iately before
the word or phrase it modifies, _alone_ immediately after. One should
avoid using _only_ when _alone_ may be used instead, and should not
place either of the two words between emphatic words or phrases. The
following illustrates an inaccurate placing of _only_:

|The evidence seemed to show that a man could only |
|obtain advancement in the Hall by submitting wholly |
|to the dictates of the leaders. |

_Only_ here should come immediately before the phrase by _submitting_.

=161. Parenthetic Expressions.=--The use of long parenthetic expressions
within a sentence is also a frequent cause of lack of clearness. In
general, sentences within parentheses should be avoided in news
articles. Two short terse sentences are clearer--hence far more
effective--than one long one containing a doubtfully clear parenthetic
phrase or clause. The prime fault with the following sentence, for
instance, is the inclusion of the two parenthetic clauses, necessitating
a close reading to get the meaning:

|Even if the allies shall be able to force the |
|Dardanelles, and present indications are that they |
|will, the wheat crop in Russia will not be up to the|
|average from that country on account of the |
|withdrawal of so many millions of men for purely |
|military purposes, either in the fields of battle or|
|in the factories getting munitions of war ready. |

Put into two sentences, the illustration becomes:

|Even if the allies shall be able to fulfil their |
|present expectations of forcing the Dardanelles, the|
|Russian wheat will not be up to the average. Too |
|many millions of men have been withdrawn from the |
|field to the trenches and the munition factories to |
|enable the country to produce a full crop. |

=162. Shifted Subject.=--A shifted subject within a sentence is also
usually a hindrance to clearness. Indeed, one can aid clearness in
successive sentences by retaining as far as possible the same subject.
Certainly one should not shift subjects within the sentence without good
reason. The two following sentences exhibit the weakness of the shifted
subject:

|The British ambassador to Norway has offered $25,000|
|reward for his capture, and he bears a special |
|passport from the Kaiser. |

|Witter was standing near the curb, but the