INCOMPLETENESS

As a JO, you should have "news sense" - a quality

that tells you which facts to collect and use and which facts to ignore. But if you do not have this ability or if you lose it momentarily, the copy editor must stop stories that are incomplete or inadequate and return them to you for amplification. This will save you the trouble of answering phone calls from news media representatives who want more detailed information.

Consider the following story, for example:

A Navy ground crewman was killed in an accident at U.S. Naval Air Station Bennington, the Navy announced today.

The man has been identified as George Pine of Chicago, Ill. He was directing a plane from the flight line onto a taxiway when the accident occurred. Bystanders reported that Pine walked into the blades of the spinning propeller. The pilot of the plane was attached to a squadron operating from the aircraft carrier USS

Loach.

This story is compact and clearly written, but it will not satisfy the demands of the news media. Among other things, they will want to know the following:

When did the accident occur? The Navy announced the story today, but nowhere does it say when the accident actually happened.

Is there more detailed information on the victim? Readers will want to know his middle initial, age, rate, hometown address and data on his next of kin.

How did the accident happen? The facts here are too generalized and vague.

What was the plane doing at NAS Bennington when it was attached to the USS Loach?

What is the name of the squadron, and where is the carrier operating?

A good copy editor should anticipate these questions. With a little copy editing, the story may look as follows:

A Navy ground crewman was killed by the spinning blades of an aircraft propeller last night at U.S. Naval Air Station Bennington.

The man was identified as Airman George A. Pine, 20, son of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew S. Pine of 8238 Earwig St., Chicago, Ill.

The accident occurred at 7:45 p.m., Japan time, while the crewman was directing an E-2 Hawkeye from the flight line onto a taxiway during a night exercise.

Pine noticed a flare pot near the plane's right landing gear and signaled the pilot to stop. As he attempted to move the object from the plane's path, he slipped in front of the aircraft and fell into its spinning propeller.

The plane and pilot are attached to Airborne Early Warning Squadron 779, normally based aboard the USS Loach. They were participating in night operations at NAS Bennington, while the carrier was docked at Yokosuka.

NAMES

"Names make news," but they also make headaches

for the copy editor. Is the man's name Haufman, Hoffman or Haufmann? Did the writer accidentally leave the "h" off the name Smit, or is that how the name is actually spelled? How about the name Frances Jones in a news story? The writer implies it is a he, but males usually do not spell their names that way.

The names Pat, Carol, Marion, Jean, Gale, Merle and Terry can be either male or female. Therefore, the use of such a name without the knowledge of the person's gender could lead to some embarrassing situations. And what do you do when you run across a name like Stanley Wozniawirsbinski? You may not be able to pronounce it, but you had better make sure that it is spelled correctly.

To eliminate confusion for the typist or word processor when a name like Ppandrwske or Wozniawirsbinski is correct as written, simply draw a box around the odd but properly spelled name, as shown in Figure 6-2.

NUMBERS

"Numbers do not lie," but a good copy editor frequently proves them wrong. Always be wary of numbers involving money, ages, dates, addresses, distance, performance records, statistical data and other compilations. If a number looks questionable, always refer it to the writer for verification.

A BM1 may be only 23 years old, but most likely he is 32. A seaman whose age is listed as 42 may really be 24. 'he JO who wrote the story may have hit the wrong keys on the keyboard Another story says that ET1 Jack Kelly was married four years ago. However, his children are mentioned and their ages are listed as 7 and 9. Readers will want to know why.

The beginning of a story may say that seven men were killed or injured in a plane crash, yet the casualty list may contain the names of only six. Readers will want to know what happened to the seventh name. A story may announce the opening of a new commissary on Monday, January 18. A check with your calendar, however, indicates that Monday, January 18 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and commissaries are not normally open on federal holidays.

Watch for the logic in statistical data. Double-check league standings to be sure the numbers of wins and losses balance. Do not use postal box numbers for addresses. People receive their mail in boxes. However, they do not live in them.

In general, spell out all numbers from one to nine, and use numerals for 10 and above. Numerals are used exclusively in tabular and statistical matters, records, election returns, times, speeds, latitude and longitude, temperatures, highways, distances, dimensions, heights, ages, ratios, proportions, military units and dates. Fourth of July and July Fourth are exceptions as are Fifth Avenue, Big Ten and Dartmouth Eleven.

Times are 6:30 p.m. Monday or 6:30 Monday evening. (Never use 6:30 p.m. Monday evening. Evening and p.m. are synonymous.)

In a series of numbers, apply the appropriate guidelines: There are three 10-room houses and 40 four-room houses in the development. He has six suits, 14 pairs of shoes but only one tie.

Casual numbers such as in the following examples are spelled out: A thousand times, no! Gay Nineties. Wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot-pole. However, numerals are used when using an exact measure as in the following example: The flag hung from a 10-foot pole.

Spell out fractions when used alone as in this example: Three-quarters of a mile. For amounts more than one, use numerals as follows: Her shoe size is 6 1/2. Convert to decimals whenever practical.

For further information, consult the latest edition of

The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual.

SPELLING

If you think you know how to spell well enough to get along without a dictionary, try spelling the following 10 words (chances are, you will misspell a few of them):

innoculate or inoculate

embarrass or embarass

supercede or supersede

larnyx or larynx

interfered or interfered

indispensable or indispensable

laision or liaison

diphtheria or diptheria

harass or harrass

accommodate or accommodate

If you selected inoculate, embarrass, supersede, larynx, interfered, indispensable, liaison, diphtheria, harass and accommodate as the correct spelling, throw away your dictionary. But, if you misspelled one or more words, start using your dictionary regularly. These are only 10 examples of troublesome words in the English language. Of course, there are thousands more. Undoubtedly, you have your favorites when it comes to misspelling words. So, compile your own list of frequently misspelled words and start eliminating them from your list.

In mastering words, there are certain basic rules for spelling that will help you. Unfortunately, for every spelling rule there are numerous exceptions. Some spelling rules have so many exceptions that they can just barely be classified as rules. The point to remember is that your dictionary is the final authority.

The most useful of the spelling rules and some examples and exceptions are listed as follows:

1. When a one-syllable word or a longer word that keeps the accent on the last syllable ends in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel, double the final consonant before adding a suffix beginning with a vowel.

Examples:

a. Clan, clannish

b. Plan, planned, planning

c. Control, controlled

d. Refer, referring - but, reference (because the accent has shifted away from the last syllable of the basic word)

e. Occur, occurred, occurrence

2. Words ending in a silent e generally retain this e before a suffix beginning with a consonant. When the suffix begins with a vowel, the silent e is usually dropped.

Examples:

a, Excite, excitement; late, lately

b. Tide, tidal; shape, shaping

3. When the final sound of the word is a soft c, g or ng, the final e is retained before some suffixes beginning with vowels.

Examples:

a. Peace, peaceable

b. Advantage, advantageous; courage, courageous

c. Change, changeable, but changing

4. Words ending in y preceded by a consonant usually change the y to i before a suffix. Words ending in y preceded by a vowel do not change the y before a suffix.

Examples:

Icy, iciest; mercy, merciless; modify, modifies, modifiable; pity, pitiable, pitiful

Obey, obeying; joy, joyful, joyous

5. When the sound is c, remember the rhyme, "i before e except after c ..."

Examples:

a. Believe, belief, relieve, relief

b. Receive, conceive, perceive, conceit Exceptions:

Weird, seize, neither, leisure, financier, inveigle.

6. The previous rhyme ends " . . . or when sounded as a as in neighbor or weigh."

7. Verbs ending in ie generally change ie to y before ing.

Examples:

Die, dying; lie, lying

Learning to spell is more a matter of establishing a correct image of each word than of applying rules. Usually the image is a visual one. Knowing the correct pronunciation often helps, but in the English language we have many words for which pronunciation is no guide to spelling (e.g., duty, beauty, grew, blue), so we must rely on the way the word looks. While you are looking up an unfamiliar word, make an effort to fix its spelling in your mind along with the meaning and pronunciation.