the country:" say, _fled_. _Flew_ is part of the verb _to fly_; _fled_, of
_to flee_.
171. "The first edition was not _as_ well printed as the present:" say,
_so_ well, &c.
172. "The Unabridged Dictionary was his greatest work, it being the labor
of a life-time:" pronounce _Dictionary_ as if written _Dik-shun-a-ry_;
not, as is too commonly the practice, _Dixonary_.
173. "I should feel sorry to be _beholding_ to him:" say, _beholden_.
174. "He is a _despicable_ fellow, and such an epitaph is strictly
_applicable_ to him:" _never_ place the accent in _despicable_ and
_applicable_ on the _second_ syllable, but _always_ on the _first_.
175. "Some disaster has certainly _befell_ him:" say, _befallen_.
176. Carefully distinguish between _sergeant_ and _serjeant_: both are
pronounced _sarjant_, but the _former_ is used in a military sense, and
the _latter_ applied to a lawyer. These distinctions are, however,
observed chiefly in England.
177. "She is a pretty _creature_:" never pronounce _creature_ like
_creetur_.
178. The following expression would be of special significance on coming
from a surgeon or anatomist: "Desiring to know your friend better, _I took
him apart_ to converse with him." It has been said that two persons who
_take each other apart_, frequently do so for the express purpose of
_putting their heads together_.
179. "I am very wet, and must go and _change myself_:" say, _change my
clothes_.
180. "He is taller _than me_:" say, _than I_.
181. "He is much better _than me_:" say, _than I_.
182. "You are stronger _than him_:" say, _than he_.
183. "That is the _moot_ point:" say, _disputed_ point. The other word is
inelegant, and nearly obsolete.
184. "They are at _loggerheads_": this is an extremely unpoetical figure
to express the mutual relations of two individuals who have an "honest
difference;" say, at _variance_, or use some other form of expression. It
might just as well be said, "They are at _tadpoles_!"
185. "He paid a _florin_ to the _florist_:" divide the syllables so as to
pronounce like _flor-in_ and _flo-rist_.
186. "His character is _undeniable_:" a very common expression: say,
_unexceptionable_.
187. "Bring me the _lantern_:" never spell _lantern_--_lanthorn_.
188. "The room is twelve _foot_ long, and nine _foot_ broad:" say, twelve
_feet_, nine _feet_.
189. "He is a _Highlander_:" never say, _Heelander_.
190. "He is _singular_, though _regular_ in his habits, and also very
_particular_:" beware of leaving out the _u_ in _singular_, _regular_, and
_particular_, which is a very common practice.
191. "They are detained _at_ France:" say, _in_ France.
192. "He lives _at_ New-York:" say, _in_ New-York.
193. "He is very _dry_" (meaning _thirsty_), is a very common and very
improper word to use: say, _thirsty_.
194. "No _less_ than fifty persons were there:" say, _fewer_, &c. _Less_
refers to _quantity_; _fewer_ to _number_.
195. "_Such another_ victory, and we shall be ruined:" say, _Another such_
victory, &c.
196. "It is _some distance_, from our house:" say, _at some distance_, &c.
197. "I shall call _upon_ him:" say, _on_ him.
198. "Remove those _trestles_:" pronounce _trestles_ exactly as written,
only leaving out the _t_; never say _trussles_.
199. "He is much addicted to _raillery_:" in pronouncing _raillery_, leave
out the _i_; never say, _rail-le-ry_.
200. "He is a Doctor of _Medicine_:" pronounce _medicine_ in _three_
syllables, NEVER in _two_.
201. "They told me to enter _in_:" leave out _in_, as it is implied in
_enter_.
202. "His _strength_ is failing:" never say, _strenth_.
203. "Give me both _of_ those books:" leave out _of_.
204. "_Whenever_ I try to write well, I _always_ find I can do it:" leave
out _always_, which is unnecessary and improper.
205. "He plunged _down_ into the stream:" leave out _down_.
206. "I never saw his _nephew_:" say, _nef-ew_; never _nev-u_, or
_nevvey_.
207. "She is the _matron_:" say, _may-tron_, and not _mat-ron_.
208. "Give me _leave_ to tell you:" never say _lief_ for _leave_.
209. "The _height_ is considerable:" pronounce _height_ so as to rhyme
with _tight_; never _hate_ nor _heighth_. An instance occurs in "Paradise
Lost" in which this word is spelled and pronounced _highth_.
210. "Who has my _scissors_?" never call _scissors_, _sithers_.
211. "He has obtained a good _situation_:" pronounce _situation_ as if
written _sit-you-a-tion_, and do not say, _sitch-u-a-tion_.
212. "I had as _lief_ do it as not:" _lief_ means _willingly_, _gladly_,
and is not to be confounded with _leave_, as in example No. 208.
213. "First _of all_ I shall give you a lesson in French, and last _of
all_ in music:" omit _of all_ in both instances, as unnecessary.
214. "I shall have finished by the _latter_ end of the week:" leave out
_latter_, which is superfluous.
215. "They sought him _throughout_ the _whole_ country:" leave out
_whole_, which is implied in _throughout_.
216. "Iron sinks _down_ in water:" leave out _down_.
217. "A warrant was _issued out_ for his apprehension:" leave out the word
_out_, which is implied in _issued_.
218. "If you inquire _for why_ I did so, I can give a very good reason:"
leave out _for_.
219. "I own that I did not come soon enough; but _because why_? I was
detained:" leave out _because_.
220. "I _cannot by no means_ allow it:" say, _I can by no means_, &c.; or,
_I cannot by any means_, &c.
221. "He _covered it over_:" leave out _over_.
222. "I bought _a new pair of shoes_:" say, _a pair of new shoes_.
223. "He _combined together_ these facts:" leave out _together_.
224. "My brother called on me, and we _both_ took a walk:" leave out
_both_, which is unnecessary.
225. "Evil spirits are not occupied about the _dead corpses_ of bad men:"
leave out _dead_, which is altogether unnecessary, as it is _implied_ in
the word _corpses_, "_corpse_" and "_dead body_" being strictly
synonymous.
226. "He has gone to the _Lyceum_:" pronounce _Lyceum_ with the accent on
the second syllable, and not on the first.
227. "This is a picture of _Westminster Abbey_:" never say _Westminister_,
as if there were two words, _West-minister_.
228. "We are going to take a _holiday_:" this word was originally spelled
and pronounced _holyday_, being compounded of the two words _holy_
(meaning "_set apart_") and _day_. Custom, however, has changed the
orthography from _y_ to _i_, and made the first syllable rhyme with
_Poll_.
229. "It was referred to the _Committee_ on Ways and Means:" emphasize the
second, not the first syllable.
230. "He is now settled in _Worcester_:" pronounce as if written
_Wooster_. _Gloucester_ and _Leicester_ are pronounced _Gloster_ and
_Lester_. The termination _cester_ or _chester_, occurring in the names of
many English towns, is derived and corrupted from the Latin _Castra_,
camps; and every town so named is supposed to have been the site of a camp
of soldiers, during the possession of Britain by the Romans.
231. "_Relatives_ and _Relations_:" both these words designate kinsfolk,
and are in most instances used indiscriminately. _Relatives_, however, is
by some deemed the more proper and elegant.
232. "What a long _lirry_ he has to say!" This word should be pronounced
and spelt _lurry_; its more general meaning is a "heap," a "throng," a
"crowd," but is often applied to a long dull speech.
233. "_Diamonds_ are charcoals:" pronounce _diamonds_ in three syllables.
234. "Honor to the _patriot_ and the sage:" divide the syllables like
_pa-tri-ot_, not _pat-ri-ot_. Irish rowdyism has been called
"_Pat-riot-ism_."
235. "Do you _believe_ that he will _receive_ my letter?" observe that in
the former word the diphthong is _ie_, and in the latter _ei_. A
convenient rule for the spelling of such words is the following: _c_ takes
_ei_ after it; all other consonants are followed by _ie_:--as, dec_ei_ve,
repr_ie_ve.
236. "He is now confirmed in _idiotcy_:" say, _idiocy_; the _t_ in _idiot_
is dropped in forming the word.
237. "He raised the _national_ standard:" pronounce the first two
syllables like the word _nation_, never as if written _nash-ion-al_.
238. _Principal_ and _Principle_: be careful to observe the distinction
between these words. _Principal_ signifies _chief_; _principle_, _motive_.
239. "He favors the _Anti-Slavery_ reform:" pronounce _Anti_ with a
distinct sounding of the _i_; else the word becomes _ante_, which means
not "against," but "before,"--as "ante-deluvian," signifying "before the
Deluge."
240. _Cincinnati_ is often misspelled _Cincinnatti_. The name is derived
from _Cincinnatus_, a celebrated Roman.
241. "Her dress was made of _moire antique_:" _moire antique_ is an
article of _watered silk_, very well known to the "shopping" sisterhood,
but very frequently called "_Murray Antique_."
242. "It was mentioned in a _Californian newspaper_:" say, _California_
newspaper. No one says _Philadelphian_, or _Chicagonian_ journal.
243. "The lecture was _characterized_ as a brilliant performance:" accent
the first, and not the second syllable.
244. "This is one of the traditions of St. _Helena_:" accent _le_, and not
_Hel_.
245. "The boy was found by a _washwoman_:" say, _washerwoman_.
246. "St. John's is about two days nearer England than Halifax." [From an
account, in a New-York newspaper, of the Submarine Telegraph Expedition,
September, 1855.] Does it mean that St. John's is nearer to England than
Halifax is, or nearer to England than to Halifax?
247. "He wears a blue-spotted _neck-handkerchief_:" say, _neckerchief_,
or, still better, _neck-cloth_, or _cravat_. The original word is
_kerchief_, and not _handkerchief_, which is a _kerchief_ for the _hand_.
248. "The city was _illumined_ in honor of the victory:" better say,
_illuminated_. Distinguish between the pronunciation of _illumined_ and
_ill-omened_.
249. "She has brought the _cloze pins_ in a bag:" say, _clothes' pins_.
250. "He met with _luck_:" say either "_bad luck_," or "_good luck_;"
_luck_ primarily refers to simple "chance," although its derivatives,
_lucky_ and _luckily_, imply only _good fortune_.
251. "The _in-va-lid_ signed a deed, that was _in-val-id_:" pronounce the
former "_invalid_" with the accent on the _first_ syllable; the _latter_,
with the accent on the _second_.
252. "The _duke_ discharged his _duty_." Be careful to give the slender,
clear sound of _u_. Avoid saying _dook_ and _dooty_, or _doo_ for _dew_ or
_due_. Say _flute_, not _floot_; _suit_, not _soot_; _mute_, not _moot_.
As well might you say _bute_ for _boot_, or _shute_ for shoot.
253. "_Genealogy_, _geography_, and _geometry_ are words of Greek
derivation:" beware of saying _geneology_, _jography_, and _jometry_, a
very common practice.
254. "He made out the _inventory_:" place the accent in _inventory_ on the
syllable _in_, and NEVER on _ven_.
255. "He deserves _chastisement_:" say, _chas-tiz-ment_, with the accent
on _chas_, and NEVER on _tise_.
256. "He threw the _rind_ away:" never call _rind_, _rine_.
257. "His _knowledge_ is very great:" always pronounce _knowledge_ so as
to rhyme with _college_, and NEVER say _know-ledge_.
258. "They contributed to his _maintenance_:" pronounce _maintenance_ with
the accent on _main_, and never say _maintainance_.
259. "She wears a silk _gown_:" never say _gownd_.
260. "Maine is a _maritime_ State:" pronounce the last syllable of
_maritime_ so as to rhyme with _rim_.
261. "They _desisted_ from their _design_:" pronounce the _former s_ in
_desisted_ with a soft sound, and _always_ pronounce _design_ as if
written _de-zine_.
262. "They committed a _heinous_ crime:" pronounce _heinous_ as if spelled
_hay-nus_; NEVER call the word _hee-nus_ or _hain-yus_.
263. "He _hovered_ about the enemy:" pronounce _hovered_ so as to rhyme
with _covered_.
264. "He is a powerful _ally_:" _never_ place the accent on _al_ in
_ally_, as many do.
265. "_We have never been called, almost, to the consideration_ of the
Apocalypse, without finding fresh reasons for our opinion." [Such are the
words of a very eminent reviewer.] He should have said, "We have _scarcely
ever_ been called," or, "we have _almost never_."
266. "He is very _bigoted_:" never spell the last word with _double t_, a
very common mistake.
267. "The _Weekly Tribune_ has a large circulation:" pronounce Tribune as
if divided _Trib-une_, and not _Try-bune_.
268. "He said _as how_ you _was_ to do it:" say, he said _that you were to
do it_.
269. Never say, "_I acquiesce with you_," but, "_I acquiesce in your
proposal_, _in your opinion_," &c.
270. "He is a distinguished _antiquarian_:" say, _antiquary_.
_Antiquarian_ is an adjective; _antiquary_, a noun.
271. An injudicious disposition of a clause in a sentence frequently
creates great merriment in the reading. In Goldsmith's "History of
England," a book remarkable for its carelessness of style, we find the
following extraordinary sentence, in one of the chapters of the reign of
Queen Elizabeth: "This" [a communication to Mary Queen of Scots] "they
effected by conveying their letters to her by means of a brewer that
_supplied the family with ale through a chink in the wall of her
apartment_." A queer brewer that--to supply ale through a chink in the
wall! How easy the alteration to make the passage clear! "This they
effected by conveying their letters to her _through a chink in the wall of
her apartment, by means of a brewer that supplied the family with ale_."
272. "Lavater wrote on _Physiognomy_:" in the last word sound the _g_
distinctly, as _g_ is always pronounced before _n_, when it is not in the
same syllable; as, _indignity_, &c.
273. "She is a very amiable _girl_:" pronounce _girl_ as if written
_gurl_; _gal_ is a vulgarism; _gehl_ or _gul_ is an affectation of which
many polite persons are guilty.
274. "He built a large _granary_:" _do not_ pronounce _granary_ so as to
rhyme with _tannery_. Call the word _grainary_. Both pronunciations,
however, are given by scholars.
275. Beware of using _Oh!_ and _O_ indiscriminately: _Oh!_ is used to
express the emotion of _pain_, _sorrow_, or _surprise_; as, "_Oh!_ the
exceeding grace of God." _O_ is used to express _wishing_, _exclamation_,
or a direct _address_ to a person; as,
"O mother, will the God above
Forgive my faults like thee?"
276. Be careful to sound distinctly the _r_ in such words as _farther_,
_martyr_, _charter_, _murder_, &c. Never say, _fah-ther_, _mah-tyr_,
_chah-ter_ and _muh-der_. On the other hand, avoid _trilling_ the _r_, as
_mur-er-der_, _r'r'robber_. It is altogether too tragical for common life.
277. "The Duke of Wellington was an _Irishman_, but knew nothing of the
_Irish_ language:" beware of saying _Ierishman_ for _Irishman_, or
_Ierish_ for _Irish_; a very common mistake, which the "Know-Nothings" are
quick to detect.
278. "He did it _unbeknown_ to us:" say, _unknown_, &c.
279. "He lives in _affluence_, as he is in _affluent_ circumstances:"
beware of placing the accent in _affluence_ and _affluent_ on the syllable
_flu_ instead of on _af_, a very common error.
280. "If I say, 'They retreated _back_,' I use a word that is
_superfluous_, as _back_ is implied in the syllable _re_ in _retreated_:"
never place the accent on _flu_ in _superfluous_, but always on _per_.
281. "In reading Paley's 'Evidences of Christianity,' I unexpectedly _lit
on_ the passage I wanted:" say, _met with_ the passage, &c.
282. A gentleman having selected a book from the library shelves of the
Mechanics' Institute, went to the librarian to have the volume registered
under his name, and said, "_I have taken the life of Julius Caesar_." "I
shall then," responded the librarian, "charge the work to Mr. Brutus!" Be
careful how you "take the lives" of distinguished men.
283. "He has a _bayonet_ to his gun:" never say _baggonet_. This error is
a peculiarity of the Wiltshire dialect, in England. In an old Wiltshire
song the following stanza occurs:
"A hornet zet in a holler tree,
A proper spiteful twoad was he;
And merrily zung while he did zet,--
His sting as sharp as a _baggonet_."
284. "Aunt Deborah is down with the _rheumatiz_:" say, _rheumatism_; this
is one among the _isms_, though a very unpopular one.
285. "It is _obligatory_ upon every honest man to go to the polls to-day:"
accent _lig_, and not _ga_.
286. "On the _contrary_:" accent _con_, not _tra_. The old song takes up
with a bad pronunciation, for the sake of a good rhyme:
"Mistress Mary,
Quite _contrary_,
How does your garden grow?"
287. "That is altogether _above my bend_:" say, _out of my power_.
288. "He has _absquatulated_, and taken the specie with him:" _absconded_
is a more classical word.
289. "It's _eenamost_ time we had started:" say, _almost_.
290. "_I haven't ary one_:" say, _I have neither_, or, _I haven't either_.
291. "That man is in a _bad box_:" say, _bad predicament_, or bad
_situation_.
292. It may be doubted whether to say of a man "that _he barked up the
wrong tree_," is a complimentary or elegant metaphor.
293. "I will retain two-thirds, and give you the _balance_:" say,
_remainder_.
294. "I _calculate_ to go by steam:" say, "I _expect_."
295. Avoid using the phrase "_I cave in_," for "_I give up_." It savors of
slang.
296. Do not say, "_chicken fixings_," for "_trifles_," or "_extras_,"
connected with dress.
297. "He is a _cute_ man:" this is an inelegant abbreviation of _acute_,
and employed to mean _smart_. It may, however, be properly applied to
Yankees!
298. "He _dickered_ with him an hour:" say, "he _bargained_." This is a
word somewhat peculiar to New-York.
299. "_Do don't_" is a vulgar usage of the Southern States, especially
Georgia, for "_do not_."
300. "He is _done gone_:" say, _ruined_.
301. "We had a _dreadful_ fine time:" say, _very_, or _exceedingly_.
302. "It rains, and I want an umbrella _the worst kind_:" say, "_I am
greatly in want_," &c. An umbrella _of the worst kind_ would not be likely
to answer the best of purposes on a rainy day!
303. "The whole concern _fizzled out_:" say, _proved a failure_.
304. "As soon as I mentioned it to him, he _flared up_:" say, he _became
excited_, or _grew violent_.
305. "The choir sang _Old Hundred_:" pronounce _Hundred_ as written, and
not _Hunderd_.
306. "The message was sent by his _aid-de-camp_:" pronounce as if written
_ade-de-kawng_, avoiding, however, as much as possible a twang on the last
syllable.
307. "My _beard_ is long:" don't say _baird_.
308. "The blacksmith blows the _bellows_:" pronounce as written, and not
_bellus_.
309. "Let me help you to some _catsup_:" avoid saying _ketchup_.
310. "It is new _China ware_:" do not say, _chaney ware_; this latter
article exists only in the traditions of old women.
311. "The _combatants_ parted in good humor:" accent the first
syllable--never the second.
312. "We poled the raft up the _creek_:" pronounce as if written _krik_.
313. "Then spake the _warrior_ bold:" pronounce in two syllables, as
_war-yur_, not _war-ri-or_.
314. In using the word _venison_, sound the _i_: _venzun_ is a common,
though not elegant pronunciation.
315. _Tapestry_ is divided _tap-es-try_ and not _ta-pes-try_.
316. "He is only a _subaltern_:" accent the first syllable of _subaltern_.
317. "The barge is at the _quay_:" pronounce _quay_, _kay_.
318. "The path over the meadow was _queachy_:" this word, meaning _soft_
or _boggy_, is now obsolete, and cannot be used with propriety.
319. "He talks _pulpitically_:" this word, which some who copy
Chesterfield persist in using, has never by any good authority been
admitted into the language.
320. To _peff_, meaning to _cough faintly_ (like a sheep), is hardly a
useable word.
321. Be careful to distinguish between _pencil_, an instrument for
writing, and _pensile_, meaning _hanging down_.
322. _To yank_ is a vulgarism, meaning _to twitch powerfully_.
323. Avoid the slang phrase, "_I used to could_." Say, "_I could
formerly_."
324. "She _takes on_ about it greatly:" say, _grieves_.
325. "He _staved off_ the case two days longer:" say, he _put off_, or
_delayed_.
326. "He made a great _splurge_:" say, he made a _blustering effort_.
327. "I _reckon_ it is going to rain:" say, I _think_, or _expect_.
_Reckon_ applies to _calculation_.
328. "The basket is _pretty large_:" avoid, if possible, the use of the
word _pretty_ out of its legitimate signification; the language abounds
with substitutes more elegant.
329. "She weighs a _plaguy sight_:" say, _a great deal_.
330. "He _made tracks_ at sundown:" say, _he left_, or _escaped_.
331. "He was compelled to _fork over the cash_:" say, _to pay over_.
332. "_To flunk out_" is a vulgar expression for _to retire through fear_;
the most that can be tolerated is, _to sneak out_.
333. "When last observed, he was _going at full chisel_:" say, _at the top
of his speed_.
334. "That bill is a _counterfeit_:" the last syllable is pronounced as if
written _fit_, and not _feet_.
335. "I am very much _obliged_ to you:" do not say _obleeged_.
336. The following sentence affords an example of three words of similar
pronunciation, but different signification: "It is not easy to _pare_ a
_pear_ with a _pair_ of scissors."
337. "The _robber_ entered the dwelling, and secretly carried off the
silver:" say, _thief_; a _robber_ attacks violently, and commits his
depredations by main force; a _thief_ is one who uses secrecy and
deception.
338. "Go and _fetch_ me my riding-whip:" say, _bring_. _Fetch_ means to
_go and bring_; _go and fetch_ is repetition.
339. _To leave_ and _to quit_ are often used as synonymous terms, though
improperly; _to leave_ implies a design of returning soon--_to quit_, an
absence of a long time, or forever; as, in Shakespeare:--
"----the very rats
Instinctively had _quit_ it."--_Tempest_, i. 2.
"I shall _leave_ my house for a month before next Autumn; but I shall not
be obliged to _quit_ it until after Christmas."
340. _Mute_ and _dumb_. A _dumb_ man has not the power to speak; a _mute_
man either does not choose, or is not allowed to speak. It is, therefore,
more proper to say of a person who can neither hear nor speak, that he is
"deaf and _dumb_," than that he is a "deaf _mute_."
341. _Strong_ and _robust_. These words are frequently misused: a _strong_
man is able to bear a heavy burden, but not necessarily for a long time; a
_robust_ man bears _continual_ fatigue with ease; a _strong_ man may be
active and nimble; while an excess of muscular development, together with
a clumsiness of action, exclude these qualities from the _robust_ man:--
"_Strong_ as a tower in hope, I cry Amen!"
SHAKESPEARE, _Richard II._ i. 3.
"For one who, though of drooping mien, had yet
From nature's kindliness received a frame
_Robust_ as ever rural labor bred."
WORDSWORTH, _Excursion_, VI.
342. "Isaac Newton _invented_ the law of gravitation:" say, _discovered_.
"Galileo _discovered_ the telescope:" say, _invented_.
343. To _hear_ and to _listen_ have each distinct degrees of meaning. To
_hear_ implies no effort or particular attention. To _listen_ implies some
eagerness to hear. An old proverb says, "They that _listen_ seldom _hear_
any good of themselves."
344. _Ought_ and _should_ both express obligation, but the latter is not
so binding as the former. "Children _ought to_ love their parents, and
_should_ be neat in their appearance."
345. _Alone_ and _only_ are often misapplied. "He _only_ could do it,"
means that no other but himself could do it; "he _alone_ could do it,"
should mean that he, without the assistance of others, could do it.
346. "Please the pigs."--(_Old Proverb._) This is a corruption from
"Please the _pyx_." The _pyx_ is the receptacle which contains the
consecrated wafer on Romish altars; and the exclamation is equal to
"Please God." This corruption is as curious a one as that of "tawdry" from
"'t Audrey," or "at St. Audrey's Fair," famous for the sale of
frippery--showy, cheap, and worthless.
347. "The _partridge_ is a delightful bird:" do not say _patridge_. Also,
do not say _pasley_ for _parsley_.