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Title: Slips of tongue and pen
Author: J. H. Long
Release date: July 8, 2026 [eBook #79050]
Language: English
Original publication: New York: D. Appleton & Company, 1888
Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/79050
Credits: Alan, The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SLIPS OF TONGUE AND PEN ***
SLIPS OF
TONGUE AND PEN
BY
J. H. LONG, M.A., LL.B.
NEW YORK
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY
1888
_Authorized Edition._
CONTENTS:
PAGE.
COMMON ERRORS 1
GRAMMATICAL POINTS 32
GENERAL SUGGESTIONS UPON COMPOSITION 47
WORDS OFTEN CONFUSED, SYNONYMS, OPPOSITES 55
PREFER 80
OBJECTIONABLE WORDS AND PHRASES 84
NOTES ON PUNCTUATION 88
INDEX 93
COMMON ERRORS
Do not say, “The truth of that is _apparent_.” [Use _obvious_ or
_evident_. _Apparent_ or _seeming_ is opposed to _real_; _obvious_ or
_evident_, to _obscure_.]
Do not use _anticipate_ for _expect_. [_Anticipate_ means to reach
before, to take before, to forestall, as: “I anticipated all his
wishes.”]
Do not say, _all of them_, _both of them_, for _they_ [or _them_]
_all_, _both_, respectively.
Do not spell with _z_ _analyse_, _paralyse_, and other words derived
from the Greek luo, lusis.
Do not use _ale_, _tea_, _sugar_, &c., in the plural. [Instead of
saying, “I have excellent teas, ales and sugars,” say, “I have
excellent tea, ale and sugar, of various qualities] [or, at various
prices, &c.]”
Do not use _accord_ for _grant_ or _give_. [_Accord_, intransitive,
means to agree or harmonize; transitive, it means to give or grant; but
it carries with it the idea of great condescension, _e.g._: “Pallas
accords their vow.” In ordinary prose it should be employed but rarely.]
Do not use _accident_ for _wound_ or _hurt_. [_Accident_ means
misfortune or calamity, _e.g._: “In the railway accident the man was
badly injured.”]
Do not use _aggravate_ for _irritate_ or _vex_. [_Aggravate_ means to
render heavy or more difficult, _e.g._: “The guilt was aggravated by
the circumstances of the crime.”]
Do not use _alternation_ for _series_ or _succession_. [_Alternation_
is reciprocal succession, _e.g._: “The alternation of red and white
balls on the string produced a very pretty effect.”]
Do not use _alternative_ [in the plural] as equivalent to _things to be
chosen from or among_. [_Alternative_ is the choice itself, and should,
properly speaking, be restricted to a choice between two things,
_e.g._: “My alternative was escape or death.”]
Do not use _antiquarian_ [as a noun] for _antiquary_. [_Antiquarian_ is
an adjective.]
Do not use _abortive_ of acts. [It may be used of plans or attempts;
but it is, at the best, an inelegant word.]
Do not say, “The measures _adopted_ by Congress for the quelling of the
rebellion &c.” Say, “The measures decided upon or taken &c.” [_Adopted_
is correctly employed in such a sentence as, “The report upon ways and
means was adopted.”]
Do not say, “His _antecedents_ are bad.” Say, “His past history [or,
his reputation] is bad.”
Do not use _appreciate_ for _value highly_. [_Appreciate_ is to value
correctly or justly.] Say, therefore, “I prize [or value] that horse
highly;” not, “I appreciate &c.”
Do not say, _at auction_ but _by auction_.
Do not say, “The wind was _accompanied_ [or attended] _by_ rain &c.”
Use _with_ of things [unless personified]; _by_, of persons.
Do not use _anniversary_ of celebrations that are not yearly. Thus,
not, _a centennial anniversary_; but, _a centennial celebration_,
_festival_, &c.
Do not use _affable_ as an exact synonym for _kindly_ or
_good-natured_. [_Affable_ is properly applied to the bearing of
superiors towards inferiors, not to the bearing of equals towards
equals.]
Do not say, “Both are _alike_;” say, “They [or they two] are alike.”
_Both_ denotes union; _alike_, separation.
Do not say, “I am _afraid_ it will rain.” Say, “I _fear_ it will rain.”
Do not say, “That _admits of_ no doubt.” [Leave out the _of_.]
Do not say, “He _alludes_ [or refers] to Mr. Smith,” when you mean that
he merely names Mr. Smith. Say, “He means Mr. Smith.” [The real meaning
of _allude or refer to_ is to touch lightly upon, to call attention to,
delicately or indirectly.]
Do not say, “He went _around_ the world.” It should be, “He went round
&c.” [_Around_ denotes rest--“The shelves are around the room;” _round_
denotes motion.]
Do not say, “He remained there no longer than could be _avoided_.”
[Logically, it ought to be, _than could not be avoided_; but, as
this is a very inelegant expression, use some other form, _e.g._:
“He remained there no longer than was unavoidable,” or, “than was
necessary.”]
Do not say, “I went _all over_ the town,” for “I went _over all_ the
town.”
Do not use _above_ as an attributive adjective. Say, “the _foregoing_
[or _preceding_] paragraph,” not “the _above_ paragraph.”
Do not say, “He is as rich, or richer, _than_ my brother.” [It should
be, “He is _as_ rich _as_, or &c.” If preferred, the form of the
sentence may be changed, “He is as rich as my brother, or richer.”]
Do not say, “John and James _both_ are here.” It should be, “Both John
and James are here.”
Do not use _balance_ for remainder. [_Balance_ is the excess of one
thing over another, _i.e._, what will make them balance.]
Do not spell _benefited_ with two _t’s_.
Do not use _to beat_ for _to defeat_. _E.g._: “The army was beaten,” is
incorrect. [_Beat_ means to strike or hit.]
Do not say, _at best_, _at most_, _at least_ [the last two in reference
to quantity.] Use the article--at _the_ best &c.
Do not say, “He is _bound_ to go,” for, “He intends to go,” or, “He is
determined to go.”
Do not spell _bye_ in _by-the-bye_ without the _e_. [_Bye_ is an old
word meaning place. So _by-the-bye_ is by the place, _i.e._, passing by
the place, or digressing from the main subject. Still, it is customary
to write _by-law_, although _bye-law_ is sometimes seen. In _good-bye_
bye is, of course, a contraction for _be with ye_, _i.e._, “God be with
ye.”]
Do not use _banister_ for _baluster_ or _balustrade_.
Do not say, “He was killed _by_ a bullet.” Use _with_. [_By_ denotes
conscious agency; _with_, unconscious instrumentality. _By_ expresses
indirect; _with_, direct agency.] So, a man is killed _with_ an axe,
_by_ a man. When the unconscious instrument is personified, _by_ may be
used, _e.g._, “The man was struck _by_ lightning.”
Do not say, “He has a _bad_ cold, a _bad_ wound, &c.” Use some other
adjective--_severe_, _dangerous_, &c.
Do not say, “I wish very _badly_ to do so.” Use _very much_, _greatly_,
or some other adverbial expression.
Do not say, “I _beg_ to say &c.,” for “I beg _leave_ to say &c.”
Do not use _between_ of more than two objects. Use _among_. “I live
between Mr. Smith and Mr. Brown.” “I live _among_ friends.” [_Between_
is often incorrectly employed in such expressions as, “The distance
between each post was twenty feet.” There can be no distance _between
one_ thing. A different turn must be given to such a sentence; _e.g._:
“The distance from each post to the next one was &c.;” or, “The
distance between any two consecutive posts was &c.”]
Do not speak of _collecting_ a bill. The items or the various moneys
or amounts constituting a bill may be collected. [It is impossible to
collect one thing only.]
Do not use an infinitive as the object of _commence_ or _essay_. [There
is no necessity for using commence at all. _Begin_ is a much better
word.]
Do not use _condone_ for _atone for_ or _palliate_. [_Condone_ is
simply to forgive, as applied to things.]
Do not use _climax_ for _acme_ or _highest point_. [_Climax_ is a
ladder or gradual ascent, not the top of the ladder.]
Do not use _constantly_ for _often_ or _continually_. [_Constantly_
means firmly or steadfastly; as, “He kept his eyes fixed constantly on
the goal.”]
Do not use _celebrity_ for _celebrated person_. [_Celebrity_ means
renown; _e.g._: “A man of celebrity in Science.”]
Do not use _consequence_ for _importance_ or _moment_. [_Consequence_
means result.]
Do not say, “He is of a _capricious mind_.” Say simply, “He is
capricious.”
Do not use _claim_ for _assert_ or _say_.
Do not use _upon_ for _on_, after _to call_. _E.g._: “He called on [not
upon] me.”
Do not say, “I cannot _catch_ the train,” for “I cannot catch up to
[or, with] the train.”
Do not use _consider_ for _deem_ or _think_. [_Consider_ means to
ponder.]
Do not use _curious_ for _strange_ or _remarkable_.
Do not use _caption_ for _heading_. [_Caption_ means taking, or
capture.]
Do not use _citizen_ for _person_.
Do not use _circumstance_ for _event_ or _occurrence_. [A
_Circumstance_ is “something pertaining to a fact, but not essential
thereto.”]
Do not use _may_, _can_, _must_, _shall_, _will_, and other auxiliary
verbs _alone_, unless the form of the preceding principal verb may be
repeated without change after the auxiliary. _E.g._: “He did as well as
he _could_,” is incorrect. “He will do as well as he _can_,” is correct.
Do not use _couple_ for _two_, unless the persons or things spoken of
are joined, either literally or figuratively. Thus, speak of a _happy
couple_ [a man and wife], or of a _couple of handcuffs_, but not of a
_couple_ of dollars.
Do not use _calibre_ [figuratively] of things. It is applicable to
persons only.
Do not use _contention_ of an individual act: a _contest_, _struggle_,
_combat_. [_Contention_ implies habit or custom; _e.g._: “He displayed
a spirit of contention through all the negotiations.”]
Do not say, “He was _on_ the horns of a dilemma.” [_Dilemma_ means “two
enclosing positions terminating in what may be called horns.” Say,
therefore, “He was _between_ the horns of a dilemma;” or, “He was in a
dilemma.”]
Do not say, “In distinction [or contradistinction] _to_.” [Use _from_.]
Do not say, “It _would be desirable_ [or _advisable_] to go away.” Say,
“It _is_ desirable [or advisable] to go away.”
Do not use _demean_ for _bemean_. To _demean oneself_ is to behave
oneself; _to bemean oneself_ is to lower or disgrace oneself.
Do not say, “Goods of that _description_,” for “goods of that kind
or sort.” [Confine _description_ to the meaning of _explanation_ or
_recital_.]
Do not use _detect_ for _distinguish_, _see_, _make out_. [_Detect_
means to bring to light, to reveal, to expose.] Thus, “The criminals
were detected in their crime,” is correct. “The peasants could be
detected at once,” is incorrect.
Do not use _dangerous_ for _very ill_ or _in danger_.
Do not use _denuded_ as an exact equivalent of _bare_. [A thing cannot
be denuded of that which it has never had.]
Do not use _deprecate_ for _condemn_ or _censure_. [_Deprecate_ means
to beg off or pray exemption from. _E.g.:_ “I deprecate the infliction
of the death penalty upon the prisoner.”]
Do not say, “He died _with_ a disease.” [Use _of_.]
Do not use _directly_ for _as soon as_. [Say, “As soon as he came in,
he went out again;” not, “Directly he &c., &c.”]
Do not use _donate_ for _give_, unless the gift is princely in amount
or made with great ceremony.
Do not say _a dirt road_ for _a sand_ [or _earth or gravel_, &c.] road.
Do not use _divine_ [as a noun] for _clergyman_, _minister_,
_preacher_, &c.
Do not say, “That property has _depreciated in value_.” _Depreciate_
alone means to fall in value. _In value_ is therefore pleonastic.
[_Depreciate_ is either transitive (to bring down the value of)
or intransitive (to fall in value). The former is said to be the
preferable use, but the latter is the more common use.]
Do not say, “I _differ with_ you upon that point.” Say, “I _differ
from_ you &c.” [_Differ with_ is sometimes used for quarrel with, or
have a misunderstanding with. This use is, however, rather rare.]
Do not say, “He lives _some distance_ from here.” Say, “He lives _at
some distance_ &c.”
Do not use _differentiate_ for _distinguish_. [_Differentiate_ should
be confined to mathematical and other scientific expressions.]
Do not employ _expect_ for _think_ or _believe_. [_Expect_ means to
look forward to, and should be used only of the future.]
Do not say, “He has lost ever so many horses.” If used at all, the
expression should be, “_never so many_.”
Do not say _equally as well as_. Say, _equally well_, or _as well as_.
Do not say _equanimity of mind_, _anxiety of mind_, _unanimity of
mind_. That is, do not use compounds of _animus_ or _anima_ along with
_mind_, _temper_, _spirit_, _affection_, &c.; as such expressions are
pleonastic. [So, _unity_ or _agreement of mind_ is a better expression
than _equanimity of mind_.]
Do not say, “I have _every_ confidence in him,” for, “I have _the
greatest_ [or _entire_] confidence in him.”
Do not use _executed_ for _put to death_. [Laws or sentences are
_executed_ (_i.e._, carried out), and the criminal is hanged or shot or
otherwise killed.]
Do not use _enact_ for _act_. _To enact_ is to establish by law, to
decree, to perform. [So say, “A law was passed”--not enacted; but, “It
was enacted by law that all murderers should be put to death.”]
Do not use _endorse_ for _approve of_, _applaud_, _sanction_. Confine
the employment of _endorse_ to its ordinary commercial meaning.
Do not use _embrace_ for _comprise_.
Do not use _empty_ for _discharge_ or _flow into_ [of a river].
Do not say, “He _tried an experiment_.” [This is tautological, as
an experiment is a trial. The expression should be, “He made, or
performed, an experiment.”]
Do not say _on every hand_, for _on each hand_, or _on both hands_.
Do not use _either_, _neither_ and _whether_ of more than two persons
or things.
Do not follow _else_ with _but_. _Than_ is the proper word to use after
_else_.
Do not use _exemplary_ as an exact synonym for _excellent_.
[_Exemplary_ means giving an example, as in: “He inflicted exemplary
punishment.”]
Do not say, “I _experience_ great pleasure [or pain”]. Say, “I _feel_
&c.”
Do not use _excessively_ for _exceedingly_ or _very_.
Do not use _effluviums_ or _effluviae_ for effluvia [the plural of
effluvium.]
Do not confuse _few_ and _a few_. There is a great distinction in
meaning between the two. _E.g._: “_Few_ persons like Mr. Smith,” means
that _but few_ like him, _i.e._, that he is generally disliked. “_A
few_ persons like Mr. Smith,” means that some persons [perhaps all who
know him] like him. Therefore, _few_ should be followed by _and_; _a
few_ by _but_; _e.g._: “Few persons like Mr. Smith, _and_ these persons
would not like him did they know him well.” “_A_ _few_ persons like
Mr. Smith, _but_ more persons like Mr. Brown.”
Do not confuse _at fault_ with _in fault_. [_At fault_ is a hunting
phrase meaning “off the scent” (equivalent to at sea); _in fault_ is in
error.]
Do not say, “He _faithfully promised_ to do it.” [One may do a thing
faithfully, or may promise to do it faithfully; but one cannot
faithfully promise to do it.]
Do not use _future_ for _next_ or _subsequent_ [of the past]. Thus,
“The future career of Milton was &c.,” should be, “The after [or
subsequent] career of Milton was &c.” Again, “For the future the course
of Columbus was &c.,” should be, “Thenceforward [or _after this_, or
_thereafter_, or _subsequently_] the course of Columbus was &c.”
Do not say, “_Go and fetch_ it.” [_Fetch_ alone means _to go and
bring_. The expression is, therefore, pleonastic.]
Do not say, “I forbid you _from_ going.” Say, “I forbid you to go,”
or, “I forbid your going.” [With _prevent_ or _hinder_, however, use
_from_.]
Do not compare adjectives ending in _ful_. Say, “He showed more grace,”
or use some other expression in preference to “He was _more graceful_.”
[Of course, the adjective _full_ ought never to be compared. Instead
of saying “That jug is fuller than the other,” say, “That jug is _more
nearly full_ than &c.” A similar remark will apply to many other
adjectives (_entire_, _perfect_, &c.), the meaning of which admits of
no degrees or gradations.]
Do not use _female_ for _woman_.
Do not say _fall down_, _sink down_, _rise up_, _ascend up_, &c., as
the adverbs are implied in the verbs. Say _fall_, _sink_, _rise_,
_ascend_, &c.
Do not use _fix_ for _repair_, _arrange_, _set up_. [_Fix_ properly
means _to fasten firmly_, as, “He fixed a nail into the wall.”]
Do not spell the plural of _fly_, a carriage, _flies_. The correct form
is _flys_.
Do not use incorrect forms of _foreign adjectives_. Say, _naïfs men_,
_naïves women_, _naïfs features_, _i.e._, make the adjectives agree in
gender and number with its noun taken as a foreign word. [This rule
applies especially to French adjectives.]
Do not use the word _graphic_ of sound, or of anything but written or
pictured representation.
Do not use _going to_ or _just going to_, for _about to_.
Do not use _grow_ as a transitive verb. Say, “He cultivates [produces,
raises crops of, &c.] corn.”
Do not say, “He _grows small_;” for this involves a contradiction. Use
_decrease_, _diminish_, _become smaller_.
Do not use _get to_ for _attend_, _be at_, _be present at_, _go to_.
Do not use _gubernatorial_ for _governmental_.
Do not use _gratuitous_ for _asserted without proof_.
Do not say, “The thing is _no good_ [or _no use_].” Say, “The thing is
_of_ no good [_of_ no use].”
Do not say, “That is _one of the great_, _if not the greatest_
man I have ever seen.” This construction involves a grammatical
contradiction, as will be seen by supplying the ellipsis: “That is one
of the greatest [men], if not the greatest [man], I have ever seen.”
Do not say, “He gives no more than _he can help_.” [Logically, it ought
to be, “He gives no more than he cannot help;” but as this expression
is very awkward, use some other, _e.g._: “He gives no more than is
absolutely necessary,” “He gives only what he must give (or, is forced
to give, or, cannot avoid giving).”]
Do not use _humanitarian_ for _humane_. [The original and correct
meaning of _humanitarian_ is denying the divinity of Christ.]
Do not use, as an adverb, _hardly_ for _hard_. Say, “He struck the man
hard,” “He felt the blow hard” [not hardly]. _Hardly_ means scarcely.
Do not use the word _help-meet_ [one word]. Say, “He has a help meet
[fit] for him,” “He has a help-mate,” but not, “He has a help-meet.”
Do not use _high_ with _calibre_, when the latter has a figurative
meaning. Say, “A man of _large_ [or _great_] calibre.”
Do not use _have_ pleonastically, _e.g._: “I do not like to have you
go,” for, “I do not like your going,” or, “I do not like you to go.”
Do not say, “He reached a _higher stage of perfection_ than most men.”
[There can be no grades or stages in perfection. The sentence should
therefore be, “He came nearer perfection &c.” A similar remark applies
to all these other words (_entirety_, _totality_, _fulness_, &c.), the
meaning of which, from their very nature, admits of no gradations.]
Do not use _if_ for _whether_. Say, “I cannot tell whether [not _if_]
he will come or not.”
Do not use _invest_ for _buy_, without an object. Say, “He bought,”
_not_, “He invested in that.” _Invest_ is correctly used as follows:
“He invested a large sum of money in wheat.”
Do not use _idea_ for _opinion_. [_Idea_ is an image in the mind.]
Do not use _incorrect_, or _wrong_, or _bad_, with orthography,
orthoepy, calligraphy, &c. [The reason is obvious: _orthos_ means
correct, _kalos_ means beautiful. So say, _wrong spelling_, _incorrect
pronunciation_, _bad writing_, &c.]
Do not use _individual_ for _person_, unless you wish to emphasize
the idea of individuality, as is the case in the following sentence:
“We may condemn the association as a whole, whilst honoring the
_individuals_ that compose it.”
Do not use _infallible_ for _inevitable_. Say, “The inevitable [not,
the infallible] result was so and so.”
Do not use _inaugurate_ for _begin_. [To _inaugurate_ is _to install
in office_ with certain ceremonies. _Inaugurate_ should seldom be used
of things, unless personified. It is the proper word in the following
phrase: “To inaugurate a good and jovial year.”]
Do not use _implicit_ for _unbounded_ or _unlimited_, as it is used in,
“I have _implicit_ confidence in him.” [_Implicit_ properly means woven
into, expressed by implication, as opposed to _explicit_.]
Do not employ _item_ for _paragraph_ or _piece of news_.
Do not say, “I have not seen him _in_ six months, _in_ a year, &c.”
[Use _for_.]
Do not say _an illy equipped force_, for _an ill_ [or _badly_]
_equipped force_. There is no such word as _illy_: _ill_ being both
adverb and adjective. [In England, _ill_ (as adjective) is preferred to
_sick_: _sick_ having the meaning of _nauseated_. In America _sick_ and
_ill_ are almost interchangeable. Authority shows that _sick_, in the
sense of _ill_, is perfectly correct.]
Do not use _identified with_ for _prominent in_ or _closely connected
with_, as it is used in the following sentence: “He was _identified
with_ that movement.” _Prominently identified with_, is worse still.
[_To identify_ is, to prove to be the same, or to ascertain or certify
to the identity of. _E.g._: “The body was identified as that of Mr. H.”]
Do not use _if_ when there is no supposition or doubt. Do not say,
“_If_, in the main, I have so acted, my reason is &c.” [Say, “My reason
for having so acted is &c.”]
Do not employ _interested in_ for _concerned in_ or _taking part
in_. It is correct to say, “I am _interested in_ [_i.e._, _I take
an interest in_] works of art;” but it is not correct to say, “I am
_interested_ in wheat” [for, “I deal in wheat,” or, “I am engaged in
wheat-buying”].
Do not say, _in so far as_, for _so far as_, or _as far as_. [The _in_
is clearly superfluous. Of the two expressions, _so far as_ and _as far
as_, the first is greatly preferable.]
Do not speak of a _monthly_ or a _quarterly magazine_ as a _journal_.
[Etymologically, a _journal_ is a _daily newspaper_. The term _journal_
may, however, be applied to a weekly, a semi-weekly or a tri-weekly
publication.]
Do not use _jewelry_ of individual gems or other ornaments. Say, “His
stock of _jewelry_ was large;” but, “She wore magnificent _jewels_.”
[_Jewelry_ is a collective noun.]
Do not spell the plural of _Knight Templar_, _Knights Templar_ or
_Knight Templars_; it is _Knights Templars_. [_Templar_ is a noun in
opposition to _Knight_.]
Do not say, “The _lowest_ and the _highest_ house on the cliff,”
when referring to the position of the houses. Use _lowermost_ and
_uppermost_. _Lowest_ and _highest_ should be applied to dimensions
only.
Do not say, “He _left_ it alone,” for “He _let_ it alone.”
Do not say, “He _lit_ a fire.” Use _lighted_. [_Lit_ is sometimes
vulgarly employed as the past tense of _light_ (alight), to come down
upon, rest upon. Instead of saying, “The bird _lit_ upon the fence,”
say, “The bird _alighted_ upon the fence.”]
Do not use _leave_ (to quit) without an object, as it is used in “When
did you leave?” [Say, “When did you go away?” “When did you leave home,
town, &c.?”]
Do not say, “The _lay_ of the land is good,” for, “The _lie_ &c.” [The
use of _lie_ in this sense should be avoided for the same reason that
makes us avoid the use of _certain_, _any_, &c., _viz._, it is an
ambiguous word.]
Do not use _limited_ as exactly synonymous with _small_ or _short_, but
confine it to its strictly literal and original meaning of shortened,
_abbreviated_, _compressed within limits_; _e.g._: “He was granted
strictly _limited_ hours of recreation.”
Do not employ _loan_ as a verb. _Loan_ is properly used as a noun,
the corresponding verb being _lend_. Say, “He _lent_ me money, and
afterwards I effected [or made] a _loan_ for him.”
Do not say, “I speak _loud_,” for, “I speak _loudly_.” [Shakespeare
uses _loud_ for _loudly_, but _loudly_ is the correct prose form of the
adverb.]
Do not use _at length_ for _at last_, _finally_. [_At length_ means
fully, lengthily, as, “He reported the speech at length.”]
Do not use _myself_ and the other reflexive pronouns as nominatives,
except for emphasis. Do not say, “When the soldiers and _myself_ had
gone.” [Use _I_ instead of _myself_.]
Do not use _the masses_ for _the people_.
Do not say, “He is _more of a man_ than I am.” Use some other
expression: _more manly_, _better_, &c.
Do not say, “_I am mistaken_,” for, “_I mistake_, _I make a mistake_,
_I am incorrect_, &c.” [“_I am mistaken_” really means, “_I am
misunderstood_,” or “_taken wrongly_.”]
Do not spell the plural of _miasma_, _miasmæ_. It is _miasmata_.
Do not use _make_ for _gain_ or _earn_. [Say, “Does he earn much?”
“Will he gain much?” _not_, “Does he make much?” “Will he make much?”]
Do not use _novitiate_ for _novice_. [The _novitiate_ is the period
during which one is a _novice_.]
Do not say, “He merely _named_ the incident or occurrence.” [A person
or place may be named, but not an occurrence or event. The latter is
_mentioned_, _alluded to_, _described_.]
Do not say, “_No one_ was there,” for, “_not one_ was there.” [The
adjective _no_ was originally _no one_. Therefore, _no one_ is
pleonastic. The adverb _no_ is etymologically _not_ or _never_.
Therefore, such expressions as _no sooner_, _no more_ may be considered
correct, although _not sooner_, _not more_ are preferable. _Nobody_,
_no person_, &c., may often be advantageously used in place of _no
one_. To the employment of these there is no objection, as there is to
that of _no one_.]
Do not say, “_No_ gold _or_ silver.” Say, “No gold _nor_ silver.” [“No
gold or silver” would mean that gold and silver are the same thing.
If this meaning were intended, there ought to be a comma after gold,
or else “or silver” ought to be in parentheses; _e.g._: “No ancient
Mexicans, or Aztecs, or (_or Aztecs_) were to be seen.”]
Do not say, “_not as good_,” “_not as wise_.” [After _not_ use _so_.]
Do not say, “He _came near_ dying,” for “He almost died,” “He narrowly
escaped death,” &c.
Do not say, “No gold and no silver _are_ here.” Use the singular verb.
[The principle in this case is the same as in the case of _each_ and
_every_.]
Do not use _nasty_ for _disagreeable_.
Do not say, “I _never_ remember to have seen,” for, “I do not remember
ever to have seen.” [“I never remember to have seen,” really means, “I
always forget &c.”]
Do not use “next Sunday,” “next Monday,” &c., for _the Sunday, Monday_,
&c., _after next_. [_Next Sunday_ is the nearest Sunday.]
Do not say, “I _never_ committed the crime,” for, “I did _not_ commit
the crime;” _i.e._, do not use _never_ for _not_.
Do not say, “I do not think it is true,” for, “I think [or better,
_believe_] it is not true.”
Do not say, “He was _nothing like so_ good as his brother,” “He wrote
_nothing like so_ well as his brother.” [Use “_not nearly_.”]
Do not use _near_ for _nearly_. [Say, “He is not _nearly_ so rich as
&c.,” not, “He is not _near_ &c.”]
Do not use the expression _new beginners_ for _beginners_ alone.
Do not say _on the street_ for _in the street_. [A street is properly a
passage or space, not a roadway.]
Do not employ the self-contradictory expression _old news_.
Do not use _he_, _him_ and _his_, or _she_, _her_ and _hers_, for _one_
and _one’s_. Say, “When one learns _one’s_ lesson, _one_ &c.;” not,
“When one learns _his_ lesson, _he_ &c.” [Of course, _they_, _their_
and _them_ ought never to have _one_ as antecedent.]
Do not use _over and above_ for _more than_.
Do not use _over his signature_ for _under his signature_. [The latter,
which is the only correct form, means under the sanction of his
signature.]
Do not use _observe_ for _say_. [I _observe_ means I see or notice.]
Do not use _ovation_ as an exact synonym for _shouting_ and _cheering_.
_Ovation_ is applied correctly to great occasions, festivals, triumphs.
Do not say, “I have no _other_ purpose _than_ this.” Say, “I have no
purpose _other than_ this,” _i.e._, keep _other_ and _than_ together.
[A similar rule applies to comparatives in general and to many words
(_e.g._, _rather_) like _other_, which have a comparative form and
force. Therefore say, “Your house is larger than your cousin’s,” in
preference to, “That is a larger house of yours than your cousin’s.”]
Do not say _old veterans_, as the word _veterans_ implies length of
service. If “length of days,” as well as length of service, is to be
expressed, use _aged_ or some other word or phrase instead of _old_.
Do not, unless unavoidable, pluralize the indefinite pronoun _one_.
Prefer, “You have three good horses and I have two bad horses,” or,
“You have three good, and I have two bad horses,” to “You have three
good horses and I have two bad _ones_.”
Do not say, _among the others_, _among others_, _among the rest_. [A
person or thing cannot be _among_ other persons or things. Say, _along
with the others_, or _others_, or _the rest_.]
Do not use _proposition_ for _proposal_ or _offer_. Say: “I made the
_proposal_ to him; and he, in return, demonstrated the _proposition_
for me.” [_Proposal_, in the sense of _offer_, is preferable to
_proposition_, because it is shorter and unambiguous.]
Do not use _pocket-hand-kerchief_ and _neck-hand-kerchief_ for
_hand-kerchief_ or _neck-kerchief_ respectively.
Do not use _pretend_ for _claim_ or _assert_. Say, “He claimed [or
asserted] that he was correct.”
Do not use _preposterous_ for _absurd_. [_Preposterous_ properly means,
_putting the first last and the last first_. Besides, it is a longer
word than _absurd_.]
Do not use _previous_ and _subsequent_ as adverbs. Say: “He came
_previously_ [or _subsequently_] to your arrival.”
Do not use _partially_ for _partly_. [_Partially_ should be confined to
its meaning of _with partiality_, but is seldom employed.]
Do not use _people_ for _persons_ individually. Say, “There were three
persons [not, _people_] present.” [_People_ means a race or nation, or
else _persons_ collectively--the old word _folk_.]
Do not use a plural verb or pronoun with _each_ or _every_. Say: “Each
day and each hour [or, every day and every hour] _brings its_ cares.”
Do not use the _plural_ form of the noun in such cases as, “Men’s
_healths_ have suffered;” “The children’s _illnesses_ have increased.”
[The rule is, that a noun governing the possessive plural, should not
itself be in the plural, unless the sense requires it. This rule will
apply chiefly to abstract nouns: _virtue_, _sin_, &c. The sense will,
of course, require the plural in such an instance as, “The children’s
_hands_ were injured.”]
Do not use the _plural_ form in such compound adjectival expressions
as, calves’-_foot_ jelly, ten-_foot_ pole, twenty-_dollar_ watch.
Do not say, “All have rights and _privileges_.” [_Privilege_
(literally, _private law_) is some favor or advantage enjoyed by an
_individual_. So, all have _rights_; but all have not _privileges_.]
Do not use the present participle for the past participle or the
perfect participle. So, instead of saying, “After seeing him, I went
away;” say, “After having seen him,” &c.
Do not use _plastic_ of the person or hand that fashions, but of the
material fashioned. Say, “His plastic mind was easily impressed;” not,
“He moulded with his plastic touch the mind of his brother.”
Do not use _pell-mell_ of one person or thing.
Do not say, “_Providing_ he has the money, he will pay.” Use _provided_.
Do not use _presume_ for _think_ or _believe_. Do not say, “I presume
that is correct.”
Do not use _period_ for _point of time_. _Period_ means series of years
or duration. _E.g._: “The period between 1862 and 1882 was” &c.
Do not use _persuaded_ for _convinced_. One is _convinced_ by argument;
one is _persuaded_ by entreaty. One is persuaded; one’s reason,
convinced.
Do not use _quite_ before a noun. Do not say, “That is _quite_ a
house.” [_Quite_ may properly be used before an adjective (“He is
quite ill”): it then means _entirely_, _completely_; not _tolerably_,
_pretty_.]
Do not use _partake_ for _eat_ or _drink_. Say, “He ate some food and
drank some water,” not, “He _partook_ of food and water.” [_Partake_
means to share or share with; _e.g._: “Sit down, and partake of dinner
with me.”]
Do not use _per_ before English nouns: use _a_. _Per_ is correct before
Latin nouns. [Thus: “So much per-annum;” “so much _a_ year;” “_per_
capita,” or “a head.”]
Do not use the past tense for the perfect tense. Say, “He is the best
man I _have_ ever seen” [not, “I ever saw”].
Do not use _replace_ for _displace_. To _replace_ is to place again,
_i.e._, to restore [the same thing] to its former place. _Displace_ is
to put out of place, and therefore [often], to put one thing into the
place of another.
Do not say, “You have no _right_ to pay him so large a price;” meaning,
“You are not called upon [or, in duty bound]” &c.
Do not say, “It is _rarely_ that I see him.” [_Rarely_, adverb, should
be _rare_, adjective, after the verb to be.]
Do not use _recommend_ for _advise_ or _counsel_. “I _recommend_ you to
go away,” should be, “I advise you” &c.
Do not use _rendition_ for _performance_ or _rendering_ [of a reading,
piece of music, &c.]. _Rendition_ means _surrender_.
Do not say, “_Rev._ Mr. H. is here.” Say, “_The_ Rev. Mr. H. is here.”
Do not say, “This _road takes_ you to Paris.” Say, “This road _leads_
[or, _leads one_] to Paris.”
Do not use _remit_ for _send_. _Remit_ means to send back, to relax, to
surrender, to forgive. “To send a remittance,” is still worse than, “to
remit money.”
Do not use the adjective _scarce_ for the adverb _scarcely_. Say,
“Scarcely a bushel” [not, _scarce_].
Do not use _species_ for _kind_, unless in a scientific sense.
Do not say, “I _shall have_ pleasure in accepting your invitation.” Use
the present tense [“I have--or take--pleasure” &c.].
Do not say, _seldom or ever_, for _seldom or never_, or _seldom if
ever_.
Do not use _spare_ for _give_. _Spare_ means to _save_. So: “I cannot
spare you any more”, should be, “I cannot give you any more.”
Do not use _sensation_ for _exciting news_.
Do not use _since_ for _ago_. Say, “About a year _ago_;” not, “About a
year _since_.”
Do not say, “The business was very large, _so much so_ as to require”
&c. [Repeat the adjective: “_so large_ as to” &c.]
Do not use _summons_, as a verb, for _summon_. Say, “He was _summoned_
[not _summonsed_] to court.”
Do not say, “He is _such another_ man as his brother.” [_Another_
should precede _such_: “another such.”]
Do not use _superior_ for _able_. Say, “He is an _able_ [not a
_superior_] man.”
Do not use _supposititious_ for _supposed_ or _hypothetical_.
_Supposititious_ means _spurious_; and there is no necessity for using
it at all.
Do not use _settle_ for _pay_. Say, “He paid the account;” not, “He
settled the account.”
Do not use _such_ for _so_. Say, “So good a man;” not: “Such a good
man.”
Do not say, “_It storms_,” when it only rains or snows. [A _storm_ is a
violent movement in the atmosphere, with or without hail, snow, sleet
or rain.]
Do not use _splendid_ for merely _great_ or _good_. _Splendid_ should
be used of that only which is literally or metaphorically _brilliant_.
_E.g._: “A _splendid_ endurance of hardships on the march,” is
incorrect. “A _splendid_ charge upon the enemy, when the march was
over;” is correct.
Do not say, _a summer’s morning_, _a winter’s morning_; for, _a summer
morning_, _a winter morning_. [We should never think of saying, _a
spring’s morning_, _a fall’s morning_.]
Do not use _strata_ as a singular noun. _Stratum_ is singular; _strata_
is plural.
Do not speak of _a wider_ [or _more extended_] _point of view_ [_or
stand-point_]; as a point cannot be anything but a point. [_Point of
view_ is preferable to _stand-point_; as the latter expression is
logically absurd: one cannot stand on a point. If _stand-point_ is
used, do not say, “He _approached_ from the stand-point;” as _approach_
denotes motion, _stand-point_ rest.]
Do not use _sincere_ without its completing words. _E.g._: “He is
sincere _in his aims_, in his _means_;” is correct. [This necessity
arises from the two-fold or ambiguous meaning of _sincere_. One may be
sincere in one’s aims, but not sincere in one’s means of reaching those
aims.] _Honest_, on the other hand, may be used alone; as it means
straight-forward and sincere in every thing.
Do not use _scorn_ and _disdain_, as verbs, with the name of a person
as object. Do not say, “He scorns [or disdains] Mr. S.” Use _despise_,
_look down upon_, or some other expression.
Do not use _small_ of quantity. [_Small_ is applicable only to
dimensions. Thus, do not say, “The smallest assistance will be
thankfully received.” It should be, “The _least_ assistance” &c.]
Do not use _statu quo_ or _bona fide_ for _status quo_ or _bona fides_.
Say, “The _status quo_ remained unchanged, each party having preserved
_bona fides_.” A similar remark will apply to many other foreign
expressions. Of course, wherever there is a satisfactory English
equivalent, a foreign word or phrase should not be used.
Do not say, “Will you _take_ some meat?” Say, “Will you _have_ veal [or
beef, or whatever it is]?”
Do not say, “It is a quarter _to_ ten.” Say, “A quarter _of_ ten.”
Do not say, “The _taxes_ are levied on persons, and collected from
land.” The reverse is the case: taxes are levied on land and collected
from persons.
Do not use _though_ for _if_. Say: “I feel as _if_ [not _though_] I
could die.”
Do not say, “We _take_ dinner, tea,” &c. Use _have_.
Do not employ _thereabouts_, _hereabouts_, _whereabouts_ (with final
_s_) as adverbs. Say, “It was in 1859 or _thereabout_.” As nouns these
words take the _s_; _e.g._: “Do you know his _whereabouts_?”
Do not say, _that far_, _that much_, _that many_, &c., for _so far_,
_so much_, _so many_, &c.
Do not use the word _tea_ for _broth_, _medicine_, _solution_, unless
absolutely unavoidable. [_Tea_ is the plant itself or the beverage made
from its leaves.]
Do not say, “I prefer _to walk_ _to ride_.” Say, “I prefer _walking_ to
_riding_.”
Do not say, “I have been _to_ Paris.” [Use _at_. One can _go to_, but
_not be to_, a place].
Do not say, “Which do you _the_ more admire: him or her?” [Omit _the_.]
Do not use _underhanded_ for _underhand_. Say, “He made money by
_underhand_ [not _underhanded_] dealings.”
Do not use _utter_ as an exact equivalent of _say_ or _express_.
[_Utter_ is to speak, give forth, or pronounce, generally in a loud
voice.] Say therefore, “He uttered a sharp cry;” but, “He expressed a
noble sentiment.”
Do not use _ultimate_ of the _past_. Confine it to the _future_. Do not
say: “The _ultimate_ issue of the Thirty Years’ war was” &c. Say, “The
result [or, the issue, the end, the conclusion, the subsequent course
of the Thirty Years’ War was” &c.]
Do not use the adjective _utter_ indiscriminately for _entire_ or
_complete_. _E.g._: One may say, _utter nonsense_; but not, _utter
sense_. [A similar remark will apply to the adverb _utterly_.]
Do not use _valuable_ for _valued_. Say: “One of our most _valued_ [or,
_most highly valued_--not _valuable_] contributors has sent us a most
_valuable_ [not _valued_] article.”
Do not say, “I am _very_ pleased,” “_too_ pleased,” “_so_ pleased;”
for, “I am _very much_ pleased,” “_too much_ pleased,” “_so much_
pleased.” That is, with past participles used as adjectives or along
with auxiliaries, insert _much_ after _very_, _too_ and _so_. We say,
“He is very little [too little, so little] loved.” We ought, therefore,
to say, “He is very much [too much, so much] loved.” Strictly speaking,
_so hated_ means _hated_, not to a certain degree, but in a certain
manner.
Do not say Toronto and _vicinity_; but, Toronto and _its vicinity_.
[_Neighbourhood_ is generally a better word to employ than _vicinity_.]
Do not repeat unnecessarily the word _whether_. Do not say, “Whether he
was rich, or _whether_ he was poor.” [Omit the second _whether_.] As
has been said before, _whether_, _either_ and _neither_ ought properly
to be employed only of two persons or things. Therefore, where several
are mentioned, they should be grouped in couples: _e.g._: “Whether he
has gold or silver, whether he has stocks or bonds;” [or: “Whether
he has gold or silver, stocks or bonds” (the second _whether_ being
unexpressed).] This is better than: “Whether he has gold, silver,
stocks or bonds.”
Do not say: “Whether he _be_ right or wrong.” [Use with _whether_ the
indicative _is_, not the subjunctive _be_, unless the rules given for
the subjunctive apply to the sentence.]
Do not say: “Give it to _whomsoever_ asks for it.” Say: “Give it to
_whosoever_ [or _whoever_] asks for it.” [The object of _to_ is not
_whomsoever_, but some noun or pronoun unexpressed: _the person_,
_him_.]
Do not say, “Where have you gone _to_?” Say, “Where have you gone?”
Do not use the verb _witness_ for _see_ or _behold_. Say: “That
is the most beautiful scenery I have ever beheld [or _seen_; not
_witnessed_].” To _witness_ means to see or be present at the
performance of some act or at the occurrence of some event. So a
man _witnesses_ a fight, but does not _witness_ scenery. _Witness_,
moreover, generally carries with it the idea of giving testimony. Where
such idea is lacking, it is better to use _see_ or _behold_.
Do not use _what for?_ for _why?_ Say: “Why do you act so?” not: “What
do you act so _for_?”
Do not say, “_A widow woman_.” [Omit _woman_, which is superfluous.]
Do not confuse the “editorial _we_” with the ordinary _we_, as is
done in the following: “As a public journalist, _we_ must say that
when other men act in that way, _we all_ [_i.e._, _all persons_] feel
aggrieved.”
Do not say _whether or no_, for, _whether or not_, unless _no_ is an
adjective qualifying some noun unexpressed. Thus: “Whether he comes
or _not_ [not _no_];” but, “Whether he is a merchant or _no_.” In the
latter instance, however, _not_ would be quite correct. [“Whether he is
a merchant or is _not_ a merchant.”]
Do not use “_the whole of_” [before a plural noun] for _all_. Say: “All
the deputies were present;” not, “The whole of” &c.
Do not use _winsome_ for _winning_. _Winsome_ means joyous,
light-hearted. “His daughter was a winsome lass; she had a winning
smile.”
Do not use _worse_ for _more_. Say: “He disliked vinegar _more_ [not
_worse_] than pepper.” [A similar remark will apply to _better_.]
Do not use _want_ for _need_ [verb]. To avoid ambiguity, _want_ should
be restricted to its meaning of _wish_ or _desire_; _need_, to that of
_lack_ or _be under the necessity of_. Say, therefore, “I want to go
for a drive;” but not, “The man was so poor that he actually _wanted_
[lacked, needed] bread;” or worse, “You _want_ [need to, or must] go
away.”
Do not say, “_Yesterday’s Times_ has come.” Say, “The _Times_ of
yesterday has come.”
Do not end a letter with _Yours &c._, for _Yours truly_, _Respectfully
yours_, or some other expression.
GRAMMATICAL POINTS.
Avoid such constructions as, “The object of your brother’s writing
the letter was” &c. [Prefer, “The object your brother had in writing
the letter was” &c.; or, “Your brother’s object in writing the letter
was” &c.] The gerundial infinite ought to be used--if at all--but very
sparingly with a possessive case, especially when the possessive is
preceded by _of_. A similar remark applies still more strongly to the
noun form in _ing_; _e.g._: “His killing of the man was” &c.
Be careful about the position of _also_, _even_, _only_--in fact, of
all adverbs, prepositions and conjunctions. As a general rule, adverbs
precede the words they modify. Thus: “He only writes,” is correct; but,
say, “He does nothing but write;” or use some other expression.
Prefer: “In the works _of even_ great men;” to, “In the works _even of_
great men.” So: “_Of both_ ancient and modern times,” is better than,
“_Both of_ ancient _and of_ modern times.” [_Both_ would properly come
before _of_ in such a construction as: “Both of and from him.”] “Both
of ancient and modern times” [without the second _of_] is entirely
incorrect.
“Nobody’s else book,” is said to be preferable to, “Nobody else’s
book.” Custom has, however, firmly established the latter form. But it
is better to employ some other expression; _e.g._: “The book of no one
else;” “No other person’s book.”
“Thou canst not tell whence it cometh _or_ whither it goeth.” _Or_
should be used here, as the _not_ modifies (in meaning) all the
subsequent part of the sentence. We should never think of saying:
“Whence it cometh _nor_ whither it goeth, thou canst not tell.” In,
“We will not serve thy gods _nor_ worship the golden image which thou
hast set up;” _nor_ is correct; as _serve_ does not govern the rest of
the sentence. [Some grammarians, however, contend that _or_ would be
equally good: the effect of the _not_ extending over both subsequent
verbs. The soundness of this contention is questionable.] The most
elegant form to give the sentence is; “We will not serve thy gods, _nor
will_ we worship the golden image” &c.
In such an expression as, “I do not want butter or honey;” the strict
meaning is, “I do not want merely one of the two.” “I want neither
butter nor honey,” means, “I do not want either.”
When two nouns in the possessive case are in apposition, the apostrophe
and _s_ may be added to either noun. Thus: “This book is Virgil, the
Roman _poet’s_;” or: “This book is Virgil’s, the Roman poet.” [If,
however, the appositive enlargement is complex, or if it consists of
several terms, the apostrophe and _s_ should be added to the first
noun. _E.g._: “This book is Virgil’s, the great and renowned Roman
poet.”] Again, if each appositive noun is very emphatic, the apostrophe
and _s_ may be added to each. When any doubt arises as to the proper
form, employ another expression; _e.g._: “This book is one of the works
of Virgil, the great and renowned Roman poet.”
Avoid the use of such forms as, “John, William and James’s father.”
Prefer, “The father of John, William and James;” or, “The father of
John, of William and of James.”
_None_ and _any_, although originally singular, may now be used as
plurals.
Such expressions as, “While playing, the boy was killed,” are quite
correct. That is, the auxiliary may be left out, although the phrase is
introduced by a subordinate conjunction.
When the auxiliary verb used with a past participle consists of two
words (_i.e._, is compound), the adverb generally comes after the
compound auxiliary, not between its two parts. _E.g._: “Why he should
have suddenly renounced his faith,” &c.; is better than, “Why he should
suddenly have renounced” &c. The best form, perhaps, is, “Why he should
have renounced his faith suddenly” &c.
It is correct to say, “_This_ seven years has passed;” “This hundred
dollars is there:” the seven years being taken as forming one period
of time; and the hundred dollars, one sum of money. To avoid the
seeming want of agreement between the singular and the plural, use some
collective noun after _this_; _e.g._: _space_, _period_, in the first
case; _sum_, _amount_, in the second. [The forms, _these seven years_,
_these hundred dollars_, would draw attention to the individual years
and the individual dollars.]
As a general rule, collective nouns (that is, those nouns as which have
both the singular and the plural form, _number_, _crowd_) require a
singular verb with their singular form, and a plural verb with their
plural form. [However, the plural verb may be used with the singular
form when the idea of plurality is to be very prominent.] Nouns of
multitude, on the other hand, (that is, those which have no plural
form, as _clergy_, _nobility_) generally require a plural verb. _E.g._:
“The clergy _were_ assembled; there _was_ a large number present.”
Do not use such words as _mathematics_, _statics_, _physics_,
_metaphysics_ (_i.e._, words originally plural, but now used in the
singular), as subjects. So, say: “The study [or science, or practice]
of mathematics is useful;” rather than, “Mathematics is [or are]
useful.”
_Dare_, meaning _to venture_, and used with another verb, requires no
_to_ before this latter verb, and has in its past tense _durst_ and
in its third person singular present indicative _dare_ (not _dares_).
[The form _dared_ may, however, be used for _durst_, in the past tense.
_Dared_ will then take no _to_ before the infinitive.] _Durst_ is often
employed for the present _dare_, although the latter is preferable;
_e.g._: “He durst not do so.”
_Dare_, as a principal verb, meaning _to challenge_, has _dares_ in
the third person singular present indicative, and _dared_ in the past.
_E.g.:_ “He _dares_ me to-day, and he _dared_ me yesterday to fight.”
_Need_ has, in the third person singular present indicative, the same
peculiarity as _dare_. Meaning _to lack_ and used as a principal verb,
it takes _s_; meaning _to be necessary_, and used as an auxiliary
(without _to_), it does not; _e.g._: “He _needs_ money; still he _need_
not beg.”
The participle and the infinitive may be used absolutely, as:
“_Speaking_ [or, _to speak_] generally, it is advisable to go.” This
absolute form should be but sparingly employed.
_If_, _although_, and other conditional conjunctions do not necessarily
require the subjunctive mood. They do require it, (1) When the
conception is contrary to facts; _e.g._: “If the world were round.” (2)
When the supposition is a mere mental conception, without reference
to how the matter will really be decided, or to what the result will
be; _e.g._: “If he went away [or, were to go away], I should be
happy.” [In such expressions as, “If it rains, I shall not go out;” the
indicative is to be preferred to the subjunctive.]
As a principal verb, _do_ may be employed for active transitive verbs
only. For these verbs, moreover, _do_ ought not be used--except to
avoid excessive repetition--when they are of but one syllable, unless
they are followed by other words forming a phrase, for which phrase
_do_ may stand. _E.g._: “He carves marble better I _do_;” but, “He
writes better than I write.” [In this last sentence it would, of
course, be incorrect to omit the verb after _I_; as the first form
of the verb (_writes_) can not be used with _I_.] Many good writers
employ _do_ for active intransitive verbs such as _fly_, _run_,
_act_; but this use should be avoided. As an auxiliary, _do_ may not
be used without its principal verb unless the form of the principal
verb already employed permits such use; _i.e._, unless this preceding
verb may be repeated without change after the _do_. _E.g._: “He has
not looked well lately, nor _does_ he to-day;” should be “He * * * ;
nor does he look well to-day.” [A similar remark applies to other
auxiliaries when employed without their principal verbs.]
“The verses are _as follows_;” [or, “_as follow_.”] Both expressions
are sanctioned by good usage.
_Some_ may be correctly used in such expressions as, “some fifty men,”
“some ten miles;” _i.e._, “_about_ fifty men,” &c. This employment of
_some_ is becoming obsolete.
_You_ may properly occur in the same sentence with, and as an
equivalent of, _Your Majesty_, _Your Excellency_, &c. _E.g._: “Your
Majesty says your Majesty has” &c.; or: “Your Majesty says you have”
&c. [The first is, of course, much more formal than the second, and
should be preferred when addressing persons of high station.]
“It is I, your brother, who _begs_ you.” “It is I, your brother, who
_beg_ you.” In the first, the emphasis is on the word _brother_; in
the second, on the _I_. [In the latter, it is better to enclose _your
brother_ in parentheses, the comma being omitted.]
In “_not only_--_but also_,” the _also_ may be omitted. _E.g._: “He not
only killed the man, _but_ he mutilated the corpse.” [It is generally
better to use the complete form, “not only--but also.”]
Do not use _like_ for _as_. Say: “As did Nero of old, so Thebaw put
countless numbers of victims to death;” not, “_Like_ Nero of old,
Thebaw” &c. The use of _like_ for _as_ is defended on the ground that
the sentence may be expanded into: “Being like Nero, Thebaw” &c. Still,
it is the actions of the men that are compared, not the men themselves.
Avoid such awkward collocations as, “This is _a far_ [or _much_]
_richer_ man than his brother.” Say, “This man is far [much] richer
[or, richer by far] than” &c. A like remark applies to _such_,
_similar_, and many other words. Say, “A horse such as that is worth
one hundred dollars;” rather than, “Such a horse as that is” &c.
The _or_ in _whether_--_or_ may be left out; but it is generally better
to express it. So: “I do not know whether he will come _or_ not,” is
better than, “I do not know whether he will come.”
The adjective is often used for the adverb before a present participle
employed as an adjective to qualify a noun. _E.g._: “a plain-speaking
man,” “a good-looking man,” “a right-living man.” [In such expressions,
it is better to unite the adjective and the participle with a hyphen.]
With a past participle, the adjective is very rarely used. _E.g._:
“a plainly furnished house,” “a well dressed man.” Occasionally the
adjective occurs with the past participle; _e.g._: “a plain-spoken man.”
When the construction is changed from the negative to the affirmative,
repeat the subject pronoun; or, if a noun is the subject, insert the
personal pronoun before the second verb. Thus: “He does not walk, but
_he_ rides.” With _whosoever_, _whoever_, &c., as subjects, it is not
necessary to use the pronoun before the affirmative verb. _E.g._: “That
whosoever believeth on Him might not perish, _but have_ everlasting
life.” When a change of tense, mood or voice occurs, it is generally
advisable to insert the pronoun before the second verb, although--as
is elsewhere explained--it is necessary to do so only when the verbs
are emphatically distinguished or contrasted. [When the change is from
the affirmative to the negative, the repetition of the subject or the
insertion of the pronoun is not necessary. Indeed, the the repetition
of the subject depends largely on the emphasis desired or on the
“sound” of the sentence.]
Say, “Solomon, _son_ of David,” rather than, “Solomon, _the_ son of
David.” [The rule is that the article ought not to be used before
those appositive nouns which are strictly limited by other definite
words.] The insertion of the article before _David_ is not absolutely
incorrect; but the omission of it produces a good effect and sometimes
prevents ambiguity, as in, “John, [the] son of Smith, and Jones, are
here.” Where a second addition occurs, the article must be omitted even
although it has been used before the first addition. Thus: “The Apostle
James, son (or, the son) of Zebedee, and _brother_ (not, _the_ brother)
of St John”.
Say, “The eldest son of a duke is called Marquis [not _a_ Marquis].”
The article is not to be used before titles as titles, or names as
names. [_E.g._: “Derive Thames.”] With two or more nouns, the article
need not be repeated when there is no ambiguity. When there is, it
should be repeated. Thus: “The Queen and King are here,” is correct.
[The repetition of the article would, of course, add emphasis to
the expression, _i.e._, it would draw attention to each individual
person or thing. _E.g._: “A cool temper, a sound judgment, a kindly
disposition.”]
“The European and _the_ African _race_;” or, “The European _race_ and
_the_ African _race_.” Here two races are meant: the one European, and
the other African. “The European and African _races_,” has the same
meaning. “The European and _the_ African races,” means there are two
or more European and two or more African races. This latter meaning
would be more clearly expressed by inserting the word _races_ after the
word _European_.
“The conductor and _the_ driver,” implies two men. “The conductor and
driver,” implies one man. Say, therefore: “Solomon, the historian and
builder;” not, “Solomon, the historian and _the_ builder.”
“The bay or lame horse,” refers to one horse. “The bay _or the_ lame
horse,” refers to two horses. [In the former sentence, it would be
better to put a comma after _bay_.] The rule in all these cases is,
that the article must be repeated when there are two or more persons or
things. With but one person or thing, the article _may_ be repeated,
as in poetry or for the sake of emphasis. _E.g._: “A sadder and _a_
wiser man.” It follows from the foregoing rule, that there should be
no repetition of the article in such a phrase as, “He is a better poet
than _musician_.” “He is a better poet than _a_ musician,” would mean,
“He is a better poet than a musician _is_.”
“The logical and grammatical analysis of a language is [are]”
&c. If but one analysis is meant--_i.e._, if there is but one
subject--the verb should be in the singular, _is_. If two analyses
are meant--_i.e._, if there are two subjects--the verb may be in the
plural, _are_. In the latter case, however, it is better to supply
the article before _grammatical_. [“The logical and _the_ grammatical
analysis are,” &c.] It is still better to supply the first subject
[“The logical _analysis_ and” &c.]: the verb being made plural. The
supplying of this ellipsis [_analysis_] avoids the clash between a
singular subject alone and a plural verb. Upon the same principle,
“The position of the materialist and _that_ of the idealist are
reconcilable,” is to be preferred to, “The position of the materialist
and of the idealist are reconcilable.” [The determining principle in
all these cases is not whether the adjectives have the same meaning,
but whether they qualify the same subject.]
Do not say, “No greater or wiser _a_ man ever lived.” Say, “No greater
or wiser man” &c.
The gerundial noun with _the_ is generally to be preferred to the
simple gerund. _E.g._: “The eating of meat is forbidden,” is better
than, “Eating meat” &c. [In some instances the latter form would cause
confusion of meaning.]
An excellent, but rather loosely worded, rule for the use of _shall_
and _will_ is as follows: “If the speaker is nominative to the verb,
and also determines the accomplishment of the idea expressed by
the verb; or if the speaker neither is nominative to the verb nor
determines the accomplishment of the idea expressed by the verb, use
_will_. In all other cases, use _shall_.”
Say, “It _should_ seem that he has done so.” [Not, “It _would_ seem”
&c.]
In impersonal assertions, such as: “It is hoped [desired, &c.] that
all should sit down,” _shall_ and _should_ ought to be used. In
direct and personal assertions, such as: “I desired that my conductor
would explain,” _will_ and _would_ are to be preferred. [_Shall_ and
_should_ are, in such constructions, not incorrect; but _will_ and
_would_ are preferable. Perhaps the best rule, in sentences such as the
foregoing, is, that when a command is intended, _shall_ and _should_
_must_ be used; when a hope or wish is intended, _will_ and _would_
_may_ be used.]
In a subordinate clause, to express simple futurity, use _shall_ and
_should_ when the subject of the subordinate clause is the subject of
the principal clause also; _will_ and _would_ when it is not. Thus: “I
believe I shall live;” “I believe he will live;” “He believes he shall
live.”
Again, in an independent clause use _shall_ and _should_ when the event
spoken of is under our control; _will_ and _would_ when it is not.
_E.g._: “You said it _should_ be done;” “You said it _would_ rain.”
Do not say, “I _would_ be happy to go, if” &c.; or, “I _will_ be
happy to go.” Use _should_ and _shall_. [The idea of willingness, or
volition, is sufficiently expressed in the word _happy_. Hence, _would_
and _will_ are tautological.]
After nouns and adjectives following intransitive and passive verbs the
infinitive with _to_ is generally preferable to the gerund in _-ing_,
to express purpose, end, design. _E.g._: “He has power _to_ act;” “It
is fitted _to_ produce that result.”
“Solomon, son of David, who slew Goliath;” is correct. “Solomon, son of
David, who built the Temple;” is incorrect. [The relative should refer
to the nearest antecedent. So, change the second phrase into, “The son
of David, Solomon, who” &c.; or, “Solomon, who was the son of David,
and who” &c.; or employ some other form.]
Say, “He who was, and who is, and who is to come;” or, “He who was, who
is and who is to come.” That is, repeat the relative, especially when
a conjunction occurs. [If the sentence were to read, “He who was, is
and is to come;” _He_ might seem to be the subject of the first and the
second _is_, and not of some verb unexpressed.] The possessives also
should be repeated before nouns that are to be distinguished. _E.g._:
“Their form and _their_ use give us great trouble.”
Do not use _that_ for _who_ or _which_, when the antecedent is
explicit. Say: “My father, who [not, _that_] is dead.”
_Who_ or _which_ is to be preferred to _that_ when the relative
is separated from its verb or its antecedent, and is emphasized
by isolation. _E.g._: “There are many persons _who_, had they
opportunities, would succeed in life.”
_Who_ or _which_ is to be preferred to _that_ when the relative is
governed in the objective by a preposition that has the appearance of
an adverb (_beyond_, _over_, _under_, &c.). _E.g._: “The limit beyond
_which_ no one has gone,” is better than, “The limit _that_ no one has
gone beyond.”
Avoid the use of _than whom_ when _whom_ is not really in the objective
case. Instead of _than whom_ [which is grammatically incorrect] and
_than who_ [which, although grammatically correct, has a very strange
sound] employ some other form. _E.g._: In place of “Nero, than whom
no crueller man has ever lived, was” &c.; say, “Nero--and no crueller
man has ever lived--was” &c.; or, “No crueller man than Nero has ever
lived. He was” &c. [Of course, when the relative is in the objective
case, _whom_ is correct after _than_; _e.g._: “My brother, than whom I
love no one more dearly, is ill.”]
_Who_ or _which_ may sometimes [_e.g._, to avoid undue repetition] be
used for _that_; but _that_ ought never to be used for _who_ or _which_.
After indefinite pronouns or indefinite pronominal adjectives
(_others_, _several_, _many_, _some_, _none_, _one_, &c.), _who_ or
_which_ is to be preferred to _that_.
After personal pronouns prefer _who_ or _which_. _E.g._: “He who is
wise,” &c.
After the conjunction _that_, prefer _who_ or _which_. _E.g._: “He said
_that_ the man _who_ saw him” &c.
It is not improper to follow the demonstrative _this_ by the relative
_that_. _E.g._: “It was _this that_ caused his death.”
When _who_ or _which_ is used restrictively for _that_, it is well to
place _the_ or _that_ before the antecedent, _e.g._: “_The_ States [or,
_those_ States] _which_ border on Canada,” &c.
The objective relative may be omitted whenever the antecedent and the
subject of the relative sentence come into juxtaposition; _e.g._:
“Give me the book you have.”
The personal pronoun _it_ and the relative pronoun _which_ may have as
antecedents a short, clear clause; but this usage is not desirable. So,
although, “He gave me his word of honour: which I had not expected,” is
not incorrect; yet it is better to say, “He gave me his word of honour:
a thing I had” &c.; or, “He gave me his word of honour. I had never
expected this.”
Avoid such a relative construction as: “That was the man _who_, the
witness said, had broken into the store.” Say: “That man, the witness
said, had” &c.; or: “That was the man, the witness said, who” &c.; or:
“That was the man whom the witness accused of having broken” &c. [The
fault of the first construction is that, for an instant, the mind is in
doubt whether _who_ or _whom_ ought to be used.]
Distinguish, according to the sense you wish to convey, between the
use of the adjective and that of the adverb, after intransitive verbs
expressing action [_go_, _come_, _arrive_, _depart_, &c.] _E.g._: “He
arrived safe.” “He arrived safely.” The former denotes his condition
upon arrival, without reference to his condition upon the way. The
latter denotes his condition upon the way, without reference to his
condition upon arrival. So say: “He came safely through numberless
perils, but dropped dead upon the threshold of his own home.”
_Lesser_ may be used of dimensions, but not of quantity. Thus: “He is
lesser than his brother,” is not incorrect; but, “He is smaller than
[or, shorter than, or not so large as],” &c., is better. “There is
lesser wheat than corn,” is incorrect.
GENERAL SUGGESTIONS UPON COMPOSITION.
To avoid ambiguity, report a speech in the _first_, not in the _third_
person.
Try to avoid the use of words that have two or more meanings: _any_,
_certain_, _left_, _lie_, &c. [_Any_ is sometimes used incorrectly for
_indefinitely large_; _e.g._: “He gave me _any_ number of books.”]
Avoid using a word that leaves us for a moment doubtful what part of
speech it is. _E.g._: “The good remains, he said,” &c. [Until something
further is given, we are in doubt whether _remains_ is a noun, the
subject of some unexpressed verb; or a verb, agreeing with its subject,
_good_, used as a noun.]
_Avoid_ the excessive use of such expressions as, _of this sort_, _of
this kind_, _in this way_, _in this manner_. It is better to repeat the
words to which the reference is made.
Avoid what is called the prospective use of _it_. Say, “To give is
good;” not, “It is good to give.”
It is often said that a sentence ought not to end with a preposition.
There is no objection, however, to such an ending, provided the
preposition governs a relative pronoun and is not likely to be mistaken
for some other part of speech. Thus: “The rule that I always adhere
to,” is quite correct. [If preferred, “The rule to which I always
adhere,” may, of course, be used.] It is hardly necessary to say that
the clause or sentence should not end with the _to_ of the infinitive;
_i.e._, _to_, the sign of the infinitive, ought never to be used alone.
Avoid the excessive use of _there is_, _there are_, _there will be_, &c.
To relieve the monotony and to give force to the expression, change
such constructions as, “He replied that he deemed it best that his
example should not be followed;” into, “He deemed it best, he replied,
that his example should not be followed.”
Force may often be gained by the use of particular, in place of
general, terms. _E.g._: _gold_ for _great riches_, _a crust of bread_
for _poverty_. On the same principle, a particular proper name may be
used _effectively_ for a common, or class, name. _E.g._: “Solomon,” is
more forcible than “the wisest man;” “Nero,” than “the most cruel man.”
The great rule, however, for force, or effect, is that the reader
shall be kept _in suspense_; that is, that he shall be made to feel
the incompleteness of the sentence, until the end is reached. To
attain this object the following directions have been given: (1) Put a
conditional clause first, not last. _E.g._: “If he wishes, I will go
away.” [When the conditional clause is very emphatic, it may be placed
last.] (2) Let participial phrases come before the words qualified
by them. _E.g._: “Wasted by disease, worn out with toil, he was fast
sinking into the grave.” [This remark will often apply to adjectives
and adverbs, as well as to participles. _E.g._: “Weary of life, glad to
depart, he quietly passed away.”] (3) Use suspensive words: _not only_,
_but also_; _either_, _or_; _partly_, _partly_; _on the one hand_, _on
the other_; _in the first_, _second_, &c., _place_. Of course, this
“principle of suspense” is not to be too frequently employed.
Emphatic words must be in emphatic positions; _i.e._, at the
_beginning_ or at the _end_ of the proposition. “Coward though he was,
he was forced to fight;” is much more striking than, “He was forced to
fight, although he was a coward.”
The most emphatic place for the subject is at the end, its ordinary
place being at the beginning of the proposition.
On a similar principle, the object is made emphatic by putting it
before its verb.
Again, emphasis may be given by the use, before the emphatic noun, of
such an expression as, _as for the_, _as to the_, _concerning_, &c.
Avoid putting a minimizing expression, such as, _at least_, _at all
events_, _at any rate_, between two emphatic expressions.
Avoid the placing of an unemphatic word at the end of the proposition.
The following sentence is weak, because this rule has not been
observed. “The documents proved how just in all his dealings he was.”
What have been called “short, chippy endings” should be avoided, as
such endings spoil the rythm which should exist even in prose. _E.g._:
“The man, pierced with balls, died;” is bad.
Prepositions and pronouns attached to emphatic words need not, however,
be removed from the end. So: “Bear witness how he loved him,” is
correct. [In such instances the emphatic and the unemphatic word form,
as it were, a compound expression.]
Avoid, on the other hand, a monotonous final emphasis.
Frequently an idea may be expressed more forcibly in the form of a
question than in that of an assertion.
Brevity may often be obtained by the use of a word for a phrase.
_E.g._: _unintelligible_, _indelible_.
Brevity may be obtained, also, by the use of metaphors, in place of
literal words or phrases.
The omission of the present participle often gives brevity and force to
the sentence. _E.g._: “The Indians [being] on the war-path, what dared
we do?”
Brevity may be gained by using the imperative for other moods. _E.g._:
“Do this, and you will suffer;” for, “If you do this” &c. [This use of
the imperative should be indulged in but sparingly.]
Repeat the nominative when the verbs of the various clauses are of
diverse moods, tenses or voices _and_ are emphatically distinguished.
_E.g._: “He is, and _he_ always has been, rich.”
Repeat the preposition after an intervening conjunction, especially if
a verb and a pronoun also intervene. _E.g._: “The man does not remember
the respect he ought to have for those persons who have helped him, and
_for_ his old friend C. in particular.” [If the preposition _for_ were
not repeated after _and_, the sentence might mean that the man does not
remember his old friend C. in particular.]
Do not repeat the sign _to_ of the infinitive unless attention is
called to each individual verb.
When otherwise there would be doubt as to whether an infinitive
expresses a purpose or not, and it is intended that it shall express
a purpose, use _in order that_, _for the purpose of_ [followed by the
form in _-ing_], or some such phrase. [Purpose may be clearly shewn, of
course, by the use of _that_ with an auxiliary verb. _E.g._: “He died
that we might live;” which is equivalent to: “He died in order to give
us life.”]
To avoid ambiguity, or to add emphasis, repeat the subordinate
conjunction. _E.g._: “When the hunter had returned to the far-off camp,
and _when_ he had recounted his adventures” &c.
Be careful in the use of participial constructions. _E.g._: “They will
be shunned on their return, accompanied by the oppressors of their
country;” may mean, “on account of their being accompanied” &c.; or,
“when they are accompanied” &c. So: “Children, playing on the ice,
often fall;” may mean: “Children that play” &c.; or “Children, when
they play” &c. It is best to confine the use of the participial phrase
to the adverbial meaning [“Children, _when_ they play” &c.]; and with
other meanings to employ the relative pronoun [“Children that play”
&c.]. When the participial phrase precedes the main proposition, the
former usually implies _cause_; when it follows, _time_. _E.g._:
“Seeing this, he withdrew” [_i.e._ “He withdrew _because_ he saw
this.”] “He withdrew, seeing this” [_i.e._, “He withdrew _when_ he
saw this.”] If there is doubt as to which meaning is intended, use an
introductory phrase, such as, _while seeing_, _upon seeing_.
There are various constructions that may take the place of the relative
pronoun or of the relative clause. The infinitive may often be used
with effect. _E.g._: “He was the last that died,” may be expressed
as: “He was the last to die.” Again, _if_ or some other conditional
word may be used to introduce a dependent clause. _E.g._: “If a man
sins, he will be punished” [_i.e._, “The man that sins” &c.] Again,
the conjunction and the demonstrative pronoun may be used. _E.g._: “He
wasted his time at X., which was very foolish;” may be changed into:
“He wasted his time at X., and this was” &c. Again, pronominal adverbs
(_whereby_, _wherein_, &c.) may take the place of the relative and a
preposition.
Very often, after a negative, the antecedent to the relative should be
repeated, or a summing-up noun introduced. _E.g._: “He said he would
not hear me--a refusal that I expected.” When otherwise there would be
ambiguity, the same construction should be used with an affirmative.
Prefer verbal clauses to verbal nouns. “That he had betrayed his
country was not so plainly shown,” is better than: “His having
betrayed” &c.
Avoid what is called “mistake of subject.” _E.g._: “The late arrival of
the train caused” &c., should be: “The lateness of the arrival” &c. So:
“Excuse a letter to-day,” should be: “Excuse my not having written a
letter to-day.”
_In prose_ be careful to avoid zeugma, _i.e._, the application of a
word to two or more ideas, to only one of which it is really suitable.
_E.g._: “The landscape and the shoutings formed a strange _sight_.”
The great rule for figures of speech, especially for metaphors and
similes, is to use strictly appropriate language. Therefore, do
not say, “_Convey an impression_.” Say, “_Make_ [or _leave_] an
impression.” Do not say, “The _car_ of progress rolls onward, _gnashing
its teeth_ in its course.”
In metaphorical language the pronouns usually agree with the noun used
metaphorically, as if it were taken in its literal sense. _E.g._:
“The stone _which_ the builders rejected,” &c. Afterwards, however,
the pronouns may agree with the noun in its figurative sense. _E.g._:
“Behold I lay in Zion a chief corner-stone; and he that believeth on
_Him_,” &c.
Do not employ different forms and expressions for the same person or
thing, unless there is a peculiar appropriateness in each term or
expression. Only confusion results from speaking, within narrow limits,
of Columbus as “the Genoese navigator,” “the discoverer of America,” &c.
It is a bad fault, therefore, to repeat the meaning in terms but
slightly differing one from another. Thus, do not, in close connection,
use such synonyms as _all_, _universal_, _total_.
A new construction ought not to be introduced without sufficient cause.
_E.g._: “On horseback and on foot,” is preferable to, “On horseback and
walking;” “The dead and the living,” to, “The dead and those still on
the earth.”
Let each sentence have one, and only one, subject of thought. That is,
avoid mixed or confused sentences.
It is often a good thing to introduce each sentence of a paragraph by a
short connecting expression: _accordingly_, _therefore_, _so_, _then_.
[Such words as _but_, _and_, and other conjunctions generally used to
join clauses, may, for the sake of clearness, introduce a new sentence.]
Sometimes two important sentences may very effectively be united by a
short connective sentence, such as: “This was as follows,” “The result
was as expected.”
Often a good effect is produced by making a statement or by giving an
explanation twice: first, briefly, and then fully; or _vice versâ_.
The guiding principle in descriptive writing is to imagine we see,
actually before us, the thing to be described.
Except in scientific or other very precise writing, avoid the frequent
use of _technical_ terms. It savors of pedantry, as the meaning of
these terms is often unknown to the general reader. This “technical
slang” is commonly seen in newspaper accounts of sporting and musical
events. Why should _bowling_ be called “trundling the leather,” or
a _lacrosse ball_ the “rubber”? Why should the report of a concert
fairly bristle with “technique” and “timbre” and “genre” and “morceau”?
Perhaps it is to display the writer’s intimate knowledge of the subject.
WORDS OFTEN CONFUSED, SYNONYMS, OPPOSITES.
_Advantage, benefit._
_Advantage_ is “a state of forwardness or advance;” and the word is
applied rightly, therefore, to one person or thing in relation to
other persons or things. _Benefit_ is simply gain or profit, without
comparison of one person or thing with another. [Thus: “He possesses
an advantage over me,” is correct. “All derived advantage from it,” is
incorrect.]
_Also, likewise._
_Also_ is applied to things and qualities, and denotes mere addition.
_Likewise_ is applied to states of being or of action; and denotes
some agreement or connection between the ideas expressed in the words
it joins. [Thus: “He is a prince and _also_ a musician;” but: “He is a
poet and _likewise_ a musician.”]
_Ability, capacity._
_Ability_ is the power of doing something. _Capacity_ is the faculty
of receiving something [_e.g._: new ideas, great thoughts.] [So: “That
statesman has great ability;” “That pupil had wonderful capacity.”]
_Answer, reply._
_An answer_ is given to questions; _a reply_, to attacks and
accusations. [An answer to an answer may, however, be called a reply.]
_Amid [amidst], among._
_Amid or amidst_ is used generally when the surroundings are of a
different nature from the person or thing surrounded. _Among_, when
they are of the same nature. Again, _amid or amidst_ is generally
applied to quantity; _among_, to number. [So: “among friends;” “amidst
enemies;” “among thousands;” “amid the snow.”]
_Abandon, desert, forsake._
_Abandon_ and _desert_ generally imply something blame-worthy in the
one who abandons or deserts; _forsake_ does not. Again: _abandon and
forsake_ are used of persons and things, _desert_ is used of causes or
of persons, but not of things. [Thus: “The soldier deserted his post
of duty.” “The man abandoned his early friends.” “We forsook the dear
old homestead.”]
_Assist, aid._
_Assist_ implies mutuality of help; _aid_, not necessarily so. [“The
sufferers assisted one another.” “I aided him in his distress.”]
_Anger, wrath._
_Anger_ is inward feeling. _Wrath_ is inward feeling accompanied by
outward manifestations. [“The wrath of the elements.” “The anger of
the inmost soul.”]
_Accurate, exact._
_Accurate_ is aiming at, and therefore attaining to, correctness.
_Exact_ has not necessarily this implication of intention, and may be
used of accidental correctness. [“He was very honest and accurate in
his accounts.” “He was exact in that financial statement, but it was
by chance.”]
_Authentic, genuine_ (applied to books, writing, &c.).
_Authentic_ is that which gives a true account of the matters in
question. _Genuine_ is that which has been written or composed by the
person whose signature the book or paper bears. [“This is a genuine
letter of the great Captain’s; but it does not give an authentic
account of the voyage.”]
_Admittance, admission._
_Admittance_ is the right of entry; _admission_ is the actual entry.
[“The admittance fee was twenty-five cents.” “The burglar gained
admission to the house by a window.”]
_Allow and permit._
_Allow_ is the stronger of the two. [“I begged to to be allowed to go;
but I was refused.” “Permit me to show you to a seat.”]
_Appear, seem._
_Seem_ is confined to the mind; _appear_, to the senses. [“It seems to
me that you have made a mistake.” “That house appears white to me.”]
_Bountiful and plentiful._
_Bountiful_ is used of persons; _plentiful_, of things. [“The game was
plentiful.” “A bountiful giver.”]
_Bravery, courage, valor._
_Bravery_ is a natural quality; _courage_ and _valor_ are acquired
qualities; courage, in particular, being the result of reason.
_Bravery_ and _valor_ are confined to contests with living beings;
_courage_ is not. Again, _valor_ is not used of single combat, but
of war; _bravery_ and _courage_ may be used of single combat. [“The
natives showed great bravery.” “He bore his sufferings with undaunted
courage.” “His military career was one long record of valor.”]
_Beneficent, beneficence; benevolent, benevolence._
_Beneficent_ is used chiefly--if not entirely--of actions.
_Benevolent_ is used of both actions and feelings, chiefly of
feelings. The same thing may be said of most adjectives and
nouns having the endings _-ficent_ and _-ficence_ [facio, I
do] respectively, and _-volent_ and _-volence_ [volo, I will]
respectively; _e.g._: _munificent_, _malevolent_. [“He was naturally
very benevolent; but, owing to the circumstances of his life, he could
not shew any very great beneficence.” “He was a very munificent man,
continually giving away his money to the poor.”] The use of these
words should be confined to persons or personified things. It is
incorrect, therefore, to speak of a _munificent_ gift.
_Brevity, conciseness; brief, concise._
_Brevity_ is mere shortness. _Conciseness_ is shortness along with
condensation. [“His speech was very brief; for really there was
nothing to be said.” “Mr. H. is very concise in his speeches: they are
short, but full of matter.”]
_Continuous, continual._
Motion is _continuous_ when there are no interruptions. It is
_continual_ when there are interruptions. [“Life itself is
continuous.” “The demands upon ones purse are imperative and
continual.”]
_Character, reputation._
_Character_ is our real inner worth; _reputation_ is the world’s
opinion of our character. [“His reputation is bad; but, could we see
his real character, we should find him not so bad, after all.”]
_Conscious, aware._
_Conscious_ applies to the heart, the soul, the conscience: _i.e._, to
the moral and spiritual part of man. _Aware_ applies to the mind. [“He
was conscious of his sin.” “He was not aware that you saw him.”]
_Crime, sin, vice._
A _crime_ is an infraction of the law of a particular land or people.
_Sin_ is the violation of a religious law. This law may be common to
many lands or peoples. _Vice_ is a continual course of wrong-doing,
and is unaffected by country, religious belief, or state of life:
being a line of conduct harmful to the vicious man or to others.
[Smuggling is a crime; idleness is a sin, and, if long-continued, it
becomes a vice.]
_Courteous, polite [polished]._
_Courteous_ has reference chiefly to others; _polite or polished_, to
ourselves. The former is “objective;” the latter, “subjective.” [Thus:
“We met an old fisherman, who took us home and treated us with great
courtesy and kindness. Of course, he was not polished: in fact, he had
very little idea of politeness.”]
_Catalogue, list._
A _catalogue_ is a list accompanied by short explanations or notes.
“The list of the paintings was only a page and a half long; but the
complete catalogue--compiled later--occupied four pages.”
_Casual, accidental, fortuitous._
That is _casual_ which is unpremeditated. That is _fortuitous_ which
is “opposed to systematic design.” [_Fortuitous_ generally implies
a combination of events.] That is _accidental_ which interrupts
(generally unpleasantly) the ordinary course of events. [“Walking
carelessly along, I took a casual look at the prison window; and there
I beheld my friend.” “The accidental stopping of the coach saved him a
further explanation.” “The meeting was quite fortuitous: it would not
have taken place once in a thousand times.”]
_Compel, compulsion; coerce, coercion._
_Compel and compulsion_ generally imply the employment of physical
force. _Coerce and coercion_ do not, their meaning being almost always
confined to moral or mental pressure.
_Confess, acknowledge._
_Confess_, _confession_, imply that what is told was before unknown
to the person to whom the confession is made. _Acknowledge_,
_acknowledgment_, have no such implication. [“But what was their
surprise when the captain confessed that he himself was the murderer!”
“The monster, being accused of the crime, acknowledged his guilt.”]
_Conjecture, surmise._
_A surmise_ is founded on evidence; _a conjecture_, not necessarily
so. A _conjecture_, therefore, is generally of something visionary;
a _surmise_ of something practical. [“His conjecture, that the moon
is inhabited, is now discredited.” “After taking observations, he
surmised that the Indians contemplated an attack.”]
_Con- and Co-_ [in composite words].
_Con-_ is used before a consonant; _co-_, before a vowel. When,
however, the two parts are very distinct, _co-_ is preferred, before
even a consonant. A hyphen will, in such cases, generally be used.
[_Contemporary_, _coeval_, _co-partner_.]
_Complete, finished._
_Complete_ means lacking nothing. _Finished_ means done as far as was
intended. [“The house is finished for the winter; but still, much more
labor will be required to make it complete.”]
_Custom, habit, usage._
_Custom and usage_ apply to society; _habit_ applies to an individual.
Again, _usage_ implies long standing; _custom_, not necessarily so.
[“My _habit_ in Africa was to rise early. Early rising is a _custom_
of the country, sanctioned by immemorial _usage_.”]
_Discriminate, distinguish._
_Discriminate_ is used of small differences; _distinguish_, of great
differences. Again: _discriminate_ applies to several objects;
_distinguish_, to two. Further: _discriminate_ is generally used of
the mind; _distinguish_, of the senses. [“By the light of the lantern
he distinguished the bodies.” “He discriminated among the specimens,
which, to an unpractised eye, appeared all the same.”]
_Despotism, tyranny._
_Despotism_ exists by law or of right. _A tyranny_ exists in the face
of law and right. A _despotism_ may, therefore, be mild, as has often
been the case in history.
_Determine, resolve._
_Resolve_ is stronger than _determine_. [“I am resolved to die
rather than give up my Church.” “I am determined to get the book, if
possible.”]
_Directed, guided._
One is _directed_ by a person at a greater or less distance. One is
_guided_ by a person close at hand. [“Taking our hand, he guided
us through the forest.” “Standing on an eminence, he directed the
pilgrims to their various quarters, by a movement of the hand.”]
_Deduction, induction._
In reasoning, _deduction_ is proceeding from generals to particulars;
_induction_, from particulars to generals.
_Direct, address._
A letter is _directed_ to him who is to receive it; _addressed_,
to him who is to read it. A parcel, therefore, is _directed_, not
_addressed_.
_Drive, ride._
_Drive_ is to urge along; _ride_, to be borne along. This is the
distinction in America. [“Mr. Vanderbilt drove a beautiful span of
bays; his wife rode beside him.”] In Great Britain and Ireland,
_drive_ generally refers to vehicles (except busses, cabs, and other
public conveyances, with which its use is confined to the driver);
whilst _ride_ means to be carried upon the back of a horse, donkey,
&c. Thus: “I went out for a drive,” would not necessarily mean that
I myself held the reins. The American use of _drive and ride_ is,
however, more agreeable to reason and authority.
_Evidence, testimony._
_Evidence_ is that which produces proof. _Testimony_ is that which
is intended to produce proof, _i.e._, the giving of what may be
_evidence_. [“Much testimony was taken, but really there was little
evidence of even the commission of the crime.”]
_Epidemic, endemic._
_Epidemic_ is a disease brought upon or into a community from some
outside quarter. It is therefore unnatural to the locality. _Endemic_
is a disease natural to the community or locality. [“Yellow-fever,
which is epidemic at New York, is endemic in Cuba.”]
_Expense, cost; expensive, costly._
_Expense and expensive_ refer to the purchaser; _cost and costly_, to
the thing purchased. [“That vase is not too costly--for it is very
valuable; but it is too expensive for my limited means.”]
_Effect, consequence, result._
The _effect_ is that which immediately follows the cause. Then comes
the _consequence_, and after that the _result_. [“The effect of
wearing clothes is warmth; the consequence is the wearing out of the
clothes; the result is the purchase of new clothes.”]
_Eternal, everlasting._
_Eternal_: having neither beginning nor end; _everlasting_: having
beginning, but no end. [“Eternal Father, strong to save.” “The
everlasting hills.”]
_Etc. [etcetera], and so forth._
_Etc._ means, “and others of a different kind.” _And so forth_ means,
“and others of the same kind,” “in the same strain,” “and the like.”
[“He has sold his horses, cows, sheep, &c.” “The result is a train of
coughs, colds, consumption, and so forth.”] In dignified composition
the use of these expressions is to be avoided as much as possible. It
is incorrect to use _etc._, _&c._, _and so forth_, in instances like
the following: “Employ some such word as mountain, hill,” &c. [_Some
such_ renders &c. superfluous.]
_Ferment, foment._
_Ferment_ is to produce alcohol by fermentation. Hence _ferment_
is sometimes used figuratively with the intransitive force of “to
be in an excited state.” _Foment_ is to apply lotions to; hence,
figuratively, to animate or stir up. [“The revolutionary ingredients
seemed to be fermenting; the leaven of socialism seemed to be
working.” “He fomented the disturbance by appeals to the people.”]
_Faultless, blameless._
_Faultless_ is, free from defects as well as from evil or wickedness.
_Blameless_ is, free from evil or wickedness alone. [“His course of
life was blameless, although he made many errors in business matters.”
“His playing was faultless.”]
_Falsehood, falsity._
A _falsehood_ is a false or incorrect proposition. _Falsity_ is
the falseness or incorrectness of the proposition, apart from the
proposition itself. [“That statement is a falsehood. The falsity of
the assertions contained therein is obvious.”]
_Farther, further._
_Farther_ is used of rest; _further_, of motion. In a secondary sense
_further_ is generally preferred. [“Montreal is farther away than
Toronto.” “I throw the ball further than you.” “To speak further is
superfluous.”]
_Goodness, virtue._
_Goodness_ is innate; _virtue_, acquired. [“His goodness of heart
prompted the savage to give us food.” “His virtue was of slow growth:
at first he was a most degraded man.”]
_However, but, yet, still, notwithstanding, nevertheless, in spite of._
These words are in their proper gradation from weak to strong.
_Hidden, concealed, secret._
_Hidden and concealed_ imply intention; _secret_ does not. [“Hidden
here, concealed there, the officers found the stolen goods.” “Deep in
the earth he found the secret ore.”]
_Haste, hurry._
_Haste_ is quickness. _Hurry_ is quickness accompanied with confusion
or flurry. [“We are often in haste; we ought never to be in a hurry.”]
_Hindrance, obstacle, inpediment._
A _hindrance_ stops us at the beginning; an _obstacle_, in the
middle; an _inpediment_ retards us all the time. [“Our journey was
very unfortunate. The entrance of a visitor was a hindrance to our
departure; about a mile from the house we found in the road an
obstacle in the shape of a fallen tree; whilst the mass of baggage we
carried was a serious inpediment to our progress.”]
_Informed, instructed, taught._
One who is _informed_ knows something new; one who is _instructed_
understands something new; one who is _taught_ can do something new.
[“He was informed of the death of his father.” “He was instructed in
matters of trade.” “He was taught how to make sword-blades.”]
_To take issue, to join issue._
_To take issue_ is to object to the right of denial. _To join issue_
is to admit the right of denial, but to disagree as to facts. _Join
issue_ should, of course, never be used for _agree_. [“He wanted to
argue with me; but I at once took issue with him, alleging that his
position in the matter precluded any argument.” “He said yes; I said
no. Upon this we joined issue.”]
_Indecent, immodest._
_Indecent_ is used of the person; _immodest_, of the conduct or
disposition. [“The wearing of such clothes was simply indecent.” “His
general behaviour was quite immodest.”]
_Instant, moment._
An _instant_ is shorter than a _moment_. [“In a few moments--nay, in a
single instant--we may be ushered into eternity.”]
_Industrious, diligent; industry, diligence._
_Diligent_ and _diligence_ express the idea of thoroughly doing
whatever is at hand. _Industrious_ and _industry_ express the same
idea, and, in addition, imply a readiness or watchfulness for work.
[“He performed his task with diligence--just as a well-trained horse
does. He lacked, however, those habits of industry and thrift which
raised his brother to wealth.”]
_Import, meaning, sense._
_Import_ is the idea most readily conveyed. _Meaning_ is the idea
intended to be conveyed. _Sense_ is the way in which the expression
may be taken, or its general substance or spirit. [“He says the
meaning is so and so. His words may have that sense, but it is not
their obvious import.”]
_Illusion, delusion._
_Illusion_ is the imagining to be existent of something non-existent.
_Delusion_ is an incorrect idea about something really existent.
[“His chief illusion was that there were wild beasts in the room.”
“The delusion under which he labored was that paper currency is real
money, instead of its representative.”]
_In-_, _un-_ [prefixes].
_In-_ is the ordinary negative prefix to be used with nouns and
adjectives of Latin origin. _Un-_ is the negative prefix to be used:
(1) with words of Anglo-Saxon origin; (2) with verbs of Latin origin.
[Thus: _inhospitable_, _ingratitude_; _unclean_, _unauthorize_.] There
are, however, many exceptions; _e.g._: _uncomfortable_, _incapacitate_.
_Inexorable, inflexible._
_Inexorable_ is, not to be prevailed upon by entreaty; _inflexible_,
not to be bent at all. _Inflexible_ is therefore the stronger of the
two. [“We tried entreaties, but he was inexorable. Afterwards, we
tried money and threats; but he was still inflexible.”]
_Jar, pitcher, jug._
_A jar_ is a wide-mouthed vessel without a handle [“A jar of jam”].
_A pitcher_ is a wide-mouthed vessel with a protruding lip and a
large ear or handle. [“Please pass the milk-pitcher.”] _A jug_ is a
small-mouthed vessel with a swelling body and a small ear or handle
near the mouth. [“He brought a large jug of beer.”]
_Low-priced, cheap._
_Low-priced_ is that for which little has been paid. The thing may
however, really be dear. _Cheap_ is that the price of which is low,
its intrinsic worth being considered. [“The watch was by no means
low-priced; it cost, in fact, one hundred pounds; still, it was cheap
at that sum, for its action was perfect.”]
_Lazy, idle, slothful._
_Lazy_ describes the general disposition, and is the opposite to
_alert_ or _industrious_. _Idle_ refers to a particular time, place
or matter, and is the opposite to _busy_ or _occupied_. _Slothful_
or _indolent_ implies a hatred of exertion and a general slowness or
languor. The opposite to _slothfulness_ or _indolence_ is _activity_.
[“The boy was thoroughly lazy: he would neither work nor play.” “After
a hard day’s work, he was now enjoying a few minutes of idle repose.”
“Be not slothful in business.”]
_Laudable, praiseworthy._
_Laudable_ is used of things; _praiseworthy_, of persons. [“It is a
most laudable endeavour.” “He is a praiseworthy man.”]
_Last, latest._
_Last_ is used of place or order; _latest_, of time. [“His name
was last on the list.” “He was the latest to arrive.”] _Late_ is
often employed incorrectly for _last_. _E.g._: “The _late_ [_last_]
speaker.” #
_Leave, quit._
_Leave_ generally implies a return. _Quit_ generally implies no
return. [“He left me for a moment.” “He quitted me for ever.”]
_Malice, spite._
_Malice_ is used of conduct in general; _spite_, of individual acts.
[“He followed him for years with untiring malice.” “On this occasion
he certainly shewed spite towards his opponent.”]
_Marital, matrimonial._
_Marital_ means, pertaining to a husband; _matrimonial_, pertaining
to marriage. [“His marital rights were disregarded.” “Matrimonial
alliances between crowned heads are often matters of policy.”]
_Mistake, error._
A _mistake_ is not necessarily blameworthy. An _error_ is
blameworthy. [“That was a fortunate mistake.” “It was a downright
error on his part; for he had been warned again and again.”]
_Mute, dumb._
_Mute_ is used of one who _can_ speak, but who, through compulsion or
otherwise, will not. _Dumb_ is used of one who _cannot_ speak. So,
the expression, _a deaf-mute_, should be, _a deaf and dumb person_.
[“He was mute, in spite of all their threats: he would not betray his
friends.” “He was dumb, having uttered no articulate sound in his
whole life.”]
_Merely, simply._
_Merely_ implies no addition; _simply_, no admixture. [“They were
there merely to prevent bloodshed.” “It was simply incredible that he
should have so acted.”]
_Nearly, entirely, scarcely; almost, completely, hardly._
_Nearly_, _entirely_, _scarcely_, are applied to quantity, time or
space; _almost_, _completely_, _hardly_, generally to degree. [“It is
nearly a mile from here.” “The apple is hardly ripe.” “He is almost
dead.”]
_Neglectful, negligent._
_Neglectful_ refers to an individual act. _Negligent_, to a series
of acts that have produced a habit. [“To forget that book was very
neglectful.” “He was all his life a most negligent man.”]
_Owing, due._
_Due_ is used of debts. _Owing_ calls attention to the source or
origin whence something springs. The present participle [_owing_]
of the intransitive verb _to owe_ has taken the place of the past
participle [_owed_] of the transitive verb _to owe_. [“A large sum
was due him.” “It was owing to the Crusades that many oriental ideas
and inventions were introduced into the West.”]
_On, upon._
_Upon_ is stronger than _on_, and should be employed when
particular attention is to be drawn to the support, whether literal
or figurative. With verbs of motion, also, _upon_ is generally
preferable. [“The book is on the table.” “He lifted the large box,
and put it upon the table.” “Upon truth and righteousness, upon
honour and justice, must rest the foundations of every state.”]
_Perspicacity, perspicuity; perspicacious, perspicuous._
_Perspicacity and perspicacious_ express the power of of seeing
clearly. _Perspicuity and perspicuous_ express the quality of
clearness. The former two are active in their meaning, the latter two
passive. The ending _-city_, here as elsewhere, denotes the power
or ability to do something; _e.g._: _veracity_ is the quality of
speaking the truth, not truth itself. [“I admire the perspicuity of
his explanations.” “He is a most perspicacious man: nothing escapes
his eye.”] In many cases, _clear-sightedness_, _clear-sighted_,
_clearness_, _clear_, are greatly preferable to _perspicacity_ and
the rest.
_Perpetually, continually; perpetual, continual._
_Perpetually_ is an exact synonym of _continuously_, and means,
therefore, never-ceasing. _Continual_ implies interruptions, and is
equivalent to constantly renewed. [“The perpetual flow of the river.”
“The continual roar of the mill, ceasing only for a short time at
night.”]
_Proclaim, announce._
One _proclaims_ opinions, sentiments, and so forth. One _announces_
news, tidings, and so on. [“He proclaimed to the vast throng the
revolutionary doctrines of socialism.” “The messenger announced that
the battle was lost.”]
_Purpose, intent or intention._
_Purpose_ generally implies the employment of means to accomplish
the end. _Intent and intention_ may exist without the employment of
means. [“His intention was to do wonders; but he never did anything
at all.” “His practical purpose soon found ways and means to
accomplish what he wished.”]
_Poverty, indigence, pauperism._
_Poverty_ means straitened circumstances, one’s position in life
being considered. _Indigence_ is absolute destitution. _Pauperism_
implies the receiving of public relief. [“The duke was in poverty,
although he had £1,000 a year. But what is that for the expenses
of a duke?” “I found them in the greatest indigence--without any
fuel, and with but a mouthful of bread.” “Legalized pauperism kills
individual effort.”]
_Reticent, reticence; reserved, reserve._
_Reticence and reticent_ are confined to habitual quiet or caution.
_Reserve and reserved_ may refer to temporary quiet or caution. [“He
a very reticent man: during our whole acquaintance with him I have
never heard him make a speech.” “I questioned him upon that point,
but he kept a careful reserve.”]
_Reverse and converse._
_Reverse_ is the opposite or antithesis. _Converse_ is “an opposite
reciprocal proposition.” In the converse, therefore, the cause
becomes the effect, the condition becomes the result. [“Minus is the
reverse of plus.” “If the sides of two triangles are respectively
equal, the angles will be equal. But the converse is not true; for
the angles may be equal, and the sides unequal.”]
_Recompense, reward, meed._
_Recompense_ is a fair compensation. _Reward_ is any present or gift.
_Meed_ is something earned by one’s own toil. [“The recompense for
the loss of his arm at the Alma was not too great.” “He rewarded me
munificently--indeed, far above my deserts.” “He alone who fights and
labours, wins the glorious meed.”]
_Robbery, theft._
_Robbery_ is stealing with violence; _theft_, generally without.
[“After a hard struggle, he robbed the traveller of his watch.” “I
had not noticed the theft, it was committed so quietly.”]
_Remember, recollect._
_Remember_ is to gather materials ready at hand; _recollect_, to
gather materials not ready at hand. [“I do not remember, but I will
try to recollect.”]
_Religion, piety._
_Religion_ is a form of belief or worship. _Piety_ is reverence for
what is good, and the desire to do good. It includes, therefore,
love, charity and such like. [“There are many religions; there is but
one piety.”]
_Relieve, alleviate, mitigate._
_Relieve_ is to remove pain _entirely_. _Alleviate_ or _mitigate_ is
to remove it but partially. _Alleviate_ is used generally of others,
_mitigate_ of ourselves. [“At his touch the pain was instantly
relieved.” “I alleviated his sufferings through the application of a
lotion.” “My anguish was somewhat mitigated.”]
_Recant, abjure._
_Recant_ generally implies the use of force; _abjure_ generally does
not. [“Unable to bear the torture, he recanted.” “I freely abjure all
part in the plot.”]
_Rend, tear._
_Rend_ implies purpose; _tear_ may or may not do so. _Rend_ generally
carries with it the idea of splitting or dividing. Such idea is not
necessarily implied in _tear_. [“He unfortunately tore his coat.” “He
tore his hair.” “He rent his garment.”]
_Sewerage, sewage._
_Sewerage_: a system of drainage or the science of drainage. It is
but rarely used for sewage. _Sewage_: sometimes the same as sewerage,
but generally the matter flowing through the drains. [“How many books
have been written on sewerage!” “The sewage from the city pollutes
the river.”]
_Spontaneous, voluntary._
_Spontaneous_ should be confined to things; _voluntary_, to persons.
[“It was an instance of spontaneous combustion.” “The action was
voluntary on his part.”]
_Sociable, social._
_Sociable_ expresses a readiness for companionship. _Social_ refers
to the relations that men in an organized society bear, one to
another. [“He is a very sociable man.” “Have you read the great works
on social science and social progress?”] _Sociable_ is, therefore,
the correct form of the noun. [“The sociable was successful.”]
_Satisfied, contented._
_Satisfied_ is stronger than _contented_, and means that all our
desires are gratified. _Satisfaction_ is positive pleasure, and comes
from the outside. _Contentment_ is the absence of pain, and lies
in ourselves. _Satisfaction_ is less lasting than _contentment_.
[“The industrious and intelligent artisan may, for a time, remain
contented; but he is certainly far from satisfied with his lot.”]
_Sufficient, enough._
One has _enough_ when one’s desires are satisfied; _sufficient_, when
one’s needs are satisfied. [“Do not let the horse eat as much as he
will. Give him just sufficient.” “He was rich; but, like all other
misers, he never had enough.”]
_Strong, powerful._
_Strong_: of sound constitution, able to stand hard work. _Powerful_:
able to lift heavy weights, to strike heavy blows, &c. [“He
made a gallant fight against disease; for he was a very strong
man.” “Strange to say, he was a very powerful man, able to give
tremendous blows; and yet, his constitution was undermined through
dissipation.”] _Muscular_ is a very effective word.
_Stubborn, obstinate._
_Stubborn_: opposed to the way of others; _obstinate_: set in one’s
own way. [“I tried to induce him to approve my scheme; but, although
he had none of his own to offer, yet he was stubborn and refused.”
“He wished to go his own way, and was very obstinate about the
matter.”]
_Safety, security._
_Safety_: freedom from danger. _Security_: freedom from care.
_Security_ may, therefore, be real or fancied. [“He relied with the
greatest security upon his followers; but, really, he was far from
being in a position of safety.”]
_Subdue, subjugate._
_Subdue_ is to conquer so thoroughly that resistance ceases.
_Subjugate_ is to conquer and then to impose restraints, generally
repeated and severe. _Subjugate_, moreover, is used chiefly in
a literal sense, _i.e._, with reference to nations; _subdue_ is
frequently used in a figurative sense, _i.e._, with reference to the
mind or the moral nature. [“England subdued, but did not subjugate
Russia.” “The Poles have been subjugated; but their spirits are yet
unsubdued.”]
_Source, origin._
_Source_ implies that the supply is continuous; _origin_, that it has
ceased. [“This was the origin of the friendship, which was a source
of such joy.”]
_Tongue, language._
_Tongue_ is generally an original form of speech; _language_, a
derived form. [“The Latin is one of the tongues from which so many
languages have sprung.”] _Language_ may, of course, be used of
inarticulate speech [“The language of birds”], where _tongue_ would
be incorrect.
_Transitory, transient_ or _fleeting_.
_Transitory_ is liable to pass away. _Transient or fleeting_ is
actually passing away. _Transitory_ is abstract; _transient and
fleeting_ are concrete, as well as abstract. _Fleeting_ is preferable
to _transient_. [“Earth’s joys are transitory: in a moment they may
pass away.” “Life is fleeting as a shadow: the transient moments can
never be recalled.”]
_Trivial, trifling._
_Trivial_ generally has a tinge of contempt; _trifling_, generally
not. [“That is the most absurd and trivial matter in the world.” “The
greater part of our time ought to be occupied with serious matters;
the rest may be occupied with amusements and other rather trifling
matters.”]
_Talkative, loquacious._
_Talkative_ implies a desire to speak, accompanied or not with
readiness of speech. _Loquacious_ implies a desire to speak,
accompanied with a readiness of speech. [“The little child was very
talkative.” “Unlike most loquacious men, he was very instructive in
his long harangues.”]
_Voluntary, willing._
_Voluntary_ is with seeming readiness or acquiescence; _willing_,
with real readiness or acquiescence. [“He went voluntarily: no
compulsion was used; but still, he looked as if he did not like to
go.” “He was ready--yes, more than ready--willing, to die.”]
_Vulgar, immodest; vulgarity, immodesty._
Only what is metaphorically low is _vulgar_. _Vulgarity_, moreover,
generally implies pretension to refinement along with lowness of
disposition. [“That was a most immodest act.” “His general bearing
was very vulgar.” “The old-fashioned English squire--coarse as he
was--was not vulgar, was not given to cheap display and pretence.”]
_Whole, entire._
_Whole_: that from which nothing has been taken. _The whole_ and _all
the_ are usually interchangeable. _Entire_: that which is undivided.
[“The whole town was burned: not a single house escaped.” “That
congregation, at any rate, was entire in its vote: there were no
divisions among its members.”]
_Wit, humor._
_Wit_ is the effect of unexpected fitness or congruity. _Humor_ is
the effect of unexpected unfitness or incongruity. Again, humor is
not, as wit is, sudden and short-lived; it extends very often through
a whole book or speech. [“Humor is all. Wit should be brought only to
turn agreeably some proper thought.” “He made a very witty pun, and
wrote more than one humorous chapter.”]
_World, earth, globe._
_World_ is our planet viewed from the “moral or abstract point
of view.” _The world_ refers, therefore, almost always to its
inhabitants. _Earth_ is our planet with reference to its external or
material formation or aspect. _Globe_ is our planet in a geological
sense chiefly. _Globe_ is often used in poetry for _world_ or
_earth_. [“The bodies revolving round the sun are the following:
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars,” &c. “When we look abroad upon the world
and see its wickedness, we are lost in wonder at man’s depravity.”
“Who can say how many ages have been required for the formation of
the crust of the globe!”]
_Wholly_, _totally_ [with expressions denoting deprivation or loss].
_Wholly_ lays stress upon the condition of the person deprived;
_totally_, upon the thing of which he has been deprived. [“He is
wholly blind.” “His sight is totally gone.”]
PREFER.
_Prefer_:
Approve _to_ approve of. [“To shew thyself approved unto God.”]
Agriculturist _to_ agriculturalist.
Aside _to_ apart. [“He took me aside.”] _Apart_ means _to pieces_, as,
“He took the clock apart.”
Alone _to_ only, as much as possible.
Arise _to_ rise, in a figurative or secondary sense. [“Greece arose
from her ashes.”]
Advance _to_ progress [as verb]. _Progress_ is not properly formed
from the Latin root.
Acquaintanceship _to_ acquaintance, as an abstract noun. Reserve
_acquaintance_ for persons or things one is acquainted with.
Begin _to_ initiate. _Initiate_ may very properly be used in the sense
of, to induct into a position or introduce to a society.
Begin _to_ commence.
Become _to_ grow, denoting a change of condition. [“He becomes rich
and wise.”]
Believe _to_ think. [“I believe it is so.”]
Body [dead], or corpse, _to_ the remains.
Buy _to_ purchase.
Coffin _to_ casket.
Cannot but _to_ can but. [“I cannot but tell what I know.”] There
is an ellipsis in all such expressions: “I cannot do anything but
(_i.e._, except) tell what” &c.
Come into collision _to_ collide.
Correct or in the right _to_ right, when correctness, and not
uprightness, is meant, _E.g._: “I am correct in my statistics.”
Converser or conversationist _to_ conversationalist.
Controverter, or controversionist, _to_ controversionalist.
Church _to_ sanctuary.
Contend against, oppose, be at variance with, _to_ militate against.
Corpulent, heavy, fat, _to_ fleshy [of persons].
Deadly _to_ lethal.
Dwell, or live, _to_ reside.
Exponental _to_ exponential.
Earthen, golden, &c., _to_ earth, gold, &c. [as adjectives]. _E.g._:
“An earthen jar.”
Enlarge on [or, upon] _to_ dilate on [or, upon].
Foregoing _to_ above, as an adjective. [“The foregoing statement is
correct.”]
Factory _to_ manufactory.
Forbid _to_ prohibit.
Forward, backward, toward, &c., _to_ forwards, backwards, towards, &c.
Graceful _to_ elegant, when speaking of the body and its movements.
Hebrew _to_ Jew, when speaking of race.
House _to_ residence.
Incorrect, or in the wrong, _to_ wrong, when incorrectness, and not
unrighteousness, is meant.
Iced-water, iced-cream, &c., _to_ ice-water, ice-cream, &c.
Inform _to_ advise [in letters &c.] _Advise_ has a double meaning;
_inform_ has not.
Kinsman, kinswoman, _to_ relative, relation.
Last two weeks, last six months, &c., _to_ past two weeks, past six
months, &c.
Lenity, or lenience, _to_ leniency.
Loose _to_ unloose.
Land _to_ real estate.
Leading article, or leader, _to_ editorial.
Lengthwise, sidewise, &c., _to_ lengthways, sideways, &c.
The morrow _to_ to-morrow [as noun]. _E.g._: “The morrow will suit me.”
The months by name _to_ ult., prox., inst.
Much _to_ a great deal.
Muscular _to_ stout. [_Stout_ is somewhat ambiguous, meaning both
_strong_ and _corpulent_.]
One to [or, with] another _to_ among themselves. _E.g._: “They divided
the money one with another.”
Oneself _to_ one’s self.
Oversee _to_ supervise.
Offensive _to_ obnoxious.
Ordinal numbers _to_ cardinal numbers in the heading of letters. Write
_March 24th_, or _March the 24th_, rather than _March 24_.
Rich _to_ wealthy.
Railway _to_ railroad.
Seeming _to_ apparent.
Self-same _to_ identical.
Say _to_ remark, or observe. [_To remark_ and _to observe_ mean _to
notice_.]
Station _to_ depot [or dépôt].
Sympathy _to_ pity, when speaking of or to equals.
Truthfulness _to_ veracity. [_Veracity_ should be used of persons
only.]
Tangental _to_ tangential.
Thus _to_ so. [“He does it _thus_.”]
Unexpressed _to_ understood. [_Understood_ has two meanings.]
Violoncello _to_ violincello. [The instrument is a large, not a small,
violin.]
Various, or diverse, _to_ different. [_Different_ should be confined
to the meaning of _differing from_.]
Vacant _to_ empty, of buildings no longer inhabited.
Wast _to_ wert, in the second person singular, past indicative.
[_Wert_ is the subjunctive, but it is not incorrect in the indicative.]
Would rather, or should rather, _to_ had rather. [_Had rather_ is not
incorrect, but _would rather_ or _should rather_ is preferable. All
these forms ought to be used as little as possible. Choose some other
expression.]
With reference to _to_ in reference to. [We never say, _out of
reference to_, but always, _without reference to_.]
In general, prefer _short_ words and phrases to _long_ words and
phrases, and words of Anglo-Saxon, to those of non-Anglo-Saxon, origin.
OBJECTIONABLE WORDS AND PHRASES.
A day or two, a man or two, &c. [Say, _two or three days_, _a few
days_; _two or three men_, _a few men_; &c. There is lack of agreement
in _a day or two_, _a man or two_. A somewhat similar error occurs in,
“With this, as with many other matters.” The expression should be:
“With this, as with many another matter.”]
Authoress, poetess, &c. [Such words may be used if the gender is to be
pointed out. Otherwise, the ordinary forms--_author_, _poet_, &c.--are
sufficient]
Accountable, unaccountable.
Answerable, unanswerable.
Antagonize.
Aborigene [in the singular].
A bit [_at all_, _a little_; as: “I am a bit tired”], not a bit [_not
at all_].
Confirmed invalid.
Cablegram. [Use _telegram_ or _telegraphic message_.]
Down East, down South. [Say: “I am going to the South.” “I live in the
East.” “He practised at the South.”]
Desirability and undesirability.
Direful. [This word is not properly formed, as _dire_ is not a noun.]
Defalcate and defalcation [in the sense of _making default_].
_Defalcate_, correctly used, is _to cut off_ or _lop off_.
Desiderate [for _desire_].
Deceased [for _the late_, _the dead one_, &c.], except in legal and
other formal expressions.
Every once in a while. [Say, _once in a while_, _sometimes_,
_frequently_.]
Electropathy, hydropathy, &c. [_Pathein_ is, to suffer; not, to cure.]
Effectuate.
Enjoy oneself. [Say, “I enjoyed the concert;” not, “I enjoyed myself
at the concert.”]
Eventuate.
Environment. [Use _surroundings_.]
Emasculate.
Go ahead.
Help [in the sense of _to avoid_]. Say: “I cannot avoid doing so;”
not, “I cannot help doing so.”
Have got [for _have_]. _Get_ is generally superfluous, and should be
used as little as possible.
Impute. [Use _ascribe_.]
Ignore.
Lose oneself. [Say, “He was lost--or became lost--or lost his way--in
the wood.”]
Line of goods.
Lots [for _much_ or _many_].
Malaprop. [Use _mal-à-propos_; _unsuitable_, _unseasonable_, or the
corresponding adverbs.]
More guilty, most guilty; less guilty, least guilty. [One is either
_guilty_ or _not guilty_, of a crime; although one may be guilty of a
greater or a less crime. A similar remark applies to _guiltless_ and
_innocent_. These adjectives should properly be used of individual
acts only.]
Necessitate.
Opine.
Out West. [Say: “He goes West (or, to the West).” “I live in the West
(or, at the West).”]
Out of [for _of_, with names of materials]. Say: “The box is made _of_
[not, _out of_] wood.”
Ponder over. [Use _ponder_ alone.]
Practitioner. [This word is incorrectly formed.]
Presidential. [The adjective--if formed at all--ought to be
_presidental_. _Presidential campaign_ is a very inelegant and
ill-constructed expression.]
Proven [for _proved_]. _Gotten_ maybe used for _got_; but not _proven_
for _proved_.
Particle [_a little_ or _somewhat_], not a particle [_not at all_].
Rostrum [for _platform_, _pulpit_]. If any form of this word is to be
used, it should be the plural, _rostra_.
Rehabilitate [for _reïnstate_].
Recuperate [for _recover_].
Right off.
Right away.
Reliable, unreliable. [Use _trustworthy_, _untrustworthy_.]
Repudiate. [Use _condemn_ or _disown_.]
Spread [in the sense of _meal_, _feast_, _banquet_].
Suicide, as a verb. [Say, _commit suicide_.]
Scientist. [Use _scientific man_, _savant_, &c. If a noun with this
meaning is to be formed from _science_, it ought to be _sciencist_,
not _scientist_.]
Stump, in the sense of _platform_; as: “He took the stump.”
Seeming paradox. [A _paradox_ is a seeming contradiction. _Seeming
paradox_ is, therefore, tautological.]
Tiresome. [Use _wearisome_ or _tedious_. _Tiresome_ is incorrectly
formed, _tire_ not being a noun.]
That much, that little, [for _so much_, _so little_, or _as much as
that_, _as little as that_].
Up North. [Say: “I live at (or in) the North.” “He goes to the North.”]
Voice [as a verb]. Say: “He expressed--or gave expression to--the
sentiments of his followers;” not, “He voiced,” &c.
Yours, ours, mine, &c., [for _your_, _our_, _my_, _&c._, _letter_].
Say: “I have received your letter of yesterday;” not, “I have received
yours of yesterday.”
NOTES ON PUNCTUATION.
Use a _comma_ before _or_ when the expressions between which it
occurs, refer to the same person or thing. Thus: “Jones or Smith was
here” [no comma]; but: “Saul, or Paul” [comma].
Put a _comma_ after a proposition forming the subject of a verb. So:
“That he did so, is not clear.”
When an infinitive is the subject of a verb, and follows the verb,
a _comma_ is generally inserted before the infinitive. This is
especially the case if the infinitive or the verb has other words
depending upon it. So write: “It ill becomes great and good men, to
smile at sin.”
Use no commas after short and closely-connected adjectives qualifying
the same noun. Thus: “A good old sound dry wine.”
Use a _comma_ before a quotation closely dependent upon such
introductory words as _say_, _tell_, _cry_. _E.g._: “The man said,
I will return.” [With such quotations--especially if short--the
quotation marks are generally omitted.] Before a direct quotation,
_i.e._, one not closely dependent upon introductory words (_say_,
_will_, _cry_, &c.), insert the _colon_. [When the quotation is
poetry, a _dash_ often follows the colon, especially if a space is
left at the end of the line.]
As a general rule, the subject of a verb must be expressed in every
clause preceded by a _semi-colon_. If, however, there are several
clauses or phrases marked off by semi-colons, to avoid repetition the
subjects may be omitted. [The subject of a verb may, of course, be
understood before a _comma_.]
A short and serviceable rule for the use of the _comma_ in relative
clauses, and in participial, adjectival and adverbial phrases, is,
to insert it when the clauses and phrases are _coördinate_, but not
when they are _restrictive_. _E.g._: “The things which are seen are
temporal.” “He was a man known in three continents.” [No commas.] “The
king, who was now old, declared for war.” “His brother, known far
and wide, was present.” [Commas.] Where the subject of the verb is
a phrase greatly lengthened by adjuncts, a _comma_ will be required
before the verb. _E.g._: “The fact of his having acted in so strange a
way, warranted his detention.”
Use a _semi-colon_, and not a comma, in the following cases:
(1). Before reasons. _E.g._: “Economy is no disgrace; for it” &c.
(2). Between two opposing clauses, when an adversative conjunction
introduces the second clause. _E.g._: “Straws swim at the surface;
but pearls sink to the bottom.”
A _colon_, not a _semi-colon_, should be used when the clause or
phrase that follows the mark expresses a result or effect, or when
it is in the form of an analogy, or is a parallel to what precedes.
“He lived a virtuous life: he died a happy death.” “The flowers bloom
and wither: so is it with the life of man.” The use of the _colon_
before a quotation or a list is an application of this principle. As a
general thing, therefore, the voice should be kept up before _colons_,
and let fall before _semi-colons_.
A long compound or complex sentence, the various parts of which are
divided by colons or semi-colons, may be separated into two or more
parts by periods. The second part will begin with _for_, _therefore_,
_and_, _as_, or some other introductory word. [This dividing up of
long sentences must be sparingly practised.]
Use brackets, and not parentheses, when, in a quotation, you wish
to insert words improperly omitted by the author, or when you wish
to explain something, or to correct an error in your own writing.
[In the last two cases parentheses may be employed, but brackets are
preferable.] So: “The man [Mr. Jones] was very rich.” [When brackets
are thus used in a quotation, additional quotation marks are not
required after the word preceding, and before the word following, the
brackets.]
When both brackets and parentheses are employed, the brackets enclose
the parentheses: [(--)].
Parentheses, brackets and dashes do not affect the ordinary
punctuation of the sentence; _i.e._, the points which would be
required in the rest of the sentence if the parentheses, brackets, or
dashes, were omitted, are still used.
A punctuation mark may be used _before_, but not after, a dash.
Mark with an interrogation point a question expressed in the form of
an assertion: _e.g._; “I suppose, Sir, you are his physician?”
The plurals of _two_, _three_, &c., are written without the
apostrophe: _twos_, _threes_, &c. [Written as figures, these words
will have the apostrophe: 2’s, 3’s, &c.]
A hyphen is used between two substantives expressing a compound
idea, when the second substantive has lost or changed its accent.
Thus: _ship-builder_, _iron-worker_; but _master builder_, _lord
chancellor_. The omission of the hyphen may cause confusion when the
compound expression is qualified by an adjective or an adjectival
phrase. _E.g._: “A large mill owner,” may be taken to mean, _the owner
of a large mill_, instead of, _an extensive owner of mills_, some of
which may be small. If the former sense is intended, say, “An owner
of a large mill [_or_, of large mills].” If the latter, say, “An
extensive [_or_, important] owner of mills;” or else use a hyphen: “A
large mill-owner.”
A hyphen is used between an adjective and its noun when the two, taken
together, form a compound adjective. _E.g._: “High-church principles.”
[A similar remark may be made of adjectives, one qualifying the other,
as: _a red-hot poker_; also of an adjective (or an adverb) qualifying
a participle used as an adjective, when the compound expression
precedes the noun, as: a _slow-sailing vessel_. When it follows the
noun, the hyphen is not required; as in: “A vessel slow (_or_, slowly)
sailing o’er the sea.” In the latter case, the participle cannot be
said to be used as an adjective.]
In writing, it is better to divide syllables according to sound than
according to derivation. _E.g._: Epiph-any, pref-ace.
When a quotation contains several paragraphs, inverted commas should
be used at the beginning of each paragraph, but the apostrophes should
be omitted after all the paragraphs except the last one. The same rule
will apply to several stanzas of poetry in one quotation. When the
poetical quotation consists of verses not separated into stanzas, some
writers use inverted commas before each line. This is unnecessary:
inverted commas before the first line, and apostrophes after the last,
being sufficient.
Do not write the plural of proper names with an apostrophe. Write: “I
have seen the Smiths” [not, _Smith’s_]. “I know the three Marys” [not,
_Mary’s_].
INDEX
Apparent, 1
Anticipate, 1
All of them, 1
Analyse, 1
Ale, 1
Accord, 1
Accident, 1
Aggravate, 2
Alternation, 2
Alternative, 2
Antiquarian, 2
Abortive, 2
Adopted, 2
Antecedents, 2
Appreciate, 2
At auction, 3
Accompanied, by 3
Anniversary, 3
Affable, 3
Alike, 3
Afraid, 3
Admit, 3
Allude, 3
Around, 3
Avoided, 4
All over, 4
Above, 4
At best, at most, at least, 4
Auxiliary verbs alone, 7
Advisable, 8
Anxiety of mind, 10
Ascend up, 13
Among the others, the rest, 22
Apposition, 34
Any, 34
Auxiliary verb omitted, 34
Adverb with compound auxiliary verb, 34
Although, with the subjunctive mood, 36
As follows, 37
Awkward constructions, 38, 48
Adjective for adverb, 39
Article with appositive nouns, 40
Article with titles, names, 40
Article (definite), repetition of, 40, 41
Article (indefinite) after _no greater_, 42
Adjectives and adverbs after intransitive verbs, 46
Antecedent to relative pronoun, repeated, 52
Advantage, 55
Also, 55
Ability, 56
Answer, 56
Amid, amidst, 56
Among, 56
Abandon, 56
Assist, 56
Aid, 56
Anger, 57
Accurate, 57
Authentic, 57
Admittance, 57
Admission, 57
Allow, 57
Appear, 58
Aware, 59
Accidental, 60
Acknowledge, 61
Address, 63
And so forth, 64
Almost, 70
Announce, 72
Alleviate, 74
Abjure, 74
Approve, 80
Agriculturist, 80
Aside, 80
Alone, 80
Arise, 80
Advance, 80
Acquaintanceship, 80
A day or two, a man or two, 84
Authoress, 84
Anyhow, 84
Anyway, 84
Accountable, 85
Answerable, 85
Antagonize, 85
Aborigene, 85
Both of them, 1
Both, 4
Balance, 4
Benefited, 4
Beat, 4
Bound, 4
By, 5
By the bye, 5
By-law, 5
Banister, 5
Bad cold, bad wound, 5
Badly, 5
Beg, 5
Between, 5
Bad orthography, orthoepy, caligraphy, 15
Bona fide, 28
Been to, 29
Brevity, 50
Benefit, 55
Bountiful, 58
Bravery, 58
Beneficent, beneficence, 58
Benevolent, benevolence, 58
Brevity, brief, 59
Blameless, 65
But, 65
Begin, 80
Become, 80
Believe, 80
Body, 80
Buy, 80
Backward, 81
Bit, a; not a bit, 85
Brackets, use of, 90, 91
Collect, 6
Commence, 6
Condone, 6
Climax, 6
Constantly, 6
Celebrity, 6
Consequence, 6
Capricious, 6
Claim, 6
Call upon, 6
Catch, 6
Consider, 7
Curious, 7
Caption, 7
Citizen, 7
Circumstance, 7
Couple, 7
Calibre, 7
Contention, 7
Contradistinction, 8
Can help, 14
Caligraphy, 15
Came near, 20
Collective nouns, 35
Conditional clause, place of, 48
Connective sentence, 54
Capacity, 56
Courage, 58
Concise, conciseness, 59
Continuous, 59, 72
Continual, 59, 72
Character, 59
Conscious, 59
Crime, 59
Courteous, 60
Catalogue, 60
Casual, 60
Compel, compulsion, 60
Coerce, coercion, 60
Confess, 61
Conjecture, 61
Con-, co-, 61
Complete, 61
Custom, 61
Cost, costly, 64
Consequence, 64
Concealed, 66
Cheap, 68
Completely, 70
Converse, 73
Contented, 75
Coffin, 80
Cannot but, 80
Come into collision, 81
Correct, 81
Converser, conversationist, 81
Controverter, controversionist, 81
Church, 81
Contend against, 81
Corpulent, 81
Confirmed invalid, 85
Cablegram, 85
Comma, use of, 88, 89
Colon, use of, 90
Cardinal numbers, plurals of, 91
Dilemma, 7
Distinction, 8
Desirable, 8
Demean, 8
Description, 8
Detect, 8
Dangerous, 8
Deprecate, 8
Denuded, 8
Die with, 8
Directly, 9
Donate, 9
Dirt road, 9
Divine, 9
Depreciate, 9
Differ with, 9
Distance, 9
Differentiate, 9
Disdain, 27
Dare, 36
Do, 37
Double meanings, words with, 47
Doubtful parts of speech, 47
Different expressions for same thing, 53, 54
Descriptive writing, 54
Desert, 56
Discriminate, 62
Distinguish, 62
Despotism, 62
Determine, 62
Directed, 62
Deduction, 62
Direct, 63
Drive, 63
Diligent, diligence, 67
Delusion, 67
Dumb, 70
Due, 71
Deadly, 81
Dwell, 81
Diverse, 83
Down East, down South, 85
Desirability, 85
Direful, 85
Defalcate, defalcation, 85
Desiderate, 85
Deceased, 85
Dash, use of, 91
Essay, 6
Expect, 9
Ever so many, 10
Equally as well as, 10
Equanimity of mind, 10
Every, 10
Executed, 10
Enact, 10
Endorse, 10
Embrace, 10
Empty, 10
Experiment, try an, 11
Every hand, 11
Either, 11
Else, 11
Exemplary, 11
Experience, 11
Excessively, 11
Effluviums, effluviae, 11
Each, 23
Every, 23
Emphatic words, place of, 49
Emphasis, 49
Exact, 57
Evidence, 63
Epidemic, 63
Endemic, 63
Expense, expensive, 64
Effect, 64
Eternal, 64
Everlasting, 64
Etc., 64
Error, 70
Entirely, 70
Enough, 76
Entire, 78
Earth, 79
Exponental, 81
Earthen, 81
Enlarge on, upon, 81
Every once in a while, 85
Electropathy, 85
Effectuate, 85
Enjoy oneself, 85
Eventuate, 85
Environment, 86
Emasculate, 86
Few, a few, 11
Fault, at; in, 12
Faithfully promise, 12
Future, 12
Fetch, 12
Forbid, 12, 81
Ful [adjectives ending in], 12
Female, 13
Fall down, 13
Fix, 13
Fly, 13
Foreign adjectives, 13
First person preferred to third, 47
Force in construction, 48, 49, 50
Figures of speech, 53
Forsake, 56
Fortuitous, 60
Finished, 61
Ferment, 64
Foment, 64
Faultless, 65
Falsehood, 65
Falsity, 65
Further, 65
Farther, 65
Fleeting, 77
Foregoing, 81
Factory, 81
Forward, 81
Good bye, 5
Graphic, 13
Going to, 13
Grow, 13
Grow small, 13
Get to, 13
Gubernatorial, 13
Gratuitous, 13
Gerundial infinitive, 32
Gerundial noun, 42
Genuine, 57
Guided, 62
Goodness, 65
Globe, 79
Golden, 81
Graceful, 81
Go ahead, 86
Got, 86
Humanitarian, 14
Hardly, 14
Help-meet, 14
High calibre, 14
Higher stage of perfection, 15
Highest, 17
Hereabouts, 28
Habit, 61
However, 65
Hidden, 66
Haste, 66
Hurry, 66
Hindrance, 66
Hardly, 70
Humor, 79
Heavy, 81
Hebrew, 81
House, 81
Hydropathy, 85
Help, 14, 86
Hyphen, use of, 91, 92
If, 15, 16
Invest, 15
Incorrect orthography, orthoepy, caligraphy, 15
Individual, 15
Infallible, 15
Inaugurate, 16
Implicit, 16
In six months, a year, 16
Illy, 16
Identified with, 16
Interested in, 17
In so far as, 17
Infinitive mood used absolutely, 36
If, with the subjunctive mood, 36
I, your brother, who begs, 38
Infinitive with to, 43
It, antecedent of, 46
It, prospective use of, 47
Imperative mood, 50
Infinitive expressing a purpose, 51
Introductory expressions, 54
Induction, 62
In spite of, 65
Impediment, 66
Informed, 66
Instructed, 66
Indecent, 67
Immodest, 67
Instant, 67
Industrious, industry, 67
Import, 67
Illusion, 67
In- [prefix], 68
Inexorable, 68
Inflexible, 68
Idle, 69
Intent, intention, 72
Indigence, 72
Immodest, immodesty, 78
Incorrect, 82
Iced-water, iced-cream, 82
Inform, 82
Ignore, 86
Impute, 86
Interrogation mark, use of, 91
Just going to, 13
Journal, 17
Jewelry, 17
Join issue, 66
Jar, 68
Jug, 68
Knight Templar, 17
Kinsman, kinswoman, 82
Lowest, 17
Left it alone, 17
Lit, 17
Leave, 18
Lay, 18
Limited, 18
Loan, 18
Loud, 18
Length, at, 18
Like, 38
Lesser, 46
Likewise, 55
List, 60
Low-priced, 68
Lazy, 69
Laudable, 69
Last, 69
Latest, 69
Leave, 69
Language, 77
Loquacious, 78
Live, 81
Last two weeks, last six months, 82
Lenity, 82
Land, 82
Leading article, leader, 82
Lengthwise, 82
Lose oneself, 86
Line of goods, 86
Lots, 86
Less guilty, least guilty, 86
Myself, 18
Masses, 18
More of, 19
Mistaken, 19
Miasma, 19
Make, 19
Multitude, nouns of, 35
Mathematics, 35
Metaphysics, 35
Minimizing expressions, 49
Monotonous final emphasis, 50
Metaphors, 50
Mistake of subject, 53
Moment, 67
Meaning, 67
Malice, 69
Marital, 70
Matrimonial, 70
Mistake, 70
Mute, 70
Merely, 70
Meed, 73
Mitigate, 74
Morrow, the, 82
Months, the, 82
Much, 82
Muscular, 82
Malaprop, 86
More guilty, most guilty, 86
Neither, 11
No good, no use, 14
Novitiate, 19
Name, 19
No one, 19
No--or, 19
Not as, 20
No--no--are, 20
Nasty, 20
Never remember, 20
Next Sunday, 20
Never, 20
Not think, 20
Nothing like so, 20
Near, 20
New beginners, 21
Nobody’s else, 33
Not--or, 33, 34
None, 34
Need, 36
Not only--but also, 38
New construction, 54
Notwithstanding, 65
Nevertheless, 65
Nearly, 70
Neglectful, 71
Negligent, 71
Necessitate, 86
One of the greatest, if not the greatest, 14
Orthography, 15
Orthoepy, 15
On the street, 21
Old news, 21
One, one’s, ones, 21, 22
Over and above, 21
Over his signature, 21
Observe, 21
Ovation, 21
Other than, 21
Old veterans, 21
Omission of present participle, 50
One and only one subject of thought, 54
Object place of, 49
Obstacle,66
Owing, 71
On, 71
Obstinate, 76
Origin, 77
Oppose, 81
One to another, 82
Oneself, 83
Oversee, 83
Offensive, 83
Ordinal numbers, 83
Opine, 86
Out West, 86
Out of, 86
Paralyse, 1
Proposition, 22
Pocket-hand-kerchief, 22
Pretend, 22
Preposterous, 22
Previous, 22
Partially, 22
People, 23
Plural forms, 23
Privilege, 23
Present participle, 23, 50
Plastic, 23
Pell-mell, 24
Providing, 24
Presume, 24
Period, 24
Persuaded, 24
Partake, 24
Per, 24
Past tense, 24
Point of view, 27
Prefer to walk to ride, 29
Position of adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, 32
Position of _of_, _both_, _even_, 33
Possessive case, 34
Physics, 35
Participle used absolutely, 36
Preposition, sentence ending with, 47, 50
Particular terms for general, 48
Participial phrase, place of, 48
Pronouns at end of proposition, 50
Participial constructions, 51
Pronouns, agreement of, in metaphorical language, 53
Permit, 57
Plentiful, 58
Polite, 60
Polished, 60
Pitcher, 68
Praiseworthy, 69
Perspicacity, perspicacious, 71
Perspicuous, perspicuity, 71
Perpetually, perpetual, 72
Proclaim, 72
Purpose, 72
Poverty, 72
Pauperism, 72
Piety, 74
Powerful, 76
Poetess, 84
Ponder over, 87
Practitioner, 87
Presidential, 87
Proven, 87
Particle, a; not a particle, 87
Period, use of, 90
Parentheses, use of, 91
Proper names, plurals of, 92
Quite, 24
Quarter to ten, 28
Question, for emphasis, 50
Quit, 69
Quotation marks, use of, 92
Refer, 3
Rise up, 13
Reflexive pronouns, 13
Replace, 25
Right, 25
Rarely, 25
Recommend, 25
Rendition, 25
Reverend, 25
Road takes, 25
Remit, 25
Repetition of subject 39, 50
Relative pronoun, 43, 44, 45, 46, 52
Repetition of preposition, 51
Repetition of sign of the infinitive, 51
Repetition of subordinate conjunctions, 51
Relative clause, 52
Repetition of meaning, 54
Reply, 56
Reputation, 59
Resolve, 62
Ride, 63
Result, 64
Reticence, reticent, 73
Reserve, reserved, 73
Reverse, 73
Recompense, 73
Reward, 73
Robbery, 74
Remember, 74
Recollect, 74
Religion, 74
Relieve, 74
Recant, 74
Rend, 74
Rich, 83
Railway, 83
Rostrum, 87
Rehabilitate, 87
Recuperate, 87
Right off, 87
Right away, 87
Reliable, 87
Repudiate, 87
Sugar, 1
Sink down, 13
Subsequent, 22
Scarce, 25
Species, 25
Shall have the pleasure, 25
Seldom or ever, 26
Spare, 26
Sensation, 26
Since, 26
So much so, 26
Summons, 26
Such another, 26
Superior, 26
Supposititious, 26
Settle, 26
Such, 26
Storms, 26
Splendid, 27
Summer’s Morning, 27
Strata, 27
Stand-point, 27
Sincere, 27
Scorn, 27
Small, 28
Statu quo, 28
Statics, 35
Subjunctive mood, 30, 36
Some, 37
Subject pronoun repeated, 39
Shall and will, 42, 43
Sentence, end of, 47
Suspense, 48
Subject, place of, 49
Short, “chippy” endings, 50
Synonyms, 54
Seem, 58
Sin, 59
Surmise, 61
Still, 65
Secret, 66
Sense, 67
Slothful, 69
Spite, 69
Simply, 70
Scarcely, 70
Sewerage, 75
Sewage, 75
Spontaneous, 75
Sociable, 75
Social, 75
Satisfied, 75
Sufficient, 76
Strong, 76
Stubborn, 76
Safety, 76
Security, 76
Subdue, 77
Subjugate, 77
Source, 77
Sidewise, 82
Seeming, 83
Self-same, 83
Say, 83
Station, 83
Sympathy, 83
Should rather, 84
Short words and phrases, 84
Spread, 87
Suicide, 87
Scientist, 87
Stump, 87
Seeming paradox, 87
Semi-colon, use of, 89
Syllabication, 92
Tea, 1, 29
Than, 4
Take some meat, dinner, 28
Taxes, 28
Though, 28
Thereabouts, 28
That far, much, many, 28
The more, 29
This seven years, 35
That [relative], 44, 45, 46
Than whom, 44
This sort, kind, way, manner, 47
There is, are, will be, 48
Twice, making statement, 54
Technical terms, 55
Tyranny, 62
Testimony, 63
Taught, 66
Take issue, 66
Theft, 74
Tear, 74
Tongue, 77
Transient, 77
Transitory, 77
Trivial, 77
Trifling, 77
Talkative, 78
Totally, 79
Toward, 81
Truthfulness, 83
Tangental, 83
Thus, 83
Tiresome, 87
That much, that little, 88
Unanimity of mind, 10
Underhanded, 29
Utter, 29
Ultimate, 29
Unemphatic word at end of proposition, 49
Usage, 61
Un- [prefix], 68
Upon, 71
Unexpressed, 83
Unaccountable, 85
Unanswerable, 85
Undesirability, 85
Unreliable, 87
Up North, 88
Valuable, 29
Very, 30
Vicinity, 30
Verb, number of, 41
Verbal clauses, 53
Valor, 58
Vice, 59
Virtue, 65
Voluntary, 75, 78
Vulgar, vulgarity, 78
Variance, at, 81
Violoncello, 83
Various, 83
Vacant, 83
Voice, 88
Whether, 11, 30
Wrong orthography, orthoepy, caligraphy, 15
Winter’s morning, 27
Whereabouts, 28
Whomsoever, 30
Where--to, 31
Witness, 31
What for, 31
Widow woman, 31
We, 31
Whether or no, 31
Whole of, 31
Winsome, 32
Worse, 32
Want, 32
Whether--or, 39
Will and shall, 42, 43
Who, which, that, 44, 45, 46
Word for phrase, 50
Wrath, 57
Willing, 78
Whole, 78
Wit, 79
World, 79
Wholly, 79
Wast, 84
Would rather, 84
With reference to, 84
Yesterday’s Times, 32
Yours &c., 32, 88
You, 38
Yet, 65
Zeugma, 53
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etc., are artificially produced by the species of microbes called
ferments; they also cause bread to rise. Others are injurious to
us, for in the shape of spores and seeds they enter our bodies with
air and water and cause a large number of the diseases to which the
flesh is heir. Many physicians do not accept the microbian theory,
considering that when microbes are found in the blood they are
neither the cause of the disease, nor the contagious element, nor
the vehicle of contagion. In France the opponents of the microbian
theory are Robin, Bechamp, and Jousset de Bellesme; in England, Lewis
and Lionel Beale. The writer comes to the conclusion that Pasteur’s
microbian theory is the only one that explains all facts.”--_New York
Times._
=EARTHQUAKES AND OTHER EARTH MOVEMENTS.= By JOHN MILNE, Professor of
Mining and Geology in the Imperial College of Engineering, Tokio,
Japan. With 38 Illustrations. 12mo. Cloth, $1.75.
“In this little book Professor Milne has endeavored to bring together
all that is known concerning the nature and causes of earthquake
movements. His task was one of much difficulty. Professor Milne’s
excellent work in the science of seismology has been done in Japan,
in a region of incessant shocks of sufficient energy to make
observation possible, yet, with rare exceptions, of no disastrous
effects. He has had the good fortune to be aided by Mr. Thomas Gray,
a gentleman of great constructive skill, as well as by Professors J.
A. Ewing, W. S. Chaplin, and his other colleagues in the scientific
colony which has gathered about the Imperial University of Japan. To
these gentlemen we owe the best of our science of seismology, for
before their achievements we had nothing of value concerning the
physical conditions of earthquakes except the great works of Robert
Mallet; and Mallet, with all his genius and devotion to the subject,
had but few chances to observe the actual shocks, and so failed to
understand many of their important features.”--_The Nation._
New York: D. APPLETON & CO., 1, 3, & 5 Bond Street.
Transcriber's Notes:
In many areas the author has paid scant attention to alphabetical
order. This is retained.
Italics are shown thus: _sloping_.
Bold type is shown thus: =strong=.
Variations in spelling and hyphenation are retained.
Perceived typographical errors have been changed.
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