Slips of Speech
A helpful book for everyone who aspires to correct the everyday errors of
speaking and writing.
by John H. Bechtel
Author of “Practical Synonyms,” “Pronunciation,”
etc.
Philadelphia
The Penn Publishing Company
1901
COPYRIGHT 1895 BY THE PENN PUBLISHING COMPANY
Contents
INTRODUCTION
I. TASTE
II. CHOICE OF WORDS
III. CONTRACTIONS
IV. POSSESSIVE CASE
V. PRONOUNS
VI. NUMBER
VII. ADVERBS
VIII. CONJUNCTIONS
IX. CORRELATIVES
X. THE INFINITIVE
XI. PARTICIPLES
XII. PREPOSITIONS
XIII. THE ARTICLE
XIV. REDUNDANCY
XV. TWO NEGATIVES
XVI. ACCORDANCE OF VERB WITH SUBJECT
INDEX
INTRODUCTION
Homer, in all probability, knew no rules of rhetoric, and was not
tortured with the consideration of grammatical construction, and yet
his verse will endure through time. If everybody possessed the genius
of Homer, rules and cautions in writing would be unnecessary.
To-day all men speak, and most men write, but it is observed that those
who most closely follow Homer’s method of writing without rules are
most unlike Homer in the results. The ancient bard was a law unto
himself; we need rules for our guidance.
Rules of writing are the outgrowth of the study of the characteristics
and qualities of style which distinguish the best writers from those of
inferior skill and ability. Grammarians and rhetoricians, according to
their several lines of investigation, set forth the laws and principles
governing speech, and formulate rules whereby we may follow the true,
and avoid the false.
Grammar and rhetoric, as too often presented in the schools, are such
uninviting studies that when
school-days are ended, the books are laid aside, and are rarely
consulted afterward. The custom of formally burning the text-books
after the final examinations—a custom that prevails in some
institutions—is but an emphatic method of showing how the students
regard the subjects treated in the books.
If all the rules and principles had been thoroughly mastered, the huge
bonfire of text-books in grammar and rhetoric might be regarded a
fitting celebration of the students’ victory over the difficulties of
“English undefiled.” But too often these rules are merely memorized by
the student for the purpose of recitation, and are not engrafted upon
his everyday habit of speech. They are, therefore, soon forgotten, and
the principles involved are subject to daily violation.
Hence arises the need of books like SLIPS OF SPEECH, in which the
common faults of speakers and writers are pointed out, and the correct
use of words shown. Brief and informal in treatment, they will be read
and consulted when the more voluminous text-books will be left
untouched.
The copious index appended to this volume will afford a ready reference
to the many subjects discussed, and will contribute greatly to the
convenience and permanent value of the book.
SLIPS OF SPEECH
“We should be as careful of our words as of our actions.”—CICERO.
CHAPTER I
Taste
Taste is a universal gift. It has been found in some degree in all
nations, races, and ages. It is shown by the savage in his love of
personal decoration; by the civilized man in his love of art.
But while it is thus universal, it is as different among men as their
faces, complexions, characters, or languages. Even among people of the
same nation, it is as different as the degrees of society. The same
individual at different periods of life, shows this variableness of
taste.
These diversities of taste imply a susceptibility to improvement. Good
taste in writing forms no exception to the rule. While it seems to
require some basis in nature, no degree of inborn aptitude will
compensate for the lack of careful training.
To give his natural taste firmness and fineness a writer needs to read
the best literature, not merely so
as to know it, but so as to feel the beauty, the fitness, the charm,
the strength, the delicacy of a well-chosen word.
The study of the proper arrangement and the most effective expression
of our thoughts prompts us to think more accurately. So close is the
connection between the thought and its expression that looseness of
style in speaking and writing may nearly always be traced to
indistinctness and feebleness in the grasp of the subject. No degree of
polish in expression will compensate for inadequacy of knowledge. But
with the fullest information upon any subject, there is still room for
the highest exercise of judgment and good sense in the proper choice
and arrangement of the thoughts, and of the words with which to express
them.
The concurrent testimony of those best qualified to render a decision,
has determined what authors reflect the finest literary taste, and
these writers should be carefully studied by all who aspire to
elegance, accuracy, and strength in literary expression.
Fine Writing
Never hesitate to call a spade a _spade_. One of the most frequent
violations of good taste consists in the effort to dress a common
subject in high-sounding language. The ass in the fable showed his
stupidity
when he put on the lion’s skin and expected the other animals to
declare him to be the king of beasts. The distinction of a subject lies
in its own inherent character, and no pompous parade of words will
serve to exalt a commonplace theme.
Poetic Terms
In the expression of homely ideas and the discussion of affairs of
every-day life, avoid such poetic forms as _o’er_ for over, _ne’er _for
never, _’mid_ for amid, _e’en_ for even, _’gan_ for began, _’twixt_ for
betwixt, _’neath_ for beneath, _list_ for listen, _oft_ for often,
_morn_ for morning, _eve_ for evening, _e’er_ for ever, _ere_ for
before, _’tis_ for it is, _’twas _for it was.
In all prose composition, avoid such poetic forms as _swain, wight,
mead, brake, dingle, dell, zephyr._
Foreign Words
The unrestrained use of foreign words, whether from the ancient or from
the modern languages, savors of pedantry and affectation. The ripest
scholars, in speaking and writing English, make least use of foreign
words or phrases. Persons who indulge in their use incur the risk of
being charged with a desire to exhibit their linguistic attainments.
On the other hand, occasions arise when the use of words from a foreign
tongue by one who is
thoroughly familiar with them, will add both grace and exactness to his
style.
Rarely use a foreign term when your meaning can be as well expressed in
English. Instead of _blasé,_ use surfeited, or wearied; for _cortège
_use procession for _couleur de rose,_ rose-color; for _déjeuner,
_breakfast; for _employe,_ employee; for _en route,_ on the way; for
_entre nous,_ between ourselves; for _fait accompli,_ an accomplished
fact; for _in toto,_ wholly, entirely; for _penchant, _inclination; for
_raison d’être,_ reason for existence; for _recherché,_ choice,
refined; for _rôle,_ part; for _soirée dansante,_ an evening dancing
party; for _sub rosa,_ secretly, etc.
The following incident from the _Detroit Free Press_ is in point:
The gentleman from the West pulled his chair up to the hotel table,
tucked his napkin under his chin, picked up the bill-of-fare and began
to study it intently. Everything was in restaurant French, and he
didn’t like it.
“Here, waiter,” he said, sternly, “there’s nothing on this I want.”
“Ain’t there nothin’ else you would like for dinner, sir?” inquired the
waiter, politely.
“Have you got any _sine qua non?”_
The waiter gasped.
“No, sir,” he replied.
“Got any _bon mots?”_
“N—no, sir.”
“Got any _semper idem?”_
“No, sir, we hain’t.”
“Got any _jeu d’esprits?”_
“No, sir; not a one.”
“Got any _tempus fugit?”_
“I reckon not, sir.”
“Got any _soirée dansante?”_
“No, sir.”
The waiter was edging off.
“Got any _sine die?”_
“We hain’t, sir.”
“Got any _e pluribus unum?”_
The waiter’s face showed some sign of intelligence.
“Seems like I heard ob dat, sir,” and he rushed out to the kitchen,
only to return empty-handed.
“We ain’t got none, sir,” he said, in a tone of disappointment.
“Got any _mal de mer?”_
“N—no, sir.”
The waiter was going to pieces fast.
The gentleman from the West, was as serene as a May morning.
“Got any _vice versa?”_ he inquired again.
The waiter could only shake his head.
“No? Well, maybe you’ve got some bacon and cabbage, and a corn dodger?”
“’Deed we have, sir,” exclaimed the waiter, in a tone of the utmost
relief, and he fairly flew out to the kitchen.
Trite Expressions
Words and phrases which may once have been striking and effective, or
witty and felicitous, but which have become worn out by oft-repeated
use, should be avoided. The following hackneyed phrases will serve to
illustrate: “The staff of life,” “gave up the ship,” “counterfeit
presentment,” “the hymeneal altar,” “bold as a lion,” “throw cold water
upon,” “the rose upon the cheek,” “lords of creation,” “the weaker
sex,” “the better half,” “the rising generation,” “tripping the light
fantastic toe,” “the cup that cheers but does not inebriate,” “in the
arms of Morpheus,” “the debt of nature,” “the bourne whence no traveler
returns,” “to shuffle off this mortal coil,” “the devouring element,”
“a brow of alabaster.”
Pet Words
Avoid pet words, whether individual, provincial, or national in their
use. Few persons are entirely free from the overuse of certain words.
Young people largely employ such words as _delightful, delicious,_
_exquisite,_ and other expressive adjectives, which constitute a kind
of society slang.
Overworked Expressions
Words and phrases are often taken up by writers and speakers, repeated,
and again taken up by others, and thus their use enlarges in
ever-widening circles until the expressions become threadbare. Drop
them before they have reached that state. _Function, environment,
trend, the masses, to be in touch with, to voice the sentiments
of—_these are enough to illustrate the kind of words referred to.
Very Vulgar Vulgarisms
No one who has any regard for purity of diction and the proprieties of
cultivated society will be guilty of the use of such expressions as
_yaller_ for yellow, _feller_ for fellow, _kittle_ for kettle, _kiver_
for cover, _ingons_ for onions, _cowcumbers_ for cucumbers,
_sparrowgrass_ for asparagus, _yarbs_ for herbs, _taters _for potatoes,
_tomats_ for tomatoes, _bile_ for boil, _hain’t _for ain’t or isn’t,
_het_ for heated, _kned_ for kneaded, _sot_ for sat or set, _teeny_ for
tiny, _fooling you_ for deceiving you, _them_ for those, _shut up_ for
be quiet, or be still, or cease speaking, _went back on me_ for
deceived me or took advantage of me, a _power of people_ for a great
many
people, a _power of money_ for great wealth, a _heap of houses_ for
many houses, _lots of books_ for many books, _lots of corn_ for much
corn or large quantities of corn, _gents_ for gentlemen, and many
others of a similar character.