space; _almost_, _completely_, _hardly_, generally to degree. [“It is
nearly a mile from here.” “The apple is hardly ripe.” “He is almost
dead.”]
_Neglectful, negligent._
_Neglectful_ refers to an individual act. _Negligent_, to a series
of acts that have produced a habit. [“To forget that book was very
neglectful.” “He was all his life a most negligent man.”]
_Owing, due._
_Due_ is used of debts. _Owing_ calls attention to the source or
origin whence something springs. The present participle [_owing_]
of the intransitive verb _to owe_ has taken the place of the past
participle [_owed_] of the transitive verb _to owe_. [“A large sum
was due him.” “It was owing to the Crusades that many oriental ideas
and inventions were introduced into the West.”]
_On, upon._
_Upon_ is stronger than _on_, and should be employed when
particular attention is to be drawn to the support, whether literal
or figurative. With verbs of motion, also, _upon_ is generally
preferable. [“The book is on the table.” “He lifted the large box,
and put it upon the table.” “Upon truth and righteousness, upon
honour and justice, must rest the foundations of every state.”]
_Perspicacity, perspicuity; perspicacious, perspicuous._
_Perspicacity and perspicacious_ express the power of of seeing
clearly. _Perspicuity and perspicuous_ express the quality of
clearness. The former two are active in their meaning, the latter two
passive. The ending _-city_, here as elsewhere, denotes the power
or ability to do something; _e.g._: _veracity_ is the quality of
speaking the truth, not truth itself. [“I admire the perspicuity of
his explanations.” “He is a most perspicacious man: nothing escapes
his eye.”] In many cases, _clear-sightedness_, _clear-sighted_,
_clearness_, _clear_, are greatly preferable to _perspicacity_ and
the rest.
_Perpetually, continually; perpetual, continual._
_Perpetually_ is an exact synonym of _continuously_, and means,
therefore, never-ceasing. _Continual_ implies interruptions, and is
equivalent to constantly renewed. [“The perpetual flow of the river.”
“The continual roar of the mill, ceasing only for a short time at
night.”]
_Proclaim, announce._
One _proclaims_ opinions, sentiments, and so forth. One _announces_
news, tidings, and so on. [“He proclaimed to the vast throng the
revolutionary doctrines of socialism.” “The messenger announced that
the battle was lost.”]
_Purpose, intent or intention._
_Purpose_ generally implies the employment of means to accomplish
the end. _Intent and intention_ may exist without the employment of
means. [“His intention was to do wonders; but he never did anything
at all.” “His practical purpose soon found ways and means to
accomplish what he wished.”]
_Poverty, indigence, pauperism._
_Poverty_ means straitened circumstances, one’s position in life
being considered. _Indigence_ is absolute destitution. _Pauperism_
implies the receiving of public relief. [“The duke was in poverty,
although he had £1,000 a year. But what is that for the expenses
of a duke?” “I found them in the greatest indigence--without any
fuel, and with but a mouthful of bread.” “Legalized pauperism kills
individual effort.”]
_Reticent, reticence; reserved, reserve._
_Reticence and reticent_ are confined to habitual quiet or caution.
_Reserve and reserved_ may refer to temporary quiet or caution. [“He
a very reticent man: during our whole acquaintance with him I have
never heard him make a speech.” “I questioned him upon that point,
but he kept a careful reserve.”]
_Reverse and converse._
_Reverse_ is the opposite or antithesis. _Converse_ is “an opposite
reciprocal proposition.” In the converse, therefore, the cause
becomes the effect, the condition becomes the result. [“Minus is the
reverse of plus.” “If the sides of two triangles are respectively
equal, the angles will be equal. But the converse is not true; for
the angles may be equal, and the sides unequal.”]
_Recompense, reward, meed._
_Recompense_ is a fair compensation. _Reward_ is any present or gift.
_Meed_ is something earned by one’s own toil. [“The recompense for
the loss of his arm at the Alma was not too great.” “He rewarded me
munificently--indeed, far above my deserts.” “He alone who fights and
labours, wins the glorious meed.”]
_Robbery, theft._
_Robbery_ is stealing with violence; _theft_, generally without.
[“After a hard struggle, he robbed the traveller of his watch.” “I
had not noticed the theft, it was committed so quietly.”]
_Remember, recollect._
_Remember_ is to gather materials ready at hand; _recollect_, to
gather materials not ready at hand. [“I do not remember, but I will
try to recollect.”]
_Religion, piety._
_Religion_ is a form of belief or worship. _Piety_ is reverence for
what is good, and the desire to do good. It includes, therefore,
love, charity and such like. [“There are many religions; there is but
one piety.”]
_Relieve, alleviate, mitigate._
_Relieve_ is to remove pain _entirely_. _Alleviate_ or _mitigate_ is
to remove it but partially. _Alleviate_ is used generally of others,
_mitigate_ of ourselves. [“At his touch the pain was instantly
relieved.” “I alleviated his sufferings through the application of a
lotion.” “My anguish was somewhat mitigated.”]
_Recant, abjure._
_Recant_ generally implies the use of force; _abjure_ generally does
not. [“Unable to bear the torture, he recanted.” “I freely abjure all
part in the plot.”]
_Rend, tear._
_Rend_ implies purpose; _tear_ may or may not do so. _Rend_ generally
carries with it the idea of splitting or dividing. Such idea is not
necessarily implied in _tear_. [“He unfortunately tore his coat.” “He
tore his hair.” “He rent his garment.”]
_Sewerage, sewage._
_Sewerage_: a system of drainage or the science of drainage. It is
but rarely used for sewage. _Sewage_: sometimes the same as sewerage,
but generally the matter flowing through the drains. [“How many books
have been written on sewerage!” “The sewage from the city pollutes
the river.”]
_Spontaneous, voluntary._
_Spontaneous_ should be confined to things; _voluntary_, to persons.
[“It was an instance of spontaneous combustion.” “The action was
voluntary on his part.”]
_Sociable, social._
_Sociable_ expresses a readiness for companionship. _Social_ refers
to the relations that men in an organized society bear, one to
another. [“He is a very sociable man.” “Have you read the great works
on social science and social progress?”] _Sociable_ is, therefore,
the correct form of the noun. [“The sociable was successful.”]
_Satisfied, contented._
_Satisfied_ is stronger than _contented_, and means that all our
desires are gratified. _Satisfaction_ is positive pleasure, and comes
from the outside. _Contentment_ is the absence of pain, and lies
in ourselves. _Satisfaction_ is less lasting than _contentment_.
[“The industrious and intelligent artisan may, for a time, remain
contented; but he is certainly far from satisfied with his lot.”]
_Sufficient, enough._
One has _enough_ when one’s desires are satisfied; _sufficient_, when
one’s needs are satisfied. [“Do not let the horse eat as much as he
will. Give him just sufficient.” “He was rich; but, like all other
misers, he never had enough.”]
_Strong, powerful._
_Strong_: of sound constitution, able to stand hard work. _Powerful_:
able to lift heavy weights, to strike heavy blows, &c. [“He
made a gallant fight against disease; for he was a very strong
man.” “Strange to say, he was a very powerful man, able to give
tremendous blows; and yet, his constitution was undermined through
dissipation.”] _Muscular_ is a very effective word.
_Stubborn, obstinate._
_Stubborn_: opposed to the way of others; _obstinate_: set in one’s
own way. [“I tried to induce him to approve my scheme; but, although
he had none of his own to offer, yet he was stubborn and refused.”
“He wished to go his own way, and was very obstinate about the
matter.”]
_Safety, security._
_Safety_: freedom from danger. _Security_: freedom from care.
_Security_ may, therefore, be real or fancied. [“He relied with the
greatest security upon his followers; but, really, he was far from
being in a position of safety.”]
_Subdue, subjugate._
_Subdue_ is to conquer so thoroughly that resistance ceases.
_Subjugate_ is to conquer and then to impose restraints, generally
repeated and severe. _Subjugate_, moreover, is used chiefly in
a literal sense, _i.e._, with reference to nations; _subdue_ is
frequently used in a figurative sense, _i.e._, with reference to the
mind or the moral nature. [“England subdued, but did not subjugate
Russia.” “The Poles have been subjugated; but their spirits are yet
unsubdued.”]
_Source, origin._
_Source_ implies that the supply is continuous; _origin_, that it has
ceased. [“This was the origin of the friendship, which was a source
of such joy.”]
_Tongue, language._
_Tongue_ is generally an original form of speech; _language_, a
derived form. [“The Latin is one of the tongues from which so many
languages have sprung.”] _Language_ may, of course, be used of
inarticulate speech [“The language of birds”], where _tongue_ would
be incorrect.
_Transitory, transient_ or _fleeting_.
_Transitory_ is liable to pass away. _Transient or fleeting_ is
actually passing away. _Transitory_ is abstract; _transient and
fleeting_ are concrete, as well as abstract. _Fleeting_ is preferable
to _transient_. [“Earth’s joys are transitory: in a moment they may
pass away.” “Life is fleeting as a shadow: the transient moments can
never be recalled.”]
_Trivial, trifling._
_Trivial_ generally has a tinge of contempt; _trifling_, generally
not. [“That is the most absurd and trivial matter in the world.” “The
greater part of our time ought to be occupied with serious matters;
the rest may be occupied with amusements and other rather trifling
matters.”]
_Talkative, loquacious._
_Talkative_ implies a desire to speak, accompanied or not with
readiness of speech. _Loquacious_ implies a desire to speak,
accompanied with a readiness of speech. [“The little child was very
talkative.” “Unlike most loquacious men, he was very instructive in
his long harangues.”]
_Voluntary, willing._
_Voluntary_ is with seeming readiness or acquiescence; _willing_,
with real readiness or acquiescence. [“He went voluntarily: no
compulsion was used; but still, he looked as if he did not like to
go.” “He was ready--yes, more than ready--willing, to die.”]
_Vulgar, immodest; vulgarity, immodesty._
Only what is metaphorically low is _vulgar_. _Vulgarity_, moreover,
generally implies pretension to refinement along with lowness of
disposition. [“That was a most immodest act.” “His general bearing
was very vulgar.” “The old-fashioned English squire--coarse as he
was--was not vulgar, was not given to cheap display and pretence.”]
_Whole, entire._
_Whole_: that from which nothing has been taken. _The whole_ and _all
the_ are usually interchangeable. _Entire_: that which is undivided.
[“The whole town was burned: not a single house escaped.” “That
congregation, at any rate, was entire in its vote: there were no
divisions among its members.”]
_Wit, humor._
_Wit_ is the effect of unexpected fitness or congruity. _Humor_ is
the effect of unexpected unfitness or incongruity. Again, humor is
not, as wit is, sudden and short-lived; it extends very often through
a whole book or speech. [“Humor is all. Wit should be brought only to
turn agreeably some proper thought.” “He made a very witty pun, and
wrote more than one humorous chapter.”]
_World, earth, globe._
_World_ is our planet viewed from the “moral or abstract point
of view.” _The world_ refers, therefore, almost always to its
inhabitants. _Earth_ is our planet with reference to its external or
material formation or aspect. _Globe_ is our planet in a geological
sense chiefly. _Globe_ is often used in poetry for _world_ or
_earth_. [“The bodies revolving round the sun are the following:
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars,” &c. “When we look abroad upon the world
and see its wickedness, we are lost in wonder at man’s depravity.”
“Who can say how many ages have been required for the formation of
the crust of the globe!”]
_Wholly_, _totally_ [with expressions denoting deprivation or loss].
_Wholly_ lays stress upon the condition of the person deprived;
_totally_, upon the thing of which he has been deprived. [“He is
wholly blind.” “His sight is totally gone.”]
PREFER.
_Prefer_:
Approve _to_ approve of. [“To shew thyself approved unto God.”]
Agriculturist _to_ agriculturalist.
Aside _to_ apart. [“He took me aside.”] _Apart_ means _to pieces_, as,
“He took the clock apart.”
Alone _to_ only, as much as possible.
Arise _to_ rise, in a figurative or secondary sense. [“Greece arose
from her ashes.”]
Advance _to_ progress [as verb]. _Progress_ is not properly formed
from the Latin root.
Acquaintanceship _to_ acquaintance, as an abstract noun. Reserve
_acquaintance_ for persons or things one is acquainted with.
Begin _to_ initiate. _Initiate_ may very properly be used in the sense
of, to induct into a position or introduce to a society.
Begin _to_ commence.
Become _to_ grow, denoting a change of condition. [“He becomes rich
and wise.”]
Believe _to_ think. [“I believe it is so.”]
Body [dead], or corpse, _to_ the remains.
Buy _to_ purchase.
Coffin _to_ casket.
Cannot but _to_ can but. [“I cannot but tell what I know.”] There
is an ellipsis in all such expressions: “I cannot do anything but
(_i.e._, except) tell what” &c.
Come into collision _to_ collide.
Correct or in the right _to_ right, when correctness, and not
uprightness, is meant, _E.g._: “I am correct in my statistics.”
Converser or conversationist _to_ conversationalist.
Controverter, or controversionist, _to_ controversionalist.
Church _to_ sanctuary.
Contend against, oppose, be at variance with, _to_ militate against.
Corpulent, heavy, fat, _to_ fleshy [of persons].
Deadly _to_ lethal.
Dwell, or live, _to_ reside.
Exponental _to_ exponential.
Earthen, golden, &c., _to_ earth, gold, &c. [as adjectives]. _E.g._:
“An earthen jar.”
Enlarge on [or, upon] _to_ dilate on [or, upon].
Foregoing _to_ above, as an adjective. [“The foregoing statement is
correct.”]
Factory _to_ manufactory.
Forbid _to_ prohibit.
Forward, backward, toward, &c., _to_ forwards, backwards, towards, &c.
Graceful _to_ elegant, when speaking of the body and its movements.
Hebrew _to_ Jew, when speaking of race.
House _to_ residence.
Incorrect, or in the wrong, _to_ wrong, when incorrectness, and not
unrighteousness, is meant.
Iced-water, iced-cream, &c., _to_ ice-water, ice-cream, &c.
Inform _to_ advise [in letters &c.] _Advise_ has a double meaning;
_inform_ has not.
Kinsman, kinswoman, _to_ relative, relation.
Last two weeks, last six months, &c., _to_ past two weeks, past six
months, &c.
Lenity, or lenience, _to_ leniency.
Loose _to_ unloose.
Land _to_ real estate.
Leading article, or leader, _to_ editorial.
Lengthwise, sidewise, &c., _to_ lengthways, sideways, &c.
The morrow _to_ to-morrow [as noun]. _E.g._: “The morrow will suit me.”
The months by name _to_ ult., prox., inst.
Much _to_ a great deal.
Muscular _to_ stout. [_Stout_ is somewhat ambiguous, meaning both
_strong_ and _corpulent_.]
One to [or, with] another _to_ among themselves. _E.g._: “They divided
the money one with another.”
Oneself _to_ one’s self.
Oversee _to_ supervise.
Offensive _to_ obnoxious.
Ordinal numbers _to_ cardinal numbers in the heading of letters. Write
_March 24th_, or _March the 24th_, rather than _March 24_.
Rich _to_ wealthy.
Railway _to_ railroad.
Seeming _to_ apparent.
Self-same _to_ identical.
Say _to_ remark, or observe. [_To remark_ and _to observe_ mean _to
notice_.]
Station _to_ depot [or dépôt].
Sympathy _to_ pity, when speaking of or to equals.
Truthfulness _to_ veracity. [_Veracity_ should be used of persons
only.]
Tangental _to_ tangential.
Thus _to_ so. [“He does it _thus_.”]
Unexpressed _to_ understood. [_Understood_ has two meanings.]
Violoncello _to_ violincello. [The instrument is a large, not a small,
violin.]
Various, or diverse, _to_ different. [_Different_ should be confined
to the meaning of _differing from_.]
Vacant _to_ empty, of buildings no longer inhabited.
Wast _to_ wert, in the second person singular, past indicative.
[_Wert_ is the subjunctive, but it is not incorrect in the indicative.]
Would rather, or should rather, _to_ had rather. [_Had rather_ is not
incorrect, but _would rather_ or _should rather_ is preferable. All
these forms ought to be used as little as possible. Choose some other
expression.]
With reference to _to_ in reference to. [We never say, _out of
reference to_, but always, _without reference to_.]
In general, prefer _short_ words and phrases to _long_ words and
phrases, and words of Anglo-Saxon, to those of non-Anglo-Saxon, origin.
OBJECTIONABLE WORDS AND PHRASES.
A day or two, a man or two, &c. [Say, _two or three days_, _a few
days_; _two or three men_, _a few men_; &c. There is lack of agreement
in _a day or two_, _a man or two_. A somewhat similar error occurs in,
“With this, as with many other matters.” The expression should be:
“With this, as with many another matter.”]
Authoress, poetess, &c. [Such words may be used if the gender is to be
pointed out. Otherwise, the ordinary forms--_author_, _poet_, &c.--are
sufficient]
Accountable, unaccountable.
Answerable, unanswerable.
Antagonize.
Aborigene [in the singular].
A bit [_at all_, _a little_; as: “I am a bit tired”], not a bit [_not
at all_].
Confirmed invalid.
Cablegram. [Use _telegram_ or _telegraphic message_.]
Down East, down South. [Say: “I am going to the South.” “I live in the
East.” “He practised at the South.”]
Desirability and undesirability.
Direful. [This word is not properly formed, as _dire_ is not a noun.]
Defalcate and defalcation [in the sense of _making default_].
_Defalcate_, correctly used, is _to cut off_ or _lop off_.
Desiderate [for _desire_].
Deceased [for _the late_, _the dead one_, &c.], except in legal and
other formal expressions.
Every once in a while. [Say, _once in a while_, _sometimes_,
_frequently_.]
Electropathy, hydropathy, &c. [_Pathein_ is, to suffer; not, to cure.]
Effectuate.
Enjoy oneself. [Say, “I enjoyed the concert;” not, “I enjoyed myself
at the concert.”]
Eventuate.
Environment. [Use _surroundings_.]
Emasculate.
Go ahead.
Help [in the sense of _to avoid_]. Say: “I cannot avoid doing so;”
not, “I cannot help doing so.”
Have got [for _have_]. _Get_ is generally superfluous, and should be
used as little as possible.
Impute. [Use _ascribe_.]
Ignore.
Lose oneself. [Say, “He was lost--or became lost--or lost his way--in
the wood.”]
Line of goods.
Lots [for _much_ or _many_].
Malaprop. [Use _mal-à-propos_; _unsuitable_, _unseasonable_, or the
corresponding adverbs.]
More guilty, most guilty; less guilty, least guilty. [One is either
_guilty_ or _not guilty_, of a crime; although one may be guilty of a
greater or a less crime. A similar remark applies to _guiltless_ and
_innocent_. These adjectives should properly be used of individual
acts only.]
Necessitate.
Opine.
Out West. [Say: “He goes West (or, to the West).” “I live in the West
(or, at the West).”]
Out of [for _of_, with names of materials]. Say: “The box is made _of_
[not, _out of_] wood.”
Ponder over. [Use _ponder_ alone.]
Practitioner. [This word is incorrectly formed.]
Presidential. [The adjective--if formed at all--ought to be
_presidental_. _Presidential campaign_ is a very inelegant and
ill-constructed expression.]
Proven [for _proved_]. _Gotten_ maybe used for _got_; but not _proven_
for _proved_.
Particle [_a little_ or _somewhat_], not a particle [_not at all_].
Rostrum [for _platform_, _pulpit_]. If any form of this word is to be
used, it should be the plural, _rostra_.
Rehabilitate [for _reïnstate_].
Recuperate [for _recover_].
Right off.
Right away.
Reliable, unreliable. [Use _trustworthy_, _untrustworthy_.]
Repudiate. [Use _condemn_ or _disown_.]
Spread [in the sense of _meal_, _feast_, _banquet_].
Suicide, as a verb. [Say, _commit suicide_.]
Scientist. [Use _scientific man_, _savant_, &c. If a noun with this
meaning is to be formed from _science_, it ought to be _sciencist_,
not _scientist_.]
Stump, in the sense of _platform_; as: “He took the stump.”
Seeming paradox. [A _paradox_ is a seeming contradiction. _Seeming
paradox_ is, therefore, tautological.]
Tiresome. [Use _wearisome_ or _tedious_. _Tiresome_ is incorrectly
formed, _tire_ not being a noun.]
That much, that little, [for _so much_, _so little_, or _as much as
that_, _as little as that_].
Up North. [Say: “I live at (or in) the North.” “He goes to the North.”]
Voice [as a verb]. Say: “He expressed--or gave expression to--the
sentiments of his followers;” not, “He voiced,” &c.
Yours, ours, mine, &c., [for _your_, _our_, _my_, _&c._, _letter_].
Say: “I have received your letter of yesterday;” not, “I have received
yours of yesterday.”
NOTES ON PUNCTUATION.
Use a _comma_ before _or_ when the expressions between which it
occurs, refer to the same person or thing. Thus: “Jones or Smith was
here” [no comma]; but: “Saul, or Paul” [comma].
Put a _comma_ after a proposition forming the subject of a verb. So:
“That he did so, is not clear.”
When an infinitive is the subject of a verb, and follows the verb,
a _comma_ is generally inserted before the infinitive. This is
especially the case if the infinitive or the verb has other words
depending upon it. So write: “It ill becomes great and good men, to
smile at sin.”
Use no commas after short and closely-connected adjectives qualifying
the same noun. Thus: “A good old sound dry wine.”
Use a _comma_ before a quotation closely dependent upon such
introductory words as _say_, _tell_, _cry_. _E.g._: “The man said,
I will return.” [With such quotations--especially if short--the
quotation marks are generally omitted.] Before a direct quotation,
_i.e._, one not closely dependent upon introductory words (_say_,
_will_, _cry_, &c.), insert the _colon_. [When the quotation is
poetry, a _dash_ often follows the colon, especially if a space is
left at the end of the line.]
As a general rule, the subject of a verb must be expressed in every
clause preceded by a _semi-colon_. If, however, there are several
clauses or phrases marked off by semi-colons, to avoid repetition the
subjects may be omitted. [The subject of a verb may, of course, be
understood before a _comma_.]
A short and serviceable rule for the use of the _comma_ in relative
clauses, and in participial, adjectival and adverbial phrases, is,
to insert it when the clauses and phrases are _coördinate_, but not
when they are _restrictive_. _E.g._: “The things which are seen are
temporal.” “He was a man known in three continents.” [No commas.] “The
king, who was now old, declared for war.” “His brother, known far
and wide, was present.” [Commas.] Where the subject of the verb is
a phrase greatly lengthened by adjuncts, a _comma_ will be required
before the verb. _E.g._: “The fact of his having acted in so strange a
way, warranted his detention.”
Use a _semi-colon_, and not a comma, in the following cases:
(1). Before reasons. _E.g._: “Economy is no disgrace; for it” &c.
(2). Between two opposing clauses, when an adversative conjunction
introduces the second clause. _E.g._: “Straws swim at the surface;
but pearls sink to the bottom.”
A _colon_, not a _semi-colon_, should be used when the clause or
phrase that follows the mark expresses a result or effect, or when
it is in the form of an analogy, or is a parallel to what precedes.
“He lived a virtuous life: he died a happy death.” “The flowers bloom
and wither: so is it with the life of man.” The use of the _colon_
before a quotation or a list is an application of this principle. As a
general thing, therefore, the voice should be kept up before _colons_,
and let fall before _semi-colons_.