Style/Grammar Notes
The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Times
Our Scotch Plains-Fanwood newspaper is called The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Times. It is not “The Times of Scotch Plains-Fanwood” and it is not “The Times of Scotch Plains and Fanwood.” We need to be consistent from article to article. Please consult the banner at the top of the newspaper if you have any questions, and please update any document templates that you may have that default to any other incarnation of the newspaper’s name.
Active vs. Passive Voice
in active voice, the subject of a sentence does the action
ex: The board passed the resolution.
in passive voice, the sentence describes something that was done to someone or by someone
ex: The resolution was passed by the board.
whenever possible, active voice is always better
it is always easier to read
the sentence sounds stronger and has more action
the sentence is usually shorter in length the writer can fit more sentences in an article
** most importantly writing in active voice ensures that as much information as possible makes it into the sentence
– it might not seem like a big deal but in fact passive voice can make it much easier to omit information
ex: The resolution was presented to the board.
now the reader doesn’t know who presented it
was it an individual? a firm? And individual on behalf of a firm?
we need to make sure that we, as the writers, know who that person/entity is – don’t use passive voice as a cop-out – and we need to make sure we ask the right questions and write the most complete sentences to paint the clearest picture we can.
It’s a similar situation on Thursday evenings in July and August, when free concerts attended by hundreds are held at Alan Augustine Village Green.
in the spirit of making sentences as powerful as possible, choose present-tense verbs over forms of “to be” whenever possible it makes sentences more active
ex: The board is hoping to pass the resolution at its next meeting.
The board hopes to pass the resolution at its next meeting.
Numbers/Percent
– write out one through nine, numerals for everything greater
exception: percentages – see below
– always spell out “percent” – 40 percent, not 40 %
number is always written numerically for percents – “three people” but “3 percent”
– when to hyphenate:
hyphenate if the number modifies a noun, not if the number itself is the noun
ex: The study found that 50 percent of all increases are for property taxes.
The study showed a 50-percent increase in property taxes.
Specific Problem Words:
board
“board” is singular – therefore, even though a board may consist of multiple members, when referring to “the board” it must be treated as a singular word.
use it or its, not they or their
ex:The board heard the proposal. It then voted on it.
NOT
The board heard the proposal. They then voted on it.
note: “board members” is different – “members” now refers to multiple individuals, so that phrase is plural.
ex: Board members heard the proposal. They then voted on it.
note: when referring to more than one board of the same kind (ie. “board of adjustment,” “board of education”) the word that should be pluralized is “boards”
ex: the Westfield and Scotch Plains-Fanwood boards of education discussed the UCESC.
that vs. which
“that” – when making a necessary distinction for a sentence to be clear
ex: The New York baseball team that has the better record is the Mets.
“which” – when adding an additional piece of information (like an FYI)
ex: The Mets, which have the better record, are looking good.
will vs. would
“will” – when something is already certain to happen
ex: “The American League will have home-field advantage for the World Series”
“would” – a hypothetical
ex: “The Red Sox would have home-field advantage if they made it to the World Series.”
ex: She warned that without some sort of development mechanism [hypothetical situation], such as a SID, in place, there would be no way to control the types of businesses that might occupy a new building, nor would there be an assurance that those businesses would survive.
Courtesy Titles
spell out a person’s name on first reference, afterwards use Mr. or Ms.
do not use Dr. unless the person is a medical doctor
ex: Superintendent William Foley … Mr. Foley
do not use Mrs.
** only use “Councilman,” “Assemblywoman,” “Superintendent” on first reference – after that use Mr. or Ms.
ex: Councilman Sal Caruana … Mr. Caruana
EXCEPTIONS:
– highest government titles – Mayor, Governor, President
Mayor Mahr, Governor Corzine, President Bush
– police department titles – Chief, Officer, Lieutenant
Police Chief John Parizeau … Chief Parizeau
Lieutenant Mark Smith … Lt. Smith
Officer Steve Krupke … Officer Krupke
Lisa Mohn, president of the Scotch Plains Business and Professional Association (SPBPA) and owner of Apple Blossom Flower Shop
Compound Adjectives/Modifiers
compound adjectives occur when two or more adjectives modify the same noun – hyphenation avoids confusion.
ex: The five-minute presentation ended the meeting.
ex: During the interview, he spoke on the importance of using gender-neutral language.
Caveat: This does NOT occur when combining an adjective and adverb:
ex: The closely watched debate featured a discussion on quality of life.
Capitalization
Only for proper name (Westfield Board of Adjustment); Not the borough, council, town, board, etc. On first reference write the full name of the organization/group/board but include in parentheses its abbreviation (BOA). For the rest of the article, refer to it as the BOA or, preferably, the board.
Names: Use full name only once with abbreviation: Westfield Board of Education (BOE); afterwards use only BOE.
Double Spaces: Eliminate them all (replace function helps).
Dangling Modifiers
– make sure that when adding modifying clauses, the clause is placed in an appropriate place in the sentence
ex: While driving on Greenwood Avenue yesterday afternoon, a tree began to fall toward Wendy H's car.
in this sentence it sounds like the tree is driving.
better: While driving on Greenwood Avenue yesterday afternoon, Wendy H. saw a tree begin to fall towards her car.
Keep It Simple
“I do not understand,” she said to applause, “why this is going on.”
there is no need to split up the two halves of the one sentence she said
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Bias
bias is actually a huge category – it may seem that as long as one does not glorify or vilify a person that bias does not exist, however, in truth there are many nuanced words or phrases that, when used in an article, constitute bias and leave the writer open to attack from readers and/or the subject(s) of the article.
said
in a news article, “said” is the only word that is always safe when attributing a quote
every other word one could use carries subtle subtexts
“explained” implies that whatever statement the person made is actually the absolute truth and that the person making the statement was just delivering that unequivocal truth
ex: Paul Smith explained that global warming does not exist.
Or
Paul Smith explained, “Global warming does not exist.”
There are people who would argue against this view. Writing “explained” instead of “said” is a subtle suggestion from the writer that global warming does not exist – the reader could misinterpret someone’s opinion as fact.
you can occasionally use “noted” – but be careful, because “noted” can have the same pitfalls as explained – it sounds like the person noting something is merely referencing something that has already been determined to be true
use “noted” in the same way you would use “cited” – when a person is in fact referencing something else (ie. a letter, a statute)
“indicated” implies an interpretation of non-verbal signals or “reading between the lines” we, the writers, don’t get to do that. Furthermore, the writer’s interpretation of those non-verbal signals could be wrong.
ex: Paul Smith implied that people who believe in global warming are crazy
Paul Smith could read your article and say, “that’s not what I meant!”
any time a writer makes an interpretation, he creates the possibility of misinterpreting.
– the word “believed” can have the same pitfall – saying that a person believes something may be trouble – however, you can say: Paul Smith said he believes that global warming does not exist. That may be the most accurate way to attribute the quote to him and simultaneously make sure that everyone knows that he was expressing his opinion, not a proven fact.
do not use stated, declared, lambasted – these words can all suggest a loud volume or an impatient or angry tone
even if that is exactly what happened, the objective news writer does not come right out and say it.
asked
along the same lines, when the person you are quoting is asking a question, use the word “asked”
do not use urged, implored, pleaded etc. – these words also carry bias
other seemingly innocent words that carry bias
NO: vocal, vehement, raucous, perilously
NO: many, several
how many is “several”? I might think it’s five, you might think it’s 20.
how many is “many”? I might think it has to be a majority, you might think it’s four out of 10.
you can use “multiple” – everyone knows that means “more than one”
** the best solution in this case is to actually quantify it with a number or percentage
ex: More than half of those in attendance said…
Four out of the six board members disagreed…
- NO: lengthy
same issue as “many” – how long is “lengthy”?
just quantify it – ex: He spoke for more than 25 minutes.
It may seem that you are powerless to give any kind of indication as to the fact that a meeting was wild or a debate was loud and angry. That is not true – you do not want to give the impression that a meeting was run-of-the-mill if it was the longest, loudest, most out-of-control meeting that Garwood has ever seen. But you do have to be careful with the words that you use, because if you convey the tone of the meeting in the wrong way, your words can be used against you.
So…
How to Paint a Vivid Picture Without Falling Victim to Biased Words
GET WONDERFUL QUOTES.
You, the reporter, may not be able to make inferences or use colorful words, but the people you interview can say anything they want. And you can quote all of it.
ex:
After the meeting, board member John Jones said, “Wow, this is the biggest crowd that has ever attended a Garwood planning board meeting. I’ve never seen so many people. I didn’t know Garwood even had this many people.”
Westfield resident Susie Sioux said, “I heard the Garwood meeting was going to be crazy but I can’t believe the screaming match that happened. That resident flat-out yelled at everyone.”
Garwood resident Sam Grand said, “The board president really had it in for that one resident. I can’t believe the lack of respect. I think everyone in the audience was appalled.”
Board President Lisa Stone, when told of Mr. Grand’s comment, said, “I believe I acted with proper respect and decorum. One attendee behaved in a manner I found inappropriate.”
Board stenographer Jack Williams said, “This is the longest meeting I’ve ever recorded.”
The sky is the limit with quotes. Interview people on the board and people in the audience. Find people who will say everything that you want to say but can’t. It requires some extra effort but your stories will have so much more depth and you’ll be protected from being called biased.
General Style Guidelines:
Byline1: Author’s name in all caps: By PAUL J. PEYTON
Byline2: Specially Written for The Westfield Leader
Dateline: Before every story, include the town in all caps: WESTFIELD – or AREA –
Time of day: morning or afternoon, write as a.m. or p.m. - small letters.
Date: Write without subscripts or superscripts. Example: September 14 should NOT be written as September 14th.
List Commas: Do not put a comma before 'and' of a list. Ex.: Boy, girl and frog.
Underlining: Do not use all caps, underlining, italics (unless proper for magazine titles etc.).
Sentences: Keep them short, avoid run-on sentences; limit use of compound sentences.
Background: Reader may be reading this subject for the first time; reference matters, don’t assume they know.
Story: Has beginning, middle and end.
Introduction: 1st Paragraph, list important happenings; Write about important items first, not chronological.
Spelling:Spell Check all documents with Word - do not have any red highlights shown.
Grammar: Grammar check all documents with Word - do not have any green highlights of grammar or punctuation.
Photos: Send caption stating the 5Ws – who, what, when, where, why.
Important note: When sending in captions, identify everyone in the picture, so as to avoid confusion on deadline day. At a meeting, ask individuals to spell their name or ask for a business card to avoid confusion with spelling. Writers are encouraged to take photos in order to enhance a piece. Pictures tell the story and strong photojournalism draws readers to the story and intrinsically adds value and substance to the piece.
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For any issues that are not explained here or are not clear, our style is a variant of The New York Times style, so feel free to consult a copy of the manual if you have time (we have multiple copies in the office) or email or and we will look up the answer for you. Please don’t hesitate to use us as resources; we all have easy access to the stylebook and would be more than happy to help out.