1. If the person or thing spoken of exerts an action that must pass over to an object, uselay,laidandlaying.2. If the person or thing spoken of exerts an action that does not pass over to an object, uselie,lay,lainandlying."Helaidupon the bed," then, is incorrect, for the verb has no object. It should be: "Helayupon the bed." But, "Helaidhimselfupon the bed," would be correct, for there is an objective case,himself, supplied. "Let these paperslay," should be, "Let these paperslie." "The shiplaysat anchor," shouldbe, "The shipliesat anchor." "The shiplaidat anchor," should be, "The shiplayat anchor." "They havelaidin wait for you," should be, "They havelainin wait for you." "This trunk islayingin our way," should be, "This trunk islyingin our way." Errors connected with the use of these verbs are more common, probably, than any others in our language, being detected in the conversation and writings of many of the best educated people. Attention to the above rules, and a few trial sentences in the different moods, tenses, numbers and persons, ought to make the selection of the proper word so simple, that persons should seldom make mistakes.Learn.Learningis done by the scholar or student, andteachingby the instructor. "She willlearnme how to play," should be, "She willteachme how to play," etc.Leasing—leez´ing, not lēs´ing. An obsolete word meaning falsehood; lying. "Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing."—Bible.Leg.Of late years there has become quite popular a prudish notion that it is indelicate to saylegwhen one of the limbs that supports the human body is meant,limbbeing preferred instead.Legis certainly a less euphonious word thanlimb, and if the latter had the same signification attached to it, there would be no objection to its employment; butlimbmeansarmjust as much as it doesleg. There is nothing immodest in the sound or meaning of the wordleg; if there were, it would be well to speak of thelimbof a table, alimbof mutton, or a threelimbedstool; and the mention of such words aslegacyorlegateshould cause the blush to rise to our cheeks. The very use of the wordlimbindicates what is passing in the mind of the speaker—a thought ofleg, an indelicate meaning attached to it, and a fear to speak the word. The mind of the listener is affected similarly and the result is that a conversation intended to be perfectly pure, has a slight stain left upon it. If we could pass through life without ever finding it necessary to speak of our legs to strangers, there would be no danger of compromising ourselves; but run-away and other accidentsare constantly occurring in which legs are broken or otherwise injured. When a surgeon is called, if he is told that alimbis injured, he has one chance in four of guessing the riddle. It is not always safe to trifle thus with some of the serious, practical old followers of Esculapius. Before now they have given such rebukes as to make people ashamed that they did not saylegin the first place; or they have left the bedside abruptly with such a remark as: "When you find out whether it is your arm or your leg, send for me again." If people will persist in usinglimbforleg, it is to be hoped that they will adopt some adjective prefix to remove all ambiguity. How would north-east, south-east, etc., do? Any one informed that thesouth-east limbwas fractured, would know at once that it was therightleg.Legate—lĕg´ate, not lē´gāte.Legendary—lĕj´end-a-ry, not lē´jĕnd-a-ry.Leisure—lē´zhur, not lĕzh´ur, nor lā´zhur.Leisurely(lē´zhur-ly).Length, not lĕnth. Every letter is sounded, also, inlengthy,lengthen,lengthiness, etc.Lenient—lē´ni-ent, not lĕn´i-ent.Leniently(lē´ni-ent-ly), etc.Lethe—lē´the, not lēth; thethis as inboth. The mythological and poetical name of a river of the infernal region, the drinking of a portion of which caused forgetfulness of the past.Lethean—lē-thē´an, not lē´the-an.Let's.It should be remembered thatlet'sis reallyletus, the apostrophe denoting the elision of the u. Such expressions then as: "let's us go," "let's him and me go," should he, "let us go" (or let's go), and "let him and me go;" for who wishes to say "let us us go," or "let us him and me go."Leverage—lĕv´er-aje, not lē´ver-aje.Licorice—lĭk´o-rĭs, not lĭk´er-ĭsh.Lie.SeeLay.Lien—lē´en or lī´en, notleen. A charge upon property for the satisfaction of a debt.Lightedis preferable to lĭt as the imperfect tense and past participle oflight. "Helightedthe gas," instead of, "Helitthe gas." "I havelightedthe fire," instead of, "I havelitthe fire." The same remarksapply to the imperfect and participle oflighttaken as an intransitive verb. "The bird haslightedupon the tree," instead of, "haslitupon the tree."Litis condemned as common.Lithographer—lĭ-thog´ra-pher, not lĭth´o-grăph-er, nor lī-thŏg´ra-pher.Lithography(lĭ-thŏg´ra-phy).Loath—lōth, not lŏth; thethis as inboth. Reluctant. Written sometimesloth. The verb isloathe, with thethas inbreathe.Lyceum—lī-sē´um, not lī´se-um.M.Machiavelian—măk-i-a-vēl´ian, not măsh-i-a-vĕl´ian. pertaining to Machiavel; politically cunning.Mad.In the sense of provoked, wrathful or indignant,angryis generally considered the more appropriate word. "Mad as aMarch hare," is an indelicate term that should not be used on account of its origin.Madame—mä-däm´, not măd´am.Magna Charta—magna kär´ta, not magna chär´ta.Manes—mā´nēz, not mānz. The souls of the dead.Manor—măn´or, not mā´nor.Marigold—măr´i-gold, not mā´ri-gold.Matin—măt´in, not mā´tin.Matins—măt´inz, not mā´tinz.Mattress—măt´tress, not ma-trăss´. Written alsomatressand pronounced as the first.Meaw—mū, not meyow. To cry like a cat.Mediocre—me´di-ō-ker, not mē-di-ō´ker, nor mē-di-ŏk´er.Melange—mā-lŏngzh´, not me-lănj´.Melanotype—me-lăn´o-type, not me-lān´o-type.Melodrama—mĕl-o-drā´ma, not mĕl-o-drăm´a, nor mĕl-o-drä´ma.Memoir—mĕm´wor or mēm´wor, according to Webster; Worcester gives mē-moir´ or mĕm´wär.Mesdames—mā-däm´, not mĕz-dāmes´.Metallurgy—mĕt´al-lur-jy, not me-tăl´lur-jy.Metaphor.The failure to distinguish between metaphors and similes, is a very common mistake. In a metaphor the resemblance is implied without any words to show the similarity; as soon as the latter are added it becomes a simile. "Hope is an anchor," and "Judah is a lion's whelp" are metaphors. "Hope islikean anchor," and "Judah islikea lion's whelp" are similes.Metrical—mĕt´rik-al, not mē´trik-al.Mezzo—mĕd´zō or mĕt´zō, not mĕz´zō. An Italian word meaning middle; not extreme.Mezzo-soprano(mĕd´zo-so-prä´no); between contralto and soprano; said of the voice of a female singer.Mezzotinto, etc.Microscope—mī´kro-scope, not mĭk´ro-scope.Microscopic(mī-kro-scŏp´ic).Microscopy(mī-kros´co-py).Mien—meen, not māne.Mineralogy—min-er-al´o-jy, not min-er-ŏl´o-jy.Minuet—mĭn´ū-et, not mĭn-ū-ĕt´. A dance.Mischievous—mĭs´che-vŭs, not mĭs-chē´vŭs, nor mis-chē´ve-us.Mischievouslyandmischievousnessare also accented on the first syllable.Modulate.This word is often used incorrectly instead ofmoderatein such sentences as: "Modulateyour voice," when it is meant to command or request that the tone bemoderatedor lowered.Modulatemeans to vary or inflect in a musical manner, and although the word might often be used with propriety in such sentences as the above, yet it is not always what ismeantby the speaker. A person's voice may be perfectlymodulatedand yet the tone may be so high that it is desirable, upon certain occasions, to have itmoderated.Moire—mwôr, not mōre nor mō´re.Moire antique(mwor ăn-tēk´).Molasses.It may seem incredible to those who have never heard the error I am about to mention, that such a ridiculous blunder could occur. I should hardly have believed it myself, if I had only heardofit; but I was once in a portion of the country where all the people for miles around spoke of molasses as if it were a plural noun, and I frequently heard such remarks as the following: "Thesemolasses are very good;theyare the best I have seen for some time." I once began to remonstrate with one of the champions of the plurality of the treacle, and insisted that he should say, "thismolasses" and, "itis good," etc.; but it was of no avail. He insisted that the word was analogous toashes, and if one was plural so was the other. There was no good dictionary or other reliable authority in the neighborhood, as might be imaginedfrom what has been said, so they were left happy in their ignorance.Monad—mŏn´ad, not mō´nad. An ultimate atom.Monogram—mŏn´o-gram, not mō´no-gram.Monograph—mŏn´o-graph, not mō´no-graph.Monomania—mŏn-o-mā´nia, not mō-no-mā´nia.Monomaniac(mŏn-o-mā´ni-ac).Moor—mōōr, not mōre. An extensive waste; a heath.Moor, the name of a native of North Africa, is similarly pronounced.Morale—mo-räl´, not mŏr´āle nor mō-răl´.Mountainous—mount´ain-ous, not moun-tā´ni-oŭs.Multiplication—mŭl-ti-pli-cā´tion, not mŭl-ti-pi-cā´tion.Murrain—mŭr´rĭn, not mŭr´rāne. A disease among cattle.Museum—mu-zē´um, not mū´ze-um.Mushroom, notmush-roon.Musk-melon, notmush-melon; but anything beforemush-million.Mussulmans, notmusselmen, is the plural ofMussulman.Mythology—mĭ-thŏl´o-jy, not mī-thŏl´o-jy.N.Naiad—nā´yad, not nā´ĭd nor nā´ăd. A water nymph.Nainsook—nān-sōōk´, not năn-sōōk´. A kind of muslin.Naive—nä´ēv, not nāve nor näve. Natural; artless.Naivete—nä´ēv-tā, not nā-vēte´ nor nā-vē´ta.Nape—nāp, not năp. The back part of the neck.Nasal—nā´zal, not nā´sal nor năs´al.NasturtiumorNasturtion, notasturtion.Negligee—nĕg-li-zhā´, not nĕg-li-jē´, nor nĕg´li-zhā.Newspaper—nūz´pā-per, not nūs´pā-per.Niche—nĭch, not nĭck, when a concave recess in a wall for an ornament is meant. If a piece is chopped roughly out of anything, it is anick.Nickof time, notnicheof time, when a critical moment is meant; but in figurative language there is no doubt that the phrase "niche of time," may be appropriately used. A great event may be said to stand in aniche of timeas an example for coming ages.Nomad—nŏm´ad, not nō´-mad. One of a wandering tribe. Writtennomade(nŏm´ade) also.Nomenclature—no-men-clā´ture, not nō´men-clātūre.Nominative, notnom-a-tive.Nonillion—nō-nĭll´ion, not nŏn-ĭll´ion.Nook—nōōk, as given by Webster. Worcester sanctions both nōōk and nŏŏk.Notable—nŏt´a-ble, not nō´ta-ble, when it is applied to a person distinguished for thrift, management, care, etc.; as anotable housekeeper.Nymphean—nĭm-fē´an, not nĭmf´e-an. Relating to nymphs.O.Obesity—o-bĕs´i-ty, not o-bē´si-ty.Obligatory—ŏb´li-ga-to-ry, not ŏb-lĭg´a-to-ry.Often—ŏf´n, not ŏf´tĕn.Omega—o-mē´ga or o-mĕg´a, not ŏm´e-ga. Worcester allows the first only.Onerous—ŏn´er-ous, not ō´ner-oŭs.Only—ōn´ly, not ŭn´ly.Onyx—ō´nyx, not ŏn´yx.Opal—ō´-pal, not ō-păl´ nor ō-pawl´.Opponent—op-pō´nent, not ŏp´po-nent.Ordnance, notordinance, when cannon, artillery, etc., are intended.Ordinanceis a rule established by authority.Orgeat—ôr´zhat or ôr´zhā, not ôr´je-at. Worcester gives ôr´zhat.Orthoepy—ôr´tho-e-py, not ôr-thō´e-py.Orthoepist—ôr´tho-e-pist, not ôr-thō´e-pist.Overflowed, notoverflown.P.Palaver—pa-lä´ver, not pa-lăv´er.Pall-mall—pĕl-mĕl´, not pawl-mawl´. The name of a game formerly played in England; and the name of a street in London. Written alsopail-mailandpell-mell, both pronounced as above. Pell-mell used as an adverb means mixed together in a disorderly manner; but one person can not rushpell-mell.Papaw—pa-paw´, not pŏp´paw as commonly called. Written alsopawpaw.Papyrus—pa-pī´rus, not păp´i-rŭs. A material used for writing upon by the ancients, made from the inner bark of a plant.Parent—pâr´ent, not pā´rent.Parisian—pa-rĭz´ian, not pa-rĭsh´ian nor pa-rĭss´ian. Worcester gives pa-rĭzh´i-an.Paroquet—păr´o-quet, not păr-o-kĕt´.Parquet—pär-kā´ or pär-kĕt´. Worcester allows pär-kā´ only.Parquette—pär-ket´, not pär-kā´.Partner, notpardner.Partridge, notpattrij.Patent.Theadjectiveis pronounced either păt´ent or pā´tent. When used as a verb or a noun it is pronounced păt´ent.Patois—păt-wŏ´, not păt´wŏ nor păt-waw´.Patriot—pā´tri-ot, not păt´ri-ot.Patriotic,patriotism, etc., have also the long a. Worcester gives the same with the exception ofpatriotic, which he pronounces both pā´tri-ot-ic and păt´ri-ot-ic.Patron—pā´tron, not păt´ron.Patronessandpatronlesshave also the long a.Patronize—păt´ron-īze, not pā´tron-īze.Patronage—păt´ron-aje, not pā´tron-aje.Pease, notpeas, when an uncounted quantity is referred to, as: a bushel ofpease, a plateful ofpease, some morepease, etc.Peaswhen a certain number is mentioned, as: a dozenpeas, fiftypeas, etc.Pedal—pĕd´al, not pē´dal, when that portion of a piano or harp that is acted upon by the feet, is meant. Pē´dal is an adjective, and means pertaining to the above, or to a foot.Perfect.I have selected this as the representative of a class of adjectives that, strictly speaking, do not admit of comparison. I have noticed, invariably, that those who appear to be so anxious to correct the error of giving degrees of comparison to a few stereotyped words of this class, such asround,square,universal,chief,extreme, etc., are singularly remiss in calling attention to a great many other mistakes of the same kind that are equally prominent. Amongst the latter may be mentioned the comparison ofcorrect,complete,even,level,straight, etc. It will be admitted that if anything isperfectit can not bemoreso; and as soon as it islessso it fails to beperfectat all. So, if anything iscorrectit is perfectly free from error; it can not be mademorecorrect, and if its correctness is detracted from, it is not quite correct any longer. Astraightline is one that does not vary from a perfectlydirectcourse in the slightest degree; it can not bestraighterand if it could belessstraight, it would becurved. It is ridiculous for any one to insist upon a national reformation of a few such errors, and suffer a hundred others just like them to exist without remonstrance. Eithernearerandnearest,more nearly, andmost nearly,and the like, should be substituted for the degrees of comparison and used with all such words; or people should treat them as all other adjectives, just as the best writers and speakers have always done. The former course is the more desirable; the latter is certainly the more probable.Perfidious—per-fĭd´i-ous, not pĕr´fĭd-oŭs. Worcester allows per-fĭd´yŭs in addition to the first.Peony—pē´o-ny)Pæony(pē´o-ny) orPiony(pī´o-ny) not pī´ny as often called. A flower.Perambulate, notpreambulate.Period—pē´ri-od, not pĕr´i-od.Periodic,Periodical, etc., have also the long e.Perspire, notprespire.Perspiration, notprespiration.Persuade.This word carries with it the idea of success in one's endeavors to convince or induce. "Ipersuadedhim for a long time, but he would not grant my request," should be, "Itriedtopersuadehim," etc.Petrel—pĕt´rel, not pē´trel. A bird. Worcester allows the latter also.Phaeton—phā´et-on, not phā'te-on. A vehicle.Pharmaceutist—fär-ma-sū´tĭst, not fär-mā-kū´tist nor fär-mā´kū-tist.Pharmacopœia—fär-ma-co-pē´ya, not fär-mā-cō´pi-a.Piano—pi-ä´no, not pī-ăn´o. Worcester allows pĭ-ăn´o.Piano-forte—pĭ-ä´no-fōr´tā, not pī-ăn´o-fōrt. Worcester sanctions pĭ-ä´no-fōr´te, pĭ-ăn´o-fôr-te, and remarks in parenthesis,oftenpe-ăn´o-fōrt; but the last pronunciation is evidently not preferred.Pilaster—pĭ-lăs´ter, not pĭl´as-ter. A square pillar set into a wall and projecting slightly.Piquant—pĭk´ant, not pĭk´wănt nor pēk´wănt.Piquantly(pĭk´ant-ly), etc.Placard—pla-kärd´, not plăk´ard.Placid—plăs´id, not plā´sid.Placidlyandplacidnesshave also the short a.Plait—plāt, not plăt nor plēt. A braid; or to braid.Plat(plăt) is a proper word, however, having the same meanings, but the difference in pronunciation must be observed, when the spelling is as above.Plait, meaning a fold of cloth, as in a shirt bosom, is also pronounced plāt. How common an error it is tospeak of thepleetswhen alluding to such folds.Platina—plăt´i-na or pla-tē´na, not pla-tī´na nor pla-tĭn´a. Worcester allows plăt´i-na only.Platinum—plăt´i-num or pla-tī´num, not pla-tē´num nor pla-tĭn´um. Worcester gives plăt´i-num only.Plebeian—ple-bē´ian, not plē´bi-an. Ple-bŏn´, as some pronounce it, is outrageous, neither French, English, nor Hottentot.Plenary—plē´na-ry, not plĕn´a-ry. Full; entire. Worcester gives both methods.Poetaster—pō´et-ăs-ter, not pō´et-tāst-er. A petty poet.Poniard—pŏn´yard, not poin´yard.Posthumous—pŏst´hu-mous, not pōst´hu-moŭs nor pŏst-ū´moŭs.Posthumously(pŏst´hu-mous-ly).Potable—pō´ta-ble, not pŏt´a-ble. Drinkable.Potheen—po-theen´, not pŏt-teen´. When spelledpotteen, however, as it may be correctly, the latter pronunciation is proper.Prairie—prā´ry, not per-rā´ry.Prebendary—prĕb´end-a-ry, not prē´bend-a-ry. A clergyman of a collegiate or cathedral church, who enjoys a prebend.Prebend—prĕb´end, not prē´bend. A stipend.Precedence—pre-sē´dence, not prĕs´e-dence.Precedencyandprecedently, have the second syllable accented also.Precedent—pre-sē´dent, not prĕs´e-dent. An adjective meaning antecedent.Precedent—prĕs´e-dent, not pre-sē´dent nor prē´se-dent. A noun meaning an example or preceding circumstance.Precedentedandunprecedentedhave also the short e.Precocious—pre-kō´shus, not pre-kŏsh´ŭs.Precociouslyandprecociousnesshave also the long o.Predatory—prĕd´a-to-ry, not prē´da-tory. Plundering; pillaging.Predecessor—prĕd-e-cĕs´sor, not prē-de-cĕs´sor.Preface—prĕf´ace, not prē´face.Prefatory(prĕf´a-to-ry).Prejudice, notpredudice.Prelate—prĕl´ate, not prē´-late.Presage, notprestige, when something is meant that foreshows a future event; an omen. "This is apresageof victory."Prescription, notperscription.Prestige, notpresage, when it is meant that some one carries weight or influencefrom past deeds or successes. "Theprestigeof the hero's name was half the battle."Presentiment—pre-sent´i-ment, not pre-zent´i-ment.Pretty—prĭt´ty, not prĕ´ty.Prettily(prĭt´ti-ly), etc.Preventive, notpreventative.Primeval—prī-mē´val, not prĭm´e-val.Process—prŏs´ess, not prō´sess.Prodigy, notprojidy.Produce—prŏd´uce, not prō´dūce. The noun; the verb is pro-dūce´.Product—prŏd´uct, not prō´duct.Progress—prŏg´ress, not pro´gress. Noun; the verb is pro-gress´.Prosody—prŏs´o-dy, not prō´so-dy nor prŏz´o-dy.Protean—prō´te-an, not pro-tē´an. Assuming different shapes.Protege(Fr. protégé)—prō-tā-zhā´, not prō´tēje. One under the care of another.Protegee(Fr. protégée)—prō-tā-zhā´, feminine.Psalm—säm, not săm.Psalmist(säm´ist). Worcester gives săm´ist also for the latter word.Psalmody—săl´mo-dy, not säm´o-dy nor săm-o-dy.Psychical—sī´kĭk-al, not sĭk´ĭk-al nor fĭz´ĭk-al, as it is sometimes thoughtlessly pronounced in reading. Pertaining to the human soul.Pumpkin, notpunkin.Pumpkinitself is a corruption ofpumpionorpompion, but is the word that is now generally used.Purulent—pū´ru-lent, not pŭr´u-lent. Containing pus or matter.Purulenceandpurulencyhave also the long u in the first syllable.Put—pŏŏt, not pŭt. This anomalous pronunciation is hard for some to adopt, the natural tendency being to sound theuas it is in a host of other words consisting of two consonants with a short u between them, as: bun, but, cut, dug, fun, gun, hut, nut, etc.Pyrites—pī-rī´tez, not pe-rī´tez, pĭr´i-tez nor pī´rītez.Q.Qualm—kwäm, not kwăm. Worcester allows kwawm also.Quay—kē, not kwā.Querulous, means complaining, whining, etc., and notquestioning.Quinine—kwī´nīne or kwĭ-nīne´, not kwi-neen´. Worcester gives kwĭ-nīne´ or kwĭn´īne.Quoit—kwoit, not kwāte.Quoth—kwōth or kwŭth, not kwŏth.R.Rabies—rā´bi-ēz, not răb´ēz. Madness, as that of dogs.Radish—răd´ish, not rĕd-ish.Raillery—răl´ler-y, not rāl´ler-y. Slight ridicule; pleasantry.Raise—Rise.Raiseis a transitive verb, or one in which the action passes over to an object. Present tense,raise; imperfect tense and past participle,raised; present participle,raising.Riseis an intransitive verb, the action not passing over to an object. Present tense,rise; imperfect tense,rose; past participle,risen; present participle,rising. Errors in the use of these words ought to be avoided by remembering the following rules:1. If the person or thing spoken of exerts an action that passes over to an object, useraise,raised, andraising.2. If the person or thing spoken of exerts an action that does not pass over to an object, userise,rose,risen,rising. To avoid further repetition in the method I have adopted to impress upon the mind the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs by contrasted sentences, I would refer the reader to the remarks underLay. "I willraisein the morning at five," should be, "I willrise," etc. "I willraisethewindow," etc., is correct, for the action passes to or affects the window. "I willraise myselfif I have the strength" is correct, because an object,myself, is furnished. "The price of flour israising," should be, "The price of flour isrising;" but it is right to say, "The merchants areraisingthe price of flour." "Gold hasraisedin value," should be, "Gold hasrisenin value." "The price of bondsraisedin less than an hour," should be, "The price of bondsrose," etc. "The sun israising," should be, "The sun isrising." "The sun israisingthe temperature," is proper. The pulse hasrisen, but excitement hasraisedit. The river hasrisenin its bed and hasraisedthe canal. Birdsrisein the air.Arisecan often be appropriately substituted forrise.Rampant—răm´pant, not ram-pant´.Rapine—răp´ĭn, not răp´een nor rā-peen´.Raspberry—răz´ber-ry, not răss´ber-ry nor rawz´ber-ry.Worcester gives raz´ber-ry and räs´ber-ry.Rational—răsh´un-al, not rā-shun-al.Rationalist(răsh´un-al-ĭst), etc.Recess—re-cĕss´, not rē´cĕss.Recherche(Fr. recherché)—rŭh-shêr-shā´, not re-shersh´. Worcester gives rā-sher-shā´.Recluse—re-kluse´, not re-kluze´.Reconnoissance—re-cŏn´noĭs-sänçe, not rek-on-nois´sançe. Worcester gives re-cŏn´noĭs-sänçe´.Reconnaissanceis another method of spelling.Recriminations, notmutualrecriminations; the word itself tells of themutuality.Redolent—rĕd´o-lent, not redō´lent. Diffusing odor or fragrance.Relevant, notrevelant. Pertinent; applicable.Relic, notrelict, when that which remains, a corpse, or anything preserved in remembrance, is meant.Relictmeans a widow.Rendezvous—rĕn´de-vōō, not rŏn´de-vōō nor rĕn´de-vōōz. Worcester gives rĕn´de-vōō and rĕn´de-vōōz. The plural isrendezvouses(rĕn´de-vōōz-ez).Requiem—rē´kwi-em, not rĕk´wĭ-em. Worcester gives both pronunciations.Resume(Fr. résumé)—rā-zū-mā´, not re-zūme´ nor re-zū´mā. Worcester gives rez-u-mā´.Reticule, notridicule, when a little bag of net-work is meant.Reveille—re-vāl´yā, not rev-a-lē´. Worcester gives the first and re-vāl´.Ribald—rĭb´ald, not rī´bald. Low; obscene.Ribaldry(rĭb´ald-ry).Rinse—rĭnss, not rĕnse nor wrĕnch. "Wrenchyour mouth," said an uneducated dentist to a patient afterwrenchingout a large molar. "Thank you," replied the patient. "Youhave done that, but I'llrinseit, if you please."Ripples, notriffles.Romance—ro-manss´, not rō´manss.Roseate—rō´ze-at, not rōz´āte. Worcester gives rō´zhe-at also.Roue(Fr. roué)—rōō-ā´, not rōō. Worcester gives rōō´ā.S.Sacerdotal—săs-er-dō´tal, not sā-ser-dō´tal, sā-ker-dō´tal nor săk-er-dō´tal.Sacrament—săk´ra-ment, not sā´kra-ment.Sacramental(săk´ra-ment-al), etc.Sacrifice—săk´rĭ-fīz, not săk´rĭ-fĭs nor săk´rĭ-fīse.Verb and noun the same.Sacrificing(săk´rĭ-fī-zĭng), etc.Sacristan—săk´rist-an, not sā´krist-an nor sā-krĭs´tan.Sacristy(săk´rist-y).Salam—sa-läm´, not sa-lăm´. Writtensalaamalso, and pronounced similarly.Saline—sa-līne´ or sā´līne, not sā-lēēn´. Worcester gives sa-līne´ only.Salve—säv, not săv. Worcester gives sälv also.Samaritan—sa-măr´i-tan, not sa-mā´ri-tan.Sanitary, notsanatory, whenpertainingto health is meant.Sanatoryis more restricted in its application, and means healing; curative.Saracen—săr´a-sen, not săr´a-ken.Sarsaparilla—sär-sa-pa-rĭl´la, not săs-sa-pa-rĭl´la, nor sär-sa-fa-rĭl´la.Satyr—sā´tur, according to Webster. Worcester gives săt´ir also.Saucy—saw´sy, notsassy.Said.Said(sĕd), not says (sĕz), in speaking of past remarks. Many of the most cultivated people are guilty of this vulgarism. "'I will call to see you soon,'sezhe." "'I will be glad to see you at any time,'sezI." Where the details of a long conversation are given the frequent repetition ofsez, or evensaid, is very grating to the refined ear. The use ofasked,inquired,remarked,suggested,answered,replied, etc., instead, has a pleasing effect upon narrative or anecdote. It is preferable, also, to give theexactwordsof the speaker aftersaid, etc., as: "When he had finished reading the letter, he said: 'I will attend to the business the first leisure moment I have.'" When the wordthatfollows thesaid, the substance only of the remark may be given, as "He said that he would attend to the business the first leisure moment he had." Whichever form is used in narrative, it is not at all harmonious to give theexact wordsof one speaker and only the substance of the remarks of another, at least without regard to regularity in alternation.Schism—sĭzm, not skĭsm.Seckel, not sĭck-el. A kind of pear.See.It is not uncommon to meet with people that incorrectly useseein the imperfect tense, as: "Iseehim yesterday," instead of, "Isawhim yesterday." See is never used in any tense but the present, withoutan auxiliary, as did, shall, etc.Seignior—sēn´yur, not sān´yor.Seine—sēn, not sān. A net for catching fish.Senile—sē´nīle, not sĕn´īle. Pertaining to old age.Separate, notseperate. The loss of the a is not noticed in the pronunciation, but the mistake frequently occurs in writing this word as it does in the wordsinseparable,inseparableness,separation, etc.Servile—sër´vĭl, not sër´vīle.Set.Noun. There are many who incorrectly usesettin writing of asetof dishes, asetof chess-men, asetof teeth, or of some other collection of things of the same kind. Asettis a piece placed upon the head of a pile for striking upon, when the pile can not be reached by the weight or hammer.Set—Sit.Blunders in the use of these words are amongst the most common we have.Set, as we shall first consider it, is a transitive verb, or one in which the action passes over to an object. Present tense,set; imperfect tense and past participle,set; present participle,setting.Sitis an intransitive verb, or one which has no object after it. Present tense,sit; imperfect tense and past participle,sat; present participle,sitting.To avoid repetition as much as possible, I would refer any one to whom the explanation here given is not perfectly clear, to the rules and remarks underLayandRaise, which are equally applicable here. "Will youseton this chair?" should be, "Will yousiton this chair?" "Will yousetthischairin the other room?" is correct. "Isetfor my picture yesterday," should be, "Isat," etc. "This hatsetswell," should be, "This hatsitswell." "Courtsetsnext month," should be, "Courtsitsnext month." "The hen has beensettingfor a week," should be, "The hen has beensitting," etc. "As cross as asettinghen," should be, "As cross as asittinghen." But a person mayseta hen; that is, place her in position on eggs. Onesitsup in a chair, but hesetsup a post. Onesitsdown on the ground, but hesetsdown figures.Setis also an intransitive verb and has special meanings attached to it as such, but they may be readily understoodby a little study of the dictionary, and no confusion need arise. The sunsets. Plaster of Parissets. A setter dogsets. Onesetsout on a journey.Sitmay also be used in two senses as a transitive verb, as: "The generalsitshis horse well," and "The womansatherself down."Sew—sō, not sū.Shampoo, notshampoon.Shampooing.Written alsochampoo.Shekel—shĕk´el, not shē´kel.Shumac—shū´mak, not shū-mak´. Written alsosumacandsumach, both accented on the first syllable.Sickof, not sickwith, as sickofa fever.Sienna—si-ĕn´na, notsenna, when paint is meant.Sennais a plant used as medicine.Simultaneous—sī-mul-tā´ne-ous, not sĭm´ul-tā´ne-oŭs.Simultaneously(sī-mul-tā´ne-ous-ly), etc.Since, notsence.Sinecure—sī´ne-cure, not sĭn´e-cure. An office which yields revenue without labor.Sit.SeeSat.Slake—slāke, not slăk, when the word is spelled as given, as:slakedlime, toslakeone's thirst, etc. If spelledslack, the ordinary pronunciation is right.Slough—slow, not slōō nor slō. A mudhole. Writtensloo(slōō) also.Slough—slŭf, not as above. The cast skin of a serpent. Dead flesh which separates from the living. The verb expressing this action is pronounced the same.Sobriquet—so-bri-kā´, not writtensoubriquet. Worcester pronounces it sŏb´rē-kā´.Soften—sŏf´fn, not sawf´ten.Sonnet—sŏn´net, not sŭn´net.Soot—sōōt or sŏŏt, not sŭt.Soporific—sŏp-o-rĭf´ik, not sō-por-ĭf´ik.Sotto voce—sŏt´tō vō´chā, not sŏt´to vōs´ nor sŏt´tō vō´sē.Souse—souss, not sowze. To plunge into water.Spasmodic, notspasmotic.Spectacles—spĕk´ta-kls, not spĕk´tĭk´els.Spermaceti—sperm-a-sē´tĭ, not sperm-a-çĭt´y.Spider, notspiter.Splenetic—splĕn´e-tic, not sple-nĕt´ic. Fretful; peevish.Spoliation—spō-li-ā´tion, not spoil-a´tion.Spurious—spū´ri-ous, not spŭr´i-oŭs.Spuriously(spū´ri-ous-ly), etc.Statical—stăt´i-cal, not stā´ti-cal. Pertaining to bodies at rest.Stationery, notstationary, when paper, envelopes, ink, etc., are meant.Statue, notstatute, when a carved image is meant.Statute, notstatue, when a law or decree is meant.Stearine—stē´a-rĭn, not stĕr´ĭn.Stereoscope(stē´re-o-scope),Stereotype(stē´re-o-type), etc., according to Webster; and stĕr´e-o-scope, stĕr´-e-o-type, etc., according to Worcester.Stolid—stŏl´id, not stō´lid. Stupid; dull.Stratum—strā´tum, not străt´um.Strata(strā´ta), the Latin plural is used much more than the Englishstratums. Errors like "astrataof gravel," are also not infrequently heard.Strategic—stra-tē´jik, not străt´e-jĭk.Strategical(stra-tē´ji-cal) andstrategist(străt´e-jist). Worcester gives stra-tĕj´ic and stra-tĕj´i-cal.StrumorThrumshould be used, and notdrum, when the noisy and unskillful fingering of a musical instrument is meant.Stupendous—stu-pen´dŭs, not stu-pĕn´jŭs nor stu-pĕn´de-us.Suavity—swăv´ĭ-ty, not swäv´ĭ-ty nor suăv´i-ty.Subtraction, notsubstraction, when the act of deducting is meant.Substractionis a law term meaning the withholding of some right, for which, however, the wordsubtractionis also used.Subtract, notsubstract.Subtile—sŭb´tĭl, not sŭt´tle.Subtle—sŭt´tle, not sŭb´tle.Suffice—sŭf-fīz´, not sŭf-fīs´.Suicidal—sū-i-sī´dal, not sū-ĭs´i-dal. Worcester placed the principal accent on the first syllable.Suite—sweet, not sūte. When the wordsuitis used, however, the latter pronunciation is correct.Sulphurous—sŭl´phur-ŭs, not sul-phū´rŭs nor sŭl-phū´re-us.Sulphureousis another word.Summoned, notsummonsed.Supersede,superseded,superseding. Observe the s in the penultimate. It is a common error to writesupercede, etc.Supposititious—sup-pos-i-tĭ´shus, not sup-po-sĭ´shus. Put by a trick in the place of another, as, asupposititiouschild, asupposititiousrecord.Surtout—sŭr-tōōt´, not sŭr-towt´ nor sŭr´tōōt.Swath—swawth, not swawthe. Worcester gives swŏth. The sweep of the scythe in mowing.T.Tabernacle—tăb´er-na-cle, not tăb´er-năk´cle.Tapestry—tăp´es-try, not tā´pĕs-try.Tarlatan—tär´la-tan, not tärl´tun.Tartanis a different material.Tarpaulin—tär-paw´lin, not tär-pō´lin. Written alsotarpaulingandtarpawling.Tartaric—tar-tăr´ic, not tar-tär´ic. Pertaining to or obtained from tartar, astartaricacid.Tassel—tăs´sel, not taw´sel. Worcester gives tŏs´sl also.Tatterdemalion—tăt-ter-de-măl´ion, not tăt-ter-de-māl´ion.Telegraphy—te-lĕg´ra-phy, not tĕl´e-grăph-y.Telegraphist—te-lĕg´ra-phist, not tel´e-grăph-ist. A telegraphic operator. No such word astelegrapheris given.Terpsichorean—terp-sĭk-o-rē´an, not terp-si-kō´re-an. Relating toTerpsichore(terp-sik´o-re), the muse who presided over dancing.Tete-a-tete—tāt-ä-tāt´, not teet-ä-teet.Theatreortheater—thē´a-ter, not the-ā´ter.Threshold—thrĕsh´ōld, not thrĕz´ōld nor thrĕz´hold. Worcester gives thrĕsh´hold.Thyme—tīm, not as spelled.Tic-douloureux—tĭk´dōō-lōō-rōō´, not -dŏl-o-rōō´ nor -dō-lō-rōō´.Tiny—tī´ny, not tee´ny nor tĭn´y.Tolu—to-lū´, not tū´lū.Tomato—to-mā´to or to-mä´to, not to-măt´o.Topographic—tŏp-o-graph´ic, not tō-po-grăph´ic.Topographicalandtopographicallyhave also the short o in the first syllable.Tour—tōōr, not towr.Tournament—tür´na-ment according to Webster. Worcester gives tōōr´na-ment also.Towardandtowards—tō´-ward and tō´wardz, not to-ward´ and to-wardz´.Tragacanth—trăg´a-kănth, not trăj´a-sĭnth nor trăg´a-sănth. A gum used for mucilage.Traverse—trăv´erse, not tra-verse´.Traversable,traversingandtraversedhave also the accent on the first syllable.Tremendous—tre-mĕn´dŭs, not tre-mĕn´de-ŭs nor tre-mĕn´jŭs.Trilobite—trī´lo-bīte, not trĭl´o-bīte nor trŏl´lo-bīte, as it is often called.Troche—trō´kee, not trōsh, trō´she, trōke nor trŏtch. Plural,troches(trō´keez). A lozenge composed of sugar, mucilage and medicine,as:bronchial troches.Trochee—trō´kee, is a foot in poetry.Truculent—trū´ku-lent, not trŭk´u-lent.Truths—truths, not truthz, is the plural oftruth.Tryst—trĭst, not trīst. An appointment to meet.Tryster(trĭst´er),trysting(trĭst´ing).Turbine—tür´bĭn, not tür´-bīne. A kind of water wheel.U.Umbrella—um-brĕl´la, not um-ber-rĕl´ nor um-ber-rĕl´la.Upas—ū´păs, not ū´paw nor ū´pawz.Usurp—yū-zurp´, not yū-surp´.Usurper(yū-zurp´er), etc.V.Vagary—va-gā´ry, not vā´-ga-ry.Valenciennes—va-lĕn´si-ĕnz´, not văl-ĕn-seenz´. A French lace.Valleys, notvallies, is the plural ofvalley.Vamos(vä´mōs), orvamose(va-mōse´), not vam-moos´. To depart. (Inelegant.)Vase, according to Webster; vāse or vāze, according to Worcester. The pronunciations väz and vawz are alluded to but not recommended.Vehemence—vē´he-mence, not ve-hē´mence nor ve-hĕm´ence.Vehementlyandvehementhave also the accent on the first syllable.Vermicelli—-vër-me-chĕl-lĭ or vër-me-sĕl´lĭ, not vêr-me-sĭl´ly. Worcester sanctions the first method only.Veterinary—vĕt´er-ĭn-a-ry, not ve-tĕr´in-a-ry.Vicar—vĭk´ar, not vī´kar.Vicarageandvicarshiphave also the short i in the first syllable.Violent(vī´o-lent),violence(vī´o-lence),violet(vī´o-let),violin(vī-o-lĭn´), etc., not voi´o-lent, voi´o-lence, voi´o-let, voi-o-lin´, etc.Viscount—vī´kount, not vĭs´kount.Viscountess(vī´kountess), etc.Visor—vĭz´or, not vī´zor.W.Wake, etc.Wakeis both a transitive and an intransitive verb. Present tense,wake; imperfect and past participle,waked; present participle,waking.Awakeis also both transitive and intransitive. Present,awake; imperfect,awokeorawaked; participles,awakedandawaking.Awakenis another verb, both transitive and intransitive. Present,awaken; imperfect andpast participle,awakened; present participle,awakening. Thus it is seen that we have a great many words to express the fact ofbeingin a conscious state, and the arousing of a person who is asleep. With a little attention there is no reason for committing an error in the use of these words. One may say that hewaked,awoke, orawakenedearly in the morning, but it is wrong to say that hewokein the morning, or that hewokeanother; for there is no such word aswoke. "Iwakenedat five o'clock," should be, "Iawakenedat five o'clock;" for there is no such word aswakened.Upis used only withwake,wakedandwaking, but even then it is one of our most senseless superfluities. There is no stronger meaning in the assertion that a man waswaked up, than that he waswakedorawakened. Ifwaking upmeant towakeand makeget up, it would be different, but it does not. One may bewaked upand it is just as likely that he will go to sleep again as if he were simplyawakened.Awakeandawakenare more elegant words thanwake.Wassail—wŏs´sĭl, not wăs´sĭl. A festive occasion, carousal, the song sung at such a time, etc. The verb and the adjective are spelled and pronounced similarly.Water—waw´ter, not wŏt´er.Welsh, notWelch. The latter word is seldom used.Welshman, etc.Whinny, notwinny, when the cry of a horse is spoken of.Whisk, notwhist, when a small hand-broom is meant.Wisp, however, is a proper word, meaning the same thing.Whitingis preferable towhitening.Widow.It is not necessary to saywidow woman; no one will suspect her of being a man.Wrestle—rĕs´l, not răs´sl.Y.Yacht—yŏt, not yăt.Yachting(yŏt´ing), etc.Yeast—yēst, not ēst.Yellow—yĕl´lō, not yăl´lō.Z.Zoology—zo-ŏl´o-jy, not zōō-ŏl´o-jy.Zoological(zo-o-lŏj´i-cal), etc.
1. If the person or thing spoken of exerts an action that must pass over to an object, uselay,laidandlaying.2. If the person or thing spoken of exerts an action that does not pass over to an object, uselie,lay,lainandlying.
1. If the person or thing spoken of exerts an action that must pass over to an object, uselay,laidandlaying.
2. If the person or thing spoken of exerts an action that does not pass over to an object, uselie,lay,lainandlying.
"Helaidupon the bed," then, is incorrect, for the verb has no object. It should be: "Helayupon the bed." But, "Helaidhimselfupon the bed," would be correct, for there is an objective case,himself, supplied. "Let these paperslay," should be, "Let these paperslie." "The shiplaysat anchor," shouldbe, "The shipliesat anchor." "The shiplaidat anchor," should be, "The shiplayat anchor." "They havelaidin wait for you," should be, "They havelainin wait for you." "This trunk islayingin our way," should be, "This trunk islyingin our way." Errors connected with the use of these verbs are more common, probably, than any others in our language, being detected in the conversation and writings of many of the best educated people. Attention to the above rules, and a few trial sentences in the different moods, tenses, numbers and persons, ought to make the selection of the proper word so simple, that persons should seldom make mistakes.
Learn.Learningis done by the scholar or student, andteachingby the instructor. "She willlearnme how to play," should be, "She willteachme how to play," etc.
Leasing—leez´ing, not lēs´ing. An obsolete word meaning falsehood; lying. "Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing."—Bible.
Leg.Of late years there has become quite popular a prudish notion that it is indelicate to saylegwhen one of the limbs that supports the human body is meant,limbbeing preferred instead.Legis certainly a less euphonious word thanlimb, and if the latter had the same signification attached to it, there would be no objection to its employment; butlimbmeansarmjust as much as it doesleg. There is nothing immodest in the sound or meaning of the wordleg; if there were, it would be well to speak of thelimbof a table, alimbof mutton, or a threelimbedstool; and the mention of such words aslegacyorlegateshould cause the blush to rise to our cheeks. The very use of the wordlimbindicates what is passing in the mind of the speaker—a thought ofleg, an indelicate meaning attached to it, and a fear to speak the word. The mind of the listener is affected similarly and the result is that a conversation intended to be perfectly pure, has a slight stain left upon it. If we could pass through life without ever finding it necessary to speak of our legs to strangers, there would be no danger of compromising ourselves; but run-away and other accidentsare constantly occurring in which legs are broken or otherwise injured. When a surgeon is called, if he is told that alimbis injured, he has one chance in four of guessing the riddle. It is not always safe to trifle thus with some of the serious, practical old followers of Esculapius. Before now they have given such rebukes as to make people ashamed that they did not saylegin the first place; or they have left the bedside abruptly with such a remark as: "When you find out whether it is your arm or your leg, send for me again." If people will persist in usinglimbforleg, it is to be hoped that they will adopt some adjective prefix to remove all ambiguity. How would north-east, south-east, etc., do? Any one informed that thesouth-east limbwas fractured, would know at once that it was therightleg.
Legate—lĕg´ate, not lē´gāte.
Legendary—lĕj´end-a-ry, not lē´jĕnd-a-ry.
Leisure—lē´zhur, not lĕzh´ur, nor lā´zhur.Leisurely(lē´zhur-ly).
Length, not lĕnth. Every letter is sounded, also, inlengthy,lengthen,lengthiness, etc.
Lenient—lē´ni-ent, not lĕn´i-ent.Leniently(lē´ni-ent-ly), etc.
Lethe—lē´the, not lēth; thethis as inboth. The mythological and poetical name of a river of the infernal region, the drinking of a portion of which caused forgetfulness of the past.
Lethean—lē-thē´an, not lē´the-an.
Let's.It should be remembered thatlet'sis reallyletus, the apostrophe denoting the elision of the u. Such expressions then as: "let's us go," "let's him and me go," should he, "let us go" (or let's go), and "let him and me go;" for who wishes to say "let us us go," or "let us him and me go."
Leverage—lĕv´er-aje, not lē´ver-aje.
Licorice—lĭk´o-rĭs, not lĭk´er-ĭsh.
Lie.SeeLay.
Lien—lē´en or lī´en, notleen. A charge upon property for the satisfaction of a debt.
Lightedis preferable to lĭt as the imperfect tense and past participle oflight. "Helightedthe gas," instead of, "Helitthe gas." "I havelightedthe fire," instead of, "I havelitthe fire." The same remarksapply to the imperfect and participle oflighttaken as an intransitive verb. "The bird haslightedupon the tree," instead of, "haslitupon the tree."Litis condemned as common.
Lithographer—lĭ-thog´ra-pher, not lĭth´o-grăph-er, nor lī-thŏg´ra-pher.Lithography(lĭ-thŏg´ra-phy).
Loath—lōth, not lŏth; thethis as inboth. Reluctant. Written sometimesloth. The verb isloathe, with thethas inbreathe.
Lyceum—lī-sē´um, not lī´se-um.
M.
Machiavelian—măk-i-a-vēl´ian, not măsh-i-a-vĕl´ian. pertaining to Machiavel; politically cunning.
Mad.In the sense of provoked, wrathful or indignant,angryis generally considered the more appropriate word. "Mad as aMarch hare," is an indelicate term that should not be used on account of its origin.
Madame—mä-däm´, not măd´am.
Magna Charta—magna kär´ta, not magna chär´ta.
Manes—mā´nēz, not mānz. The souls of the dead.
Manor—măn´or, not mā´nor.
Marigold—măr´i-gold, not mā´ri-gold.
Matin—măt´in, not mā´tin.
Matins—măt´inz, not mā´tinz.
Mattress—măt´tress, not ma-trăss´. Written alsomatressand pronounced as the first.
Meaw—mū, not meyow. To cry like a cat.
Mediocre—me´di-ō-ker, not mē-di-ō´ker, nor mē-di-ŏk´er.
Melange—mā-lŏngzh´, not me-lănj´.
Melanotype—me-lăn´o-type, not me-lān´o-type.
Melodrama—mĕl-o-drā´ma, not mĕl-o-drăm´a, nor mĕl-o-drä´ma.
Memoir—mĕm´wor or mēm´wor, according to Webster; Worcester gives mē-moir´ or mĕm´wär.
Mesdames—mā-däm´, not mĕz-dāmes´.
Metallurgy—mĕt´al-lur-jy, not me-tăl´lur-jy.
Metaphor.The failure to distinguish between metaphors and similes, is a very common mistake. In a metaphor the resemblance is implied without any words to show the similarity; as soon as the latter are added it becomes a simile. "Hope is an anchor," and "Judah is a lion's whelp" are metaphors. "Hope islikean anchor," and "Judah islikea lion's whelp" are similes.
Metrical—mĕt´rik-al, not mē´trik-al.
Mezzo—mĕd´zō or mĕt´zō, not mĕz´zō. An Italian word meaning middle; not extreme.Mezzo-soprano(mĕd´zo-so-prä´no); between contralto and soprano; said of the voice of a female singer.Mezzotinto, etc.
Microscope—mī´kro-scope, not mĭk´ro-scope.Microscopic(mī-kro-scŏp´ic).Microscopy(mī-kros´co-py).
Mien—meen, not māne.
Mineralogy—min-er-al´o-jy, not min-er-ŏl´o-jy.
Minuet—mĭn´ū-et, not mĭn-ū-ĕt´. A dance.
Mischievous—mĭs´che-vŭs, not mĭs-chē´vŭs, nor mis-chē´ve-us.Mischievouslyandmischievousnessare also accented on the first syllable.
Modulate.This word is often used incorrectly instead ofmoderatein such sentences as: "Modulateyour voice," when it is meant to command or request that the tone bemoderatedor lowered.Modulatemeans to vary or inflect in a musical manner, and although the word might often be used with propriety in such sentences as the above, yet it is not always what ismeantby the speaker. A person's voice may be perfectlymodulatedand yet the tone may be so high that it is desirable, upon certain occasions, to have itmoderated.
Moire—mwôr, not mōre nor mō´re.Moire antique(mwor ăn-tēk´).
Molasses.It may seem incredible to those who have never heard the error I am about to mention, that such a ridiculous blunder could occur. I should hardly have believed it myself, if I had only heardofit; but I was once in a portion of the country where all the people for miles around spoke of molasses as if it were a plural noun, and I frequently heard such remarks as the following: "Thesemolasses are very good;theyare the best I have seen for some time." I once began to remonstrate with one of the champions of the plurality of the treacle, and insisted that he should say, "thismolasses" and, "itis good," etc.; but it was of no avail. He insisted that the word was analogous toashes, and if one was plural so was the other. There was no good dictionary or other reliable authority in the neighborhood, as might be imaginedfrom what has been said, so they were left happy in their ignorance.
Monad—mŏn´ad, not mō´nad. An ultimate atom.
Monogram—mŏn´o-gram, not mō´no-gram.
Monograph—mŏn´o-graph, not mō´no-graph.
Monomania—mŏn-o-mā´nia, not mō-no-mā´nia.Monomaniac(mŏn-o-mā´ni-ac).
Moor—mōōr, not mōre. An extensive waste; a heath.Moor, the name of a native of North Africa, is similarly pronounced.
Morale—mo-räl´, not mŏr´āle nor mō-răl´.
Mountainous—mount´ain-ous, not moun-tā´ni-oŭs.
Multiplication—mŭl-ti-pli-cā´tion, not mŭl-ti-pi-cā´tion.
Murrain—mŭr´rĭn, not mŭr´rāne. A disease among cattle.
Museum—mu-zē´um, not mū´ze-um.
Mushroom, notmush-roon.
Musk-melon, notmush-melon; but anything beforemush-million.
Mussulmans, notmusselmen, is the plural ofMussulman.
Mythology—mĭ-thŏl´o-jy, not mī-thŏl´o-jy.
N.
Naiad—nā´yad, not nā´ĭd nor nā´ăd. A water nymph.
Nainsook—nān-sōōk´, not năn-sōōk´. A kind of muslin.
Naive—nä´ēv, not nāve nor näve. Natural; artless.
Naivete—nä´ēv-tā, not nā-vēte´ nor nā-vē´ta.
Nape—nāp, not năp. The back part of the neck.
Nasal—nā´zal, not nā´sal nor năs´al.
NasturtiumorNasturtion, notasturtion.
Negligee—nĕg-li-zhā´, not nĕg-li-jē´, nor nĕg´li-zhā.
Newspaper—nūz´pā-per, not nūs´pā-per.
Niche—nĭch, not nĭck, when a concave recess in a wall for an ornament is meant. If a piece is chopped roughly out of anything, it is anick.Nickof time, notnicheof time, when a critical moment is meant; but in figurative language there is no doubt that the phrase "niche of time," may be appropriately used. A great event may be said to stand in aniche of timeas an example for coming ages.
Nomad—nŏm´ad, not nō´-mad. One of a wandering tribe. Writtennomade(nŏm´ade) also.
Nomenclature—no-men-clā´ture, not nō´men-clātūre.
Nominative, notnom-a-tive.
Nonillion—nō-nĭll´ion, not nŏn-ĭll´ion.
Nook—nōōk, as given by Webster. Worcester sanctions both nōōk and nŏŏk.
Notable—nŏt´a-ble, not nō´ta-ble, when it is applied to a person distinguished for thrift, management, care, etc.; as anotable housekeeper.
Nymphean—nĭm-fē´an, not nĭmf´e-an. Relating to nymphs.
O.
Obesity—o-bĕs´i-ty, not o-bē´si-ty.
Obligatory—ŏb´li-ga-to-ry, not ŏb-lĭg´a-to-ry.
Often—ŏf´n, not ŏf´tĕn.
Omega—o-mē´ga or o-mĕg´a, not ŏm´e-ga. Worcester allows the first only.
Onerous—ŏn´er-ous, not ō´ner-oŭs.
Only—ōn´ly, not ŭn´ly.
Onyx—ō´nyx, not ŏn´yx.
Opal—ō´-pal, not ō-păl´ nor ō-pawl´.
Opponent—op-pō´nent, not ŏp´po-nent.
Ordnance, notordinance, when cannon, artillery, etc., are intended.Ordinanceis a rule established by authority.
Orgeat—ôr´zhat or ôr´zhā, not ôr´je-at. Worcester gives ôr´zhat.
Orthoepy—ôr´tho-e-py, not ôr-thō´e-py.
Orthoepist—ôr´tho-e-pist, not ôr-thō´e-pist.
Overflowed, notoverflown.
P.
Palaver—pa-lä´ver, not pa-lăv´er.
Pall-mall—pĕl-mĕl´, not pawl-mawl´. The name of a game formerly played in England; and the name of a street in London. Written alsopail-mailandpell-mell, both pronounced as above. Pell-mell used as an adverb means mixed together in a disorderly manner; but one person can not rushpell-mell.
Papaw—pa-paw´, not pŏp´paw as commonly called. Written alsopawpaw.
Papyrus—pa-pī´rus, not păp´i-rŭs. A material used for writing upon by the ancients, made from the inner bark of a plant.
Parent—pâr´ent, not pā´rent.
Parisian—pa-rĭz´ian, not pa-rĭsh´ian nor pa-rĭss´ian. Worcester gives pa-rĭzh´i-an.
Paroquet—păr´o-quet, not păr-o-kĕt´.
Parquet—pär-kā´ or pär-kĕt´. Worcester allows pär-kā´ only.
Parquette—pär-ket´, not pär-kā´.
Partner, notpardner.
Partridge, notpattrij.
Patent.Theadjectiveis pronounced either păt´ent or pā´tent. When used as a verb or a noun it is pronounced păt´ent.
Patois—păt-wŏ´, not păt´wŏ nor păt-waw´.
Patriot—pā´tri-ot, not păt´ri-ot.Patriotic,patriotism, etc., have also the long a. Worcester gives the same with the exception ofpatriotic, which he pronounces both pā´tri-ot-ic and păt´ri-ot-ic.
Patron—pā´tron, not păt´ron.Patronessandpatronlesshave also the long a.
Patronize—păt´ron-īze, not pā´tron-īze.
Patronage—păt´ron-aje, not pā´tron-aje.
Pease, notpeas, when an uncounted quantity is referred to, as: a bushel ofpease, a plateful ofpease, some morepease, etc.Peaswhen a certain number is mentioned, as: a dozenpeas, fiftypeas, etc.
Pedal—pĕd´al, not pē´dal, when that portion of a piano or harp that is acted upon by the feet, is meant. Pē´dal is an adjective, and means pertaining to the above, or to a foot.
Perfect.I have selected this as the representative of a class of adjectives that, strictly speaking, do not admit of comparison. I have noticed, invariably, that those who appear to be so anxious to correct the error of giving degrees of comparison to a few stereotyped words of this class, such asround,square,universal,chief,extreme, etc., are singularly remiss in calling attention to a great many other mistakes of the same kind that are equally prominent. Amongst the latter may be mentioned the comparison ofcorrect,complete,even,level,straight, etc. It will be admitted that if anything isperfectit can not bemoreso; and as soon as it islessso it fails to beperfectat all. So, if anything iscorrectit is perfectly free from error; it can not be mademorecorrect, and if its correctness is detracted from, it is not quite correct any longer. Astraightline is one that does not vary from a perfectlydirectcourse in the slightest degree; it can not bestraighterand if it could belessstraight, it would becurved. It is ridiculous for any one to insist upon a national reformation of a few such errors, and suffer a hundred others just like them to exist without remonstrance. Eithernearerandnearest,more nearly, andmost nearly,and the like, should be substituted for the degrees of comparison and used with all such words; or people should treat them as all other adjectives, just as the best writers and speakers have always done. The former course is the more desirable; the latter is certainly the more probable.
Perfidious—per-fĭd´i-ous, not pĕr´fĭd-oŭs. Worcester allows per-fĭd´yŭs in addition to the first.
Peony—pē´o-ny)Pæony(pē´o-ny) orPiony(pī´o-ny) not pī´ny as often called. A flower.
Perambulate, notpreambulate.
Period—pē´ri-od, not pĕr´i-od.Periodic,Periodical, etc., have also the long e.
Perspire, notprespire.
Perspiration, notprespiration.
Persuade.This word carries with it the idea of success in one's endeavors to convince or induce. "Ipersuadedhim for a long time, but he would not grant my request," should be, "Itriedtopersuadehim," etc.
Petrel—pĕt´rel, not pē´trel. A bird. Worcester allows the latter also.
Phaeton—phā´et-on, not phā'te-on. A vehicle.
Pharmaceutist—fär-ma-sū´tĭst, not fär-mā-kū´tist nor fär-mā´kū-tist.
Pharmacopœia—fär-ma-co-pē´ya, not fär-mā-cō´pi-a.
Piano—pi-ä´no, not pī-ăn´o. Worcester allows pĭ-ăn´o.
Piano-forte—pĭ-ä´no-fōr´tā, not pī-ăn´o-fōrt. Worcester sanctions pĭ-ä´no-fōr´te, pĭ-ăn´o-fôr-te, and remarks in parenthesis,oftenpe-ăn´o-fōrt; but the last pronunciation is evidently not preferred.
Pilaster—pĭ-lăs´ter, not pĭl´as-ter. A square pillar set into a wall and projecting slightly.
Piquant—pĭk´ant, not pĭk´wănt nor pēk´wănt.Piquantly(pĭk´ant-ly), etc.
Placard—pla-kärd´, not plăk´ard.
Placid—plăs´id, not plā´sid.Placidlyandplacidnesshave also the short a.
Plait—plāt, not plăt nor plēt. A braid; or to braid.Plat(plăt) is a proper word, however, having the same meanings, but the difference in pronunciation must be observed, when the spelling is as above.Plait, meaning a fold of cloth, as in a shirt bosom, is also pronounced plāt. How common an error it is tospeak of thepleetswhen alluding to such folds.
Platina—plăt´i-na or pla-tē´na, not pla-tī´na nor pla-tĭn´a. Worcester allows plăt´i-na only.
Platinum—plăt´i-num or pla-tī´num, not pla-tē´num nor pla-tĭn´um. Worcester gives plăt´i-num only.
Plebeian—ple-bē´ian, not plē´bi-an. Ple-bŏn´, as some pronounce it, is outrageous, neither French, English, nor Hottentot.
Plenary—plē´na-ry, not plĕn´a-ry. Full; entire. Worcester gives both methods.
Poetaster—pō´et-ăs-ter, not pō´et-tāst-er. A petty poet.
Poniard—pŏn´yard, not poin´yard.
Posthumous—pŏst´hu-mous, not pōst´hu-moŭs nor pŏst-ū´moŭs.Posthumously(pŏst´hu-mous-ly).
Potable—pō´ta-ble, not pŏt´a-ble. Drinkable.
Potheen—po-theen´, not pŏt-teen´. When spelledpotteen, however, as it may be correctly, the latter pronunciation is proper.
Prairie—prā´ry, not per-rā´ry.
Prebendary—prĕb´end-a-ry, not prē´bend-a-ry. A clergyman of a collegiate or cathedral church, who enjoys a prebend.
Prebend—prĕb´end, not prē´bend. A stipend.
Precedence—pre-sē´dence, not prĕs´e-dence.Precedencyandprecedently, have the second syllable accented also.
Precedent—pre-sē´dent, not prĕs´e-dent. An adjective meaning antecedent.
Precedent—prĕs´e-dent, not pre-sē´dent nor prē´se-dent. A noun meaning an example or preceding circumstance.Precedentedandunprecedentedhave also the short e.
Precocious—pre-kō´shus, not pre-kŏsh´ŭs.Precociouslyandprecociousnesshave also the long o.
Predatory—prĕd´a-to-ry, not prē´da-tory. Plundering; pillaging.
Predecessor—prĕd-e-cĕs´sor, not prē-de-cĕs´sor.
Preface—prĕf´ace, not prē´face.Prefatory(prĕf´a-to-ry).
Prejudice, notpredudice.
Prelate—prĕl´ate, not prē´-late.
Presage, notprestige, when something is meant that foreshows a future event; an omen. "This is apresageof victory."
Prescription, notperscription.
Prestige, notpresage, when it is meant that some one carries weight or influencefrom past deeds or successes. "Theprestigeof the hero's name was half the battle."
Presentiment—pre-sent´i-ment, not pre-zent´i-ment.
Pretty—prĭt´ty, not prĕ´ty.Prettily(prĭt´ti-ly), etc.
Preventive, notpreventative.
Primeval—prī-mē´val, not prĭm´e-val.
Process—prŏs´ess, not prō´sess.
Prodigy, notprojidy.
Produce—prŏd´uce, not prō´dūce. The noun; the verb is pro-dūce´.
Product—prŏd´uct, not prō´duct.
Progress—prŏg´ress, not pro´gress. Noun; the verb is pro-gress´.
Prosody—prŏs´o-dy, not prō´so-dy nor prŏz´o-dy.
Protean—prō´te-an, not pro-tē´an. Assuming different shapes.
Protege(Fr. protégé)—prō-tā-zhā´, not prō´tēje. One under the care of another.Protegee(Fr. protégée)—prō-tā-zhā´, feminine.
Psalm—säm, not săm.Psalmist(säm´ist). Worcester gives săm´ist also for the latter word.
Psalmody—săl´mo-dy, not säm´o-dy nor săm-o-dy.
Psychical—sī´kĭk-al, not sĭk´ĭk-al nor fĭz´ĭk-al, as it is sometimes thoughtlessly pronounced in reading. Pertaining to the human soul.
Pumpkin, notpunkin.Pumpkinitself is a corruption ofpumpionorpompion, but is the word that is now generally used.
Purulent—pū´ru-lent, not pŭr´u-lent. Containing pus or matter.Purulenceandpurulencyhave also the long u in the first syllable.
Put—pŏŏt, not pŭt. This anomalous pronunciation is hard for some to adopt, the natural tendency being to sound theuas it is in a host of other words consisting of two consonants with a short u between them, as: bun, but, cut, dug, fun, gun, hut, nut, etc.
Pyrites—pī-rī´tez, not pe-rī´tez, pĭr´i-tez nor pī´rītez.
Q.
Qualm—kwäm, not kwăm. Worcester allows kwawm also.
Quay—kē, not kwā.
Querulous, means complaining, whining, etc., and notquestioning.
Quinine—kwī´nīne or kwĭ-nīne´, not kwi-neen´. Worcester gives kwĭ-nīne´ or kwĭn´īne.
Quoit—kwoit, not kwāte.
Quoth—kwōth or kwŭth, not kwŏth.
R.
Rabies—rā´bi-ēz, not răb´ēz. Madness, as that of dogs.
Radish—răd´ish, not rĕd-ish.
Raillery—răl´ler-y, not rāl´ler-y. Slight ridicule; pleasantry.
Raise—Rise.Raiseis a transitive verb, or one in which the action passes over to an object. Present tense,raise; imperfect tense and past participle,raised; present participle,raising.Riseis an intransitive verb, the action not passing over to an object. Present tense,rise; imperfect tense,rose; past participle,risen; present participle,rising. Errors in the use of these words ought to be avoided by remembering the following rules:
1. If the person or thing spoken of exerts an action that passes over to an object, useraise,raised, andraising.2. If the person or thing spoken of exerts an action that does not pass over to an object, userise,rose,risen,rising. To avoid further repetition in the method I have adopted to impress upon the mind the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs by contrasted sentences, I would refer the reader to the remarks underLay. "I willraisein the morning at five," should be, "I willrise," etc. "I willraisethewindow," etc., is correct, for the action passes to or affects the window. "I willraise myselfif I have the strength" is correct, because an object,myself, is furnished. "The price of flour israising," should be, "The price of flour isrising;" but it is right to say, "The merchants areraisingthe price of flour." "Gold hasraisedin value," should be, "Gold hasrisenin value." "The price of bondsraisedin less than an hour," should be, "The price of bondsrose," etc. "The sun israising," should be, "The sun isrising." "The sun israisingthe temperature," is proper. The pulse hasrisen, but excitement hasraisedit. The river hasrisenin its bed and hasraisedthe canal. Birdsrisein the air.Arisecan often be appropriately substituted forrise.
1. If the person or thing spoken of exerts an action that passes over to an object, useraise,raised, andraising.
2. If the person or thing spoken of exerts an action that does not pass over to an object, userise,rose,risen,rising. To avoid further repetition in the method I have adopted to impress upon the mind the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs by contrasted sentences, I would refer the reader to the remarks underLay. "I willraisein the morning at five," should be, "I willrise," etc. "I willraisethewindow," etc., is correct, for the action passes to or affects the window. "I willraise myselfif I have the strength" is correct, because an object,myself, is furnished. "The price of flour israising," should be, "The price of flour isrising;" but it is right to say, "The merchants areraisingthe price of flour." "Gold hasraisedin value," should be, "Gold hasrisenin value." "The price of bondsraisedin less than an hour," should be, "The price of bondsrose," etc. "The sun israising," should be, "The sun isrising." "The sun israisingthe temperature," is proper. The pulse hasrisen, but excitement hasraisedit. The river hasrisenin its bed and hasraisedthe canal. Birdsrisein the air.Arisecan often be appropriately substituted forrise.
Rampant—răm´pant, not ram-pant´.
Rapine—răp´ĭn, not răp´een nor rā-peen´.
Raspberry—răz´ber-ry, not răss´ber-ry nor rawz´ber-ry.Worcester gives raz´ber-ry and räs´ber-ry.
Rational—răsh´un-al, not rā-shun-al.Rationalist(răsh´un-al-ĭst), etc.
Recess—re-cĕss´, not rē´cĕss.
Recherche(Fr. recherché)—rŭh-shêr-shā´, not re-shersh´. Worcester gives rā-sher-shā´.
Recluse—re-kluse´, not re-kluze´.
Reconnoissance—re-cŏn´noĭs-sänçe, not rek-on-nois´sançe. Worcester gives re-cŏn´noĭs-sänçe´.Reconnaissanceis another method of spelling.
Recriminations, notmutualrecriminations; the word itself tells of themutuality.
Redolent—rĕd´o-lent, not redō´lent. Diffusing odor or fragrance.
Relevant, notrevelant. Pertinent; applicable.
Relic, notrelict, when that which remains, a corpse, or anything preserved in remembrance, is meant.Relictmeans a widow.
Rendezvous—rĕn´de-vōō, not rŏn´de-vōō nor rĕn´de-vōōz. Worcester gives rĕn´de-vōō and rĕn´de-vōōz. The plural isrendezvouses(rĕn´de-vōōz-ez).
Requiem—rē´kwi-em, not rĕk´wĭ-em. Worcester gives both pronunciations.
Resume(Fr. résumé)—rā-zū-mā´, not re-zūme´ nor re-zū´mā. Worcester gives rez-u-mā´.
Reticule, notridicule, when a little bag of net-work is meant.
Reveille—re-vāl´yā, not rev-a-lē´. Worcester gives the first and re-vāl´.
Ribald—rĭb´ald, not rī´bald. Low; obscene.Ribaldry(rĭb´ald-ry).
Rinse—rĭnss, not rĕnse nor wrĕnch. "Wrenchyour mouth," said an uneducated dentist to a patient afterwrenchingout a large molar. "Thank you," replied the patient. "Youhave done that, but I'llrinseit, if you please."
Ripples, notriffles.
Romance—ro-manss´, not rō´manss.
Roseate—rō´ze-at, not rōz´āte. Worcester gives rō´zhe-at also.
Roue(Fr. roué)—rōō-ā´, not rōō. Worcester gives rōō´ā.
S.
Sacerdotal—săs-er-dō´tal, not sā-ser-dō´tal, sā-ker-dō´tal nor săk-er-dō´tal.
Sacrament—săk´ra-ment, not sā´kra-ment.Sacramental(săk´ra-ment-al), etc.
Sacrifice—săk´rĭ-fīz, not săk´rĭ-fĭs nor săk´rĭ-fīse.Verb and noun the same.Sacrificing(săk´rĭ-fī-zĭng), etc.
Sacristan—săk´rist-an, not sā´krist-an nor sā-krĭs´tan.Sacristy(săk´rist-y).
Salam—sa-läm´, not sa-lăm´. Writtensalaamalso, and pronounced similarly.
Saline—sa-līne´ or sā´līne, not sā-lēēn´. Worcester gives sa-līne´ only.
Salve—säv, not săv. Worcester gives sälv also.
Samaritan—sa-măr´i-tan, not sa-mā´ri-tan.
Sanitary, notsanatory, whenpertainingto health is meant.Sanatoryis more restricted in its application, and means healing; curative.
Saracen—săr´a-sen, not săr´a-ken.
Sarsaparilla—sär-sa-pa-rĭl´la, not săs-sa-pa-rĭl´la, nor sär-sa-fa-rĭl´la.
Satyr—sā´tur, according to Webster. Worcester gives săt´ir also.
Saucy—saw´sy, notsassy.
Said.Said(sĕd), not says (sĕz), in speaking of past remarks. Many of the most cultivated people are guilty of this vulgarism. "'I will call to see you soon,'sezhe." "'I will be glad to see you at any time,'sezI." Where the details of a long conversation are given the frequent repetition ofsez, or evensaid, is very grating to the refined ear. The use ofasked,inquired,remarked,suggested,answered,replied, etc., instead, has a pleasing effect upon narrative or anecdote. It is preferable, also, to give theexactwordsof the speaker aftersaid, etc., as: "When he had finished reading the letter, he said: 'I will attend to the business the first leisure moment I have.'" When the wordthatfollows thesaid, the substance only of the remark may be given, as "He said that he would attend to the business the first leisure moment he had." Whichever form is used in narrative, it is not at all harmonious to give theexact wordsof one speaker and only the substance of the remarks of another, at least without regard to regularity in alternation.
Schism—sĭzm, not skĭsm.
Seckel, not sĭck-el. A kind of pear.
See.It is not uncommon to meet with people that incorrectly useseein the imperfect tense, as: "Iseehim yesterday," instead of, "Isawhim yesterday." See is never used in any tense but the present, withoutan auxiliary, as did, shall, etc.
Seignior—sēn´yur, not sān´yor.
Seine—sēn, not sān. A net for catching fish.
Senile—sē´nīle, not sĕn´īle. Pertaining to old age.
Separate, notseperate. The loss of the a is not noticed in the pronunciation, but the mistake frequently occurs in writing this word as it does in the wordsinseparable,inseparableness,separation, etc.
Servile—sër´vĭl, not sër´vīle.
Set.Noun. There are many who incorrectly usesettin writing of asetof dishes, asetof chess-men, asetof teeth, or of some other collection of things of the same kind. Asettis a piece placed upon the head of a pile for striking upon, when the pile can not be reached by the weight or hammer.
Set—Sit.Blunders in the use of these words are amongst the most common we have.Set, as we shall first consider it, is a transitive verb, or one in which the action passes over to an object. Present tense,set; imperfect tense and past participle,set; present participle,setting.Sitis an intransitive verb, or one which has no object after it. Present tense,sit; imperfect tense and past participle,sat; present participle,sitting.
To avoid repetition as much as possible, I would refer any one to whom the explanation here given is not perfectly clear, to the rules and remarks underLayandRaise, which are equally applicable here. "Will youseton this chair?" should be, "Will yousiton this chair?" "Will yousetthischairin the other room?" is correct. "Isetfor my picture yesterday," should be, "Isat," etc. "This hatsetswell," should be, "This hatsitswell." "Courtsetsnext month," should be, "Courtsitsnext month." "The hen has beensettingfor a week," should be, "The hen has beensitting," etc. "As cross as asettinghen," should be, "As cross as asittinghen." But a person mayseta hen; that is, place her in position on eggs. Onesitsup in a chair, but hesetsup a post. Onesitsdown on the ground, but hesetsdown figures.Setis also an intransitive verb and has special meanings attached to it as such, but they may be readily understoodby a little study of the dictionary, and no confusion need arise. The sunsets. Plaster of Parissets. A setter dogsets. Onesetsout on a journey.Sitmay also be used in two senses as a transitive verb, as: "The generalsitshis horse well," and "The womansatherself down."
Sew—sō, not sū.
Shampoo, notshampoon.Shampooing.Written alsochampoo.
Shekel—shĕk´el, not shē´kel.
Shumac—shū´mak, not shū-mak´. Written alsosumacandsumach, both accented on the first syllable.
Sickof, not sickwith, as sickofa fever.
Sienna—si-ĕn´na, notsenna, when paint is meant.Sennais a plant used as medicine.
Simultaneous—sī-mul-tā´ne-ous, not sĭm´ul-tā´ne-oŭs.Simultaneously(sī-mul-tā´ne-ous-ly), etc.
Since, notsence.
Sinecure—sī´ne-cure, not sĭn´e-cure. An office which yields revenue without labor.
Sit.SeeSat.
Slake—slāke, not slăk, when the word is spelled as given, as:slakedlime, toslakeone's thirst, etc. If spelledslack, the ordinary pronunciation is right.
Slough—slow, not slōō nor slō. A mudhole. Writtensloo(slōō) also.
Slough—slŭf, not as above. The cast skin of a serpent. Dead flesh which separates from the living. The verb expressing this action is pronounced the same.
Sobriquet—so-bri-kā´, not writtensoubriquet. Worcester pronounces it sŏb´rē-kā´.
Soften—sŏf´fn, not sawf´ten.
Sonnet—sŏn´net, not sŭn´net.
Soot—sōōt or sŏŏt, not sŭt.
Soporific—sŏp-o-rĭf´ik, not sō-por-ĭf´ik.
Sotto voce—sŏt´tō vō´chā, not sŏt´to vōs´ nor sŏt´tō vō´sē.
Souse—souss, not sowze. To plunge into water.
Spasmodic, notspasmotic.
Spectacles—spĕk´ta-kls, not spĕk´tĭk´els.
Spermaceti—sperm-a-sē´tĭ, not sperm-a-çĭt´y.
Spider, notspiter.
Splenetic—splĕn´e-tic, not sple-nĕt´ic. Fretful; peevish.
Spoliation—spō-li-ā´tion, not spoil-a´tion.
Spurious—spū´ri-ous, not spŭr´i-oŭs.Spuriously(spū´ri-ous-ly), etc.
Statical—stăt´i-cal, not stā´ti-cal. Pertaining to bodies at rest.
Stationery, notstationary, when paper, envelopes, ink, etc., are meant.
Statue, notstatute, when a carved image is meant.
Statute, notstatue, when a law or decree is meant.
Stearine—stē´a-rĭn, not stĕr´ĭn.
Stereoscope(stē´re-o-scope),Stereotype(stē´re-o-type), etc., according to Webster; and stĕr´e-o-scope, stĕr´-e-o-type, etc., according to Worcester.
Stolid—stŏl´id, not stō´lid. Stupid; dull.
Stratum—strā´tum, not străt´um.Strata(strā´ta), the Latin plural is used much more than the Englishstratums. Errors like "astrataof gravel," are also not infrequently heard.
Strategic—stra-tē´jik, not străt´e-jĭk.Strategical(stra-tē´ji-cal) andstrategist(străt´e-jist). Worcester gives stra-tĕj´ic and stra-tĕj´i-cal.
StrumorThrumshould be used, and notdrum, when the noisy and unskillful fingering of a musical instrument is meant.
Stupendous—stu-pen´dŭs, not stu-pĕn´jŭs nor stu-pĕn´de-us.
Suavity—swăv´ĭ-ty, not swäv´ĭ-ty nor suăv´i-ty.
Subtraction, notsubstraction, when the act of deducting is meant.Substractionis a law term meaning the withholding of some right, for which, however, the wordsubtractionis also used.Subtract, notsubstract.
Subtile—sŭb´tĭl, not sŭt´tle.
Subtle—sŭt´tle, not sŭb´tle.
Suffice—sŭf-fīz´, not sŭf-fīs´.
Suicidal—sū-i-sī´dal, not sū-ĭs´i-dal. Worcester placed the principal accent on the first syllable.
Suite—sweet, not sūte. When the wordsuitis used, however, the latter pronunciation is correct.
Sulphurous—sŭl´phur-ŭs, not sul-phū´rŭs nor sŭl-phū´re-us.Sulphureousis another word.
Summoned, notsummonsed.
Supersede,superseded,superseding. Observe the s in the penultimate. It is a common error to writesupercede, etc.
Supposititious—sup-pos-i-tĭ´shus, not sup-po-sĭ´shus. Put by a trick in the place of another, as, asupposititiouschild, asupposititiousrecord.
Surtout—sŭr-tōōt´, not sŭr-towt´ nor sŭr´tōōt.
Swath—swawth, not swawthe. Worcester gives swŏth. The sweep of the scythe in mowing.
T.
Tabernacle—tăb´er-na-cle, not tăb´er-năk´cle.
Tapestry—tăp´es-try, not tā´pĕs-try.
Tarlatan—tär´la-tan, not tärl´tun.Tartanis a different material.
Tarpaulin—tär-paw´lin, not tär-pō´lin. Written alsotarpaulingandtarpawling.
Tartaric—tar-tăr´ic, not tar-tär´ic. Pertaining to or obtained from tartar, astartaricacid.
Tassel—tăs´sel, not taw´sel. Worcester gives tŏs´sl also.
Tatterdemalion—tăt-ter-de-măl´ion, not tăt-ter-de-māl´ion.
Telegraphy—te-lĕg´ra-phy, not tĕl´e-grăph-y.
Telegraphist—te-lĕg´ra-phist, not tel´e-grăph-ist. A telegraphic operator. No such word astelegrapheris given.
Terpsichorean—terp-sĭk-o-rē´an, not terp-si-kō´re-an. Relating toTerpsichore(terp-sik´o-re), the muse who presided over dancing.
Tete-a-tete—tāt-ä-tāt´, not teet-ä-teet.
Theatreortheater—thē´a-ter, not the-ā´ter.
Threshold—thrĕsh´ōld, not thrĕz´ōld nor thrĕz´hold. Worcester gives thrĕsh´hold.
Thyme—tīm, not as spelled.
Tic-douloureux—tĭk´dōō-lōō-rōō´, not -dŏl-o-rōō´ nor -dō-lō-rōō´.
Tiny—tī´ny, not tee´ny nor tĭn´y.
Tolu—to-lū´, not tū´lū.
Tomato—to-mā´to or to-mä´to, not to-măt´o.
Topographic—tŏp-o-graph´ic, not tō-po-grăph´ic.Topographicalandtopographicallyhave also the short o in the first syllable.
Tour—tōōr, not towr.
Tournament—tür´na-ment according to Webster. Worcester gives tōōr´na-ment also.
Towardandtowards—tō´-ward and tō´wardz, not to-ward´ and to-wardz´.
Tragacanth—trăg´a-kănth, not trăj´a-sĭnth nor trăg´a-sănth. A gum used for mucilage.
Traverse—trăv´erse, not tra-verse´.Traversable,traversingandtraversedhave also the accent on the first syllable.
Tremendous—tre-mĕn´dŭs, not tre-mĕn´de-ŭs nor tre-mĕn´jŭs.
Trilobite—trī´lo-bīte, not trĭl´o-bīte nor trŏl´lo-bīte, as it is often called.
Troche—trō´kee, not trōsh, trō´she, trōke nor trŏtch. Plural,troches(trō´keez). A lozenge composed of sugar, mucilage and medicine,as:bronchial troches.Trochee—trō´kee, is a foot in poetry.
Truculent—trū´ku-lent, not trŭk´u-lent.
Truths—truths, not truthz, is the plural oftruth.
Tryst—trĭst, not trīst. An appointment to meet.Tryster(trĭst´er),trysting(trĭst´ing).
Turbine—tür´bĭn, not tür´-bīne. A kind of water wheel.
U.
Umbrella—um-brĕl´la, not um-ber-rĕl´ nor um-ber-rĕl´la.
Upas—ū´păs, not ū´paw nor ū´pawz.
Usurp—yū-zurp´, not yū-surp´.Usurper(yū-zurp´er), etc.
V.
Vagary—va-gā´ry, not vā´-ga-ry.
Valenciennes—va-lĕn´si-ĕnz´, not văl-ĕn-seenz´. A French lace.
Valleys, notvallies, is the plural ofvalley.
Vamos(vä´mōs), orvamose(va-mōse´), not vam-moos´. To depart. (Inelegant.)
Vase, according to Webster; vāse or vāze, according to Worcester. The pronunciations väz and vawz are alluded to but not recommended.
Vehemence—vē´he-mence, not ve-hē´mence nor ve-hĕm´ence.Vehementlyandvehementhave also the accent on the first syllable.
Vermicelli—-vër-me-chĕl-lĭ or vër-me-sĕl´lĭ, not vêr-me-sĭl´ly. Worcester sanctions the first method only.
Veterinary—vĕt´er-ĭn-a-ry, not ve-tĕr´in-a-ry.
Vicar—vĭk´ar, not vī´kar.Vicarageandvicarshiphave also the short i in the first syllable.
Violent(vī´o-lent),violence(vī´o-lence),violet(vī´o-let),violin(vī-o-lĭn´), etc., not voi´o-lent, voi´o-lence, voi´o-let, voi-o-lin´, etc.
Viscount—vī´kount, not vĭs´kount.Viscountess(vī´kountess), etc.
Visor—vĭz´or, not vī´zor.
W.
Wake, etc.Wakeis both a transitive and an intransitive verb. Present tense,wake; imperfect and past participle,waked; present participle,waking.Awakeis also both transitive and intransitive. Present,awake; imperfect,awokeorawaked; participles,awakedandawaking.Awakenis another verb, both transitive and intransitive. Present,awaken; imperfect andpast participle,awakened; present participle,awakening. Thus it is seen that we have a great many words to express the fact ofbeingin a conscious state, and the arousing of a person who is asleep. With a little attention there is no reason for committing an error in the use of these words. One may say that hewaked,awoke, orawakenedearly in the morning, but it is wrong to say that hewokein the morning, or that hewokeanother; for there is no such word aswoke. "Iwakenedat five o'clock," should be, "Iawakenedat five o'clock;" for there is no such word aswakened.Upis used only withwake,wakedandwaking, but even then it is one of our most senseless superfluities. There is no stronger meaning in the assertion that a man waswaked up, than that he waswakedorawakened. Ifwaking upmeant towakeand makeget up, it would be different, but it does not. One may bewaked upand it is just as likely that he will go to sleep again as if he were simplyawakened.Awakeandawakenare more elegant words thanwake.
Wassail—wŏs´sĭl, not wăs´sĭl. A festive occasion, carousal, the song sung at such a time, etc. The verb and the adjective are spelled and pronounced similarly.
Water—waw´ter, not wŏt´er.
Welsh, notWelch. The latter word is seldom used.Welshman, etc.
Whinny, notwinny, when the cry of a horse is spoken of.
Whisk, notwhist, when a small hand-broom is meant.Wisp, however, is a proper word, meaning the same thing.
Whitingis preferable towhitening.
Widow.It is not necessary to saywidow woman; no one will suspect her of being a man.
Wrestle—rĕs´l, not răs´sl.
Y.
Yacht—yŏt, not yăt.Yachting(yŏt´ing), etc.
Yeast—yēst, not ēst.
Yellow—yĕl´lō, not yăl´lō.
Z.
Zoology—zo-ŏl´o-jy, not zōō-ŏl´o-jy.Zoological(zo-o-lŏj´i-cal), etc.