Sentences, like paragraphs, should show unity, massing, and coherence.
Unitydemands that the sentence shall have one main idea. The unity of a sentence is destroyed by putting together ideas that should be separated, by making the wrong idea subordinate, or by making ideas coördinate that are not of equal importance.
Examples of lack of unity:—
1. The words are very simple and I think it very strange that a tinker could write such a good book.
2. We went up the main road about half a mile, when we came to a pasture.
Massingin the sentence demands that the main thought shall be placed where it will “readily catch the eye.”
A and An.—ais used before a consonant sound;an, before a vowel sound; as, “aboy;” “aneye;” when a vowel has a consonant sound, as in the wordeulogy,a, and notan, is required. In the case of words beginning withh,anis always required whenhis silent; as, “anheir;” whenhis aspirated,ais required, unless the accent is on the second syllable, whenanis used; as, “ahistory;” “anhistorian.”
Abbreviations.—Such abbreviations or contractions ase’er,ne’er,o’er,e’en,’tis,’mid, and’neath, are legitimate in verse, but should not be used in prose.
Ability for capacity.—Abilityis the power of doing;capacitythe faculty of receiving. “Theabilityis in me to do him good.” “Man’scapacitieshave never been measured.”
Abortive.—That isabortivewhich is premature, not brought to completion. A plan may beabortivebut not an act. We may speak of anabortiveeffort.
About.—Not to be used asalmost. “The day isalmostgone,” not “The day isaboutgone.”
Aboveis an adverb, not an adjective. Say “The address givenabove,” not “Theaboveaddress;” the “foregoing section,” not the “abovesection.”
Accept of.—Never use the preposition after this verb. Weacceptinvitations, presents, hospitality, and the like.
Accept and Except.—Acceptmeans to take when offered;exceptmeans to leave out, to exclude. Iacceptedthe gift. Allexcepttwo will go.
Accord.—Toaccordmeans to render or bestow upon another, as honor: therefore one should never say, “The information he desired wasaccordedhim.”
Administer.—The man died from blowsadministeredby the policeman. Oaths, medicine, affairs of state areadministered. Blows aredealt.
Affect, Effect.—Toaffectmeans to influence or to pretend. Toeffectmeans to bring about. “Heaffectedintoxication.” “Heaffectedthe audience strongly.” “I shalleffecta reform.”
Afraid.—The adjectiveafraidshould not be used for the verbfear; thus: we say, “I amafraidof fire,” but “IfearI cannot go,” not “I amafraidI cannot go.”
Aggravatemeans to heighten, intensify, or make worse. Do not use it forannoyorprovoke.
Ain’t.—This is illiterately employed as a contraction forare not,am not,is not. Even as a contraction ofam notit is censured by many critics, the formI’m notbeing universally preferred. “Am I not?” is required in interrogative sentences.
Allow.—This word is frequently misused forthink, as “Iallowthat I shall go to town.” Say, “Ithinkthat,” etc.
Alludemeans to refer to indirectly, and not the same asmention. “Bymentioninghis lifelong companion healludedto his wife.”
Almost.—Careless speakers sometimes err in sayingmostforalmost, as, for example, “I have readmostall the books in the library,” for “almostall.”
Among and Between.—Amongis distributive, and may apply to any number more than two;betweenis used of only two persons or things; as, “They discussed thisamongthemselves;” “This isbetweenus two.”
Among One Another.—“Among one another” is censured by critics, “withone another,” or “among themselves” being suggested as preferable.
Andshould not be used instead oftoin such sentences as “I’m going to go and get it,” for “I’m going to get it”; “Try and do it,” for “Try to do it.”
Angry At and Angry With.—“Angryat” is used when expressing anger for an animal or an inanimate object; “Angrywith,” for a human being; as, “He isangry athis dog;” “He isangry withhis brother.”
Anybody else’s, Anybody’s else.—The predominance of usage seems to be in favor of the first form, which is correct according to analogy of similar cases, which “throw” the apostrophe and s to the last word of the unified expression, generally nouns in apposition.
Any One, One,anybody,each,any one,everybody,either,neither,one,some one,somebody, should be followed by singular pronouns, or verbs.
Any one,anybody,each,every one,everybody,either,neither,nobody,some one,somebody, may be followed byheorhis.
“Any oneof these patternsissuitable.” “Every oneof the ladiesishere.” “Each oneof the soldiershasa new uniform.” “If any one wishesto make a suggestion, I wishhe(or she, or he or she) would make it.” “Anybodyinhissenses would have done it.”
Oneshould be followed, byoneorone’s. “Onedislikes to be told ofone’serrors.”
Appreciatemeans to estimate justly. “I appreciate his ill-will.” means “I am fully aware of the extent and intensity of his ill-will.”
Apt, Likely, Liable.—Aptmeansquickorskillful. “He is apt to learn,” means that he learns readily. “He is likely to learn,” means that he will probably learn. “He is liable to learn,” is incorrect.Liable formeans responsible for;liable tomeans subject to. “He is liable for the entire sum, and liable to imprisonment if he does not pay.”
Apprehend and Comprehend.—Apprehendmeans toperceive; as, “Iapprehenddanger.”Comprehendmeans tounderstand; as, “Icomprehendyour meaning.”
Asshould not be used forthatin such constructions as, “I do not knowthatI do.”
As—As, So—As.—Use the former in affirmative and the latter in negative propositions. “We areaswiseasour teachers.” “I am notsoyoungasI used to be.”
As If It Was.—Were, and notwas, is required afteras if, for the reason that the supposition is not known; thus: “It looksas if it wereall right,” not “it looksas if it wasall right.”
As thoughis often used foras if. In the sentence “He walkedas thoughhe were lame,” if the ellipsis is supplied the error will be evident. “He walkedas(he would walk)thoughhe were lame.”As thoughis seldom correct.
At, At and To, At All.—The presence ofatimproves such constructions as “He isathome,” instead of “He is home.”Atandtoare superfluous in such sentences as, “Where is he?” and “Where has he gone?” hence, their use should be avoided.At allis superfluous in such sentences as, “There is no use in your going;” “I do not know him.”
Authoress, Actress.—The terms “authoress,” “doctress,” “editress,” “poetess,” “lecturess,” are no longer used,author,doctor, etc., being correct for both sexes. Actress, notactor, however, is the required form for the feminine gender.
Avocation, Vocation.—Avocationshould not be used forvocation.Vocationis one’s employment;avocation, one’s diversion from that employment.
Awful, Awfully.—Do not use these words as intensives or for supposed force.Awfulshould mean that which inspires awe. “Theawfulmysteries of the world unseen.”
Bad, Badly.—Badis not to be used for severe, as “I have abadheadache.”Badlyis also inelegantly used for very much, as “I need moneybadly.”
Character.—It is in general wrong to speak of a person as acharacter.Characteris justly applied to the ideal personages delineated by novelists. Possessing no real personality, they arecharactersand nothing more.
Character, Reputation.—One’scharacteris what one really is; one’sreputationis what people think of one. We may have a goodcharacterand a poorreputation, andvice versa.
Choose, Chosen.—“She has chose the blue silk.” Say “has chosen.” But say, in the imperfect, “she chose him in preference to the others.”
Combine together.—“He combined them together.” Omittogether.
Commence, Begin.—Begin, when followed by a verb, takestoand the infinitive after it.Commenceshould take the present participle. We “begin to do,” we “commence working.”Beginmay take the participle, butcommenceshould take the infinitive.
Consonant.—“It isconsonant toour nature,” is a more usual expression than “it isconsonant with.” Butconsonant withis not improper.
Contractions, while not permissible in dignified utterance or in formal writing, are in accordance with the conversational employment of the language. The following is the list:
I’m not,you’re not,he’s not,we’re not,they’re notare used in the declarative form, andisn’t he(she, orit),aren’t you(we,they) in the interrogative. In the declarative form,You’re not,he’s not, etc., are preferable toyou aren’t,he isn’t, etc.Am I notis not contracted,ain’tbeing regarded as objectionable foram I not, and as a vulgarism forisn’t. [Seeain’t.]
“He (she or it)don’t” for He (she or it)doesn’tis always incorrect.I don’t,you don’t,he doesn’t,we don’t,you don’t,they don’t, are in accordance with the conversational employment of the language.
Mayn’t I(ormay I not) is correct in the interrogative form;you can’t(oryou can not) in the declarative form. In this connection note thatmayis used when asking and granting permission, and thatcan, which ordinarily expresses ability, is used in the declarative form when denying permission; thus: “MayI go.” “No, youcan not.”
The contractionsshan’tandwon’tare in accordance with conversational usage.
Conversant.—We are conversantwithmen andinthings.Conversant about thingsis improper.
Converse together.—“They conversed together for more than an hour.” Omittogether.
Copy.—We copyaftera person; we copyafteractions. We copyfromthings, as from a picture, or from a statue. In such case, a copyfromthe work is also said to be a copyafterthe artist.
Correspond.—Correspond, meaning to hold intercourse by means of letters, is followed bywith. “I have corresponded with him for several years.”Withis also used withcorrespond, to signifyconsistent with.Correspondis frequently followed byto, when it expresses adaptability or appropriateness. “His style of living corresponded to his means.”
Cover over.—“He covered it over.” Say “he covered it.”
Dead corpses.—“Evil spirits are not occupied about the dead corpses of bad men.” Omitdead; it is implied incorpses.
Dependent.—“He is dependentofhis father.” Say “dependenton.” But with independent sayof.
Derogate.—Say derogatefrom, derogatoryto, “derogationfrom,” orto.
Depot, Station.—Adepotis properly a place where goods or stores are kept. The place where a railway train stops for passengers may better be called astation.
Did, Done.—“Who done it?” Say “who did it?” “who has done it?”
Differ.—We differwitha person in opinion. One differsfromanother in other respects. The English barbarism ofdiffer to,different to, is intolerable, and reverses the meaning of the wordto.
Direct, Address.—Weaddressa letter to a person. Wedirectit to his post office, to the point at which, or to the person through whom, he will receive it. A letteraddressedto the president may bedirectedto his secretary.
Disappointed, Agreeably Disappointed.—It is better to sayagreeably surprised. The meaning most closely associated withdisappointmentis that it is not agreeable.
Dissent.—We dissentfrom, notwith.
Distinct, Distinctly.—“The girl speaks distinct.” Say “speaks distinctly.”
Divide.—We divide thingsbetweentwo,amongmany.
Drank, Drunk.—“He was very thirsty, and drunk eagerly.” Say “drank.” “He has drank three glasses of soda water.” Say “has drunk.” “Drunken,” the ancient form of the participle, is not now used.
Drove, Driven.—“They have drove very fast.” Say “they have driven.” But, using the imperfect, say “They drove the people out, and locked the gates.”
Dry.—“I am dry, let me have a glass of water.” Say “I am thirsty.” Usingdryin this sense suggests the dramshop.
Each, Either.—“A row of trees stood on either side of the river.” The use ofeitherin such cases is disapproved by some writers, but it is sanctioned by long and unexceptional usage, and by the deliberate judgment of well-informed critics. The use ofeach—“a row of trees stood on each side of the river” is indisputably correct.
Each,Every,Eitherare singular, and take the verb in the singular number. Such errors as the following should be guarded against: “Each of the daughters take an equal share.” Say “takes.” “Every leaf, every twig, every blade, every drop of water, teem with life.” Say “teems.” Also, instead of “one of those houses have been sold,” say “has been sold.”
Eat, Ate, Eaten.—Say “I ate my breakfast at five o’clock this morning,” not “I eat it,” or “I et it.” “I have eaten my dinner,” not “I have ate it,” or “I have et it.”
Eitheris followed byor. “I shall either send it or bring it myself.”
Either and Neitherare used when two objects are mentioned, or two assertions are made; when there are more than two objects or assertions, they need not be employed. In such case, instead ofeither, no pronoun or conjunction need be used; instead ofneither,noornotmay be employed. When two persons are mentioned, “Either you or I must go.” In case of three persons, “You or I or John must go.” With two assertions, negative, “He will neither do it himself nor let any one else do it.” With three negative assertions, “He will not publish the accounts of his office, or allow the public access to them, or permit them to be examined by competent, impartial parties.” Usage on the last point is not uniform. Very many good writers useneither,nor,nor, with three or more negative assertions.
Emigrant, Immigrant.—Anemigrantis a person who goes out from a country or a state to reside in another; animmigrantis one who comes into the state to live, from abroad.
Equally as.—Asshould not be used afterequally. Sayequally high,equally dear,equally handsome, etc.; notequally as high,equally as dear,equally as handsome.
Equally as well as.—“I can do it equally as well as he.” Omitequally; it is implied in the wordsas well as.
Equally the same.—“It is equally the same.” Say “it is the same.”
Everybody, Anybody.—Refers to male and female.
For want of a pronoun of common gender, use the masculine—he, his, him—unless the other sex is specified. “They” is plural and must not be used.
Anybody can do what they like. (wrong.)
Anybody can do what he likes.
Everybody will have to make up their minds. (wrong.)
Everybody will have to make up his mind.
Everybody has their faults. (wrong.)
Everybody has his faults.
If anybody calls, let them wait. (wrong.)
If anybody calls, let him wait.
Exceeding, Exceedingly.—“He was exceeding kind to me.” Sayexceedingly kind. “She was exceeding careful.” Sayexceedingly careful.
Except,Unless, are often used confusedly. “I shall go except I am ill.” Say “unless I am ill.” “I saw them all unless two or three.” Say “except two or three.” The correct usage is easily learned by observing thatexceptshould be used as a preposition,unlessas a conjunction.
Fall.—We fallunderreproach, notice, censure, etc. We fallfromour friends,fromvirtue; we falluponour enemies,amongevil associations,intobad habits.
Farther, Further.—Fartherrefers to space;furtherto time, degree, and extensions of thought. The distinction is not a necessary one, but it is now very generally observed.
Fewer, Less.—Fewerrelates to numbers,lessto quantities. “No man had less friends,” should be fewer friends. But saylessmoney,lessstrength, etc.
Few, Little, Many, Much.—Fewandmanyrefer to number;littleandmuchto quantity. In speaking of articles that are rated by counting, usefewandmany; in speaking of articles which are rated by measure, uselittleandmuch. “A few potatoes,” “so many days.”
First.—“Thetwo first” should be “thefirst two.” There can be only one first.
Fluent, Fluently.—“He speaks very fluent.” Sayvery fluently.
Forward,backward,toward,upward,onward,downward,hitherward,thitherward,afterward,heavenward,earthward, etc., should be written without the finalswhich is often added to them.
Funeral obsequies.—Sayobsequies. The sense offuneralis contained in this word. It would be as proper to speak of a “wedding marriage-ceremony” as of “funeral obsequies.”
Generally,always,never,often,rarely,seldom,sometimes, are adverbs which generally come before the verb.
Gentleman friend, Lady friend.—Instead of “my gentleman friend,” say “my friend Mr. ——.” Instead of “my lady friend,” say “my friend Miss ——,” or Mrs. ——.
Gentleman, Lady.—These titles have been applied without discrimination till they have lost almost all the meaning they once had. Many persons have ceased to use them entirely, and employmanandwomanas good enough titles for anybody. There are no nobler titles thanman,woman; no higher expressions for qualities of grace or virtue thanmanly,womanly.
Get.—“I am afraid Mary is getting crazy.” Say “is growing,” or “is becoming crazy.” “John got left by the train.” Say “was left.” Wegetanything that we come in possession of. We may alsogeta disease. Butgetmust be followed by a noun as its object.
Good for Well.—“He can do it as good as any one else can.” Sayas well.
Got.—I have a pen. Not I havegota pen.
Gratuitous.—“That is a gratuitous assumption.” It is better to say “unfounded,” “unreasonable,” or “unwarranted.”
Guess.—Guessis commonly used in the United States to meanthink, as in “Iguessyou are right” for “Ithink,” etc.
Had ought.—Provincial and incorrect.Hador any form of the verbto havecannot correctly be used as an auxiliary withought. Useshouldorought not. Not “Hehadn’t oughtto have gone,” but “Heshould nothave gone.”
Hain’t.—A vulgarism. There is no such contraction forhave notorhas not.
Hang, Hanged.—The verbhanghas two forms for the past participle,hangedandhung.Hangedis used for persons;hungfor other objects. “The man washanged.” “The coat washungon the rack.”
He, Him.—It is him whom.—“It is him whom you said it was.” Say “it is he.”
Healthy, Healthful.—That ishealthywhich is in good health; that ishealthfulwhich promotes health. “Bread and milk is a healthful food which makes healthy children.”
I and Me.—“They went with James and I.” Say “with James and me.”
If I was.—Use the subjunctive in all cases where the conditions are contrary to fact. “If Iwereyou, I should go.” “If Iwerea man, I should practice law.” I am not you, and I am not a man. Use the indicative in cases of uncertainty. “If Iwasin town that day, I did not see you.” I am uncertain as to whether I was or not.
In, Into.—Useinto signify rest in a place; useintoto signify motion toward a place. “He was standing with his handsinhis pockets.” “I put my handsintomy pockets.” “I cameinan automobile.” “The stranger walkedintothe room.”
Indeterminate possessive.—“Every child should obey their parents.” Say “his parents.” “No one should incur censure for being careful of their good character.” Sayhis, orherif talking more particularly of women. “Let each of us mind their own business.” Say “his own business.”Theiris frequently used improperly, as a substitute. In such cases,hisorhershould be used, according as the object most prominent in the expression, or in the speaker’s thought, is masculine or feminine. In cases of doubt or indifference, usehis. In the nominative we may sayone. But in the possessive and objective we must sayhis,himorher.
Indifferent, indifferently.—“He was indifferent honest.” Say “indifferently honest.”
Infinitive.—SeeSplit Infinitive.
Ingenuous, Ingenious.—Ingenuousis simple, honest, open, unaffected.Ingeniousis skillful, versatile, ready in contriving.
Jew, Hebrew, Israelite.—AJewis a member of the Hebraic division of the Semitic race; in consequenceHebrewis the linguistic name of theJews. Historically, under the theocracy, they were known asHebrews; under the monarchy, asIsraelites; and during foreign domination, asJews. The modern representatives of this stock call themselvesHebrewsin race and language, andIsraelitesin religion, butJewsin both senses.
Jewelry, Jewels.—Jewelryis a collective noun, andjewelsis a plural noun. In nice usage the termjewelrydesignates the stock of a jeweler;jewels, the articles of adornment worn by a lady.
Join issue and Take issue.—In nice usage, “joinissue” means toadmit the right of the denial of a statement. “Takeissue” means merelyto deny.
Kind ofshould not be used forsomewhat. Instead of “I amkind oftired,” one properly says, “I amsomewhattired.”
Kind of a.—A is superfluous in such constructions as, “Whatkindof man is he?” (not “kind ofa”). The same rule applies tosort.
Kind and Kinds.—SeeTheseandThis.
Know, Knew, Known.—“I knowed it.” Say “I knew it.” “I have knowed it all along.” Say “I have known it.”
Latter end.—“I expect to get through by the latter end of the week.” Say “by the end of the[721]week.” “The latter end of that man shall be peace.” Say “the end of that man.”
Learn, Teach.—These words are often confounded. The pupillearns, the instructorteaches. One person cannotlearnanother, but mustteachhim.
Leave, Lief.—Say “give me leave to tell you,” notlief. But “I would as lief do it as not,” notleave.
Leisure upon one’s hands.—“If you have any leisure upon your hands.” Say “if you are at leisure.”
Lend, Loan.—“Loan me five dollars.” Say “lend me five dollars.” The money having been lent him, the borrower has obtained aloanof that sum, or has borrowed it.
Lengthways, Sideways, Otherways.—These forms are erroneous. Say, and write,lengthwise,sidewise,otherwise.
Lie, Lay.—Distinguish between the verbs:—
lie—to tell lies
Present Tense—He lies like truth.
Present Tense—He is lying.
Past Tense—But he lied unto him.
Past Tense—Wherefore have ye lied to me?
Past Tense—Why have you been lying to me?
lie—to lie down
Present—The dog lies under the table.
Present—The dog is lying under the table.
Past—He lay upon the bed.
Past—He has lain there for hours.
Past—He has been lying there for hours.
lay—to put a thing down
Present—The boy lays his books on the table.
Present—The boy is laying his books on the table.
Past—He laid his head upon the block.
Past—The hen has laid an egg.
Past—The hen has been laying all the winter.
Liable, Apt.—Aptmeans fit, ready, quick to do a thing, or to be subjected to certain conditions. It generally implies willingness.Liablesignifies bound to duties, subject or exposed to inconveniences or dangers, and implies no regard to the will of its subject. “John will be apt to catch the fever if he goes into that house,” should be “John will be liable,” etc. A person who is studious may be spoken of asaptto learn, andliableto become dyspeptic.
Like.—“We don’t do that like you do.” Say “as you do.” This misuse oflikeis common with English women novelists.Asshould be used when a verb follows, or is understood to follow. Where no verb is implied,likemay be employed.
Like for As.—Like should not be used as a conjunction. Say: “Do as I do,” not, “do like I do,” or, “do like me.”
Like, Love.—Loveis often used instead oflike, and is thereby made to lose all its force. Welovewhat the heart goes out to, that for which we entertain a fond and lasting affection. Welovewives, husbands, parents, children, near friends. Welikewhat we have a taste for, what pleases us in passing, or what is generally agreeable to us, as acquaintances, sweetmeats, pleasant weather, music, painting, reading. We regret for a long time the loss of what welove, we soon cease to be troubled at missing what welike.
Limb.—“She fell, and bruised her limb.” Say what limb. The arm is a limb, as well as the leg. The foolish shame which avoids mentioning the leg by name, is not modesty, but prudery.
Lit.—Not to be used forlighted. Instead of saying “Helitthe gas,” say “helightedthe gas.” Do not say “Heliton his feet,” but “helightedon his feet.”
Locate.—“I shall locate in Iowa.” Saysettle.Locatehas acquired a certain technical currency. The purchaser of land warrantslocatesby selecting a particular tract to claim under it.Place,settle,fix,establish, can be substituted for it in most cases, and are better.
Mad.—Should not be used forangry.
Mail man.—An inelegant form forpostman.
Me being.—“Me being absent, the young folks lived high.” Say “I being absent,” or “while I was absent,” or “during my absence.”
Me, I.—“Is it me you mean?” Say “is it I?” or “do you mean me?”
Me, My.—“In consequence of me neglecting.”—“The horse got away in consequence of me neglecting to fasten the gate.” Say “in consequence of my neglecting,” etc.
Monstrous.—Monstrousdoes not mean large. It meansill-formed,misshapen, deviating from the course of nature, of a character to inspire unpleasant feelings. But an object so unusually large as to appear terrible may be figuratively styledmonstrous.
More—than, notmore—as. “He wasmorebeloved but not so much admiredashis brother.” This sentence must be recast.
“He wasmorebelovedthanhis brother, but not so much admired.” Or,
“Though not so much admired as his brother, he was more beloved.”
Mortgagor, Mortgagee.—Themortgagoris the debtor, who pledges the property which is in mortgage. Themortgageeis the creditor, to whom the mortgage is made.
Most.—Not to be used foralmost; as “He is heremostevery day.”
Mutual.—Does not meancommon, butreciprocal. “We may have acommonfriend, but amutualdislike”; that is, a dislike for each other.
Myself.—Not to be used forI. Do not say “John andmyselfare friends”; but “John andI,” etc.
Near, Nearly.—“I lostneartwenty pounds.” Say “nearlytwenty pounds.”
Neither for Either.—“That is not the case, neither.” Say “either.” The double negative is wrong.
Neither, Nor.—Negatives other than neither may takeorornoras their correlative. With subjects connected by “either—or,” “neither—nor,” the verb must be singular:—
Neither he nor his brotherweretrained for the ministry.
should be
Neither he nor his brotherwastrained for the ministry.
Either the master or his servant was responsible.
Neither ignorance nor negligence has been the cause of his ruin.
New beginner.—Saybeginner. When one begins anything, he is new at it of course.
Nice.—A very generally misused word. Properlynicemeansdelicate,discriminating,fastidious. The works of a watch showniceconstruction; a man may benicein his manners. The word should not be used to meanagreeableorcharmingas “I had anicetime.”
Nicely.—Do not usenicelyforwell, as “The sick man is doingnicely.”
Nobody else.—“There was nobody else but him.” Omitelse.
No for Not.—“I cannot tell whether this is correct orno,” is wrong. Say, “I cannot tell whether this is correct ornot.”
None, is the same as no one, and is properly singular. It is, however, used in both numbers, according as the context seems to make appropriate.
Not as I know of.—Incorrectly used fornot that I know of.
Not me.—“Who made that noise?” “Not me.” Say “not I.” “It wasn’t me.” Say “it wasn’t I.” The use ofmeis defended by some writers.
Not only—but also.—Correlatives must be placed immediately before the words connected.
“Henot onlylent me his horsebut alsosent his carriage.”
“He lent menot onlyhis horsebut alsohis carriage.”
Number, Quantity.—Numbershould be used in[722]speaking of objects that are counted,quantitywith those that are measured.Much,little, andless, answer to quantity, andmany,few, andfewer, to numbers;moreanswers to both.
Of.—“A child of four years old.” Say “a child four years old,” or “a child of four years.”
Off of.—“There were ten yards of the cloth before I cut this piece off of it.” Say “before I cut this piece off it,” or “from it.”
One.—Oneis the only singular personal pronoun of common gender.
“Onemust not forgetone’sduty toone’scountry.” This frequent repetition is disagreeable.
“No man must forget his duty to his country.”
“A man must not forget his duty to his country.”
Onlyis best placed immediately before the word it modifies. In case there can be no ambiguity it may be placed immediately after the word it modifies.
OnlyI wrote to him to-day. (No one else wrote.)
Ionlywrote to him yesterday. (I did not telephone.)
I wroteonlyto him to-day. (I wrote to no one else.)
I wrote to himonlyto-day. (No longer ago than to-day.)
I wrote him to-dayonly. (I had not written before.)
This car for membersonly. (For none but members.)
Only, Alone.—“He alone can do it,” implies that he can do it without help. It would be better, “He can do it alone.” “He only can do it,” signifies that he, and no other person, can do it. Usingalonein the sense ofonlymay lead to ambiguity.
Onto.—We getona horse andona chair, notonto.
Orate.—An unauthorized form commonly used to meanto give an oration.
Over.—Do not useoverin the sense ofmore than; as, “I haveovera hundred dollars”; “The stick isovera yard long.”
Over a bridge.—“He went over the bridge.” It is more exact to say, “he went across the bridge.” A bird may flyovera bridge, if it does not touch the bridge.
Overhead and ears.—“We went in overhead and ears.” Sayoverhead. The head carries the ears. But “overhead and ears in debt” is a phrase which it will be hard to abolish.
Partial, Partially.—“This view is partially correct.” “Partly correct,” or “in part correct,” is better.Partiallymeans, properly, one sided, with bias.
Persuasion, in the sense of religious denomination or belief, is objectional.Sect,denomination,belief, or “school of belief,” are proper substitutes.
Plunge down.—“He plunged down into the stream.” Omitdown.
Possessives.—
Rule.—Use the apostrophe and the letters(or change the form) only when the noun (or pronoun) itself represents the possessor.
This is a photographofmy uncle.
She is a servant of myaunt’s.
This is a criticismof John. (Some one else wrote it about John.)
This is an opinionof John’s. (John’s opinion; that is, John uttered it.)
This is an opinionof John. (Some one else uttered it.)
Plural and Singular Words.—Molassesis singular. The habit of giving it a plural construction is an error. Say “that molasses is souring,” not “them molasses are souring.”
Words likescissors,snuffers,tongs,trousers, etc., denoting articles which are paired or coupled, are plural, and take a plural verb. “The scissors are dull,” not “is dull.”
This is the birthplace of the President. (Not President’s.)
This is the private office of the Secretary. (Not Secretary’s.)
He is a friendof the Bank’s. (One of several friends.)
He is an enemyof mine. (One or more possessed by me.)
He is a brotherof mine. (One or more possessed by me.)
He is a friendof hers. (One or more possessed by her.)
I cannot endure that rasping voiceof Bridget’s. (One voice.)
Prepositions.—Never use a preposition to end a sentence:
For whom is that? To whom are you writing? The matter to which I am referring.
Two prepositions should not come together, as: “That is the man I wentto foradvice.” But, “That is the man to whom I went for advice.”
Previous, Previously.—“He wrote me previous to his coming.” Say “previously to his coming.”
Quantity, Number.—Quantityis used of that which can be measured;number, of that which can be counted; as, “There is a largequantityof sugar on hand”; “There are a largenumberof eggs in the basket.”
In connection with the use of the singular or the plural verb with the wordnumber, note that the plural verb is used whennumbermeansseveral; the singular, whennumberis used to stand for a unit; as, “Anumberof personsaregoing” (several); “Thenumber islimited to five.”
Quite.—“There are quite a number of Americans here.” Say “there are several.” One isquitea number. It is correct to say “there are quite twenty” to express that the number is completely made up—which is the meaning ofquite.
Raised.—“I was raised in the South.” Say “brought up.” “I was raised in Mr. Stephens’ family.” Say “taken care of,” “brought up,” “instructed,” or “trained.” We “raise” horses, cattle, sheep, swine, poultry and crops, but apply a more refining process to human beings.
Ran, Run.—Say “this horse has often run a mile in two minutes and a half; yesterday he ran a mile in two minutes and three-quarters.”
Rang, Rung.—“I have rang the bell half a dozen times.” Say “have rung.” But say in the imperfect, “they rang the bells merrily for Christmas day.”
Rather—than, Prefer—to.—“Hepreferreddoing nothingrather thanrun the risk of doing wrong,” should be “He preferred doing nothing rather than running the risk of doing wrong”; or “He preferred to do nothing rather than to run the risk of doing wrong.”
Receipt and Recipe.—One properly says, “Thereceiptcalls for three cupfuls of flour,”recipebeing restricted in its use as a medical term. Century gives the following:Receiptis distinguished fromrecipeby the common restriction of that word [recipe] to medical and relative uses; as, “Areceiptfor a pudding.”
Reckon.—Provincial forthink. “Ireckonhe will come soon.” Say “Ithink” or “Ibelieve.”
Reference, Recommendation.—A person seeking employment or position, names certain persons who know him as hisreferences. They may, if they are so disposed, and can do so with truth, give him theirrecommendation.
Regard.—“In regardofthis matter.” Say “in regardto,” or “with regardto.”
Regardedfromthat standpoint, but looked atinthat light.
Relations, Relatives, Kin, Kindred.—It is better to speak of onesrelativesthan of hisrelations.Relationshas other meanings.Kinandkindredare old English words, which deserve to be more in fashion than they are.
Relative Pronouns.—Whois used exclusively with persons,whichexclusively with things, andthat[723]with persons and things. In common conversationthatis more frequently used with persons thanwho. Butwhois considered more elegant.
Examples of the correct use of the relative pronouns,who,which,that, andwhat:
I gave the money to the driver,whowill give it to his employer.
I brought her a book, from the library,whichshe enjoyed very much.
This is the housethatshe bought.
I do not want you to repeatwhatI have told you.
(1) In the last sentencewhatis equivalent tothat whichor thething which. It differs from the other relative pronouns in thatits antecedent is never expressed, it being implied in the word itself (that which).
(2)Whatis always of the neuter gender, and is used in only the nominative and the objective case.Who,whose, andwhomare either masculine and feminine (common gender) and are used, respectively, in the nominative, the possessive, and the objective case.
(3)Whichis neuter and may be used in either the nominative or the objective case.
(4)Whoseis the form of the possessive for eitherwhoorwhich.
Remarkable, Remarkably.—“She is a remarkable pretty girl.” Sayremarkably pretty.
Reside and Live.—The simple wordliveis preferable toresidewhen referring to one’s place of residence,residebeing reserved for more stately occasions.
Respect.—Instead of “in respect of,” say “in respectto,” or “with respectto.”
Respectfully and Respectively.—Respectfullymean in a respectful manner;respectivelyrefers to persons or things thought of singly; as, “He behavedrespectfullytoward his parents”; “The names of the boys are,respectively, John, Henry, and James.”
Rise up.—“He rose up and left the room.” Say “he rose”; say also,raise,lift,hoist; notraise up,lift up,hoist up.
Saw, Seen, See.—“I see him last Monday.” Say “I saw him.” “I seen him yesterday.” Say “I saw him.” “I haven’t saw him for along time.” Say “I haven’t seen him.”Seeis present,sawimperfect,seenthe participle. The habit of confusing them prevails widely.
Section.—“Mr. —— does not live in this section.” Say “in this neighborhood,” “vicinity,” or “part of the country.” Asection, in geography, is one square mile, or six hundred and forty acres of land, which has been laid out by the government.
Shall and Will.—Shallin the first person andwillin the second and third persons denote mere futurity.
Willin the first person andshallin the second and third denote volition.
In asking questionsshallmust always be used with a subject in the first person. In the second and third persons we useshallandwillaccording to the answers that we expect. When we expect the answershall, we useshallin asking the question. When we expect the answerwill, we usewillin asking the question.
Similar statements are true ofshouldandwould.
The proper use ofshall,will,should, andwouldin indirect discourse may be determined by turning the sentence into the direct discourse and choosing the proper word according to the rule.
With all three persons, we may usewouldto express a wish. Also we may usewouldwithout regard to future time, to denote that an action is customary; as, “He would often fish for days in succession.”
Shouldis sometimes used in its original sense ofought; as, “You should not do that.”
The forms given below are examples of the simple future statement.
Examples:
If we wish to add the idea of a compelling force, or of determination or obligation, the proper auxiliary for the first person iswill; for the second and third persons,shall.
Examples:
I shall have satisfactionmeans that the satisfaction will come in the course of time.
I will have satisfactionmeansI am determined to have it.
Sink down.—“The stone sunk down in the water.” Omitdown.
Some for Somewhat.—“He is some better today.” It is better to say “he is somewhat better.”
Split Infinitive.—To explain, to thank (infinitive). These words should not be separated (split). “Have the goodness to clearly explain,” should be “Have the goodness to explain clearly.”
“I want to personally thank you,” should be “I want to thank you personally.”
Tenses.—In subordinate clauses the tense of the verb is relative to the tense of the principal verb.
“He intended to have done so,” should be “He intended to do so.”
The imperfect tense,I didis used in speaking of events which took place before a time that is past.
The perfect tense,I have done, is used in speaking of events which have been completed before the present time.
Than me.—“He is taller than me.” The word afterthanshould be in the same case with the word before it.
Than him.—“You are stronger than him.” Say “than he.”
That.—SeeRelative Pronouns.
Thee and You.—“I owe thee a heavy debt of gratitude, and you will not permit me to pay it.” Avoid such confusion of numbers. Use the same word—eithertheeoryou—in both clauses.
Them, They.—“It wasthem.” Say “it was they.”
These, This.—I don’t likethese sortof folks (this sort).
Those kind of boots—that kind (those kinds).
These kind, Those sort.—Kindandsortare singular nouns, and should be modified by singular adjectives. Say “this kind,” “that sort.”
They, Everyone.—Do not usetheyindefinitely instead ofeveryone, as, “They are always in a hurry in the city”; better say “Everyone is in a hurry in the city.”
Thoughis followed byyet. “Though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor.”
Through.—Often misused in the sense offinished. “I amthroughwith my breakfast,” instead of “I havefinishedmy breakfast.”
To be.—The verb “to be” takes the same case after it as before it. Example: “Who is there?” “It is I.” Say “It was I who rang the bell.”
Trousers, Waistcoat, Gown, Petticoat, are good old respectable English words, which point out particular garments without possibility of mistake. They are better than the new ones,pantaloons,vest,dress,skirt.
Try and.—“I will try and do it.” Say “I will try to do it.”
Uniqueis not properly modified byvery,uniquemeaning the only one of its kind.
Use to.—Used to, notuse to, is the correct form; as, “I used to gothere very often.” In negative constructions “didn’t used to” is always incorrect.
View to and View of.—One properly says, “Witha view tofinding out.” or “Withthe view offinding out.”
Visit with.—Visitis improperly followed bywithin such constructions as, “I amvisiting withfriends in New York,” “I am visiting friends,” etc., being the correct form.
Vocation.—A man’svocationis his calling, his regular business. Hisavocationis something outside of his business with which he occupies himself incidentally. My friend’svocationis the practice of law; hisavocationis photography. Still, whileavocation, in the sense ofvocation, is usually avoided by good writers, such use has some sanction of authority.
Want.—Avoidwantin the sense of “ought” or “had better,” as, “You want to hurry if you are going to catch the car”; better say “You had better hurry if you expect to catch the car.”
Was, Were.—“Was you?” “You was.” Say “were you?” “You were.”
Way, Away.—Wayshould not be used for away. “I saw him away (not way) down the road.”
What for Who, Which, and That.—SeeRelative Pronouns.
Where for In which.—“It is a cause where justice is particularly concerned.” Sayin which. “We presented a paper where his case was fully explained.” Say “a paper in which.” Butwheremay be used instead ofwhichand a preposition when place is the predominant idea. “The old house where I was born.”
Whetheris followed byor. “Whether he will go or not, I cannot tell.”
Which.—SeeRelative Pronouns.
Who.—SeeRelative Pronouns.
Without, Unless.—Withoutmust not be used forunless. “You won’t catch the trainwithoutyou run,” should be, “You won’t catch the trainunlessyou run.”
“My uncle would not take mewithoutmy mother wished it,” should be “My uncle would not take meunlessmy mother wished it.”
Wrong and Wrongly.—Wrongis an adverb as well as an adjective. For this reason,wrongis often interchangeably used withwrongly; as, “The mail was sent offwrong” (orwrongly). When preceding the verb,wronglyis required; as “The letter waswronglyaddressed.”
The following are the general rules for the use of capitals, together with the abbreviations most commonly used. Many special uses of capital letters are also insisted upon by writers which cannot be reduced to general rules.
Rule 1.—The first word of every sentence should begin with a capital letter.
A sentence preceded by an introductory word or clause such as Resolved, Be it enacted, etc., begins with a capital notwithstanding the introductory word.
Rule II.—The first word of a direct quotation, of an important statement, and of a direct question, should begin with a capital.
Examples:
One truth is clear: Whatever is, is right.—Pope.Ask yourselves this question: Are you doing right?
Rule III.—The first word of every line of poetry should begin with a capital.
Rule IV.—All proper names begin with capitals. If the proper name consists of several words, all are capitalized except articles, prepositions, and conjunctions.
Examples:—San Diego, Burton-on-Trent, the Grand Army of the Republic.
The wordsstreet,road,lake,river,mountain, etc., should begin with capitals when used in connection with proper names.
Examples:—Crawford Road, Prospect Street, Lake Erie, Cuyahoga River, Little Mountain.
North,South,East, andWest, should begin with capitals when they mean sections of the country and not points of the compass.
Example:—Chicago, the largest city of the West, is south of Lake Michigan.
Capitalizecityonly when part of the corporate name,New York City,Washington City.
Rule V.—Names of days and months always take a capital; but the names of seasons of the year are not commonly capitalized.
Rule VI.—Titles of office before personal names, and other titles so placed which are not mere common names of vocation, are written with capitals.
Examples:—Senator Jones,Doctor(orDr.)Brown,Aunt Jane,MissorMaster Gray; butcoachman Smith,barber Harris, etc.
Titles of dignity are also commonly capitalized when used alone, as in address, or with the definite article.
Examples:—the President,Senator,Judge,the Judge,District Attorney.
When title, with or without Christian name, precedes “de,” use lower-case “d”; this rule applies also to “la,” “di,” “von,” “van,” etc.
Examples:—Marquis de Lafayette,Di Cesnola,Prince von Moltke,Von Humboldt,Dr. la Mond,De Chaulnes,Mr. van Renssalaer.
Rule VII.—Many special names of a common kind are, in particular uses, treated as proper nouns and capitalized.
Examples:—Congress,Parliament,Senate,House of Representatives,State(for one of the United States),Hudson River Railroad,Aldine Printing Company.
Capitalize the names of political parties; as,Republican Party,Democratic Party,Progressive Party, etc.
CapitalizeChristmas Day,New Year’s Day,Lincoln’s Birthday,Washington’s Birthday,Good Friday,Decoration DayorMemorial Day,Fourth of July,Labor Day,Election Day,Thanksgiving Day, etc.; a noted day, asBlack Friday, etc.; butblue Monday.
CapitalizeNortherner,Southerner,Northern gentleman,Southern blood, etc.
Capitalize names of important events and periods: as,the Creation,the Fall,the Flood,the Reformation,the Revolution(French or American),Civil War(American),the Middle Ages,the Union,Reconstruction.
Capitalize religious denominations; as,Methodist,Episcopal Church,St. Mark’s Church,Church and State, etc.
Church is without the capital always when used alone or when meaning congregation or building; as, aMethodist church in Hoboken.
CapitalizeCollege,Club,Society, etc., when referring to that particular body, in by-laws, proceedings, or other publications of a college, club, society, company, etc.
CapitalizeMonsieur,Madame,Signor, etc.
CapitalizeStateonly when referring to one of the United States.
Rule VIII.—Adjectives and nouns derived from proper names are written with capitals.
Examples:—Jacksonian,New Yorker,Congressman(ifCongresshas a capital).