seem to him to have any prac- 
 tical bearing as A arithmetic, drawing, and geography. 
 
 7. While A still a child, my father taught me the principles of 
 personal independence. 
 
 8. There were three ready to start — a boy on a big bay, A a 
 little Indian pony, and Maud. 
 
 9. As a man he is small, as an inventor and originator A great. 
 
 10. They value Olson more than A you. 
 
 11. They value Olson more than you A- 
 
 12. Common stock represents ownership, but carries no special 
 privileges such as preferred stock A« 
 
 4. Vagueness in the use of participles. — This is a com- 
 mon and fruitful source of obscurity. It has been treated 
 with sufficient fulness under correct arrangement (Chapter 
 V, Sections). 
 
 5. Matching grammatical parts. — ^When you are using 
 two or more ideas or objects in a series, or are comparing 
 them, word them so that noun answers to noun, verb to 
 verb, etc. This wording alike of like ideas is a great help 
 to clearness. 
 
 Study the following to make the principle clear : 
 
 1. We have decided to take on the new salesman, and on giving 
 him a free hand. 
 
 Say either ''on taking on" or "to give." 
 
 2. He fell off the motorcycle and sprained his ankle, but saving 
 his basket of eggs. 
 
 Say- 
 
 He fell off the motorcycle, spraining his ankle, but saving his 
 basket of eggs. 
 
 Or 
 
 He fell off the motorcycle and sprained his ankle, but saved his 
 basket of eggs. 
 
96 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 Exercise 5 
 
 Change the following sentences so as to match the cor- 
 responding grammatical parts. 
 
 1. She left the room in a rage, her eyes blazing, and slamming the 
 door after her. 
 
 2. The men were in bad condition and a poor game was played. 
 
 3. The travelers preferred sailing on the "Arabic" and to return 
 on the "Celtic." 
 
 4. These rooms are well ventilated and with abundance of light. 
 
 5. He went to see what he could do for the injured man, and 
 carrying a few remedies with him. 
 
 6. When I went back home, I was surprised to see how small the 
 place was, and that it seemed to have grown ugly. 
 
 6. Uniform structure in your sentence. — ^Very similar 
 to the principle of matched grammatical form is that of 
 keeping, throughout the sentence, the structure you start 
 with. Some writers, especially if they have a long or a 
 complex subject, seem to lose sight of what they mean 
 to say when the subject or even some part of the subject 
 is written, and to finish the sentence in some quite incon- 
 gruous way. To make this clear, study the following : 
 
 1. It was wonderful to see how fast they worked with the new 
 machines that almost seemed to have human intelligence, and their 
 interest and enthusiasm for the results. 
 
 2. The training to obey without dispute, to be punctual and re- 
 spectful are things in which the American boy is lacking. 
 
 3. The first thing I expect my course in Business English to do 
 for me is to become an expert stenographer. 
 
 4. The dimensions of the room are forty feet long and twenty feet 
 wide. 
 
 5. Our house being situated close to the golf links, makes it con- 
 venient for us to reach it. 
 
 6. If you are selling, for example, candy, you can make a differ- 
 ence in your mode of distribution ; by the first mode, it is shoveled 
 out of a bin in a tin scoop, weigh it on open scales and dump it into a 
 brown paper bag; by the second, it is sold in neat, white boxes of 
 
CLEARNESS 
 
 97 
 
 standard weight and lined with oiled paper; by the third, you wrap 
 each piece in tinfoil and the boxes are packed in layers. 
 
 Exercise 6 
 
 Revise the foregoing sentences, making the structure uni- 
 form throughout each. 
 
 7. Connecting words. — Conjunctions and all connecting 
 words and phrases are very important for clearness. You 
 will be surprised to find how much of your thinking is 
 carried along in these words, and how much confusion and 
 misunderstanding can arise from the use of the wrong 
 connective. On the other hand, you will be delighted to 
 find how beautifully these little words knit up your 
 thoughts, and what interesting shades of thought may be 
 expressed by them. 
 
 Here is a partial list of connecting or conjunctive words 
 i:nd phrases: 
 
 and 
 
 as 
 
 whereas 
 
 or 
 
 as if 
 
 that 
 
 but 
 
 though 
 
 besides 
 
 either — or 
 
 although 
 
 for 
 
 neither — nor 
 
 because 
 
 hence. 
 
 whether — or 
 
 since 
 
 again 
 
 both — and 
 
 lest 
 
 unless 
 
 not only — but also 
 
 so that 
 
 moreover 
 
 so 
 
 in order that 
 
 however 
 
 thus 
 
 on the one hand — 
 
 therefore 
 
 consequently 
 
 on the other hand 
 
 finally 
 
 
 accordingly 
 
 for example 
 
 Now you must not use connecting words merely for the 
 sake of using them, nor must you vary them simply for the 
 sake of varying them. They are an essential part of your 
 thinking and must be considered as to their use and mean- 
 ing with as much care as any other word in your paragraph. 
 You may write a long paragraph with scarcely a connecting 
 
98 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 word in it, and it will be clear, because the thoughts are so 
 well arranged that they need no connecting. Study this 
 paragraph as an example of writing that dispenses with 
 connectives. 
 
 Business should be, and to some extent already is, one of the 
 professions. The once meager list of the learned professions is being 
 constantly enlarged. Engineering in its many branches already takes 
 rank beside law, medicine, and theology. Forestry and scientific 
 agriculture are securing places of honor. The new professions of 
 manufacturing, of merchandising, of transportation, and of finance 
 must soon gain recognition. The establishment of business schools 
 in our universities is a manifestation of the modern conception of 
 business. — ^Brandeis, "Business a Profession." 
 
 Study the following in its use of connectives, which I 
 have italicized. 
 
 In the field of modern business, so rich in opportunity for the 
 exercise of man's finest and most varied mental faculties and moral 
 qualities, mere money-making can not be regarded as the legitimate 
 end. Neither can mere bulk or power be admitted as a worthy ambi- 
 tion. Nor can a man nobly mindful of his serious responsibilities to 
 society view business as a game; since with the conduct of business 
 human happiness or misery is inextricably interwoven. — ^Brandeis, 
 "Business a Profession." 
 
 Turn back to Lincoln's ''Gettysburg Address,'' and study 
 in it the connectives of all kiads. 
 
 The connecting words that most inexperienced writers 
 and speakers overwork and consequently misuse are and, so, 
 hut, and thus. 
 
 All that can be done is to warn you — 
 
 1. To be careful to mean thus when you say thus. Never 
 use it because you need some word to introduce a sentence. 
 Thus has its own distinct value which must be observed. 
 
 2. To abandon so as a mere connective. It is practically 
 always wrong when used in that way. Word your sentences 
 so as to avoid using it until you are sure of its exact mean- 
 ing and value. 
 
CLEARNESS 99 
 
 3. To use, in the first place, as few and^s as possible. 
 Cure yourself of the fatal an<i-habit, especially in speaking j 
 and, in the second place, be sure you mean and when 
 you say a7id. And is the conjunction of kinship, of similar- 
 ity, of harmony. 
 
 4. To take the same precautions for hut, which is the 
 conjunction of contrast and of disagreement. 
 
 Study the following sentences for the use of the com- 
 moner connectives. Study the meaning of each, and decide 
 which of them are incorrect ; rewrite the sentences correctly : 
 
 1. Olson is a graduate of Harvard, hut his learning is the wonder 
 of his employers. 
 
 2. Olson is a graduate of Harvard and his learning is the vt^on- 
 der of his employers. 
 
 3. Olson had only a grammar-school education and his learning 
 is astonishing. 
 
 4. Olson had only a grammar school education J)ut his learning 
 is astonishing. 
 
 5. I called up his house and found that he had already left for 
 Boston. 
 
 6. I called to take leave of him, hut found that he had already 
 left for Boston. 
 
 7. He had twenty pairs of unsalable shoes left on his shelves. 
 Thus we see the folly of unwise buying. 
 
 8. Thomas Edison was born in 1847. Thus we see that in 1900 
 he was 53 years of age. 
 
 9. I was tired so we sat down on the bench; pretty soon it began 
 to rain so we hurried to the station; there was no train for an hour 
 so we took the electric back to town. 
 
 8. The use of examples and specific instances. — The lib- 
 eral and accurate use of examples and specific instances 
 is perhaps the most certain single aid to clearness. You 
 state your law or your principle or your general truth; 
 but it is the anecdote, the individual case, the story of the 
 personal experience that drives it home and makes it 
 finalty clear. For example : 
 
100 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 1. The man and the job must fit; a long-legged man makes a 
 good apple-picker, but a poor shoveler. 
 
 2. Household appliances are multiplying very rapidly — every 
 minute a new egg-heater is born. 
 
 3. The little word of three letters — net — has in recent years be- 
 come the most important word in the vocabulary of business. Net 
 means not how much money you take in, but how much you have 
 left. If you take in three million dollars and pay out the same you 
 have no net at all. It is better to take in one dollar and have ten 
 cents left than to take in ten dollars and have only five cents left. 
 
 4. An extensive business transaction may be conducted without 
 using a dollar of money: Suppose you owe Brown a hundred dol- 
 lars. At the same time Brown owes White a hundred dollars. Brown 
 may give White an order on you. With this order, White may pay 
 his doctor. The doctor, having bought a bill of goods from you, may 
 pay you with this order. You destroy the "note." Thus four actual 
 transactions have taken place without the use of any money. 
 
 5. There seems to be no end to the methods that are being con- 
 ceived to trade-mark this, that, and the other thing. Ere long we 
 may refuse to eat a lamh-chop unless it carries a tag showing that 
 it is our favorite brand, or a slice of roast heef unless it has "the 
 mark on the selvage." 
 
 6. Labor was the first price, the original purchase money that 
 was paid for all things. If among a nation of hunters, for example, it 
 usually costs twice the labor to kill a beaver that it does to kill a 
 deer, one heaver would naturally be worth, or exchange for, two deer. 
 
 9. Comparisons. — ^You can often add to the clearness of 
 your statement by means of likeness or contrast. By tell- 
 ing your readers or hearers what a thing is not, or to what 
 it is diametrically opposed, you can sometimes give a clearer 
 idea of what it is. And it is often possible to increase the 
 clearness of your statement by drawing in likenesses and 
 parallels from other fields. 
 
 Study the following paragraphs which exemplify the 
 use both of likeness and of contrast. 
 
 1. Efficiency does not lie in ceaseless, intense mental and physical 
 action, in hustle and bustle, in noise and excitement. Some men are 
 like tugboats, tossed about on the waves, constantly darting here and 
 
CLEARNESI3 
 
 101 
 
 there, emitting clouds of smoke, and makijig «, t^iyific fde^qt^^, ^iey 
 seem to be tremendously active. With them; there is ''always some- 
 thing doing." But the tugboat never gets anywhere in particular. 
 For all its strenuousness, it always ties up at the same dock at night. 
 Other men are like ocean liners — they proceed calmly, quietly, and 
 with no show of effort. Ocean liners move according to plans laid out 
 months in advance. Their time is scheduled accurately and in detail. 
 They proceed toward a definite port, irrespective of wind or wave. 
 Although they make far less noise, they run more rapidly than the 
 tugboat and they arrive at their destined port having sailed every 
 moment according to chart and compass, steering their course by the 
 stars. 
 
 2. Every busy man should learn the value of relaxation and 
 repose. Watch an amateur climb a rope. He may be very strong 
 in the arms, but he kicks, jerks, breathes hard, and lunges, expending 
 so much energy unnecessarily that he usually stops after having 
 climbed a few feet. When a trained gymnast does the same thing, his 
 whole body hangs quiet and relaxed; his breathing is not hurried; 
 smoothly and rhythmically without lost motion or the waste of 
 an ounce of energy he glides up the rope. There is the same differ- 
 ence between the nervous, hurried man and the man who has trained 
 himself in relaxation and control. 
 
 10. Clearness in the sentence structure. — In the section 
 on the arrangement of your matter in sentences (Chapter 
 V, Section 6) sufficient warning is given against the carry- 
 all sentence — the dunnage-bag of language — into which 
 you thrust everything that it will hold. 
 
 It is true that the short sentence is more likely to secure 
 unity, but the jerky effect of innumerable short sentences, 
 especially in a speech, is unfortunate. Besides, the arrange- 
 ment of all your thoughts in short simple sentences does 
 not indicate the proper relation of your thoughts, some of 
 which are important, and some of which, though perhaps 
 not unimportant, are subordinate to your main thought. 
 A sentence to be clear should show the proper subordination 
 of thought. A sentence should express but one complete 
 
102 ESSEOT.I^LS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 tnoaglif;-trTie, buv. it should completely express the thought, 
 and not call in a neighbor sentence to help it out. 
 
 Study the following groups. In each there are a leading 
 thought and one or more subordinate thoughts. In a good, 
 clear sentence the leading thought is given the principal 
 place with the main subject and predicate of the sentence 
 to express it, while the subordinate thoughts are thrown 
 in, in the shape of clauses and phrases. Decide which of 
 these sentences best show the relation of the thought. 
 
 1. The tongue is a sharp-edged tool. It grows sharper with con- 
 stant use. 
 
 The tongue is a sharp-edged tool that grows sharper with con- 
 stant use. 
 
 The tongue is a sharp-edged tool, and it grows sharper with 
 constant use. 
 
 The tongue grows sharper with constant use, being the only 
 sharp-edged tool that does. 
 
 2. I could not sleep. I decided I would spend the time studying. 
 I could not sleep, so I decided to spend the time studying. 
 
 I spent the time studying, since I could not sleep. 
 Being unable to sleep, I studied. 
 
 3. He was a man of experience and national reputation. He 
 did not go begging for a job. He was actually able to choose his 
 employer. 
 
 Since he was a man of experience and national reputation, 
 he did not go begging for a job but was able to choose his employer. 
 
 So far from going begging for a job he was actually able to 
 choose his employer, since he was a man of experience and national 
 reputation. 
 
 He was actually able to choose his employer, because, being 
 a man of experience and national reputation, he did not have to go 
 begging for a job. 
 
 11. Clearness in the paragraph. — This topic has been 
 almost completely forestalled in another section (Chapter 
 V, Section 8). Your attention is called to it here only in 
 order to emphasize its importance. The following is a sum- 
 
CLEARNESS 103 
 
 mary of the practice that secures clearness in the para- 
 graph : 
 
 1. The clear statement of the topic of the paragraph in 
 a conspicuous place either at the beginning or at the end, 
 or, in a certain type of paragraph, in both these places. 
 
 2. The amplification of this topic : 
 
 a) By repetition and explanation. 
 
 h) By examples, specific instances, and illustrations. 
 
 3. The skillful use of connecting and reference words. 
 
 4. The logical arrangement of the sentences within the 
 paragraph. 
 
General Exercises in Business Composition 
 
 You will have noticed that these exercises interspersed 
 among the more technical and detailed matters of cor- 
 rectness, clearness, etc., have been for the most part 
 discipline in the thinking out of material. The subjects 
 have been suggested, and the main steps or items indi- 
 cated. In each exercise you have been asked for one or 
 more letters and a speech. 
 
 For this lesson you are to analyze the topics yourself: 
 
 1. Make an outline for four paragraphs on the subject: 
 — How a Business Woman Should Dress. Let the outline 
 consist of the topic-sentences of the paragraphs. 
 
 Write out the four paragraphs, giving especial atten- 
 tion to illustrative detail. Each paragraph should consist 
 of at least fifty words. 
 
 2. Follow the same process with the following topics: 
 
 a) The effect of modern advertising on the cost of 
 living. 
 
 h) How and where I should advertise a new toilet soap 
 of very fine quality. 
 
 c) Trade-names for the following articles : 
 i. A new automobile lubricator, 
 ii. A new golf ball, 
 iii. A new variety of durable hosiery. 
 iv. A new variety of potted meat, ham, tongue, or 
 chicken. 
 Explain and define each trade-name in a paragraph of 
 at least fifty words. 
 
 104 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 EFFECTIVENESS 
 
 Effectiveness seems to be the best word to name the qual- 
 ity, or the kind of qualities, that we shall discuss in this 
 chapter ; though it must be confessed that it does not quite 
 adequately name it. Other words that we might use are 
 emphasis, force, strength; two words that we should not 
 offer, though in the business magazines they seem to be used 
 for this very- quality, are punch and pull. It is not 
 within our field to take up those aspects of writing, those 
 devices of expression, those varieties of subject-matter that 
 persuade a customer to buy a specific article ; one must go 
 to a school for salesmen or advertisers to learn these tech- 
 nical, industrial points. "We must here discuss those things 
 that produce effectiveness in all or any writing — confining 
 ourselves, as we are doing throughout this book, to the 
 •practical side of expression. 
 
 There are a great many devices designed to secure effec- 
 tiveness with which we have nothing to do more than to 
 note them. They are, indeed, only mechanical contrivances 
 and are no more concerned with writing than is the style 
 of type in which your book is printed, or the color of the 
 cloth in which it is bound. 
 
 For instance, there is the opening out of the text into sec- 
 tions falsely called paragraphs. It is the fashion in much 
 business writing, especially advertisements and form-let- 
 ters, to give to the larger number of the statements — some- 
 times to every statement — whatever advantage may come 
 
 105 
 
106 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 from standing alone. It is therefore printed alone, indented 
 as if it were a paragraph. But no matter how it is printed, 
 it is not a paragraph, unless it is a distinct and complete 
 step in the thinking. It is a pity that this practice is spread- 
 ing, because it tends to confuse students as to what a true 
 paragraph is. And to confuse a student on this point is 
 to confuse him on the very central matter of his thinking 
 and writing. 
 
 Below you will find sections of a form-letter showing 
 these false paragraphs. The word false is not used in con- 
 demnation of this manner of printing. The point is that 
 the sections are not real paragraphs, but mere mechanical 
 divisions of the matter, and so do not come into our dis- 
 cussion of effectiveness. 
 
 Sit down and plan to be something and he it. We can't all be 
 Napoleons, or Lincolns, or Washingtons. Any one can he something. 
 
 You may not have the genius of an Edison for mechanics. But 
 the man who is a mechanical idiot may become a great architect. 
 
 No one without talent for literature can be a Dickens. But the 
 boy who can not write a connected sentence may become a renowned 
 chemist. 
 
 In every person there is the possibility of something. Find tha-t 
 something and he it. 
 
 Don't waste any more of your life in an aimless expenditure 
 of time. 
 
 The day that you definitely decide to make something of yourself 
 is the most important day of your life. Let that day he today. 
 
 Decide to be something. Then be true as steel to your decision. 
 Think of it, plan for it, work for it, and live for it. Throw your 
 mind, might, strength, heart, and soul into your actions. 
 
 No matter whether your object be great or small, if you prop- 
 erly plan its achievement, and then adhere to your plans, success 
 will smile upon you. 
 
 Another of the mechanical devices for securing emphasis 
 or producing effectiveness is the use of either capitals or 
 italics. As concerns the former we should be quite safe in 
 
EFFECTIVENESS 107 
 
 saying that in your writing you would never have occa- 
 sion to use capitals. Capitals in your written speech are 
 what your very loudest scream or shout would be in your 
 spoken speech. And you know how seldom you have to 
 scream or shout. 
 
 As concerns the second, use them for emphasis as little as 
 possible. Italics are practically always a confession of 
 weakness in your expression ; you do not need them if you 
 know how to write strong, effective sentences that produce 
 their effect by innate skill. Such sentences do not have to 
 resort to the mechanical device of italics. 
 
 Note. — Two reservations are to be made here: (1) Italics are 
 used, as for instance in this book, to set off words given as examples 
 and instances, or mentioned merely as words. They are used to 
 avoid the disfigurement of the page by a large number of quotation 
 marks. (2) In an advertisement and in a certain kind of form- 
 letter, capitals, italics, and black-face type may legitimately be 
 distributed through the text for the purpose of arresting the eye, and 
 calling attention to the catch- words. But in neither of these cases 
 are italics used for emphasis. 
 
 Some of the important processes and devices for securing 
 effectiveness are these : 
 
 1. The placing of the material in the sentence. — 
 Exercise 1 
 
 Study the following sentences and try the effect of chang- 
 ing the places of the words italicized : 
 
 1. Blessed are the peacemakers. 
 
 2. Though twentieth in population, in bank deposits and bank 
 clearings, Kansas City is seventh. 
 
 3. The hazards of weather and market he seems completely to 
 have eliminated. 
 
 4. What Westfield has done every other city, town, and hamlet 
 in America can do. 
 
 6. Up go prices. 
 
108 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 6. Two coffee seeds were planted in 1754 by a monk in the gar- 
 den of a monastery in Rio de Janeiro, and from this beginning has 
 grown Brazil's enormous wealth in coffee. 
 
 7. The thing you propose is, in the conventional use of the 
 term impossible. 
 
 8. Concerning history with all its lessons; concerning the great 
 thoughts of philosophy and religion; concerning human nature itself, 
 his mind is a blank. 
 
 9. To increase the weekly pay of a wage-earner is an object 
 which they hotly pursue. To make him cease to be a ivage-earner 
 is an object that would seem to them entirely outside the realities 
 of life. 
 
 10. Our country is, after all, not a country of dollars but of 
 ballots. 
 
 11. To think hard and persistently is painful. 
 
 You will notice that the conspicuous and therefore 
 emphatic places in the sentence are the beginning and the 
 end. It is possible in speaking to give especial emphasis 
 to a word that comes in the middle. 
 
 Any upsetting of the normal order of a sentence tends to 
 give emphasis to the parts that are out of order. 
 
 The conspicuous places in a paragraph, too, are at the 
 beginning and the end. If you are going to state your 
 important fact, your topic, only once, it is better in busi- 
 ness writing, especially letters, to give it the first sentence 
 in your paragraph. A busy man — indeed any man who is 
 reading for facts — ^likes to get his fact or his topic first. 
 Some minds are so acute that they do not need the amplifi- 
 cations and examples that come in to support the topic 
 statement. For such readers give this statement at once. In 
 literary writing you expect your reader to take deliberate 
 pleasure in the reading; you desire him to think and feel 
 along with you, and having gone through the process, to 
 arrive at the same conclusion with you. The literary writer 
 uses with good effect the paragraph that announces its topic 
 at the end. These statements must not be taken as rules. 
 
EFFECTIVENESS 109 
 
 They are helpful observations — deductions from the study 
 of good writing. These two types of paragraphs have 
 already been illustrated (page 66). 
 
 The places for producing effect in a letter are at the 
 beginning, the end, and in the space on the line of vision. 
 These points are discussed in detail in the section on 
 letters (Chapter XII, A). 
 
 2. Emphasis by proportion. — Fullness of treatment 
 gives emphasis and effectiveness to any especially impor- 
 tant matter. You open out in detail the topic to which you 
 wish especial attention given. When you open a letter 
 you can tell at a glance, by the amount of space used, where 
 the central, important heart of the letter lies. 
 
 For emphasis of this sort the paragraph that states the 
 topic sentence both at the beginning and at the end, by way 
 of summary or of iteration, is good ; between the two state- 
 ments you fill in with specifications, details, or proofs ; you 
 clinch the whole with a new and stronger statement of the 
 final conclusion. 
 
 3. Repetition and iteration. — These give a kind of effec- 
 tiveness that comes of delivering blow after blow in the 
 same place until the nail is driven in. This device is par- 
 ticularly effective in speaking. The reason for this is partly 
 a physical one; you hear only once, and repetition helps 
 more than it does in matter to be read, where you may see 
 the statement any number of times. Notice the effect of 
 repetition in this paragraph : 
 
 The scope of any possible effective regulation of railroads is 
 limited to a relatively narrow sphere. Regulation may prevent 
 positive abuses like discrimination, or rebating, or excessive rates. 
 Regulation may prevent persistent disregard of definite public 
 demands. Regulation may compel the correction of definite evils, 
 like the use of unsanitary cars. But regulation can not make an 
 inefficient business efficient. Regulation can not supply initiative 
 
110 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 and energy. Regulation can not overcome the wasting sickness of 
 monopoly. Regulation may curb, but it can not develop, the action 
 of railroad officials. The policy of regulating public service com- 
 panies is sound, but it must not be overworked. — Brandeis, "Business 
 as a Profession.'* 
 
 4. The use of specific terms and concrete instances. — 
 
 Here again may be pointed out the value of detail. You 
 have seen how it helps clearness — opening out and clearing 
 up general or abstract terms that might be obscure or unfa- 
 miliar. It is even more valuable as a means to effectiveness. 
 Our emotions are aroused not by the whole class, by the gen- 
 eral truth, but by the individual, by the actual living pres- 
 ent object. We are moved to action by some detail of pre- 
 sentation that touches an emotional spring. ''Neglected 
 childhood" stirs little feeling in us; ''The neglected chil- 
 dren of the slums" comes very little nearer to us; "The 
 children of the crowded tenements who have no playground 
 but the streets ' ' touches only the more sensitive souls ; ' ' Lit- 
 tle pale, blue-eyed Tommy Ryan gasping for breath in the 
 hot kitchen where he lives with his mother" brings dollars 
 enough to send Tommy and his mother for a week in the 
 country. 
 
 0. Henry, describing the shop-girl in one of his stories, 
 could have said, ' ' Her promotion was the result of strength, 
 courage, innocence, patience, and loyalty," and we should 
 have had no emotional reaction, no charm of humor, and 
 no real vision of the girl. He did say, "Her rise to an 
 eight-dollar-a-week salary is the combined stories of Her- 
 cules, Joan of Arc, Una, Job, and Little Red Riding Hood." 
 Then we see her struggle, and we see the humor of the 
 details by which he presents it. Such suggestive details as 
 these sometimes give a very nice touch of romance, as in 
 this: 
 
 Modem transportation is a jungle of routes calling for specialists 
 
EFFECTIVENESS m 
 
 who like the pathfinders of old have expert knowledge of the trails 
 of traffic. 
 
 These details may be the simple analysis of the general 
 term, or they may be, as you will have noticed in the fore- 
 going, examples or comparisons brought in from other fields 
 of thought to make your meaning stronger or more 
 appealing. 
 
 Exercise 2 
 
 In the following examples supply the general or abstract 
 term in place of each group of details; and give specific 
 details or concrete examples in place of the general and 
 abstract terms. 
 
 1. All day we journeyed through the desolate scenery of the 
 desert. 
 
 2. The car has long wheel-hose, roomy compartments, over-ample 
 springs, extra deep upholstery. 
 
 3. It has spacious door openings, illuminated running hoards, 
 starter operated by foot, every mechanical unit within reach. 
 
 4. The airman of today has everything he needs with which to 
 fight the laws of gravity — with an engine of sufficient power he 
 could fly a piano-hox. 
 
 5. One of the advertiser's problems is how to make a noise like 
 a cannon with a musket. 
 
 6. The proprietor of a ten-cent store rents a very expensive 
 building, in the retail district for his shop. He says, "I like to 
 set my trap where the mice are plentiful." 
 
 7. Certain modern inventions have revolutionized not only the 
 business but the philosophy of the world. 
 
 8. The Japanese soldiers had the spirit that made of them 
 human bullets. 
 
 5. Relevancy. — These details, whether of analysis or of 
 comparison, must be relevant. This is a word much used 
 now in the teaching of all writing, especially of business 
 writing. To be relevant is to stick to your subject and 
 your purpose; to pick out what the salesman calls your 
 
112 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 "selling points "and to make the most of these; to find 
 out the genius of your topic, the things that make it what 
 it is, the thing that it is really good for, the time when it 
 is most appropriate, the circle to whom it is to be given — 
 these and many more points that come to a writer with 
 experience and observation, are the points that go to make 
 relevancy. To modern advertising and to the studies in 
 the psychology of advertising, we owe much of our realiza- 
 tion of the value of relevancy. 
 
 Suppose you wanted to make some one realize what a 
 good luncheon you were going to have; suppose, indeed, 
 you were the manager of a restaurant and wanted to 
 attract customers for your special spring delicacies. 
 
 You could say, ' ' We will have spring chicken and straw- 
 berry short-cake ^ ' and leave it at that, but the announcement 
 would attract only the very hungry. If you should say, 
 *' We will have spring chicken grown in the country among 
 the clover and daisies, and short-cake, fragrant as Easter 
 lilies"— you would miss your point — you would sin against 
 relevancy. These things are to be eaten. Your description 
 of them and your appeal to your hearer must be addressed 
 to the sense of taste — only partially and incidentally to the 
 sense of sight ; make only a slight concession to the fact that 
 we begin to eat with our eyes. Isn't this account of your 
 luncheon more ^levant? 
 
 We will have broiled chickens — little, tender chickens broiled 
 out of doorsj brought in on a hot platter, done to a delicate brown, 
 seasoned with the delicious flavor of wood-smoke, a touch of butter, 
 a sprinkling of salt, and a dash of paprika. And then we will have 
 short-cake — real home-made biscuit short-cake, white and flaky, swim- 
 ming in crushed strawberries — the ripest, reddest, juciest of straw- 
 berries. 
 
 If you were selling all kinds of stationery and used the 
 following details in two advertisements, which would you 
 
EFFECTIVENESS 113 
 
 put into a trade journal and which into a woman's maga- 
 zine ? 
 
 1. The purchasing agent for a large firm says of our paper: 
 •'I now use it for everything — letter-heads, office and factory forms, 
 price lists, etc. It is economical; it is durable; it is clear of finish; 
 it has quality in the feel of it. It is water marked; the man who 
 makes it seems to say, 'I will always make this paper just what 
 it is now. I will never cheapen this paper on which I have set 
 my mark'." 
 
 2. The fine qualities of our stationery are much enhanced by 
 the cut of the envelope, the size and shape of the sheet, the shades 
 of the colored borders, the gold edges, and the artistic boxes and 
 ribbons. 
 
 Suppose you were the proprietor of a soda-fountain 
 where you supplied all sorts of soft drinks, which of these 
 announcements would you make on December 15 and which 
 on July 15 ? 
 
 1. Sparkling, bubbling, twinkling aerated waters; fruit-ices; 
 grape juice; and lemonade. 
 
 2. A cup of chocolate piping hot, fragrant, and comforting; smok- 
 ing bouillon that will make you forget the temperature outside. 
 
 Exercise 3 
 
 1. Write a paragraph partially describing a visit to Flor- 
 ida in the winter — making the details relevant to the sub- 
 ject and the season. 
 
 2. Write a paragraph describing in part an experience 
 in the Canadian Rockies in the summer, making the details 
 relevant to the subject and the season. 
 
 3. Write an advertisement of candies, containing relevant 
 details. 
 
 a) The candies themselves. 
 h) The packages. 
 
 4. Write an advertisement of hosiery, making the details 
 
114 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 relevant to the article and persuasive to the possible cus- 
 tomer. 
 
 a) Hosiery for men. 
 
 h) Hosiery for women. 
 
 5. Write an advertisement of a sporting-goods house 
 appealing 
 
 a) To men. 
 
 h) To high-school boys. 
 
 c) To high-school girls. 
 
 d) To grammar-school boys. 
 
 6. Write an advertisement of a sporting-goods house 
 
 a) For December 15. 
 h) For July 15. 
 
 6. Exactness or suggestiveness. — It depends entirely on 
 what kind of material you are handling, what audience you 
 are addressing, and what your purpose is, as to whether 
 exactness of detail or suggestiveness is more effective. If 
 you were writing to an engineering journal you would 
 say — 
 
 From May 4, 1905, when work was started by the United States 
 Government on the Panama Canal, to April 1, 1914, there have been 
 hauled from the various cuts to "dump," 121,152,783 cubic yards of 
 material or "spoil." 
 
 If you were writing to a popular magazine you would 
 
 say— 
 
 The excavated material from the entire canal would make a 
 line of sixty-three pyramids each one equal in size to the Great 
 Pyramid of Egypt, reaching up Fifth Avenue from the Battery to 
 Harlem, a distance of nine miles. 
 
 Or to vary the illustration — 
 
 The amount of digging done would open a canal fifty-five feet 
 wide and ten feet deep from Maine to Oregon. 
 
 Suppose you were making up a party of young ladies to 
 
EF'FECTIVENESS 115 
 
 take to Europe. In the letter you designed for the young 
 lady you would give suggestions and imaginative details 
 of castles on the Rhine, snowy alpine peaks, the weird 
 crags and cliffs of the Dolomites; to her father you would 
 send a neat tabulated statement showing the expense in 
 dollars and cents itemized as travel, hotel, fees, etc. 
 
 So this, too, comes to a matter of relevancy. But you 
 should never allow yourself to forget how, or fail to learn 
 how, to make the imaginative and suggestive appeal. 
 
 Exercise 4 
 
 Write the letters indicated above to the young lady 
 you desire to have join your party and to her father. 
 
 7. The failure of exaggerated statement. — All over- 
 emphasis defeats its own ends. Crude superlatives weaken 
 rather than strengthen your effect; the best, the greatest, 
 the latest, the most economical — all these were discounted 
 long ago. When you use one- of them, you must be sure 
 that you are right, and that you could bring proof or 
 detailed statement in support of your hyperbole. But these 
 words and all like them are the merest crude way of secur- 
 ing emphasis, and are to be renounced along with capitals 
 and italics. 
 
 Neither will the mere use of strong terms produce either 
 conviction or action. Such a blustering paragraph as the 
 following produces only amusement, although the writer 
 heaped up in it all the strong words he knew : 
 
 The thing that is needed in business writing is some aggressive- 
 ness; plenty of ginger, producing interest and action; strong, power- 
 ful, persuasive, compelling statement of facts with red-blood 
 enthusiasm, organization, and power in every paragraph, every 
 sentence, every word. 
 
 Or this, almost equally funny, quoted in ''Life" from a 
 
116 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 report of the Washington, D. C, Chamber of Commerce. 
 ''Life" prefixed the caption "Easily Fixed." 
 
 What business men generally desire, what industry most needs, 
 is the certainty of a period of rest for the peaceful readjustment 
 of all enterprise that is inconsistent with the accepted principles 
 of law and ethics, and for the energetic advancement of all indi- 
 vidual endeavors free of any sense of rrepression, secure in a sense 
 of liberty of action, and guarded from the danger that the dis- 
 closure of personal prerogatives and personal achievements would 
 entail. 
 
 Compare the two foregoing paragraphs with this enthu- 
 siastic, specific, effective paragraph from Arnold Bennett's 
 "Your United States." 
 
 The Pennsylvania station in New York is full of the noble 
 qualities that fine and heroic imagination alone can give. That 
 there existed a railroad man poetic and audacious enough to want 
 it, architects with genius powerful enough to create it, and a 
 public with heart enough to love it — these things are for me a 
 surer proof that the American is a great race than the existence 
 of any quantity of wealthy universities, museums of classic art, 
 associations for prison reform, or deep-delved safe-deposit vaults 
 crammed with bonds. Such a monument does not spring up by 
 chance ; it is part of the slow flowering of a nation's secret spirit ! 
 
 8. Summaries and tabulated statements. — A business or 
 scientific article or letter may often secure great effective- 
 ness by presenting its material in the form of an analyzed 
 summary with the items set apart and numbered. Many 
 persons are attracted by these tables and other graphic 
 presentations of material. 
 
 There are, especially in the business world, many per- 
 sons who need, not ample statement of detail and well-stated 
 reasons, but a condensed view, a sort of picture which they 
 can grasp quickly and easily. For example : 
 
 1. If you want to — 
 
 Prolong the life of your engine 
 
EFFECTIVENESS 1 17 
 
 Reduce up-keep expense 
 
 Retard depreciation 
 
 Add to comfort and safety 
 
 Prever.t delays and repairs 
 see that your car is equipped with our springs. 
 
 2. Mrs. Frederick sums up the causes of eighty per cent of the 
 inefficiency of housework: 
 
 1. The worker does not have all the needful tools or utensils 
 at hand before her when she begins to work; therefore, 
 
 2. She wastes time and effort walking to, hunting for, or fetch- 
 ing ingredients, tools, or materials she neglected to have at hand 
 when she began the task. 
 
 3. She stops in the middle of one task to do something else 
 ciuite unrelated. 
 
 4. She lowers the efficiency of good work by losing time putting 
 tools or work away, generally due to poor arrangement of kitchen, 
 pantry, and closets. 
 
 5. She uses a poor tool, or a wrong one; or works at a table, 
 sink, ironing-board, or molding-board of the wrong height from 
 the floor. 
 
 6. She loses time because she does not keep sufficient supplies 
 on hand, and because she does not keep her tools and utensils in 
 good condition. 
 
 9. Analysis and organization. — As a matter of fact, 
 great effectiveness is achieved by giving to your whole 
 speech, article, or letter this atmosphere of organization. 
 Whether or not you number your points yourself, your 
 reader or hearer should be able to number them. Do your 
 thinking by distinct, logical steps, so that it not only can 
 be but must be understood and remembered. 
 
 This organization and analysis of your thought and mate- 
 rial has been emphasized in your exercises in business com- 
 position; it has been stated as a factor in clearness; it 
 is discussed under the making of a speech, and under 
 thinking out a letter. The aim has been to exemplify it 
 in every chapter of this book. It is indispensable to effec- 
 tiveness of the practical and logical sort. 
 
113 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 10. Sincerity. — A tone of dignity and truthfulness 
 secures great and lasting effectiveness. The applicant who 
 states his qualifications modestly and truthfully with real 
 dignity, is the one who makes the effective application. The 
 advertisement that makes no false promises but is enthusi- 
 astic and relevant is the one that attracts desirable and 
 permanent 'response. No reader believes that hopeless dis- 
 aster will overtake him if he does not act NOW. Only the 
 most inexpert person would be taken in, or pushed to a 
 decision by urgencies so crude as the following : 
 
 Only a few days remain during which you may obtain the benefit 
 of the large reduction offered from regular prices. 
 
 Sit down today this hour, this very minute, and write to me. 
 You must act at once. 
 
 You will absolutely never have another opportunity to secure 
 these glorious books at anything like this price. 
 
 Let us hear from you by return mail. Make out your order and 
 
 MAIL IT TODAY. 
 
 Remember it is tour benefit that we are seeking. 
 
 11. Emphasis on the focus. — In each sentence there is a 
 main idea; we have discussed the means of throwing this 
 up into a high light. In every paragraph there is an item 
 or a thought or a purpose to be made clear and effective. In 
 every article or letter or speech, there is a thought or a 
 small series of thoughts which constitutes its reason for 
 being. Decide in every case what this focus, this heart of 
 your letter is, and bring it into prominence by some of 
 the means we have discussed. Make your central point 
 clear. Put your climax where it belongs, and light it up. 
 There will be some practical illustrations of this in the 
 letters (Chapter XII, A). 
 
 12. Reaching a conclusion. — In business writing, espe- 
 cially, you need the effect of pushing on to a conclusion; 
 in scientific writing you may say that you have not data 
 
EFFECTIVENESS 119 
 
 enough for a final conclusion ; in literary writing you may 
 leave your essay or story inconclusive for the sake of artistic 
 effect; but in practical aft'airs you want the conclusion, the 
 decision, the application, the ' ' what of it. ' ' The ' ' clincher ' ' 
 is used by some writers as a technical term to name this 
 element in business writing. Clinch your thought if you 
 are aiming at effectiveness. 
 
 Exercise 5 
 
 1. Jot down the twelve sideheads of this chapter, writing 
 only those words appearing in black-face type. Give a 
 talk on effectiveness from these as notes. 
 
 2. Under each head give one illustration or example from 
 the book, and one of your own choosing or inventing. 
 
General Exercises in Business Composition 
 
 The art and business of advertising is, as you know, a 
 very elaborate thing. Kapid and complete communication 
 all over the world has completely altered the problems of 
 selling goods ; national and international selling constitutes 
 much of the business of our day. This has raised advertis- 
 ing to a place of great importance; an advertising expert 
 must be trained as elaborately as a lawyer or a doctor. 
 
 But so far as the final basic principles go, they are sim- 
 ple ; as a matter of fact, they are the fundamental charac- 
 teristics of all good writing. These principles are indeed, 
 only our two friends — clearness and effectiveness. 
 
 At the same time, it must be remembered that advertise- 
 ments differ from other compositions in the manner of 
 their approach to the reader. They must be planned to 
 catch the wandering eye and to hold attention until their 
 purpose is accomplished. They have only a moment in 
 which to tell their whole story, and in that moment they 
 must overcome an indifferent or even hostile attitude in the 
 reader, convince him of the desirability of a certain act, 
 and persuade him to perform that act. 
 
 If you will examine a number of effective advertisements, 
 you will see that the writers had clearly in mind three dis- 
 tinct objects : 
 
 1. To catch and hold the reader's attention by appealing 
 to some interest that is easily roused ; 
 
 2. To convey some convincing information in the fewest 
 possible words; 
 
 3. By a direct appeal to his desires to persuade him to 
 action. 
 
 120 
 
EFFECTIVENESS 121 
 
 The writing of advertisements is a fine discipline for the 
 securing of clearness and effectiveness. Try these exercises : 
 
 1. You are a manufacturer of toilet articles — soap, per- 
 fumes, face-powders, dentifrices. 
 
 a) Write an advertisement of your soap (or some par- 
 ticular variety of it) to be run in an automobile trade- 
 journal; make it relevant — to the soap, to the customer, 
 to the advertising medium. 
 
 h) Write an advertisement of a soap to be run in The 
 yv Oman's Home Companion; make it relevant. 
 
 c) Write an advertisement of several varieties of face- 
 powder; choose the medium in which you will run it. 
 
 d) Write a folder of about a hundred words advertising 
 your dentifrice; make it relevant to the purpose of the 
 goods. 
 
 2. Your department store is having a sale of shoes. Write 
 advertisements for the morning paper: 
 
 a ) For men 's shoes. 
 h ) For women 's shoes. 
 
 3. You are a dealer in stationery. Write an advertise- 
 ment to be used in the morning paper on the day that school 
 opens. 
 
 You are not responsible for illustration, type, or any of 
 the display features; you are to produce only copy. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 SPOKEN ENGLISH 
 A. SPEAKING ENGLISH 
 
 All the fundamental matters that we have studied so far 
 apply both to written and to spoken English. Both should 
 be grammatically correct; for both the correct and precise 
 word is necessary; both should show a sufficient range of 
 expression to secure variety and exactness; both should so 
 choose and arrange their material as to conserve correct- 
 ness, clearness, and effectiveness. 
 
 There comes a point, however, when the two forms of 
 expression diverge; there are some considerations — as for 
 example, enunciation and pronunciation — that concern 
 spoken English only; others, as spelling and punctuation, 
 concern written English only. 
 
 It is not necessary to speak of the importance of our 
 spoken word, or to tell any student how much it counts 
 in practical affairs. Poor Peter, the Galilean fisherman, 
 still used the rude swear- words, and probably the ungram- 
 matical vernacular of his back-country village, and the city 
 servant-girls jeered at his denials. But every man's speech 
 ' ' bewray eth him. ' ' Of course, when a man has attained suc- 
 cess, when he has a prosperous office, or belongs to a big 
 firm, he can have stenographers whose training has equipped 
 them to take care of the mechanical and manual side of the 
 writing ; to supply the punctuation and spelling ; to arrange 
 the material to the best advantage; and in rare cases, to 
 correct the errors in grammar and diction that slip into 
 ''the Boss's" dictation. 
 
 But when he speaks, a man stands alone. When he goes 
 
 122 
 
SPOKEN ENGLISH 123 
 
 for that critical interview that will place him or not, he must 
 speak face to face with the persons he desires to please. No 
 amount of formal instruction given in his ' ' school of sales- 
 manship ' ' can equip him for the personal encounter with a 
 skillful customer, when his success depends upon the give- 
 and-take of informal, but business talk. Underneath all 
 his special interviews he must build the habit of correct, 
 clear speech; otherwise he is likely to slip up at any 
 moment, and to create an unfortunate impression just when 
 he is most eager to please. 
 
 While it is true that a man 's speech betrays him — reveal- 
 ing his ignorance, his ill-breeding, his lack of education, his 
 uncultured association — it is quite as true on the affirmative 
 side, that it reveals his thoughtfulness, his habits of care, 
 his desire and determination to be a cultivated man, his 
 regard for truth and accuracy. 
 
 1. Colloquial language. — There is distinctly such a thing 
 as colloquial style. If we spoke precisely as we write, even 
 when we write informally, our talk would sound stilted 
 and priggish. 
 
 1. There are many words we can use in the passing, fleet- 
 ing sentences of a conversation that we should not like to 
 face on a written or printed page, where they would be 
 subjected to the repeated scrutiny of a reader; such are 
 phone, wire {telegram, telegraph) , cute, auto, graft, flabber- 
 gasted, flunk, exam., knock {complain, cavil), roast {con- 
 demn). Bits of picturesque slang, if used with point and 
 discrimination, are welcome in a conversation or informal 
 argument. Dialect and local words give point and color. 
 
 2. There are short-cuts and condensations that shorten 
 our expression when we talk, conserving both time and 
 patience, that would never do on the written page. We have 
 voice and gesture and facial expression to help out our 
 
124 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 meaning when we talk; when we write, we have only the 
 black-and-white page, and we can not take chances as to our 
 meaning. We must make it clear, therefore we can not 
 risk condensation, elimination, hints, and fragments of 
 sentences. 
 
 3. The chance for repetition makes a very real condi- 
 tion in oral expression. We know that if we are not under- 
 stood in one form we can alter the form ; we can amplify at 
 will ; indeed, repetition may in conversation take the place 
 of almost any of the devices that secure clearness and effec- 
 tiveness. There is no permanent record of our spoken 
 material to which our hearer may turn again and again, as 
 our reader to the written or printed page. Repetition is, 
 in a sense, a substitute for permanence. Any of these 
 allowable peculiarities of colloquial speech may be over- 
 worked or exaggerated; such abuses of them we must con- 
 stantly guard against. 
 
 2. Conversational manners. — There is a large number 
 of things which, while they do not, in a strict interpreta- 
 tion, belong to a course in English, are too important to be 
 ignored in any lessons on speaking. They are, indeed, 
 largely matters of manners, rather than of language. A 
 great many of them must be given as mere * ' Don 't 's. ' ' 
 
 1. Cultivate a pleasant voice. If you don't know your 
 faults in this particular, get a friend or teacher to criticize 
 and help you. 
 
 A harsh, rasping voice will finally irritate the persons 
 you have to deal with into a state of general and acute 
 antagonism to you which they may not be able to explain, 
 or which they may attribute to some deep-seated defect in 
 your personality. 
 
 An unduly loud voice will misrepresent you, seeming to 
 express an amount of egotism and bumptiousness of which 
 you are not guilty. 
 
SPOKEN ENGLISH ^25 
 
 A level monotone is fatal to effectiveness. The soothing 
 qualities of such a voice may be an asset if you are a nurse ; 
 but in most other businesses you need variety and flexi- 
 bility of voice. 
 
 Don't talk through your nose. This defect is so easily 
 cured that the failure to cure it is justly set down as an 
 unpardonable failure. 
 
 A high, excited treble will create an unbearable nervous 
 tension in an entire office force. 
 
 A low society murmur is not the ideal for a business girl 
 to set herself ; a quiet, but clear and crisp enunciation that 
 carries to the other end of the telephone wire, and that 
 causes the hearer no effort in listening, is a better ideal. 
 Such a voice need not be loud — its effectiveness is indepen- 
 dent of volume of sound. 
 
 A deep, quiet chest tone, produced like the singing voice, 
 as it were, from the diaphragm seems best in all vocal trans- 
 actions. 
 
 2. Americans have practically only one gesture, or rather 
 gesticulation, and that is the gesture of pointing. This 
 can become very irritating and is in many circles consid- 
 ered ill-bred. The dramatic gesture that should accompany 
 public speaking should be made a matter of study — unless, 
 indeed, the student has the dramatic temperament, and uses 
 instinctively eloquent and effective gestures. 
 
 Don't laugh or even smile while you talk, unless, of 
 course, you are quite overcome with the fun of your own 
 speech — and don 't giggle w^hen you have finished. 
 
 3. Listen when the other person is talking. Give him 
 your eyes and your attention, no matter what is going on 
 around you. Don't seek him, or don't receive him, unless 
 you can give him your undivided attention. He has a right 
 to feel that he is as important as any of the persons whose 
 letters lie on your desk. 
 
126 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 Don't rumble away saying uh-liuh, just so, exactly, pre- 
 cisely, I know it, and uttering other phrases and inarticulate 
 sounds that arise out of mere nervousness on your part ; at 
 best they are intended to express agreement or encourage- 
 ment — and these are much better expressed by your attitude 
 of attention and interest. 
 
 4. Reply to what your partner in the interview or the 
 conversation says. Don't have the manner of waiting for 
 the last bare word to issue from his lips, in order to tell 
 a more or less relevant story or to make some half -uncon- 
 nected statement of your own. This habit it is, that kills 
 conversation and clogs oral business among American men. 
 
 5. Don't ''cut in." Try to wait till the other man has 
 had his say. Or if you find yourself in the toils of a hope- 
 lessly long-winded interviewer, or if you see that someone 
 is going to make a long explanation of something you 
 already know, you may interrupt with a courteous phrase : 
 Pardon me, I can spare you the explanation, etc. 
 
 (Oh, yes, I know there will come an emergency when — 
 but is such an emergency not best met by throwing the still < 
 talking visitor out of the window?) 
 
 6. Don 't say yup or yah, or nope or n^h or anything else 
 in place of these words but a courteous yes or no. In case 
 you are speaking to an elder, or a superior, or an instructor, 
 you may follow some of your yes's and no's by a sir or 
 madam, or by the name of the person. Yes, Mr. Bruce, or 
 No, Miss Lewis. But when you are working with this person 
 for hours at a time, this practice may become very irritating, 
 and a simple yes or no may be so pronounced as to be all 
 that courtesy demands. 
 
 If you are in a public place and have to talk with stran- 
 gers, never say Lady or Mister. Say Madam to all women 
 other than mere girls ; to very young girls say Miss; to all 
 men say Sir. . 
 
SPOKEN ENGLISH 127 
 
 7. Don't preface your speech with Say! don't use I know 
 it as a term of agreement. Don't interlard your speech 
 with those annoying phrases that seem to call for agree- 
 ment or attention — Seef don't you see? don't you think sof 
 you know, huh? This is an almost universal habit of young 
 business men, growing possibly out of the effort to be per- 
 suasive and informal; it will bring tears of vexation and 
 rage to the eyes of any customer worth having. 
 
 8. Don't make yourself a fountain of meaningless and 
 underbred oaths and expletives; Gee is profane; mercy, 
 goodness, for pity's sake, for the love of Mike, etc., etc. — 
 all these things are vulgar and useless. 
 
 It is probably true that every one of us knows some useful 
 citizen and successful business man or woman who does 
 one or all of the things condemned above. But he succeeds 
 in spite of them ; he has personality and character enough 
 to carry the handicap of vulgar speech habits. Such a per- 
 sonality would never be merely standardized by correct 
 habits ; he would only have the added weight and dignity 
 that such habits would bring. 
 
 3. The dramatic gift and business speech. — All conver- 
 sations are little dramas. Every really successful conversa- 
 tionalist is an actor who is able to take, and who really 
 does take, both the parts — ^his own when he speaks, the 
 other person's in his turn. Every business man should be 
 enough of a dramatist and an actor to be able to adapt hia 
 speech to his hearers. If they are plain, simple people, he 
 should know how to use the words and terms of speech 
 that they will understand. If his clients, or customers, or 
 auditors are experienced persons, he should be able to make 
 his appeal to them. It is a mistake to do much *' talking 
 down" to your auditors. The simplest rustic audience is 
 neither flattered nor moved by poor English, or by the ''by- 
 gum ' ' style of oratory. A cordial, genial manner and a sin- 
 
128 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 cerely sympathetic interest will please and reassure your 
 audience more than any amount of incorrect speech. 
 
 No tactful person will, however, ostentatiously use the 
 correct word so as to seem to rebuke the person who has 
 used the incorrect one; he will choose some other form of 
 expression. 
 
 A business speech or interview is not a debate or a talk- 
 ing-match. Don't contradict. If it comes to a drawn ques- 
 tion, shift the ground as tactfully as possible, as you do on 
 a social occasion. 
 
 Exercise 1 
 
 1. Write a quiz of fifteen questions on this chapter up 
 to this point. They should all be questions that you can 
 answer. None of them should be answerable by a mere yes 
 or no. 
 
 2. Write out five questions suggested by this chapter to 
 which you need answers, and submit them to your instructor. 
 
 4. Careful enunciation. — The clipping and slurring of 
 words and phrases give a careless and sometimes unculti- 
 vated tone to spoken English ; Cm' on, for come on; 's week 
 for this week; 'st week, for next week; whad-ju-say, for 
 what did you say; etc. You should not be priggish and 
 tiresome in the enunciation of these familiar phrases; nei- 
 ther should you be neglectful. 
 
 1. Pronounce many times aloud the phrases and combi- 
 nations in the following list, giving each letter its value : 
 
 did you do you want to go next month 
 
 don't you where are you going last Sunday 
 
 what do you mean what are you doing just so 
 
 go on what's the matter 
 
 our hours are short that's right 
 
 2. Below is a list of words commonly slurred in pro- 
 nunciation. Pronounce each one many times, giving each 
 syllable its full value : 
 
SPOKEN ENGLISH 
 
 129 
 
 arctic 
 
 motive 
 
 natural 
 
 barrel 
 
 gentleman 
 
 ordinary 
 
 carriage 
 
 geography 
 
 picture 
 
 chocolate 
 
 government 
 
 poem 
 
 cruel 
 
 help 
 
 poet 
 
 diamond 
 
 helped 
 
 poetry 
 
 different 
 
 history 
 
 real 
 
 evening 
 
 ideal 
 
 recognize 
 
 extraordinary 
 
 institution 
 
 regular 
 
 February 
 
 kept 
 
 ruin 
 
 friendship 
 
 laboratory 
 
 separate 
 
 valid 
 
 literature 
 
 several 
 
 creature 
 
 miserable 
 
 transportation 
 
 plaintiff 
 
 morning 
 
 tomorrow 
 
 sheriff 
 
 nature 
 
 yesterday 
 
 Pronounce all words ending in ijf, id, ive as spelled — not 
 as if they were spelled uffy ud, or uv. 
 
 3. Don't drop your final g*s in words ending in ing. 
 
 going reading writing 
 
 speaking acting calling 
 
 5. Careful pronunciation. — A habit of correct pronun- 
 ciation is not set up without study, and much careful 
 practice. 
 
 1. The pronunciation of words is indicated in your dic- 
 tionary by certain signs invented to show the value assigned 
 by good usage to each letter that has more than one value. 
 You should be so familiar with these signs (called diacrit- 
 ical marks) that you can read at a glance the pronuncia- 
 tion of a word given in your dictionary. 
 
 The following are the more important diacritical marks 
 for the vowels. They are drawn from Webster's Interna- 
 tional Dictionary and are used also in Webster's Secon- 
 dary School Dictionary. 
 
 5 as in ate, fate, lab 'or & as in S,m, add, ran'dom 
 
 a " " sen'ate, del'icMe, 5-e'rial S " " arm, far, fa'ther 
 
 A " " cdre, shdre, pdr'ent a " " ask, grass, pass, dance 
 
130 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 6 as in 6dd, n6t, tSr'rid, 6ccur' 
 
 u 
 
 H 
 
 u 
 
 a as in fi'nal, in'fant, guidance 
 
 a " " all, awe, swarm, talk 
 
 " eve, mete, serene' 
 
 " gvent', depend', soci'^ty 
 
 " Snd, mSt, Excuse', Efface 
 
 " fern, her, er'mine, ev'er ti " " tip, tub, stud'y 
 
 " re'cent, de'cency, pru'dence H " " ^rn, itr, conctir' 
 
 " ice, time, sight, inspire' J " " Ay, my. W 
 
 " idea', tribu'nal, y " " pit'y, in'jury, divin'ity 
 
 " ill, pin, pit'y, admit' oo " " fool, food, moon 
 
 " old, note, o'ver, propose' 06 " " foot, wool, book 
 
 " " iise, pure, du'ty, assume' 
 
 " " Unite', ac'tuate, educa'tion 
 
 *' " rude, ru'mor, intrude' 
 
 u " " full, put, fulfill' 
 
 ti " ' 
 
 6bey', t6bac'co, sor'r6w 
 orb, lord, 6r'der, abhor' 
 
 ou 
 
 out, thou, devour' 
 
 " " oil, noi'sy, avoid' 
 Pronounce the following words, observing the diacritical 
 
 marks : 
 hate 
 labor 
 delicate 
 after 
 basket 
 branch 
 half 
 father 
 arm 
 casket 
 algebra 
 alarm 
 albino 
 
 alcohol 
 
 calm 
 
 balm 
 
 France 
 
 dance 
 
 grass 
 
 parent 
 
 eve 
 
 event 
 
 serene 
 
 6nd 
 
 send 
 
 her 
 
 fern 
 
 erode 
 
 err 
 
 error 
 
 item 
 
 unite 
 
 pine 
 
 ice 
 
 pin 
 
 pity 
 
 permit 
 
 note 
 
 over 
 
 proposal 
 not 
 knot 
 occur 
 lord 
 Crder 
 organize 
 use 
 duly 
 resume 
 rude 
 mute 
 
 mutter 
 
 mutton 
 
 multiply 
 
 tumult 
 
 rural 
 
 tune 
 
 rudiment 
 
 full 
 
 pull 
 
 tulle 
 
 pulpit 
 
 pfirl 
 
 ffirl 
 
 tug 
 
 tlib 
 
 tunnel 
 
 tuck 
 
 fool 
 
 book 
 
 room 
 
 took 
 
 out 
 
 indemnity 
 
 indemnify 
 
 Exercise 2 
 1. Consult your dictionary when necessary and spell out, 
 using the proper diacritical marks, the following words : 
 
 glass 
 
 agile 
 
 rebate 
 
 tumble 
 
 rafter 
 
 role 
 
 clarity 
 
 hurt 
 
 atom 
 
 culinary 
 
 cloth 
 
 hustle 
 
 omen 
 
 student 
 
 clothes 
 
 satan 
 
 task 
 
 open 
 
 identity 
 
 Satanic 
 
 basis 
 
 often 
 
 identify 
 
 labor 
 
 rout 
 
 tease 
 
 tumor 
 
 laborious 
 
 route 
 
 clear 
 
 tunic 
 
 urgent 
 
SPOKEN ENGLISH 
 
 131 
 
 2. The following are groups of words peculiarly liable to 
 mispronunciation. Study them carefully and look up the 
 less familiar of them in your dictionary, both for pronunci- 
 ation and for meaning : 
 
 a) A large group of words containing the sound of long 
 u, must not be pronounced as if this sound was oo. 
 
 avenue 
 
 new 
 
 tumor 
 
 Tuesday- 
 
 due 
 
 tunic 
 
 tune 
 
 duty 
 
 stupid 
 
 student 
 
 opportunity 
 
 manufacture 
 
 endure 
 
 institute 
 
 constitution 
 
 produce 
 
 tutor 
 
 tube 
 
 h) The words spelled with oo vary widely in their pro- 
 nunciation. Look up the correct pronunciation of the fol- 
 lowing : 
 
 root 
 
 proof 
 
 wool 
 
 brook 
 
 spook 
 
 room 
 
 soot 
 
 boot 
 
 nook 
 
 door 
 
 bloom 
 
 boon 
 
 book 
 
 shook 
 
 floor 
 
 roof 
 
 tooth 
 
 took 
 
 tool 
 
 poor 
 
 hoof 
 
 foot 
 
 toot 
 
 soon 
 
 cool 
 
 broom 
 
 fool 
 
 loot 
 
 boor 
 
 good 
 
 coop 
 
 blood 
 
 cook 
 
 spoon 
 
 crook 
 
 flood 
 
 moon 
 
 look 
 
 spool 
 
 droop 
 
 c) The following commonly used words have each a silent 
 or unpronounced letter. Write off the list, crossing out the 
 silent letter after the word is written. 
 
 almond 
 
 column 
 
 salmon 
 
 answer 
 
 fasten 
 
 salve 
 
 hustle 
 
 ^ half 
 
 soften 
 
 calf 
 
 hasten 
 
 solder 
 
 castle 
 
 heaven 
 
 sword 
 
 chasten 
 
 nestle 
 
 hymn 
 
 christen 
 
 often 
 
 wrestle 
 
 d) The following words are sufficiently alike in sound 
 to be confused in pronunciation. Read them aloud, making 
 
132 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 surplice, surplus 
 bin, been 
 
 the necessary distinctions in sound. Learn the meaning of 
 any you do not know . 
 
 air, are, ere close, clothes 
 
 e'er, err pillar, pillow 
 
 their, there feller, fellow 
 
 your, yore jest, just, gist 
 
 do, dew, due can, kin, ken 
 
 poor, pore, pure bust, burst 
 
 sects, sex formerly, formally 
 
 loath, loathe accept, except 
 
 news, noose 
 ere, err, ear 
 hire, higher 
 
 lose, loose 
 for, fur, far 
 
 e) Some foreign-born students, or students from foreign 
 families, have trouble in pronouncing the difficult English 
 th's and wh's. Practice faithfully the following list. Use 
 each of the words in a sentence. 
 
 thank 
 
 thimble 
 
 wheel 
 
 that 
 
 with 
 
 where 
 
 thaw 
 
 worth 
 
 whether 
 
 the 
 
 tenth 
 
 weather 
 
 then 
 
 seventh 
 
 whip 
 
 them 
 
 sixth 
 
 white 
 
 thin 
 
 ' thirty 
 
 whither 
 
 think 
 
 thirty-three 
 
 whence 
 
 thick 
 
 what 
 
 why 
 
 /) The following miscellaneous common words are fre- 
 quently mispronounced. Look up the correct pronuncia- 
 tion in your dictionary and pronounce them many times 
 aloud correctly. If two pronunciations are allowable, the 
 dictionary gives the preferred one first. 
 
 acoustics 
 
 autopsy 
 
 component 
 
 aeroplane 
 
 awkward 
 
 coupon 
 
 aged 
 
 aye 
 
 deficit 
 
 alias 
 
 because 
 
 detail 
 
 alibi 
 
 blessed 
 
 diphtheria 
 
 apron 
 
 brought 
 
 does 
 
 athlete 
 
 champion 
 
 economic 
 
 attorney 
 
 column 
 
 errand 
 
SPOKEN ENGLISH 
 
 133 
 
 error 
 
 inaugurate 
 
 rather 
 
 farther 
 
 inquiry 
 
 rheumatism 
 
 faucet 
 
 inventory 
 
 rhythm 
 
 figure 
 
 irregular 
 
 route 
 
 film 
 
 juncture 
 
 softly 
 
 finance 
 
 leisure 
 
 specialty 
 
 further 
 
 length 
 
 stomach 
 
 furrow 
 
 magazine 
 
 studious 
 
 guardian 
 
 mischievous 
 
 subtle 
 
 harrow 
 
 municipal 
 
 suite 
 
 hearth 
 
 narrow 
 
 theater 
 
 height 
 
 once 
 
 thought 
 
 honest 
 
 opponent 
 
 tomato 
 
 hospital 
 
 overalls 
 
 twice 
 
 hospitable 
 
 perfume 
 
 unanimous 
 
 hostile 
 
 potato 
 
 vaudeville 
 
 hundred 
 
 predicament 
 
 volume 
 
 idea 
 
 preparation 
 
 window 
 
 illustrate 
 
 puncture 
 
 
 3. In English words of more than one syllable there is a 
 stress on one syllable called accent — pro-tecf, pro-tec'tion, 
 unpro-tec't-ed, inau'-gu-rate, in-au-gu-ra' tion. This is 
 indicated in your dictionary as shown in these words, by 
 an acute accent. In a large group of words the meaning 
 of the word changes with the accent. Study the following : 
 
 abstract 
 
 abstract 
 
 insert 
 
 insert 
 
 conflict 
 
 conflict 
 
 insult 
 
 insult 
 
 compound 
 
 compound 
 
 o'bject 
 
 object 
 
 content 
 
 content 
 
 produce 
 
 produce 
 
 contrast 
 
 contrast 
 
 rebel 
 
 rebel 
 
 compact 
 
 compact 
 
 refuse 
 
 refuse 
 
 convict 
 
 convict 
 
 subject 
 
 subject 
 
 desert 
 
 desert ' 
 
 survey 
 
 survey 
 
 discount 
 
 discount 
 
 suspect 
 
 suspect 
 
134 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 Exercise 3 
 
 1. Use each of the words in the foregoing list in a sen- 
 tence of your own. 
 
 2. Add to the list ten words whose meaning or function 
 changes with the accent. 
 
 6. Telephone English. — It is especially important, in the 
 transaction of business over the telephone, to observe the 
 cautions as to pleasant, courteous, and correct speech; 
 because the total impression must be made by the words 
 and the voice. Telephone etiquette has some quite well- 
 defined rules. 
 
 1. Never ask when you call. Who is this? Ask, 75 this 
 Orr & Lochettf Is this Mr. Bruce' s residence? 
 
 2. Speak pleasantly, clearly, and correctly as in conver- 
 sation. 
 
 3. Never be ''fresh" or take any liberties you would not 
 take in a face-to- face interview. 
 
 4. Never lose your temper. 
 
 5. If you call, and for a business consultation, have your 
 business jotted down in notes before you begin to talk. 
 
 6. If you are a young employee, or a junior of any kind in 
 a business, don't use the telephone for personal or social 
 affairs. Don't allow your family or friends to call you 
 over the business telephone except in emergencies. 
 
 7. An agreement, a promise, or an appointment of import- 
 ance made by telephone, should be immediately confirmed 
 in writing for the record and memorandum. 
 
 B. MAKING A SPEECH 
 
 We can not undertake here instruction in a course in 
 public speaking, for that is a quite elaborate course of 
 study and practice in itself, full enough and important 
 enough to stand alone. 
 
SPOKEN ENGLISH 135 
 
 Neither is this the place to give a course of lessons in 
 formal debating. The processes that underlie formal debate 
 are difficult and abstract, and can not be mastered, or even 
 remotely grasped, in a few lessons. As a matter of fact, 
 the principles of debating tend to create dire confusion 
 when they are handled in any superficial or hasty way. 
 Luckily it is only in a rather narrow field of business activ- 
 ity that the theories and methods of technical debating are 
 useful ; most business transactions proceed by a much sim- 
 pler and more natural process. 
 
 However, while we do not propose to encroach upon the 
 field of public speaking, or of formal debating, we can give 
 the essential practical directions that are needed in the 
 making of a speech ; and we can give some practice in the 
 affirmative aspects of argument — the principles of convic- 
 tion and persuasion. 
 
 In our day of business, social, and philanthropic co-oper- 
 ation, everybody has to know how to make a speech — as a 
 matter of fact, every important business transaction is a 
 series of speeches, employing the same tactics as a single 
 speech. 
 
 Realize, first of all, that nothing but the habit of saying 
 well what you have to say will equip you for all the con- 
 tingencies of speech-making. To say this is to utter in a 
 certain sense a paradox. For you may well say, *'But it 
 is the making of speeches that gives practice enough to 
 form the habit, ' ' and this is partly true. But there are a few 
 exercises by which you can discipline yourself as a prepara- 
 tion for actual speech-making. 
 
 1. You are always thinking — that is, ideas and images 
 are always passing through your mind. Force yourself to 
 put them into words and sentences. Don't let impressions 
 and meditations drift in and out of your consciousness as 
 mere fragments or as detached ideas. Think them out in 
 
136 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 detail. Connect them with companion thoughts and ideas 
 and force them into words. As you walk about on your 
 errands, as you go to your place of business in the cars, 
 spend consciously every day an hour or more catching and 
 expressing in good sentences the things that come into your 
 mind. 
 
 2. As often as possible speak these thoughts aloud. A 
 child talks to himself, to his toys, to his pillow, to his shoes, 
 to his shadow; just as when he plays ''house" or ''store," 
 he is practicing those powers he will need in real life, so 
 in this talk he is rehearsing those ' ' dialogues of business, 
 love, or strife" that he will later engage in, in all serious- 
 ness. You can learn much from this important psycholog- 
 ical and educational fact. You will gain real proficiency 
 by rehearsing to yourself speeches you might make to 
 clients or to audiences. 
 
 3. Read a brief editorial or a short article in a maga- 
 zine. Close the book and reproduce it, following the train 
 of reasoning but never memorizing the words; gradually 
 increase the length and difficulty of the things you repro- 
 duce. 
 
 4. Read aloud a great deal. This exercises and educates 
 your sense of the flow and rhythm of sentences, and creates 
 a habit of complete sentence making. 
 
 A speech varies in length and formality from the "few 
 remarks" or the social after-dinner speech to the lecture, 
 the address, the oration. Our study has to do chiefly with 
 the speech a business man needs often to make— a speech 
 designed to give practical information and to produce 
 practical results. 
 
 1. The parts of a speech. — Every typical, model speech 
 of this kind has four parts : 
 
 1 . The introductory section 3. The persuading section 
 
 2. The convincing section 4. The closing section 
 
SPOKEN ENGLISH ^37 
 
 1. The introductory section. — 'This will vary with the 
 occasion and the subject. In general it is as if you had 
 just been introduced to a person upon whom you desire to 
 make a pleasant impression. You don't want to offer the 
 stalest commonplaces — neither do you want to amaze and 
 startle him. You would like to start your speech, too, with 
 a note of cordial pleasure, that will make the company feel 
 that it is a pleasure to you to contribute what you have to 
 give. In what we may call a business speech, it is not 
 well to be as funny as you can be in your introduction; 
 leave this for a social speech. 
 
 Personal disclaimers are in bad taste; if you are really 
 totally '-surprised, "if you do feel tremblingly modest and 
 humble and ignorant, you should not, in justice to your sub- 
 ject and your audience, be there at all. 
 
 Announce in this introductory part your subject and the 
 precise aspect of it that you are going to handle — the limits 
 of treatment that you have set yourself. Make your intro- 
 duction as brief as possible, and pass as soon as you can 
 to the treatment of your topic. 
 
 2. The conviction. — In this second section you state your 
 facts, make your points, bring forward your evidence, and 
 introduce your proof. The evidence and the proof need 
 not be the formal, technical matters of formal debate or 
 legal argument; in a speech of the kind we are discussing 
 they may be matters of simple demonstration or objective 
 evidence. This section may be quite long, filling up the 
 whole body of your speech. 
 
 In a report, for example, this convincing or explaining 
 material may well constitute the whole speech. 
 
 In a lecture — practical or learned — this is practically the 
 only kind of material introduced. If you would not take 
 it too seriously, we might call this the intellectual section 
 of your speech. 
 
138 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 It is always well to open your convincing section with a 
 very strong argument. If your speech consists of convinc- 
 ing matter only, reserve also a strong argument to close 
 with. 
 
 3. The persuasion. — This section contains the urgency 
 to action. Assuming that you have made the points clear 
 in your previous section, that you have given ample proof 
 and adequate evidence, that you have made plain the pur- 
 pose or function of the device or plan you are discussing, 
 you now drive it home. You ask your audience in effect, 
 * ' What are you going to do about it ? ' ' Here you show how 
 important action or decision is — ^how easy, how profitable, 
 how cheap, how desirable in every way — and on the other 
 hand how unprofitable, how costly, how disastrous, or how 
 fatal, would be the failure to act. In many kinds of 
 speeches this section constitutes the body of the speech — 
 in political campaign speeches, in hortatory sermons, for 
 example. "When you are speaking to a motion that some- 
 one has made, it is generally persuading matter that you 
 use; you are, as a rule, supporting the other person's 
 appeal, he having presumably created the conviction. If 
 your whole speech is persuasive, you should generally begin 
 and end with a strong appeal. If you present also the con- 
 vincing matter, it is well to arrange your persuasion in a 
 climax leading up to your strongest appeal. You may 
 call this part of your speech the emotional section — still 
 bearing in mind that these designations are only sugges- 
 tions, not fixed technical terms. 
 
 4. The closing section. — This may vary infinitely, being 
 adapted to your material, your occasion, and your audi- 
 ence. If you are making a convincing speech only, close 
 with one of your most effective points so as to leave a 
 strong impression; you may need no other closing words.. 
 
SPOKEN ENGLISH 139 
 
 In making a persuasive speech, it is often best to lead up to 
 the strongest appeal you have and leave it there. Some- 
 times it is very effective to sum up both the argument and 
 the persuasion so as to leave both fresh in the minds of your 
 hearers. 
 
 When circumstances call for it, thanks for the privilege 
 of speaking and for the attention you have received make 
 a graceful close. In any event, make your closing section 
 brief. Do not announce it by finally, in the last place, or 
 any such phrase. If you have developed your thought 
 properly, your hearers will see that you are coming to the 
 end. Be severe on any tendency you discover in yourself 
 to linger on and on, trying to find the right last word. 
 Should you feel that you have not found the most graceful 
 and fitting conclusion, then — quit. 
 
 Experience and persistence will enable you to master this 
 difficulty. Don 't allow yourself to think that a speech con- 
 sisting of these four parts is a mold into which you must 
 run your thoughts. It is simply a convenient classifica- 
 tion of the material usually found in such a speech as we 
 are discussing, and forms a convenient working basis in 
 the preparation of a speech. 
 
 2. The preparation of a speech. — 1. Know your topic 
 from A to Izzard. If you are presenting something you 
 want to sell, know its history ; its function ; the things for 
 which you want to substitute it ; its points of difference from 
 others in its class; its superiorities; and above all, its infe- 
 riorities, if it has them. Not only must you know it, you 
 must believe in it. Don't sell or advocate anything you 
 don't believe in. Keep studying it. If you are selling a 
 copper-bottomed wash-boiler, ask yourself, ''Why copper?" 
 and find out. If you are advocating a public playground, 
 know the neighborhood completely; know other play- 
 
;[40 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 grounds; learn the details of equipment and management. 
 Keep studying your product or your problem. You will 
 find great vistas opening out of it into many other fields of 
 thought. 
 
 2. Think about your topic, turn it over in your mind, 
 and see it from many points of view. Jot down promptly, 
 and at random, any thoughts that come to you, trying to 
 phrase them well from the beginning. 
 
 3. Begin to analyze your topic into its items, or stages 
 of thought, and arrange your random thoughts under these. 
 
 4. To this end, consider the oecr.sion, the audience, and 
 the time allowed you — all the circumstances under which 
 the speech is to be given. Adjust the size of your topic to 
 these conditions. For example: 
 
 If you were going to address a commencement audience 
 and speak for an hour and a quarter, you might take the 
 topic ''Business Education." 
 
 If you were going to speak to a convention of commercial 
 teachers, you might narrow the topic to "Business English." 
 
 If you were speaking to a club of young business people, 
 you might be content with "How to Write a Business 
 Letter," or more narrowly still, "How to Reply to a 
 Complaint." 
 
 Your procedure will vary with all these conditions; 
 should you have a whole hour and a limited topic, you can 
 go in for an exhaustive treatment; if you have only a 
 few minutes on a crowded program, you will try to find 
 the most telling points in your topic and handle them as 
 quickly as possible. 
 
 5. This is saying that your speech must be relevant; 
 nowhere else is relevancy so effective as in the short speech. 
 "We need some illustrations of this principle. 
 
 Suppose you are making a speech on the opening of a 
 public playground in your town or city neighborhood. 
 
SPOKEN ENGLISH 14| 
 
 The point is not recreation in general — you would not, 
 therefore, go into the hygienic and educational value of 
 play. The point is not games and sport — ^you would 
 not go in for an exposition of the physical and social profit 
 of group-play. You would shape your material to suit 
 your topic — the desirability of a public playground in your 
 neighborhood. 
 
 Again, suppose you are speaking on ' ' The need of keep- 
 ing open in the evening the reading-room of our public 
 library." You would not open up the history of libraries^ 
 nor even of public libraries ; you would not discuss reading, 
 its educational bearing, its dangers, the choice of books ; you 
 would not discuss the general or particular advantages of 
 public reading-rooms; the focus of your topic is open 
 evenings, and to this focus you shape your material. 
 
 Again, suppose you are to speak on the topic, *'The pro- 
 hibition of Chinese immigration by law." You would not 
 waste time on immigration in general; on the Chinese, 
 except incidentally; or on the prohibition of immigration; 
 the focus of your speech probably would be. Shall we pro- 
 hibit by law or by treaty? and to this you would devote 
 yourself, giving perhaps an introductory glance at the 
 other aspects. 
 
 6. Thus will circumstances determine the scope and 
 nature of your speech — whether it is to be convincing, or 
 persuasive, or both. Having decided this, and having found 
 the point for emphasis, divide your material just as you 
 divide it for the paragraphs of a written composition, 
 according to the items, the steps, the stages of your thought, 
 
 Set down the topics of these paragraphs in their nat- 
 ural, their logical, or their effective order, and make them 
 the basis of your further thinking. Go over them many 
 times, amplifying them and analyzing them, until you feel 
 
142 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 you have mastered them. Do not memorize these or any 
 part of your speech. If you must have notes in hand when 
 you speak, have nothing but these paragraph topics to 
 serve as reminders. But it is better to learn to speak with- 
 out notes. Rethink on your feet the things you have 
 thought out beforehand. 
 
 Exercise 4 
 
 1. Write a quiz of twenty questions on making a speech. 
 They must be questions that you can answer either from 
 memory or from consulting the foregoing text. None of 
 them should be answerable by a mere yes or no. 
 
General Exercises in Business Composition 
 
 1. You want to organize a Clean Streets Club. Make 
 a ten-minute speech that will show the need for the club 
 and will persuade your audience to join. 
 
 2. You are to make a twenty-minute speech on ''The 
 desirability of a public playground in our neighborhood." 
 Let it have the four parts of a typical speech. 
 
 Make notes for this speech. 
 
 3. You are given five minutes on the program of your 
 neighborhood improvement-club to speak on "Keeping 
 open the public reading-room in the evening." Make out 
 the paragraph topics for this speech. 
 
 4. You are to speak to the Improvement Club for an hour 
 on certain improvements needed in your neighborhood : 
 
 a) A public recreation hall. 
 
 hj A public playground. 
 
 c) Systematic care of vacant lots. 
 
 Outline your speech. Make the persuasion and appeal 
 strong. 
 
 5. ' ' Should school buildings be open on Saturday and in 
 the evening as social centers?" Prepare a twenty -minute 
 speech on whichever view you take of this question. Do 
 not advocate a view you do not hold merely for the sake 
 of practice. 
 
 6. Make a ten-minute talk on each of the following topics : 
 
 1. The effect of the moving-picture shows on the support of 
 the regular theaters. 
 
 2. The influence of the moving-picture shows on the regular 
 stage. 
 
 143 
 
144 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 3. The influence of the moving-picture plays on the drama. 
 
 4. The educational possibilities of moving pictures. 
 
 5. The need of censorship of the moving-picture films. 
 
 6. The dangers to morals and to taste of the moving-picture 
 shows. 
 
 7. Combine all the foregoing topics into one speech on 
 " Moving- Picture Shows," with an introduction and con- 
 clusion. 
 
 8. You are sales-manager of a company making a type- 
 writer with an adding machine attached. You are given 
 fifteen minutes to present your machine before a company 
 of bookkeepers. 
 
 Outline your speech. 
 
 9. You have twenty minutes on the program of a farm- 
 ers' convention, to present the merits of a gasoline pump 
 you are selling. Outline your speech, making the conviction 
 strong. 
 
 Give the whole speech. 
 
 10. You have twenty minutes before the wives of the 
 farmers to talk about a fireless cooker you are selling. Out- 
 line your speech, making the persuasion strong. 
 
 Give the whole speech. 
 
 11. You manage the advertising of a local grocery. You 
 have twenty minutes to speak before the local club of adver- 
 tising managers on "How I Advertised 'Curly Crisps' " 
 (a cereal breakfast food.) You have used at least three 
 methods of advertising. 
 
 Outline the speech. 
 
 12. You are publicity manager of a wholesale firm of 
 jewelers and silversmiths. You have thirty minutes at a 
 session of the Associated Advertising Clubs of America to 
 speak on "Creating an Atmosphere in a Mail-Order Cata- 
 logue.'* 
 
 Outline your speech, giving rather close detail. 
 
 13. You are traffic manager of a railroad; you make an 
 
SPOKEN ENGLISH 145 
 
 hour*s speech to the graduating class of a Business College 
 on ''The opportunity for young business men as traffic 
 experts. ' ' 
 
 Make the introduction especially strong. 
 
 14. Prepare a detailed outline of a speech of thirty min- 
 utes on ''What my course in Business English did for me." 
 
 There is no call for persuasion. 
 
 15. Prepare a twenty-minute speech on "The business 
 value of a knowledge of the Spanish language." 
 
 Make a strong introduction. 
 
 16. You are a teacher of French, Italian, and Spanish. 
 Outline a speech from that point of view on the topic 
 assigned in 15, making the persuasion strong. 
 
 17. Outline a thirty-minute speech on ' ' How our consular 
 service may promote American business." 
 
 18. Outline a thirty-minute speech on "The work of the 
 Bureau of Domestic and Foreign Commerce. ' ' 
 
 Other topics may be added or substituted according to 
 the needs and experience of the class. It would be well to 
 have each member of the class suggest one or more topics 
 on which he would like to speak. The following topics are 
 suggested : 
 
 1. What occupation do you wish to follow? What are the 
 reasons of your choice? 
 
 2. How should the smoke problem of a city be handled? 
 
 3. What is a monopoly? 
 
 4. What is a trust? 
 
 5. How a business girl should dress. 
 
 6. "Watching the clock." 
 
 7. The minimum wage. 
 
 8. A course in Business English. 
 
 9. Opportunities for women in accountancy. 
 
 10. Running a pop-corn cart at a summer resort. 
 
 11. The farm and the telephone. 
 
 12. The farm and the automobile. 
 
146 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 13. Why advertising space in farm papers costs more for Janu- 
 ary-March than for June-August. 
 
 14. Inventing trade-marks. 
 
 15. "Mining the scrap-heap." 
 
 16. Marketing is years behind production. 
 
 17. Retail delivery and the high cost of living. 
 
 18. Co-operative delivery among retailers. 
 
 19. Marketing by telephone and the high cost of living. 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 SPELLING 
 
 Spelling and punctuation belong to written English, as 
 pronunciation and enunciation to spoken English. The 
 spelling of English words is difficult and confusing. 
 
 1. It is not phonetic — that is, there is no uniform sound 
 attached to a letter or a combination of letters; your 
 ear for sound, no matter how good, is not always a safe 
 guide. 
 
 2. The same sound may be represented by several dif- 
 ferent letters and combinations of letters, as, for example : 
 -Hon, -cion, -sion; the first sound of the words, sister, city, 
 science; or the final sound in doze, lose. 
 
 As a matter of fact, English spelling must be mastered 
 by sheer application, and kept by sheer dint of memory. 
 There are certain well-known and practically successful 
 processes that help to fix the word in the memory and set 
 up, as it were, correct habits with reference to that word. 
 The following are some of them : 
 
 1. Read the letters over many times, silently. 
 
 2. Write it off on a typewriter, so as to see it in its printed 
 form many times. This process deepens your visual image 
 of it. 
 
 3. Write it off many times with your pen, so as to get a 
 motion image of its spelling. 
 
 4. Spell it aloud many times, so as to get an auditory 
 image of it. 
 
 5. Classify it among words spelled in the same way. 
 
 6. If it is a word you have frequent use for, put it down 
 
 147 
 
148 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 in a list of such words, which you review from time to time, 
 and in the spelling of which you give yourself frequent 
 tests. 
 
 There are a few customs that English spelling observes; 
 we can not, strictly speaking, call them rules. But they are 
 uniform enough to enable us to group together certain 
 classes of words and so help out our memory. Such groups 
 of words — containing those in which mistakes in spelling 
 are most likely to occur — are given below. But when we 
 have made all possible classifications there remains a vast 
 store of frequently used words whose peculiarities of spell- 
 ing are unclassifiable. 
 
 The examples given under each rule or statement of prac- 
 tice should be mastered and the rule or statement noted for 
 future reference. 
 
 1. The spelling of derivatives.— 1. Study the following : 
 
 mat, matted, matting 
 run, running, runner 
 sad, sadder, saddest 
 compel, compelled, compelling 
 prefer, preferred, preferring 
 grin, grinned, grinning 
 thin, thinner, thinnest 
 propel, propeller, propelling 
 
 These words exemplify the following rule: A word (1) 
 of one syllable, or a word (2) accented on the last syllable 
 when (3) it ends in a single consonant, (4) before which 
 stands a single vowel, doubles the final consonant (5) when 
 it takes a termination beginning with a vowel. 
 
 2. Notice these : 
 
 will, willing, willed 
 dull, dullness 
 full, fullness, fuller 
 help, helper, helpful 
 talk, talker, talking 
 
SPELLING 149 
 
 Words that end in a double consonant or any two con- 
 sonants usually keep the two consonants no matter what 
 termination they take. 
 
 3. Notice these: 
 
 wonder, wondering, wondered 
 answer, answering, answered 
 offer, offered, offering 
 alter, altered, altering 
 
 Words accented on any syllable but the last do not 
 double the final consonant. 
 
 4. Notice these: 
 
 gain, gainer, gaining 
 lean, leaner, leanest 
 cheap, cheaper, cheapest 
 
 Words that have two vowels before a single final con- 
 sonant do not double the final consonant. 
 
 5. Notice these: 
 
 trim, trimly 
 
 flat, flatly, flatness 
 
 fat, fatness 
 
 sad, sadness, sadly 
 
 mad, madness, madly 
 
 When the words described in 1 above take a termination 
 that does not begin with a vowel, they do not double the 
 single final consonant. 
 
 6. Notice these: 
 
 pale, paleness, paling 
 hate, hateful, hating 
 excite, excitement, exciting 
 move, movement, moving 
 sale, salable 
 force, forcible, forceful 
 
 Words ending in a silent e keep the e when they take a 
 termination beginning with a consonant; they drop the e 
 when the termination begins with a vowel (except in cer- 
 
150 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 tain words noted below where there is a reason for keeping 
 the e). 
 
 7. Notice these : 
 
 notice, noticeable 
 
 change, changeable v ' 
 
 charge, chargeable 
 
 peace, peaceable 
 
 advantage, advantageous 
 
 In these words and a few others the e is retained to secure 
 the right pronunciation of c and g. 
 
 Other exceptions to rule 6 are : wholly, nursling, wisdom, 
 abridgment, lodgment, judgment, and their compounds. 
 
 8. Notice these : 
 
 die, dying 
 tie, tying 
 lie, lying 
 
 Words ending in ie change the i into y before -ing to pre- 
 vent a confusing assemblage of vowels. 
 
 9. Notice these : 
 
 mercy, merciful 
 duty, dutiful, dutiable 
 tidy, tidiest, tidiness, tidily 
 dry, dryness 
 shy, shyness 
 
 Words of more than one syllable ending in y with a con- 
 sonant before it change the y into i before all terminations 
 except those that begin with i. 
 
 But before -sJiip and -like the y is kept : ladylike, secre- 
 taryship. 
 
 Words of one syllable ending in y generally retain the y 
 before all terminations. Daily is an exception. You will 
 sometimes see slily and drily. 
 
SPELLING 
 
 151 
 
 Exercise 1 
 
 In this exercise write out each word in full and be able 
 to give the reason for your spelling. 
 
 1. Add the termination -ing to each of the following 
 words : 
 
 chat 
 
 cheat 
 
 rot 
 
 root 
 
 prefer 
 
 refer 
 
 permit 
 
 interfere 
 
 retain 
 
 benefit 
 
 revel 
 
 quarrel 
 
 neglect 
 
 infer 
 
 creep 
 
 wonder 
 
 lap 
 
 leap 
 
 train 
 
 trim 
 
 intervene 
 
 reveal 
 
 repeal 
 
 pursue 
 
 erase 
 
 control 
 
 travel 
 
 answer 
 profit 
 die 
 try 
 
 study 
 carry 
 manage 
 
 2. Add the termination -ed to each of the following 
 words : 
 
 suit 
 
 fit 
 
 sop 
 
 soap 
 
 escape 
 
 acquire 
 
 conceal 
 
 arrange 
 
 acquit 
 
 marvel 
 
 exhibit 
 
 shovel 
 
 select 
 
 receipt 
 
 answer 
 
 step 
 
 steep 
 
 trot 
 
 treat 
 
 expel 
 
 contain 
 
 incur 
 
 repel 
 
 shelter 
 
 render 
 
 limit 
 
 die 
 
 try 
 
 study 
 
 carry 
 
 3. Add the termination -ahle to the following words: 
 
 charge 
 
 change 
 
 manage 
 
 sale 
 
 receive 
 
 cure 
 
 admire 
 
 realize 
 
 blame 
 
 notice 
 
 desire 
 
 exchange 
 
 avail 
 
 marriage 
 
 mortgage 
 
 distinguish 
 
 imagine 
 
 damage 
 
 dispense 
 
 use 
 
 4. Add the termination -ly or -ness or both, when possi- 
 ble, to each of the following words : 
 
 busy 
 
 shy 
 
 definite 
 
 dry 
 
 gay 
 
 nice 
 
 truthful 
 
 illegal 
 
 Tv:ise 
 
 day 
 
 accurate 
 
 mere 
 
152 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 near 
 
 scholar 
 
 unlawful 
 
 identical 
 
 loyal 
 
 low 
 
 false 
 
 lucky 
 
 true 
 
 agreeable 
 
 lusty 
 
 
 5. Add the termination -er or -est or both to each of the 
 
 following words : 
 
 fat tall fine 
 
 sad near wet 
 
 tidy pretty mad 
 
 lucky gay witty 
 
 dear lovely silly 
 
 2. The spelling of plurals. — This has been treated under 
 correct grammatical inflection (Chapter 1, 1, 2) with copious 
 examples. It may be reviewed here if deemed advisable. 
 
 3. Groups of words whose spelling is frequently con- 
 fused. — 1. The first of these is the ''ei-ie" group — words 
 that have the sound of long e sometimes represented by ei, 
 sometimes by ie. There are two ''rules of thumb" that will 
 help your memory : 
 
 a) Write e or i, first, according to the place in the 
 alphabet of the letter that immediately precedes it — if 
 this letter stands nearer e use e; if nearer i, use i. There 
 are some exceptions to this — field, fief. 
 
 h) What amounts to the same thing in practice, is 
 contained in this bit of rhyme : 
 
 "When the letter c you spy 
 Put the e before the i." * 
 
 ceil 
 
 conceive 
 
 brief 
 
 field 
 
 deceive 
 
 conceit 
 
 chief 
 
 piece 
 
 perceive 
 
 receipt 
 
 grief 
 
 wield 
 
 receive 
 
 believe 
 
 thief 
 
 yield 
 
 Exceptions — leisure, weird, seize. 
 
 ^ Quoted here from Buhlig's "Business English.' 
 
SPELLING 
 
 153 
 
 2. Confusion arises in the use of the termination -ise, or 
 -ize, in which long i is followed by the sound of z. The 
 tendency is to spell this termination uniformly -ize. 
 
 But usage has confirmed the -ise in the following words : 
 
 advertise 
 
 revise 
 
 excise 
 
 advise 
 
 compromise 
 
 exercise 
 
 apprise 
 
 demise 
 
 exorcise 
 
 arise 
 
 despise 
 
 franchise 
 
 chastise 
 
 devise 
 
 improvise 
 
 circumcise 
 
 disfranchise 
 
 incise 
 
 comprise 
 
 disguise 
 
 surprise 
 
 merchandise 
 
 enfranchise 
 
 surmise 
 
 premise 
 
 enterprise 
 
 supervise 
 
 3. Study the following lists : 
 
 
 capable 
 
 untenable 
 
 edible 
 
 curable 
 
 respectable 
 
 intelligible 
 
 durable 
 
 unbelievable 
 
 divisible 
 
 dutiable 
 
 punishable 
 
 responsible 
 
 salable 
 
 arable 
 
 eligible 
 
 laughable 
 
 lovable 
 
 collapsible 
 
 noticeable 
 
 admirable 
 
 gullible 
 
 immovable 
 
 unendurable 
 
 comprehensible 
 
 chargeable 
 
 possible 
 
 adducible 
 
 changeable 
 
 horrible 
 
 intangible 
 
 amiable 
 
 reducible 
 
 perceptible 
 
 inflammable 
 
 visible 
 
 permissible 
 
 blamable 
 
 audible 
 
 sensible 
 
 usable 
 
 inexhaustible 
 
 digestible 
 
 variable 
 
 indestructible 
 
 infallible 
 
 probable 
 
 susceptible 
 
 
 There is a shadow of a rule to be deduced from these, yet 
 so shadowy that one hesitates to state it. It is this : -able is 
 most often used when the derivative is formed from an 
 English word which can be seen in the derivative as a com- 
 plete word — as blame in blameable, laugh in laughable, 
 love in lovable, deny in undeniable; -ible is the termination 
 of words taken from Latin or French, and the root can not 
 
154 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 stand alone as in English words — visible, audible, edible, 
 
 etc. 
 
 Exceptions in the given -able list are; 
 amiable capable probable arable 
 
 Exceptions in the given -ible list are : 
 reducible gullible sensible 
 
 inexhaustible adducible digestible 
 
 collapsible 
 
 The number of these exceptions in lists so small will warn 
 you that the tentative rule given will serve only as a clue, 
 not as a guide. 
 
 4. Distinguish between -Hon and -sion; -sion is the spell- 
 ing of this termination in derivatives taken from verbs end- 
 ing in -nd, -de, -ge, -re, -se, -ss, -mit, -vert. 
 
 apprehend, apprehension recede, recession 
 
 provide, provision proceed, procession 
 
 submerge, submersion possess, possession 
 
 immerse, immersion admit, admission 
 
 cohere, cohesion permit, permission 
 
 adhere, adhesion invert, inversion 
 
 confess, confession revert, reversion 
 
 Exceptions are : 
 
 attend, attention; intend, intention; contend, contention 
 
 In all other cases the termination is spelled -tion. 
 
 construction vacation . institution 
 
 information cultivation education 
 
 Apparent exceptions are coercion and suspicion; but as a 
 matter of fact the termination of these two words has no 
 connection with the -tion and -sion ending. 
 
 Exercise 2 
 
 Add twenty new words to each of the following groups, 
 spelling them out : The -able group, the -ible group, the -ize 
 group, the -tion group, and the -sion group. 
 
SPELLING 
 
 155 
 
 4. Homonyms not spelled alike. — The spelling of that 
 large group of homonyms spelled differently is likely to give 
 trouble. A list of such homonyms is appended, made up of 
 those words that are most likely to occur in ordinary writ- 
 ing. 
 
 It is probable that it would not be well to give this list 
 to young students. It might suggest difficulties that they 
 have never encountered. And if they learned these words 
 as they occurred in the natural course of their reading or 
 spelling, they might never feel any uncertainty as to their 
 spelling. This every teacher may judge for himself from 
 his knowledge of the class. 
 
 But every adult student has probably encountered the 
 difficulty and will be glad to meet his enemies in battle- 
 rank. Look up the meaning of these words. Use each of 
 them in a simple sentence. Write off several times the sen- 
 tences containing the words that have confused you, to fix 
 the correct spelling in your mind. If there are any of these 
 words you have never used, omit them from your exercise. 
 
 aloud 
 
 fair 
 
 leased 
 
 right 
 
 allowed 
 
 fare 
 
 least 
 
 rite 
 
 ascent 
 
 cereal 
 
 miner 
 
 wrote 
 
 assent 
 
 serial 
 
 minor 
 
 rote 
 
 bad 
 
 cession 
 
 ore 
 
 aisle 
 
 bade 
 
 session 
 
 oar 
 
 isle 
 
 bear 
 
 cede 
 
 principal 
 
 kill 
 
 bear 
 
 seed 
 
 principle 
 
 kiln 
 
 bare 
 
 cite 
 
 scene 
 
 sail 
 
 by 
 
 site 
 
 seen 
 
 sale 
 
 buy 
 
 sight 
 
 been 
 
 ceiling 
 
 current 
 
 foul 
 
 bean 
 
 sealing 
 
 currant 
 
 fowl 
 
 stare 
 
 rain 
 
 draft 
 
 gate 
 
 stair 
 
 rein 
 
 draught 
 
 gait 
 
 wood 
 
 reign 
 
 canvas 
 
 great 
 
 would 
 
 ought 
 
 canvass 
 
 grate 
 
 write 
 
 aught 
 
156 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 herd 
 
 rest 
 
 serge 
 
 sane 
 
 heard 
 
 wrest 
 
 surge 
 
 seine 
 
 key 
 
 rap 
 
 steal 
 
 lone 
 
 quay- 
 
 wrap 
 
 steel 
 
 loan 
 
 peer 
 
 not 
 
 wave 
 
 threw 
 
 pier 
 
 knot 
 
 waive 
 
 through 
 
 pore 
 
 root 
 
 due 
 
 to 
 
 pour 
 
 route 
 
 dew 
 
 too 
 
 profit 
 
 ring 
 
 waist 
 
 two 
 
 prophet 
 
 wring 
 
 waste 
 
 air 
 
 mane 
 
 pale 
 
 pane 
 
 heir 
 
 main 
 
 pail 
 
 pain 
 
 ere 
 
 pride 
 
 need 
 
 veil 
 
 patience 
 
 pried 
 
 knead 
 
 vale 
 
 patients 
 
 5. Words containing silent letters. — These are confusing 
 to young students. When you know the history of these 
 words, you generally see the reason for the survival of this 
 letter in writing after it has disappeared in speaking, and 
 the spelling of such words becomes easy. In the meantime, 
 they simply have to be mastered by will and patience. The 
 following are some of the commoner words that have silent 
 letters : 
 
 know 
 
 knead 
 
 dumb 
 
 gnash 
 
 knowledge 
 
 knell 
 
 bomb 
 
 science 
 
 knack 
 
 knife 
 
 thumb 
 
 honor 
 
 knot 
 
 knock 
 
 comb 
 
 honest 
 
 knuckle 
 
 knob 
 
 lamb 
 
 ghost 
 
 knave 
 
 numb 
 
 gnaw 
 
 ghastly 
 
 6. Spelling your working vocabulary. — Very soon after 
 you enter a business you will accumulate its vocabulary; 
 you will find that there will not be more than five hundred 
 words that you use with any frequency. In some occupa- 
 tions the number will be even smaller. These you must set 
 yourself to master. Group them upon any principle that 
 seems to you reasonable and easy, and master the spelling 
 of them once and for all. You may group them: 
 
SPELLING 
 
 157 
 
 1. Simply by the letters of the alphabet, making them 
 scientifically alphabetical and mastering them in order. 
 
 2. By their terminations — learn all the -age words, all the 
 -al words, etc. 
 
 3. By the departments in which they are used — all the 
 credit words, all the banking words, all the bookkeeping 
 words, etc., etc. 
 
 The process of mastering them will be the process of 
 study already described more than once, combined with 
 their constant practical use. 
 
 Below is a list of two hundred and fifty words, every one 
 of which may be needed by anybody attending to the prac- 
 tical ail^airs of life. Master these, both for the sake of know- 
 ing them, and for the practice. Divide them into groups 
 according to any principle that you care to work out; 
 or simply master them in alphabetical order. Before 
 you leave them, know their meanings and be able to use 
 them in sentences. Luckily, many of them you will know 
 already. 
 
 When two spellings are allowable your dictionary gives 
 the preferred first. 
 
 avoirdupois cancel 
 
 ballot capacity 
 
 balance capital 
 
 bankruptcy capitol 
 
 bargain carriage 
 
 beneficiary cashier 
 
 benefit casualty 
 
 bicycle censor 
 
 build 
 
 bureau 
 
 business 
 
 busy 
 
 calendar 
 
 calender 
 
 campaign 
 
 abbreviate anxiety 
 accession apparent 
 
 accommodate appellate 
 according application 
 
 accrue appreciate 
 
 across arrange 
 
 advantageous arrival 
 
 afford 
 
 arrive 
 
 afraid 
 
 article 
 
 almost 
 
 ascent 
 
 always 
 
 assent 
 
 already 
 
 assess 
 
 all right 
 
 assets 
 
 although 
 
 assignee 
 
 analysis 
 
 assignment 
 
 censure 
 
 character 
 
 chattel 
 
 chronic 
 
 cipher 
 
 collateral 
 
 commend 
 
158 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 commercial 
 
 equivalent 
 
 laboratory 
 
 optional 
 
 commodity 
 
 error 
 
 landlord 
 
 oscillate 
 
 comparable 
 
 erroneous 
 
 lease 
 
 ostensible 
 
 competitor 
 
 exaggerate 
 
 ledger 
 
 overhaul 
 
 comptroller 
 
 excellent 
 
 legitimate 
 
 overalls 
 
 concede 
 
 exchequer 
 
 lessee 
 
 parallel 
 
 conciliate 
 
 exhaust 
 
 lessor 
 
 parcel 
 
 conscious 
 
 facility 
 
 levy 
 
 particle 
 
 consummate 
 
 fascinate 
 
 levied 
 
 passable 
 
 counterfeit 
 
 financial 
 
 libel 
 
 pecuniary 
 
 countersign 
 
 financier 
 
 lien 
 
 peremptory 
 
 damage 
 
 foreign 
 
 lieutenant 
 
 perennial 
 
 debt 
 
 forfeit 
 
 lightning 
 
 permanent 
 
 debtor 
 
 fraudulent 
 
 liquidate 
 
 physical 
 
 defense 
 
 fulfil 
 
 liquor 
 
 plumber 
 
 deficient 
 
 gazette 
 
 maintenance 
 
 pneumatic 
 
 deficit 
 
 gazetteer 
 
 management 
 
 precede 
 
 definite 
 
 generally 
 
 manufactory 
 
 prejudice 
 
 delegate 
 
 gratis 
 
 marriageable 
 
 preliminary 
 
 demur 
 
 group 
 
 medicinal 
 
 premises 
 
 demurrage 
 
 handkerchief 
 
 mileage 
 
 premium 
 
 depreciate 
 
 harass 
 
 millinery 
 
 privilege 
 
 disappear 
 
 height 
 
 minute 
 
 proceed 
 
 disappoint 
 
 hosiery 
 
 miscellaneous 
 
 procedure 
 
 discipline 
 
 hundredth 
 
 monetary 
 
 professor 
 
 dissolve 
 
 illegal 
 
 mortgage 
 
 propeller 
 
 divisible 
 
 illegible 
 
 mortgagee 
 
 proper 
 
 duplicate 
 
 imagine 
 
 mortgagor 
 
 purchase 
 
 economy 
 
 immediate 
 
 naturally 
 
 purpose 
 
 efficient 
 
 imminent 
 
 necessary 
 
 pursue 
 
 eft'eetual 
 
 infallible 
 
 necessity 
 
 pursuit 
 
 eligible 
 
 instal 
 
 negotiate 
 
 really 
 
 emanate 
 
 invalid 
 
 negotiable 
 
 realty 
 
 embezzle 
 
 intercede 
 
 nuisance 
 
 rebate 
 
 endeavor 
 
 inveigle 
 
 obstacle 
 
 rebut 
 
 engineer 
 
 island 
 
 occurrence 
 
 rebuttal 
 
 enough 
 
 janitor 
 
 offence 
 
 recede 
 
 envelop 
 
 journal 
 
 offensive 
 
 recommend 
 
 envelope 
 
 judicial 
 
 opportunity 
 
 recruit 
 
 epidemic 
 
 label 
 
 option 
 
 remittance 
 
remuneration 
 
 speech 
 
 tariff 
 
 vegetable 
 
 requisite 
 
 speak 
 
 technical 
 
 vehicle 
 
 rescind 
 
 stationary 
 
 technique 
 
 verbatim 
 
 residue 
 
 stationery 
 
 tenancy 
 
 vicinity 
 
 respectable 
 
 statistician 
 
 tenant 
 
 virtually 
 
 responsible 
 
 stencil 
 
 territory 
 
 volatile 
 
 restaurant 
 
 strategic 
 
 testimony 
 
 voucher 
 
 salary 
 
 substantial 
 
 tonnage 
 
 waiver 
 
 schedule 
 
 succeed 
 
 traffic 
 
 waver 
 
 scheme 
 
 sugar 
 
 trafficking 
 
 way-bill 
 
 sentence 
 
 supersede 
 
 transferable 
 
 weather 
 
 separate 
 
 superior 
 
 transient 
 
 weigh 
 
 shoulder 
 
 supervisor 
 
 ultimate 
 
 weight 
 
 shrinkage 
 
 supplement 
 
 unanimous 
 
 welfare 
 
 solicit 
 
 surety 
 
 until 
 
 whether 
 
 specialize 
 
 syllable 
 
 utilities 
 
 wholly 
 
 specialty- 
 
 tacit 
 
 vacancy 
 
 yield 
 
 specification 
 
 tactics 
 
 valid 
 
 zero 
 
 specimen 
 
 tangible 
 
 valuable 
 
 zeros 
 
 7. Spelling out numerals. — 1. Spell out approximate 
 numbers ; do not write them in numerals. 
 
 1. We printed about ten thousand catalogues. 
 
 2. He employs an office force of nine or ten men. 
 
 3. The attendance was estimated at four hundred. 
 
 2. Spell out the time of day when you mention it in your 
 text. 
 
 1. Mr. Bruce made an appointment for four o'clock. 
 
 2. We were invited for seven o'clock. 
 
 But in a list of hours, as on a time-table or a schedule of 
 any kind, use numerals : 9:30 a. m., 2:15 p. m. 
 
 3. Spell out ages : 
 
 1. A man of forty. 
 
 2. He is almost eighty years old. 
 
 3. Children between the ages of seven and twelve are charged 
 half fare. 
 
160 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 8. Abbreviations and contractions. — A contraction is a 
 shortened form of a word used to save time or space, and 
 is made by omitting a letter or letters. An apostrophe is 
 used to indicate the omission. Such are : 
 
 Ass'n, association; piib'n, publication; rec'd, received. 
 
 These contractions are not followed by a period. There 
 is no accepted list of contractions ; they are devised accord- 
 ing to need. 
 
 An abbreviation is an authorized and invariable short- 
 tening of a much-used term ; it is followed by a period. 
 
 A caution as to the use of contractions and abbreviations 
 is necessary. Do not use them in the body of your writing, 
 or when you use the word they stand for in an untechnical 
 sense. Such shortened forms give a ludicrous if not gro- 
 tesque effect when they are out of place ; as, for example : 
 
 1. While we were having tea this P. M. the Col. came in saying 
 he had been sent to inspect the P. 0. 
 
 2. It is a fact that Pres, Wilson appointed Prof. Reinsch of 
 Wis. m'n'st'r to China. 
 
 1. The spelling out of titles. — Spell out, when they occur 
 in the text, all ecclesiastical, civil, professional, and mili- 
 tary titles (except Mr., Mrs., and Dr.). 
 
 Admiral Dewey, General Funston, Colonel Clayton, Professor 
 Palmer, Bishop Anderson, Eeverend John H. Vincent, Honorable 
 William Jennings Bryan. 
 
 For the usage with regard to these titles when used in 
 the address of a letter see Chapter XII, A, 2, 3, and 8. 
 
 2. Spell out Christian names. 
 
 George, Charles, John, William, not Geo., Chas., Jno., Wm. 
 
 3. Spell out the names of the months, except in lists of 
 dates. Whenever the name of a month appears in your 
 text, spell it in full. 
 
SPELLING 
 
 161 
 
 1. I worked from January 1 to September 14. 
 
 2. I was engaged March 24. 
 
 4. Spell out Railroad, Fort, Mount, Port, Point, Avenue, 
 Street, etc., whenever they occur in your text. 
 
 1. I came from Minneapolis on the Northwestern Eailroad 
 (not R. R.). 
 
 2. He is stationed at present at Fort Sheridan (not Ft. Sheri- 
 dan). 
 
 3. One of the most brilliant achievements of the war took place 
 at Port Arthur. 
 
 4. My family is spending the summer at Mount Desert. 
 
 5. Abbreviate names of states, territories, and possessions 
 of the United States following the names of towns, as fol- 
 lows: 
 
 Alabama, Ala. 
 
 Alaska. 
 
 Arizona, Ariz. 
 
 Arkansas, Ark. 
 
 California, Cal. 
 
 Colorado, Colo. 
 
 Connecticut, Conn. 
 
 District of Columbia, D. C. 
 
 Delaware, Del. 
 
 Florida, Fla. 
 
 Georgia, Ga. 
 
 Idaho. 
 
 Illinois, 111. 
 
 Indiana, Ind. 
 
 Iowa. 
 
 Kansas, Kan. 
 
 Kentucky, Ky. 
 
 Louisiana, La. 
 
 Maine. 
 
 Massachusetts, Mass. 
 
 Maryland, Md. 
 
 Michigan, Mich. 
 
 Minnesota, Minn. 
 
 Mississippi, Miss. 
 
 Missouri, Mo. 
 
 Montana, Mont. 
 
 North Carolina, N. C. 
 
 North Dakota, N. D. 
 
 Nebraska, Neb. 
 
 Nevada, Nev. 
 
 New Hampshire, N. H. 
 
 New Jersey, N. J. 
 
 New Mexico, N. M. 
 
 New York, N. Y. 
 
 Ohio. 
 
 Oklahoma, Okla. 
 
 Oregon, Ore. 
 
 Pennsylvania, Pa. 
 
 Philippine Islands, P. I. 
 
 Porto Rico, P. R. 
 
 Rhode Island, R. I. 
 
 South Carolina, S. C. 
 
 South Dakota, S. D. 
 
 Tennessee, Tenn. 
 
 Texas, Tex. 
 
 Territory of Hawaii, T. H. 
 
 Utah. 
 
162 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 Virginia, Va. 
 Vermont, Vt. 
 Washington, Wash. 
 
 Wisconsin, Wis. 
 West Virginia, W. Va. 
 Wyoming, Wyo. 
 
 6. Established abbreviations. — ^You will find in your dic- 
 tionary a complete list of accepted abbreviations. For con- 
 venience of reference those most commonly needed are given 
 here. 
 
 @ at 
 
 acct. account 
 
 agt. agent 
 
 A. M. forenoon or 
 a. m. forenoon 
 amt. amount 
 ans. answer 
 
 app. appendix 
 
 asst. assistant 
 
 atty. attorney 
 
 av. average 
 
 avoir, avoirdupois 
 
 bal. balance 
 
 bbl. barrel 
 
 B /E. bill of exchange 
 
 B/L. bill of lading 
 
 B/S. bill of sale 
 
 bot. bought 
 
 B. P. bills payable 
 
 B. R. bills receivable 
 Bro. brother 
 
 Bros, brothers 
 cm. centimeter 
 Co. company 
 
 C. O. D. cash on delivery 
 c. p. candle-power 
 
 cu. cubic 
 
 do. ditto 
 
 dr. debtor 
 
 doz. dozen 
 
 e. e. errors excepted 
 
 e. g. for example 
 et al. and others 
 etc. and so forth 
 F. Fahrenheit 
 fol. folio 
 
 ft. foot, feet 
 
 f. o. b. freight on board 
 gal. gallon, gallons 
 
 h. p. horse-power 
 
 hr. hour 
 
 imp. imported 
 
 in. inches 
 
 jr. junior 
 
 kg. kilogram 
 
 ft. pound 
 
 m. meter 
 
 memo, memorandum 
 
 min. minute 
 
 m. m. millimeter 
 
 mo. month 
 
 mos. months 
 
 MS. manuscript 
 
 MSS. manuscripts 
 
 N. B. take notice 
 
 No. number 
 
 O. K. all right 
 
 oz. ounce 
 
 % per cent 
 
 pd. paid 
 
 P. M. afternoon or 
 
SPELLING 
 
 163 
 
 p. m. afternoon 
 pp. pages 
 pr. pair 
 pk. peck 
 qy. query 
 sec. second 
 Sec. secretary 
 gr. senior 
 str. steamer 
 
 s. s. steamship 
 Supt. superintendent 
 via by way of 
 viz. namely 
 vol. volume 
 W.B. way-bill 
 wt. weight 
 yd. yard 
 yr. year 
 
 9. The spelling of compound words. — A compound word 
 is made either by joining two words to make one, or by 
 connecting two words with a hyphen. The tendency is to 
 do away with the hyphen in all cases where the two words 
 may be said to convey one idea or where one of the ele- 
 ments is much more important. 
 
 1. Study this tendency in the following words, noticing 
 the meaning of those that have the hyphen and those that 
 have not : 
 
 schoolroom 
 
 newsboy 
 
 trade-mark 
 
 workshop 
 
 overcharge 
 
 pilot-boat 
 
 headquarters 
 
 forehead 
 
 order-book 
 
 blacksmith 
 
 gaslight 
 
 penholder 
 
 handkerchief 
 
 lamplight 
 
 railroad 
 
 lockout 
 
 hardware 
 
 staircase 
 
 newcomer 
 
 gunpowder 
 
 repair-shop 
 
 outburst 
 
 landowner 
 
 part-owner 
 
 bookkeeper 
 
 network 
 
 proof-reader 
 
 taxpayer 
 
 newspaper 
 
 shirt-waist 
 
 birthday 
 
 overpay 
 
 quit-claim 
 
 bondholder 
 
 overwork 
 
 revenue-officer 
 
 bookbinder 
 
 silverware 
 
 party-wall 
 
 hothouse 
 
 typewriter 
 
 
 makeshift 
 
 woodwork 
 
 
 2. Write as one each of the following combinations : 
 
 anybody something everything nobody 
 
 anyhow sometimes everybody nothing 
 
 anything somewhere everywhere nowhere 
 
164 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 And most combinations of man and woman, such as — 
 
 brakeman salesman seaman needlewoman 
 
 flagman seedsman forewoman clubwoman 
 
 iceman postman washerwoman 
 
 3. There is a tendency to omit the hyphen in tonight, 
 today, tomorrow, though conservative writers still retain it. 
 
 4. The large group of compound words formed by the 
 union of a verb ending in -ing with a noun, are spelled with 
 the hyphen : 
 
 dining-room sleeping-car working-man measuring-tape 
 
 boarding-liouse printing-office mowing-machine etching-needle 
 
 5. Compounds of fellow, father, mother, brother, sister, 
 parent, and foster, are spelled with the hyphen. 
 
 fellow-man foster-child fellow-being parent-hive mother-tongue 
 
 6. Compounds with non- ordinarily have the hyphen, as 
 non-union, non-interference, non-partisan. But certain 
 words formed in this way are so familiar and of so long 
 standing that they present but one idea, and are spelled 
 without the h3rphen ; as, nonsense, nondescript, nonessential, 
 nonentity, nonplus. 
 
 7. Vice-, ex-, -elect, general, lieutenant used as parts of 
 titles are connected by a hyphen with the other term of the 
 title, as, Vice-President Marshall, ex-President Taft, Gov- 
 ernor-General Harrison, Major-General Funston. 
 
 8. The usage concerning numerals in compounds is this : 
 a) Fractions take the hyphen, but when the meaning is 
 
 simple and general the hyphen is omitted. 
 
 1. He reduced my estimate by one half. 
 
 2. He offered me tioo thirds of my price. 
 
 h) "When they are used before nouns as adjectives they 
 have the hyphen : 
 
 one-half interest, a three-fourths share, a two-thirds length. 
 
SPELLING 
 
 165 
 
 c) Half, quarter, etc., compounded with nouns take the 
 hyphen : - 
 
 a half-term, a half-mile, a quarter-section. 
 
 d) Such expressions as the following are also spelled 
 with the hyphen : 
 
 a ten-mile stretch, a three-foot rule, a five-yard dash, a three- 
 inch ribbon, a twenty-mule team, a six-cylinder car, a forty-horse- 
 power engine. 
 
 e) Spell with a hyphen the compound numerals such 
 as, 
 
 twenty-one, twenty-two, thirty-one, thirty-two. 
 
 To sum up — whenever the two words of a compound 
 have been used together so long as to have lost their sepa- 
 rate meaning, or have come to stand as one entity ; or when- 
 ever one of the elements predominates strongly, write the 
 two as one word. Newly made compounds and those in 
 which the elements seem of equal importance should be 
 spelled with the hyphen. 
 
 Exercise 3 
 Write off this list of words, supplying hyphens or writing 
 as one word, according to the relation of the two ideas. 
 
 fishing ground 
 night fall 
 night bell 
 sun set 
 sun worship 
 fool proof 
 water proof 
 (a coat) 
 water proof 
 ( to make 
 impervious ) 
 
 10. The use of capitals. — The study made here does not 
 try to give an exhaustive treatment of the use of capitals. 
 
 air brake 
 
 bench warrant 
 
 cash book 
 
 audit office 
 
 bill head 
 
 card index 
 
 haggage car 
 
 bird cage 
 
 catch word 
 
 balance sheet 
 
 birth day 
 
 fellow student 
 
 ballot box 
 
 black smith 
 
 clerk ship 
 
 bath room 
 
 blank book 
 
 copper plate 
 
 bed ridden 
 
 blood shed 
 
 copy right 
 
 bed room 
 
 bond holder 
 
 drafts man 
 
 bed side 
 
 boxing match 
 
 fellow citizen 
 
 beef steak 
 
 boy hood 
 
 eye brow 
 
IQQ ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 But even the indispensable instances run up to quite a large 
 number. Go over them all carefully and do the exercises. 
 But regard this section as valuable for reference when your 
 need arises. 
 Use capitals for — 
 
 1. The words I and 0. 
 
 2. The first word of a sentence. 
 
 3. The first word of every line of poetry. 
 
 4. Proper names and the adjectives formed from them; 
 
 North America, American France, French 
 
 England, English Paris, Parisian 
 
 Many words formerly proper names or derived from 
 proper names, have passed into general terms and no longer 
 need capitals; as — 
 
 Utopian pla tonic quixotic 
 
 listerine ohm ampere 
 
 morocco macadamize pasteurize 
 
 5. The names of the Supreme Being or Power and the 
 members of the Christian Trinity ; as, 
 
 The Almighty, the First Cause, the Absolute, etc. 
 
 6. The names of the Bible and other sacred books; but 
 not in those adjectives derived from them; as, 
 
 Holy Scriptures, Holy Writ, Word of God, Koran, Veda, Talmud ; 
 biblical, scriptural, talmudic, vedantic, etc. 
 
 7. Titles of respect — ecclesiastic, civil, and military, when 
 they precede the name ; titles without the name when used 
 in direct address; titles without the name when used of 
 present incumbents ; abbreviations of academic titles follow- 
 ing the name ; as. 
 
 King George, ex-President Taft, President Wilson, Secretary of 
 State Bryan, Your Excellency, Your Honor, the President, the 
 Mayor; David Starr Jordan, Ph.D., LL.D. ; Bartholomew Stone. 
 D.D. 
 
SPELLDCG 167 
 
 8. Names of political parties, religioiis denominatioiis, 
 clubs, brotherhoods, etc 
 
 Republican, Conservative, laberal; ffi^ Gfanidi, Gatlialie^ 
 Presbyterian; Union Lea^e Club, AtworUtrd QuuritieB, Order of 
 
 St Francis. 
 
 9. Names of important events, docnments, treaties, con- 
 ventions, expositions; as, 
 
 The French Revolution, the Reformation, the Declaration of Inde- 
 pendenoe, the Panama Tolls Bill, the Peace Conference, the World's 
 Pore Food Exposition. 
 
 10. The names of the days of the week, holidays, feast 
 days ; of the months, but not of the seasons ; as, 
 
 Saturday, Wednesday, tiie FIraifh of July, Easter, Whitsmi- 
 day; Jannaiy, summer, antimm. ipring, winter. 
 
 11. The names of the political divisions of the eonntry, of 
 ge<^raphical and physical features when they are a part 
 of the proper name, but not otherwise; as, 
 
 Cook County, Northwest Territory, Straits of Mayllaii, Bed 
 River, Atlantic Ocean, Baffin Bay, YeUowstone Park, Yosemite VmOB. 
 
 12. The names of streets, pariss, aqpsrea, etc 
 
 Fifth Avorae, Oentral Park, Boston Gammon, Trafalgar Sqpme, 
 Madison Square Gardon, Ashland Block, Lyric Tlieater. 
 
 13. Bast, West, North, South, when they desagnate sec- 
 tions of the country, but not when they merely name the 
 cardinal points. 
 
 14. The important words — nouns, pronouns, Teriis, adjec- 
 tives, adverbs, first and last words — ^in the titles of Ixxdcs, 
 plays, poems, and other treatises. When the author uses 
 the initial article — ci> a*, the — as a part of the title, this 
 should always be capitalised. 
 
 Manly and Powdlls "A Manual for WritMs"; Macanlay'b His- 
 tory of England; Teu^ysim's •^dyUs of tiie King*; Sbaw^ "How She 
 Lied to Hex Husband"; Browning's "The Ring and tl« Book." 
 
168 ESSEN TIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 15. The chief words in an order, bill, or invoice j as, 
 
 Please send me the following: 
 
 10 bu. Potatoes 
 
 25 lbs. Flour 
 
 10 boxes Sunshine Wafers 
 
 16. The first word of a formally cited speech or quota- 
 tion: 
 
 1. Mr. Yeats said, "All young poets should keep simple." 
 
 2. Shakespeare's Jacques says, "All the world's a stage." 
 
 But if the quotation is run informally into the text do 
 not use the capital — 
 
 The old adage that "haste makes waste" is again proven true. 
 
 17. The first word after a colon when introducing a com- 
 plete passage; as, 
 
 I should advise you to this effect: Put the matter into the 
 hands of a local attorney, etc., etc. 
 
 18. The names of governmental departments, legislative, 
 administrative, and judicial bodies, when specifically 
 applied; as. 
 
 Congress, House of Representatives, the Senate, House of Com- 
 mons; Board of Aldermen, Department of Public Roads, War Depart- 
 ment, Supreme Court. 
 
 Exercise 4 
 Supply the capitals needed in the following passages: 
 
 1. our salesman, mr. bruee, will be in brockton monday and 
 tuesday, September 14-15. he will have with him a complete line 
 of novelties from paris, vienna, and berlin. 
 
 2. "neither a borrower nor a lender be, for loan oft loses both 
 itself and friend." — Shakespeare. 
 
 3. last year i had no vacation but the legal holidays, labor day 
 and thanksgiving i spent at home in newton center, between Christ- 
 mas and new year's i went south, on Washington's birthday i dined 
 at the athletic club, on decoration day i went with col. clayton to 
 
SPELLING 169 
 
 the bound brook golf club, on the fourth of July i went for a sail 
 in dr. hudson's little "batwing." 
 
 4. he will leave in October for the east, and will continue his 
 studies in harvard university in the school of business and com- 
 merce, he has the degree of b. a. from Columbia university where 
 he specialized in psychology. 
 
 5. last december immediately before Christmas mr. morton was 
 in Washington d. c. he stayed at the arlington where he met many 
 senators and members, among them honorable william gordon holt 
 member of congress from the ninth district, who said to mr. mor- 
 ton: the president would veto the panama canal tolls bill even if 
 it were passed both by the house and by the senate. 
 
 6. at a reception given at the residence of mr. chandler, member 
 of the house from nevada, mr. morton met the secretary of the 
 interior, the head of the bureau of domestic and foreign commerce, 
 the commissioner of Indian affairs, mr tumulty, private secretary 
 to the president, james parker hall, dean of the law school of the 
 university of Chicago, professor cherington, author of "advertising as 
 a business force," norman hapgood, editor of "harper's weekly," and 
 several members of forbes robertson's company playing at the lyric 
 theater in "the passing the third floor back." 
 
 7. messrs jevne and co Chicago ill 
 please send me at once the following order : 
 
 25 lbs. mocha and Java coffee 
 150 lbs pillsbury's best flour 
 3 cases van camp 's plain pork and beans 
 2 cases old mission California olives 
 
 11. Syllables, and the dividing of words into syllables. 
 — When you must divide a word, divide it between syl- 
 lables. Roughly speaking, every vowel, or every vowel 
 combination pronounced as one, indicates a syllable (this 
 does not count silent final e). In every English word of 
 more than one syllable, one of the syllables is accented. 
 Study the following directions: 
 
 dei-i-nite, nois-i-ly, syllable, di-vi-sion, ex-pen-sive, ap-pel-lant. 
 
 1. When a word is to be divided at the end of a line of 
 writing or typewriting, divide it only between syllables. 
 
170 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 2. Arrange to bring the division immediately after the 
 accented syllable, if possible ; as, def-inite, syl-laMe, expen- 
 sive, etc. 
 
 3. When a word is one syllable or pronounced as one, 
 don't divide it at all. No matter how long it may be — 
 accommodate it to your space in some other way. 
 
 4. Never end a line with dd, tt, II ; divide between double 
 consonants ; as, col-lateral, submission. The tendency is to 
 divide between any two consonants, regardless of the logical 
 syllabification of the word ; as, foun-dation, impor-tant, chil- 
 dren, plain-tiff. Naturally, this cannot be done if the two 
 consonants represent one sound, fa-ther, moth-er, pitch-er. 
 
 5. Do not divide a word of two syllables if it can be 
 avoided, and never divide such a word when it leaves a syl- 
 lable of one letter to be carried over to the next line ; thus 
 you might divide nois-ily, but not nois-y. 
 
 6. It is particularly important for a typist to learn the 
 rules of division. The proper -use of them saves him the 
 ragged right margin that often disfigures type-written 
 matter. 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 PUNCTUATION 
 
 The marks of punctuation are not put on a page among 
 your words for decoration, nor are they there for the sake 
 of variety. To be sure, they are not necessary for the under- 
 standing of any piece of writing. They are a somewhat 
 modern invention and the world read a great deal before 
 they came into existence. Some of the passages that will 
 be given you to punctuate will demonstrate that you can 
 read and understand an unpunctuated passage. But it 
 will take you much longer, and in many cases there will 
 remain groups of words whose meaning and relation you 
 can not be sure you have caught. 
 
 The marks of punctuation are valuable aids to clear- 
 ness and eifectiveness. As such they are not external 
 mechanical devices, but living expressions of thought. They 
 take the place in written speech of the gesture, the pause, 
 the intonation, the inflection, with which we supplement our 
 meaning in vocal speech. 
 
 Sometimes, like the inflection, they convey a delicate shade 
 of meaning, sometimes they differentiate a meaning as wide 
 apart as the poles. I can pronounce the words, ''Roose- 
 velt defeated" with an inflection that seems to put him 
 forever out of the running, or with an inflection that means 
 that his triumph is inevitable, and that the suggestion of 
 defeat is to be treated only with surprised contempt. 
 
 The presence or absence of a comma may mean quite as 
 much. There is the classic story of the dealer in the East 
 whose buyer in California had telegraphed him, quoting the 
 
 171 
 
172 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 price of grapes and asking if he should buy. The dealer 
 telegraphed back, "No, price too high." The telegraph 
 office does not punctuate and so the message reached the 
 buyer without a comma after No, with the result of a loss of 
 many thousand dollars to the author of the message. 
 
 The tendency at present is to reduce the amount and 
 variety of punctuation and to hold rather Kghtly to the 
 rules for placing the marks. This is partly due to our hav- 
 ing learned to write more clearly and correctly. We need 
 fewer words when we have sought and found the right word. 
 We do not need to keep adding explanatory phrases and 
 clauses when we master the art of stating our meaning 
 directly and simply. 
 
 You will find marks of punctuation in larger numbers 
 and greater variety in literary and philosophical writing 
 than in business composition. This is because literature 
 and philosophy must make more modifications and reser- 
 vations and exceptions than business. 
 
 This is the only difference between literary punctuation 
 and business punctuation: Business writing is, or should 
 be, direct and simple in style, making few exceptions and 
 qualifications, and recording practically no after-thoughts. 
 It is intent on stating facts, and is not aiming at emotional 
 or artistic effects. It calls for short, clear, emphatic state- 
 ments. 
 
 The business man will need many periods, for he loves 
 short, simple sentences. He will need many commas, for 
 he gives quick, brief, numerous details. He will need colons 
 — more than the literary man — because he makes frequent 
 summaries, and dotes upon lists of articles and prices. If 
 he is a customer, he will need many interrogation marks. 
 He will need, or could profitably use, a few semicolons. 
 Add to these a few apostrophes, an occasional pair of quota- 
 tion marks, and from time to time a dash — and your busi- 
 
Punctuation? 17^ 
 
 ness writer is ready to punctuate. There should be very lit . 
 tie difficulty in learning the main uses of each of these. 
 
 It is not shirking the issue or merely evading a difficulty 
 to advise the business student so to construct his sentences, 
 and so to choose his words as to be independent of elab- 
 orate punctuation. 
 
 1. The period. — ^This mark of punctuation is used — 
 
 1. To mark the close of a complete declarative sentence. 
 And here we must repeat the warning already given several 
 times against mistaking for a sentence a collection of words, 
 however long and however important, which still does not 
 make a complete statement. Notice this : 
 
 Our knife has a beautiful German silver handle. Blade of razor 
 steel which insures a good lasting cutting edge. Guaranteed first- 
 class in every particular. If not found so money promptly refunded. 
 Also furnished with identification features making it one of fhe 
 most fetching little advertisers ever devised. 
 
 You will discover that only one of these groups — the 
 first one — is a sentence. Yet the other four are punctuated 
 just as if they, too, were sentences. It is an easy matter 
 to turn them into sentences — it is a mere matter of giving 
 them a subject or a verb or both. 
 
 It has a blade of razor steel which insures a good lasting cutting 
 edge. It is guaranteed first-class in every particular. If it is not 
 found so, the money is cheerfully refunded. We also furnish it 
 with identification features, making it one of the most fetching 
 little advertisers ever devised. 
 
 2. After initials, and generally after abbreviations, but 
 not after mere contractions: T. P. O'Connor, Mr., Esq., 
 M. D., f. 0. h., etc. 
 
 3. After Arabic numerals and letters designating the 
 items of a series, as for example the numerals marking the 
 sections and sub-sections in these chapters. 
 
 4. To separate whole numbers from the decimals that 
 
1^4: ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 accompany them, especially dollars from cents. A period 
 always precedes a decimal whether or not there be a whole 
 number: 2.016, $3.75, .80, .02, .725. 
 
 Exercise 1 
 
 Supply periods and capitals in the following passages. 
 Rearrange the matter when it is necessary in order to 
 punctuate it properly. 
 
 1. a business letter is a little talk on paper 
 
 2. if you have any difficulty consult mr w conger, our sales- 
 manager 
 
 3. the letter was obviously "a circular" printed by the thousand, 
 signature included, an insult under the circumstances to the inquirer 
 
 4. the north western limited leaves the polk st station for st 
 Paul at 12 45 p m 
 
 5. modern advertising has succeeded in doing what it set out 
 to do it has created interest where none existed before 
 
 Correct the following: 
 
 6. the book cannot be praised to highly. A book for the school, 
 the home for the teacher the business man, for every body 
 
 7. employers will not stand preaching, they don't mind being 
 talked to, but they hate being talked at 
 
 8. even after the canal opens many cargoes will be transshipped 
 in the Gulf which will be to avoid the heavy tolls 
 
 2. The interrogation mark. — This is used — 
 
 1. At the end of a sentence that asks a direct question, 
 
 whether the question asks for actual information or is used 
 
 for effect : 
 
 1. Who invented the steam engine? 
 
 2. When will this note mature? 
 
 - 3. When may we expect a settlement? 
 
 4. May we hear from you promptly? 
 
 5. Will you kindly repeat your inquiry? 
 
 6. What does he take me for? 
 
 7. What business man in our day has not heard of the experi- 
 ments in efficiency? 
 
PUNCTUATION 175 
 
 2. After each of the questions in a series so closely related 
 as to constitute one question ; these, except the first inquiry, 
 may be written without capitals : 
 
 1. What is the meaning of icattf of ohmf of ampere? of voltf 
 
 2. What are the facts of his visit? who saw him arrive? who 
 spoke with him? who saw him leave? 
 
 3. Sometimes to question the accuracy, the propriety, 
 or even the verity of some term or statement an interroga- 
 
 tion is thrown in, in parentheses: 
 
 1. He calls himself an actuary (?) of the New York Life. 
 
 2. He advertises the only (?) successful vacuum sweeper on 
 the market. 
 
 4. The interrogation mark is not used when the ques- 
 tion is asked in the indirect form. 
 
 1. He inquired whether or not you had given the order. 
 
 2. He inquired if the early train for the east shore had been 
 taken off. 
 
 3. The exclamation mark. — This mark of punctuation is 
 always used — 
 
 1. At the end of a sentence that expresses excitement or 
 any strong emotion; or after a word or group of words 
 that express such feeling : 
 
 1. His will is superhuman! 
 
 2. What a wasted life! 
 
 3. Horrors! he has fallen from the fire-escape! 
 
 2. Sometimes in the same way as the interrogation mark 
 — as a note of doubt or criticism : 
 
 1. The writer emphasizes the just ( ! ) demands of the employers. 
 
 2. He pointed out to his employers his own benevolent ( 1 ) pro- 
 visions. 
 
]76 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 Exercise 2 
 
 Find or in\ent sentences showing all the specified uses 
 of the interrogation and exclamation marks. 
 
 4. The semicolon. — This punctuation mark is a sort of 
 less final period; it separates statements not so completely 
 distinct as those separated by periods, and not so closely 
 associated as those separated by commas. 
 
 1. It is used in a series of details such as the following 
 to separate the members of the series: 
 
 1. Jobbers used to say: "Buy at eighty cents, sell at one 
 twenty-five; bviy at one twentj^ sell at one fifty; buy at one sixty, 
 sell at two," 
 
 2. A form-letter is not an accident; it is a permanent factor of 
 modern business; it should be composed with great care; it should 
 reflect complete knowledge of the business. 
 
 3. Signs of prosperity can be seen on every hand ; crops are large ; 
 every kind of manufacturer is pushed with orders; mercantile busi- 
 ness is flourishing; while the railroads are blockaded with freight 
 waiting to be moved. 
 
 2. As a rule, separate by semicolons those parts of a sen- 
 tence that are already punctuated by commas: 
 
 1. He went back, after considerable delay, to look for the 
 thermos bottle; but though he looked faithfully, he could not find it. 
 
 2. To be a good business correspondent, a man should be edu- 
 cated in the school of experience; he should have that very desirable, 
 but very rare quality — tact; he should be a keen observer, keeping 
 his eyes always open; he should be kind-hearted, without being 
 gullible; he should, without being conceited, possess considerable 
 confidence in himself; he should have imagination; he should, above 
 all, have a tremendous enthusiasm for his business. 
 
 5. The colon. — This mark of punctuation is used — 
 
 1. Before a formal list of items. Professor Lewis in his 
 *' Business English" says: ''In strict logic the colon is to 
 the sentence it is used in, what the mark of equality is in 
 mathematics." 
 
PUNCTUATION ^77 
 
 The following sentences illustrate this use of the colon : 
 
 1. The skeleton serves these purposes: forms a strong and rigid 
 frame-work for the body; protects the vital organs from injury; 
 supports and carries the weak parts; gives attachment to the 
 muscles; forms joints, so that movements are possible. 
 
 2. In the modem business world the letter has these functions: 
 it is the advertiser making known the goods; it is the salesman, 
 persuading the customer to buy; it is the collector, courteous but 
 insistent; it is the adjuster of claims, atfentive and prompt; it 
 is the complete and convenient record of the transaction. 
 
 3. Business has three important aspects: 
 
 Production 
 
 IManufacture 
 
 Distribution 
 
 An informal list or a very brief list, does not usually 
 have the colon. There are, indeed, three grades of formal- 
 ity in a list or summary, indicated by the punctuation mark 
 that precedes it: Formal — the colon; less formal^the 
 dash ; least formal — the comma. 
 
 2. Before a formal and impressive statement, an extract, 
 or a long quotation not introduced by that: 
 
 1. Continuing, the speaker said: "I next present a series of 
 resolutions adopted at a mass meeting of the citizens of Forest Hill," 
 
 2. Belloc says: "Wealth is matter which has been consciously 
 and intelligently transformed from a condition in which it is less, 
 to a condition in which it is more serviceable to a human need." 
 
 3. After thus, as follows, the following: 
 
 1. I shall advise you to proceed thus: Give him an extension 
 of time of one month; if he does not settle then, place the matter 
 in the hands of an attorney. 
 
 2. The officers of the Association are the following: James P. 
 Hall, President; Marvin H. Bell, Secretary; Hubert Barton, Treas- 
 urer. 
 
 The more informal expressions — namely, as, that is, for 
 example, for instance, have a semicolon before them and a 
 
178 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 comma after them. (You may occasionally find a colon 
 with these, too, since usage varies.) 
 
 4. To separate minutes from hours when the time is 
 given in numerals. (The period is also used for the same 
 purpose. ) 
 
 2:15, 3:45. 
 
 5. After the salutation at the beginning of a formal let- 
 ter, and after the salutation of a speaker to the chairman 
 and audience : 
 
 My dear Mr. Olson: 
 
 Mr. Chairman, Ladies, and Gentlemen: 
 
 Exercise 3 
 
 Supply capitals, periods, interrogation and exclamation 
 marks, colons, and semicolons in the following: 
 
 1. the watchword cf the advertising campaign was a suit 
 intended to fit you should be cut to your measurements and fitted 
 to you in the making 
 
 2. success is largely a matter of these qualities aptitude, train- 
 ing, experience, work 
 
 3. the following new members of the association were elected 
 1 w ellis secretary of the holt m'f'g company, g m meigs publicity 
 manager of klein gross and co, henry i nelson advertising manager 
 royal blue rug co 
 
 4. he opened with the statement they have had thrust upon 
 them an industrial conflict of an unnecessary and wholly inexcus- 
 able character 
 
 5. demand is the product of the myriad forces of civilization 
 supply always follows demand could any thing be more obvious 
 than that what obstinacy to refuse to admit it 
 
 6. it was henry clay who said i would rather be right than 
 president 
 
 7. the following topics are offered for discussion getting up a 
 catalogue how many letters should there be in a follow-up series 
 planning a campaign the use of testimonial letters successful col- 
 lection methods etc 
 
 8. what a pathetic waste of energy of time and of money 
 
PUNCTUATION 179 
 
 9. what is more discouraging than a lack of energy in a young 
 business man 
 
 10. why are you applying for this position have you capacity 
 have you training have you experience 
 
 11. would you like us to give you a due bill to refund the money 
 or to send you a duplicate of your purchase 
 
 12. he said to him, olson, how long should an advertisement be 
 that depends, said olson, on four things the importance of the subject 
 the class of readers addressed the intrinsic interest of the subject 
 the skill with which it is handled 
 
 6. The comma. — This is the most used and useful of all 
 the marks of punctuation. On a single page, chosen at ran- 
 dom, from '^ System," the well-known business magazine, 
 there are fifty-eight marks of punctuation: one interroga- 
 tion mark, two semicolons, twenty-three periods, and thirty- 
 two commas. On a single page of the same size, of **The 
 Atlantic Monthly," in a literary essay, there are sev- 
 enty-six marks of punctuation : one exclamation, one colon, 
 three dashes, three quotations, nine semicolons, fifteen 
 periods, and forty-four commas — in both cases the commas 
 forming more than half the marks. 
 
 But you should not scatter commas among your words 
 as you sprinkle paprika on your baked potato — chiefly 
 because they look nice. You should use them for the 
 double purpose of saving your reader's time, and of mak- 
 ing your meaning unmistakable. 
 
 You should use as few commas as possible; but you 
 should use as many as are necessary. 
 
 The list of eleven uses of the comma given below does 
 not exhaust the subject. It does, however, include the 
 important uses; and the copious practical examples are 
 given with the hope of developing in the student the comma 
 sense. You can not, as you write, pause to call up the 
 rule for the placing of a comma, but after much practice 
 in the deliberate placing of them, you pass into the state of 
 
180 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 habitual reaction, and commas take their place on your page 
 as naturally and unpremeditatedly as do the spaces between 
 the words. 
 
 We may say without intending to make a law or a rule : 
 The period and the semicolon are marks of separation; 
 the colon and the dash are marks of union or addition; 
 the comma is a mark of distinction. It distinguishes rather 
 than joins or separates. It holds words and ideas just far 
 enough apart for us to realize them, while still allowing 
 us to see them all at once. The following are eleven impor- 
 tant uses of the comma : 
 
 1. Between the elements of a sentence when the conjunc- 
 tions are omitted. 
 
 1. It was a long, dull, and exhausting journey. 
 
 2. Over mountains, through forests, across rivers, the long road 
 stretched. 
 
 3. He has endured the strain hour after hour, day after day, 
 year after year. 
 
 4. Ferguson came down the gang-plank followed by his wife, 
 the maid, the nurse, the baby, the twins, and the boys. 
 
 5. A firm, constant, gentle discipline should prevail in every 
 office. 
 
 In such a series the comma is used even before the and 
 that comes between the last two numbers of the series. This 
 prevents our supposing that the last two are to be taken as 
 one. Notice the following : 
 
 1. Our cat has three kittens — a black, a white, and a spotted 
 one. 
 
 2. Our cat has three kittens — a black, a white, and a black and 
 white. 
 
 Some combinations are not series, the items of w^hich you 
 desire to keep apart; you want to join them as closely as 
 possible. In these you do not use commas : 
 
 1. That beautiful young girl is the daughter of the Governor. 
 
 2. A distinguished foreign artist is exhibiting. 
 
 3. Good domestic gingham sells for fifteen cents. 
 
PUNCTUATION 181 
 
 2. To set off explanatory, intermediate, and introductory 
 expressions, and expressions out of the natural order in the 
 sentence. These terms will become plainer upon the study 
 of the following sentences : 
 
 a) Explanatory phrases: 
 
 1. Mr. Bruce, the junior member of our firm, is taking his vaca- 
 tion in Bermuda. 
 
 2. From Flagstaff you can see the Arapahoe, the summit of the 
 Great Divide. 
 
 h) Intermediate phrases: 
 
 1. I had, on the contrary, decided to employ him. 
 
 2. We can, of course, furnish you any quantity you desire. 
 
 3. The arbitrators gave harsh, though perfectly logical, judgment. 
 
 4. He was wearing an elegant, though inexpensive, suit. 
 
 c) Introductory phrases: 
 
 1. Mr. Bruce being occupied, I came away w^ithout seeing him. 
 
 2. Permission being given, he withdrew from the class. 
 
 3. Having lived by the sicord, they are perishing by the sword. 
 
 d) Phrases out of their natural order: 
 
 1. The waves are rolling in, white with foam. 
 
 2. In reply to your letter of April J/, we desire to say, etc. 
 
 3. With the best intentions in the world, he wrote a very foolish 
 letter. 
 
 Exercise 4 
 
 Supply periods, capitals, semicolons, and commas in the 
 following sentences: 
 
 1. above us there spread a blue cloud-flecked sky below us lay 
 the wide level wave-dashed sand the gulls now returned from the 
 north were circling and crying in the air shouting and laughing the 
 bathers were playing in the waves or lying on the warm sand far off 
 on the horizon a trail of smoke marked the course of a steamer lying 
 on the beach in blissful idleness you fill your soul with peace and rest. 
 
]^32 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 2. the Japanese are an ambitious alert and intelligent people 
 primary education is becoming general among them they are strong 
 clean and healthy in short they could not be denied admission 
 to our country on the grounds that might keep out half the immi- 
 grants that are now coming from southeastern europe 
 
 3. will you kindly let us know by return mail just when you 
 expect to ship our order no 7348 davenport to be sent direct to our 
 customer lawrence stork Washington iowa our customer wishes to get 
 this davenport at the earliest possible moment and we promised him 
 to hasten matters as much as possible 
 
 4. in answer to your question if it is true that red gum when 
 made into furniture mars very easily we will say not only is 
 this not true but on the other hand furniture manufactured of 
 this wood when finished natural shows finger prints less than any 
 other wood and is therefore very easy to keep clean we enclose 
 a letter from the superintendent of the woodmen of the world 
 building omaha nebraska which bears out this statement fully 
 inasmuch as door and interior trim in a public building are sub- 
 jected to much harder usage than furniture 
 
 3. To set off a non-restrictive, but not a restrictive, clause. 
 When we say * ' set off, ' ' we mean : Put a comma after the 
 clause if it stands at the beginning of a sentence; put a 
 comma both before and after it, if it comes in the midst of 
 a sentence. 
 
 A restrictive clause defines, narrows, pins down, the word 
 that it modifies ; it fixes the application of the word it mod- 
 ifies so closely that the two can not be separated. You can 
 not take out a restrictive clause and still say what you 
 desire to say; often the meaning is destroyed or absurdly 
 perverted by removing this clause. 
 
 A non-restrictive clause adds something to the word it 
 modifies ; it does not narrow ; it expands. You can drop it 
 out and still make complete sense. 
 
 The logic of this is, that you may set off the non-restric- 
 tive clause by commas. You must not separate the restric- 
 
PUNCTUATION 
 
 183 
 
 tive clause from the word it modifies. Of course for other 
 reasons there may be a comma after the restrictive clause. 
 Mr. Brown who was late, had to stand up. 
 
 If you leave the clause without the comma before who, 
 you make it a restrictive clause, and this says, in effect, that 
 there is more than one Mr. Brown and that, therefore, you 
 must limit, or narrow the term Mr. Brown. 
 
 Mr. Brown, who was late, had to stand up. 
 
 In this form — with the comma before who — it is a non- 
 restrictive clause — it adds something to Mr. Brown — namely 
 lateness. 
 
 My father who is an old man, disapproves of modern business 
 methods. 
 
 The omission of the comma here produces an absurdity 
 for it says, in effect, "I have several fathers, and the one 
 who is old disapproves of modern business methods"; the 
 implication being that the others do not. In this case you 
 are obliged to use the comma before who. 
 
 The clauses in the following sentences are restrictive 
 clauses and are properly punctuated. Study them care- 
 fully. 
 
 1. All orders that reach us before Thursday will be filled immedi- 
 ately. 
 
 2. A man who is good at making excuses is good at nothing 
 else. 
 
 3. Injuries which are apparently trivial should receive prompt 
 attention. 
 
 4. The course in stenography that I am taking is proving quite 
 interesting. 
 
 The clauses in the following sentences are properly punc- 
 tuated non-restrictive clauses. 
 
 1. Your order, which was late in reaching us, can not be filled 
 this month. 
 
134 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 2. His injuries, lohich were apparently trivial, later proved to 
 be serious. 
 
 3. The course in stenography, which is going to he very valu- 
 able to me, is given on Wednesday evenings. 
 
 Exercise 5 
 Supply the commas in the following sentences. 
 
 1. The book that gives Avell-arranged concrete examples is most 
 instructive. 
 
 2. Mr. Wise's book Avhich gives many concrete examples is very 
 instructive. 
 
 3. Professor Gulick who has lived many years in Tokyo wrote 
 tliis valuable book on Japan. 
 
 4. The architect who designed this building has submitted plans 
 for a business block in Buenos Ayres. 
 
 5. Our architect who has recently gone to Brazil was trained in 
 Boston. 
 
 6. Mr. Bruce who hesitated for a long while finally took the 
 plunge. 
 
 7. The man who hesitates is lost. 
 
 8. The woman who does not believe in universal suffrage is 
 now rather exceptional. 
 
 9. This woman who does not believe in universal suffrage is 
 today a rather unusual person. 
 
 10. The doctors who diagnosed his malady as appendicitis advised 
 an immediate operation. 
 
 11. The doctor A\ho diagnosed his case declared at once that the 
 trouble was appendicitis. 
 
 4. The comma precedes a short and informally used quo- 
 tation : 
 
 1. Every member answered, "Here." 
 
 2. His only statement was, "I have nothing to say." 
 
 3. We can only say hopefully, "Every cloud has a silver lining." 
 
 5. Insert a comma to show that a word easily supplied 
 from the connection is omitted : 
 
 1. He could eat no fat; she, no lean. 
 
PUNCTUATION ] 35 
 
 2. Enclosed find cheek for $125, amount of my account in full. 
 
 3. After dinner they went to the concert; we, to the theater. 
 
 6. Use a comma after yes, no, well, now, then, however, 
 therefore, moreover, further more, nevertheless, in fact, in 
 short, for instance, on the other hand, the name or title of 
 the person used to address him, when any of these stand at 
 the beginning of the sentence unless it is very short and 
 clear. Put a comma both before and after them when they 
 are ''wedged" into the sentence to mark a break in the 
 thought. For example : 
 
 1. Yes, the order has been attended to. 
 
 2. No, it is not true that I have resigned. 
 
 3. In fact, I have received a promotion. 
 
 4. Now, my dear sir, I feel that I have been shabbily treated. 
 
 5. In short, I should like my money refunded. 
 
 6. I will, however, wait another week. 
 
 7. Moreover, I think you will admit, Mr. Long, that we >^ave been 
 patient. 
 
 7. When the members of a compound sentence are long, 
 they sometimes have a comma before the conjunction that 
 joins them : 
 
 1. The shipment was delivered to the carriers in perfect condi- 
 tion, and we can not be responsible for breakages happening in 
 transit. 
 
 2. Our place is small, but there are many trees and thickets. 
 
 3. My farm is quite near the main road, but it is approached 
 by a shady winding lane. 
 
 When the conjunction is omitted in such a sentence, it 
 is punctuated with a semicolon. 
 
 8. A comma is often used to prevent ambiguity or to 
 avoid an absurd combination. 
 
 1. Whatever is, is right. 
 
 2. Who he Avas, is not known. 
 
 3. Over the window, curtains were hung. 
 
 4. Years after, I met him. 
 
 9. Use a comma to separate large groups of figures into 
 
IQQ ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 periods of three ; but do not separate numbers used to indi- 
 cate the year in a date. 
 
 1. In 1912 we began to show our 1913 model; in the early 
 summer of 1913 we brought out our 1914 ear. 
 
 2. His salary advanced within six months from $2,750 to $5,500. 
 
 3. This machine, which cost me $6,500, has already carried me 
 65,000 miles. 
 
 4. In March, 1914, 10,146 men mined 626,865 tons of ore. 
 
 10. The abbreviation, etc., is always preceded by a comma. 
 
 11. Set off by commas the name of a month defining a 
 week day, and the number of a year defining a month, or 
 a day of the month. 
 
 1. In March, 1913, occurred the terrible flood at Dayton. 
 
 2. Tuesday, June 4, will be the last day for entries. 
 
 3. On January 10, 1912, he was employed in our office. 
 
 Exercise 6 
 
 Supply the capitals, periods, interrogations, exclamations, 
 semicolons, colons, and commas needed in the following 
 passages : 
 
 1. intangible property called credits stocks mortgages bonds etc 
 if they are taxed at all are taxed twice 
 
 2. the law levies a poll-tax on a man simply because he is alive 
 but it does not kill him as it logically should when he declines to 
 
 pay 
 
 3. indeed is it not about time my friends that we recognize the 
 fact that in education in any right sense liberal and practical are 
 the same thing 
 
 4. once get a small boy interested in base-ball and he will sub- 
 ject himself to any hardship physical or mental to obtain any 
 knowledge practical or theoretical that enlarges his skill or his 
 pleasure in the game 
 
 5. a man is the prisoner of his power a topical memory makes 
 him an almanac a talent for debate a disputant skill to get money 
 makes him a miser that is a beggar 
 
 6. i give you the latest and best information on follow-up 
 
PUNCTUATION 137 
 
 systems how to collect money by mail how to manage agents how 
 to deal with women how to write a hundred good letters a day when 
 to write a long letter and when to write a short one and fifty 
 points even more important in short I give you a complete system 
 
 7. the wool in your suit is taxed nine times the farmer is 
 taxed for the sheep the wholesaler who buys the wool is taxed 
 the manufacturer is taxed on it as raw material it is manufactured 
 with taxed machinery and colored with taxed dyes as cloth it goes 
 to another wholesaler who is taxed on it as stock-in-trade it goes 
 to the merchant tailor and is taxed again it is made into clothes 
 and is taxed as personal property the ninth tax is the protective 
 tariff 
 
 8. when you discard your all-wool suit it goes to the ragman 
 then to the shoddy-mill and begins the round afresh taxed machinery 
 to work it up with taxed dyes to color it with again taxes laid on 
 it three or four times as stock in trade of wholesaler and retailer and 
 finally some of the wool that was in your suit goes to dress us 
 humbler citizens who wear ready-made clothes 
 
 9. on jan 10 1914 I ordered from your house these articles 
 one gallon of shingle stain one gallon of varnish two quarts of 
 white enamel paint three cans of wall-paper cleaner 
 
 10. on april 10 I found in the glen several flowers in bloom 
 hepaticus violets anemones trilliums 
 
 11. the rammer being withdrawn another charge of concrete is 
 dropped into the casing 
 
 12. if you were starting for instance for a year's tour in the 
 orient how would you arrange to take your money 
 
 13. how quaint picturesque and on the whole charming the pres- 
 ent styles in women's dress are 
 
 14. did you ever hear of a business man called the hoop-pole 
 man down in maine he makes even better wages than his brother 
 the gum picker he follows in the wake of the loggers he barbers 
 the face of the hillside of stuff that no one else wants he is after 
 the second growth as the young birch and ash are called which 
 spring up around the rotting stumps of great trees the hoop-pole 
 man takes a horse with him on his tours he cuts the poles and the 
 horse hauls them to camp by daylight in the evenings the hoop- 
 pole man sitting by a roaring fire fashions the hoops with a draw 
 shave • 
 
18g ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 15. situation wanted — salesman — young man 22 experienced fin- 
 ished business course at large U. in June one year with big concern 
 through midwest good appearance lots of personality and ambitious 
 desires connection with responsible concern on salary expenses and 
 commission best rofs Address D D 46 Tribune 
 
 7. The dash. — This is also a very useful mark of punc- 
 tuation ; but it has definite uses — it can not be thrown in as 
 a substitute for any and every mark of punctuation, as 
 many inexperienced writers are prone to do. 
 
 Some writers on punctuation condemn scornfully the use 
 of the dash as found in some advertising copy, where it is 
 used to separate the items of a series, declaring that such 
 use gives a tone of excitement and hysteria to the passage. 
 
 As a matter of fact, the dash used in such passages is 
 not a mark of punctuation at all ; a real mark of punctua- 
 tion is quite as much an expression of thought or feeling 
 as is a word. In the case we are discussing, the dash is 
 a mere mechanical device to separate the parts of the 
 announcement. If the copy-writer would write complete 
 sentences, and have them separated by a short space, he 
 would accomplish his purpose, and save the abuse of the 
 dash. 
 
 The following paragraph from an advertisement exem- 
 plifies this mechanical use of the dash : 
 
 Foremost Farm Papers Provide Class, National, State or Zone 
 Circulation — Co-Operation — and Unusual Pulling Power. Whether 
 you want to reach the truck farmer — fruit grower — grain pro- 
 ducer — dairyman — cotton or tobacco plantation owner, whether you 
 want to reach the North — South — East or West — ^you can reach 
 the right prospect in the right territory by the use of the Fore- 
 most Farm Paper List — a list of tremendous influence and great 
 result-bringing power — a list, etc., etc. 
 
 The following are the commonest and most important 
 uses of the dash : 
 
PUNCTUATION igg 
 
 1. It indicates a sudden break in tliought, a change of 
 construction, a humorous, or whimsical addition ; as, 
 
 1. When it came to his business troubles — ^but why recall those? 
 
 2. He whistled as he went — for want of thought. 
 
 3. I, too, keep a shop — that's why I ask so many questions. 
 
 4. He passed over to the silent majority — he got married. 
 
 2. It punctuates parenthetical and explanatory clauses 
 less closely attached than those set off by commas, and more 
 closely attached than those enclosed in parentheses; as, 
 
 1. The solution of the labor problem — if it is ever solved — 
 will change the face of society. 
 
 2. Abou Ben Adhem — may his tribe increase — ^Awoke one night 
 from a deep dream of peace. 
 
 3. The apology due you has — I acknowledge it with regret — been 
 too long delayed. 
 
 3. It is used before lists of terms and details in much 
 the same way as a colon. The dash is less stiff and formal 
 than a colon. When you see a colon before a list, you feel 
 that the list should be drawn up in columns, or at least in 
 a numbered series. When you see a dash, you feel satis- 
 fied to have the details run into the sentence, separated from 
 one another by commas or semicolons ; as, 
 
 1. Such legislation affects all kinds of business men — manufac- 
 turers, jobbers, wholesalers, and retailers. 
 
 2. These are words that stir the souls of all men — culture, 
 power, influence, usefulness. 
 
 3. We find in coal-tar wonderful things — medicines, dyes, per- 
 fumes, flavors. 
 
 4. The dash is used in an arrangement precisely the 
 opposite of 3 — when the items or details are named first, 
 and then separated by a dash from a summing-up phrase ; as, 
 
 1. Courage, patience, ambition, industry — these are the qual- 
 ities that win. 
 
 2. Quality, durability, distinction — these are the marks of our 
 goods. 
 
190 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 3. Accuracy, enthusiasm, imagination — little else, besides merely 
 correct English, is needed in a business letter. 
 
 5. Use the dash to indicate figures omitted between two 
 terminal numbers — 
 
 1. The Association of National Advertising Managers met in 
 Chicago, April 2-4. 
 
 2. For a report of the proceedings, see pp. 15-29. 
 
 6. Use both period and dash after side-heads when they 
 are ''run in"; the dash only when they are paragraphed; 
 as, 
 
 1. The inflection of adjectives and adverbs. — These words, etc. 
 
 2. The inflection of adjectives and adverbs — 
 These words undergo, etc. 
 
 7. Don't use a dash after the salutation of a formal let- 
 ter; use a colon; don't use both. 
 
 8. The parenthesis. — ^Explanations, definitions, and com- 
 ment that stand distinctly apart from the thought of your 
 sentence should be enclosed in parentheses ; as, 
 
 1. I am compelled by circumstances (which I am quite willing 
 to make known) to seek a new position. 
 
 2. You will find in our catalogue (pg. 28) a description of the 
 machine you want. 
 
 3. The Latin word for follow-up (persequor) has very signifi- 
 cantly given us the English word persecute. 
 
 9. Brackets. — These marks enclose matter inserted or 
 added by someone not the author — a reporter, an editor, 
 or publisher ; as, 
 
 1. There are near a quarter of a million words in the English 
 language [The New Standard Dictionary contains 450,000. — The 
 Editor.] 
 
 2. The American school teacher is the first follower of the flag. 
 [Applause.] 
 
 Since there are no brackets on the keyboard of the stand- 
 
PUNCTUATION jgi 
 
 ard typewriters, typists are obliged to use the parenthesis. 
 If, however, they are preparing copy for any but the most 
 expert printers, they should write the brackets in with the 
 pen. 
 
 10. The apostrophe. — You have already learned, in other 
 connections, the uses of the apostrophe ; as a matter of fact, 
 this mark like the hyphen, is a detail of spelling rather 
 than of punctuation. The following are its uses : 
 
 1. To help form the possessive of nouns : 
 
 A lady's fan, ladies' suits; a man's job, men's opinions. 
 
 2. To help form the plural of numerals, letters of the 
 alphabet, and words that properly have no plurals: 
 
 1. You made a mistake in adding the 8's. 
 
 2. Spell collateral with two Vs. 
 
 3. Don't sprinkle your speech with excrescent say^s and well's. 
 
 3. To indicate omitted letters in contractions; as, donH, 
 canH. 
 
 The cockney pronunciation is ^at. 
 Say whatf not w'at. 
 
 11. The quotation marks. — 1. When the words of an- 
 other are quoted precisely, they should be enclosed in quo- 
 tation marks: 
 
 1. The spirit of our conference should be, "Come let us reason 
 together." 
 
 2. We have not as a nation forgotten the maxim, "Millions for 
 defence, but not a cent for tribute." 
 
 When the quotation consists of several paragraphs, 
 quotation marks should be used at the beginning of each 
 paragraph and at the end of the whole quotation. 
 
 2. When the quotation is interrupted by the writer's 
 own words, both sections of the quotation should be enclosed 
 in quotation marks. 
 
192 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 1. "We are confronted," said Cleveland, "by a condition, not a 
 theory." 
 
 2. "It is the duty of the citizen to support the government," 
 said Cleveland, "not the duty of the government to support the 
 citizen." 
 
 3. Do not use quotation marks when you turn the words 
 into the indirect form. Notice the diiference: 
 
 He said, "Where shall I find the manager?" 
 He asked where he should find the manager. 
 
 4. Do not use quotation marks for an expression that has 
 been used so often as to be familiar to everybody. It is 
 a reflection on a reader 's intelligence to quote, Lay on Mac- 
 duff , to he or not to he, the sins of the fathers, nuin's 
 inhumanity to man, holy state of matrimony, or any expres- 
 sion so familiar. 
 
 5. In written matter not intended to be printed, quote aU 
 titles of books, treatises, poems, sets of books, lectures, 
 pictures, and other works of art, and the names of ships. 
 If you are preparing a manuscript for publication, consult 
 an experienced printer, or a special manual on printing, 
 concerning the treatment of titles, citations, etc. Notice 
 the following: 
 
 1. Series of books: "English Men of Letters"; "The Encyclopedia 
 Brittanica." 
 
 2. Volumes: "Business a Profession"; "Ivanhoe"; "The Scarlet 
 Letter." 
 
 3. Poems and essays, lectures, etc.: "Ordered South"; "The 
 Conduct of Life"; "To a Skylark"; "The Cotter's Saturday Night"; 
 "Japan — Its Present, Past, and Future." 
 
PUNCTUATION 193 
 
 4. Pictures and statues, operas, etc.: "The Holy Family"; 
 "Mona Lisa"; "The Dying Gaul"; "II Trovatore." 
 
 5. Ships: S. S. "Arabic"; "Mauretania." 
 
 6. Quote words or phrases to which particular attention 
 is called ; a word that is followed by its definition ; an 
 unusual, newly invented, or humorously used word; words 
 offered as illustrations, or otherwise mentioned merely as 
 words, to set them off from the text. 
 
 In a technical treatise on language, as for example, in this 
 book, words are used in this way so frequently, and often in 
 so long a list, that to quote them would be to disfigure the 
 page with punctuation marks, and to put an undue strain 
 on the eyes of the reader. In such a case the words are 
 italicized. 
 
 Notice the following examples : 
 
 1. The term "lynch law" had an interesting origin. 
 
 2. The terms "good" and "bad" take on new meaning in the 
 ethics of our day. 
 
 3. He was wearing a "screaming" necktie. 
 
 4. We thought we had bought a "fool-proof" car. 
 
 5. "Demurrage" means the payment a shipper makes for detain- 
 ing a car or a boat beyond the time allowed for loading and un- 
 loading. 
 
 If you use an occasional word of slang, quote it. If you 
 habitually use slang, don't quote it. Nothing could be 
 more irritating than the peppering of a page with quota- 
 tions marks used to apologize for the slang of a writer who 
 has not taken the pains to learn a decent vocabulary. The 
 following sentence was actually seen in an article in a 
 business magazine : 
 
 "Take it from me" we are "up against" a "stiff" proposition. 
 
194 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 If that is your vocabulary, either don't write, or don't 
 quote. 
 
 7. Sometimes there is a quotation inside the passage you 
 quote. In that case you use the double quotation marks 
 for the main passage quoted, and single marks for the inner 
 quotation; as, 
 
 The critic says: " Milton *s judgment that 'poetry must be sim- 
 ple, sensuous, and impassioned,' is still just." 
 
 Exercise 7 
 
 Punctuate the following passages, supplying also such 
 capitals as are missing ; 
 
 1. There are five sources of public revenue 1 public loans 2 public 
 domain 3 public industries and investments 4 fees and assessments 
 5 taxation 
 
 2. The forms of taxation are these general property tax customs 
 duties excise taxes income taxes inheritance taxes corporation and 
 business taxes 
 
 3. In response to your letter of June 12 may we ask what did you 
 find wrong with the coffee in what respect did it differ from what 
 you have formerly received can you without inconvenience give us 
 some information as to how the coffee was prepared for the table 
 and the quantity used will you return to us a small sample to be 
 submitted to our coffee expert for examination 
 
 4. Which man renders the greater service to his country the sol- 
 dier in the army or the worker in industry which more deserves a 
 pension should we develop a system of workingraen's insurance 
 against various casualties sickness accident unemployment old 
 age death 
 
 5. In that somewhat distant year 1875 when the telegraph and 
 the atlantic cable were the most wonderful things in the world 
 a tall young professor of elocution was desperately busy in a noisy 
 machine-shop that stood in one of the narrow streets of boston 
 not far from scollay square it was a very hot afternoon in June 
 but the young professor had forgotten the heat and the grime 
 of the workshop he was wholly absorbed in the making of a non- 
 descript machine a sort of crude harmonica with a clock-spring 
 reed a magnet and a wire it was a most absurd toy in appearance 
 
PUNCTUATION 195 
 
 it was unlike any other thing that had ever been made in any coun- 
 try the young professor had been toiling over it for three years and it 
 had constantly baffled him until on this hot afternoon in June 
 1875 he heard an almost inaudible sound a faint twang come from 
 the machine itself that twang of the clock-spring was the first tiny 
 cry of the new-born telephone uttered in the clanging din of a 
 machine shop and happily heard by a man whose ear had been 
 trained to recognize the strange voice of the little newcomer there 
 amidst flying belts and jarring wheels the baby telephone was bom 
 as feeble and helpless as any other baby and with no language but 
 a cry 
 
 6. the salutation should be used in beginning every letter ex- 
 cept these a public letter a letter addressing a body of men and 
 women when the individuals are not thought of the most common 
 business salutations are dear sir my dear sir gentlemen and dear 
 madam use dear sir in addressing a man and use gentlemen in 
 addressing a firm a woman should be addressed as dear madam 
 whether she be married or not in addressing a very young lady use 
 her name dear miss lewis 
 
 7. mr. William hard writing in "Everybody's Magazine" says the 
 Wrights invented the combination of the use of a vertical rudder 
 with the use of a warping mechanism 
 
 That warping mechanism had to do with the long rear edges of 
 their out-stretched wings the edges which in a bird are fluttering 
 feather-tips 
 
 When the aeroplane rolled to the right reeling to a capsize they 
 warped their right wing to catch more air that is they bent the 
 rear edges of their canvas planes along the right side of their 
 machine downward so that side got more air pressure under it as 
 it rushed along and it rose 
 
 At the same time and by the same act they gave a reverse twist 
 to their other wing that is they bent the rear edges of their canvas 
 planes along the left side of their machine upward so that side got 
 little or no air pressure under it and it sank 
 
 Meanwhile they had turned their vertical rudder toward the 
 high side the left side of their tilted machine and thus vertical- 
 ruddered and warp-winged they did what no one else had been able 
 to do before they stayed in the air 
 
 Such was their invention such was their contribution to the 
 art of flying 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 BUSINESS COMPOSITION 
 A. LETTERS 
 
 A large part of the world 's business is at present carried 
 on by letters. This state of the case has been brought about 
 by the enormous increase of advertising, creating a national 
 and international market in print; the amazing develop- 
 ment of mail service; the facilities for making and multi- 
 plying letters afforded by the stenographer, the dictagraph, 
 the typewriter, and the devices for multiplying copies ; and 
 the ease, rapidity, and safety of transportation. 
 
 The letter as a business agent has many advantages : 
 
 It is an economical and effective advertiser. 
 
 It is a courteous and eloquent salesman who is never de- 
 nied an audience. 
 
 It is a pleasant, discriminating customer who generally 
 knows what he wants and who wastes no time. 
 
 It is a polite but persistent collector. 
 
 It annihilates distance between buyer and seller. 
 
 It is a contract made without fee or formality. 
 
 It serves as a permanent, trustworthy record of the trans- 
 action. 
 
 The training that one must have for the position of cor- 
 respondent in a large modern business is, if one gets it in 
 the schools, equal to a professional education; or it comes 
 as the product of a long, absorbing experience. But any man 
 or woman engaged in practical affairs may have occasion to 
 
 196 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 197 
 
 write a business letter ; and there is easily accessible a large 
 field of knowledge concerning business correspondence of 
 which the young student as well as the ordinary man of 
 affairs may quickly possess himself. 
 
 The letter is the type form of business expression. As a 
 matter of fact, there are three processes in business com- 
 munication, and only three : 
 
 1. The inquiry about something you need, or are inter- 
 ested in; 
 
 2. The giving of information about something the other 
 man desires or ought to desire ; 
 
 3. The sale and purchase of the desired and desirable 
 article. 
 
 All business writing — letters, advertisements, circulars — 
 are concerned with one or all of these three processes. A 
 good sales-letter is a good advertisement ; a good advertise- 
 ment is only a letter to an unlimited number of possible 
 buyers ; in a good letter or a good advertisement you use the 
 same material, and, with a very few differences, the same 
 method you use in a face-to-face interview. 
 
 Convention has decreed that certain things about a busi- 
 ness letter shall be as they are, and it is unwise to vary from 
 them; there is no room for originality in these formal and 
 accepted things; to deviate from them would merely be to 
 declare yourself an uninformed person. 
 
 The discussion of Letters which follows is largely con- 
 cerned with those matters that must appear in a business 
 letter. 
 
 1. A good first impression. — To get the very real benefit 
 that comes of a good first impression, observe the following 
 precautions: 
 
 1. Use stationery of good quality and of accepted form. 
 Business letter paper is in single sheets about 81/^x11, 
 preferably white; envelopes should match and fit. 
 
198 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 2. Penmanship or typewriting should be good. 
 
 3. The pages must be free from blots, erasures, and other 
 corrections. 
 
 4. The letter should be attractively arranged on the page. 
 a) The margin at top and bottom varies with the length 
 
 of the letter, but it must never be less than an inch and a 
 half. Study the relation of these margins on the page of 
 a well-printed book. 
 
 h) The side margins should not be less than an inch in 
 width. In a short letter they may be wider. The letter 
 should be *' centered" on the page so as to present a sym- 
 metrical design to the eye. The left-hand margin should 
 be kept absolutely even — the right-hand as even as possible. 
 
 5. Nothing should be written in the margin or across 
 what has already been written. 
 
 6. Business letters should be written on. one side of the 
 paper only. Social letters should be written on consecutive 
 pages— 1, 2, 3, 4, not 1, 3, 4, 2. 
 
 7. Avoid postscripts. The device of securing attention 
 by putting important matter into a postscript, that one 
 sometimes sees in sales-letters, is inartistic and amounts 
 to a confession of weakness. 
 
 8. The signature must be legible. 
 
 9. The letter must be folded properly — 
 
 a) Fold the lower edge of the sheet up to within a quarter 
 of an inch of the top. This margin makes the letter easy to 
 unfold. 
 
 h) Make a second fold from right to left, making almost 
 three equal divisions. 
 
 c) Make the third fold from left to right, leaving a 
 quarter-inch margin on the right. 
 
 d) Place the letter in the envelope so that the top of 
 the letter is in the left end of the envelope as you hold it 
 open toward you. 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION I99 
 
 2. The formal parts of a letter. — There are eight parts 
 or items to be discussed on the formal side of a business 
 letter: the heading; the date; the address; the salutation; 
 the body of the letter ; the complimentary close ; the signa- 
 ture; the direction on the envelope. 
 
 The following diagram shows how the various parts of a 
 letter should be arranged on the letterhead : 
 
 ( 1 ) The Heading 
 
 (2) The Date 
 
 (3) 
 
 The Address 
 
 (4) The Salutation 
 
 ( 5 ) 
 
 The Body 
 
 (6) The Complimentary Close 
 
 (7) The Signature 
 
 1. The Heading. — This consists of the name and address 
 — on business stationery generally printed or engraved — 
 of the person, firm, or company sending the letter ; it may 
 contain the telephone address, the cable address, the names 
 of the officials of the company, and other facts necessary for 
 
200 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 the information of correspondents. The arrangement and 
 contents of this heading are matters of taste ; its place on the 
 sheet is conventional and fixed. 
 
 When the printed or engraved head is not used, a head- 
 ing giving the full address of the writer is written, prefer- 
 ably at the right hand near the top. of the sheet, in two 
 lines — three if the address is long. 
 
 The present tendency is to do away with both abbrevia- 
 tions and punctuation in the heading. You will, however, 
 see both used. Examples of both styles are given below. 
 Whatever style you decide upon, adhere to it consistently. 
 Certain firms have a long-established custom and a his- 
 torical heading which they would not be willing to change. 
 Examples are given of headings with the ordinary inden- 
 tion, and of those arranged in the so-called block form. 
 Since the direction on the envelope of letters written to you 
 will be identical with the heading of your letter, this head- 
 ing should be full and accurate. It is not safe to omit the 
 name of a state, even after the name of one of our largest 
 cities ; there are no less than thirteen Bostons in the United 
 States. 
 
 2. The Date. — This gives the name of the month, the day 
 of the month, and the year. The present tendency is not 
 to abbreviate the name of the month. The ordinal endings 
 — nd, rd, th — are not used after the day of the month. A 
 comma separates the day of the month from the year. No 
 period is used after the year. Do not, under any circum- 
 stances, use the form 7/25/14 in the date of a letter. The 
 following are examples of headings and dates : 
 
 G. H. KlIVO, VZOB Pbbsidemt. 
 
 H. W. KOSOOB. CAsaiaa. 
 
 H. VaI7 ClESVJB, Asst Oashcbiu 
 
 K. C. SOSB. Aas-x CAsmzn^ 
 
 CAPITAL % I.OOO.OOO. 
 
 c^^^^^'i^ueo; 
 
 Octobar 16,19- 
 
TUC liM>:US<IX UOTEL «X» 
 
 BUSINESS COMPOSITION 201 
 
 THE EMERSON 
 
 HAI.TIMORE AND CALVERT STREKTS 
 
 BALTEVfOKE October 2a 19 - 
 
 355 Water Street 355 Water Street 
 
 Portland, Oregon Portland, Oregon 
 
 June 14, 19 June 14, 19 
 
 Suite 317, Home Insurance Building 
 137 South La Salle Street 
 Chicago, Illinois 
 
 July 7, 19.... 
 
 Suite 317, Home Insurance Building 
 137 South La Salle Street 
 Chicago, Illinois 
 July 7, 19.... 
 
 Exercise 1 
 
 Arrange the following items correctly in headings and 
 dates : 
 
 1. bell block benton harbor michigan June 14 19. . . . 
 
 2. room 315 shawmut building 1415 dolman street st louis mis- 
 souri 
 
 3. 678 oak st san francisco mar 26 19. . . . 
 
 4. advertising association of Chicago 123 west madison street 
 Chicago June 25 19. . . . 
 
 5. office of grant hamlin the rookery st paul 
 
 3. The Address. — The business name and address of the 
 person written to should be placed at the beginning of every 
 business letter at the left and below the date line — the name 
 in a line by itself, beginning on the letter margin ; the 
 address in two lines below, each of the lines slightly indented. 
 The block form of arrangement may be used. This address 
 should be correct in every particular, since it is identical 
 
202 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 with the direction that will appear on the envelope. The 
 proper title of the person written to should be used in this 
 address. The most commonly used titles are the following : 
 
 Mr. used for any man above fourteen years of age and not known 
 to have another title. 
 
 Messrs. the plural of Mr., used in addressing a firm of two or 
 more men. 
 
 Esq. for Esquire, frequently used as a business address. It is placed 
 after the name. Both Mr. and Esq. can not be used. Esq. 
 is less used than formerly, but it remains in the address 
 of members of the legal profession, mayors, justices of the 
 peace, and state officials other than the Governor. 
 
 Miss used for an unmarried woman j a firm of unmarried women 
 would be addressed as Misses. 
 
 Mrs. used for a married woman and prefixed to her husband 's name ; 
 if she is a widow it is prefixed to her Christian name. 
 
 Mesdames abbreviated Mmes. and used in addressing a firm or other 
 group of women in which there are married women or wid- 
 ows. If Mrs. Hart and Mrs. Kaynor are partners or if 
 Mrs. Hart and Miss Kaynor are partners — in either case 
 the firm is addressed by Mmes. 
 
 Eon. abbreviation of Honorable, used for those who occupy or have 
 occupied important public positions, cabinet officers, senators, 
 ambassadors, members of Congress and of state legislatures, 
 judges, etc. 
 
 Bev. abbreviation for Eeverend, used for a clergyman. Bev. Br. 
 may be used for a clergyman who has one of the scholastic 
 doctor's degrees. 
 
 Br. used for a doctor of medicine and frequently for any one hold- 
 ing one of the scholastic doctor's degrees; as, Doctor of 
 Philosophy — Ph.D., or Doctor of Laws — LL.D. You must 
 not both prefix the title Br. and affix Ph.B., M.B., etc. 
 
 Prof, abbreviated from Professor, belongs by right only to one 
 elected or appointed to a certain position in a degree-giving 
 institution of learning; or by courtesy to one who has become 
 an expert or an authority in some branch of learning. It is 
 used very carelessly as applied to all kinds and grades of 
 teachers. 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 203 
 
 The President of the United States may be addressed : 
 To the President, Executive Mansion, W<ishington, D. C. 
 
 In writing to a corporation, as for example, The Western 
 Electric Co., a title is not used. 
 
 4. The Salutation. — All letters except public letters, 
 which are letters intended for publication, should have this 
 little phrase of greeting. The common business salutations 
 are — 
 
 Gentlemen, or Dear Sirs, when writing to a firm, a company, or a 
 corporation. 
 
 Dear Sir, or My dear Sir, when writing to one man. 
 
 A very formal salutation, as to the President, is Sir. 
 
 Madam, Dear Madam, or My dear Madam, when writing to one 
 woman. 
 
 Mesdames, when writing to a firm or other group of women. 
 
 The first word and every important word in the saluta- 
 tion is written with a capital. The word dear does not have 
 a capital unless it stands first. 
 
 In business and all formal letters the best usage seems 
 to call for a colon after the salutation. Other punctuations 
 are often seen, and are supported by good authority. It is 
 best to adopt a usage and keep consistently to it. After the 
 salutation of an informal or friendly letter, a comma may 
 be used ; as. Dear George, My dear Olson, etc. 
 
 The salutation begins with the letter margin. 
 
 The following are examples of addresses and proper salu- 
 tations : 
 
 1. Mr. P. M. Gilroy 
 
 1733 E. 41st Street 
 
 Los Angeles, California 
 My dear Sir: 
 
 2. Mrs. P. M. Gilroy 
 
 1733 E. 41st Street 
 
 Los Angeles, California. 
 My dear Madam: 
 
204 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 3. United Fruit Company 
 
 Long Wharf 
 
 Boston, Mass. 
 
 Gentlemen : 
 
 4. Messrs. D. C. Heath 4" Company 
 
 S31-241 West 39th Street 
 New York, N. Y. 
 Gentlemen : 
 
 5. Dr. Shelby C. Clarke 
 
 Longmont 
 Colorado 
 Dear Sir: 
 
 6. Hon. William Jennings Bryan 
 
 Washington, D. C. 
 Dear Sir: 
 
 7. Professcr John M. Manly 
 
 The University of Chicago 
 
 Chicago, III. 
 My dear Sib: 
 
 Exercise 2 
 
 Arrange the following addresses correctly and give the 
 proper title and salutation : 
 
 1. Henry Hoyt a lawyer 678 Oak St. San Francisco Cal. 
 
 2. Alexander Martin a pastor West Brattleboro Vt, 
 
 3. Northern Furniture Company Sheboygan Wisconsin. 
 
 4. Sidney Mill and Lumber Co. Sidney N. Y. 
 
 5. H. W. Fleming a dentist Campello Mass. 
 
 6. National Cable Manufacturing Co. Niles Michigan. 
 
 7. Miss L. M. Herron 329 Arsenal Avenue Indianapolis. 
 
 8. Walter H. Page American Ambassador to Italy. 
 
 9. Percival Lowell head of the department of astronomy Har- 
 vard University. 
 
 10. Paul McFarland teacher of mathematics Technical High 
 School Indianapolis Ind. 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 205 
 
 11. L. C. Demarest and C. S. Harper partners in business 119 Ta- 
 coma St. Seattle Washington. 
 
 12. Carter Harrison mayor of Chicago. 
 
 13. Merritt W. Pinckney judge in the Court of Domestic Eela- 
 tions Chicago 111. 
 
 14. Hugh P. Hughes member of the Supreme Court Judicial Build- 
 ing New York. 
 
 15. Landor A. Barrett a Doctor of Philosophy care of American 
 Express Company Berlin S. W. Germany. 
 
 5. The Body of the Letter. — This must be discussed at 
 length, and is taken up below. 
 
 6. The Complimentary Close. — If the salutation is the 
 greeting, the complimentary close is the leave-taking — a 
 phrase of respect and courtesy following the letter proper 
 and immediately preceding the signature. So far as busi- 
 ness letters go, we are practically limited in present usage 
 to Yours truly, Very truly yours, Yours very truly, or, in a 
 letter to a superior. Respectfully yours. Informal and 
 friendly letters use Sincerely yours, Cordially yours, etc. 
 
 The complimentary close should begin at a point about 
 half-way from left to right. There should be nothing else 
 on the line. A capital letter is used for its first word and a 
 comma comes after it; as, Yours truly. Very truly yours, 
 YourS; etc., is never to be tolerated. 
 
 7. The Signature. — In the first place, the signature 
 should be legible. It is now conceded that a well and plain- 
 ly written signature is the most difficult to forge; so the 
 theory that an undecipherable tangle is a protection against 
 forgers no longer holds. 
 
 The signature should always be written with pen and ink, 
 and, if possible, by the person composing the letter. It 
 should be written on the line below the complimentary close, 
 and so placed as to bring the end of the name to the right 
 margin. 
 
206 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 A woman who signs a business letter should indicate her 
 title J as, 
 
 Lucy R. Meade 
 (Mrs. Henry R.) 
 (Mrs.) Lucy E. Meade 
 (Miss) Lucy E. Meade 
 
 When the firm name is signed, the name or initials of 
 the person writing the letter should be written below ; as, 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 Holt & Eaton 
 By H. 
 
 8. The Direction on the Envelope. — This is identical in 
 substance with the address. (See above, 3.) The name of 
 the person should be written about midway between the top 
 and bottom of the envelope. 
 
 In the line below and a little to the right (five typewriter 
 spaces) , the number of the building and name of the street ; 
 in the line below this (another five typewriter spaces to the 
 right), the name of the city; in the next line and similarly 
 indented, the name of the state. Or it may be arranged in 
 block form. 
 
 The present tendency is to avoid abbreviations of the 
 words street y avenue, square, park, etc., and to dispense with 
 punctuation except the periods after abbreviations. You 
 will, however, see many directions that show commas at the 
 end of each line and a period at the end, whether or not the 
 name of the state is abbreviated. 
 
 Every line of the direction should begin with a capital. 
 
 In the lower left-hand corner may be written such direc- 
 tions as Private, To Be Forwarded, Attention of Mr. Dorst, 
 c/o Holt & Eaton. If you use the sign c/o do not use a 
 capital c. 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 207 
 
 Sad to say, the following injunction is needed: Place 
 the stamp in the upper right hand corner of the envelope in 
 an upright position. 
 
 For foreign correspondence provide yourself with stamps 
 of correct denomination. 
 
 The following are examples of correct addresses: 
 
 Yawman & Eebe Mfg. Co. 
 438 St. Paul Street 
 eochester 
 
 New York 
 
 Messrs. Marwick, Mitchell, Peat & Co. 
 105 S. LaSalle St. 
 Chicago 
 III. 
 
 Prof. Karl Young 
 
 The University of Wisconsin 
 Madison 
 
 Wisconsin 
 
 We will take up now the discussion of the body of the 
 letter (see 5, above). This is, of course, the letter, the 
 message, the composition. The following cautions and in- 
 junctions apply to all letters : 
 
 1. As in any other composition think it out before you 
 begin to write : until you have had a great deal of experi- 
 ence it is a good thing to jot down as they occur to you the 
 items that you want to take up. When you see them before 
 you, you can decide on the paragraphing, and on the rela- 
 tive importance of the items, and consequently on the order 
 in which you will handle them. If you are replying to a 
 letter, analyze it carefully; jot down in the margin the 
 items you are to handle, indicating the one that is to receive 
 most emphasis. 
 
 You can not make it an invariable rule to give precisely 
 
208 ESSENTIALS OP BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 one paragraph to an item. This can be done only when the 
 items are of equal importance and complexity. You will 
 have gathered from the exercises in composition interspersed 
 among your lessons that you need a new paragraph for each 
 new aspect of a topic. The letter that you write may have 
 one item concerning which you may have to make a long 
 explanation. This item you may have to handle in more 
 than one paragraph, both for the sake of clearness and for 
 the sake of your correspondent's patience and power of 
 attention, while the other items take but a single paragraph. 
 For instance: A customer orders from your house three 
 articles, two of which you are forwarding immediately; 
 the order for the third was so vague that you must ask for 
 further particulars; you may try to assist by describing 
 things you have in stock of the same kind ; you specify the 
 details you need to have before you can fill the order. 
 
 You can see that the third item handled in your letter 
 has three aspects, and should have three short paragraphs, 
 while the other two are disposed of in one paragraph each. 
 Let your outline show this before you begin to write. 
 
 2. In the reaction against a conventional stilted style of 
 business letters, almost legal in its colorlessness and round- 
 aboutness, we show signs of going to the other extreme. 
 *' Write as you talk" is an injunction you frequently hear. 
 "Well, that depends — on how you talk. If you talk like a 
 garrulous maiden aunt, your business letters may sound 
 like this (an actual extract from a so-called business 
 letter) : 
 
 Concerning your remark that you hardly deem it right to sell 
 witch-hazel, Jamaica ginger, peppermint, and wintergreen because of 
 the presence of alcohol in them, we can only say that without alcohol 
 these articles would be impossible. Jamaica ginger finds its original 
 source in the root of an oily substance. Peppermint comes from an 
 oil, and wintergreen does also. Oil is not soluble in water, and for 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 209 
 
 that reason it is necessary to use alcohol in the preparation of prac- 
 tically all extracts in order to produce the proper solution. 
 
 You will see from the above that alcohol really has its legitimate 
 uses, and, when associated with flavoring extracts, witch-hazel, and a 
 variety of other daily needs, it is really a good agency. We doubt if 
 its use in any of the capacities named has ever inspired a taste for 
 strong drink. 
 
 We thank you for the evidences of your sterling character, as 
 manifested by your letter, and hope our pleasant relations with you 
 will continue indefinitely. It is always a genuine inspiration to work 
 for and with anyone who is square with everybody and everything. 
 
 If you talk like a grouchy uncle, your business letter will 
 sound like this : 
 
 Why don 't you ship my order ? If you don 't want to sell to me, I 
 will go elsewhere with my orders, as my money is good with others if 
 it isn't with you. 
 
 If by writing as you talk you mean the adoption of a 
 simple living vocabulary and the use of a direct forceful 
 style, the injunction is a good one. But we must not be 
 garrulous, or repetitive, or slangy, or provincial, or brusque, 
 or vague in our business letters. 
 
 3. We know, however, that the reaction against a formal, 
 dry, fixed style in business letters is wholesome. There 
 are scores of fossil expression that have hung on for gen- 
 erations in letter- writing and that should be discarded. 
 The following are some of them: 
 
 advise inst., prox., ult. 
 
 as per same (as noun or pronoun) 
 
 at all times and oblige 
 
 at hand state (for simple say) 
 
 beg esteemed inquiry 
 
 contents carefully noted valued inquiry 
 
 enclosed you will find enclosed herewith 
 
 esteemed favor earliest possible moment 
 
 hand you by return mail 
 
 in due course your letter received 
 
210 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 Avoid the following words as too stiff for a letter and 
 generally meaningless: herewith, hereby, thereto, further- 
 more, moreover, inasmuch as. 
 
 The following is such a letter as some correspondents 
 *' assemble" from the junk-shop of language: 
 
 Deab Sir: 
 
 We beg to acknowledge your esteemed favor of the 31st ult. 
 We take pleasure in handing you herewith our price-list and discount 
 sheet as per request, and trust you will find same satisfactory. 
 
 4. The idea that the pronoun I is to be renounced utterly 
 in a letter is a mistaken one. It must have grown out of the 
 warning against undue egotism. It is quite proper to use 
 this word whenever it is needed either for directness or 
 emphasis ; it may even appear, if need be, as the first word 
 of your letter. 
 
 The use of the terms the writer and the present writer 
 to avoid the / is very artificial. 
 
 In a letter sent out from a firm or corporation, the sin- 
 gular pronoun should not be used. 
 
 The /-tone is objectionable as being insincere, when it is 
 used to intimate that a dealer or a manager or anybody else 
 is deeply and personally concerned in the experiences of 
 a customer. 
 
 I want you to have the first chance at these bargains. 
 Send your order direct to me. 
 
 5. It may be that it is the effort to avoid the use of I that 
 has created a fashion of leaving out all subjects of verbs ; or 
 it may be directly due to the desire for a telegraphic brevity. 
 Whatever may be the explanation of it, it is very bad ; as, 
 
 Received your letter and have begun investigation of matter. 
 Will let you know result of inquiry. 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 211 
 
 Equally bad, as you may see, is the omission of the 
 articles, a, an, the. 
 
 6. The injunction to make the you prominent in letters — 
 particularly sales-letters — is unduly emphasized and the 
 practice unduly exaggerated by many writers. In some 
 cases it takes the crude form of putting the pronoun you 
 in screaming capitals or even in red ink ; in others the form 
 of protestation of unselfish devotion to the interest of 
 customers that can not fail to give the letter a ring of 
 insincerity. The proper way to create a you-letter is to 
 take the point of view of the customer as nearly as you can, 
 and then give him the information he needs and the 
 opportunity to do gladly what you want him to do. 
 
 7. The tone of your letter must be — 
 
 a) Sincere — the truthfulness of its statements and trust- 
 worthiness of its purpose must be apparent. 
 
 h) Cordial — ^by the use of a little dramatic sympathy all 
 of us can put ourselves in some measure in the other man 's 
 place, and speak as we should like to be spoken to. 
 
 c) Dignified — ^not formal, not '^ superior," but self-re- 
 specting and serious. No correspondent who is employed 
 by another person, or who is still building his own business, 
 should ever become * * fresh ' ' or witty, or even jocular, in his 
 business letter. 
 
 d) Courteous — and ever more courteous; this is the in- 
 dispensable requirement of business correspondence. No 
 young letter- writer should ever allow himself to be sarcastic ; 
 he should leave it to older and more experienced men to be 
 severe. 
 
 Exercise 3 
 
 A quiz on the foregoing general requirements of the body 
 of the letter: 
 
212 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 1. What is the first step in the composition of a letter which opens 
 a correspondence? 
 
 2. What is the first thing you do when you reply to a letter? 
 
 3. Describe a letter in which you may have to give more para- 
 graphs to one item than to others. 
 
 4. Discuss the injunction "Write as you talk." In what sense 
 may we follow it? 
 
 5. Give a list of the conventional words and phrases we should 
 avoid. 
 
 6. Discuss the use of the pronoun / in business letters. Does the 
 mere use of this word make an /-letter? What constitutes an oflfen- 
 sive /-letter? 
 
 7. Discuss the t/ow-letter. Does the frequent and prominent use 
 of the word you create a i/ow-letter? What does? 
 
 8. Give the four qualities that should make up the tone of a 
 letter. 
 
 3. Letters containing inclosures. — Every letter writer 
 should be familiar with the common forms of inclosure 
 (written often enclosure). If the inclosure is a remittance, 
 state in the letter the exact amount, the form in which it is 
 sent — check, draft, or money order — and how it is to be 
 applied, so that your letter may be a link in the complete 
 chain of the transaction. In addition to this mention of 
 the inclosure, the word Inc., or Incs,, in case of more than 
 one inclosure, should appear at the lower left-hand corner 
 of your letter. 
 
 Drafts, checks, postal money orders, express orders, bills 
 of lading, receipts, etc., are usually folded with the letter 
 so that they appear when the letter is unfolded. Stamps 
 should be wrapped in oiled paper — never stuck to the paper. 
 
 No remittance should be made without a letter to 
 explain it. 
 
 A prompt acknowledgment of a remittance must be made 
 and a receipt or a receipted statement inclosed when the 
 occasion requires it. In this acknowledgment the amount 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 213 
 
 of the remittance and the purpose for which it was desig- 
 nated by the sender, should be mentioned. 
 The following are examples of such letters : 
 
 (Assume heeding, address, and signature; See. 10, Letter 2, 
 ordering goods.) 
 
 1. August 21, 19.... 
 
 Gentlemen : 
 
 This check of $175.85 is in payment of my account with you, due 
 today. 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
 Inc. 
 
 2. 
 Dear Sir: 
 
 Thank you for the check of $175.85 inclosed in your letter of 
 August 21. This settles your account in full, and we inclose 
 receipted statement. 
 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 Inc. 
 
 The following is an example of a careful and courteous 
 acknowledgment. It is from the office of the White Star 
 Steamship Company. 
 
 Dear Sir: 
 
 This will acknowledge the receipt of your letter of yesterday 
 with inclosed check for $30.00, which, we note, is to be applied as a 
 deposit to secure the reservation of Room 132 for your daughter 
 and Berth 1 in Room 140 for yourself at the $53.75 rate. 
 
 We thank you very much for this deposit and will ask you kindly 
 to send us the full name of your daughter. We should like to call 
 your attention to our travelers' checks and letters of credit. 
 
 Yours very truly. 
 
 Exercise 4 
 Write the following letters: 
 
 1. To your grocer, sending a check to be applied on your account. 
 
 2. As for the grocer, acknowledge the remittance. 
 
 3. To Doubleday, Page & Co., Garden City, Long Island, N. Y., 
 
214 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 renewing your subscription to "The World's Work." Inclose postal 
 money order for $3.00. 
 
 4. Send a bank draft of $36.00 to LaSalle Extension University 
 for a set of eight volumes — "The Art of Railroading." 
 
 5. Send a receipt for $15.85 to a customer who has paid his 
 account in full at your book store. 
 
 6. Inclose a bill of lading to Elmer E. Turner, Michigan City, 
 Indiana, for a bill of goods shipped to him by your house today. 
 
 7. As for the persons concerned, acknowledge the remittances in 
 3 and 4, above. 
 
 4. Form-letters. — The correspondence of any business 
 house covers a rather well-defined field, no matter how large. 
 Even in a very complex business like that of a department 
 store or of a mail-order business, the division into depart- 
 ments gives each manager a pretty limited range of matters 
 to handle. The larger number of letters handled by any 
 given business correspondent are so nearly alike that the 
 same answer may be sent to them. After sufficient obser- 
 vation, analysis, and summary have been made of the 
 correspondence as a whole, letters that will apply to these 
 standard inquiries are carefully composed, designed to 
 cover the points sure to arise. 
 
 These letters are form-letters. They are filed, and when 
 the occasion arises, the correspondent directs a stenog- 
 rapher to copy such-and-such a letter and send it, filling in 
 the necessary names and any other data to give it specific 
 application. 
 
 Or more often still, these letters are reproduced in large 
 numbers, and all the stenographer has to do is to write in 
 the name and the data, if any are needed. 
 
 Many form-letters are printed by a process that imitates 
 typewriting, and the name and specific details are written 
 in by a typist to match the body of the letter. 
 
 Some correspondents, having learned the value of the 
 paragraph unit, devise form-paragraphs, each designed to 
 
BUSINESS ■ COMPOSITION 215 
 
 cover some point that comes up again and again. These 
 paragraphs are filed and may be assembled and written off 
 by a typist, creating the impression of a freshly dictated 
 letter. 
 
 Here are two examples of these ' * assembled ' ' letters : 
 
 1. 
 Dear Sir: 
 
 Your letter of the 16th has just reached us, and we note that you 
 have received only part of your order. 
 
 Since our stock of No. 125-A water heaters was temporarily 
 exhausted, we shipped the other item on your order without waiting 
 to receive our fresh supply. We thought you would want us to do 
 this rather than delay the entire shipment. We expect to have our 
 stock replenished in a few days, and shall take pains to see that 
 your order is filled promptly. 
 
 Your address has been changed on our records to correspond with 
 the directions in your letter. 
 
 We have given this matter special attention, in order that it may 
 cause you no further trouble. 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
 You will notice that there are only two details there 
 to be written in — the date and the specific article by its 
 catalogue number. 
 
 2. 
 Dear Sir: 
 
 Your letter of July 25 has just reached us, and we want to say 
 frankly that we owe you an apology. 
 
 The mistake was due to an entry error in our order department. 
 Our shipping clerk has received instructions to assemble a new ship- 
 ment at once, and we have taken special pains to see that it is 
 correct in every detail. We ask you to return the incorrect shipment 
 to us at our expense. 
 
 We will do everything in our power to see that such a mistake 
 does not happen again. 
 
 We are correcting the mistake today. 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
216 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 You will notice that they sound quite like real letters — 
 and are, indeed, better than an ordinary correspondent 
 could possibly dictate every day. 
 
 Perhaps you have seen that deplorable scheme for saving 
 time and money, adopted by a few business houses — the 
 scheme of merely fastening together with a clip certain 
 form-paragraphs and sending them otherwise unconnected. 
 These, also, are outside the field of English, since there is 
 no grammatical precedent for the wire clip as a conjunction. 
 
 The same laws govern the composition of a form-letter as 
 of any other letter or piece of business composition. It 
 should display clearness, effectiveness, and courtesy. It 
 should be adapted to the persons to whom it is sent, being 
 made as personal and human as sincerity permits. You 
 would not send the same form to Christopher & North, 
 exclusive grocers and wine merchants, 195 S. Michigan 
 Ave., that you would send to Gleason Brothers, groceries 
 and general merchandise. Three Oaks, Wis. But the two 
 letters should be equally courteous, clear, and effective. The 
 devising of form-letters is now a business, a profession, and 
 an art. Any business man can learn to devise form-letters. 
 But some form-letters are like poems — ^they are works of 
 imagination and genius. 
 
 5. The typewritten letter. — 1. The person who type- 
 writes a letter should learn, as soon as possible, to estimate 
 the amount of material he will have so as to place it attract- 
 ively on the page. All letters are written on the same 
 letter-head; so naturally a short letter should have much 
 wider margins on all sides than a long one can have. It 
 will make a much more attractive appearance if it is ''cen- 
 tered'* in a compact form on the sheet than if it is spread 
 out in two or three lines across the whole sheet. This 
 judgment is difficult for a typist who takes dictation on 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 217 
 
 the typewriter. The dictator in this case must warn the 
 typist as to the length of his letter. 
 
 2. If the letter is long, leave generous margins, and use 
 a second sheet. Nothing is so disheartening as a page packed 
 from edge to edge with stony, single-spaced text ; the read- 
 ing of it seems a physical impossibility. 
 
 3. Second sheets are the same paper as the letter-heads, 
 without printed or engraved heading. The name or initials 
 of the person addressed are placed near the upper left-hand 
 margin of the second and of every subsequent sheet, fol- 
 lowed by the number of the page ; as, plm — 2. 
 
 4. No matter how long your letter, always leave a margin 
 of at least one inch left and right. The left-hand margin 
 should be perfectly regular, the right-hand margin as reg- 
 ular as possible. A typist should master the rules of hy- 
 phenating so that she need never evade the division of a 
 word. She will then avoid that jagged right edge that so 
 disfigures a letter. 
 
 5. Develop a sense of the paragraph. If you are com- 
 posing on a typewriter, it is no more difficult to paragraph 
 than if you are writing with your pen. But a typist tak- 
 ing dictation must learn to be quick to see, without being 
 told, v/hen a new aspect of the letter is taken up, so as 
 to call for a new paragraph. 
 
 In business letter-writing you have to relax a little the 
 rules for paragraphing, and allow a typist to break up the 
 matter into smaller sections for the sake of the beauty of 
 the page, and the conservation of the reader's attention 
 and eyesight. But these breaks must not be quite arbi- 
 trary. An expert typist develops a sense for these divisions. 
 
 6. Arrange so as not to begin a paragraph at the bottom 
 of a page unless you have room for at least three lines. 
 Manage so that you will not have a single line or a few 
 words to carry over to a new page. 
 
218 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 7. The opening sentence of a letter should be indented 
 five spaces from the margin. Every paragraph should 
 have precisely the same indention. 
 
 8. As little erasing as possible should be done ; one letter 
 should never be written over another. 
 
 9. Quoted matter looks well indented from both sides. 
 
 10. Lists should be indented and tabulated. 
 
 11. At the bottom of the letter at the left margin should 
 be placed the initials of the person dictating the letter and 
 the initials of the stenographer ; as plm — hc. 
 
 12. Below these initials should be written Inc. if one 
 inclosure is to be made ; if more than one, write Incs. with 
 the number of inclosures indicated; as, Incs. — 2. 
 
 13. Mistakes in spelling are unpardonable. Any typist 
 can master the list of words used in a given business. 
 
 14. Typewriting is a kind of printing, and every typist will 
 learn much by studying the details of a well-printed page. 
 
 6. Letters of application. — The letter of application is 
 the most important document that a young person in busi- 
 ness will have to write. He must regard it as his oppor- 
 tunity to bring himself to the notice of business men. He 
 should be willing to take any amount of pains to make his 
 letter represent his best self, and secure the attention and 
 interest of the reader. The following formidable-looking 
 list contains the simple Do's and DonH's of the letter of 
 application : 
 
 1. Use plain, white, unruled paper, full-size sheets, writ- 
 ing on one side only. Use envelopes to fit. 
 
 2. Be sure that paper and envelopes are clean. Send no 
 letter with erasures or blots. 
 
 3. Typewrite your letter, if possible. Do not, of course, 
 typewrite your signature. If advisable, send a specimen of 
 your handwriting as an inclosure. 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 219 
 
 4r. Apply as promptly as possible for an advertised 
 position. 
 
 5. Write frankly and modestly, without boasting, but 
 without self -depreciation. Express no doubt or uncertainty 
 as to your ability to do the work you are asking for. 
 
 6. If you are answering an advertisement, attend in order 
 to all the points mentioned in the advertisement. In any 
 event state your preparation; your age; your experience; 
 your references; whether you are married or single; and, 
 if you are asked to do so, the salary you expect. 
 
 a) Your preparation includes the school you attended 
 and the courses taken that bear on the work you are asking 
 for. 
 
 h) You should give with some fullness your previous 
 experience in business — what you have done and for whom 
 you have done it. It is always a good thing to give a former 
 employer or associate as a reference. It is sometimes well 
 to say why you are leaving your present position. 
 
 c) In some employments the question of age is impor- 
 tant. It is always well to state it. 
 
 d) Never give a person as a reference until you have 
 asked for and secured his permission. If possible give the 
 name of someone you have had business experience with — 
 of a former employer, of your instructor in the courses you 
 have taken, of some friend who can speak for your char- 
 acter. Give always the full names and addresses of your 
 references. 
 
 e) li you have general letters of recommendation, inclose 
 fresh, neat copies, marked at top or bottom ' ' Copy. ' ' 
 
 f) If you are so young as to be obviously single, say 
 nothing on that point. If older, say whether you are mar- 
 ried or single. 
 
 g) If the advertisement asks you to name a salary, say 
 in plain figures the least you will take ; never say * * moderate * * 
 
220 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 salary — that is meaningless; never say ''salary no object" 
 — that is unbusiness-like and probably insincere. Consider, 
 when you name a salary, your ability and experience and 
 the salaries paid in your locality. 
 
 The following are examples of letters of application : 
 
 1438 West Madison Steeet 
 
 Chicago, III. 
 
 April 21, 19 
 
 X 467 Tribune 
 
 Chicago 
 Dear Sir: 
 
 I should like to apply for the position of office-boy advertised 
 by you in today's "Tribune." I am fourteen years old and live with my 
 parents at the number given above. I refer you to Mr. Julian H. 
 Lewis, 96 West Eandolph Street. I inclose a copy of a letter 
 from him. 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
 Robert Patterson 
 
 6304 University Avenue 
 
 Chicago, III. 
 September 14, 19 ... . 
 
 H 911 Herald 
 
 Chicago 
 Dear Sir: 
 
 This is in answer to your advertisement in this morning's Herald. 
 
 I am a graduate of High School and of Business 
 
 College, where I had a course in office practice. 
 
 In this college the conditions of a business office are dupli- 
 cated as nearly as possible. So, while I have had no experience, I 
 can write a business letter, correctly arranged, capitalized, spelled, and 
 punctuated; file a letter; find a letter already filed; use the mimeo- 
 graph or other duplicating devices; make out bills and statements; 
 and meet callers. I know the nature and use of drafts, checks, 
 receipts, invoices, statements, etc. 
 
 I am twenty-four years of age and live at home. 
 
 I should be glad to call at your office at your convenience. 
 
 Yours truly, 
 (Miss) Lucy R. Meade 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 221 
 
 1329 Aesenal Street 
 
 Indianapolis, Ind. 
 
 January 14, 19 ... . 
 Messrs. Holt ^ Eaton 
 
 214 West Monroe Street 
 Chicago, III. 
 Gentlemen : 
 
 I have learned through raj friend, Mr. William A. Gordon, whom 
 you know, that you are looking for an assistant bookkeeper. I should 
 like to be considered a candidate for the place. 
 
 I am a graduate of the School of Commerce of the University 
 of Wisconsin. For two years I have been assistant bookkeeper for 
 Shortall & Sturgis, 125 Pennsylvania Street, Indianapolis. I have 
 their permission to refer to them. I am also at liberty to refer you 
 to Professor Frederick Clarke, of the University of Wisconsin, who 
 can speak of my work as a student. 
 
 I am twenty-four years of age and unmarried. 
 Assuring you that if I am chosen, I shall endeavor to make 
 my work satisfactory, I am 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 Charles W. Gale 
 
 7. The following is a suggestion for a letter applying to 
 a well-known house for a position not advertised : 
 
 387 Northfield Ave. 
 
 Pittsburg, Pa. 
 
 January 14, 19 ... . 
 Mr. John Wanammker 
 
 Philadelphia, Fa. 
 Dear Sir: 
 
 I am a stenographer and want to improve my position. I am 
 writing to you because I feel that my services would be valuable in 
 your house. I have the following qualifications: 
 
 1. Rapidity and accuracy in taking notes and in typing. I 
 have a record of 110 words. 
 
 2. Knowledge of the requirements of the position in a 
 large office. 
 
 3. Enthusiasm for my work and a desire to give complete 
 satisfaction. 
 
 My preparation and experience consist of (assume details). 
 
222 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 I inclose copies of letters of recommendation and the names 
 of references. 
 
 If you have a vacancy at present, I desire to apply for it. If 
 not, will you file my application for future use? 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 (Miss) Mary A. Logan 
 
 If you are engaged for a position of trust, especially if 
 money is to be handled, you may be required to give se- 
 curity. You may get two property owners to act as bonds- 
 men ; or you may apply to a bond and reference association, 
 which after investigating your ability, honesty, habits, etc., 
 will act as your bondsman. 
 
 8. The following represents still another type of letter of 
 application : 
 
 (Assume heading and address.) 
 Gentlemen : 
 
 I have learned that you are planning a large extension of your 
 business in the Latin-American countries. I should like to serve you 
 in that extension. 
 
 I have had ten years' experience as a salesman in South Ameri- 
 can countries. (Give details.) I have a thorough speaking and writ- 
 ing knowledge of Spanish. 
 
 I am thirty-two years of age and married. 
 
 I shall be glad to make known the reason for my desire for a 
 change of position. I can give thoroughly satisfactory references 
 and bond, if necessary. I should appreciate the favor of an interview. 
 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 Henry Ransom 
 
 Exercise 5 
 
 Using your own address as heading, answer the following 
 advertisements : 
 
 1. BOY— OFFICE, BRIGHT, ENERGETIC, 15 TO 18, 
 by Board of Trade firm; permanent and advance- 
 ment to right party. Answer fully, giving tele- 
 phone, age, and education. Address O W 430, 
 Tribune. 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 223 
 
 2. ADVERTISING COPY WEITERS— COERESPOND- 
 
 ence desired with experienced advertising agency 
 copy writers who would consider positions in copy 
 department of Middle West advertising agency about 
 Sept. 1. State age, experience, and salary expected. 
 Address D D. 23, Tribune. 
 
 3. BOOKKEEPER— ASSISTANT, AND COMPETENT 
 
 stenographer, in West Side office; salary at first $12 
 per week; prospects for advancement good for ambi- 
 tious young man; references. Address L D 102, 
 Tribune. 
 
 4. STENOGRAPHER— ONE WITH iilXPERIENCE 
 
 in auto supply business preferred; living on So. 
 Side; salary to start $8. Permanent; rapid promo- 
 tion assured. Address N 527, Tribune. 
 
 5. WANTED— MILWAUKEE BRANCH OFFICE 
 
 manager and salesman; long established merchandise 
 brokerage; good salary; splendid ppportunity; state 
 references and experience. Address O T 547, 
 Tribune. 
 
 6. ADVERTISING WRITER— TO STUDY PRODUCT 
 
 and organization and write copy for catalogues, 
 booklets, house organ, and general sales promotion 
 literature; prefer a man acquainted with business sys- 
 tems. BAKER- VAWTER COMPANY, 
 
 Benton Harbor, Mich. 
 
 7. You have heard that Jordan & Marsh, Boston, will need extra 
 help during the summer, while members of their regular force are 
 on their vacations. Write an application. 
 
 8. Apply for a position as instructor in mathematics in a tech- 
 nical high school. 
 
 9. As an employer, or for your employer, answer the following 
 advertisements. Ask the applicant in the first to call; in the second 
 to telephone: 
 
 1. SITUATION WANTED— ON ACCOUNT OF 
 closing Chicago office, unusually efficient stenog. 
 
224 ESSENTIALS OP BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 will be out of employment in a few days ; exp. in engi- 
 neering, arch., scientific and tech-dictation; will accept 
 $20 per week until work has demonstrated capabilities 
 worthy of more remuneration. Address K 172, 
 Tribune. 
 
 2. SITUATION WANTED— YOUNG MAN STENOG- 
 rapher or private secretary, experienced, 24, H. S. 
 graduate, knowledge German, French, and Spanish; 
 Al references. Address L 501, Tribune. 
 
 Note. — The instructor should substitute for these exercises, or add 
 to them, others, according to the needs and experiences of his class. 
 He should give every member of the class a classified advertisement 
 to answer, adapted to the student's experience and expectations. 
 
 7. Letters of recommendation. — These are of two kinds 
 — personal and generaL A personal letter of recommenda- 
 tion is addressed to some firm or individual to whom the 
 writer is commending a candidate for a specific position. 
 This is most often written directly to the firm or person 
 addressed. 
 
 A general letter of recommendation is really a testimonial ; 
 it opens with the phrase * ' To whom it may concern. ' ' This 
 kind of letter is given to the candidate himself to be used 
 as he sees fit ; he keeps the original and sends a copy with 
 his application ; this copy should always be fresh and clean, 
 and should be marked ' ' Copy. ' ' 
 
 The personal letter is, of course, mOre effective, but also 
 more difficult to write. It should be asked for with great 
 modesty and received with real appreciation. 
 
 The letter of recommendation should mean all that it says. 
 Undue praise hurts everybody concerned. Of course, if 
 one consents to recommend an applicant, he must mention 
 the good and affirmative points. 
 
 The following is a general letter of recommendation : 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 225 
 
 96 West Eandolph St. 
 
 Chicago, III. 
 To Whom It May Concern: 
 
 I have known the bearer, Kobert Patterson, for several years and 
 am well acquainted with his parents. I have every reason to con- 
 sider him a young man of ability, of honorable principles, and of 
 good habits. I have no hesitancy in recommending him for office 
 work. Yours truly, 
 
 Julian H. Lewis 
 
 The following is a personal letter of recommendation : 
 
 967 WiNTHROP Ave. 
 
 Madison, Wis. 
 
 Jan. 14, 19 
 
 Messrs. Holt 4' Eaton 
 
 214 W. Monroe Street 
 Chicago, III. 
 Gentlemen : 
 
 In reply to your request for information concerning Mr. Charles 
 W. Gale, who is applying for the position of assistant bookkeeper in 
 your business, I have no hesitancy in recommending him most cor- 
 dially for this position. As a student in my classes he was eager, 
 conscientious, and efficient. You will make no mistake in engaging 
 him. 
 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 Frederick Clarke 
 
 8. Letters of introduction. — These are used to introduce 
 two of your acquaintances to each other. These letters 
 should not be asked for or given carelessly, because every- 
 body feels that they carry business and social obligations. 
 A letter of introduction should be short, stating the reason 
 for the introduction. The business letter of introduction 
 is left unsealed and given to the person introduced. The 
 words Introducing Mr. are written in the lower left- 
 hand comer of the envelope. 
 
226 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 The following is an example of a letter of introduction : 
 
 (Assume heading, address, salutation, and signature.) 
 
 This will introduce to you my friend, Mr. William Hoyt, who is 
 
 visiting your city with a view to going into business there. 
 
 He is a wide-awake, sound business man and will be an accession 
 
 to any community and any business. Any attention that you may 
 
 show him will be appreciated by him, and will be a personal favor 
 
 to me. 
 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 Exercise 6 
 
 Write the following general letters of recommendation, 
 or introduction, as you think best : 
 
 1. For John Edwards, who is just graduated from a commercial 
 high school and who wishes to begin in a bank. 
 
 2. For Mr. Charles Winthrop, your bookkeeper, who for family 
 reasons is moving to Boston. 
 
 3. For Miss Lucy E. Meade, an expert office assistant, who is 
 looking for a larger opening in San Francisco. 
 
 4. For Miss Mary A. Logan, who has had two years in a com- 
 mercial high school, and who wishes to begin as a typist. 
 
 9. Letters of inquiry and reply. — In the first place, be 
 sure that it is really necessary to make the inquiry. Do all 
 in your power to find out for yourself what you want to 
 know. When you write a letter of inquiry, go straight to 
 your point. Give clear and full detail as to the thing you 
 want to know. If your inquiry has several items or details, 
 open them out and arrange them in order, so that they may 
 be quickly grasped. An inquiry preliminary to a possible 
 purchase needs no apology and no return postage. 
 
 The reply to a letter of inquiry should take up in detail 
 the items of the inquiry and answer the questions directly 
 and specifically. The following letters are offered as good 
 examples of the detailed letter of inquiry and the specific 
 reply : 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 227 
 
 Lakeville, Cedar Co., Mo. • 
 
 July 2, 19 
 
 Messrs. Marlow, Hardy 4" Co. - 
 
 29 Lombard Street 
 
 Chicago, Illinois 
 Gentlemen : 
 
 I desire to secure furnishings for a small country house. 
 Will you please send me samples of inexpensive white curtain 
 materials for bedrooms, and of some fabric suitable for southern 
 windows in a living-room? I wish some strong, simple, comfortable 
 dining-room chairs. Will you suggest some suitable inexpensive style 
 of porch' furniture? If you publish a catalogue, I should be glad 
 to have you send me one. What do you advise in place of the old- 
 fashioned kitchen stove? 
 
 Sincerely yours, 
 (:Mrs. a. C.) Mary R. Morris 
 
 (Assume heading and date.) 
 Mrs. A. C. Morris 
 Lakeville 
 
 Cedar Co., Missouri 
 Dear Madam: 
 
 For your living-room we suggest sundour. It washes well and 
 does not fade in the sunlight. It comes in very soft shades in all 
 colors. It varies in thickness, some of it being as thin as raw silk 
 and some of it quite substantial. It is 54 inches wide and costs 
 from $1.00 to $1.50 a yard. We have a good hand-hemstitched scrim 
 curtain in white or ecru, at $2.00 a pair. 
 
 We are sending cuts of dining-room chairs. You will notice that 
 we advise the low-backed chair, as it makes service easier. We also 
 recommend wax finish instead of high polish. 
 
 For the porch we suggest a fibre rug in two tones and reed chairs 
 and tables. The reed furniture is a little more expensive than wil- 
 low, but it takes a better stain and is more durable. 
 
 We do not carry stoves, but you would probably find satis- 
 faction in the blue-flame oil-stove. 
 
 We shall be glad to discuss details further with you if you favor 
 us with your order. 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
 Marlow, Hardy & Co. 
 By M. 
 
228 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 Certain letters of inquiry are confidential, asking for in- 
 formation concerning the credit or standing of a firm or 
 individual. The writer of such a letter should regard him- 
 self as asking a favor, and should show a courteous realiza- 
 tion of this fact, and should send return postage. 
 
 The reply to such a letter should make no statement that 
 can not be justified, and should carefully distinguish be- 
 tween opinion and fact. If the report is unfavorable, no 
 names should be mentioned and no details given that would 
 identify the persons reported on, to any person other than 
 the correspondent. No one but an experienced person 
 should undertake the reply in such a case. 
 
 Exercise 7 
 
 Using your own address, write the following letters : 
 
 1. To Sears, Eoebuck & Co., Chicago, asking them to send you 
 their general mail-order catalogue. 
 
 2. To the Board of Trade of Marshalltown, Iowa, asking for 
 publications concerning the business chances in that city, and re- 
 questing specific information as to opening a book-store there. 
 
 3. To the Detroit Blaugas Company, 117 West Huron Street, 
 Detroit, concerning the equipping of a summer cottage with their 
 gas for cooking and lighting. 
 
 4. To the National Suit Company, New York, asking for cata- 
 logue and samples. Specify carefully what kind of goods you 
 want. 
 
 5. To Marshall Field & Co., Chicago, asking them to send you 
 samples of material for curtains for five rooms. Give such descrip- 
 tion as will help them to choose the samples intelligently. Ask for 
 suggestions. 
 
 6. To Spaulding & Co., Chicago, asking information in detail 
 concerning sleeping-bags. 
 
 7. To Eacine Boat Company, 87 No. State Street, Chicago, for 
 information concerning their canoes, inquiring if it is possible to put 
 a gasoline motor into certain of their canoes. Ask for suggestions 
 as to the motor. 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 229 
 
 8. To Orr & Lockett, Chicago, asking for catalogue and price- 
 list of work-benches and tools for a wood-working room in a 
 grammar school. 
 
 9. To the law department of LaSalle Extension University, in- 
 quiring whether or not a man's estate is liable for damages for 
 libel, even though the libel was not made public until after the 
 man's death. Present the facts and ask for information. 
 
 10. To the First National Bank of Eockford, 111., for informa- 
 tion as to the character and financial standing of E. O. Hilton, of 
 Eockford. 
 
 11. To the Western Electric Company, for information as to 
 their inter-communicating telephones for your office building. 
 
 12. To the Gum Lumber Manufacturing Association, asking for 
 samples of their wood, finished, and for information as to its quali- 
 ties as an interior trim for a bank building. 
 
 13. To The Dells Inn, Kilbourn, Wisconsin, asking terms for a 
 party of five for a stay of six days. 
 
 14. To White Star Steamship Line, New York, inquiring as to 
 terms, accommodations — first and second class, — and sailings in July 
 from Boston to Liverpool; a party of four. 
 
 15. To a florist, asking for prices on two styles of decoration of a 
 room for a class supper or a banquet for which you are chairman of 
 the committee on decoration. Give specifications for two styles — 
 one inexpensive, one more costly. Ask for suggestions from him. 
 
 Exercise 8 
 Reply to the following letters: 
 
 Barrington, Wisconsin 
 
 May 30, 19 
 
 Messrs. Butler, Ward 4" Co. 
 Bush Street Bridge 
 Chicago 
 Gentlemen : 
 
 Please send me your catalogue of gas-lamps. I am especially in- 
 terested in a drop-light. 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
 Allen Eobertson 
 Say you are sending catalogue; mention the pages on which he 
 will find drop-lights; point out a light that will suit a library and 
 one for a living-room; call attention to a special light for a 
 dining-room. Express hope that he will purchase. 
 
230 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 2. (Assume heading.) 
 National Suit Compa?iy 
 
 New YorJc. 
 Gentlemen ; 
 
 Kindly send me samples of goods for a suit. 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
 (Miss) Mary A. Logan 
 Ask courteously that she give details as to the kind of suit she 
 wants — street or dress; the kind of fabric — ^linen, wool, silk; the 
 color; approximate price; suggest that she might use two suits — a 
 silk and a wool. Express desire to please her. 
 
 3. As from Marshall Field & Co., write a reply to the letter 
 called for under 5, Exercise 6. 
 
 4. As from the florist, write a reply to the letter called for under 
 15, Exercise 6. Make attractive suggestions for a third style of 
 decoration, not quite so expensive as the second suggested by the 
 inquiry. 
 
 5. As from the Eacine Boat Company, reply to the letter called 
 for under 7, Exercise 6. You are yourselves prepared to furnish 
 a portable motor suitable for certain types of canoes. Give details. 
 Invite further inquiry, and visit to sales-room. 
 
 Note. — The instructor should vary these practice exercises to suit 
 the needs of his class, and add to them if he finds it desirable. 
 
 10. Letters ordering goods. — In letters ordering goods 
 you must be clear, exact, and complete; the following are 
 some of the Do's and Don't 's that will help you to that end : 
 
 1. Give a tabulated list of the things you want — that is, 
 put each item on a separate line. 
 
 2. If you are sending a small order, it may be written in 
 your letter. If it is large, write it on a separate sheet. 
 
 3. When ordering from a catalogue, use the blanks fur- 
 nished for orders. Follow carefully the directions given in 
 all catalogues ; give the catalogue number for each item. 
 
 4. Qumitity, quality, size, color, style or shape or brand, 
 price — these are the important things to specify. If fabrics 
 are ordered, secure and send samples. 
 
 5. Give full shipping directions if possible — at least say 
 whether the goods are to be sent by parcel post, express, or 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 231 
 
 freight. If possible, specify railroad or steamer line in 
 case of freight. 
 
 6. If you desire the goods in a hurry, state carefully when 
 you want them and the reason for haste, so that you may 
 be taken seriously and your order treated as a ' ' rush order. ' ' 
 
 7. Unless you are an old and well-known customer of the 
 house, mention the manner in which payment is made or to 
 be made. If you enclose a cash remittance, mention the 
 amount and the form in which it is sent — postage stamps, 
 postal money order, etc. 
 
 The following are examples of letters ordering goods : 
 
 (Assume heading and address.) 
 Gentlemen : 
 
 Please send me by parcel post: 
 
 6 pr. ladies' black No. 8 lisle-thread Stockings @ $.50 $3.00 
 
 1 pr. ladies' dark tan kid, 3 clasp Gloves, No. 6^ 1.50 
 
 1 pr. ladies' white silk Gloves, 12 button length. No. 6i^ 1.50 
 
 6 pr. ladies' plain hemstitched Handkerchiefs @ $.50 3.00 
 
 I inclose express money order for $9.06, which covers purchase 
 and postage. 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
 (Miss) Elizabeth Dwyer 
 
 Michigan City, Ind. 
 
 July 15, 19.... 
 Messrs. Long Brothers 
 S47 Canal Street 
 Chicago, III. 
 Gentlemen : 
 
 I must ask your immediate attention to the inclosed order. I 
 have been away from home on a vacation and on my return found 
 my stock of these articles very low. 
 
 I am especially anxious to have the flour sent promptly, to reach 
 me before Saturday. Ship by Michigan Central Eailroad, on account 
 60 days. 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 Elmer E. Turner 
 
 8. An order should be acknowledged at once. This ac- 
 
232 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 knowledgment should express pleasure; refer to the order 
 by date, and mention any special conditions or instructions 
 it contained; say when the order will be shipped or was 
 shipped; perhaps give a suggestion for a further order; 
 acknowledge any remittance made, giving details. 
 
 1. Acknowledging the first order above : 
 
 (Assume heading, address, and signature.) 
 Dear Madam: 
 
 Accept our thanks for your order of March 15, inclosing express 
 money order for $9.00. 
 
 The goods have been shipped today by parcel post as you directed, 
 and we trust they will prove satisfactory. 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 Inc. 
 
 The inclosure might be a circular announcing a sale of 
 silk stockings, or some other article attractive to ladies. 
 
 2. Acknowledging the second order above. 
 
 (Assume heading, address, and signature.) 
 Dear Sir: 
 
 Your order of July 15 came this morning. We are putting it 
 through as a rush order, and it will be shipped tomorrow. You may 
 depend on it that not only the flour but the whole order will reach 
 you for Saturday. We inclose invoice. The goods will be shipped 
 by Michigan Central, as you request. 
 
 You will probably be interested in the special price list of canned 
 fruits that we are inclosing. We should be very much pleased to 
 book your order for them. 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 IDvCS. 2 
 
 Exercise 9 
 Using your own name and address and choosing the busi- 
 ness houses for yourself, write the following orders : 
 
 1. A large Crex rug and two reed chairs for your porch. 
 
 2. Twenty work-benches for a wood-working room for the sixth 
 grade. 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 233 
 
 3. On May 15, a ton of coal. 
 On December 15, a ton of coal. 
 ^, 4. Twenty articles selected from a mail-order catalogue. 
 
 5. A list of groceries of twelve items from a wholesale house for 
 your store in a small town. 
 
 6. Tickets for four persons on the White Star steamer "Arabic," 
 Boston to Liverpool, June 16. 
 
 7. Six automobile specialties for your Ford automobile. 
 
 8. Two dozen dustless chalk erasers for your school-room. 
 
 9. A list of groceries for your camp in the woods, where you are 
 to spend a month with two friends. 
 
 Exercise 10 
 
 Acknowledge in good form the orders of the letters 
 called for in Exercise 8. 
 
 Note. — As in previous exercises, the instructor may add or sub- 
 stitute orders which suit his needs. 
 
 11. Letters asking and granting favors. — Those letters 
 asking favors should be characterized by directness and 
 frankness. State your request in the beginning of your 
 letter and give whatever explanations will justify it. Such 
 letters should not be too humble and apologetic (if you 
 really feel troublesome or unworthy, don't dare to ask the 
 favor), but should be grateful and appreciative in tone. 
 The following are examples of letters asking favors or spe- 
 cial consideration : 
 
 1. 5728 University Avenue, 
 
 Chicago, III., 
 
 July 14, 19 
 
 Messrs. Beech 4" BecJc, Publishers, 
 41 Beacon Square, 
 
 Boston, Mass. 
 Gentlemen : 
 
 I should like your permission to use in a text-book I am pre- 
 paring for high-school students, as models of paragraph structure, a 
 few passages from Pinchot's "Social Control." I shall be happy 
 
234 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 to give due credit. I should like to congratulate vou on publishing 
 so wise and helpful a book. 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 Edward O. Warren 
 
 2. (Assume the same heading, address, and signature as in 1, 
 above.) 
 
 Gentlemen : 
 
 I should like your permission to reproduce as a pamphlet in a 
 series I am issuing on public questions, for use in my classes. Chap- 
 ter X of Pinchot 's ' ' Social Control. ' ' I should, of course, make due 
 acknowledgment. 
 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 3. (Assume heading, address, and signature.) 
 Gentlemen : 
 
 The white muslin dress (F 144) that I ordered from you April 
 15 has reached me, but proves to be too small for my daughter, for 
 whom I ordered it. I did not realize when I ordered it that she had 
 grown a great deal recently. I should like to exchange it for the 
 same thing in a larger size. 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
 The reply to such letters should be courteous and as con- 
 siderate as possible. If the favors are to be granted, let it 
 be done as cordially and as generously as is consistent with 
 the policy and interest of the people you represent. 
 
 The following are replies to the letters given above: 
 
 (Assume heading, address, and signature in each case.) 
 
 1. 
 Dear Sir: 
 
 Your letter of March 16, requesting permission to use a few pas- 
 sages from Pinchot 's "Social Control," has been duly considered. 
 
 If you will give the usual credit to book, author, and publisher, 
 either in your preface or in your introduction, we will most cordially 
 grant the permission you ask. 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 235 
 
 Dear Sir: 
 
 Your letter of March 16, asking permission to reproduce as a 
 pamphlet Chapter X of Pinchot 's ' ' Social Control, ' ' has been duly 
 considered. 
 
 Since that chapter contains so much that is essential and central 
 in the book, we can not, we regret to say, in justice either to our- 
 selves or the author, permit such use of the material. 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 3. 
 My dear Madam: 
 
 We shall be very glad to exchange the white dress (F 144) which 
 proved too small for your daughter, for the same number one size 
 larger. You will find full directions for the return of goods on page 
 49 of our catalogue. Immediately upon receipt of the dress, we will 
 forward the larger garment. 
 
 Very truly yours. 
 
 Exercise 11 
 
 Write the following letters : 
 
 1. You have been ill, and absent from the business college in 
 which you are registered, for six weeks. Write to the principal re- 
 questing that your tuition for the six weeks be credited to you. 
 
 2. Keply to this letter, granting the request. 
 
 3. Write to "System," asking permission to reprint in pamphlet 
 form an article published in that magazine. 
 
 4. Write a reply, as from the editor of "System," stating the 
 conditions upon which permission is given. 
 
 5. Write to John Wanamaker, Philadelphia, asking for a discount 
 for cash on an order of six dozen table napkins. 
 
 6. As from John Wanamaker, reply, explaining that you cannot 
 allow discount on so small a lot of merchandise. 
 
 12. Letters of complaint and adjustment. — ^Don't you 
 
 think that we are all entitled to a moment of ''comic relief 
 at this point in our long chapter ? What would you do with 
 the following letter of complaint which was reproduced in 
 the ''LaSalle Extension Magazine"? 
 
236 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 Mister Sallie house Sanfrisco. 
 
 Dear Fren; I got the Valva which i by from you alrite but why 
 for god's sake you doan sen me no handle, wat the use the valva 
 when she doan have no handle. I loose to my customer sureting, 
 you doan treet me rite, is my money not so good to you as the otha 
 fella. I wate ten days and my customer he holla for the valva. 
 you no he is hot summer and the win he no blow the weel. you doan 
 send me the handel pretty queek I sen her back and I order some 
 valva from kraine Co. Good by 
 
 YOUR Fren. 
 
 since I rite these i find the handle in the box. Excuse to me. 
 
 There are very few customers so versatile as this charming 
 Italian correspondent (who from the postscript may be 
 judged to have a drop of Irish blood in his veins) who makes 
 ind adjusts his own complaint in the same letter. 
 
 The following suggestions are to be borne in mind when 
 writing letters of complaint and adjustment : 
 
 1. Your complaint must, of course, be justly grounded. 
 It must be courteously and calmly made, and supported by 
 detailed facts for which you have proof or evidence. You are 
 always absurd when you lose your temper — in writing, 
 doubly so. Show the same courtesy that you expect to 
 receive. 
 
 2. A letter of complaint, whether it be just or unjust, 
 must be promptly acknowledged. This promptness is a long 
 step toward adjustment. 
 
 3. A frank acknowledgment of fault, if the fault is 
 yours, goes far in a letter, as it does anywhere, to create a 
 better feeling. 
 
 4. They say it is always good business to be not only fair, 
 but as generous as possible in allowing any claims a cus- 
 tomer may make. At any rate this makes a much pleasanter 
 letter to write. 
 
 5. As a matter of effectiveness, put your concession to 
 your customer first in your letter. Put your refusal to 
 
Business composition 237 
 
 concede in the body of your letter, where it will be as 
 unobtrusive as possible. 
 
 Adjustments are, as a matter of fact, not matters of Eng- 
 lish, but matters of business policy. They are generally, 
 in any large business, turned over to an experienced de- 
 partment manager. 
 
 Exercise 12 
 
 Write the following letters : 
 
 1. To Ward Brothers, making a complaint that out of an order 
 sent them for a cream separator, a gas range, and a hot-water heater, 
 only two of the articles have reached you. 
 
 2. The reply to this, expressing regret and explaining that the 
 other article had to be sent from the factory in another city. 
 
 3. To the Northern Furniture Company, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, 
 that owing to their delay in shipping an expensive sideboard, you 
 lost the sale, as your customer refused to wait. 
 
 4. As for the Northern Furniture Company, write two replies to 
 this letter — one to a customer whose business is in Eau Claire, Wis- 
 consin, one to a customer whose business is in Houston, Texas. 
 
 13. Letters requesting payment. — The first letter to the 
 person who owes you is a mere colorless note sent in course 
 of business, as courteous as possible, and assuming as a 
 matter of course, that the failure to pay without reminder 
 is an oversight ; as. 
 
 Dear Snt: 
 
 The inclosed statement of your account will show that a balance 
 of $135 was due on the tenth of the month. 
 
 The bill rendered on the first of the month was doubtless over- 
 looked by you. 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
 The second letter may be more emphatic in the hope of 
 being more effective. 
 
238 ESSENTIALS OP BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 Dear Sir: 
 
 Two weeks ago we wrote you concerning a balance of $135 due 
 us on account. It is now long overdue, and we have heard nothing 
 from you. Please give this matter immediate attention. 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
 If a third letter is necessary, it is ordinarily a sign that 
 you can not retain the delinquent as a customer in any 
 case, so you will probably write with great firmness ; as, 
 
 Dear Sir: 
 
 Since you have paid no attention to our two letters concerning 
 your overdue account, we are forced to believe that the delay is de- 
 liberate. We must insist that this account be settled by the 25th of 
 this month. If this is not done, we will draw on you; and if you 
 have not remitted in the meantime, please arrange to honor our 
 draft. 
 
 Yours truly. 
 
 If you have finally to place the account in the hands of a 
 lawyer or a collecting agency, you would probably write- — 
 
 Dear Sir: 
 
 Much to our regret, we have been forced to place your account 
 of $135 in the hands of our attorney, Mr. Charles Hoyt, 417 Unity 
 Building, Chicago. You will hear from him at once. 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
 After the transaction reaches this stage, it passes com- 
 pletely out of the field of English. 
 
 Many business houses use longer series of collection let- 
 ters — many of the letters containing argument and expos- 
 tulation and persuasion — the effort being directed toward 
 collecting the money and keeping the customer. These let- 
 ters should be the work of an expert writer and business 
 man. 
 
 Of course, if you are the customer you can probably teU 
 beforehand when you will not be able to meet your accounts. 
 You should then take time by the forelock, and ask for an 
 extension of time. 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 239 
 
 In such a letter you should explain your request, and 
 indicate some plan by which you will pay, or set some date 
 when you will pay ; as, 
 
 (Assume heading, address, and signature.) 
 My dear Sib: 
 
 My account with you becomes due March. I am writing to ask 
 for an extension of time. 
 
 I have recently undergone a serious surgical operation; the loss 
 of time in the hospital and the expenses of the operation have made 
 large inroads upon my resources. I shall be able to pay the account 
 in full in two weeks. Such an extension of time will be a great 
 accommodation. 
 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 14. Sales-letters. — Sales-letters are the most interesting 
 of all business form-letters, from the point of view of com- 
 position; they give more scope for dramatic and literary 
 effect than any other form of business writing. You have 
 been convinced, I am sure, from the limited practice that 
 you have had in this course, that the writing of a sales-letter, 
 while no easy task, is a most fascinating one. 
 
 Some of them come to their writers as certain beautiful 
 poems have come, as a moment's inspiration, a sudden 
 vision; but most of those that are good, are good for the 
 same reason that certain poems are good — they have been 
 written and rewritten with loving care, tested, withdrawn, 
 and tested again, and finally perfected. 
 
 No wonder that a writer of good sales-letters looks upon 
 his file of letters with the same loving pride with which a 
 poet looks upon his volume of verse ! 
 
 A sales-letter is a good speech, heightened up at points, 
 condensed, and written out. It performs the same functions 
 as a speech on a practical matter. 
 
 1. It must make a skillful and attractive approach. 
 
240 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 2. It must explain, show the goods, unfold the plan, pro- 
 duce interest and conviction. 
 
 3. It must persuade, appeal, stir the emotions and awaken 
 a desire for the thing presented. 
 
 4. It must start the human motor^=-create action, secure 
 results. 
 
 If you will review at this point Making a Speech (Chapter 
 IX, B), you will again see that the processes of composition 
 are practically the same as for a sales-letter. 
 
 A sales-letter sent in reply to an inquiry has a great 
 advantage, because it can build upon an interest already 
 awakened. But no wide-awake correspondent will rely en- 
 tirely on this interest. A tardy reply or a cold, antiquated 
 form-letter without relevancy, is certain death to a budding 
 interest. 
 
 Suppose your employer is pushing a modern artistic 
 drop-light. An inquirer has seen the firm's advertisement, 
 and from the cut believes that it would be suitable for 
 his den. Suppose when he writes to ask about it your 
 clerk fills an envelope with old, cold form-letters that 
 discourse on electric fixtures in general, and incloses tes- 
 timonials from banks and office buildings and railway 
 stations that have installed your fixtures — just possibly 
 he incloses a reprint of the advertisement your inquirer 
 has already seen. Such a mechanical, irrelevant process 
 throttles your customer's interest in its cradle. If he 
 buys a lamp for his den, he buys it from another house. 
 
 A sales-letter that has to awaken interest must, first of 
 all, get everything it can out of the first impression. The 
 letter as a picture should be attractive — good paper, clean 
 type, pleasant spacing; the note struck in the opening 
 paragraph must please or interest. 
 
 1. The opening paragraph of a sales-letter is even more 
 important than the opening section of a speech; a speaker 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 241 
 
 has this advantage of his audience — they can not bolt when 
 they see from his opening sentences that deadly boredom 
 stares them in the face; and a speaker, if he can keep on, 
 may recover his ground. But the waste-basket yawns 
 temptingly near for the letter that opens coldly or stupidly. 
 At the same time it is true that a bit of mere clap-trap 
 or insincerity to catch attention is not desirable. 
 
 If this letter sold anything it was in spite of its 
 opening : 
 
 Dear Sir: 
 
 In compliance with your request of recent date we are sending 
 you our latest general catalogue, inasmuch as we do not know which 
 department catalogue you wish. We also have many special cata- 
 logues, for different kinds of goods. On request, we shall be glad to 
 send any one of these also. 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
 Yet its coldness is almost as inviting as the obvious 
 trickiness of this: 
 
 Dear Sir: 
 
 What YOU amount to in this world depends wholly upon your- 
 self. What you do with your time determines absolutely what you 
 are. 
 
 Time is our greatest heritage; and we waste it, unmindful of its 
 value and small supply. 
 
 The languid note of the next opening sentence would 
 infect any reader. He would scarcely be able to drop the 
 letter into the waste-basket. 
 
 Dear Sir: 
 
 Will you take a moment's time to glance over the inclosed cir- 
 cular and consider whether the situation therein set forth is true of 
 your institution? 
 
242 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 What is wrong with this opening? 
 
 a) A correspondent should not ask for a mmnent^s time. 
 He should assume that he is pFesenting a matter to awaken 
 absorbing interest. 
 
 h) He should not suggest a glance. He should assume 
 that his circular will be read in detail. These two phrases 
 hypnotize the reader into indifference. 
 
 c) This sentence should say what the circular is about ; 
 this is what a busy man wants to see first. 
 
 d) The situation is a cold generality. 
 
 e) Therein set forth is a formalism. 
 
 f) Your institution lacks the human touch; it is rather 
 a bloodless thing to call a man's beloved business — his 
 school, his college, his dearly beloved job — your institution. 
 
 g) Incidentally there is a bit of shaky grammar in it, 
 since whether is left bereft of its twin brother or. 
 
 But its chief fault as an opening paragraph is its lack 
 of color, or warmth, or human appeal, and its extremely 
 humble claim for itself. 
 
 A sales-letter should remain a letter and not become a 
 mere advertisement. The opening of this letter, for 
 example, really belongs in an advertisement : 
 Dear Sir: 
 
 "It saves seven per cent." 
 
 So said Mr. John H. Samuels, a manufacturer of Birmingham, 
 Ala. 
 
 This is followed by a long narrative — matter which, how- 
 ever effective in a public advertisement, does not belong in 
 a letter of any kind. To preface it with a Dear Sir does not 
 turn it into a letter. 
 
 2. The urgency to action with which your sales-letter 
 closes should be sincere. If you have sent out the same 
 letter six months before, and have at that time assured your 
 hoped-for customer in a voice quivering with emotion that 
 you have only ten sets of this indispensable book left — 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 243 
 
 and that they are going like hot cakes — if you repeat this 
 in a new letter, he will probably say ''Wolf," and let 
 the chance go by again. "Positively the last" has lost its 
 original power in every field. Your urgency must ring 
 true. Offer to send the books free of cost for his examina- 
 tion; tell him to enclose $1.00 at your risk — ^make it look 
 easy to him. The most persuasive little device I can think 
 of is a neat little form of application for an express money 
 order with all directions printed on it, sent by a mail-order 
 house. The miniature form looks so attractive, so ''nifty," 
 it makes the process seem so easy, that it constitutes a 
 temptation. 
 
 Of course it is bad art and bad psychology and bad busi- 
 ness to offer any negative suggestions. Never be the one 
 to bring up objections to your goods, even for the sake 
 of answering them. 
 
 Never suggest that your letter be filed — ^your sales-letter, 
 I mean, or that there might be delay on your reader 's part. 
 Even though you may not say it, assume that he will 
 act now. * ' Trusting to hear from you in the near future, ' ' 
 has a dampening and soothing effect, and will not stir to 
 action. 
 
 3. The body of your sales-letter calls for all you have 
 learned of clearness and effectiveness. No principle is more 
 useful than that of relevancy. 
 
 The sales-letter belongs to an occasion; announcement 
 of the new season's goods, a periodical bargain sale, the ap- 
 pointment of a new manager, the opening of a new depart- 
 ment, a removal, an enlargement of quarters, a municipal 
 celebration, a holiday, a great convention, etc., give occasion 
 to the business man for timely sales-letters. 
 
 The sales-letter appeals to a class or a community, and 
 is prepared for their benefit. It is a waste of time and 
 money to send announcements of a bargain sale in your 
 
244 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 grocery to distant towns ; it is more than wasteful to send 
 announcements of spring styles to church sisterhoods. But 
 you would send your bargain-sale announcement to most 
 of the housekeepers in your own town, and you would send 
 your letter concerning fine linen and embroidery materials 
 to the Sisters. 
 
 Your sales-letters to sell filing devices to lawyers and 
 business managers should be short and crisp, with pointed 
 paragraphs and isolated sentences to catch the eye at a 
 glance, never needing a second page. 
 
 Your sales-letters to sell fertilizers or plows or nursery 
 stock may be long, discursive, colloquial, and gossipy, de- 
 signed to give a long winter-evening 's reading by the lamp 
 in the farmhouse. , 
 
 The sales-letter is relevant to the goods it is trying to sell. 
 It keeps within its field and uses the material it finds there. 
 If it is selling land in Florida, it doesn 't use images of snow- 
 capped mountains and cold trout-streams; if it is selling 
 land in Maine, it doesn 't praise palm trees and coral islands. 
 All its argument and persuasion bear in mind these goods. 
 
 The following is submitted as a good typical sales-letter : 
 
 July 10, 19.... 
 Dear Madam: 
 
 You are, of course, perfectly aware of the fact that the Pike 
 Fisheries Company is the oldest and largest concern of its kind in 
 the United States. 
 
 Choctaw Market, located at 186 North State Street (near Lake 
 Street), is the finest retail fish market in Chicago, and is the only 
 retail store of the Pike Fisheries Company. Here we have almost 
 everything conceivable in fish and sea foods. 
 
 With Chicago a distributing center of the Pike Fisheries Com- 
 pany, we have a great advantage in being able to select the choicest 
 of all varieties of fish and sea foods immediately upon their arrival. 
 Fresh water fish from the Inland Lakes and Rivers, by express, reach 
 Chicago over night. Halibut and Salmon come direct from the Coast 
 in refrigerator cars by express ; fresh Cod and Haddock from Grlouces^ 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 245 
 
 ter, Lobsters from Maine, Oysters from Connecticut, Crabs from 
 Maryland, Frog Legs from Louisiana. All are on ice at Choctaw 
 Market as quickly as express service can deliver them, and in the finest 
 possible condition. 
 
 Our shelves are stocked with the finest canned Salmon put up, as 
 well as other canned fish, shrimps, clam juice, et cetera, and our cool 
 cellars with Salt Mackerel, Herring, Codfish, and the like. We receive 
 smoked Whitefish, Salmon, Sturgeon, Trout, and other fish daily- 
 fresh from our Chicago smoke-houses. 
 
 Now this little dissertation is just to acquaint you with our facili- 
 ties. Our object in sending you this letter is to enable you to avail 
 yourself of the opportunity to purchase these appetizing products of 
 Ocean, Lake, and Eiver. 
 
 We have automobile delivery service daily to both North and 
 South sides. These auto deliveries start north at 10:00 a. m, and 
 south at 2:00 p. m. A telephone call from you will receive careful 
 attention, and we will deliver your order promptly. 
 
 All people enjoy fish the year round, when they know it is fresh. 
 We are quite sure that you do, and that if you will favor us with a 
 trial order you will become one of our many regular customers. 
 
 Pike's Choctaw Market, 
 
 F. H. Pond, Manager, 
 186 No. State Street, 
 S-B Tel. Randolph 6984. 
 
 Here are some of the reasons why we must call this a 
 good letter : 
 
 a) It is written in very good English. 
 
 &^ It makes its appeal consistently to the public it has 
 selected — housekeepers of a rather prosperous class. 
 
 c) It is relevant to the season. It offers fish when every- 
 body craves fish — when it is too hot to eat meat. 
 
 d) It emphasizes the coolness and freshness of its goods, 
 e/ It names tempting varieties and suggests harmonious 
 
 images. 
 
 f) It shows how easily you can secure these goods, even 
 suggesting the hour of delivery. 
 
 g) It tactfully suggests a first order and invites you to 
 become a regular customer. ■ '"- 
 
246 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 The following is a poor sales-letter: 
 
 Dear Sir: 
 
 We are in receipt of your recent inquiry regarding our Peerless 
 Porch Screen. We take pleasure in forwarding you, under separate 
 cover, one of our booklets, showing the screen in use under various 
 conditions, and enclose herewith other literature pertaining thereto. 
 
 We are represented in your territory by the Muskegon Tent & 
 Awning Company, Muskegon, Michigan, and have asked them to 
 take up with you the matter of your screen requirements. 
 
 We hope very mucb you will decide to give the Peerless Porch 
 Screen a trial, as we are sure you will find it the most convenient and 
 attractive type of screen you have ever made. 
 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 You are prepared to criticize this for yourself — the cold, 
 formal style; the presence of those dreary "stickers" of 
 style, recent inquiry, enclosed herewith, literature pertain- 
 ing thereto; a typographical error in the word made that 
 makes nonsense of the sentence. Incidentally, the Muskegon 
 Tent & Awning Company did not take it up. 
 
 15. PoUow-up letters. — ^Before we write some sales- 
 letters of our own, we must discuss their sequels, which are 
 known as follow-up letters. These are the most difficult of 
 all business letters. They should be arranged in a series, 
 producing a cumulative effect in argument, in persuasion, 
 and in urgency. If you start with a sales-letter strong 
 enough to produce results, it is very difficult to raise it to 
 the fourth or fifth power of strength. This is why so many 
 form-letters abandon argument and take to scolding or 
 screaming. 
 
 There seems to be a practical agreement that not more 
 than four follow-up letters should be used, making five in 
 the series. The whole series should maintain a tone of 
 respect and of self-respect no matter how urgent they may 
 become. Anyone who has ever, in the capacity of '^ pros- 
 pect," received a series of these letters knows why the Latin 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 247 
 
 word for follow-up, persequor, yields the English word per- 
 secute. A nagging follow-up letter or a hurt and grieved 
 one, or a pitying, patronizing one, is a lamentable mistake. 
 The following paragraphs are from follow-up letters of this 
 mistaken kind : 
 
 1. I am writing to you again because I want you to realize fully 
 what it is you are losing if you do not accept the proposition of 
 . If you reject it, you may be losing the oppor- 
 tunity of a lifetime. Read every word of this letter — read and weigh 
 every statement — and do not lose a minute deciding, etc., etc. 
 
 2. We have been successful in satisfying the wants of a very large 
 number of those who have written us, but we have not succeeded in 
 obtaining a favorable reply from you, and we are naturally anxious 
 
 to ascertain the reason Trusting to be permitted to 
 
 send you something besides letters, we remain 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 3. You have already wasted enough time to learn ten times as 
 much as you will ever know. 
 
 Begin now, or the day may come when you will look back and 
 wish that you could have the years again. 
 
 Then too late you will realize that time that has passed like the 
 water that flows over the mill-wheel is gone forever. Only a few 
 days remain during which you may obtain the benefit of the large 
 reduction offered from regular prices of certain courses. Don't lose 
 it by negligence. 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 The two following letters constitute a series, and seem to 
 have been sufficient. They were sent by a piano firm to per- 
 sons who have summer homes in the country as well as to 
 those who live permanently in the same country neighbor- 
 hood. Great success followed the experiment, whether be- 
 cause of the letters or because the firm was meeting a real 
 need, it is impossible to say. The letters are ^iven as good ex- 
 amples of a quiet, dignified, and adequate piece of writing.^ 
 
248 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 June 9, 19 
 
 Dear Sir: 
 
 At this time of the year your piano needs attention, and the 
 best is none too good. A fine instrument is so delicate a piece of 
 mechanism that only an expert is competent to tune and regulate it. 
 
 As you know, there are three parts to piano work — regulation of 
 the action; voicing, or tone regulating; and tuning. If any of these 
 is neglected, the life of your piano is not truly renewed, and the 
 wear and tear of general use is more telling on its lasting qualities. 
 
 We make a specialty of our Tuning Department. The men who 
 are at your disposal are truly experts. 
 
 We serve as promptly as we do efficiently. Our charge, including 
 all our expert care, is $3.00, which insures to you ** Service to the 
 Point of Satisfaction." 
 
 Sign and return the inclosed card. We know "Crown Quality 
 Workmanship" will please you. 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 Dear Sir: 
 
 Recently we wrote you, and many others in your locality, in re- 
 gard to your piano tuning. We have received so many replies that 
 we are warranted in sending one of our expert tuners to take care 
 of this new business. We want your patronage, and your trial order 
 will prove the value of "Crown Quality Workmanship." 
 
 This expert workmanship will mean much to the lasting qualities 
 of your instrument. Give your piano no care for a year, and it will 
 degenerate into a * ' rattle-box. ' ' Give the same instrument excellent 
 regular care, and it will become a source of joy and harmony in your 
 home life. 
 
 Since our tuning department is especially busy at this time, it 
 will greatly facilitate matters, and save extra trips, if all orders 
 come promptly and directly to this office. Your promptness in this 
 matter will assist us in giving you service to the point of satisfac- 
 tion. 
 
 Very truly yours. 
 
 Exercise 13 
 Write the letters and parts of letters as indicated below : 
 
 1. Write the first and last paragraphs of a letter designed to sell 
 an electric toaster. 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 249 
 
 2. Write the first and last paragraphs of a letter selling a chicken 
 incubator. 
 
 3. Write the opening and closing paragraphs of a letter designed 
 to sell a lot in a suburb building up with bungalows. 
 
 4. Write a series of two letters to sell a cream-separator. 
 
 5. Write a sales-letter announcing a sale of household linen. 
 
 6. Write a sales-letter announcing the opening of a department of 
 household utilities in a department store. 
 
 7. Your butcher has just moved into a larger shop. Write a 
 sales-letter for him. 
 
 8. A fruit farmer would like an advance order for his berries. 
 Write a sales-letter for him. 
 
 9. Write a series of three letters to sell lots in a summer resort. 
 
 10. Write a series of three letters to sell a course of study in a 
 correspondence school. 
 
 11. Write a series of three letters to sell a set of books for chil- 
 dren, containing well-known stories, biographies, and poems. 
 
 12. Your grocer has just received a new supply of canned vegeta- 
 bles. Write his sales-letter. 
 
 13. Under date of June 1 write a letter to sell silverware. 
 
 14. Write a form-letter to be sent to every one asking for a jew- 
 eler's catalogue. 
 
 15. Write a form-letter to be sent by a fire-insurance company to 
 farmers living in a neighborhood where a barn has just been struck 
 by lightning. 
 
 Note. — The instructor should vary this exercise according to the 
 needs and interests of his class. 
 
 B. MISCELLANEOUS PRACTICxiL DOCUMENTS 
 
 1. Telegrams. — All messages sent by wire or cable and 
 all wireless messages need to be very carefully worded. For 
 the sake of economy they must be made as brief as possible ; 
 yet they must not be so brief as to be obscure or misleading. 
 They must not depend upon punctuation for clearness, for 
 a punctuation mark must be paid for as a word. Figures, 
 initials, surnames, names of towns, states, and countries, 
 and all abbreviations of weights and measures are each 
 counted as one word ; decimal points and punctuation marks 
 are counted as words. 
 
250 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 In day telegrams ten words are sent at a fixed rate, ac- 
 cording to distance ; additional words are charged for at a 
 fixed rate by the word. In night letters fifty words are 
 sent at the same rate, and words over fifty are charged for 
 at a fixed rate by the word. A night letter is a message sent 
 at night when the wires and operators are not so busy. It 
 may be handed in at the office at any time, but it is sent at 
 night and delivered at its destination the next morning. 
 
 In telegrams only the words of the message are counted 
 and charged for. In cablegrams the name, address, date, 
 and signature are counted and charged for. 
 
 The expense of sending cablegrams has given rise to the 
 code systems now in general use — especially in business mes- 
 sages. There are many systems ; any business may devise its 
 own ; the ABC Western Union code is the one most used. 
 
 A code is a series of words, generally invented words, to 
 which a meaning is arbitrarily attached — a meaning that 
 might possibly take a whole sentence if written out in plain 
 language. Copies of this code must be in the hands of the 
 sender and the receiver of messages. For example, this 
 message might be sent : 
 Judson, American Consul, Pekin: 
 
 Momus. Impos. Robertson. 
 
 Interpreted this would mean — 
 
 It is not necessary for you to return at once. I have forwarded 
 your mail, care of Scholle & Co., Shanghai, China. 
 
 It is, of course, not necessary to use a code. Cable mes- 
 sages may be sent in plain language. But the expense is so 
 great that it invites obscurity. 
 
 In business, telegrams should be confirmed — a letter giv- 
 ing the contents of the telegram and further necessary par- 
 ticulars should be sent at once. 
 
 In writing a telegram neither salutation nor complimen- 
 tary close is used. To illustrate the condensation necessary 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 251 
 
 in a telegram, notice the following; you receive a message 
 which reads : 
 
 Offered position assistant engineer Brigham Construction Co. Sal- 
 ary $3500. Wire. 
 
 You know that this expanded would read like this : 
 
 My dear Olson: 
 
 You are offered the position of assistant engineer in the Brigham 
 Construction Company at a salary of $3500 a year. Telegraph them 
 whether or not you accept the offer. 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 Edward Bruck 
 
 If you were writing your reply you would say something 
 like this : 
 
 Gentlemen : 
 
 I should be glad to accept the position of assistant engineer in 
 your company, and the salary of $3500 is quite satisfactory. But 
 I am under contract to finish what I am doing here, which will take 
 me three months. Can you hold the place that long? 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 What you telegraph might be this : 
 Under contract three months. Accept if you can wait. 
 
 Exercise 14 
 
 Convert the following series of items into telegrams, using 
 as few words as possible. They must be clear enough to be 
 intelligible. Telegraph — 
 
 1. To your father, in Chicago, that you will leave San Francisco 
 on June 12 and will reach Chicago on June 16 at 7:15 over the 
 Northwestern Eailroad. 
 
 2. To Professor James R. English, Cambridge, Massachusetts, ask- 
 ing him if he can give the commencement address in your school and 
 asking him what his fee will be. 
 
 Write the letter that should follow this. 
 
 3. To A. C. McClurg, ordering twenty-five copies of Chase's "Aud- 
 iting and Cost Accounting," to be sent by express, charges prepaid. 
 
252 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 4. To the White Star Steamship Company, New York, to reserve a 
 berth on the "Arabic," which sails next Wednesday, Boston to Liv- 
 erpool. Say you send check to pay the necessary deposit. 
 
 Write the letter that should follow. 
 
 5. To the Pullman Sleeping Car office, to reserve a lower berth 
 for you on Wednesday night on the Union Pacific train for Denver 
 that leaves Chicago at 10:30 P. M. 
 
 6. To your family, saying that you have been in a serious auto- 
 mobile accident and that, while you are not injured, you will not be 
 home until twelve o'clock tomorrow. 
 
 7. To a man with whom you had an appointment, that, having 
 missed a train, you can not reach the city until two o'clock, but that 
 you would like to meet him at your office at three o 'clock. 
 
 8. To the firm for which you are a traveling salesman, that you 
 have successfully finished the business on which you were sent to St. 
 Louis and that you are awaiting further instructions. 
 
 9. To Spaulding & Co., saying that the camping outfit they sent 
 you is short three items. Tell them that you will write details. 
 Write the letter. 
 
 2. Advertisements. — This department of business has 
 been in our day erected into a vast business in itself ; a large 
 library of books could be collected about it; large and im- 
 posing journals devote themselves to it. 
 
 The ' ' copy, ' ' or writing that goes into an advertisement, 
 must share the interest with pictures, diagrams, maps, 
 trade-marks, slogans, mottoes, margins, spaces, colors — and 
 all the other devices intended to produce clearness and 
 effect. For this is what all advertising is doing, and all 
 that it can do, when the terms ''clearness" and ''effect" 
 are interpreted. 
 
 There is little to add here to what has been said under 
 these topics, as they have come up for discussion in their 
 natural places. So far as the English of advertising goes, 
 it is summed up in the three master words — correctness, 
 clearness, effectiveness. 
 
 The principle of effectiveness that has revolutionized ad- 
 vertising is relevancy. And when we have grasped this 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 253 
 
 principle in its three-fold aspect, we have grasped the 
 fundamental principles of advertising so far as language 
 goes. Any merchant with goods to sell — be it plumber's 
 supplies or education, fertilizers or office files — can learn 
 how to announce his goods to his own circle of customers or 
 to the class of persons he knows, by the study of the few 
 fundamental principles of effect. When he desires to go 
 into the markets of the big world, he must have the services 
 of an advertising expert, just as he has the advice of a 
 trained lawyer and a professional accountant. 
 
 One form of advertisement any young person in business 
 should know how to write — that which offers his own 
 services in the business market. 
 
 The very beginner as a rule need not advertise. He can 
 get his first business experience by trying some of the posi- 
 tions that ask for help ; or he can be placed by some friend ; 
 when he has had experience, he can begin to feel that he 
 has something to offer. 
 
 Here again our fundamental principles work. 
 
 When you advertise for a position be exact and clear; 
 be relevant; say precisely what you can do. Give some 
 specific and telling details that enable a reader to see that 
 you know your job and your field. Give specific details of 
 your experience. Choose the right medium for your ad- 
 vertisement. When you become a specialist, advertise in 
 the journals that specialists read. Clip from the journals 
 those personal advertisements that interest you most. Don 't 
 copy them but learn from them. 
 
 Exercise 15 
 
 Review the section on relevancy (Chapter VIII, 5) and 
 the section on sales-letters (section 14, above) and write the 
 advertisements called for in the following specifications: 
 
 1. You are manufacturing a traction plough. Write an adver- 
 tisement of it, and choose the publications in which you will place it. 
 
254 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 2. Write an advertisement for the morning papers, announcing 
 the arrival of the first strawberries of the season in your grocery. 
 Make it appeal to the persons you think will be most interested. 
 
 3. Write an advertisement of a co-operative grocery store in your 
 neighborhood. ( Make a nice study in relevancy here. ) 
 
 4. Write an advertisement of a moving picture show which is run- 
 ning a film of "The Merchant of Venice." 
 
 5. Write a personal advertisement for any position you would like 
 to have and think you could fill. Let this take two forms — one for 
 the classified column of the daily paper — one for some special paper 
 chosen by yourself. 
 
 6. You are an experienced stenographer. Write a personal adver- 
 tisement for the daily paper. 
 
 7. You are a trained nurse, and would like to travel. Write an 
 advertisement for a position. 
 
 8. You are a woman who has traveled a great deal in Europe. 
 You would like to take a party of young women. Advertise. 
 
 9. You would like to teach physical training in a boys' prepara- 
 tory school. Advertise in "The Outlook." 
 
 10. You are an expert milliner. Advertise for a position. 
 
 11. You are an electric engineer, and want a position in Colorado. 
 Write the advertisement and choose the paper. 
 
 12. You want a position as advertising solicitor for an automobile 
 journal. Advertise. 
 
 3. Reports. — There is first the informal report, such as 
 is made by a chairman of a committee in a social club. This 
 may be so informal as to be presented at an annual dinner or 
 on some such occasion in the form of a speech. A traveling 
 salesman may make his reports in the form of friendly let- 
 ters to his manager. But even these informal reports should 
 be carefully thought out. They should cover the aspect of 
 the matter they deal with. No official or chairman can afford 
 to go quite unprepared into any meeting to which he is to 
 report. Just as for any other speech, he must analyze his 
 material into items and arrange these items in some order — 
 logical or effective. The same thing is true of the informal 
 report that is not spoken but written out. 
 
 The second kind of report — the formal — ^varies in length 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 255 
 
 and complexity from that rendered by the treasurer of the 
 village baseball club to that of a committee of experts, filling 
 a ponderous volume. In both cases, however, it is a docu- 
 ment to be filed and consulted, to become a source of knowl- 
 edge, a record of progress, or a conclusive statement. 
 
 Logical analysis, clear arrangement, statement exhaustive 
 so far as it goes, must characterize the formal report. 
 Fortunately, most business houses furnish blank forms for 
 the reports of their less experienced employees and mem- 
 bers — a fact which makes the task easier and the results 
 more satisfactory. The reports of the officials of most 
 business and social organizations follow a stereotyped form. 
 In no business documents is there more need for correct- 
 ness and clearness than in reports. 
 
 4. Certain commonly used business papers. — There are 
 in common use in business documents that everyone who 
 handles business correspondence should know the look and 
 purpose of. The drawing up of these documents has noth- 
 ing to do with English, but a great deal to do with business. 
 
 1. A requisition. — Most business houses have a blank 
 form for their employees on which they make requisitions 
 for supplies. This paper is really an order blank used 
 within the house. Here is a typical requisition: 
 
 SUPPLY DEPARTMENT Aug^X. 19 
 
 Please Furnish for Kdlf.orlftl & School Dept. 
 
 B^plies as follows: 
 
 L. M. Jonea Mgr 
 
 
 Per E H S 
 
 
 OUAHTITT 
 
 DESCRIPTION 
 
 
 PRICE 
 
 900 
 
 second sheets 
 
 
 
 
 20 
 
 -100- 
 
 #10 envftlQpea 
 
 
 60 . 
 
256 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 2. The order of goods. — This is a list of items which a 
 buyer sends to a jobber or other merchant, naming the 
 items he desires to purchase. These items in an ideal 
 order are neatly listed, with the prices affixed. These 
 items should not be numbered, as the figures of the series 
 may be confused with the figures of the items. Many jobbers 
 and wholesale dealers furnish customers with order blanks 
 which facilitate the ordering. 
 
 'St- 
 
 J K H 
 
 B^i^ ,, .T, H, Wfrrlfl, ,,„„,..., 
 
 D.t«~A»g»l.ldr- 
 
 No. 674 
 
 
 
 Send to ... 1126 £.6Sd St.^ 
 
 
 
 edlvcniD 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Aug. 4 
 
 
 TIMI 
 
 
 CHICAGO 
 
 
 
 WIUL CALL 
 
 TAKEN X CHARGE C. O. O. 
 
 PAID ORDER 
 
 Ss 
 
 1 
 
 bbl. Pillabury Flour , ,. 
 
 . 4 
 
 
 <9iE 
 Of 
 
 1 
 
 Armour Stsr Han ^ 
 
 8 
 
 97 
 
 1 
 
 box Procter ft Oaablo Soap 
 
 3 
 
 86 
 
 TOO 
 
 IbB. Granulated Sugar 5/ 
 
 5 
 
 00 
 
 
 
 17 
 
 ii 
 
 
 
 
 
 05 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 OS 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 - 
 
 ■ 
 
 
 SALESMEN MUST NOT WRITE IN THIS SPACE I3~ 
 
 
 
BUSINESS CX)MPOSITION 
 
 257 
 
 3. The invoice, — This is a list of the purchases sent by the 
 seller to the buyer. It is the order turned around. In fact, 
 many dealers make an order out in duplicate, the duplicate 
 being on colored paper and serving as an invoice. The 
 invoice is returned with the goods to the buyer, or sent im- 
 mediately after. To a cash customer it serves as a bill ; he 
 pays the invoice. A carefully prepared invoice form gives 
 the number given the order by the dealer, and provides 
 for the order number of the customer. 
 
 4. The hill. — This is an itemized list of purchases, giving 
 all details — date of purchase, amount, price, etc. It is sent 
 out periodically, say, monthly, to all customers who buy on 
 account. It may cover the items of many invoices. 
 
 Marshall Field & Company: 
 
 Importers, Retailers. Manufacturers. 
 
 State , Washington.Ranbolph &'VCvBash. 
 SoLt>To Chicaoo. Attg^l, 19- 
 
 O.R. unwell, 
 4523 Main St., 
 
 Evanston. Ill* 
 
 July •; 
 
 1 
 
 doz. Spools White Thread 
 
 
 
 £0 
 
 « < 
 
 3 
 
 yds* Dress Qoods 
 
 ® 12.00 
 
 6 
 
 00 
 
 • . 
 
 20 
 
 • Gingham 
 
 ©14^ 
 
 2 
 
 80 
 
 • J 
 
 1 
 
 doz. Pearl Buttons 
 
 
 
 26 
 
 ■ 13 
 
 6 
 
 Turkish Towels 
 
 ®75^ 
 
 4 
 
 60 
 
 « « 
 
 1 
 
 Bathing Suit 
 
 
 9 
 
 76 
 
 • 2( 
 
 1 
 
 doz. Initial Hdkfs* 
 
 
 9 
 
 00 
 
 • M 
 
 4 
 
 yds. Linen 
 
 Q fl.OO 
 
 4 
 
 00 
 
 
 30 
 
 ao 
 
258 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 5. The statement. — This is an abstract of a bill; it is not 
 itemized, but gives lump sums showing amounts credited 
 and balance on account. 
 
 Chicago, AU&A-l.* 19 
 
 Mr, E, Yi Miller. 
 
 510 N. High St. 
 
 ^:s^' WESTERN GROCERY HOUSE 
 
 IMPORTERS, HAIVUFACTUSERS AND JOBBERS 
 OF GROCERIES 
 
 4S BAST RARDOLPB STREET 
 
 July 1 
 
 
 Stat, rendered. 
 
 lOfl 
 
 A^ 
 
 
 
 - 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 96 
 
 41 
 
 « 6 
 
 
 Returned floods 
 
 
 
 
 65 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Q7 
 
 Ofi 
 
 
 
 Ralanoft duft 
 
 99 
 
 3Sl_ 
 
 
 
 6. The receipt.— This is an acknowledgment of money 
 received. It may take the form of a special paper or it may 
 be a receipted invoice, bill, or statement. 
 
 « SI" 
 
 S KM 
 
 w §3 
 
 ^ TO DRAPER & KRAMER, A^ts. Dr. 
 
 A.P^ 
 
 FOR RENT o, 3 5^A^ H "^^'-^ <^ . 
 
 DOLLARS. S. 
 
 MONTH OF_ 
 
 RECEIVED PAnrMENT. 
 
 .?£ 
 
 DRAPER & KRAMER, Aftte. 
 
 ^^ 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 
 
 259 
 
 CD 
 
 "" 
 
 d 
 
 ca 
 
 r>i 
 
 t: Q 
 
 Q 
 
 
 rH I ; 
 
 :2 
 
 i^ 
 
 1 
 
 
 z 
 
 
 
 
 ?^ 
 
 
 
 
 P-i 
 
 
 
 01 
 
 ^ 
 
 i> 
 
 
 
 d . 
 
 
 t 
 
 ♦. 
 
 
 
 p 
 
 \ i 
 
 r'\ 
 
 • 
 
 ■ . c 
 
 : 
 
 
 H 
 
 c 
 
 
 4J 
 
 C'i 
 
 ^ 
 
 4^ 
 
 , 
 
 4 
 
 Si 
 
 e 
 
 5 
 
 
 H? 
 
 
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 txjl 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 5 
 
 
 >s 
 
 ^ 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 :4^ I 
 rH ! 
 
 o5 i 
 
 § 
 
 ^" 
 
 ^ 
 
 ; 
 
 s . 
 
 
 c 
 
 "> 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 
 :^ 
 
 c 
 
 "• 
 
 
 v^ 
 
 
 i' 
 
 
 ) j 
 
 
 
 
 1 1 ( 
 
 
 ' 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 
 r ^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 -.. 
 
 
 a> 
 
 ^ 
 
 c,y 
 
 ^^. 
 
 4-> 
 
 ■r^' S 
 
 ^ 
 
 > ^ 
 
 CD 
 
 ^ 
 
 <D! 
 
 ^ 
 
 as 
 
 riil ^ >^ 
 
 O O (U 
 
 ai (D d 
 
 O O ri 
 
 03 
 
 i o 
 s a 
 ^S 
 
 -° 
 mi <v 
 
 .& ^ 
 
 cd 
 ^ P. 
 
 O q; 
 
 rl ^ ^ 
 
 O g ^ 
 
 f> CO 
 
 ^ s ^ 
 
 M CO pi 
 
 I a; £, 
 
 ■^ ce 
 
 
 
 ■rH +3 
 
 '02 ^ 
 
 be o 
 
 fl Ph 
 
 ^ g 
 
 cd O 
 
 ^ 2 
 
 ,0 03 
 O 
 
 OJ '^ 
 
 -^ 
 ^ g 
 
 1 .2 
 
 <0 ci_i 
 
 1^" 
 
 O 
 
 I— I 
 
 s '^ 
 
 rd (D 
 Oi .1-1 
 
 *^ S 
 
 Eh ^ 
 
 '^' ^ 
 
 ^ o 
 
 ^^ 
 
 ■^ *_3 
 
 o o 
 ?3 «*-! 
 
260 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 
 
 261 
 
 a; 
 
 .2 ^ 
 
 I. 
 
 ^. o 
 
 Cd 03 
 
 +j 'bo 
 
 
 O) 
 
 <x> 
 
 =^ m" 
 
 I ^ 
 
 ^* d 
 
 ^ $s 
 
 o 
 
 <© O ,3j 
 
 S a o 
 
 <i) CO O) 
 
 ^ ^^ ^ 
 
 ^ ^ ^ 
 
 ■ <v ^ 
 
262 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 11. The postal money order. — This may be called a check 
 on the post-office. It is the same thing in effect as an ex- 
 press money order, except that it is an order from one post- 
 office to another. 
 
 12. The hill of lading. — A sort of receipt given by the 
 transportation company to the shipper of goods by freight, 
 who must send it to the consignee. Without it the con- 
 signee cannot claim the goods. 
 
 5. Social letters. — The time was when this kind of let- 
 ters was a branch of literature. They served some of the 
 purposes now served by magazines and newspapers and 
 even by lectures and books. Time was plentiful for both 
 writing and reading. We must believe that the great let- 
 ter writers of other days often had one eye on a possible 
 public; so they wrote loftily about subjects, and seldom 
 became chatty or unconventional. 
 
 Private or social letters in our day are quite different. 
 They are informal and personal, giving if possible the 
 effect of conversation. 
 
 Colloquial language and even a little slang are permis- 
 sible in letters. But just because it is written down and 
 therefore somewhat permanent, the language and tone of 
 a letter must be more careful, if not more formal, than 
 those of conversation. 
 
 A provincialism or a slang word spoken in a flowing 
 conversation may have such a context, or may be spoken 
 with such a smile or gesture as to seem humorous or witty. 
 Lacking these things, written down in the black-and-white 
 formality of even a friendly letter, it may seem unrefined. 
 
 Even the friendly letter should not be written without 
 forethought. Before you begin it, jot down the items you 
 intend to treat, the news you want to tell; otherwise you 
 will have a dangling postcript — perhaps two — which should 
 be avoided ; or you will remember as your letter disappears 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 263 
 
 into the slot that you have omitted something vital. A 
 hint of an outline will enable you to arrange your letter so 
 that it will not have the atmosphere of scrappiness and 
 hurry so irritating to a reader. 
 
 A private letter will almost of necessity be an /-letter. 
 The complete renunciation of that interesting capital letter 
 will not make it the less an /-letter if you fill it with self. 
 The evasion of the word / is likely to call attention to 
 the egotism of the letter. To call yourself ''your corre- 
 spondent" is to ruin your letter. Indeed, a strong flavor 
 of egotism produces in a letter the impression of personality 
 that a friendly letter should have. 
 
 The trick of the old-fashioned school-girl of underscoring 
 her words, ranging from one line to secure a mild emphasis 
 to four or five to produce a thunder-clap, has been laughed 
 out of the world. The modern school-girl does not under- 
 score — she does not write letters — she telephones or she 
 sends a night-letter. 
 
 1. The heading in social correspondence is not so im- 
 portant as in business; it is by preference written at the 
 top at the right and gives street, city, and state, and in case 
 of a foreign address all the items necessary for your cor- 
 respondent to know. The matter composing the heading 
 may be written at the bottom of the letter beginning at the 
 left margin. It may be arranged with indention or in 
 block form. Abbreviations should not be used, and punc- 
 tuation may be omitted. 
 
 2. The date is important. In very formal social letters, 
 such as wedding invitations, the date is written out — even 
 the year — not given in numerals; as, September twenty- 
 third, nineteen hundred and twenty-one. 
 
 3. The address may be omitted. It may be placed at the 
 top as in a business letter, or it may be placed at the bottom 
 of the letter at the left margin. Of course, both the head- 
 
264 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 ing and the address should not be placed at the bottom. 
 Use no abbreviation in the address, and punctuation here 
 may be dispensed with. 
 
 4. The salutation may take any form ranging in formality 
 from Dear Mr. Bruce to the tender You old Thief with 
 which a distinguished gray-haired University professor 
 salutes his old college chum. According to American usage, 
 Dear Mr. Bruce is less formal than Mif dear Mr. Bruce. 
 The first word of this phrase and any word used in the place 
 of a name should have a capital ; as, My dear Sister, Dear 
 Mother. 
 
 No abbreviation should be used in the salutation except 
 Mr., Mrs., and Dr. A comma after the phrase is the usual 
 punctuation. 
 
 5. The complimentary close depends on the relation that 
 exists between the persons and on the tone of the letter — one 
 can imagine a letter in which Yours till death would not 
 seem out of place; but the phrase varies from Yours sin- 
 cerely to one expressing the warmest affection; it should 
 never be gushing or foolishly sentimental. This phrase is 
 followed by a comma. 
 
 6. The signature may contain the Christian name, or this 
 may be shortened to initials; the surname should appear 
 in every letter. Thousands of letters perish annually in 
 the dead-letter office because Joe or Lottie or Nick or 
 Bunny thought these words alone sufficient as a signature. 
 
 7. In the direction on the envelope, the same usage pre- 
 vails as in the direction of a business enevelope. In social 
 letters one is less likely to use abbreviations. Indeed, 
 present usage condemns abbreviations in social correspond- 
 ence, and does not use punctuation in the address. 
 
 8. Invitations are of two kinds — informal and formal. 
 Informal invitations are written precisely like short let- 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 
 
 265 
 
 ters. They should be scrupulously exact in giving dates, 
 hours, places of meeting, etc. 
 
 The reply to an informal invitation, which should be 
 sent immediately upon the receipt of the invitation, should 
 carefully mention dates, hours, places of meeting, etc., if it 
 is an acceptance. If the invitation is declined, only the 
 day need be mentioned. Informal invitations are written 
 in the first person, and the person is addressed in the 
 second person. An informal invitation given over the tele- 
 phone is by some careful persons confirmed by a note. Ex- 
 amples of informal invitations and replies are : 
 
 1. a) My dear Mrs. Gordon, 
 
 It would give us very great pleasure to have you and Mr. Gordon 
 dine with us on Wednesday, May fifteenth, at half -past seven. 
 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 Susan Peabody Noreis 
 4 Highland Terrace, 
 May 6, 19.... 
 
 h) My dear Mrs. Norris, 
 
 Mr. Gordon and I are delighted to -accept your charming invita- 
 tion to dine with you Wednesday, May fifteenth, at half -past seven. 
 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 Alice Putnam Gordon 
 547 Kenwood Avenue, 
 May 7, 19 
 
 c) My dear Mrs. Norris, 
 
 We regret sincerely that another engagement, of long standing, 
 prevents our accepting your kind invitation for May fifteenth. 
 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 Alice Putnam Gordon 
 547 Kenwood Avenue, 
 May 7, 19.... 
 
266 ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS ENGLISH 
 
 2. o) Dear Henry, 
 
 We are having a little picnic in Skokie Woods on Wednesday, 
 June 15. Mother and I should be very glad if you would join us. 
 The party will meet at our house at half -past three. 
 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 Elizabeth Dwyer 
 
 h) Dear Elizabeth, 
 
 I am delighted to be asked to the picnic and accept with the 
 greatest pleasure. I shall be at your house Wednesday, June 15, at 
 half -past three. 
 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 Henry A. Gill 
 
 Formal invitations, whether written or engraved, are so 
 arranged as to allow the names of the persons to stand on 
 lines alone. They should be so arranged as to present a 
 symmetrical design. They are written and replied to in the 
 third person. 
 
 Examples are : 
 
 1. o) Mr. and Mrs. Harold Clarice 
 
 request the pleasure of 
 Mr. and Mrs. Hammond's 
 company at dinner 
 on Wednesday, the sixth of March, 
 at half after seven o'clocJc. 
 78 East 57th Street, 
 February twenty-fourth. 
 
 h) Mr. and Mrs. Boiert Hammond 
 
 accept with pleasure 
 the Tcind invitation of 
 Mr. and Mrs. Clarice 
 to dinner on Wednesday evening, 
 the sixth of March, 
 at half -after seven o*clocTc. 
 858 Dorchester Avenue, 
 February twenty-fifth. 
 
BUSINESS COMPOSITION 267 
 
 c) Mr. and Mrs. Eol>ert Hammond 
 
 regret that a previous engagement 
 makes it impossible for them 
 to accept the hind invitation of 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Harold Clarke 
 to dinner on Wednesday evening, 
 the sixth of March. 
 858 Dorchester Avenue, 
 February twenty-fifth. 
 
 You may sum up these studies in business composition 
 and social letters in this way : 
 
 The formal side of letters is very important. It is almost 
 completely fixed and conventional, in business letters ad- 
 mitting of only the slightest variation. It can be mastered 
 with a slight expenditure of patience and determination. 
 And since the details of the formal side of letter-writing 
 are the point at which the young business writer is most 
 severely criticized, it behooves him to perfect himself in 
 these at once. 
 
 In subject-matter and tone, business composition should 
 show a thorough knowledge of the subject handled ; should 
 be executed with the utmost promptness; should be as 
 cordial and as personal as is consistent with sincerity and 
 dignity; and should be unfailingly patient and courteous. 
 
INDEX 
 
 [The Numbers Refer to Pages.] 
 
 Abbreviations, 160-63; of names 
 of states, 161-62; list of stand- 
 ard, 162-63; in heading and 
 address of letters, 202, 264; in 
 direction of letter, 206. 
 
 -ahle and -ihle, 153. 
 
 Accent, shifting of, 133. 
 
 Acknowledgment, of order, 231- 
 32; of complaint, 236; of re- 
 mittance, 212. 
 
 Adapting material to different 
 persons and purposes, 76. 
 
 Address of letter, 199, 201-4, 
 263 ; abbreviations in, 206, 264 ; 
 punctuation of, 206, 264; titles 
 used in, 202. 
 
 Adjectives and adverbs, inflec- 
 tion of, 6-7; that can not be 
 compared, 9; confused in use, 
 34. 
 
 Adjective and noun, agreement 
 of, 26. 
 
 Adjustment, letters of, 235-37. 
 
 Advertisements, 112-14, 120, 
 252-53 ; positions advertised, 
 218-21; advertising for a po- 
 sition, 253; advertising copy, 
 121, 188, 252. 
 
 Agreement, grammatical princi- 
 ple of, 21-29; of verb and sub- 
 ject, 21-26; of adjective and 
 noun, 26; of pronoun and an- 
 tecedent, 26-28; apparent, 33. 
 
 Ain't, 22. 
 
 Analysis, 117. 
 
 "and which," 92. 
 
 Antonyms, 80. 
 
 Anyone, anybody, etc., 28. 
 
 Apostrophe, 2, 191. 
 
 Application, letter of, 35, 218-24. 
 
 Arrangement, correct, 57-67 ; 
 central rule of, in sentences, 
 57; normal, in sentences, 57; 
 of matter in paragraphs, 66. 
 
 "Assembled" letters, 215-16. 
 
 Beauty, x-xi. 
 
 Be, case of nouns and pronouns 
 
 after, 33. 
 Bill, 257; of lading, 262. 
 Body of letter, 199, 205, 207-12. 
 Bond, with application, giving, 
 
 Brackets, 190. 
 
 Brevity, 87. 
 
 Business, communication, three 
 processes of, 197; composi- 
 tion, 196-267; correspondent, 
 196; English, xi-xii; letters 
 in, 196; papers commonly 
 used, 255; composition, exer- 
 cises in, 19, 30, 35, 55, 68, 84, 
 104, 120. 
 
 Cablegram, 250. 
 
 Capitals, use of, 165-68. 
 
 Check, 259; certified, 259. 
 
 Clearness, a necessity in all writ- 
 ing, X, 86-103; in sentence 
 structure, 101; in paragraph 
 structure, 102 ; correctness 
 and, 86; brevity and, 87; sim- 
 plicity and, 88; clear use of 
 reference words, 89; repetition 
 and, 93; connectives and, 97. 
 
 Close, of speech, 138; of letter, 
 240; complimentary, 199, 205, 
 264. 
 
 269 
 
270 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Collection letters, 237-38. 
 
 Collective noun, agreement of, 
 with verb, 24. 
 
 Colloquialism, 123-24, 262. 
 
 Colon, 176. 
 
 Comma, 179-88. 
 
 Comparison, of adjectives and ad- 
 verbs, 6. 
 
 Comparisons, likeness and con- 
 trast, 100. 
 
 Complaint, letter of, 235-37. 
 
 Complimentary close, 199, 264. 
 
 Compound nouns, possessive of, 3. 
 
 Compound words, spelling of, 163. 
 
 Concrete instance, the, 110. 
 
 Conclusion, reaching a, 118. 
 
 Condensations, conversational, 
 123; of telegrams, 250. 
 
 Conjugation, 10. 
 
 Conjunctions, correlative, 49; 
 list of, 97. 
 
 Connecting words, 97. 
 
 Connectives, 97, 98-99. 
 
 Conspicuous place in sentence, 
 108. 
 
 Contractions, 160. 
 
 Conventions in business letters, 
 197. 
 
 Conventional phrases to be avoid- 
 ed, 209. 
 
 Conversational manners, 124. 
 
 Conviction, 137. 
 
 "Copy" in advertisement, 121, 
 188, 252. 
 
 Corporation, addressing a, 203. 
 
 Correct arrangement, 57-67. 
 
 Correctness, academic or learned, 
 xii-xiii; grammatical, 1-35; in 
 diction, 36-54; in arrange- 
 ment, 57-67. 
 
 Correlatives, 49 ; placing of, 59- 
 60. 
 
 Correspondent, business, training 
 of, 196. 
 
 Dash, 188-90. 
 
 Date, 199, 200, 263, 265. 
 
 Debate, formal, 135. 
 
 Declension, 1-6. 
 
 Derivatives, spelling of, 148-52. 
 
 Diacritical marks, 129-30. 
 
 Diagram of letter, 199. 
 Dialect, 123. 
 
 Diction, correctness in, 36-54. 
 Dictionary, v; eleven steps in the 
 
 study of a word in, 73-75. 
 Direction on envelope, 206. 
 Division of words, 169-70. 
 Don't and doesn't, 22. 
 Double negatives, 50. 
 Draft, bank, 260. 
 Drama, business, 84. 
 Dramatic gift and business 
 
 speech, 127. 
 
 Effectiveness, 105-19; mechan- 
 ical devices for producing, 
 106-7; placing of material 
 in sentence for, 107; in para- 
 graph, 108; specific and con- 
 crete terms as means to, 110; 
 relevancy and, 111-13. 
 
 ei and ie, 152. 
 
 either . . . or, 23. 
 
 Ellipsis, 94. 
 
 Emphasis, 106. 
 
 Englisn, good, ix. 
 
 Enunciation, 128. 
 
 Exactness, 114. 
 
 Exaggeration, 42, 115. 
 
 Examples, the use of, 99. 
 
 Exclamation mark, 175. 
 
 Express money order, 261. 
 
 False refinement, 44. 
 
 Favors, asking and granting, 
 
 233-35. 
 Fine writing, 43. 
 Firms, addressing, 202. 
 First impression, good, 197. 
 Focus, emphasis on, 118. 
 Folding a letter, 198. 
 Follow-up letters, 246-47. 
 Force, x, 165. 
 Form- letters, 214. 
 Formal parts of letter, 199-207. 
 Former and latter, 92. 
 
 General terms, 72, 111. 
 
 Government, 31-34; by verbs, 
 31; by prepositions, 32; appar- 
 ent, 33. 
 
INDEX 
 
 271 
 
 Grammar, the two aspects of, 
 xiv; three fundamental prin- 
 ciples of, XV; grammatical cor- 
 rectness, 1-34. 
 
 Hackneyed phrases, 41-42. 
 
 Heading of a letter, 199-200, 263. 
 
 Hearing a good speaker, 76. 
 
 Homonyms, spelled alike, 81; 
 not spelled alike, 155. 
 
 Hyphen in compound words, 
 163-65. 
 
 Inclosures, letters containing, 
 212-13. 
 
 Inflection, 1-18; of nouns and 
 pronouns, 1-6; of adjectives 
 and adverbs, 6-10; of verbs, 
 10-18. 
 
 Idioms, 47. 
 
 I-letters, 210-11; 263. 
 
 Incorrectly placed words, 58. 
 
 Infinitive phrase, 62; split infini- 
 tive, 62. 
 
 Inquiry and reply, letters of, 
 226-28; letters of confidential, 
 228. 
 
 Interrogation mark, 174. 
 
 Introduction, of speech, 137; 
 letters of, 225-26. 
 
 Invitations, formal, informal, 
 264-67; replies to, 265-67. 
 
 Invoice, 257. 
 
 ise — ize, 153. 
 
 It, the indefinite, 90. 
 
 Lading, bill of, 262. 
 
 Lay and lie, 15. 
 
 Letters, business, 196-249; so- 
 cial, 262-64; of application, 
 35, 218-23; as business agents, 
 196 ; formal parts of, 199-207 ; 
 diagram of letter, 199; letter- 
 heads, 200, 217; heading of, 
 199-200, 263; body of, 205, 
 207-12; replying to, 207; con- 
 ventional phrases to be avoid- 
 ed in, 209-10; /-letters, 210- 
 11; omission of subjects and 
 articles in, 211; i/ow-letters, 
 211; tone of, 211; of recom- 
 mendation, 224-25; of intro- 
 duction, 225-26 ; of inquiry and 
 
 reply, 226-28; of confidential 
 inquiry, 228; ordering goods, 
 230-31; asking and granting 
 favors, 233-35; of complaint 
 and adjustment, 235-37 ; of 
 collection, 237-38; containing 
 inclosures, 233; form-, 214; 
 sales-, 239-49; follow-up, 246- 
 48; series of successful, 247- 
 48; the typewritten, 216-18. 
 Lie and lay, 15. 
 
 Making a speech, 134-42. 
 Margins of a letter, 198, 217. 
 Matching grammatical parts, 95. 
 Modifying clauses and phrases, 
 
 placing of, 63-65. 
 Money order, express, 261; 
 
 postal, 262. 
 Mood, 10. 
 
 Negatives, double, 50. 
 
 Neither . . . nor, 23. 
 
 Night letters, 250. 
 
 Nouns, plural of, 4; inflection 
 of, 1-6 ; possessive of, 2-4 ; col- 
 lective, 24; compound, 163- 
 65; verbal, 3. 
 
 Numerals, spelling out, 159; plu- 
 rals of, 191. 
 
 Only, placing of, 58. 
 
 oo, sounds of, 131. 
 
 Ordering goods, 230-33; order for 
 
 goods, 256. 
 Organization of material, 117. 
 Overworked words, 38-41, 71. 
 
 Paragraph, in thinking and 
 writing, 19, 30; placing of 
 topic sentence in, 56; arrange- 
 ment of sentences and material 
 in, 66; clearness in, 102; ef- 
 fectiveness in, 117; three types 
 of, 55; false, 105; in letters, 
 207-8; form-, 214-16. 
 
 Parenthesis, 190. 
 
 Participles, misplaced, 60-62 ; 
 vagueness of, 95. 
 
 Past-participle, 13. 
 
 Payment, letters asking for, 237- 
 38. 
 
 Period, 173. 
 
272 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Personal pronouns, inflection of, 
 1 ; arrangement of, 24. 
 
 Persuasion, 138, 240, 242-43. 
 
 Plural, of nouns, 4; of com- 
 pound nouns, 5; of pronouns, 
 1 ; of verbs, 21-23; spelling of, 
 4-5, 154; of numerals, 191; of 
 letters of the alphabet, 191. 
 
 Possessive case, of nouns, 1-4; 
 of pronouns, 1-3 ; of compound 
 nouns, 3; spelling of posses- 
 sives, 2-3, 191. 
 
 Postscripts, 198. 
 
 President of the United States, 
 how addressed, 203. 
 
 Preparation of a speech, 139. 
 
 Preposition, government by, 32; 
 list of, 32; in fixed combina- 
 tions, 48. 
 
 Pronouns, inflection of, 1-6; pos- 
 sessive of, 3 ; agreement of, 
 with antecedent, 26-28; as ref- 
 erence words, 89. 
 
 Pronunciation, 129-34. 
 
 Proportion, emphasis by, 109. 
 
 Provincialism, 262. 
 
 Public speaking, 135. 
 
 Punctuation, 171-95; in heading 
 of letter, 200, 263; in address, 
 201, 264; of direction, 206. 
 
 Qualities of style, the four, 
 ix-x. 
 
 Quotation marks, 191; double 
 and single, 191-92; in titles of 
 books, essays, etc., 192-93. 
 
 Raise and rise, 15. 
 
 Receipt, 258. 
 
 Recommendation, letters of, 218. 
 
 Reference words, 89-93; indefi- 
 nite reference, 90-91. 
 
 References, giving, 213. 
 
 Relevancy, 111-13; in a speech, 
 140-1; in a sales-letter, 243; 
 in advertisement, 113, 252-53. 
 
 Remittances, inclosing, 212-214; 
 acknowledging, 212-214. 
 
 Repetition, 94, 109, 124. 
 
 Replying, to a letter, 207; to in- 
 formal invitations, 265; to 
 formal invitations, 266-67. 
 
 Reports, formal, informal, 254- 
 
 55. 
 Requisition, 255. 
 Rise and raise, 15. 
 
 Salary, stating a, 213-14. 
 
 Sales-letters, 239-49; a good 
 speech, 239-240; a good adver- 
 tisement, 240; opening para- 
 graph of, 240-42; urgency in, 
 242-43; body of, 243-46; rele- 
 vancy in, 243-44; good example 
 of, 244-45; poor example of, 
 245. 
 
 Same as pronoun, 51. 
 
 Salutation, 199, 203-4; in a so- 
 cial letter, 264. 
 
 Second sheets, 217. 
 
 Semicolon, 176-77. 
 
 Set and sit, 14-15. 
 
 Sentence, conspicuous place in, 
 108; leading and subordinate 
 thoughts in, 101; long, loose, 
 64; short, 64, 87; simple, com- 
 plex, compound, 87. 
 
 Shall and will, 16-17. 
 
 Shifting of accent, 133. 
 
 Shipping directions, giving, 230- 
 31. 
 
 Signature, 198, 199, 205-6; in 
 social letters, 264. 
 
 Silent letters, 131, 156. 
 
 Simplicity, 88. 
 
 Sincerity, 118. 
 
 -sion and -tion, 154. 
 
 Sit and set, 14-15. 
 
 Slang, 36-38, 71, 123, 193, 262. 
 
 Specific instances, 99; specific 
 terms, 72, 110. 
 
 Speaking English, 122-34. 
 
 Speech, making a, 134-42; parts 
 of a, 136-37; preparation for, 
 135-6. 
 
 Spelling, 147-70; a working vo- 
 cabulary, 156; list of practical 
 words, 157-59; exercises to 
 improve, 147-48; of compound 
 words, 163-65; homonyms 
 spelled difi'erently, 155-56. 
 
 Spoken English, 122-46. 
 
 Stamp, placing of, 207. 
 
INDEX 
 
 273 
 
 Statement, the, 258. 
 Stationery, business, 197. 
 Stilted style in letters, 208. 
 Strength,' 105. 
 Suggestiyeness, 114. 
 Summaries, 116. 
 Summing-up phrases, 71. 
 Syllables, 169. 
 Synonyms, study of, 76-80. 
 
 Tabulated statements, 116. 
 Than and as, case after, 33. 
 Technical yocabularies, 82. 
 Telegrams, 249-52. 
 Telephone English, 134. 
 Tense, present, past, future, 10. 
 They, the indefinite, 90. 
 "Think clearly and you will 
 
 write clearly," 87, 
 This and that^ the indefinite, 91. 
 Titles, spelling out of, 160; in 
 
 address, 202. 
 Titles of books, essays, etc., 192. 
 Tone of letter, 211. 
 Topic-sentence of paragraph, 56, 
 
 103. 
 Too few words, 47. 
 
 Too many words, 45-46. 
 Trade-names, 104. 
 Typewritten letter, the, 216-18. 
 
 w-long, pronunciation of, 131. 
 
 Verb, inflection of, 10; tense of, 
 10; moods of, 10; person and 
 number of, 10; regular and ir- 
 regular, 12; principal parts of, 
 12-13; agreement of with sub- 
 ject, 21-26; and collective 
 noun, 24; goyernment by, 31; 
 of the senses, 34. 
 
 Verbal noun, possessive with, 3. 
 
 Vocabulary, 69-83; ways of en- 
 larging, 70-83; technical, 82- 
 3; spelling a working vocab- 
 ulary, 156. 
 
 Voice, speaking, 124. 
 
 Vulgarisms, 44. 
 
 Will and shall, 16-17. 
 Wireless messages, 249. 
 ** Write as you talk," 208-9. 
 
 yoM-letters, 211. 
 
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