News writing - M. Lyle Spencer

A. Distinguish the meanings of the words in the following groups:

1. Abscond, avoid, decamp, elude, escape, evade.
2. Accident, calamity, casualty, disaster, mishap, misfortune.
3. Acquire, gain, get, obtain, procure, secure.
4. Affect, effect, influence.
5. Aggravate, annoy, tease, worry.
6. Antagonize, fight, hinder, oppose, resist, restrain, thwart.
7. Apparent, clear, evident, obvious, plain.
8. Apt, liable, likely.
9. Assassinate, dispatch, execute, kill, mob, murder, slay.
10. Assert, claim, declare, maintain, state.
11. Bearing, behavior, conduct, demeanor, deportment.
12. Blaze, conflagration, fire, flame, holocaust.
13. Board, register, stay, stop.
14. Burglar, footpad, highwayman, marauder, plunderer, robber, thief.
15. Calculate, expect, presume, reckon, suppose, think.
16. Celebrated, eminent, distinguished, famous, noted, notorious, renowned.
17. Compel, constrain, force, urge.
18. Crime, delinquency, felony, guilt, misdemeanor, offense, sin, trespass, vice.
19. Cyclone, gale, hurricane, rain, storm, tempest, tornado.
20. Dangerous, deadly, deathly, murderous.
21. Distracted, excited, feverish, frantic, hysterical, raging, wild.
22. Dwelling, home, house, residence.
23. Educated, informed, learned, posted.
24. Healthful, healthy, nutritious, sanitary, wholesome.
25. Party, people, person, race, tribe.

B. Give equivalents for the following phrases:

acid test	hotly contested
along the line of	hurled into eternity
any way, shape, or form	incontrovertible fact
appeared on the scene	large and enthusiastic audience
beggars description	last sad rites
bids fair to become	last but not least
blushing bride	led to the hymeneal altar
brute force	madly in love
burning issue	marriage was consummated
checkered career	mooted question
cool as a cucumber	much interest was manifested
contracting parties	one of the most unique
crisp dollar bill	popular citizen
crying need	present incumbent
dark horse	presided at the punch bowl
dastardly deed	psychological moment
delicious refreshments	put in his appearance
departed this life	received an ovation
devouring element	red-letter day
doing as well as can be expected	sea of upturned faces
dull thud	select few
elegantly gowned	signified his intention
entertained lavishly	small but appreciative crowd
fatal noose	steeled his nerve
few well-chosen words	stern reality
first number on the program	talented authoress
floral offering	the present day and generation
foregone conclusion	this broad land of ours
fought like a tiger	this world's goods
gala attire	took things into his own hands
goes without saying	tripped the light fantastic
hard-earned coin	typical Westerner
head over heels	under existing conditions

C. Correct the following:

1. By his skill as a surgeon he carved out for himself a place and name such as only real human service can claim or is ever likely to attain.

2. Borne on the shoulders of six fat policemen, the body of Patrolman Ferdinand Traudt, drowned in lower Nemahbin lake, was carried to Cavalry cemetery on Saturday, escorted by a platoon of twenty-six policemen in charge of Sergeant Edward Solverson.

3. Jim Allen and Silas Watson were connected with the town water main Saturday.

4. A man adapted to the use of the cigarette is immediately noticed by his nervous actions and his shallow complexion.

5. Elizabeth Dickerson and Maud Moore have gone east for the heated epoch, and are missing some elegant weather hereabouts.