Grammar and Usage Handbook
Word Usage and Word Relationships>
Agreement of Subject and Verb
It may seem needless to say that a singular subject takes a singular verb, while a plural subject takes a plural verb; however, when phrases or other elements come between the subject and the verb, the agreement may not be clear.
The small table around which the children play was in the hall.
The small tables owned by the church were in the hall.
The men, as well as the policeman, were aghast at the sight.
The following words are generally considered singular and take singular verbs: each, either, neither, one, someone, anyone, everybody, nobody, somebody, much, anybody, everyone.
The following words are plural and take plural verbs: both, few, many, several.
The following pronouns may be singular or plural depending on the meaning intended: all, most, some, every, none, any, half, more.
When one is referring to two or more persons who are of different sexes, or to a group of people whose gender one has no way of determining, the pronouns they, them, and their are often used to refer to anyone, each, everybody, etc., in order to avoid the awkward he or she, him or her, his or her.
Either—Or; Neither—Nor
Neither always takes nor; either takes or.
When a subject is compounded with neither … nor or either … or, the verb is normally singular if the nouns joined are singular, and plural if they are plural. If, however, one noun is singular and one plural, the verb agrees with the second or nearer subject.
Either Bill or Ralph is lying.
Neither she nor her sisters skate well.
Collective Nouns
A collective noun, such as class, company, club, crew, jury, committee, takes a singular verb when the whole is considered as a unit, and a plural verb when members of the whole are being considered separately.
The jury has deliberated for six hours.
The crew were near exhaustion after their many hours of exposure.
Some collective nouns, as police and cattle, are used only in the plural form; others, as mankind and wildlife, are generally used in the singular form.
The cattle were almost destroyed by the severe storm.
The New England wildlife has been protected.
Agreement of Pronoun with Its Antecedent
If the antecedent is singular, the pronoun is singular, if the antecedent is plural, the pronoun is likewise plural.
The boy did his best in the contest.
The boys in the school did their best.
The boy and the girl did their best.
Neither one of the boys did his best.
Capitalization
Conventions governing the use of capital letters are quite clear.
Capitalize the first word of every sentence.
The first person singular pronoun I and the vocative O are generally capitalized.
Unless style requires a different form, a.m. and p.m. are set in small letters without a space between them. Capital letters are used for B.C. and A.D. but, again, there is no space between them.
| 9:30 a.m. | 10:30 p.m. |
| A.D. 1760 or 1760 A.D. | |
| 76 B.C. |
Note: Although A.D. should technically precede the number of the year, popular usage permits it to follow the date. In printed matter B.C., A.D., a.m., and p.m. usually appear in small capitals (B.C., A.D., A.M., P.M.).
The first letter of a line of conventional poetry is capitalized. Much modern poetry, however, ignores this convention.
Hickory, dickory, dock
The mouse ran up the clock.
The first word after a colon should be capitalized only when it begins a complete sentence.
The candidate made only one promise: If elected, he would fight for better conditions.
The list contained these items: five pounds of flour, two dozen eggs, and a pound of butter.
Every direct quotation should begin with a capital, except where the quoted passage is grammatically woven into the text preceding it.
The announcer shouted, “There it goes, over the back wall for a home run!”
The announcer shouted that the ball was going “over the back wall for a home run.”
Capitalize the first letters of all important words in the titles of books, newspapers, magazines, chapters, poems, articles. Short conjunctions and prepositions are generally not capitalized.
How to Win Friends and Influence People
Geographical divisions and regions require capitals.
| Arctic Circle | the Atlantic Seaboard |
| the Orient | the Great Plains |
Compass points are capitalized when they are part of a generally accepted name, but not when they denote direction or locality.
| Middle East | eastern New York |
| Old South | Head west for twenty-five miles. |
Capitalize names of streets, parks, buildings, but not the general categories into which they fall.
Fifth Avenue
Which avenue is widest?
General Post Office
We went to the post office.
Religions, religious leaders, the various appellations for God and the Christian Trinity require capitalization, as do all names for the Bible and its parts.
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost
Virgin Mary, the Immaculate Virgin
Yahweh, Jehovah, Saviour, Messiah
Buddhism, Shintoism, Taoism
New Testament
Exodus
Sermon on the Mount
Ten Commandments
Capitalize the names of political parties, classes, clubs, organizations, movements, and their adherents. Use small letters for the terms that refer generally to ideology (bolshevism, fascism, socialism).
Democratic Party
the Right Wing
Farm bloc
Boy Scouts of America
Political Divisions are capitalized.
| Holy Roman Empire | the Colonies |
| French Republic | Suffolk County |
| the Dominion | Eighth Election District |
Government bodies, departments, bureaus, and courts are capitalized.
| the Supreme Court | the Cabinet |
| House of Representatives | Census Bureau |
| Department of Labor | British Parliament |
Capitalize the titles of all high-ranking government officials, and all appellations of the President of the United States. Many publishers, it should be pointed out, prefer small letters for titles that are not accompanied by the name of the official.
| President | Commander-in-Chief |
| Secretary of State | Chief Justice |
| Undersecretary | Prime Minister |
| Ambassador to India | Minister of War |
Capitalize the names of treaties, documents, and important events.
| Second World War | Declaration of Independence |
| Treaty of Versailles | Boston Tea Party |
Family designations, when used without a possessive pronoun, take a capital letter.
I sent Mother home by taxi.
I sent my mother home by taxi.
Capitalize seasons only when they are personified. All personifications require capitals.
The frosty breath of Winter settled on the land.
The voice of Envy whispered in her ear.
Necessity is the mother of Invention.
When Headquarters commands, we jump.
He saw Mother Nature's grim visage.
Names and epithets of peoples, races, and tribes are capitalized.
| Caucasian | Sioux |
| Negro | Cliff Dwellers |
Articles and prepositions are generally capitalized in the names of Englishmen and Americans, and are not capitalized in French, Italian, Spanish, German, and Dutch names, unless otherwise specified by family usage.
| Thomas De Quincey | Ludwig van Beethoven |
| Martin Van Buren | Leonardo da Vinci |
| Fiorello La Guardia | San Juan de la Cruz |
Capitalize the names of holidays and festivals.
| Christmas | Shrove Tuesday |
| Yom Kippur | New Year's Day |
Capitalize such parts of a book as Glossary, Contents, Index, and Preface.
Capitalize the first and last words in the salutation in business letters, and all titles.
| My dear Sir | Dear Doctor Brown |
| My dear Reverend Lothrop | Dear Reverend Father |
Capitalize only the first word of the complimentary close of a letter.
| Very truly yours | Sincerely yours |
Spelling
General Suggestions
When in doubt as to the correct spelling of a word, consult the dictionary; do not take anything for granted.
Keep a list of your spelling errors and study them.
Learn the most commonly misspelled words in the lists below.
Learn to spell by syllables, carefully pronouncing each syllable. Faulty spelling is often due to faulty pronunciation.
Use newly acquired words and make them part of your oral and written vocabulary.
Do not use the simplified or modern forms of spelling in business correspondence, as thru for through.
Learn some basic spelling rules such as the following.
cede, ceed, and sede endings According to the Government Style Manual, there is only one word which ends in sede—supersede, and three that end in ceed—proceed, exceed, succeed. All other words having this sound end in cede—precede, secede, recede, etc.
ie and ei a. After c, when the sound is long e (ē), the e usually precedes the i: receive, deceive, ceiling, receipt.
b. After most other letters, the i precedes the e: thief, grief, believe, achieve, lien.
c. When the sound is not long e (ē); and especially if the sound is long a (ā), the e precedes the i: sleigh, veil.
The exceptions must be learned, since they follow no rule: neither, leisure, weird, seize.
Beginnings and Endings of Words (Prefixes and Suffixes)
a. As a general rule, drop the final e in the base word when a suffix beginning with a vowel is added.
decide—deciding; write—writing; type—typist
b. As a rule, retain the final e in the base word when a suffix beginning with a consonant is added.
remote—remotely; care—carefully; infringe—infringement
c. In applying the rule for adding ed or ing, the accent (or lack of it) may serve as a guide. Words of one syllable (and most words of more than one syllable) that end in a single consonant (except ƒ, h, or x), preceded by a single vowel, double the final consonant if the accent falls on the last syllable.
plan—planned, planning; whet—whetted, whetting transfer—transferred, transferring; control—controlled, controlling
When the word is not accented on the last syllable, the consonant is usually not doubled.
travel—traveled, traveler; profit—profited, profiteer
d. When the endings ness and ly are added to a word not ending in y, the base word rarely changes. In most words ending in y, the y changes to i when ly is added.
natural—naturally; similar—similarly; genuine—genuineness; blessed—blessedness; hazy—hazily; body—bodily
If the base word ends in n and the suffix ness is added, the n is doubled.
sudden—suddenness; mean—meanness; vain—vainness
e. In regard to the word endings ise, ize, yze, the most common form is ize, but here the dictionary should be consulted if there is doubt.
legalize, fraternize, criticize, jeopardize advertise, merchandise, surmise, enterprise paralyze, analyze
In British English ise is sometimes used for ize, as realise for realize.
f. When adding the suffix ful, the l is single except when ly is also added (fully).
care—careful—carefully; hope—hopeful—hopefully
g. When the word beginnings (prefixes) in, en, im, em, un, dis, mis, be, de, re, il, and over are added to a word, the spelling of the word is not changed.
inactive, enjoy, impending, embrace, uneasy, dismiss, mistrust, beguile, degrade, retreat, illegal, overhaul
Forming the Plurals of Nouns
a. Most nouns form the plural by simply adding s.
table—tables; house—houses
b. Some nouns, especially those ending in s, form the plural by adding es.
class—classes; fox—foxes
c. Words ending in y preceded by a consonant form the plural by changing the y to i and adding es.
candy—candies; study—studies; secretary—secretaries
d. Words ending in y preceded by a vowel form the plural by adding s but without any other change in the word.
key—keys; boy—boys
e. Nouns ending in o preceded by a vowel form the plural by adding s.
rodeo—rodeos; radio—radios
When the o is preceded by a consonant, the plural is formed by adding es.
hero—heroes; torpedo—torpedoes
f. Nouns referring to music which end in o preceded by a consonant form the plural by simply adding s.
piano—pianos; oratorio—oratorios; contralto—contraltos; soprano—sopranos
g. Some few nouns follow none of the above rules but form the plural in an unusual way.
child—children; tooth—teeth; mouse—mice; ox—oxen
h. Compound nouns (more than one word) form the plural from the main word.
trade union—trade unions; father-in-law—fathers-in-law
i. When a solid compound ends in ful, the plural is formed at the end of the solid compound and not within the word.
basketful—basketfuls; pocketful—pocketfuls
j. When the words in compounds are of almost equal importance, both parts of the compound are pluralized.
head of department—heads of departments; woman operator—women operators
k. Words taken from another language sometimes form the plural as they would in the original language.
stratum—strata; addendum—addenda; datum—data
| Problem | Rule | Examples | Exceptions |
| From Business Letter Writing Made Simple, revised ed., by Irving Rosenthal and Harry W. Rudman, Copyright © 1955, 1968 by Doubleday & Co., Inc. | |||
| lE and El | I before E, except after C. | achieve, but ceiling | 1. Use El when: |
| a. Sounded as ā: neighbor, weigh | |||
| b. Sounded as ĭ: counterfeit | |||
| c. Sounded as ī: height | |||
| 2. Use IE for almost all other sounds: friend, lieutenant. | |||
| 3. If i and e do not form a digraph, rules do not apply: fiery, deity. | |||
| Final Silent E | 1. Drop before suffix beginning with a vowel. | grieve—grievance | 1. Retain e after soft c and soft g before suffixes beginning with a or o: peacable, manageable. |
| 2. Retain before suffix beginning with a consonant. | absolute—absolutely | ||
| Final Y | 1. Change final y to i if y is preceded by a consonant and followed by any suffix except one beginning with i. | beauty—beautiful BUT carry—carrying |
dry—dryness; sly—slyness. |
| 2. Retain final y if it is preceded by a vowel. | boy—boys; valley—valleys | day—daily; pay—paid | |
| Final Consonants | Double final consonants when: | Final consonant is not doubled if: | |
| 1. Preceded by a single vowel | 1. drop—dropped; beg—beggar | 1. Accent shifts to preceding syllable when suffix is added: confer′—confer′ring BUT con′ference. | |
| 2. Followed by a suffix beginning with a vowel. | 2. quit—quitting; swim—swimmer | 2. Final consonant is preceded by a consonant: start—started. | |
| 3. The consonant terminates a monosyllabic word. | 3. hit—hitter; run—running | 3. Final consonant is preceded by two vowels: beat—beating; boil—boiling. | |
| 4. The consonant terminates a polysyllabic word accented on the last syllable. | 4. omit—omitted; transfer—transferred | ||
| k added to words ending in c | Add k to words ending in c before a suffix beginning with e, i, y. | frolic—frolicking—frolicked; picnic—picnicking—picnicked | |
| -cede -ceed -sede | Except for supersede, exceed, proceed, succeed, all words having this sound end in -cede. | accede, precede, recede, concede | |
| Plurals | 1. Regular noun plurals add -s to the singular. | boy—boys; book—books | |
| 2. Irregular plurals: | |||
| a. Add -es if noun ends in o preceded by consonant. | a. echo—echoes; Negro— Negroes | a. piano—pianos; zero—zeros; solo—solos. | |
| b. Change y to i and add -es if noun ends in y preceded by consonant. | b. sky—skies; enemy—enemies | ||
| c. Add -s if noun ends in y preceded by vowel. | c. play—plays; day— days | ||
| Possessives | 1. Don't confuse contractions with possessive pronouns. | Contraction Possessive 1. it's (it is) its they're their (they are) | |
| 2. Use no apostrophes with possessive or relative pronouns. | 2. his, hers, ours, yours, theirs, whose | ||
| 3. If singular or plural noun does not end in s, add apostrophe and s. | 3. child's (Sing.), children's (Plur.) | ||
| 4. If singular or plural noun does end in s, add apostrophe | 4. hostess' (Sing.), hostesses' (Plur.), princes' (Plur.) | ||
Spelling Lists
List of Words Most Frequently Misspelled by High School Seniors
The list of words below* contains 149 words most frequently misspelled by high school seniors. These words and word-groups (those which are variants of the same word, as acquaint and acquaintance), were compiled by Dean Thomas Clark Pollock of New York University from 14,651 examples of misspelling submitted by 297 teachers in the United States, Canada and Hawaii. Each of the words represented was misspelled twenty times or more, and yet these words, comprising fewer than three per cent of the original list of 3,811 words, account for thirty per cent of the total misspellings.
NOTE: The trouble spots in each word are italicized. Numbers beside the words indicate how frequently each word is misspelled.
| their | 179 | all right | 91 |  |
its it's |
52 22 |
|||
| receive | 163 | separate | 91 |  |
occur occurred occurrence occurring |
9 52 10 2 |
|||
| too | 152 | until | 88 | |
study studied studies studying |
1 3 3 34 |
|||
|
writer writing written |
11 81 13 |
privilege | 82 | definite | 78 | |||
|
describe description |
28 38 |
tragedy | 64 | believe | 77 | |||
| there | 78 | probably | 33 | speech | 33 | ||||
|
decide decision |
48 15 |
argument | 32 | |
convenience convenient |
5 33 |
||
|
image imagine imaginary imagination |
3 7 5 17 |
|
difference different |
15 23 |
|
succeed success successful |
25 22 12 |
|
| occasion | 54 | occasionally | 8 | quiet | 32 | ||||
| than | 38 | then | 32 | athletic | 37 | ||||
| to | 37 | prejudice | 30 | business | 36 | ||||
| sense | 30 | interest | 56 | similar | 30 | ||||
|
equipped equipment |
21 14 |
|
your you're |
2 28 |
|
immediate immediately |
3 51 |
|
| beginning | 55 | embarrass | 48 | appearance | 29 | ||||
|
principal principle |
18 18 |
coming | 53 | conscious | 29 | |||
|
prophecy prophesy |
35 35 |
|
benefit beneficial benefited benefiting |
16 5 11 1 |
|
stop stopped stopping |
1 24 4 |
|
| grammar | 47 | pleasant | 29 | |
humor humorous |
2 45 |
|||
|
exist existence |
3 43 |
|
excite excited excitement exciting |
1 7 13 7 |
|
lose losing |
28 15 |
|
| develop | 34 | environment | 34 | surprise | 29 | ||||
| recommend | 34 | fascinate | 33 | finally | 33 | ||||
| disappoint | 42 | rhythm | 41 | experience | 28 | ||||
|
necessary necessity |
24 9 |
government | 27 | |
acquaint acquaintance |
17 9 |
||
| laboratory | 27 | |
foreign foreigners |
14 9 |
tried | 27 | |||
| affect | 26 | familiar | 21 | accept | 25 | ||||
| performance | 23 | escape | 21 | ||||||
| accommodate | 25 | together | 23 | meant | 21 | ||||
| excellent | 25 | descend | 13 | where | 21 | ||||
| opportunity | 25 | descendant | 9 | chief | 20 | ||||
|
marry marries marriage |
4 6 15 |
during | 22 | hero | 10 | |||
| woman | 22 | forty | 22 | heroes | 9 | ||||
| lonely | 20 | certain | 21 | heroine | 1 | ||||
| character | 24 | |
commit committed |
4 12 |
opinion | 20 | |||
| friend | 24 | complete | 24 | parliament | 20 | ||||
| committing | 5 | possess | 20 | villain | 20 | ||||
| truly | 24 | criticism | 21 | professor | 20 | ||||
| accidentally | 23 | disappear | 21 | restaurant | 20 | ||||
| doesn't | 23 | exaggerate | 21 |
* The list compiled by Dr. Pollock appears in the Teachers' Service Bulletin in English (Macmillan, November, 1952).
List of 100 Words Most Frequently Misspelled by College Freshmen
| absence | effect | o'clock |
| accidentally | eighth | omitted |
| across | embarrassed | parallel |
| aggravate | environment | perhaps |
| all right | exercise | principal |
| amateur | February | principles |
| argument | forth | privilege |
| around | forty | proceed |
| athletic | fourth | pronunciation |
| believed | friend | quiet |
| benefited | government | quite |
| business | grammar | received |
| busy | grievance | recommend |
| capital | hadn't | referred |
| cemetery | height | relieve |
| choose | indispensable | rhythm |
| chosen | interested | schedule |
| coming | its | seize |
| committee | it's | separate |
| competition | knowledge | shining |
| conscientious | laboratory | stationery |
| conscious | latter | strength |
| coolly | literature | succeed |
| council | loose | superintendent |
| counsel | lose | supersede |
| criticism | losing | tragedy |
| deceive | maintenance | tries |
| definite | marriage | truly |
| desert | mischievous | villain |
| dessert | noticeable | Wednesday |
| dining | occasion | weird |
| disappointed | occurred | whether |
| doesn't | occurrence | woman |
| don't |
List of Words Frequently Misspelled on Civil Service Examinations
| accident | municipal | society |
| all right | principal | simplified |
| auxiliary | principle | technicality |
| athletic | promotional | tendency |
| buoyant | president | their |
| catalogue | precede | thousandth |
| career | proceed | transferred |
| comptroller | promissory | transient |
| criticise | recommend | truly |
| dividend | personnel | villain |
| embarrass | purchasable | Wednesday |
| expedient | responsibility | writ |
| government | received | whether |
| inveigle | regrettable | yield |
| monetary | supersede |
Confusing Words
accept See EXCEPT.
addition, edition Addition means the process of joining together or finding the sum of. Edition refers to the form in which a book, magazine, or other literary work is published: first edition.
advice, advise Advice is the noun: to give advice. Advise is the verb: to advise a person.
affect See EFFECT.
all ready See ALREADY.
all right, alright All right is the only spelling to be used: It is all right to do so. The spelling alright is not yet considered acceptable and should not be used.
allude, elude Allude means to make indirect or casual reference: He alluded to one of Shakespeare's sonnets. Elude means to avoid or escape: The meaning eludes me.
already, all ready Already means before or by this time or the time mentioned: The group has already gone. All ready (two words) means that everyone is ready to do a given thing. We are all ready to go.
among, between. Among is used when referring to more than two persons or things. Between is usually preferable when referring to only two persons or things.
appraise, apprise Appraise means to make an official valuation of. Apprise means to notify or inform.
ascent, assent Ascent means rising, soaring, or climbing: the ascent of the mountain. Assent means agreement, consent, sanction: assent to a course of action.
between See AMONG.
can See MAY.
capital, capitol Capital means a city that is important in some special way: Albany is the capital of New York. Capitol means a building in which a State legislature meets: The capitol is on Chamber Street.
censor, censure Censor means (n.) an official examiner of manuscripts, plays, etc.; (v.) to act as a censor; delete; suppress. Censure means (v.) to express disapproval of; (n.) the expression of disapproval or blame.
census See SENSES.
cite, sight, site Cite means to mention or bring forward: to cite an incident. Sight (n.) means a view, a vision: a beautiful sight. Site means a place or location: the site of the church.
compliment, complement Compliment (n.) means praise or congratulation. Complement (n.) means one of two parts that mutually complete each other.
consul See COUNCIL.
council, counsel, consul Council (n.) means an assembly convened for consultation. Counsel (n.) means guidance, advice; also, a lawyer. Consul (n.) means an officer residing in a foreign country to protect his own country's interests.
creditable, credible Creditable means deserving credit or esteem; praiseworthy: a creditable project for reducing poverty. Credible means capable of being believed; reliable: a credible alibi.
decent, descent, dissent Decent means proper; respectable. Descent means the act of descending or going downward. Dissent means (v.) to disagree; (n.) a disagreement.
devise, device Devise (v.) means to invent, contrive, or plan. Device (n.) is something devised; invention; contrivance.
dissent See DECENT.
edition See ADDITION.
effect, affect Effect, common as both a noun and a verb, means (v.) to bring about; to cause or achieve: The treatments will effect an early cure; and (n.) result, outcome. Affect, in common use a verb only, means to influence or act upon: Fear affects the mind.
effective, effectual Effective means producing a desired result: Effective action averted the strike. Effectual means having the power to produce a desired result: effectual legal steps.
elicit, illicit Elicit means to bring to light: to elicit the truth. Illicit means unlawful or unauthorized.
elude See ALLUDE.
eminent, imminent Eminent means high in station; distinguished; prominent: an eminent statesman. Imminent means about to happen (said especially of danger): an imminent calamity.
except, accept Except (v.) means to take or leave out: to except no one from the restrictions. Accept means to receive or agree to; acknowledge: to accept an invitation.
formerly, formally Formerly means some time ago; once: He was formerly a judge. Formally means with formality or with regard to form: formally dressed.
illicit See ELICIT.
imminent See EMINENT.
lay, lie See not under LAY1 in the body of this dictionary.
learn See TEACH.
lesson, lessen Lesson refers to instructive or corrective example. Lessen means to make less; decrease.
loose, lose Loose means not fastened or attached. Lose means to mislay or be deprived of.
may, can May expresses permission: The child may play in the yard. Can expresses ability to do: The child can do better than he is doing at present.
past, passed Past means (adj.) ended or finished: His hopes are past; and (n.) time gone by: He dreams of the past. Passed, the past tense and past particle of pass, means went (or gone) beyond or farther than: The car, which was going at high speed, passed him easily.
persecute, prosecute Persecute means to maltreat or oppress; to harass. Prosecute, generally used in a legal sense, means to bring suit against.
personal, personnel Personal pertains to a person: personal matters, personal opinions. Personnel pertains to a body or group of persons: personnel problem, personnel department.
practical, practicable Practical pertains to actual use and experience. Practicable means feasible or usable.
prosecute See PERSECUTE.
senses, census Senses, the plural of sense, refers to awareness and rationality or to the faculty of sensation: to come to one's senses; Her senses were dulled by the accident. Census refers to an official count of the people of a country or district, etc.
shall, will See note under SHALL in the body of this dictionary.
sight See CITE.
site See CITE.
stationery, stationary Stationery refers to writing supplies. Stationary means remaining in one place.
sweet, suite Sweet means having a taste like sugar. Suite refers to a set or series of things intended to be used together: suite of rooms, suite of furniture.
teach, learn Teach means to impart knowledge; learn means to acquire knowledge. The teacher teaches; the student learns.
will, shall See note under SHALL in the body of this dictionary.
Sample Business Letters
Letterhead
From Business Letter Writing Made Simple, revised ed., by Irving Rosenthal and Harry W. Rudman, Copyright © 1955, 1968 by Doubleday & Co., Inc.
The “Modified Block” Form
Full Indention
Additional Sheets
The “Full Block” Form
Forms of Address
President of the United States
Address: Business: The President
The White House
Washington, D.C.
Social: The President and Mrs. Roberts
The White House
Washington, D.C.
Salutation: Formal: Mr. President:
Informal: Dear Mr. President:
Closing: Formal: Most respectfully yours,
Informal: Sincerely yours,
In Conversation: Mr. President or Sir
Title of Introduction: The President or Mr. Roberts
Vice President of the United States
Address: Business: The Vice President
United States Senate
Washington, D.C.
Social: The Vice President and Mrs. Hope
Home Address
Salutation: Formal: Mr. Vice President:
Informal: Dear Mr. Vice President:
Closing: Formal: Very truly yours,
Informal: Sincerely yours,
In Conversation: Mr. Vice President or Sir
Title of Introduction: The Vice President or Mr. Hope
Chief Justice of the United States
Address: Business: The Chief Justice
The Supreme Court
Washington, D.C.
Social: The Chief Justice and Mrs. Page
Home Address
Salutation: Formal: Sir:
Informal: Dear Mr. Chief Justice:
Closing: Formal: Very truly yours,
Informal: Sincerely yours,
In Conversation: Mr. Chief Justice or Sir
Title of Introduction: The Chief Justice
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court
Address: Business: Mr. Justice Katsaros
The Supreme Court
Washington, D.C.
Social: Mr. Justice Katsaros and Mrs. Katsaros
Home Address
Salutation: Formal: Sir:
Informal: Dear Mr. Justice Katsaros:
Closing: Formal: Very truly yours,
Informal: Sincerely yours,
In Conversation: Mr. Justice or Mr. Justice Katsaros or Sir
Title of Introduction: Mr. Justice Katsaros
Cabinet Officer
Address: Business: The Honorable Gary George Gussin
Secretary of the Treasury or
Attorney General of the United States
Washington, D.C.
Social: The Secretary of the Treasury and Mrs. Gussin
Home Address
or (for a woman cabinet member)
The Honorable Beatrice Schwartz or (if she is married)
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Leo Woods
Salutation: Formal: Sir: or Dear Sir: or Madam:
Informal: Dear Mr. Secretary: or Dear Madam Secretary:
Closing: Formal: Very truly yours,
Informal: Sincerely yours,
In Conversation: Mr. Secretary or Madam Secretary or Mr. Attorney General or Mr. (or Miss or Mrs.) Smith
Title of Introduction: The Secretary of the Treasury, Mr. Smith or
The Attorney General of the United States, Mr. Smith
Former President
Address: Business: The Honorable Alfred Edward Work
Office Address
Social: The Honorable and Mrs. Alfred Edward Work
Home Address
Salutation: Formal: Sir:
Informal: Dear Mr. Work:
Closing: Formal: Very truly yours,
Informal: Sincerely yours,
In Conversation: Mr. Work or Sir
Title of Introduction: The Honorable Alfred Edward Work
United States Senator
Address: Business: The Honorable John Wandzilak
United States Senate
Washington, D.C.
Social: The Honorable and Mrs. John Wandzilak
Home Address
or (for a woman senator)
The Honorable Marguerite Sanders
or (if she is married)
Mr. and Mrs. John Row Doe
Salutation: Formal: Sir: or Madam:
Informal: Dear Senator Wandzilak:
Closing: Formal: Very truly yours,
Informal: Sincerely yours,
In Conversation: Senator or Senator Wandzilak or Sir
Title of Introduction: Senator Wandzilak
Speaker of the House of Representatives
Address: Business: The Honorable Walter Fry
The Speaker of the House of Representatives
Washington, D.C.
Social: The Speaker of the House of Representatives and Mrs. Fry
Home Address
Salutation: Formal: Sir:
Informal: Dear Mr. Speaker:
Closing: Formal: Very truly yours,
Informal: Sincerely yours,
In Conversation: Mr. Speaker or Sir
Title of Introduction: The Speaker of the House of Representatives or The Speaker, Mr. Fry
Member of the House of Representatives
Address: Business: The Honorable Henry Cobb Wellcome
United States House of Representatives
Washington, D.C.
Social: The Honorable and Mrs. Henry Cobb Wellcome
Home Address
or (for a woman member)
The Honorable Ann Davenport
or (if she is married)
Mr. and Mrs. John Knox Jones
Salutation: Formal: Sir: or Madam:
Informal: Dear Mr. Wellcome:
Closing: Formal: Very truly yours,
Informal: Sincerely yours,
In Conversation: Mr. Wellcome or Miss Davenport or
Mrs. Jones or Sir or Madam
Title of Introduction: Representative Wellcome
Ambassador of the United States
Address: Business: The Honorable John Wilson Smith
The Ambassador of the United States
American Embassy
London, England
Social: The Honorable and Mrs. John Wilson Smith
Home Address
or (for a woman ambassador)
The Honorable Janet Lund
or (if she is married)
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Leeds Walker
Salutation: Formal: Sir: or Madam:
Informal: Dear Mr. Ambassador: or Dear Madam Ambassador:
Closing: Formal: Very truly yours,
Informal: Sincerely yours,
In Conversation: Mr. Ambassador or Madam Ambassador or Sir or Madam
Title of Introduction: The American Ambassador or
The Ambassador of the
United States
Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States
Address: Business: The Honorable James Lee Row
The Minister of the United States
American Legation
Oslo, Norway
Social: The Honorable and Mrs. James Lee Row
Home Address
or (for a woman minister)
The Honorable Eugenia Carlucci
or (if she is married)
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Johnson
Salutation: Formal: Sir: or Madam:
Informal: Dear Mr. Minister or Dear Madam Minister:
Closing: Formal: Very truly yours,
Informal: Sincerely yours,
In Conversation: Mr. Row or Miss Carlucci or Mrs. Johnson
Title of Introduction: Mr. Row, the American Minister
Consul of the United States
Address: Business: Mr. John Smith
American Consul
Rue de Quelque Chose
Paris, France
Social: Mr. and Mrs. John Smith
Home Address
Salutation: Formal: Sir: or Dear Sir:
Informal: Dear Mr. Smith:
Closing: Formal: Very truly yours,
Informal: Sincerely yours,
In Conversation: Mr. Smith
Title of Introduction: Mr. Smith
Ambassador of a Foreign Country
Address: Business: His Excellency, Juan Luis Ortega
The Ambassador of Mexico
Washington, D.C.
Social: His Excellency
The Ambassador of Mexico and Señora Ortega
Home Address
Salutation: Formal: Excellency:
Informal: Dear Mr. Ambassador:
Closing: Formal: Very truly yours,
Informal: Sincerely yours,
In Conversation: Mr. Ambassador or Sir
Title of Introduction: The Ambassador of Mexico
Minister of a Foreign Country
Address: Business: The Honorable
Carluh Matti
The Minister of Kezeah
Washington, D.C.
Social: The Honorable and Mrs. Carluh Matti
Home Address
Salutation: Formal: Sir:
Informal: Dear Mr. Minister:
Closing: Formal: Very truly yours,
Informal: Sincerely yours,
In Conversation: Mr. Minister or Sir
Title of Introduction: The Minister of Kezeah
Governor of a State
Address: Business: The Honorable Joseph L. Marvin
Governor of Idaho
Boise, Idaho
Social: The Honorable and Mrs. Joseph L. Marvin
Home Address
or (for a woman governor)
The Honorable Katherine Marvin
or (if she is married)
Mr. and Mrs. Walter O'Reilly
Salutation: Fonnal: Sir:
Informal: Dear Governor Marvin:
Closing: Formal: Very truly yours,
Informal: Sincerely yours,
In Conversation: Governor Marvin or Sir or Madam
Title of Introduction: The Governor or The Governor of Idaho
State Senators and Representatives are addressed in the same manner as U.S. Senators and Representatives.
Mayor
Address: Business: Honorable Roger Shute
Mayor of Easton
City Hall
Easton, Maryland
Social: The Honorable and Mrs. Roger Shute
Home Address
or (for a woman mayor)
The Honorable Martha Wayne
or (if she is married)
Mr. and Mrs. Walter Snow
Salutation: Formal: Sir: or Madam:
Informal: Dear Mayor Shute:
Closing: Formal: Very truly yours,
Informal: Sincerely yours,
In Conversation: Mr. Mayor or Madam Mayor
Title of Introduction: Mayor Shute
Judge
Address: Business: The Honorable Carson Little Justice, Appellate Division Supreme Court of the State of New York
Albany, New York
Social: The Honorable and Mrs. Carson Little
Home Address
or (for a woman judge)
The Honorable Josefina Gonzalez
or (if she is married)
Mr. and Mrs. Rafael Montoya
Salutation: Formal: Sir:
Informal: Dear Judge Little:
Closing: Formal: Very truly yours,
Informal: Sincerely yours,
In Conversation: Mr. Justice or Madam Justice
Title of Introduction: Justice Little
Protestant Bishop
Address: Business: The Right Reverend John S. Bowman
Bishop of Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Social: The Right Reverend and Mrs. John S. Bowman
Salutation: Formal: Right Reverend Sir:
Informal: Dear Bishop Bowman:
Closing: Formal: Respectfully yours,
Informal: Sincerely yours,
In Conversation: Bishop Bowman
Title of Introduction: Bishop Bowman
Protestant Clergyman
Address: Business: The Reverend David Dekker
or (if he holds the degree)
The Reverend David Dekker, D.D.
Address of his church
Social: The Reverend and Mrs. David Dekker
Home Address
Salutation: Formal: Dear Sir:
Informal: Dear Mr. (or Dr.) Dekker:
Closing: Formal: Sincerely yours,
Informal: Sincerely yours,
In Conversation: Mr. (or Dr.) Dekker
Title of Introduction: Mr. (or Dr.) Dekker
Rabbi
Address: Business: Rabbi Paul Aaron Fine
or (if he holds the degree)
Dr. Paul Aaron Fine, D.D.
Address of his synagogue
Social: Rabbi (or Dr.) and Mrs. Paul Aaron Fine
Home Address
Salutation: Formal: Dear Sir:
Informal: Dear Rabbi (or Dr.) Fine:
Closing: Formal: Sincerely yours,
Informal: Sincerely yours,
In Conversation: Rabbi (or Dr.) Fine
Title of Introduction: Rabbi (or Dr.) Fine
The Pope
Address: His Holiness Pope Paul VI
or His Holiness the Pope
Vatican City
Salutation: Your Holiness:
Closing: Your Holiness' most humble servant,
In Conversation: Your Holiness
Title of Introduction: One is presented to: His Holiness or The Holy Father
Cardinal
Address: His Eminence Alberto Cardinal Vezzetti
Archbishop of Baltimore
Baltimore, Maryland
Salutation: Formal: Your Eminence:
Informal: Dear Cardinal Vezzetti:
Closing: Your Eminence's humble servant,
In Conversation: Your Eminence
Title of Introduction: One is presented to: His Eminence, Cardinal Vezzetti
Roman Catholic Archbishop
Address: The Most Reverend Preston Lowen
Archbishop of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Salutation: Formal: Your Excellency: or Most Reverend Sir:
Informal: Dear Archbishop Lowen:
Closing: Your Excellency's humble servant,
In Conversation: Your Excellency
Title of Introduction: One is presented to: The Most Reverend
The Archbishop of Philadelphia
Roman Catholic Bishop
Address: The Most Reverend Matthew S. Borden
Address of his church
Salutation: Formal: Your Excellency: or Most Reverend Sir:
Informal: Dear Bishop Borden:
Closing: Formal: Your obedient servant,
Informal: Sincerely yours,
In Conversation: Your Excellency
Title of Introduction: Bishop Borden
Monsignor
Address: The Right Reverend Monsignor Ryan
Address of his church
Salutation: Formal: Right Reverend Monsignor:
Informal: Dear Monsignor Ryan:
Closing: Formal: I remain, Right Reverend
Monsignor, yours faithfully,
Informal: Faithfully yours,
In Conversation: Monsignor Ryan
Title of Introduction: Monsignor Ryan
Priest
Address: The Reverend John Matthews (and the initials of his order)
Address of his church
Salutation: Formal: Reverend Father:
Informal: Dear Father Matthews:
Closing: Formal: I remain, Reverend Father, yours faithfully,
Informal: Faithfully yours,
In Conversation: Father or Father Matthews
Title of Introduction: The Reverend Father Matthews
Member of Religious Order
Address: Sister Angelica (and initials of order) or Brother James (and initials) Address
Salutation: Formal: Dear Sister: or Dear Brother:
Informal: Dear Sister Angelica: or Dear Brother James
Closing: Formal: Respectfully yours,
Informal: Faithfully yours,
In Conversation: Sister Angelica or Brother James
Title of Introduction: Sister Angelica or Brother James
University Professor
Address: Business: Professor Robert Knowles
Office Address
Social: Professor or Mr.
or (if he holds the degree)
Dr. and Mrs. Robert Knowles
Home Address
or (for a woman professor)
Professor or Miss (or Dr.) Catherine Stone
or (if she is married)
Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Bryant
Salutation: Formal: Dear Professor (or Dr.) Knowles:
Informal: Dear Mr. (or Miss or Mrs. or Ms.) Knowles:
Closing: Formal: Very truly yours,
Informal: Sincerely yours,
In Conversation: Professor (or Dr. or Mr. or Miss or Mrs.) Knowles
Title of Introduction: Professor (or Dr.) Knowles
Physician
Address: Business: William L. Barnes, M.D. or Dr. William L. Barnes
Office Address
Social: Dr. and Mrs. William L. Barnes
Home Address
Salutation: Dear Dr. Barnes:
Closing: Formal: Very truly yours,
Informal: Sincerely yours,
In Conversation: Dr. Barnes
Title of Introduction: Dr. Barnes
Canada
Prime Minister
Address: Business: The Right Hon. John Smith, P.C., M.P.
Prime Minister of Canada
Parliament Building
Ottawa, Ontario
Social: The Hon. and Mrs. John Smith
Home Address
Salutation: Formal: Sir: or Dear Sir:
Informal: Dear Mr. Prime Minister: or Dear Mr. Smith:
Closing: Formal: Yours very truly,
Informal: Yours very sincerely,
In Conversation: Mr. Prime Minister or Mr. Smith or Sir
Governor General—The Commonwealth
Address: Business: His Excellency
John Smith (or his personal title)
Government House
Ottawa, Ontario
Social: Their Excellencies The Governor General and Mrs. John Smith
Home Address
Salutation: Formal: Sir: or Dear Sir:
Informal: Dear Mr. Smith:
Closing: Formal: Your Excellency's obedient servant,
Informal: Yours very sincerely,
In Conversation: Your Excellency
Former Prime Minister
Address: The Honourable (or Right Honourable) John Smith
Home Address (or Office Address)
Cabinet Officer
Address: Business: The Hon. John Smith, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Forestry
Ottawa, Ontario
Social: The Hon. and Mrs. John Smith
Home Address
or (for a woman cabinet member)
The Hon. Mary Jones
(or, if she is married)
Mr. and Mrs. John Smith
Salutation: Formal: Sir: or Dear Sir: or Madam: or Dear Madam:
Informal: Dear Mr. Smith; or Dear Mrs. Smith:
Closing: Formal: Yours very truly,
Informal: Yours very sincerely,
In Conversation: Sir or Madam (formally); Mr. or Mrs. Smith or Mr. Minister (informally)
Judges
Judges of the following federal and provincial courts have the title The Honourable.
Supreme Court of Canada, Exchequer Court of Canada, Courts of appeal of the provinces of British Columbia, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan, Court of Chancery of the province of Prince Edward Island, Courts of Queen's Bench of the Provinces of Manitoba, Quebec, and Saskatchewan, Superior Court of the province of Quebec, Supreme courts of the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland; and the territorial courts.
Address: Business: The Hon. Mr. Justice John Smith
Social: The Hon. Mr. Justice John Smith and Mrs. Smith
Salutation: Formal: Sir:
Informal: Dear Mr. Justice Smith:
Closing: Formal: Yours very truly,
Informal: Yours very sincerely,
In Conversation: Sir (formally); Mr. Justice (informally)
Mayor
Address: His Worship
The Mayor of St. Lazare
Salutation: Formal: Dear Sir:
Informal: Dear Mr. Mayor:
Closing: Formal: Yours very truly,
Informal: Yours very sincerely,
In Conversation: Sir (formally): Mr. Mayor (informally)
Member of Parliament
Address: John Smith, Esq., M.P.
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
Salutation: Formal: Dear Sir: or Dear Madam:
Informal: Dear Mr. (or Miss or Mrs.) Smith
Closing: Formal: Yours very truly,
Informal: Yours very sincerely,
In Conversation: Sir or Madam (formally): Mr. (or Miss or Mrs.) Smith (informally)