XXIII.
"Equally as well" is a very common expression, and a very incorrect one; the adverb of comparison, "as," has no right in the sentence. "Equally well," "Equally high," "Equally dear," should be the construction; and if a complement be necessary in the phrase, it should be preceded by the preposition "with," as, "The wall was equally high with theformer one," "The goods at Smith's are equally dear with those sold at the shop next door," &c. "Equally the same" is tautology.
XXIV.
"Whether," sometimes an adverb, sometimes a conjunction, is a word that plainly indicates a choice of things (of course I cannot be supposed to mean afreedomof choice); it is highly improper, therefore, to place it, as many do, at the head of each part of a sentence, as, "I have not yet made up my mind whether I shall go to France, orwhetherI shall remain in England." The conjunction should not be repeated, as it is evident the alternative is expressedonly in the combinationof thetwoparts of the sentence, not in either of them taken separately; and the phrase should stand thus, "I have not yet made up my mind whether I shall go to Franceorremain in England."
XXV.
There is an awkwardness prevalent amongst all classes of society in such sentences as the following: "He quitted his horse, and goton toa stage coach," "He jumpedon tothe floor," "She laid iton toa dish," "I threw iton tothe fire." Why use two prepositions where one would be quite as explicit, and far more elegant? Nobody, at the present day, would think of saying, "He came up to Londonforto go to the exhibition," because the preposition"for" would be an awkward superfluity. So is "to" in the examples given; in each of which there is an unwieldiness of construction which reminds one of the process of glueing, or fastening, one thing "on to" another. Expunge the redundant preposition, and be assured, gentle reader, the sentence will still be found "an elegant sufficiency." There are some situations, however, in which the two prepositions may with propriety be employed, though they are never indispensable, as, "I accompanied such a one to Islington, and then walked on to Kingsland." But heretwomotions are implied, the walking onward, and the reaching of a certain point. More might be said to illustrate the distinction, but we believe it will not be deemed necessary.
XXVI.
There seems to be a natural tendency to deal in a redundance of prepositions. Many people talk of "continuingon." I should be glad to be informed in what other direction it would be possible tocontinue.
XXVII.
It is most illiterate to put the prepositionofafter the adverboff, as, "The satin measured twelve yards before I cut this pieceoff ofit," "The fruit was gatheredoff ofthat tree." Many of my readers will consider such a remark quite unnecessary in thisvolume; but many others, who ought to know better, must stand self-condemned on reading it.
XXVIII.
There is a false taste extant for the preposition "on" instead of "of" in songs, poetry, and many other situations in which there is still less excuse for borrowing the poetic license; such as, "Wilt thou thinkonme, love?" "I will thinkonthee, love," "Then thinkonthe friend who once welcomed it too," &c., &c. But this is an error chiefly to be met with among poetasters and melodramatic speakers.
XXIX.
Some people add a superfluous preposition at the end of a sentence,—"More than you thinkfor." This, however, is an awkwardness rarely committed by persons of decent education.
XXX.
That "prepositions govern the objective case" is a golden rule of grammar; and if it were onlywell remembered, it would effectually correct that mistake of substituting the nominative for the objective pronoun, which has been complained of in the preceding pages. In using a relative pronoun in the objective case, it is more elegant to put the preposition before than after it, thus, "To whom was the order given?" instead of, "Whom was the order given to?" Indeed,if this practice were to be invariably adopted, it would obviate the possibility of confounding the nominative with the objective case, because no man would ever find himself able to utter such a sentence as, "To who was this proposal made?" though he might very unconsciously say, "Who was this proposal made to?" and the error would be equally flagrant in both instances.
XXXI.
There is a great inaccuracy connected with the use of the disjunctive conjunctionsorandnor, which seem to be either not clearly understood, or treated with undue contempt by persons who speak in the following manner: "Henry or Johnareto go there to-night," "His son or his nephewhavesince put intheirclaim," "Neither onenorthe otherhavethe least chance of success." The conjunctions disjunctive "or" and "nor" separate the objects in sense, as the conjunction copulative unites them; and as, by the use of the former, the things stand forth separately and singly to the comprehension, the verb or pronoun must be rendered in the singular number also; as, "HenryorJohnisto go there to-night," "His sonorhis nephewhassince put inhisclaim," &c. If you look over the sentence, you will perceive that onlyoneis to do the act, therefore onlyonecan be the nominative to the verb.
XXXII.
Many people improperly substitute the disjunctive "but" for the comparative "than," as, "The mind no sooner entertains any proposition,butit presently hastens to some hypothesis to bottom it on."—Locke."No other resourcebutthis was allowed him." "My behavior," says she, "has, I fear, been the death of a man who had no other faultbutthat of loving me too much."—Spectator.
XXXIII.
Sometimes a relative pronoun is used instead of a conjunction, in such sentences as the following: "I don't know butwhatI shall go to Brighton to-morrow," instead of, "I don't know butthat," &c.
XXXIV.
Sometimes the disjunctivebutis substituted for the conjunctionthat, as, "I have no doubtbuthe will be here to-night." Sometimes for the conjunctionif, as, "I shouldn't wonderbutthat was the case." And sometimestwoconjunctions are used instead of one, as, "If thatI have offended him," "After thathe had seen the parties," &c. All this is very awkward indeed, and ought to be avoided, and might easily be so by a little attention.
I.
Itis obsolete now to use the articleanbefore words beginning with longuor witheu, and it has become more elegant, in modern style, to say, "a university," "a useful article," "a European," "a euphonious combination of sentences," &c., &c. It is also proper to say "such a one," not "such an one."
II.
Some people pronounce the plural of handkerchief, scarf, wharf, dwarf,handkerchieves,scarves,wharves,dwarves. This is an error, as these words, and perhaps a few others, are exceptions to the rule laid down, that nouns ending infandfeshall change these terminations intovesto form the plural.
III.
There is an illiterate mode of pronouncing the adverbtoo, which is that of contracting it into the sound of the prepositionto;thus, "I think I paidto muchfor this gun," "This line isto longby half." The adverbtooshould be pronounced like the numeral adjectivetwo, and have the same full distinct sound in delivery, as, "I think I paidtwomuch for this gun," "This line istwolong by half."
IV.
One does not expect to hear such words as "necessi'ated," "preventative," &c., from people who profess to be educated; but onedoeshear them, nevertheless, and many others of the same genus, of which the following list is a specimen, not a collection.
"Febuary" and "Febbiwerry," instead of February."Seckaterry"instead ofsecretary."Gover'ment""government."Eve'min""evening."Sev'm""seven."Holladiz""holidays."Mossle""morsel.
"Chapped," according to orthography, instead ofchopped, according to polite usage.
And we have even heard "continental" pronouncedcontinential, though upon what authority we know not. Besides these, a multitude of others might be quoted, which we consider too familiar to particularize and "too numerous to mention."
V.
There is an old jest on record of a person hearing another pronounce the word curiosity "curosity," and remarking to a bystander, "That man murders the English language." "Nay," replies the person addressed, "he only knocks an eye (i) out." And I am invariably reminded of this old jest whenever Ihear such pronunciations as the following,—"Lat'n" for Latin, "sat'n" for satin, and Britain pronounced so as to rhyme withwritten,—of which a few examples will be given on a subsequent page, not with the wild hope of comprising in so short a spaceallthe perversions of prosody which are constantly taking place, but simply with the intention of reminding careless speakers of some general principles they seem to have forgotten, and of the vast accumulation of error they may engraft upon themselves by a lazy adherence to the custom of the crowd. Before, however, proceeding to the words in question, it may be satisfactory to our readers to recall to their memory the observations of Lindley Murray on the subject. He says, "There is scarcely anything which more distinguishes a person of poor education from a person of a good one than the pronunciation of theunaccented vowels. When vowels areunder the accent, the best speakers, and the lowest of the people, with very few exceptions, pronounce them in the same manner; but theunaccented vowels in the mouths of the former have a distinct, open, and specific sound, while the latter often totally sink them, or change them into some other sound." The words that have chiefly struck me are the following, in which not only the i but some of the other vowels are submitted to the mutilating process, or, as I have heard it pronounced,mutulating.
Brit'ninstead ofBritain.Lat'n"Latin.Sat'n"Satin.Patt'n"Patten.Curt'n"Curtain.Cert'n"Certain.Bridle"Bridal.Idle"Idol.Meddle"Medal.Moddle"Model.Mentle"Mental.Mortle"Mortal.Fatle"Fatal.Gravle"Gravel.Travle"Travel.Sudd'n"Sudden.Infidle"Infidel.Scroop'-lous"Scru-pu-lous.
And a long train ofet cetera, of which the above examples do not furnish a tithe.
Note.—That to sound theeingardenandoften, and theiinevilanddevil, is a decided error. They should always be pronouncedgard'nandoft'n,ev'landdev'l.
Note.—That to sound theeingardenandoften, and theiinevilanddevil, is a decided error. They should always be pronouncedgard'nandoft'n,ev'landdev'l.
Some people pronounce theIin Irish and its concomitants so as to make the words Ireland, Irishmen, Irish linen, &c., sound as if they were writtenArland,A-rishmen,Arishlinen, &c. This is literally "knocking aniout."
VI.
It is affected, and contrary to authority, to deprive thesof its sharp hissing sound in the wordsprecise,desolate,design, and their derivatives.
VII.
There is one peculiarity which we feel bound to notice, because it has infected English speakers,—that of corrupting theeand theiinto the sound ofaoru, in the words ability, humility, charity, &c.; for how often is the ear wrung by such barbarisms as, humilutty, civilutty, qualaty, quantaty, crualty, charaty, humanaty, barbaraty, horruble, terruble, and so on,ad infinitum!—an uncouth practice, to which nothing is comparable, except pronouncingyallafor yellow.
VIII.
There is in some quarters a bad mode prevalent of pronouncing the plural of such words asface,place, &c.,fazes,plazes, whilst the plural ofpriceseems everywhere subject to the same strange mutation. The words should befaces,places,prices, without any softening of thecintoz. There is, too, an ugly fashion of pronouncing theng, when terminating a word or syllable, aswepronounce the same combination of letters in the wordfinger, and making such words as "singer," "ringer," &c., rhyme withlinger. Sometimes the doubleois elongated into the sound whichwe give to that dipthong in "room," "fool," "moon," &c., which has a very bad effect in such words asbook,look,nook,took, &c.; and sometimes it is contracted into the sound of shortu, making "foot," and some other words, rhyme withbut.
IX.
And having remarked on thelingeringpronunciation, it is but fair to notice a defect, the reverse of this, namely, that of omitting the finalgin such words assaying,going,shilling, &c., and pronouncing them "sayin," "goin," "shillin." This is so common an error that it generally escapes notice, but is a greater blemish, where we have a right to look for perfection, than the peculiarities of the provinces in those who reside there.
X.
It is also a common fault to add a gratuitousrto words ending with a vowel, such as Emmar, Louisar, Juliar, and to makedraw,law,saw,flaw, with all others of the same class, rhyme withwar;to omit therin such words ascorks,forks,curtains,morsel, &c.; in the wordperhaps, when they conscientiouslypronouncetheh;and sometimes inParis;or to convert it into the sound of aywhen it comes between two vowels, as in the nameHarriet, and in the wordssuperior,interior, &c., frequently pronouncedAah-yet,su-pe-yor,in-te-yor,&c.
XI.
There is a vicious mode of amalgamating the finalsof a word (and sometimes the finalc, when preceded and followed by a vowel) with the first letter of the next word, if that letter happens to be ay, in such a manner as to produce the sound ofshor ofusuinusual;as, "Anisheyoung man," "Whatmakeshyou laugh?" "If heoffendshyou, don't speak to him," "Ashyou please," "Notjushyet," "We alwayspasshyour house in going to call onMisshYates,—she lives nearPalashYard;" and so on through all the possibilities of such a combination. This is decided, unmitigatedcockneyism, having its parallel in nothing except the broken English of the sons of Abraham; and to adopt it in conversation is certainly "not speaking like a Christian." The effect of this pronunciation on the ear is as though the mouth of the speaker were filled with froth, which impedes the utterance, and gives the semblance of a defect where nature had kindly intended perfection; but the radical cause of this, and of many other mispronunciations, is the carelessness, sometimes the ignorance, of teachers, who permit children to read and speak in a slovenly manner, without opening their teeth, or taking any pains to acquire a distinct articulation.
XII.
Whilst we are on the subject of Prosody, we must not omit to mention the vicious pronunciation occasionally given to the wordsnew,due,Tuesday,stupid, and a few others, sometimes corrupted intonoo,doo,Toosday,stoopid, &c., by way of refinement, perhaps, for lips which are too delicate to utter the clear, broad, Englishu.
XIII.
Never say "Cut it inhalf," for this you cannot do unless you couldannihilate onehalf. You may "cut it in two," or "cut it in halves," or "cut it through," or "divide it," but no human ability will enable you tocut it in half.
XIV.
Never speak of "lots" and "loads" of things. Young men allow themselves a diffusive license of speech, and of quotation, which has introduced many words into colloquial style that do not at all tend to improve or dignify the language, and which, when heard fromladies' lips, become absolute vulgarisms. A young man may talk recklessly of "lots of bargains," "lots of money," "lots of fellows," "lots of fun," &c., but a lady maynot. Man may indulge in any latitude of expression within the bounds of sense and decorum, but woman has a narrower range,—even her mirth must be subjected to rule. It may benaïve, but must never be grotesque. It is not that we would haveprimnessin the sex, but we would have refinement. Women are the purer and the more ornamental part of life, and whentheydegenerate, the Poetry of Life is gone.
XV.
"Loads" is a word quite as objectional as "lots," unless it can be reduced to a load ofsomething, such as aship-load, awagon-load, acart-load, ahorse-load, &c. We often hear such expressions as "loads of shops," "loads of authors," "loads of compliments;" but as shops, authors, compliments, are things not usually piled up into loads, either for ships or horses, we cannot discover the propriety of the application.
XVI.
Some people, guiltless of those absurdities, commit a great error in the use of the wordquantity, applying it to things ofnumber, as "a quantity of friends," "a quantity of ships," "a quantity of houses," &c.Quantitycan be applied only wherebulkis indicated, as "a quantity of land," "a quantity of timber;" but we cannot say, "a quantity of fields," "a quantity of trees," becausetreesandfieldsare specific individualities. Or we may apply it where individualities are taken in the gross, without reference to modes, as "a quantity of luggage," "a quantity of furniture;" but we cannot say "a quantity of boxes," "a quantity ofchairs and tables," for the same reason which is given in the former instances. We also apply the termquantityto those things of number which are too minute to be taken separately, as "a quantity of beans," "a quantity of oats," &c., &c.
XVII.
Avoid favorite words and phrases; they betray a poverty of language or of imagination not creditable to a cultivated intellect. Some people are so unfortunate as to find all thingsvulgarthat come "betwixt the wind and their nobility;" others find themdisgusting. Some are alwaysanticipating, others are alwaysappreciating. Multitudes arearistocraticin all their relations, other multitudes are asdistingués. These two words are chiefly patronized by those whose pretensions in such respects are the most questionable. To some timid spirits, born under malignant influences no doubt, most things present anawfulappearance, even though they come in shapes so insignificant as a cold day or an aching finger. But, thanks to that happy diversity of Nature which throws light as well as shadow into the human character, there are minds of brighter vision and more cheerful temperament, who behold all thingssplendid,magnificent, down to a cup of small beer, or a half-penny orange. Some people have a grandiloquent force of expression, thereby imparting atremendousorthunderingcharacter even to little things. This is truly carryingtheir conceptions into the sublime,—sometimes a step beyond.
We have, however, no intention of particularizingallthe "pet" phrases which salute the ear; but the enumeration of a few of them may make thecandidculprit smile, and avoid those trifling absurdities for the future.
We would, under favor, suggest to the reader the advantage of not relying too confidently on knowledge acquired by habit and example alone. There are many words in constant use which are perverted from their original meanings; and if we were to dip into some standard dictionary occasionally, search out the true meanings of words with which we have fancied ourselves acquainted, and convict ourselves ofallthe errors we have been committing in following the crowd, our surprise, perhaps, would equal that of Molière'sBourgeois Gentilhommewhen he discovered that he had been talkingprosefor forty years.
The wordsfeasible,ostensible,obnoxious,apparent,obtain,refrain,domesticated, andcentre, are expressions which, nine times out of ten, are misapplied, besides a host of others whose propriety is never questioned, so firmly has custom riveted the bonds of ignorance.
In closing this little volume, the writer begs leave to say that the remarks offered are intended only as "Hints," which they who desire perfection may easily improve, by a little exercise of the understanding, and a reference to more extensive sources, into a competent knowledge of their own tongue; also aswarningsto the careless, that their lapses do not pass so unobserved as they are in the habit of supposing.
Though many of the syntactical errors herein mentioned are to be found in the works of some of our best writers, they areerrorsnevertheless, and stand as blemishes upon the productions of their genius, like unsightly excrescences upon a lovely skin. Genius is above grammar, and this conviction may inspire in some bosoms an undue contempt for the latter. But grammar is a constituent part of good education, and a neglect of itmightargue awantof education, which would, perhaps, be mortifying. It is an old axiom that "civility costs nothing," and surely grammatical purity need not costmuchto people disposed to pay a little attention to it, and who have received a respectable education already. It adds a grace to eloquence, and raises the standard of language where eloquence is not.
A handsome man or handsome woman is not improved by a shabby or slatternly attire; so the best abilities are shown to a disadvantage through a style marked by illiteracies.
IN SPEAKING AND WRITING CORRECTED.
1.HaveyoulearnedFrench yet? saylearnt, aslearnedis now used only as an adjective,—as,a learned man. Pronouncelearnedintwosyllables.
2. The business would suit any one whoenjoys bad health[from an advertisement in a London newspaper]; say, any onein a delicate state of health, or,whose health is but indifferent.
3. "We have nocorporealpunishment here," said a schoolmaster once to the author of this little work.Corporealis opposed tospiritual;say,corporalpunishment.Corporealmeanshaving a body. The Almighty is not acorporealbeing, but aspirit, as St. John tells us.
4. That was anotablecircumstance. Pronounce the first syllable ofnotableasnoinnotion. Mrs. Johnson is anotablehousewife; that is to say,careful. Pronounce the first syllable ofnotableasnotinNottingham.
5. Put anadvertisementin the "Times." Pronounceadvertisementwith the accent onver, and not ontise.
6. Herose upand left the room; leave outup.
7. You havesownit very badly; say,sewedit.
8. Mr. Dupontlearntme French; say,taught. Themaster teaches, but thepupil learns.
9. John and Henry both read well, but John is thebestreader; say, thebetterreader, asbestcan only be said whenthree or more personsor objects are compared.
10. Thetwo firstpupils I had; say, thefirst two.
11. He hasmistookhis true interest; say,mistaken.
12. Have youlitthe fire, Mary? say,lighted.
13. The doctorhas not yet came;say,has not yet come.
14. I have alwaysgavehim good advice; say,given.
15. To be is anauxiliaryverb. Pronounceauxiliaryinfivesyllables, sounding the secondi, andnot in four, as we so frequently hear it.
16.Celeryis a pleasant edible; pronounceceleryas it is written, andnot salary.
17. Are you atleisure?pronounceleiinleisurethe same asLeiinLeith, andnotso as to rhyme withmeasure.
18. Have you seenthe Miss Brownslately? say,the Misses Brown.
19. You have soonforgotmy kindness; say,forgotten.
20. He keepshis coach;say,his carriage.
21. John is myoldestbrother; say,eldest.Elderandeldestare applied topersons,—olderandoldesttothings.
22. Disputes have frequentlyaroseon that subject; say,arisen.
23. The cloth waswovein a very short time; say,woven.
24. French isspokein every state in Europe; say,spoken.
25. He writes as the best authors would havewrote, had theywriton the same subject; say, would havewritten,—had theywritten.
26. I prefer theyolkof an egg to the white; say,yelk, and sound thel.
27. He is now verydecrepid;say,decrepit.
28. I am very fond ofsparrowgrass;say,asparagus, and pronounce it with the accent onpar.
29. You are verymischievous. Pronouncemischievouswith the accent onmis, andnot on chie, and do not saymischievious.
30. It was veryacceptable. Pronounceacceptablewith the accent oncept, andnot on ac, as we so often hear it.
31. "No conversation be permitted in the Reading Room to the interruption of the company present.Neither Smoking or Refreshments allowed" [from the prospectus of a "Literary and Scientific Institution"];insertcanafterconversation, and say,neither smoking nor refreshments.
32.No extras or vacations[from the prospectus of a schoolmistress near London]; say,neither extras nor vacations.
33. He is very covetous. Pronouncecovetousas if it were writtencovet us, andnot covetyus, as is almost universally the case.
34. I intend tosummonshim; say,summon.Summonsis anoun, andnot a verb.
35. Dearlybelovedbrethren. Pronouncebelovedinthreesyllables, andnever in two, as some clergymen do.
36. He is nowforsookby every one; say,forsaken.
37. Notas I know;say,that I know.
38. He camefor to doit; leave outfor.
39. They have justrosefrom the table; say,risen.
40. He is quiteas good as me;say,as good as I.
41.Many an onehas done the same; say,many a one.A, andnot an, is used before thelong sound of u, that is to say, whenuformsa distinct syllable of itself, as,a unit,union,a university. It is also used beforeeu, as,a euphony;and likewise before the wordewe, as,a ewe. We should also say,a youth, notan youth.
42.Many peoplethink so; say,many persons, aspeoplemeansa nation.
43. "When our ships sail among thepeopleof theEastern islands,those peopledo not ask for gold,—'iron! iron!' is the call." [From a work by a peer of literary celebrity.] Say, among theinhabitants;and, instead ofthose people, which is ungrammatical, say,those persons.
44.Was youreading just now? say,were you.
45. I havenot had no dinner yet;say,I have had no dinner yet, or, I havenot yet had my dinner, or,any dinner.
46. She willnever be no taller;say, she willnever be taller, or, she willnever be any taller.
47. Isee himlast Monday; say,saw him.
48. He wasaverse fromsuch a proceeding; say,averse to.
49. He hasworehis boots three months; say,worn.
50. He hastrodon my toes; say,trodden.
51. Have youshookthe cloth? say,shaken.
52. I haverangseveral times; say,rung.
53. Iknowedhim at once; say,knew.
54. He hasgrowedvery much; say,grown.
55. George hasfelldown stairs; say,fallen.
56. He haschosea very poor pattern; say,chosen.
57. They havebrokea window; say,broken.
58. Give methem books;say,those books.
59. My brother gave methem there pictures;say, gave methose pictures.
60. Whose arethese here books?say,these books.
61. The menwhichwe saw; say,whom.
62. The bookswhatyou have; say,which, orthat.
63. The boyas isreading; say,who isreading.
64. The pond isfroze;say,frozen.
65. He hastookmy slate; say,taken.
66. He has oftenstolemoney from him; say,stolen.
67. They havedrovevery fast; say,driven.
68. I haverodemany miles to-day; say,ridden.
69. You cannotcatchhim; pronouncecatchso as to rhyme withmatch, and notketch.
70. Who hasgotmy slate? leave outgot.
71. What are youdoing of?leave outof.
72.If I was richI would buy a carriage; say,If I were.
73. We have all within us animpetusto sin; pronounceimpetuswith the accent onim, and not onpe, as is very often the case.
74. He may go to theantipodesfor what I care; pronounceantipodeswith the accent ontip, and letdesrhyme withease. It is a word offoursyllables, andnot of three, as many persons make it.
75.Vouchsafe, a word seldom used, but, when used, the first syllable should rhyme withpouch.Never say, vousafe.
76. Ginger is a goodstomachic;pronouncestomachicwith the accent onmach, sounding this syllablemak, andnot mat, as is often the case.
77. The land in those parts is veryfertile;pronouncefertileso as to rhyme withpill. Theileinall words must be soundedill, with the exception ofexile,senile,gentile,reconcile, andcamomile, in whichilerhymes withmile.
78.It is surprising the fatigue he undergoes;say,The fatigue he undergoes is surprising.
79.Benefited;often speltbenefitted, butincorrectly.
80.Gatherup the fragments; pronouncegatherso as to rhyme withlather, andnot gether.
81. Iproposegoing to town next week; say,purpose.
82. If Iam not mistaken, you are in the wrong; say, If Imistake not.
83.Directyour letters to me at Mr. Jones's; say,Addressyour letters.
84. Wales is a verymountainiouscountry; say,mountainous, and place the accent onmoun.
85. Of two evils choosethe least;say,the less.
86.Exag'gerate;pronounceexad'gerate, anddo not sound aggeras in the worddagger, which is a very common mistake.
87. He knowslittle or nothing of Latin;say,little, if anything, of Latin.
88. He keeps achaise;pronounce itshaise, and notshay. It has a regular plural,chaises.
88. Thedroughtlasted a long time; pronouncedroughtso as to rhyme withsnout, and notdrowth.
90. The man washunglast week; say,hanged;but say, I am fond ofhung beef.Hang, to take away life by hanging, is a regular verb.
91. Weconversed togetheron the subject; leave outtogether, as it is implied inconversed,conbeing equivalent towith, that is to say,We talked with each other, &c.
92. The affair wascompromised;pronouncecompromisedin three syllables, and place the accent oncom, soundingmisedlikeprized. The word has nothing to do withpromised. The nouncompromiseis accented likecompromised, butmisemust be pronouncedmice.
93. Asteam-engine;pronounceenginewithenas inpen, andnot like in, andginelikegin.
94. Numbers weremassacred;pronouncemassacredwith the accent onmas, andredlikeerd, as ifmas'saker'd, nevermas'sacreed.
95. The king of Israel and the king of Judah sateither of themon his throne; say,each of them.Eithersignifies theoneor theother, butnot both.Eachrelates totwo or more objects, and signifiesboth of the two, orevery one of any number taken singly.Neversay "eitherof the three," but "eachorany oneof the three."
96. Arespitewas granted the convict; pronouncerespitewith the accent onres, and soundpiteaspit.
97. He soonreturned back;leave outback, which is implied byreinreturned.
98. Thehorizonis the line that terminates the view; pronouncehorizonwith the accent onri, and not onho.
99. She hassangremarkably well; say,sung.
100. He hadsankbefore assistance arrived; say,sunk.
101. I have oftenswamacross the Tyne; say,swum.
102. I found my friend better than I expectedto have found him;say,to find him.
103. I intendedto have writtena letter yesterday; say,to write, as however long it now is since I thought of writing, "to write" was then present to me, and must still be considered as present when I bring back that time and the thoughts of it.
104. His deathshall belong regretted [from a notice of a death in a newspaper]; say,will belong, &c.Shallandwillare often confounded; the following rule, however, may be of use to the reader. Merefuturityis expressed byshallin thefirstperson, and bywillin thesecondandthird;thedeterminationof the speaker bywillin thefirst, andshallin thesecondandthird;as, Iwillgo to-morrow, Ishallgo to-morrow. N. B. The latter sentence simply expresses a future event; the former expresses my determination.
105. "Withoutthe grammatical form of a word can be recognized at a glance, little progress can be made in reading the language" [from a very popular work on the study of the Latin language]; say,Unlessthe grammatical, &c. The use ofwithoutforunlessis a very common mistake.
106. Have you begunsubstractionyet? say,subtraction.
107. He claimed admission to thechiefestoffices; say,chief.Chief,right,supreme,correct,true,universal,perfect,consummate,extreme, &c.,implythe superlative degree withoutestormost. In language sublime or impassioned, however, the wordperfectrequires the superlative form to give it effect. A lover, enraptured with his mistress, would naturally call her themost perfectof her sex.
108. The ship hadspranga leak; say,sprung.
109. Ihad ratherdo it now; say, Iwould rather.
110. He was served with asubpœna;pronouncesubpœnawith the accent onpœ, which you will sound liketea, and sound thebdistinctly.Never pronounce the word soopee'na.
111. I have not travelledthis twenty years;say,these twenty years.
112. He isvery much the gentleman;say, He isa very gentlemanly man, orfellow.
113. Theyellowpart of an egg is very nourishing;neverpronounceyellowliketallow, which we so often hear.
114. We are going to thezoologicalgardens; pronouncezoologicalinfivesyllables, and place the accent onloginlogical. Soundloglikelodge, andthe first two o's in distinct syllables.Nevermakezoolonesyllable.
115. He always preachesextempore;pronounceextemporeinfoursyllables, with the accent ontem, andnever in three, makingporeto rhyme withsore.
116.Naughtandaught;neverspell these wordsnoughtandought. There is no such word asnought, andoughtis a verb.
117. Allow me tosuggest;pronouncesugso as to rhyme withmug, andgestlikejest. Neversudjest.
118. The Emperor of Russia is aformidablepersonage; pronounceformidablewith the accent onfor, andnot on mid, as is often the case.
119. Before the wordsheir,herb,honest,honor,hostler,hour,humble, andhumor, and their compounds, instead of the articlea, we make use ofan, as thehis not sounded; likewise before words beginning withhthat arenotaccented on thefirst syllable, such asheroic,historical,hypothesis, &c., as,an heroic action,an historical work,an hypothesisthat can scarcely be allowed. N. B. The letterhis seldom mute at the beginning of a word; but from the negligence of tutors and the inattention of pupils many persons have become almost incapable of acquiring its just and full pronunciation. It is, therefore, incumbent on teachers to be particularly careful to inculcate a clear and distinct utterance of this sound.
120. He wassuch an extravagant young manthat he soon spent his whole patrimony; say,so extravagant a young man.
121. I saw thesloughof a snake; pronouncesloughso as to rhyme withrough.
122. She isquite the lady;say, She isvery lady-like in her demeanor.
123. He isseldom or everout of town; say,seldom, if ever, out of town.
124. Deathunloosedhis chains; say,loosedhis chains.
125. It is dangerous to walkof aslippery morning; say,on aslippery morning.
126. He who makes himself famous by his eloquence, illustrates his origin, let it benever so mean;say,ever so mean.
127. His fame is acknowledgedthroughEurope; say,throughoutEurope.
128. The bank of the river is frequentlyoverflown;say,overflowed.
129.Previous tomy leaving England I called on his lordship; say,previously tomy leaving, &c.
130. I doubtif thiswill ever reach you; say,whether this, &c.
131. He wasexceeding kindto me; say,exceedingly kind.
132. I lostneartwenty pounds; say,nearly.
133.Bills are requested to be paid quarterly;say,It is requested that bills be paid quarterly.
134. It wasno use askinghim any more questions; say,of no use to ask him,&c.
135. The Americans said theyhad no rightto pay taxes; say, theywere under no obligationto pay, &c.
136. Ithrowedmy box away, andnever took no more snuff;say,Ithrew, &c., andtook snuff no more.
137. She wasendowedwith an exquisite taste for music; say,enduedwith, &c.
138. I intend tostopat home; say, tostay.
139. At this time Igrewmy own corn; say, Iraised, &c.
140. Hewasno sooner departed than they expelled his officers; say, hehadno sooner, &c.
141. Hewasnow retired from public business; say,hadnow retired, &c.
142. Theywereembarked in a common cause; say,hadembarked, &c.
143. Hostilitieswerenow become habitual; say,hadnow become.
144. Brutus and Aruns killedone another;say,each other.
145. Pray, sir, whomay you be?say, whoare you?
146. Their character as a warlike peopleismuch degenerated; say,hasmuch, &c.
147. He is gone on anerrand;pronounceerrandas it is written, and notarrant.
148. In a popular work on arithmetic we find the following sum,—"If for 7s.8d., I can buy 9 lbs. of raisins,how muchcan I purchase for £56 16s.?" say, "what quantitycan I," &c. Who would think of saying "how much raisins?"
149. Be very careful in distinguishing betweeninditeandindict;keyandquay;principleandprincipal;checkandcheque;marshalandmartial;counselandcouncil;counsellorandcouncillor;fortandforte;draftanddraught;placeandplaice;stakeandsteak;satireandsatyr;stationeryandstationary;tonandtun;levyandlevee;fomentandferment;fomentationandfermentation;petitionandpartition;practiceandpractise;FrancisandFrances;doseanddoze;diverseanddivers;deviceanddevise;waryandweary;salaryandcelery;radishandreddish;trebleandtriple;broachandbrooch;ingeniousandingenuous;prophesyandprophecy;fondlingandfoundling;lightningandlightening;genusandgenius;desertanddessert;currierandcourier;pillowandpillar;executerandexecutor;suitandsuite;ridiculeandreticule;lineamentandliniment;trackandtract;lickerishandlicorice;statuteandstatue;ordinanceandordnance;leaseandleash;recourseandresource;straightandstrait;immergeandemerge;styleandstile;complimentandcomplement;bassandbase;contagiousandcontiguous;eminentandimminent;eruptionandirruption;precedentandpresident;relicandrelict.
150. I preferradishestocucumbers;pronounceradishesexactly as it is spelt, and notredishes, and theuin the first syllable ofcucumberas infuel, and not as if the word werecowcumber.
151. Never pronouncebarbarousandgrievous,bartariousandgrievious.
152. Thetwo lastchapters are very interesting; say, Thelast two, &c.
153. The soil on these islands is so very thin, that little vegetation is produced upon thembesidecocoanut trees; say,with the exception of, &c.
154. He restored itbackto the owner; leave outback.
155.Here,there,where, are generally better thanhither,thither,whither, with verbs of motion; as,Come here,Go there. N. B.Hither,thither, andwhither, which were formerly used, are now considered stiff and inelegant.
156.As far as Iam able to judge, the book is well written; say,So far as, &c.
157. It is doubtful whether he will playfairly or no;say,fairly or not.
158. "The Pilgrim'sProgress;" pronounceprogress,prog-ress, notpro-gress.
159. He is a boy of a greatspirit;pronouncespiritexactly as it is written, and neversperit.
160. Thecamelopardis the tallest of known animals; pronouncecamelopardwith the accent on thesecondsyllable. Never call itcamel leopard, as is so often heard.
161. He is veryawkward;never say,awkard.
162. He ranagainme; I stoodagainthe wall;instead ofagain, sayagainst. Do itagainthe time I mentioned; say,bythe time, &c.
163. I always actagreeableto my promise; say,agreeably.
164. The study of syntax should bepreviouslyto that of punctuation; say,previous.
165. No one should incur censure for being tender oftheirreputation; say, ofhisreputation.
166. They were alldrownded;say,drowned.
167.Jalapis of great service; pronouncejalapexactly as it is written,neverjollop.
168. He is gone on atour;pronouncetourso as to rhyme withpoor,neverliketower.
169. The rainisceased; say,hasceased.
170.They laid their heads together, and formed their plan; say,They held a consultation, &c.Laid their heads togethersavors ofslang.
171. Thechimleywants sweeping; say,chimney.
172. I was walkingtowardshome; pronouncetowardsso as to rhyme withboards.Neversayto wards.
173. It is astupenduouswork; say,stupendous.
174. Acourieris expected from Paris; pronouncecouincourierso as to rhyme withtoo.Neverpronouncecourierlikecurrier.
175. Let each of us mindtheirown business; say,hisown business.
176. Is this or that thebestroad? say, thebetterroad.
177.Rinseyour mouth; pronouncerinseas it is written, andneverrense. "Wrench your mouth," said a fashionable dentist one day to the author of this work.
178. The book is notaswell printed as it ought to be; say,sowell printed, &c.
179. Webster'sDictionaryis an admirable work; pronouncedictionaryas if writtendik-shun-a-ry;not, as is too commonly the practice,dixonary.
180. Some disaster has certainlybefellhim; say,befallen.
181. She is a prettycreature;never pronouncecreature,creeter, as is often heard.
182. We went to see theMonument;pronouncemonumentexactly as it is written, andnotas many pronounce it,moniment.
183. I am very wet, and must go andchange myself;say,change my clothes.
184. He has had a goodeducation;neversay,edication, which is often heard, noredicateforeducate.
185. He is much betterthan me;say,than I.
186. You are strongerthan him;say,than he.
187. I hadas liefstand; say, Iwould as soonstand.
188. He isnot a whitbetter; say,in no degreebetter.
189. They areat loggerheads;say,at variance.
190. His character isundeniable,—a very common expression; say,unexceptionable.
191. Bring me thelantern;never spelllantern,lanthorn.
192. The room is twelvefootlong, and ninefootbroad; say, twelvefeet, ninefeet.
193. He issingular, thoughregularin his habits, and also veryparticular;beware of leaving out theuinsingular,regular, andparticular, which is a very common practice.
194. They are detainedatFrance; say,inFrance.
195. He livesatLondon; say,inLondon, and beware of pronouncingLondon, as many careless persons do,Lunnun.Atshould be applied to small towns.
196. Nolessthan fifty persons were there; say, Nofewer, &c.
197.Such anothermistake, and we shall be ruined; say,Another suchmistake, &c.
198. It issome distancefrom our house; say,at some distance, &c.
199. I shall calluponhim; say,onhim.
200. He is a Doctor ofMedicine;pronouncemedicineinthreesyllables,neverintwo.
201. They told me to enterin;leave outin, as it is implied inenter.
202. Hisstrengthis amazing; never say,strenth.
203. "Mistakensouls, who dream of heaven,"—this is the beginning of a popular hymn; it should be,"Mistakingsouls," &c.Mistaken wretch, formistaking wretch, is an apostrophe that occurs everywhere among our poets, particularly those of the stage; the most incorrigible of all, and the most likely to fix and disseminate an error of this kind.
204. Give me bothofthose books; leave outof.
205. Whenever I try to write well, Ialwaysfind I can do it; leave outalways, which is unnecessary.
206. He plungeddowninto the stream; leave outdown.
207. She is thematron;saymay-tron, and notmat-ron.
208. Give meleaveto tell you;neversayleafforleave.
209. Theheightis considerable; pronounceheightso as to rhyme withtight. Neverhatenorheighth.
210. Who has myscissors?nevercallscissors,sithers.
211. Firstof allI shall give you a lesson in French, and lastof allin music; leave outof allin both instances, as unnecessary.
212. I shall have finished by thelatterend of the week; leave outlatter, which is unnecessary.
213. They sought himthroughoutthewholecountry; leave outwhole, which is implied inthroughout.
214. Iron sinksdownin water; leave outdown.
215. I own that I did not come soon enough; butbecause why?I was detained; leave outbecause.
216. Have you seen the newpantomime?never saypantomine, as there is no such word.
217. Icannot by no meansallow it; say, Ican by no means, &c., or, Icannot by any means, &c.
218. Hecovered it over;leave outover.
219. I boughta new pair of shoes;say,a pair of new shoes.
220. Hecombined togetherthese facts; leave outtogether.
221. My brother called on me, and webothtook a walk; leave outboth, which is unnecessary.
222. Thedukedischarged hisduty;sound theuindukeanddutylike the wordyou, and carefully avoid saying,dookanddooty, ordoofordew.
223.Genealogy,geography, andgeometryare words of Greek derivation; beware of saying,geneology,jography, andjometry, a very common practice.
224. He made out theinventory;place the accent ininventoryon the syllablein, andneveronven.
225. He deserveschastisement;say,chas-tiz-ment, with the accent onchas, andneverontise.
226. He threw therindaway; never callrind,rine.
227. They contributed to hismaintenance;pronouncemaintenancewith the accent onmain, andneversay,maintainance.
228. She wears a silkgown;never say,gownd.
229. Sussex is amaritimecounty; pronounce thelastsyllable ofmaritimeso as to rhyme withrim.
230. Hehoveredabout the enemy; pronouncehoveredso as to rhyme withcovered.
231. He is a powerfulally;neverplace the accent onalinally, as many do.
232. She bought adiamondnecklace; pronouncediamondinthreesyllables,neverintwo, which is a very common practice.
233. He reads the "WeeklyDespatch;"neverspell the worddespatch,dispatch.
234. He saidas howyouwasto do it; say, he saidthat you were to do it.
235. Never say, "I acquiesce with you;" but, "I acquiesce in your proposal, in your opinion," &c.
236. He is a distinguishedantiquarian;say,antiquary.Antiquarianis an adjective;antiquary, a noun.
237. In Goldsmith's "History of England" we find the following extraordinary sentence in one of the chapters on 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 brewerthat supplied the family with ale through a chink in the wall of her apartment." A queer brewer that,—to supply his ale through a chink in the wall! How easy the alteration to make the passage clear! "This they effected by conveying their letters to herthrough a chink in the wall of her apartment, by means of a brewer that supplied the family with ale."
238. Lavater wrote onPhysiognomy;in the last word sound thegdistinctly, asgis always pronounced beforenwhen it is not in the same syllable; as,indignity, &c.
239. She is a very clevergirl;pronouncegirlas if writtengerl;never saygal, which is very vulgar.
240. He built a largegranary;pronouncegranaryso as to rhyme withtannery, never call the wordgrainary.
241. Beware of usingOh!andOindiscriminately;Oh!is used to express the emotion ofpain,sorrow, orsurprise;as, "Oh! the exceeding grace of God, who loves his creatures so."Ois used to expresswishing,exclamation, or a directaddressto a person; as,