_ethics_.

Make sums of money singular: _Five dollars was spent_, unless individual
pieces of money are meant, as: _Five silver dollars were placed on the
table_. Write _moneys_, not _monies_.

Remember that _data_, _memoranda_, _phenomena_, _paraphernalia_,
_bacteria_ and _strata_ are plural.

Distinguish between _majority_ and _plurality_. _Majority_ means the
lead of a candidate over _all other_ candidates. _Plurality_ means the
lead of a candidate over _one other_ candidate.

_Event_, _incident_, _affair_, _occurrence_, _happening_, _circumstance_
do not mean the same things. Look them up.

Use _preventive_, not _preventative_.

Distinguish between _ambassador_, _minister_, _consul_, _envoy_.

Avoid feminine forms of such words as _author_, _artist_, _dancer_,
_violinist_, _pianist_, _poet_. It may be necessary occasionally to
change more than the spelling. For example, _the world's greatest
pianiste_ may not mean _the world's greatest pianist_.

Prefer motorist to automobilist and autoist.

_Sewer_ is a drain. _Sewage_ is what goes through it. _Sewerage_ is a
system of drains.

Don't use _divine_ as a noun.

Don't write _couple_ unless you mean two things joined and not merely
two.

Don't write _party_ for _person_, nor _people_ for _persons_.

Don't use _citizens_ when you mean simply _persons_.

Don't write _a large per cent of_ when speaking of persons when you mean
_a large proportion_.

When nouns are attended by participles, two constructions are possible.
One may say either _I know of John's being there_, or _I know of John
being there_; _The fact of the battle's having been lost_, or _The fact
of the battle having been lost_. The possessive is to be preferred with
proper names and in most simple constructions; it is _altogether to be
preferred with pronouns_ when the principal idea is in the participle.
One says: _I saw him going_, _I heard them singing_; but _I heard of his
going_; _I urged his going_; _I advised their attending_; _I objected to
his staying_; _I opposed their going_; _the fact of his being there made
a difference_; _On his saying this the people shouted_; _With their
consenting the thing was settled_; _He spoke of my setting out as
already agreed to_; _He found fault with our accepting the place_, etc.

Collective nouns are usually singular, as, _The club has increased its
membership_. However, a collective noun, when it is used to refer more
particularly to individuals