en you mean _likely_. A man is _likely_ to park his
automobile so he will be _liable_ to arrest.

Don't use _painfully cut_ and similar expressions. One is not
_pleasantly cut_.

_Occasionally_ means _on occasion_. So don't write _very occasionally_,
but _very seldom_ or _infrequently_.

_Farther_ is used to denote distance; _further_ in other senses, as, _I
told him further that I walked farther than he_.

ADJECTIVES

Be sparing in the use of epithets and of adjectives and adverbs
generally. Especially avoid the use of superlatives. Superlatives are
seldom true. Rarely is a man the most remarkable man in the country in
any particular; rarely is an accident the worst in the history of the
city. Better understate than overstate; better err on the side of
moderation than excess. William Cobbett says: "Some writers deal in
expletives to a degree that tires the ear and offends the understanding.
With them everything is excessively, or immensely, or extremely, or
vastly, or surprisingly, or wonderfully, or abundantly, or the like. The
notion of such writers is that these words give strength to what
they are saying. This is a great error. Strength must be found in the
thought or it will never be found in the words. Big sounding words,
without thoughts corresponding, are effort without effect."

Be sure to remember that _nee_ means born. It is of course impossible
then to speak of _Mrs. Doe, nee Mary Roe_, as one is never born with a
Christian name, but _Mrs. Doe, nee Roe_. And, of all things when a widow
has remarried, do not write _Mrs. Richard Roe, nee Mrs. John Doe_.

Adjectives, if wisely used, give desirable color to a story. A thesaurus
will brighten up a reporter's adjectival vocabulary. These are
suggestions for possible substitutions of fresh words for more or less
hackneyed words:

_fast_--_fleet_, _swift_
_good_--_meritorious_, _laudable_
_repentant_--_penitent_, _contrite_
_temperate_--_abstemious_
_intemperate_--_inabstinent_
_modest_--_decorous_
_distressing_--_piteous_, _pitiable_, _rueful_
_witty_--_jocose_, _nimble-witted_
_fearful_--_timid_, _apprehensive_, _tremulous_
_crafty_--_cunning_, _artful_
_frank_--_ingenuous_, _guileless_

Prefer _agreeable_ to _nice_, which means accurate; and _long_ to
_lengthy_.

Words like _perfect_ and _unique_ cannot be compared. Never write, _more
perfect_, _most perfect_, _most unique_.

Eschew the word