Bert was afraid to go home with wet hair.
Exercise:
1. That Christmas happened to be unusually happy.
2. I fear we must sit near the rear of the room.
3. The Jackies went clambering and scurrying up the rigging.
4. The ship slips anchor while the idlers sip tea on the deck.
5. The third treasure-seeker heard a thud. His pick had struck
an obstruction.
=Subtle Violations of Good Use: Faulty Idioms, Colloquialisms=
=65. Avoid subtle violations of good use, particularly (a) faulty idioms
and (b) colloquialisms.=
=a. Make your expression conform to English idiom.= A faulty idiom is an
expression which, though correct in grammar and general meaning,
combines words in a manner contrary to usage. Idioms are established by
custom, and cannot be explained by logical rules. "I enjoy to read" is
wrong, not because the words offend logic or grammar, but merely because
people do not instinctively make that combination of words. "I like to
read" and "I enjoy reading" are good idioms.
=Faulty Idioms= =Correct Idioms=
in the city Toledo in the city of Toledo
in the year of 1920 in the year 1920
I hope you a good time I wish you a good time
the Rev. Hopkins the Reverend Mr. Hopkins
possessed with ability possessed of ability
stay to home stay at home
different than different from
independent from independent of
in search for in search of
Observe that many idioms are concerned with prepositions. Make sure that
a verb or adjective is accompanied by the right preposition. Study the
following list of correct idioms:
accused of (a theft)
accused by (a person)
accord with (a person)
agree with (a person)
agree to (a proposal)
agreeable to
angry at (things or persons)
angry with (a person)
careful about (an affair)
careful of (one's money)
comply with
convenient to (a person)
convenient for (a purpose)
correspond to (things)
correspond with (persons)
dissent from
enamored of
entrust to
free from
listen to
part from (a person)
part with (a thing)
pleased with
resolve on
sympathize with
take exception to
=b. Do not carry the standards of conversation into formal writing.=
Colloquial usage is more free than literary usage. The colloquial
sentence _That's the man I talked with_ becomes in writing _That is the
man with whom I talked._ The colloquial sentence _It was a cold day but
there wasn't any wind blowing_ is a loose string of words. Written
discourse requires greater tension and more care in subordinating minor
ideas: _The day, though cold, was still._ Contractions are proper in
conversation, and in personal or informal writing. In formal writing
they are not appropriate. And do not let such expressions as _He
doesn't_, _We aren't_, _It's proved_, used in talk by careful speakers,
mislead you into expressions like _He don't_, _We ain't_, _It's proven_,
which violate even colloquial good use.
Exercise:
1. He confessed of his inability to comply to the demand.
2. Is he from Irish descent? Is humor characteristic with the
Irish?
3. She was not to home, but I was reluctant against leaving.
4. He dissented to the opinion of the committee's majority, for
his ideas were utterly different than theirs.
5. He got a few jobs as a carpenter that summer, but they
didn't pay him much, and so he went to loafing around, and he's
been at it ever since.
=Gross Violations of Good Use: Barbarisms, Improprieties, Slang=
=66. Avoid gross violations of good use, particularly (a) barbarisms, (b)
improprieties, and (c) slang.=
=a. Barbarisms are distortions of words in good use, or coinages for
which there is no need.= Examples: _to concertize_, _to burgle_ or
_burglarize_, _to jell_, _alright_, _a-plenty_, _most_ (for _almost_),
_performess_, _fake_, _pep_, _tasty_, _illy_, _complected_,
_undoubtably_, _nowheres_, _soph_, _lab_, _gents_.
=b. Improprieties are words wrenched from one part of speech to another,
or made to perform an unnatural service.= Examples: _to suspicion_, _to
gesture_, _to suicide_, _a steal_, _a try_, _a go_, _an invite_, _the
eats_, _humans_, _some_ or _real_ or _swell_ (as adverbs), _like_ (as a
conjunction).
=c. Slang is speech consisting either of uncouth expressions of
illiterate origin, or of legitimate expressions used in grotesque or
irregular senses.= Though sometimes (witness eighteenth century _mob_,
and nineteenth century _buncombe_) it satisfies a real need and becomes
established in the language, in most instances it is short-lived
(witness the thieves' talk in _Oliver Twist_, or passages from any comic
opera song popular five years ago). Vicious types of slang are:
Expressions of vulgar origin (from criminal classes, the prize
ring, the vaudeville circuit, etc.): _get pinched_, _down and
out_, _took the count_, _bum hunch_, _nix on the comedy
stuff_, _get across_.
Language strained or distorted for novel effect: _performed the
feed act at a bang-up gastronomic emporium_, _bingled a tall
drive that made the horsehide ramble out into center garden_.
Blanket expressions used as substitutes for thinking:
_corking_, _stunning_, _ain't it fierce?_, _can you beat it?_,
_going some_, _just so I get by with it_.
The use of the last-named type is most to be regretted. It leads to a
mental habit of phonographic repetition, with no resort to independent
thinking. If a man really desires to use slang, let him invent new
expressions every day, and make them fit the specific occasion.
Exercise:
1. I disremember what sort of an outfit he wore.
2. Helen's as light-complected a girl as you'll run across, I
calculate.
3. His ad brought a first-rate gent to hold down the job.
4. Thompson hasn't stability, or it seems like it. He ain't got
no gumption. He's too easy enthused.
5. The grub was to of cost us two bits, but we didn't have the
dough. We gets outside the food, and when the cashier ain't
lookin', we runs out the door and beats it.
=Words Often Confused in Meaning=
=67. Do not confuse or interchange the meanings of the following words:=
=_Accept_ and _except_.= _Accept_ means _to receive_; _except_ as
a verb means _to exclude_ and as a preposition means _with the
exception of_.
=_Affect_ and _effect_.= _Affect_ is not used as a noun; _effect_
as a noun means _result_. As verbs, _affect_ means _to
influence in part_; _effect_ means _to accomplish totally_.
"His story affected me deeply." "The Russians effected a
revolution." _Affect_ also has a special meaning _to feign_.
"She had an affected manner."
=_Allusion_ and _illusion_.= _Allusion_ means _a reference_;
_illusion_ means a _deceptive appearance_. "A Biblical
allusion." "An optical illusion."
=_Already_ and _all ready_.= _Already_ means _by this time_ or
_beforehand_; _all ready_ means _wholly ready_. "I have already
invited him." "Dinner is all ready." "We are all ready for
dinner."
=_Altogether_ and _all together_.= _Altogether_ means _wholly_,
_entirely_; _all together_ means _collectively, in a group_.
"He is altogether honest." "The King sent the people all
together into exile."
=_Can_ and _may_.= _Can_ means _to be able_; _may_ means _to have
permission_. _Can_ for _may_ has a certain colloquial standing,
but is condemned by literary usage.
=_Emigrate_ and _immigrate_.= _Emigrate_ means _to go out from a
country_; _immigrate_ means _to enter into a country_. The same
man may be an _emigrant_ when he leaves Europe, and an
_immigrant_ when he enters America.
=_Healthy_ and _healthful_.= _Healthy_ means _having health_;
_healthful_ means _giving health_. "Milk is healthful." "The
climate of Colorado is healthful." "The boy is healthy."
=_Hanged_ and _hung_.= _Hanged_ is the correct past tense of
_hang_ in the sense _put to death, hanged on the gallows_;
_hung_ is the correct past tense for the general meaning
_suspended_.
=_Hygienic_ and _sanitary_.= Both words mean _pertaining to
health_. _Hygienic_ is used when the condition is a matter of
personal habits or rules; _sanitary_ is used when the condition
is a matter of surroundings (water supply, food supply, sewage
disposal, etc.) or the relations of numbers of people.
=_Instants_ and _instance_.= _Instants_ means _small portions of
time_; _instance_ means _an example_.
=_Later_ and _latter_.= _Later_ means _more late_; _latter_ means
_the second in a series of two_. "The latter" is used in
conjunction with the phrase "the former."
=_Lead_ and _led_.= _Led_ is the past tense of the verb _to
lead_. _Lead_ is the present tense.
=_Learn_ and _teach_.= _Learn_ means _to get knowledge of_;
_teach_ means _to give knowledge of_ or _to_. "The instructor
_teaches_ (not _learns_) me physics." "He learns his lessons
easily."
=_Leave_ and _let_.= _Leave_ means _to abandon_; _let_ means _to
permit_.
=_Less_ and _fewer_.= _Less_ refers to quantity; _fewer_ refers
to number. "He has _fewer_ (not _less_) horses than he needs."
=_Liable_, _likely_, and _apt_.= _Likely_ merely predicts;
_liable_ conveys the additional idea of harm or responsibility.
_Apt_ applies usually to persons, in the sense of _having
natural capability_, and sometimes to things, in the sense of
_fitting_, _appropriate_. "It is likely to be a pleasant day."
"I fear it is liable to rain." "He is liable for damages." "He
is an apt lad at his books." "That is an apt phrase."
=_Lie_ and _lay_.= _Lay_, a transitive verb, means _to cause to
lie_. "I lay the book on the table and it lies there." "Now I
lay me down to sleep." A source of confusion between the two
words is that the past tense of _lie_ is _lay_:
I lie down to sleep. I lay the book on the table.
I lay there yesterday. I laid it there yesterday.
I have lain here for hours. I have laid it there many times.
=_Like_ and _as_ or _as if_.= _Like_ is in good use as a
preposition, and may be followed by a noun; _as_ is in good use
as a conjunction, and may be followed by a clause. "He is tall
like his father." "He is tall, as his father is." "It looks _as
if_ (not _like_) it were going to rain."
=_Lose_ and _loose_.= _Lose_ means _to cease having_; _loose_ as
a verb means _to set free_, and as an adjective, _free, not
bound_.
=_Majority_ and _plurality_.= In a loose sense, _majority_ means
the _greater part_. More strictly, it means the number by which
votes cast for one candidate exceed those of the opposition. A
_plurality_ is the excess of votes received by one candidate
over his nearest competitor. In an election A receives 500
votes; B, 400 votes; and C, 300 votes. A has a plurality of
100, but no majority.
=_Practical_ and _practicable_.= _Practical_ means _not
theoretical_; _practicable_ means _capable of being put into
practice_. "A practical man." "The arrangement is
practicable."
=_Principal_ and _principle_.= _Principal_ as an adjective means
_chief_ or _leading_; _principle_ as a noun means a _general
truth_. _Principal_ as a noun means a _sum of money_, or the
_chief official of a school_.
=_Proof_ and _evidence_.= In a law court, _proof_ is _evidence
sufficient to establish a fact_; _evidence_ is _whatever is
brought forward in an attempt to establish a fact_. "The
evidence against the prisoner was extensive, but hardly proof
of his guilt." In ordinary speech, _proof_ is sometimes loosely
used as a synonym for _evidence_.
=_Pseudo-_ and _quasi-_.= As a prefix, _pseudo-_ means _false_;
_quasi-_ means literally _as if_, hence _seeming_, _so-called_.
"Phrenology is a pseudo-science." "A quasi-evolutionary
doctrine."
=_Quiet_ and _quite_.= _Quiet_ is an adjective meaning _calm_,
_not noisy_; _quite_ is an adverb meaning _entirely_.
=_Respectfully_ and _respectively_.= _Respectfully_ means _in a
courteous manner_; _respectively_ means _in a way proper to
each_. "Yours _respectfully_" (not _respectively_). "He handed
the commissions to Gray and Hodgins respectively."
=_Rise_ and _raise_.= _Rise_ is an intransitive verb; _raise_ is
a transitive verb. "I rise to go home." "I raise vegetables."
"I raise the stone from the ground."
=_Sit_ and _set_.= _Set_, a transitive verb, means _to cause to
sit_. "He sets it in the corner and it sits there." The past
tense of _sit_ is _sat_.
I sit down. I always set it in its place.
He sat in this very chair. I set it in its place yesterday.
He has sat there an hour. I have always set it just here.
=_Stationary_ and _stationery_.= _Stationary_ is an adjective
meaning _fixed_; _stationery_ is a noun meaning _writing
material_.
=_Statue_, _stature_, and _statute_.= _Statue_ means a _carved_
or _moulded figure_; _stature_ means _height_; _statute_ means
a _law_.
Exercise:
1. Insert _affect_ or _effect_: Noise does not ---- my
studying. It has little ---- on me. By the exercise of will
power I was able to ---- a change.
2. Insert _healthy_ or _healthful_: New Mexico has a ----
climate, Graham bread is ----. You will be ---- if you take
exercise.
3. Insert _later_ or _latter_: I will see you ----. Here are
two plans: the former is complex; the ---- is simple. Sooner or
---- you will learn the rule.
4. Insert _less_ or _fewer_: They have ---- money than we; we
have ---- pleasures than they. It seems to me there are ----
accidents.
5. Insert _principal_ or _principle_: The ---- part of a clock
is the pendulum, which swings regularly, according to a ---- of
science. My ---- reason for trusting him is that he is a man of
----. He is the ---- of the high school. The widow spends the
interest on the money, but keeps the ---- intact.
=Glossary of Faulty Diction=
=68. Avoid faulty diction.=
=_Ad_= (for _advertisement_). Avoid in formal writing and
speaking.
=_Ain't_.= Never correct. Say _I'm not_, _you_ [_we_, _they_]
_aren't_, _he_ [_she_, _it_] _isn't_.
=_All the farther_, _all the faster_.= Crude. Use _as far as_,
_as fast as_, in such sentences as "This is all the farther I
can go."
=_As_.= (a) Incorrect in the sense of _that_ or _whether_. "I
don't know _whether_ (not _as_) I can tell you." "Not _that_
(not _as_) I know." (b) _As ... as_ are correlatives. _Than_
must not replace the second _as_. Right: "As good as or better
than his neighbors." "As good as his neighbors, or better [than
they]." See 57.
=_Auto_.= An abbreviation not desirable in formal writing.
=_Awful_.= Means _filling with awe_ or _filled with awe_. Do not
use in the sense of _uncivil_, _serious_, or _ludicrous_, or
(in the adverbial form) in the sense of _very_, _extremely_.
=_Balance_.= Incorrect when used in the sense of _remainder_.
=_Because_.= Not to be used for _the fact that_. "_The fact that_
(not _because_) he is absent is no reason why we should not
proceed." See 5.
=_Between_.= Used of two persons or things. Not to be confused
with _among_, which is used of more than two.
=_Blame on_.= A crudity for _put the blame on_ or _blame_.
Faulty: "Don't blame it on me." Better: "Don't blame me."
=_Borned_.= A monstrosity for _born_. "I was _born_ (not
_borned_) in 1899."
=_Bursted_.= The past tense of _burst_ is the same as the
present.
=_Bust_ or _busted_.= Vulgar for _burst_. Right: "The balloon
burst." "The bank failed."
=_But what_.= _That_ is often preferable. "I do not doubt _that_
(not _but what_) he is honest."
=_Canine_.= An adjective. Not in good use as a noun.
=_Cannot help but_.= A confusion of _can but_ and _cannot help_.
"I can but believe you"; or "I cannot help believing you"; not
"I cannot help but believe you." See 34.
=_Caused by_.= To be used only when it refers definitely to a
noun. Wrong: "He was disappointed, caused by the lateness of
the train." The noun _disappointment_ should be used instead of
the verb _disappointed_. Then caused will have a definite
reference. Right: "His disappointment was caused by the
lateness of the train." See 23.
=_Claim_.= Means _to demand as a right_. Incorrect for _maintain_
or _assert_.
=_Considerable_.= An adjective, not an adverb. "He talked
_considerably_ (not _considerable_) about it."
=_Could of_.= An illiterate form arising from slovenly
pronunciation. Use _could have_. Avoid also _may of_, _must
of_, _would of_, etc.
=_Data_.= Plural. The singular (seldom used) is _datum_. Compare
_stratum_, _strata_; _erratum_, _errata_.
=_Demean_.= Means _to conduct oneself_, not _to lower_ or _to
degrade_.
=_Different than_.= _Different from_ is to be preferred. _Than_
is a conjunction. The idea of separation implied in _different_
calls for a preposition, rather than a word of comparison.
=_Disremember_.= Not in good use.
=_Done_.= A gross error when used as the past tense of _do_, or
as an adverb meaning _already_. "_I did it_ (not _I done it_)."
"I've _already_ (not _done_) got my lessons."
=_Don't_.= A contraction for _do not_; never to be used for _does
not_. The contraction of _does not_ is _doesn't_. See 51d.
=_Drownded_.= Vulgar for _drowned_.
=_Due to_.= To be used only when it refers definitely to a noun.
Faulty: "He refused the offer, due to his father's opposition."
Right: "His refusal of the offer was due to his father's
opposition." The noun _refusal_ should be used instead of the
verb _refused_. Then _due_ will have a definite reference. See
5.
=_Enthuse_.= Not in good use.
=_Etc._= An abbreviation for the Latin _et cetera_, meaning _and
other_ [things]. _Et_ means _and_. _And etc._ is therefore
grossly incorrect. Do not write _ect._
=_Expect_.= Means _to look forward to_. Hardly correct in the
sense of _suppose_.
=_Fine_.= Use cautiously as an adjective, and not at all as an
adverb. Seek the exact word. See 62.
=_Former_.= Means the first or first named of two. Not to be used
when more than two have been named. The corresponding word is
_latter_.
=_For to_.= Incorrect for _to_. "I want _you_ (not _for you_) to
listen carefully." "He made up his mind _to_ (not _for to_)
accept."
=_Gent_.= A vulgar abbreviation of _gentleman_.
=_Good_.= An adjective, not an adverb. Wrong: "He did good in
mathematics." Right: "He did well in mathematics." "He did good
work in mathematics."
=_Gotten_.= An old form now usually replaced by _got_ except in
such expressions as _ill-gotten gains_.
=_Guess_.= Expresses conjecture. Not to be used in formal
composition for _think_, _suppose_, or _expect_.
=_Had of_.= Illiterate. "I wish I _had known_ (not _had of
known_) about it."
=_Had ought_.= A vulgarism. "He _ought_ (not _had ought_) to have
resigned." "We _oughtn't_ (not _hadn't ought_) to make this
error."
=_Hardly_.= Not to be used with a negative. See 34.
=_Home_.= Do not use when you mean simply _house_.
=_Human_ or _humans_.= Not in good use as a noun. Say _human
being_. Right: "The house was not fit for _human beings_ (not
_humans_) to live in."
=_If_.= Do not use for _whether_. "I can't say _whether_ (not
_if_) the laundry will be finished today."
=_In_.= Often misused for _into_. "He jumped _into_ (not _in_)
the pond."
=_It's_.= Means _it is_; not to be written for the possessive
_its_.
=_Kind of_.= (a) Should not modify adjectives or verbs. "He was
_somewhat_ (not _kind of_) lean." "_She partly suspected_ (not
_She kind of suspected_) what was going on." (b) When using
with a noun, do not follow by _a_. "That kind of man"; not
"That kind of a man."
=_Like_.= To be followed by a substantive; never by a substantive
and a verb. "He ran like a deer." "Do _as_ (not _like_) I do."
"She felt _as if_ (not _like_) she was going to faint." _Like_
is a preposition; _as_ is a conjunction.
=_Literally_.= Do not use where you plainly do not mean it, as in
the sentence, "I was literally tickled to death."
=_Loan_.= _Lend_ is in better use as a verb.
=_Locate_.= Do not use for _settle_ or _establish oneself_.
=_Lose out_.= Not used in formal writing. Say _lose_.
=_Lots of_.= A mercantile term which has a dubious colloquial
standing. Not in good literary use for _many_ or _much_.
=_Might of_.= A vulgarism for _might have_.
=_Most_.= Do not use for _almost_. "_Almost_ (not _most_) all."
=_Myself_.= Intensive or reflexive; do not use when the simple
personal pronoun would suffice. "I saw them myself." "Some
friends and _I_ (not _myself_) went walking."
=_Neither_.= Used with _nor_, and not with _or_. "Neither the man
whom his associates had suspected _nor_ (not _or_) the one whom
the police had arrested was the criminal." "She could neither
paint a good picture _nor_ (not _or_) play the violin well."
=_Nice_.= Means _delicate_ or _precise_. _Nice_ is used in a
loose colloquial way to indicate general approval, but should
not be so used in formal writing. Right: "He displayed nice
judgment." "We had a _pleasant_ (not _nice_) time." See 62.
=_Nowhere near_.= Vulgar for _not nearly_.
=_Nowheres_.= Vulgar.
=_O_ and _Oh_.= _O_ is used with a noun in direct address; it is
not separated from the noun by any marks of punctuation. _Oh_
is used as an interjection; it is followed by a comma or an
exclamation point. "Hear, O king, what thy servants would say."
"Oh, dear!"
=_Of_.= Do not use for _have_ in such combinations as _should
have_, _may have_, _ought to have_.
=_Off of_.= _On_, _upon_, or some equivalent expression is
usually preferable.
=_Ought to of_.= A vulgarism for _ought to have_.
=_Over with_.= Crude for _over_.
=_Pants_.= _Trousers_ is the approved term in literary usage.
_Pants_ (from _pantaloons_) has found some degree of colloquial
and commercial acceptance.
=_Party_.= Not to be used for _person_, except in legal phrases.
=_Phone_.= A contraction not employed in formal writing. Say
_telephone_.
=_Plenty_.= A noun; not in good use as an adjective or an adverb.
"He had _plenty of_ (not _plenty_) resources." "He had
_resources in plenty_ (not _resources plenty_)."
=_Proposition_.= Means a _thing proposed_. Do not use loosely, as
in the sentence: "A berth on a Pullman is a good proposition
during a railway journey at night." See 62.
=_Proven_.= Prefer _proved_.
=_Providing_.= Prefer _provided_ in such expressions as "I will
vote for him _provided_ (not _providing_) he is a candidate."
=_Quite a_.= Colloquial in such expressions as _quite a while_,
_quite a few_, _quite a number_.
=_Raise_.= _Rear_ or _bring up_ is preferable in speaking of
children. "She _reared_ (not _raised_) seven children."
=_Rarely ever_.= Crude for _rarely_, _hardly ever_.
=_Real_.= Crude for _very_ or _really_. "She was _very_ (not
_real_) intelligent." "He was _really_ (not _real_) brave."
=_Remember of_.= Not to be used for _remember_.
=_Right smart_ and _Right smart of_.= Extremely vulgar.
=_Same_.= No longer used as a pronoun except in legal documents.
"He saw her drop the purse and restored _it_ (not _the same_)
to her."
=_Scarcely_.= Not to be used with a negative. See 34.
=_Seldom ever_.= Crude for _seldom_, _hardly ever_.
=_Shall_.= Do not confuse with _will_. See 53.
=_Sight_.= _A sight_ or _a sight of_ is very crude for _many_,
_much_, _a great deal of_. "_A great many_ (not _a sight_) of
them."
=_So_.= Not incorrect, but loose, vague, and often unnecessary.
(a) As an intensive, the frequent use of _so_ has been
christened "the feminine demonstrative." Hackneyed: "I was so
surprised." Better: "I was much surprised." Or, "I was
surprised." (b) As a connective, the frequent use of _so_ is a
mark of amateurishness. See 36 Note.
=_Some_.= Not to be used as an adverb. "She was _somewhat_ (not
_some_) better the next day." Wrong: "He studied some that
night." Right: "He did some studying that night."
=_Somewheres_.= Very crude. Use _somewhere_.
=_Species_.= Has the same form in singular and plural. "He
discovered a new _species_ (not _specie_) of sunflower."
=_Such_.= (a) To be completed by _that_, rather than by _so
that_, when a result clause follows. "There was such a crowd
_that_ (not _so that_) he did not find his friends." (b) To be
completed by _as_, rather than by _that_, _who_, or _which_,
when a relative clause follows. "I will accept such
arrangements _as_ (not _that_) may be made." "He called upon
such soldiers _as_ (not _who_) would volunteer for this service
to step forward."
=_Superior than_.= Not in good use for _superior to_.