Manual of Style and Usage

THE MAKATI SCIENCE VISION
Manual of Style and Usage
A Book Review by Don Michael Acelar De Leon

There are two known methods of campus newspaper management. The first, a workplace built on a code of organized style, well-placed ideas, and unique and efficient conventions; the other, developed very crudely with unsatisfactory workmanship, its dimensions deformed by evident faults and scattered points unconsciously plotted and disclosed to the world. The result: a carefully crafted and well-polished school paper stands recognized among others, while a weakly and hastily constructed student forum remains undistinguished, barely even able to catch the eye of a bored student. Such is the fallout of a school newspaper constructed without the proper framework. Without the apt tenets to guide student writers, an array of flawed sentences and disorganized ideas will surface, resulting in poor newspaper. On the other hand, a school newspaper crafted with proper tools and strengthened with regimented concepts will definitely make its way through the congested road of information and effectively set the trends for campus journalism.

The Makati Science Vision Manual of Style and Usage is a fitting illustration of the efficient guide to one's endeavors in scholastic writing. Written and published in consonance with the Makati Science High School 10th Anniversary by Mr Alixander Haban Escote, the manual is consolidation of various journalism books and manuals of style and usage. Equipped with basic rules in grammar, the manual “aims to straighten out the usage of the acquired language in the pursuit of excellence in campus journalism (Escote viii).”

The manual offers new rules in capitalizing and abbreviating words and in using figures, numbers, punctuation marks, and civilian, military, and ecclesiastical titles, which have been extracted from various manuals of style and usage and personal encounters and experiences of the author with journalists and prominent media practitioners.

Though no more than 88 pages long, the contents inlaid the manual equal the most efficient manuals of style used in campus journalism. The manual outlines the grammatical structure of the English language, exemplifying the correct way of putting words and phrases to achieve clearness, and recognizing common errors. The rules and guidelines are concise and illustrated by italicized examples, which ensures clarity for the learning writer.
           
Consistent to its aim of supporting the campus journalist’s growing craft, the manual also includes a handy list of English grammar terms, 99 common errors in English, shorter word substitutes, an excerpted list of wasteful and commonly misspelled words, and guidelines for copyreading and headline writing as a quick reference to copy editors and headline writers.

Indeed, the manual fulfills its aim of reforming the standards of campus journalism in the Philippines. The newly established rules of usage incorporated in the manual not only correct the campus journalist’s writing techniques formed by erroneous traditional styles, it also paves the way for him to keep up with the fast evolution of the English language.

 Clear, concise and effective, The Makati Science Vision Manual of Style and Usage offers the wisdom of eight years of dedication of scholastic writing while researching and adapting new ideas and perspectives in campus journalism. From the freelance writer to the analytical editor, on the paper or on the screen, this is a reference manual a scholastic writer must have.