The title-page sufficiently sets forth the end this little book is
intended to serve.
For convenience' sake I have arranged in alphabetical order the subjects
treated of, and for economy's sake I have kept in mind that "he that
uses many words for the explaining of any subject doth, like the
cuttle-fish, hide himself in his own ink."
The curious inquirer who sets himself to look for the learning in the
book is advised that he will best find it in such works as George P.
Marsh's "Lectures on the English Language," Fitzedward Hall's "Recent
Exemplifications of False Philology," and "Modern English," Richard
Grant White's "Words and Their Uses," Edward S. Gould's "Good English,"
William Mathews' "Words: their Use and Abuse," Dean Alford's "The
Queen's English," George Washington Moon's "Bad English," and "The
Dean's English," Blank's "Vulgarisms and Other Errors of Speech,"
Alexander Bain's "English Composition and Rhetoric," Bain's "Higher
English Grammar," Bain's "Composition Grammar," Quackenbos' "Composition
and Rhetoric," John Nichol's "English Composition," William Cobbett's
"English Grammar," Peter Bullions' "English Grammar," Goold Brown's
"Grammar of English Grammars," Graham's "English Synonymes," Crabb's
"English Synonymes," Bigelow's "Handbook of Punctuation," and other
kindred works.
Suggestions and criticisms are solicited, with the view of profiting by
them in future editions.
If "The Verbalist" receive as kindly a welcome as its companion volume,
"The Orthoëpist," has received, I shall be content.
A. A.
NEW YORK, _October_, 1881.
Eschew fine words as you would rouge.--HARE.
Cant is properly a double-distilled lie; the second power of a
lie.--CARLYLE.
If a gentleman be to study any language, it ought to be that of his
own country.--LOCKE.
In language the unknown is generally taken for the
magnificent.--RICHARD GRANT WHITE.
He who has a superlative for everything, wants a measure for the
great or small.--LAVATER.
Inaccurate writing is generally the expression of inaccurate
thinking.--RICHARD GRANT WHITE.
To acquire a few tongues is the labor of a few years; but to be
eloquent in one is the labor of a life.--ANONYMOUS.
Words and thoughts are so inseparably connected that an artist in
words is necessarily an artist in thoughts.-WILSON FLAGG.
It is an invariable maxim that words which add nothing to the sense
or to the clearness must diminish the force of the
expression.--CAMPBELL.
Propriety of thought and propriety of diction are commonly found
together. Obscurity of expression generally springs from confusion
of ideas.--MACAULAY.
He who writes badly thinks badly. Confusedness in words can proceed
from nothing but confusedness in the thoughts which give rise to
them.--COBBETT.