,,write ,,it ,,right ,a ,,little ,,blacklist ,,of ,,literary ,,faults ,,by ,,ambrose ,,bierce #aiji ,,aims ,,and ,,the ,,plan ,the author's main purpose in this book is to teach precision in writing2 and of good writing 7which1 essentially1 is clear thinking made visible7 precision is the point of capital concern4 ,it is attained by choice of the word that accurately and adequately expresses what the writer has in mind1 and by exclusion of that which either denotes or connotes something else4 ,as ,quintilian puts it1 the writer should so write that his reader not only may1 but must1 understand4 ,few words have more than one literal and serviceable meaning1 however many metaphorical1 derivative1 related1 or even unrelated1 meanings lexicographers may think it worth while to gather from all sorts and conditions of men1 with which to bloat their absurd and misleading dictionaries4 ,this actual and serviceable meaning--not always determined by derivation1 and seldom by popular usage--is the one affirmed1 according to his light1 by the author of this little manual of solecisms4 ,narrow etymons of the mere scholar and loose locutions of the ignorant are alike denied a standing4 ,the plan of the book is more illustrative than expository1 the aim being to use the terms of etymology and syntax as little as is compatible with clarity1 familiar example being more easily apprehended than technical precept4 ,when both are employed the precept is commonly given after the example has prepared the student to apply it1 not only to the matter in mind1 but to similar matters not mentioned4 ,everything in quotation marks is to be understood as disapproved4 ,not all locutions blacklisted herein are always to be reprobated as universal outlaws4 ,excepting in the case of capital offenders--expressions ancestrally vulgar or irreclaimably degenerate--absolute proscription is possible as to serious composition only2 in other forms the writer must rely on his sense of values and the fitness of things4 ,while it is true that some colloquialisms and1 with less of license1 even some slang1 may be sparingly employed in light literature1 for point1 piquancy or any of the purposes of the skilled writer sensible to the necessity and charm of keeping at least one foot on the ground1 to others the virtue of restraint may be commended as distinctly superior to the joy of indulgence4 ,precision is much1 but not all2 some words and phrases are disallowed on the ground of taste4 ,as there are neither standards nor arbiters of taste1 the book can do little more than reflect that of its author1 who is far indeed from professing impeccability4 ,in neither taste nor precision is any man's practice a court of last appeal1 for writers all1 both great and small1 are habitual sinners against the light2 and their accuser is cheerfully aware that his own work will supply 7as in making this book it has supplied7 many awful examples--his later work less abundantly1 he hopes1 than his earlier4 ,he nevertheless believes that this does not disqualify him for showing by other instances than his own how not to write4 ,the infallible teacher is still in the forest primeval1 throwing seeds to the white blackbirds4 ,a4,b4 ,,the ,,blacklist ,a for ,an4 ,a hotel4 ,a heroic man4 ,before an unaccented aspirate use an4 ,the contrary usage in this country comes of too strongly stressing our aspirates4 ,action for ,act4 ,in wrestling1 a blow is a reprehensible action4 ,a blow is not an action but an act4 ,an action may consist of many acts4 ,admission for ,admittance4 ,the price of admission is one dollar4 ,admit for ,confess4 ,to admit is to concede something affirmed4 ,an unaccused offender cannot admit his guilt4 ,adopt4 ,he adopted a disguise4 ,one may adopt a child1 or an opinion1 but a disguise is assumed4 ,advisedly for ,advertently1 ,intentionally4 ,it was done advisedly should mean that it was done after advice4 ,afford4 ,it is not well to say the fact affords a reasonable presumption2 the house afforded ample accommodation4 ,the fact supplies a reasonable presumption4 ,the house offered1 or gave1 ample accommodation4 ,afraid4 ,do not say1 ,i am afraid it will rain4 ,say1 ,i fear that it will rain4 ,afterwards for ,afterward4 ,aggravate for ,irritate4 ,he aggravated me by his insolence4 ,to aggravate is to augment the disagreeableness of something already disagreeable1 or the badness of something bad4 ,but a person cannot be aggravated1 even if disagreeable or bad4 ,women are singularly prone to misuse of this word4 ,all of4 ,he gave all of his property4 ,the words are contradictory3 an entire thing cannot be of itself4 ,omit the preposition4 ,alleged4 ,the alleged murderer4 ,one can allege a murder1 but not a murderer2 a crime1 but not a criminal4 ,a man that is merely suspected of crime would not1 in any case1 be an alleged criminal1 for an allegation is a definite and positive statement4 ,in their tiresome addiction to this use of alleged1 the newspapers1 though having mainly in mind the danger of libel suits1 can urge in further justification the lack of any other single word that exactly expresses their meaning2 but the fact that a mud-puddle supplies the shortest route is not a compelling reason for walking through it4 ,one can go around4 ,allow for ,permit4 ,i allow you to go4 ,precision is better attained by saying permit1 for allow has other meanings4 ,allude to for ,mention4 ,what is alluded to is not mentioned1 but referred to indirectly4 ,originally1 the word implied a playful1 or sportive1 reference4 ,that meaning is gone out of it4 ,and so4 ,and yet4 ,and so they were married4 ,and yet a woman4 ,omit the conjunction4 ,and which4 ,and who4 ,these forms are incorrect unless the relative pronoun has been used previously in the sentence4 ,the colt1 spirited and strong1 and which was unbroken1 escaped from the pasture4 ,john ,smith1 one of our leading merchants1 and who fell from a window yesterday1 died this morning4 ,omit the conjunction4 ,antecedents for ,personal ,history4 ,antecedents are predecessors4 ,anticipate for ,expect4 ,i anticipate trouble4 ,to anticipate is to act on an expectation in a way to promote or forestall the event expected4 ,anxious for ,eager4 ,i was anxious to go4 ,anxious should not be followed by an infinitive4 ,anxiety is contemplative2 eagerness1 alert for action4 ,appreciate for ,highly ,value4 ,in the sense of value1 it means value justly1 not highly4 ,in another and preferable sense it means to increase in value4 ,approach4 ,the juror was approached2 that is1 overtures were made to him with a view to bribing him4 ,as there is no other single word for it1 approach is made to serve1 figuratively2 and being graphic1 it is not altogether objectionable4 ,appropriated for ,took4 ,he appropriated his neighbor's horse to his own use4 ,to appropriate is to set apart1 as a sum of money1 for a special purpose4 ,approve of for ,approve4 ,there is no sense in making approve an intransitive verb4 ,apt for ,likely4 ,one is apt to be mistaken4 ,apt means facile1 felicitous1 ready1 and the like2 but even the dictionary-makers cannot persuade a person of discriminating taste to accept it as synonymous with likely4 ,around for ,about4 ,the dbris of battle lay around them4 ,the huckster went around1 crying his wares4 ,around carries the concept of circularity4 ,article4 ,a good and useful word1 but used without meaning by shopkeepers2 as1 ,a good article of vinegar1 for a good vinegar4 ,as for ,that1 or ,if4 ,i do not know as he is living4 ,this error is not very common among those who can write at all1 but one sometimes sees it in high place4 ,as--as for ,so--as4 ,he is not as good as she4 ,say1 not so good4 ,in affirmative sentences the rule is different3 ,he is as good as she4 ,as for for ,as to4 ,as for me1 ,i am well4 ,say1 as to me4 ,at ,auction for by ,auction4 ,the goods were sold at auction4 ,at for ,by4 ,she was shocked at his conduct4 ,this very common solecism is without excuse4 ,attain for ,accomplish4 ,by diligence we attain our purpose4 ,a purpose is accomplished2 success is attained4 ,authoress4 ,a needless word--as needless as poetess4 ,avocation for ,vocation4 ,a vocation is1 literally1 a calling2 that is1 a trade or profession4 ,an avocation is something that calls one away from it4 ,if ,i say that farming is some one's avocation ,i mean that he practises it1 not regularly1 but at odd times4 ,avoid for ,avert4 ,by displaying a light the skipper avoided a collision4 ,to avoid is to shun2 the skipper could have avoided a collision only by getting out of the way4 ,avoirdupois for ,weight4 ,mere slang4 ,back of for ,behind1 ,at the ,back of4 ,back of law is force4 ,backwards for ,backward4 ,badly for ,bad4 ,i feel badly4 ,he looks badly4 ,the former sentence implies defective nerves of sensation1 the latter1 imperfect vision4 ,use the adjective4 ,balance for ,remainder4 ,the balance of my time is given to recreation4 ,in this sense balance is a commercial word1 and relates to accounting4 ,banquet4 ,a good enough word in its place1 but its place is the dictionary4 ,say1 dinner4 ,bar for ,bend4 ,bar sinister4 ,there is no such thing in heraldry as a bar sinister4 ,because for ,for4 ,i knew it was night1 because it was dark4 ,he will not go1 because he is ill4 ,bet for ,betted4 ,the verb to bet forms its preterite regularly1 as do wet1 wed1 knit1 quit and others that are commonly misconjugated4 ,it seems that we clip our short words more than we do our long4 ,body for ,trunk4 ,the body lay here1 the head there4 ,the body is the entire physical person 7as distinguished from the soul1 or mind7 and the head is a part of it4 ,as distinguished from head1 trunk may include the limbs1 but anatomically it is the torso only4 ,bogus for ,counterfeit1 or ,false4 ,the word is slang2 keep it out4 ,both4 ,this word is frequently misplaced2 as1 ,a large mob1 both of men and women4 ,say1 of both men and women4 ,both alike4 ,they are both alike4 ,say1 they are alike4 ,one of them could not be alike4 ,brainy4 ,pure slang1 and singularly disagreeable4 ,bug for ,beetle1 or for anything4 ,do not use it4 ,business for ,right4 ,he has no business to go there4 ,build for ,make4 ,build a fire4 ,build a canal4 ,even build a tunnel is not unknown1 and probably if the wood-chuck is skilled in the ,american tongue he speaks of building a hole4 ,but4 ,by many writers this word 7in the sense of except7 is regarded as a preposition1 to be followed by the objective case3 ,all went but him4 ,it is not a preposition and may take either the nominative or objective case1 to agree with the subject or the object of the verb4 ,all went but he4 ,the natives killed all but him4 ,but what4 ,i did not know but what he was an enemy4 ,omit what4 ,if condemnation of this dreadful locution seem needless bear the matter in mind in your reading and you will soon be of a different opinion4 ,by for ,of4 ,a man by the name of ,brown4 ,say1 of the name4 ,better than either form is3 a man named ,brown4 ,calculated for ,likely4 ,the bad weather is calculated to produce sickness4 ,calculated implies calculation1 design4 ,can for ,may4 ,can ,i go fishing8 ,he can call on me if he wishes to4 ,candidate for ,aspirant4 ,in ,american politics1 one is not a candidate for an office until formally named 7nominated7 for it by a convention1 or otherwise1 as provided by law or custom4 ,so when a man who is moving ,heaven and ,earth to procure the nomination protests that he is not a candidate he tells the truth in order to deceive4 ,cannot for ,can4 ,i cannot but go4 ,say1 ,i can but go4 ,capable4 ,men are capable of being flattered4 ,say1 susceptible to flattery4 ,capable of being refuted4 ,vulnerable to refutation4 ,unlike capacity1 capability is not passive1 but active4 ,we are capable of doing1 not of having something done to us4 ,capacity for ,ability4 ,a great capacity for work4 ,capacity is receptive2 ability1 potential4 ,a sponge has capacity for water2 the hand1 ability to squeeze it out4 ,casket for ,coffin4 ,a needless euphemism affected by undertakers4 ,casualties for ,losses in ,battle4 ,the essence of casualty is accident1 absence of design4 ,death and wounds in battle are produced otherwise1 are expectable and expected1 and1 by the enemy1 intentional4 ,chance for ,opportunity4 ,he had a good chance to succeed4 ,chin ,whiskers4 ,the whisker grows on the cheek1 not the chin4 ,chivalrous4 ,the word is popularly used in the ,southern ,states only1 and commonly has reference to men's manner toward women4 ,archaic1 stilted and fantastic4 ,citizen for ,civilian4 ,a soldier may be a citizen1 but is not a civilian4 ,claim for ,affirm4 ,i claim that he is elected4 ,to claim is to assert ownership4 ,clever for ,obliging4 ,in this sense the word was once in general use in the ,united ,states1 but is now seldom heard and life here is less insupportable4 ,climb down4 ,in climbing one ascends4 ,coat for ,coating4 ,a coat of paint1 or varnish4 ,if we coat something we produce a coating1 not a coat4 ,collateral ,descendant4 ,there can be none3 a collateral descendant is not a descendant4 ,colonel1 ,judge1 ,governor1 etc41 for ,mister4 ,give a man a title only if it belongs to him1 and only while it belongs to him4 ,combine for ,combination4 ,the word1 in this sense1 has something of the meaning of conspiracy1 but there is no justification for it as a noun1 in any sense4 ,commence for ,begin4 ,this is not actually incorrect1 but--well1 it is a matter of taste4 ,commencement for ,termination4 ,a contribution to our noble tongue by its scholastic conservators1 commencement day being their name for the last day of the collegiate year4 ,it is ingeniously defended on the ground that on that day those on whom degrees are bestowed commence to hold them4 ,lovely6 ,commit ,suicide4 ,instead of ,he committed suicide1 say1 ,he killed himself1 or1 ,he took his life4 ,for married we do not say committed matrimony4 ,unfortunately most of us do say1 got married1 which is almost as bad4 ,for lack of a suitable verb we just sometimes say committed this or that1 as in the instance of bigamy1 for the verb to bigam is a blessing that is still in store for us4 ,compare with for ,compare to4 ,he had the immodesty to compare himself with ,shakespeare4 ,nothing necessarily immodest in that4 ,comparison with may be for observing a difference2 comparison to affirms a similarity4 ,complected4 ,anticipatory past participle of the verb to complect4 ,let us wait for that4 ,conclude for ,decide4 ,i concluded to go to town4 ,having concluded a course of reasoning 7implied7 ,i decided to go to town4 ,a decision is supposed to be made at the conclusion of a course of reasoning1 but is not the conclusion itself4 ,conversely1 the conclusion of a syllogism is not a decision1 but an inference4 ,connection4 ,in this connection ,i should like to say a word or two4 ,in connection with this matter4 ,conscious for ,aware4 ,the ,king was conscious of the conspiracy4 ,we are conscious of what we feel2 aware of what we know4 ,consent for ,assent4 ,he consented to that opinion4 ,to consent is to agree to a proposal2 to assent is to agree with a proposition4 ,conservative for ,moderate4 ,a conservative estimate2 a conservative forecast2 a conservative statement1 and so on4 ,these and many other abuses of the word are of recent growth in the newspapers and halls of legislation4 ,having been found to have several meanings1 conservative seems to be thought to mean everything4 ,continually and ,continuously4 ,it seems that these words should have the same meaning1 but in their use by good writers there is a difference4 ,what is done continually is not done all the time1 but continuous action is without interruption4 ,a loquacious fellow1 who nevertheless finds time to eat and sleep1 is continually talking2 but a great river flows continuously4 ,convoy for ,escort4 ,a man-of-war acted as convoy to the flotilla4 ,the flotilla is the convoy1 the man-of-war the escort4 ,couple for ,two4 ,for two things to be a couple they must be of one general kind1 and their number unimportant to the statement made of them4 ,it would be weak to say1 ,he gave me only one1 although he took a couple for himself4 ,couple expresses indifference to the exact number1 as does several4 ,that is true1 even in the phrase1 a married couple1 for the number is carried in the adjective and needs no emphasis4 ,created for ,first ,performed4 ,stage slang4 ,burbage created the part of ,hamlet4 ,what was it that its author did to it8 ,critically for ,seriously4 ,he has long been critically ill4 ,a patient is critically ill only at the crisis of his disease4 ,criticise for ,condemn1 or ,disparage4 ,criticism is not necessarily censorious2 it may approve4 ,cunning for ,amusing4 ,usually said of a child1 or pet4 ,this is pure ,americanese1 as is its synonym1 cute4 ,curious for ,odd1 or ,singular4 ,to be curious is to have an inquiring mind1 or mood--curiosity4 ,custom for ,habit4 ,communities have customs2 individuals1 habits--commonly bad ones4 ,decease for ,die4 ,decidedly for ,very1 or ,certainly4 ,it is decidedly cold4 ,declared for ,said4 ,to a newspaper reporter no one seems ever to say anything2 all declare4 ,like alleged 7which see7 the word is tiresome exceedingly4 ,defalcation for ,default4 ,a defalcation is a cutting off1 a subtraction2 a default is a failure in duty4 ,definitely for ,definitively4 ,it was definitely decided4 ,definitely means precisely1 with exactness2 definitively means finally1 conclusively4 ,deliver4 ,he delivered an oration1 or delivered a lecture4 ,say1 ,he made an oration1 or gave a lecture4 ,demean for ,debase or ,degrade4 ,he demeaned himself by accepting charity4 ,the word relates1 not to meanness1 but to demeanor1 conduct1 behavior4 ,one may demean oneself with dignity and credit4 ,demise for ,death4 ,usually said of a person of note4 ,demise means the lapse1 as by death1 of some authority1 distinction or privilege1 which passes to another than the one that held it2 as the demise of the ,crown4 ,democracy for ,democratic ,party4 ,one could as properly call the ,christian ,church the ,christianity4 ,dpt for ,station4 ,railroad dpt4 ,a dpt is a place of deposit2 as1 a dpt of supply for an army4 ,deprivation for ,privation4 ,the mendicant showed the effects of deprivation4 ,deprivation refers to the act of depriving1 taking away from2 privation is the state of destitution1 of not having4 ,dilapidated for ,ruined4 ,said of a building1 or other structure4 ,but the word is from the ,latin lapis1 a stone1 and cannot properly be used of any but a stone structure4 ,directly for ,immediately4 ,i will come directly means that ,i will come by the most direct route4 ,dirt for ,earth1 ,soil1 or ,gravel4 ,a most disagreeable ,americanism1 discredited by general 7and ,presidential7 use4 ,make the dirt fly4 ,dirt means filth4 ,distinctly for ,distinctively4 ,the custom is distinctly ,oriental4 ,distinctly is plainly2 distinctively1 in a way to distinguish one thing from others4 ,donate for ,give4 ,good ,american1 but not good ,english4 ,doubtlessly4 ,a doubly adverbial form1 like illy4 ,dress for ,gown4 ,not so common as it was a few years ago4 ,dress means the entire costume4 ,each ,other for ,one ,another4 ,the three looked at each other4 ,that is1 each looked at the other4 ,but there were more than one other2 so we should say they looked at one another1 which means that each looked at another4 ,of two1 say each other2 of more than two1 one another4 ,edify for ,please1 or ,entertain4 ,edify means to build2 it has1 therefore1 the sense of uplift1 improvement--usually moral1 or spiritual4 ,electrocution4 ,to one having even an elementary knowledge of ,latin grammar this word is no less than disgusting1 and the thing meant by it is felt to be altogether too good for the word's inventor4 ,empty for ,vacant4 ,say1 an empty bottle2 but1 a vacant house4 ,employ4 ,good ,french1 but bad ,english4 ,say1 employee4 ,endorse for ,approve4 ,to endorse is to write upon the back of1 or to sign the promissory note of another4 ,it is a commercial word1 having insufficient dignity for literary use4 ,you may endorse a check1 but you approve a policy1 or statement4 ,endways4 ,a corruption of endwise4 ,entitled for ,authorized1 ,privileged4 ,the man is not entitled to draw rations4 ,say1 entitled to rations4 ,entitled is not to be followed by an infinitive4 ,episode for ,occurrence1 ,event1 etc4 ,properly1 an episode is a narrative that is a subordinate part of another narrative4 ,an occurrence considered by itself is not an episode4 ,equally as for ,equally4 ,this is equally as good4 ,omit as4 ,he was of the same age1 and equally as tall4 ,say1 equally tall4 ,equivalent for ,equal4 ,my salary is equivalent to yours4 ,essential for ,necessary4 ,this solecism is common among the best writers of this country and ,england4 ,it is essential to go early2 ,irrigation is essential to cultivation of arid lands1 and so forth4 ,one thing is essential to another thing only if it is of the essence of it--an important and indispensable part of it1 determining its nature2 the soul of it4 ,even for ,exact4 ,an even dozen4 ,every for ,entire1 ,full4 ,the president had every confidence in him4 ,every for ,ever4 ,every now and then4 ,this is nonsense3 there can be no such thing as a now and then1 nor1 of course1 a number of now and thens4 ,now and then is itself bad enough1 reversing as it does the sequence of things1 but it is idiomatic and there is no quarreling with it4 ,but every is here a corruption of ever1 meaning repeatedly1 continually4 ,ex4 ,ex-,president1 an ex-convict1 and the like4 ,say1 former4 ,in ,england one may say1 ,mr4 ,roosevelt1 sometime ,president2 though the usage is a trifle archaic4 ,example for ,problem4 ,a heritage from the text-books4 ,an example in arithmetic4 ,an equally bad word for the same thing is sum3 ,do the sum1 for ,solve the problem4 ,excessively for ,exceedingly4 ,the disease is excessively painful4 ,the weather is excessively cold4 ,anything that is painful at all is excessively so4 ,even a slight degree or small amount of what is disagreeable or injurious is excessive--that is to say1 redundant1 superfluous1 not required4 ,executed4 ,the condemned man was executed4 ,he was hanged1 or otherwise put to death2 it is the sentence that is executed4 ,executive for ,secret4 ,an executive session of a deliberative body is a session for executive business1 as distinguished from legislative4 ,it is commonly secret1 but a secret session is not necessarily executive4 ,expect for ,believe1 or ,suppose4 ,i expect he will go4 ,say1 ,i believe 7suppose or think7 he will go2 or1 ,i expect him to go4 ,expectorate for ,spit4 ,the former word is frequently used1 even in laws and ordinances1 as a euphemism for the latter4 ,it not only means something entirely different1 but to one with a ,latin ear is far more offensive4 ,experience for ,suffer1 or ,undergo4 ,the sinner experienced a change of heart4 ,this will do if said lightly or mockingly4 ,it does not indicate a serious frame of mind in the speaker4 ,extend for ,proffer4 ,he extended an invitation4 ,one does not always hold out an invitation in one's hand2 it may be spoken or sent4 ,fail4 ,he failed to note the hour4 ,that implies that he tried to note it1 but did not succeed4 ,failure carries always the sense of endeavor2 when there has been no endeavor there is no failure4 ,a falling stone cannot fail to strike you1 for it does not try2 but a marksman firing at you may fail to hit you2 and ,i hope he always will4 ,favor for ,resemble4 ,the child favors its father4 ,feel of for ,feel4 ,the doctor felt of the patient's head4 ,smell of and taste of are incorrect too4 ,feminine for ,female4 ,a feminine member of the club4 ,feminine refers1 not to sex proper1 but to gender1 which may be defined as the sex of words4 ,the same is true of masculine4 ,fetch for ,bring4 ,fetching includes1 not only bringing1 but going to get--going for and returning with4 ,you may bring what you did not go for4 ,finances for ,wealth1 or ,pecuniary ,resources4 ,financial for ,pecuniary4 ,his financial reward2 he is financially responsible1 and so forth4 ,firstly4 ,if this word could mean anything it would mean firstlike1 whatever that might mean4 ,the ordinal numbers should have no adverbial form3 firstly1 secondly1 and the rest are words without meaning4 ,fix4 ,this is1 in ,america1 a word-of-all-work1 most frequently meaning repair1 or prepare4 ,do not so use it4 ,forebears for ,ancestors4 ,the word is sometimes spelled forbears1 a worse spelling than the other1 but not much4 ,if used at all it should be spelled forebeers1 for it means those who have been before4 ,a forebe-er is one who fore-was4 ,considered in any way1 it is a senseless word4 ,forecasted4 ,for this abominable word we are indebted to the weather bureau--at least it was not sent upon us until that affliction was with us4 ,let us hope that it may some day be losted from the language4 ,former and ,latter4 ,indicating the first and the second of things previously named1 these words are unobjectionable if not too far removed from the names that they stand for4 ,if they are they confuse1 for the reader has to look back to the names4 ,use them sparingly4 ,funeral ,obsequies4 ,tautological4 ,say1 obsequies2 the word is now used in none but a funereal sense4 ,fully for ,definitively1 or ,finally4 ,after many preliminary examinations he was fully committed for trial4 ,the adverb is meaningless3 a defendant is never partly committed for trial4 ,this is a solecism to which lawyers are addicted4 ,and sometimes they have been heard to say fullied4 ,funds for ,money4 ,he was out of funds4 ,funds are not money in general1 but sums of money or credit available for particular purposes4 ,furnish for ,provide1 or ,supply4 ,taxation furnished the money4 ,a pauper may furnish a house if some one will provide the furniture1 or the money to buy it4 ,his flight furnishes a presumption of guilt4 ,it supplies it4 ,generally for ,usually4 ,the winds are generally high4 ,a fool is generally vain4 ,this misuse of the word appears to come of abbreviating3 ,generally speaking1 the weather is bad4 ,a fool1 to speak generally1 is vain4 ,gent for ,gentleman4 ,vulgar exceedingly4 ,genteel4 ,this word1 meaning polite1 or well mannered1 was once in better repute than it is now1 and its noun1 gentility1 is still not infrequently found in the work of good writers4 ,genteel is most often used by those who write1 as the ,scotchman of the anecdote joked--wi' deeficulty4 ,gentleman4 ,it is not possible to teach the correct use of this overworked word3 one must be bred to it4 ,everybody knows that it is not synonymous with man1 but among the genteel and those ambitious to be thought genteel it is commonly so used in discourse too formal for the word gent4 ,to use the word gentleman correctly1 be one4 ,genuine for ,authentic1 or ,veritable4 ,a genuine document1 a genuine surprise1 and the like4 ,given4 ,the soldier was given a rifle4 ,what was given is the rifle1 not the soldier4 ,the house was given a coat 7coating7 of paint4 ,nothing can be given anything4 ,goatee4 ,in this country goatee is frequently used for a tuft of beard on the point of the chin--what is sometimes called an imperial1 apparently because the late ,emperor ,napoleon ,,iii wore his beard so4 ,his ,majesty the ,goat is graciously pleased to wear his beneath the chin4 ,got ,married for ,married4 ,if this is correct we should say1 also1 got dead for died2 one expression is as good as the other4 ,gotten for ,got4 ,this has gone out of good use1 though in such compounded words as begotten and misbegotten it persists respectably4 ,graduated for ,was ,graduated4 ,gratuitous for ,unwarranted4 ,a gratuitous assertion4 ,gratuitous means without cost4 ,grueling4 ,used chiefly by newspaper reporters2 as1 ,he was subjected to a grueling cross-examination4 ,it was grueling weather4 ,probably a corruption of grilling4 ,gubernatorial4 ,eschew it2 it is not ,english1 is needless and bombastic4 ,leave it to those who call a political office a chair4 ,gubernatorial chair is good enough for them4 ,so is hanging4 ,had ,better for ,would ,better4 ,this is not defensible as an idiom1 as those who always used it before their attention was directed to it take the trouble to point out4 ,it comes of such contractions as he'd for he would1 ,i'd for ,i would4 ,these clipped words are erroneously restored as he had1 ,i had4 ,so we have such monstrosities as ,he had better beware1 ,i had better go4 ,hail for ,come4 ,he hails from ,chicago4 ,this is sea speech1 and comes from the custom of hailing passing ships4 ,it will not do for serious discourse4 ,have ,got for ,have4 ,i have got a good horse directs attention rather to the act of getting than to the state of having1 and represents the capture as recently completed4 ,head over ,heels4 ,a transposition of words hardly less surprising than 7to the person most concerned7 the mischance that it fails to describe4 ,what is meant is heels over head4 ,healthy for ,wholesome4 ,a healthy climate4 ,a healthy occupation4 ,only a living thing can be healthy4 ,helpmeet for ,helpmate4 ,in ,genesis ,adam's wife is called an help meet for him1 that is1 fit for him4 ,the ridiculous word appears to have had no other origin4 ,hereafter for ,henceforth4 ,hereafter means at some time in the future2 henceforth1 always in the future4 ,the penitent who promises to be good hereafter commits himself to the performance of a single good act1 not to a course of good conduct4 ,honeymoon4 ,moon here means month1 so it is incorrect to say1 a week's honeymoon1 or1 ,their honeymoon lasted a year4 ,horseflesh for ,horses4 ,a singularly senseless and disagreeable word which1 when used1 as it commonly is1 with reference to hippophilism1 savors rather more of the spit than of the spirit4 ,humans as a ,noun4 ,we have no single word having the general yet limited meaning that this is sometimes used to express--a meaning corresponding to that of the word animals1 as the word men would if it included women and children4 ,but there is time enough to use two words4 ,hung for ,hanged4 ,a bell1 or a curtain1 is hung1 but a man is hanged4 ,hung is the junior form of the participle1 and is now used for everything but man4 ,perhaps it is our reverence for the custom of hanging men that sacredly preserves the elder form--as some1 even1 of the most zealous ,american spelling reformers still respect the u in ,saviour4 ,hurry for ,haste and ,hasten4 ,to hurry is to hasten in a more or less disorderly manner4 ,hurry is misused1 also1 in another sense3 ,there is no hurry--meaning1 ,there is no reason for haste4 ,hurt for ,harm4 ,it does no hurt4 ,to be hurt is to feel pain1 but one may be harmed without knowing it4 ,to spank a child1 or flout a fool1 hurts without harming4 ,idea for ,thought1 ,purpose1 ,expectation1 etc4 ,i had no idea that it was so cold4 ,when he went abroad it was with no idea of remaining4 ,identified with4 ,he is closely identified with the temperance movement4 ,say1 connected4 ,ilk for ,kind4 ,men of that ilk4 ,this ,scotch word has a narrowly limited and specific meaning4 ,it relates to an ancestral estate having the same name as the person spoken of4 ,macdonald of that ilk means1 ,macdonald of ,macdonald4 ,the phrase quoted above is without meaning4 ,illy for ,ill4 ,there is no such word as illy1 for ill itself is an adverb4 ,imaginary ,line4 ,the adjective is needless4 ,geometrically1 every line is imaginary2 its graphic representation is a mark4 ,true the text-books say1 draw a line1 but in a mathematical sense the line already exists2 the drawing only makes its course visible4 ,in for ,into4 ,he was put in jail4 ,he went in the house4 ,a man may be in jail1 or be in a house1 but when the act of entrance--the movement of something from the outside to the inside of another thing--is related the correct word is into if the latter thing is named4 ,inaugurate for ,begin1 ,establish1 etc4 ,inauguration implies some degree of formality and ceremony4 ,incumbent for ,obligatory4 ,it was incumbent upon me to relieve him4 ,infelicitous and work-worn4 ,say1 ,it was my duty1 or1 if enamored of that particular metaphor1 ,it lay upon me4 ,individual4 ,as a noun1 this word means something that cannot be considered as divided1 a unit4 ,but it is incorrect to call a man1 woman or child an individual1 except with reference to mankind1 to society or to a class of persons4 ,it will not do to say1 ,an individual stood in the street1 when no mention nor allusion has been made1 nor is going to be made1 to some aggregate of individuals considered as a whole4 ,indorse4 ,see ,endorse4 ,insane ,asylum4 ,obviously an asylum cannot be unsound in mind4 ,say1 asylum for the insane4 ,in ,spite of4 ,in most instances it is better to say despite4 ,inside of4 ,omit the preposition4 ,insignificant for ,trivial1 or ,small4 ,insignificant means not signifying anything1 and should be used only in contrast1 expressed or implied1 with something that is important for what it implies4 ,the bear's tail may be insignificant to a naturalist tracing the animal's descent from an earlier species1 but to the rest of us1 not concerned with the matter1 it is merely small4 ,insoluble for ,unsolvable4 ,use the former word for material substances1 the latter for problems4 ,inst41 ,prox41 ,ult4 ,these abbreviations of instante mense 7in the present month71 proximo mense 7in the next month7 and ultimo mense 7in the last month71 are serviceable enough in commercial correspondence1 but1 like ,a4,m41 ,p4,m4 and many other contractions of ,latin words1 could profitably be spared from literature4 ,integrity for ,honesty4 ,the word means entireness1 wholeness4 ,it may be rightly used to affirm possession of all the virtues1 that is1 unity of moral character4 ,involve for ,entail4 ,proof of the charges will involve his dismissal4 ,not at all2 it will entail it4 ,to involve is1 literally1 to infold1 not to bring about1 nor cause to ensue4 ,an unofficial investigation1 for example1 may involve character and reputation1 but the ultimate consequence is entailed4 ,a question1 in the parliamentary sense1 may involve a principle2 its settlement one way or another may entail expense1 or injury to interests4 ,an act may involve one's honor and entail disgrace4 ,it for ,so4 ,going into the lion's cage is dangerous2 you should not do it4 ,do so is the better expression1 as a rule1 for the word it is a pronoun1 meaning a thing1 or object1 and therefore incapable of being done4 ,colloquially we may say do it1 or do this1 or do that1 but in serious written discourse greater precision is desirable1 and is better obtained1 in most cases1 by use of the adverb4 ,item for ,brief ,article4 ,commonly used of a narrative in a newspaper4 ,item connotes an aggregate of which it is a unit--one thing of many4 ,hence it suggests more than we may wish to direct attention to4 ,jackies for ,sailors4 ,vulgar1 and especially offensive to seamen4 ,jeopardize for ,imperil1 or ,endanger4 ,the correct word is jeopard1 but in any case there is no need for anything so farfetched and stilted4 ,juncture4 ,juncture means a joining1 a junction2 its use to signify a time1 however critical a time1 is absurd4 ,at this juncture the woman screamed4 ,in reading that account of it we scream too4 ,just ,exactly4 ,nothing is gained in strength nor precision by this kind of pleonasm4 ,omit just4 ,juvenile for ,child4 ,this needless use of the adjective for the noun is probably supposed to be humorous1 like canine for dog1 optic for eye1 anatomy for body1 and the like4 ,happily the offense is not very common4 ,kind of a for ,kind of4 ,he was that kind of a man4 ,say that kind of man4 ,man here is generic1 and a genus comprises many kinds4 ,but there cannot be more than one kind of one thing4 ,kind of followed by an adjective1 as1 kind of good1 is almost too gross for censure4 ,landed ,estate for ,property in ,land4 ,dreadful6 ,last and ,past4 ,last week4 ,the past week4 ,neither is accurate3 a week cannot be the last if another is already begun2 and all weeks except this one are past4 ,here two wrongs seem to make a right3 we can say the week last past4 ,but will we8 ,i trow not4 ,later on4 ,on is redundant2 say1 later4 ,laundry4 ,meaning a place where clothing is washed1 this word cannot mean1 also1 clothing sent there to be washed4 ,lay 7to place7 for ,lie 7to recline74 ,the ship lays on her side4 ,a more common error is made in the past tense1 as1 ,he laid down on the grass4 ,the confusion comes of the identity of a present tense of the transitive verb to lay and the past tense of the intransitive verb to lie4 ,leading ,question4 ,a leading question is not necessarily an important one2 it is one that is so framed as to suggest1 or lead to1 the answer desired4 ,few others than lawyers use the term correctly4 ,lease4 ,to say of a man that he leases certain premises leaves it doubtful whether he is lessor or lessee4 ,being ambiguous1 the word should be used with caution4 ,leave for ,go away4 ,he left yesterday4 ,leave is a transitive verb2 name the place of departure4 ,leave for ,let4 ,leave it alone4 ,by this many persons mean1 not that it is to be left in solitude1 but that it is to be untouched1 or unmolested4 ,lengthways for ,lengthwise4 ,lengthy4 ,usually said in disparagement of some wearisome discourse4 ,it is no better than breadthy1 or thicknessy4 ,leniency for ,lenity4 ,the words are synonymous1 but the latter is the better4 ,less for ,fewer4 ,the regiment had less than five hundred men4 ,less relates to quantity1 fewer1 to number4 ,limited for ,small1 ,inadequate1 etc4 ,the army's operations were confined to a limited area4 ,we had a limited supply of food4 ,a large area and an adequate supply would also be limited4 ,everything that we know about is limited4 ,liable for ,likely4 ,man is liable to err4 ,man is not liable to err1 but to error4 ,liable should be followed1 not by an infinitive1 but by a preposition4 ,like for ,as1 or ,as if4 ,the matter is now like it was4 ,the house looked like it would fall4 ,likely for ,probably4 ,he will likely be elected4 ,if likely is thought the better word 7and in most cases it is7 put it this way3 ,it is likely that he will be elected1 or1 ,he is likely to be elected4 ,line for ,kind1 or ,class4 ,this line of goods4 ,leave the word to salesladies and salesgentlemen4 ,that line of business4 ,say1 that business4 ,literally for ,figuratively4 ,the stream was literally alive with fish4 ,his eloquence literally swept the audience from its feet4 ,it is bad enough to exaggerate1 but to affirm the truth of the exaggeration is intolerable4 ,loan for ,lend4 ,i loaned him ten dollars4 ,we lend1 but the act of lending1 or1 less literally1 the thing lent1 is a loan4 ,locate4 ,after many removals the family located at ,smithville4 ,some dictionaries give locate as an intransitive verb having that meaning1 but--well1 dictionaries are funny4 ,lots1 or a ,lot1 for ,much1 or ,many4 ,lots of things4 ,a lot of talk4 ,love for ,like4 ,i love to travel4 ,i love apples4 ,keep the stronger word for a stronger feeling4 ,lunch for ,luncheon4 ,but do not use luncheon as a verb4 ,mad for ,angry4 ,an ,americanism of lessening prevalence4 ,it is probable that anger is a kind of madness 7insanity71 but that is not what the misusers of the word mad mean to affirm4 ,maintain for ,contend4 ,the senator maintained that the tariff was iniquitous4 ,he maintained it only if he proved it4 ,majority for ,plurality4 ,concerning votes cast in an election1 a majority is more than half the total2 a plurality is the excess of one candidate's votes over another's4 ,commonly the votes compared are those for the successful candidate and those for his most nearly successful competitor4 ,make for ,earn4 ,he makes fifty dollars a month by manual labor4 ,mansion for ,dwelling1 or ,house4 ,usually mere hyperbole1 a lamentable fault of our national literature4 ,even our presidents1 before ,roosevelt1 called their dwelling the ,executive ,mansion4 ,masculine for ,male4 ,see ,feminine4 ,mend for ,repair4 ,they mended the road4 ,to mend is to repair1 but to repair is not always to mend4 ,a stocking is mended1 a road repaired4 ,meet for ,meeting4 ,this belongs to the language of sport1 which persons of sense do not write--nor read4 ,militate4 ,negligence militates against success4 ,if militate meant anything it would mean fight1 but there is no such word4 ,mind for ,obey4 ,this is a reasonless extension of one legitimate meaning of mind1 namely1 to heed1 to give attention4 ,minus for ,lacking1 or ,without4 ,after the battle he was minus an ear4 ,it is better in serious composition to avoid such alien words as have vernacular equivalents4 ,mistaken for ,mistake4 ,you are mistaken4 ,for whom8 ,say1 ,you mistake4 ,monarch for ,king1 ,emperor1 or ,sovereign4 ,not only hyperbolical1 but inaccurate4 ,there is not a monarch in ,christendom4 ,moneyed for ,wealthy4 ,the moneyed men of ,new ,york4 ,one might as sensibly say1 ,the cattled men of ,texas1 or1 ,the lobstered men of the fish market4 ,most for ,almost4 ,the apples are most all gone4 ,the returning travelers were most home4 ,moved for ,removed4 ,the family has moved to another house4 ,the ,joneses were moving4 ,mutual4 ,by this word we express a reciprocal relation4 ,it implies exchange1 a giving and taking1 not a mere possessing in common4 ,there can be a mutual affection1 or a mutual hatred1 but not a mutual friend1 nor a mutual horse4 ,name for ,title and ,name4 ,his name was ,mr4 ,smith4 ,surely no babe was ever christened ,mister4 ,necessaries for ,means4 ,bread and meat are necessaries of life4 ,not so2 they are the mere means1 for one can1 and many do1 live comfortably without them4 ,food and drink are necessaries of life1 but particular kinds of food and drink are not4 ,necessities for ,necessaries4 ,necessities of life are those things without which we cannot live4 ,ne4 ,feminine of n1 born4 ,mrs4 ,jones1 ne ,lucy ,smith4 ,she could hardly have been christened before her birth4 ,if you must use the ,french word say1 ne ,smith4 ,negotiate4 ,from the ,latin negotium4 ,it means1 as all know1 to fix the terms for a transaction1 to bargain4 ,but when we say1 ,the driver negotiated a difficult turn of the road1 or1 ,the chauffeur negotiated a hill1 we speak nonsense4 ,neither--or for ,neither--nor4 ,neither a cat or fish has wool4 ,always after neither use nor4 ,new ,beginner for ,beginner4 ,nice for ,good1 or ,agreeable4 ,a nice girl4 ,nice means fastidious1 delicately discriminative1 and the like4 ,pope uses the word admirably of a dandy who was skilled in the nice conduct management of a clouded cane4 ,noise for ,sound4 ,a noise like a flute2 a noise of twittering birds1 etc4 ,a noise is a loud or disagreeable sound1 or combination or succession of sounds4 ,none4 ,usually1 and in most cases1 singular2 as1 ,none has come4 ,but it is not singular because it always means not one1 for frequently it does not1 as1 ,the bottle was full of milk1 but none is left4 ,when it refers to numbers1 not quantity1 popular usage stubbornly insists that it is plural1 and at least one respectable authority says that as a singular it is offensive4 ,one is sorry to be offensive to a good man4 ,no ,use4 ,he tried to smile1 but it was no use4 ,say1 of no use1 or1 less colloquially1 in vain4 ,novel for ,romance4 ,in a novel there is at least an apparent attention to considerations of probability2 it is a narrative of what might occur4 ,romance flies with a free wing and owns no allegiance to likelihood4 ,both are fiction1 both works of imagination1 but should not be confounded4 ,they are as distinct as beast and bird4 ,numerous for ,many4 ,rightly used1 numerous relates to numbers1 but does not imply a great number4 ,a correct use is seen in the term numerous verse--verse consisting of poetic numbers2 that is1 rhythmical feet4 ,obnoxious for ,offensive4 ,obnoxious means exposed to evil4 ,a soldier in battle is obnoxious to danger4 ,occasion for ,induce1 or ,cause4 ,his arrival occasioned a great tumult4 ,as a verb1 the word is needless and unpleasing4 ,occasional ,poems4 ,these are not1 as so many authors and compilers seem to think1 poems written at irregular and indefinite intervals1 but poems written for occasions1 such as anniversaries1 festivals1 celebrations and the like4 ,of ,any for ,of ,all4 ,the greatest poet of any that we have had4 ,offhanded and ,offhandedly4 ,offhand is both adjective and adverb2 these are bastard forms4 ,on the ,street4 ,a street comprises the roadway and the buildings at each side4 ,say1 in the street4 ,he lives in ,broadway4 ,one ,another for ,each ,other4 ,see ,each ,other4 ,only4 ,he only had one4 ,say1 ,he had only one1 or1 better1 one only4 ,the other sentence might be taken to mean that only he had one2 that1 indeed1 is what it distinctly says4 ,the correct placing of only in a sentence requires attention and skill4 ,opine for ,think4 ,the word is not very respectably connected4 ,opposite for ,contrary4 ,i hold the opposite opinion4 ,the opposite practice4 ,or for ,nor4 ,probably our most nearly universal solecism4 ,i cannot see the sun or the moon4 ,this means that ,i am unable to see one of them1 though ,i may see the other4 ,by using nor1 ,i affirm the invisibility of both1 which is what ,i wanted to do4 ,if a man is not white or black he may nevertheless be a ,negro or a ,caucasian2 but if he is not white nor black he belongs to some other race4 ,see ,neither4 ,ordinarily for ,usually4 ,clumsy4 ,ovation4 ,in ancient ,rome an ovation was an inferior triumph accorded to victors in minor wars or unimportant battle4 ,its character and limitations1 like those of the triumph1 were strictly defined by law and custom4 ,an enthusiastic demonstration in honor of an ,american civilian is nothing like that1 and should not be called by its name4 ,over for ,about1 ,in1 or ,concerning4 ,don't cry over spilt milk4 ,he rejoiced over his acquittal4 ,over for ,more than4 ,a sum of over ten thousand dollars4 ,upward of ten thousand dollars is equally objectionable4 ,over for ,on4 ,the policeman struck him over the head4 ,if the blow was over the head it did not hit him4 ,over with4 ,let us have it over with4 ,omit with4 ,a better expression is1 ,let us get done with it4 ,outside of4 ,omit the preposition4 ,pair for ,pairs4 ,if a word has a good plural use each form in its place4 ,pants for ,trousers4 ,abbreviated from pantaloons1 which are no longer worn4 ,vulgar exceedingly4 ,partially for ,partly4 ,a dictionary word1 to swell the book4 ,party for ,person4 ,a party named ,brown4 ,the word1 used in that sense1 has the excuse that it is a word4 ,otherwise it is no better than pants and gent4 ,a person making an agreement1 however1 is a party to that agreement4 ,patron for ,customer4 ,pay for ,give1 ,make1 etc4 ,he pays attention4 ,she paid a visit to ,niagara4 ,it is conceivable that one may owe attention or a visit to another person1 but one cannot be indebted to a place4 ,pay4 ,laziness does not pay4 ,it does not pay to be uncivil4 ,this use of the word is grossly commercial4 ,say1 ,indolence is unprofitable4 ,there is no advantage in incivility4 ,peek for ,peep4 ,seldom heard in ,england1 though common here4 ,i peeked out through the curtain and saw him4 ,that it is a variant of peep is seen in the child's word peek-a-boo1 equivalent to bo-peep4 ,better use the senior word4 ,peculiar for ,odd1 or ,unusual4 ,also sometimes used to denote distinction1 or particularity4 ,properly a thing is peculiar only to another thing1 of which it is characteristic1 nothing else having it2 as knowledge of the use of fire is peculiar to ,man4 ,people for ,persons4 ,three people were killed4 ,many people are superstitious4 ,people has retained its parity of meaning with the ,latin populus1 whence it comes1 and the word is not properly used except to designate a population1 or large fractions of it considered in the mass4 ,to speak of any stated or small number of persons as people is incorrect4 ,per4 ,five dollars per day4 ,three per hundred4 ,say1 three dollars a day2 three in a hundred4 ,if you must use the ,latin preposition use the ,latin noun too3 per diem2 per centum4 ,perpetually for ,continually4 ,the child is perpetually asking questions4 ,what is done perpetually is done continually and forever4 ,phenomenal for ,extraordinary1 or ,surprising4 ,everything that occurs is phenomenal1 for all that we know about is phenomena1 appearances4 ,of realities1 noumena1 we are ignorant4 ,plead 7pronounced pled7 for ,pleaded4 ,he plead guilty4 ,plenty for ,plentiful4 ,fish and fowl were plenty4 ,poetess4 ,a foolish word1 like authoress4 ,poetry for ,verse4 ,not all verse is poetry2 not all poetry is verse4 ,few persons can know1 or hope to know1 the one from the other1 but he who has the humility to doubt 7if such a one there be7 should say verse if the composition is metrical4 ,point ,blank4 ,he fired at him point blank4 ,this usually is intended to mean directly1 or at short range4 ,but point blank means the point at which the line of sight is crossed downward by the trajectory--the curve described by the missile4 ,poisonous for ,venomous4 ,hemlock is poisonous1 but a rattlesnake is venomous4 ,politics4 ,the word is not plural because it happens to end with s4 ,possess for ,have4 ,to possess knowledge is to possess power4 ,possess is lacking in naturalness and unduly emphasizes the concept of ownership4 ,practically for ,virtually4 ,this error is very common4 ,it is practically conceded4 ,the decision was practically unanimous4 ,the panther and the cougar are practically the same animal4 ,these and similar misapplications of the word are virtually without excuse4 ,predicate for ,found1 or ,base4 ,i predicate my argument on universal experience4 ,what is predicated of something is affirmed as an attribute of it1 as omnipotence is predicated of the ,deity4 ,prejudice for ,prepossession4 ,literally1 a prejudice is merely a prejudgment--a decision before evidence--and may be favorable or unfavorable1 but it is so much more frequently used in the latter sense than in the former that clarity is better got by the other word for reasonless approval4 ,preparedness for ,readiness4 ,an awkward and needless word much used in discussion of national armaments1 as1 ,our preparedness for war4 ,preside4 ,professor ,swackenhauer presided at the piano4 ,the deviled crab table was presided over by ,mrs4 ,dooley4 ,how would this sound8 ,the ginger pop stand was under the administration of ,president ,woolwit1 and ,professor ,sooffle presided at the flute4 ,pretend for ,profess4 ,i do not pretend to be infallible4 ,of course not2 one does not care to confess oneself a pretender4 ,to pretend is to try to deceive2 one may profess quite honestly4 ,preventative for ,preventive4 ,no such word as preventative4 ,previous for ,previously4 ,the man died previous to receipt of the letter4 ,prior to for ,before4 ,stilted4 ,propose for ,purpose1 or ,intend4 ,i propose to go to ,europe4 ,a mere intention is not a proposal4 ,proposition for ,proposal4 ,he made a proposition4 ,in current slang almost anything is a proposition4 ,a difficult enterprise is a tough proposition1 an agile wrestler1 a slippery proposition1 and so forth4 ,proportions for ,dimensions4 ,a rock of vast proportions4 ,proportions relate to form2 dimensions to magnitude4 ,proven for ,proved4 ,good ,scotch1 but bad ,english4 ,proverbial for ,familiar4 ,the proverbial dog in the manger4 ,the animal is not proverbial for it is not mentioned in a proverb1 but in a fable4 ,quit for ,cease1 ,stop4 ,jones promises to quit drinking4 ,in another sense1 too1 the word is commonly misused1 as1 ,he has quit the town4 ,say1 quitted4 ,quite4 ,she is quite charming4 ,if it is meant that she is entirely charming this is right1 but usually the meaning intended to be conveyed is less than that--that she is rather1 or somewhat1 charming4 ,raise for ,bring up1 ,grow1 ,breed1 etc4 ,in this country a word-of-all-work3 raise children1 raise wheat1 raise cattle4 ,children are brought up1 grain1 hay and vegetables are grown1 animals and poultry are bred4 ,real for ,really1 or ,very4 ,it is real good of him4 ,the weather was real cold4 ,realize for ,conceive1 or ,comprehend4 ,i could not realize the situation4 ,writers caring for precision use this word in the sense of to make real1 not to make seem real4 ,a dream seems real1 but is actually realized when made to come true4 ,recollect for ,remember4 ,to remember is to have in memory2 to recollect is to recall what has escaped from memory4 ,we remember automatically2 in recollecting we make a conscious effort4 ,redeem for ,retrieve4 ,he redeemed his good name4 ,redemption 7,latin redemptio1 from re and dimere7 is allied to ransom1 and carries the sense of buying back2 whereas to retrieve is merely to recover what was lost4 ,redound for ,conduce4 ,a man's honesty redounds to his advantage4 ,we make a better use of the word if we say of one 7for example7 who has squandered a fortune1 that its loss redounds to his advantage1 for the word denotes a fluctuation1 as from seeming evil to actual good2 as villification may direct attention to one's excellent character4 ,refused4 ,he was refused a crown4 ,it is the crown that was refused to him4 ,see ,given4 ,regular for ,natural1 or ,customary4 ,flattery of the people is the demagogue's regular means to political preferment4 ,regular properly relates to a rule 7regula7 more definite than the law of antecedent and consequent4 ,reliable for ,trusty1 or ,trustworthy4 ,a word not yet admitted to the vocabulary of the fastidious1 but with a strong backing for the place4 ,remit for ,send4 ,on receiving your bill ,i will remit the money4 ,remit does not mean that2 it means give back1 yield up1 relinquish1 etc4 ,it means1 also1 to cancel1 as in the phrase1 the remission of sins4 ,rendition for ,interpretation1 or ,performance4 ,the actor's rendition of the part was good4 ,rendition means a surrender1 or a giving back4 ,reportorial4 ,a vile word1 improperly made4 ,it assumes the ,latinized spelling1 reporter4 ,the ,romans had not the word1 for they were1 fortunately for them1 without the thing4 ,repudiate for ,deny4 ,he repudiated the accusation4 ,reside for ,live4 ,they reside in ,hohokus4 ,stilted4 ,residence for ,dwelling1 or ,house4 ,see ,mansion4 ,respect for ,way1 or ,matter4 ,they were alike in that respect4 ,the misuse comes of abbreviating3 the sentence properly written might be1 ,they were alike in respect of that--i4e41 with regard to that4 ,the word in the bad sense has even been pluralized3 ,in many respects it is admirable4 ,respective4 ,they went to their respective homes4 ,the adjective here 7if an adjective is thought necessary7 should be several4 ,in the adverbial form the word is properly used in the sentence following3 ,john and ,james are bright and dull1 respectively4 ,that is1 ,john is bright and ,james dull4 ,responsible4 ,the bad weather is responsible for much sickness4 ,his intemperance was responsible for his crime4 ,responsibility is not an attribute of anything but human beings1 and few of these can respond1 in damages or otherwise4 ,responsible is nearly synonymous with accountable and answerable1 which1 also1 are frequently misused4 ,restive for ,restless4 ,these words have directly contrary meanings2 the dictionaries' disallowance of their identity would be something to be thankful for1 but that is a dream4 ,retire for ,go to ,bed4 ,english of the genteel sort4 ,see ,genteel4 ,rev4 for ,the ,rev4 ,rev4 ,dr4 ,smith4 ,reverence for ,revere4 ,ride for ,drive4 ,on horseback one does drive1 and in a vehicle one does ride1 but a distinction is needed here1 as in ,england2 so1 here as there1 we may profitably make it1 riding in the saddle and driving in the carriage4 ,roomer for ,lodger4 ,see ,bedder and ,mealer--if you can find them4 ,round for ,about4 ,they stood round4 ,see ,around4 ,ruination for ,ruin4 ,questionably derived and problematically needful4 ,run for ,manage1 or ,conduct4 ,vulgar--hardly better than slang4 ,say for ,voice4 ,he had no say in determining the matter4 ,vulgar4 ,scholar for ,student1 or ,pupil4 ,a scholar is a person who is learned1 not a person who is learning4 ,score for ,win1 ,obtain1 etc4 ,he scored an advantage over his opponent4 ,to score is not to win a point1 but to record it4 ,second-handed for ,second-hand4 ,there is no such word4 ,secure for ,procure4 ,he secured a position as book-keeper4 ,the dwarf secured a stick and guarded the jewels that he had found4 ,then it was the jewels that were secured4 ,seldom ever4 ,a most absurd locution4 ,self-confessed4 ,a self-confessed assassin4 ,self is superfluous3 one's sins cannot be confessed by another4 ,sensation for ,emotion4 ,the play caused a great sensation4 ,a sensational newspaper4 ,a sensation is a physical feeling2 an emotion1 a mental4 ,doubtless the one usually accompanies the other1 but the good writer will name the one that he has in mind1 not the other4 ,there are few errors more common than the one here noted4 ,sense for ,smell4 ,she sensed the fragrance of roses4 ,society ,english4 ,set for ,sit4 ,a setting hen4 ,settee for ,settle4 ,this word belongs to the peasantry of speech4 ,settle for ,pay4 ,settle the bill4 ,i shall take it now and settle for it later4 ,shades for ,shade4 ,shades of ,noah6 how it rained6 ,o shades of ,caesar6 ,a shade is a departed soul1 as conceived by the ancients2 one to each mortal part is the proper allowance4 ,show for ,chance1 or ,opportunity4 ,he didn't stand a show4 ,say1 ,he had no chance4 ,sick for ,ill4 ,good usage now limits this word to cases of nausea1 but it is still legitimate in sickly1 sickness1 love-sick1 and the like4 ,side for ,agree1 or ,stand4 ,i side with the ,democrats4 ,he always sided with what he thought right4 ,sideburns for ,burnsides4 ,a form of whiskers named from a noted general of the civil war1 ,ambrose ,e4 ,burnside4 ,it seems to be thought that the word side has something to do with it1 and that as an adjective it should come first1 according to our idiom4 ,side-hill for ,hillside4 ,a reasonless transposition for which it is impossible to assign a cause1 unless it is abbreviated from side o' the hill4 ,sideways for ,sidewise4 ,see ,endways4 ,since for ,ago4 ,he came here not long since and died4 ,smart for ,bright1 or ,able4 ,an ,americanism that is dying out4 ,but smart has recently come into use for fashionable1 which is almost as bad4 ,snap for ,period 7of time7 or ,spell4 ,a cold snap4 ,this is a word of incomprehensible origin in that sense2 we can know only that its parents were not respectable4 ,spell is itself not very well-born4 ,so--as4 ,see ,as--as4 ,so for ,true4 ,if you see it in the ,daily ,livercomplaint it is so4 ,is that so8 ,colloquial and worse4 ,solemnize4 ,this word rightly means to make solemn1 not to perform1 or celebrate1 ceremoniously something already solemn1 as a marriage1 or a mass4 ,we have no exact synonym1 but this explains1 rather than justifies1 its use4 ,some for ,somewhat4 ,he was hurt some4 ,soon for ,willingly4 ,i would as soon go as stay4 ,that soldier would sooner eat than fight4 ,say1 rather eat4 ,space for ,period4 ,a long space of time4 ,space is so different a thing from time that the two do not go well together4 ,spend for ,pass4 ,we shall spend the summer in ,europe4 ,spend denotes a voluntary relinquishment1 but time goes from us against our will4 ,square for ,block4 ,he lives three squares away4 ,a city block is seldom square4 ,squirt for ,spurt4 ,absurd4 ,stand and ,stand for for ,endure4 ,the patient stands pain well4 ,he would not stand for misrepresentation4 ,standpoint for ,point of ,view1 or ,viewpoint4 ,state for ,say4 ,he stated that he came from ,chicago4 ,it is stated that the president is angry4 ,we state a proposition1 or a principle1 but say that we are well4 ,and we say our prayers--some of us4 ,still ,continue4 ,the rain still continues4 ,omit still2 it is contained in the other word4 ,stock4 ,i take no stock in it4 ,disagreeably commercial4 ,say1 ,i have no faith in it4 ,many such metaphorical expressions were unobjectionable1 even pleasing1 in the mouth of him who first used them1 but by constant repetition by others have become mere slang1 with all the offensiveness of plagiarism4 ,the prime objectionableness of slang is its hideous lack of originality4 ,until mouth-worn it is not slang4 ,stop for ,stay4 ,prayer will not stop the ravages of cholera4 ,stop is frequently misused for stay in another sense of the latter word3 ,he is stopping at the hotel4 ,stopping is not a continuing act2 one cannot be stopping who has already stopped4 ,stunt4 ,a word recently introduced and now overworked1 meaning a task1 or performance in one's trade1 or calling1--doubtless a variant of stint1 without that word's suggestion of allotment and limitation4 ,it is still in the reptilian stage of evolution4 ,subsequent for ,later1 or ,succeeding4 ,legitimate enough1 but ugly and needless4 ,he was subsequently hanged4 ,say1 afterward4 ,substantiate for ,prove4 ,why8 ,success4 ,the project was a success4 ,say1 was successful4 ,success should not have the indefinite article4 ,such ,another for ,another ,such4 ,there is illustrious authority for this--in poetry4 ,poets are a lawless folk1 and may do as they please so long as they do please4 ,such for ,so4 ,he had such weak legs that he could not stand4 ,the absurdity of this is made obvious by changing the form of the statement3 ,his legs were such weak that he could not stand4 ,if the word is an adverb in the one sentence it is in the other4 ,he is such a great bore that none can endure him4 ,say1 so great a bore4 ,suicide4 ,this is never a verb4 ,he suicided4 ,say1 ,he killed himself1 or ,he took his own life4 ,see ,commit ,suicide4 ,supererogation4 ,to supererogate is to overpay1 or to do more than duty requires4 ,but the excess must be in the line of duty2 merely needless and irrelevant action is not supererogation4 ,the word is not a natural one1 at best4 ,sure for ,surely4 ,they will come1 sure4 ,slang4 ,survive for ,live1 or ,persist4 ,survival is an outliving1 or outlasting of something else4 ,the custom survives is wrong1 but a custom may survive its utility4 ,survive is a transitive verb4 ,sustain for ,incur4 ,he sustained an injury4 ,he sustained a broken neck4 ,that means that although his neck was broken he did not yield to the mischance4 ,talented for ,gifted4 ,these are both past participles1 but there was once the verb to gift1 whereas there was never the verb to talent4 ,if ,nature did not talent a person the person is not talented4 ,tantamount for ,equivalent4 ,apology is tantamount to confession4 ,let this ugly word alone2 it is not only illegitimate1 but ludicrously suggests catamount4 ,tasty for ,tasteful4 ,vulgar4 ,tear ,down for ,pull ,down4 ,the house was torn down4 ,this is an indigenous solecism2 they do not say so in ,england4 ,than ,whom4 ,see ,whom4 ,the4 ,a little word that is terribly overworked4 ,it is needlessly affixed to names of most diseases3 the cholera1 the smallpox1 the scarlet fever1 and such4 ,some escape it3 we do not say1 the sciatica1 nor the locomotor ataxia4 ,it is too common in general propositions1 as1 ,the payment of interest is the payment of debt4 ,the virtues that are automatic are the best4 ,the tendency to falsehood should be checked4 ,kings are not under the control of the law4 ,it is impossible to note here all forms of this misuse1 but a page of almost any book will supply abundant instance4 ,we do not suffer so abject slavery to the definite article as the ,french1 but neither do we manifest their spirit of rebellion by sometimes cutting off the oppressor's tail4 ,one envies the ,romans1 who had no article1 definite or indefinite4 ,the ,following4 ,washington wrote the following4 ,the following what8 ,put in the noun4 ,the following animals are ruminants4 ,it is not the animals that follow1 but their names4 ,the ,same4 ,they cooked the flesh of the lion and ate the same4 ,an old man lived in a cave1 and the same was a cripple4 ,in humorous composition this may do1 though it is not funny2 but in serious work use the regular pronoun4 ,then as an ,adjective4 ,the then governor of the colony4 ,say1 the governor of the colony at that time4 ,those ,kind for ,that ,kind4 ,those kind of things4 ,almost too absurd for condemnation1 and happily not very common out of the class of analphabets4 ,though for ,if4 ,she wept as though her heart was broken4 ,many good writers1 even some devoid of the lexicographers' passion for inclusion and approval1 have specifically defended this locution1 backing their example by their precept4 ,perhaps it is a question of taste2 let us attend their cry and pass on4 ,thrifty for ,thriving4 ,a thrifty village4 ,to thrive is an end2 thrift is a means to that end4 ,through for ,done4 ,the lecturer is through talking4 ,i am through with it4 ,say1 ,i have done with it4 ,to4 ,as part of an infinitive it should not be separated from the other part by an adverb1 as1 to hastily think1 for hastily to think1 or1 to think hastily4 ,condemnation of the split infinitive is now pretty general1 but it is only recently that any one seems to have thought of it4 ,our forefathers and we elder writers of this generation used it freely and without shame--perhaps because it had not a name1 and our crime could not be pointed out without too much explanation4 ,to for ,at4 ,we have been to church1 ,i was to the theater4 ,one can go to a place1 but one cannot be to it4 ,total4 ,the figures totaled #aj1jjj4 ,say1 ,the total of the figures was #aj1jjj4 ,transaction for ,action1 or ,incident4 ,the policeman struck the man with his club1 but the transaction was not reported4 ,the picking of a pocket is a criminal transaction4 ,in a transaction two or more persons must have an active or assenting part2 as1 a business transaction1 ,transactions of the ,geographical ,society1 etc4 ,the ,society's action would be better called ,proceedings4 ,transpire for ,occur1 ,happen1 etc4 ,this event transpired in #aijf4 ,transpire 7trans1 through1 and spirare1 to breathe7 means leak out1 that is1 become known4 ,what transpired in #aijf may have occurred long before4 ,trifling for ,trivial4 ,a trifling defect2 a trifling error4 ,trust for ,wealthy ,corporation4 ,there are few trusts2 capitalists have mostly abandoned the trust form of combination4 ,try an ,experiment4 ,an experiment is a trial2 we cannot try a trial4 ,say1 make4 ,try and for ,try to4 ,i will try and see him4 ,this plainly says that my effort to see him will succeed--which ,i cannot know and do not wish to affirm4 ,please try and come4 ,this colloquial slovenliness of speech is almost universal in this country1 but freedom of speech is one of our most precious possessions4 ,ugly for ,ill-natured1 ,quarrelsome4 ,what is ugly is the temper1 or disposition1 not the person having it4 ,under-handed and ,under-handedly for ,under-hand4 ,see ,off-handed4 ,unique4 ,this is very unique4 ,the most unique house in the city4 ,there are no degrees of uniqueness3 a thing is unique if there is not another like it4 ,the word has nothing to do with oddity1 strangeness1 nor picturesqueness4 ,united ,states as a ,singular ,noun4 ,the ,united ,states is for peace4 ,the fact that we are in some ways one nation has nothing to do with it2 it is enough to know that the word ,states is plural--if not1 what is ,state8 ,it would be pretty hard on a foreigner skilled in the ,english tongue if he could not venture to use our national name without having made a study of the history of our ,constitution and political institutions4 ,grammar has not a speaking acquaintance with politics1 and patriotic pride is not schoolmaster to syntax4 ,unkempt for ,disordered1 ,untidy1 etc4 ,unkempt means uncombed1 and can properly be said of nothing but the hair4 ,use for ,treat4 ,the inmates were badly used4 ,they use him harshly4 ,utter for ,absolute1 ,entire1 etc4 ,utter has a damnatory signification and is to be used of evil things only4 ,it is correct to say utter misery1 but not utter happiness2 utterly bad1 but not utterly good4 ,various for ,several4 ,various kinds of men4 ,kinds are various of course1 for they vary--that is what makes them kinds4 ,use various only when1 in speaking of a number of things1 you wish to direct attention to their variety--their difference1 one from another4 ,the dividend was distributed among the various stockholders4 ,the stockholders vary1 as do all persons1 but that is irrelevant and was not in mind4 ,various persons have spoken to me of you4 ,their variation is unimportant2 what is meant is that there was a small indefinite number of them2 that is1 several4 ,ventilate for ,express1 ,disclose1 etc4 ,the statesman ventilated his views4 ,a disagreeable and dog-eared figure of speech4 ,verbal for ,oral4 ,all language is verbal1 whether spoken or written1 but audible speech is oral4 ,he did not write1 but communicated his wishes verbally4 ,it would have been a verbal communication1 also1 if written4 ,vest for ,waistcoat4 ,this is ,american1 but as all ,americans are not in agreement about it it is better to use the ,english word4 ,vicinity for ,vicinage1 or ,neighborhood4 ,he lives in this vicinity4 ,if neither of the other words is desired say1 ,he lives in the vicinity of this place1 or1 better1 ,he lives near by4 ,view of4 ,he invested with the view of immediate profit4 ,he enlisted with the view of promotion4 ,say1 with a view to4 ,vulgar for ,immodest1 ,indecent4 ,it is from vulgus1 the common people1 the mob1 and means both common and unrefined1 but has no relation to indecency4 ,way for ,away4 ,way out at sea4 ,way down ,south4 ,ways for ,way4 ,a squirrel ran a little ways along the road4 ,the ship looked a long ways off4 ,this surprising word calls loudly for depluralization4 ,wed for ,wedded4 ,they were wed at noon4 ,he wed her in ,boston4 ,the word wed in all its forms as a substitute for marry1 is pretty hard to bear4 ,well4 ,as a mere meaningless prelude to a sentence this word is overtasked4 ,well1 ,i don't know about that4 ,well1 you may try4 ,well1 have your own way4 ,wet for ,wetted4 ,see ,bet4 ,where for ,when4 ,where there is reason to expect criticism write discreetly4 ,which for ,that4 ,the boat which ,i engaged had a hole in it4 ,but a parenthetical clause may rightly be introduced by which2 as1 ,the boat1 which had a hole in it1 ,i nevertheless engaged4 ,which and that are seldom interchangeable2 when they are1 use that4 ,it sounds better4 ,whip for ,chastise1 or ,defeat4 ,to whip is to beat with a whip4 ,it means nothing else4 ,whiskers for ,beard4 ,the whisker is that part of the beard that grows on the cheek4 ,see ,chin ,whiskers4 ,who for ,whom4 ,who do you take me for8 ,whom for ,who4 ,the man whom they thought was dead is living4 ,here the needless introduction of was entails the alteration of whom to who4 ,remember whom it is that you speak of4 ,george ,washington1 than whom there was no greater man1 loved a jest4 ,the misuse of whom after than is almost universal4 ,who and whom trip up many a good writer1 although1 unlike which and who1 they require nothing but knowledge of grammar4 ,widow ,woman4 ,omit woman4 ,will and ,shall4 ,proficiency in the use of these apparently troublesome words must be sought in text-books on grammar and rhetoric1 where the subject will be found treated with a more particular attention1 and at greater length1 than is possible in a book of the character of this4 ,briefly and generally1 in the first person1 a mere intention is indicated by shall1 as1 ,i shall go2 whereas will denotes some degree of compliance or determination1 as1 ,i will go--as if my going had been requested or forbidden4 ,in the second and the third person1 will merely forecasts1 as1 ,you 7or he7 will go2 but shall implies something of promise1 permission or compulsion by the speaker1 as1 ,you 7or he7 shall go4 ,another and less obvious compulsion--that of circumstance--speaks in shall1 as sometimes used with good effect3 ,in ,germany you shall not turn over a chip without uncovering a philosopher4 ,the sentence is barely more than indicative1 shall being almost1 but not quite1 equivalent to can4 ,win out4 ,like its antithesis1 lose out1 this reasonless phrase is of sport1 sporty4 ,win for ,won4 ,i went to the race and win ten dollars4 ,this atrocious solecism seems to be unknown outside the world of sport1 where may it ever remain4 ,without for ,unless4 ,i cannot go without ,i recover4 ,peasantese4 ,witness for ,see4 ,to witness is more than merely to see1 or observe2 it is to observe1 and to tell afterward4 ,would-be4 ,the would-be assassin was arrested4 ,the word doubtless supplies a want1 but we can better endure the want than the word4 ,in the instance of the assassin1 it is needless1 for he who attempts to murder is an assassin1 whether he succeeds or not4