Helpful hints in English : a companion volume to "Better Say" : a book of helpful suggestions for the correct use of English words and phrases

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1^ 1

GIFT or

BOOKS arc delightful when
prosperity happily smiles;
when adversity threatens,
they are inseparable comforters.
TTiey give strength to human
compacts, nor are grave opin-
ions brought forward without
books. Arts and sciences, the
benefits of which no mind can
calculate, depend upon books.
RICHARD AUNCERVYLE.

d by Google

Copyright, 1911, by
FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY

New York

d by Google

HELPFUL HINTS
IN ENGLISH

A COMPANION VOLUME TO
''BETTER SAYr A BOOK OF
HELPFUL SUGGESTIONS FOR
THE CORRECT USE OF ENG-
LISH WORDS AND PHRASES

Compiled by

James C. Fernald, L.H.D.

Editor on Staff of the Funk & IVagnalh Standard
Dictionary: Editor of the Students' Standard
Dictionary: Author of English S^no-
ny^mst Anton\fms and Preposi-
tions, Etc,

FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY

NEW YORK AND LONDON
1911

uutCoOgic

Introduction to
Helpful Hints in English

Idioms and Errors in English

An idiom is not an error, and an error does
not rise to the dignity of an idiom.

An idiom is a crisp, compact form of speech, full
of condensed, vigorous meaning, but defiant of all
rules of grammar or logic ; as, look out, let go, let
alone, hold on (meaning stop), I can^t stand it, etc.

A Modem Greek student in an American college
would say, when one of these forms was explained
to him, "Ah I That is one of your idiotisms.''''
The mistake of the purists is, that they hold every
idiom to be an idiotism, and would weed out of
the language all those terse expressions that can
neither be parsed nor analyzed. They consider it
dreadful to say, " There is a man here who sells
oysters," for how can there be here f If the man
is there he can not be here.

So they would go at our language with square,
saw, and chisel, to shape it to system, as if a
nurseryman were to scrape off in the spring every
swelling bud that breaks the even contour of
the bark.

The ^om is of anciznt^jBage and full of life ;
it comes down from an tmaziaiytic past, when men
thQu^bt, tpolj^e^ and lived, wil^cmt too curiously
asking w&y. - It clijags. t^ tlie JiVlng speech, and
can be really understood and felt only by coming
into close touch with those who join the phrase
with life and action. For the health and vigor of
a language it is as needful to protect the idioms as
to eradicate the errors; in fact, we could far
better afford to tolerate some errors than to
abolish all idioms. Hence, when we meet the
purist with ax on his shoulder, we call out,
" Woodman, spare that idiom I " We cling to the

inheritance of the Anglo-Saxon toils and conquests
on sea and shore, crystallized into the sparkling
brilliancy of idiomatic English speech.

Errors by commonness may masquerade as
idioms, but differ from them as being confused
rather than condensed.

Errors in English may be :—

1. In the misuse of words and phrases, as of
statue for statute^ respectively for respectfully^
affect for effect^ etc. ; in the use of a good word in
a false connection, as when the Irish' American
** regretted that he was not bom in his native
country," or in some parts of the West one will
ask a stranger, ** Where is your native home ? " ;
or, perhaps, in the use of falsely formed words that
have no real existence ; as, irregardless.

2. In false constructions; as, **The president
does not £md never has used tobacco in any form ; ^ '
"He is taller than mc."

8. In n[iistaken pronunciation. In the spoken
language the pronunciation of the word is the
word; the only element of communication be-
tween speaker and hearer is the uttered sound.
False pronunciation may disguise a word so as to
make it unrecognizable. A Boston shipping firm
received from one of their captains the apparent
cipher :

" Own to the bloked the vige is spilt."

At last they discovered that the seaman had
written phoneticaUy as he pronounced, and that
the message was :

" Owing to the blockade the voyage is spoilt "
(Ow'n' to the blok'ed the vige is spilt).

In less extreme cases a false pronunciation affects
an educated hearer as a false note affects a musical
ear, with a sense of jar and discord, as when one
sayfe probly for probably. It is the purpose of the
following pages to justify some of the best*known
idioms against attack, and to correct some of the
most common errors in English expression.

3833^8 . ed by Google

KEY TO PRONUNCIATION

The letters need in the phonetic respelling have the
sounds given in the following table. The mark ^ under
a letter, as fi, indicates a colloquial weakening of the vowel«
sound toward u in b«t. The mark w indicates that the
colloquial weakening is toward i in pity.

a as in partake, monarch, breakfast, final.

a as in arm, alms, calm, father, martyr.

g as in ask, chant, dance, fast, grasp.

a as in at, add, man, random.

ft as in fare, bear, fair, heir, th«re.

ft as in alloy, accuse, madman.

e as in p«n, sunset, excuse, ferry, yet.

e as in eclipse, epistle, elegant, element.

fi as in moment, absence, colonel.

fir as in ever, fern, bird, fir.

e as in fate, ale, aid, eighty play, they.

fi as in usage, mountain, preface.

i as in Un, it, divide, fill, miss.

t as in machine, meet, eve, bier, serene.

I as in react, remain, create.

o as in obey, follow, eulogy, theory.

as in no, glory, note, blow, over, foal.

e as in not, odd, what, comma, forest, was.

B as in nor, abhor, ovght, authority, walk.

9 as in actor, idiot, atom.

n as in tuW, could, book, woman, put.

Q as in rule, rude, food, unto, wooing.

as in measure, inj?/re, nature.

n as in but, tub, zoider, nation, hurry.

9 as in bum, cur, curl, hurt, work, wort.

ai as in pine, eye, ply, heighU ice, fire.

an as in ofit, thou, oz&l, bo7/nd, toion.

ei as in oil, boy, avoid, joint, motst.

in as in duration, mulatto.

iti as in Uw^ adduce, duty, mute.

iQ as in future, lecture, nature.

c = k as in cat, epochs sceptic, chasm, iUnff.

ch as in cAurcb, c^air, match, chip, much,

cw = qu as in oueen, ^uite, ^wit, ouality.

dh (Ih) as in the, then, smoofh, hreathe.

f as in/ancy, sul/^ir, physic, \augh.

f(hard) as in ^o, gun, game, 6og.

w (wh) as in why, when, where, whiie.

j as in /aw, ^m, pi<7eon, reli^on, soWier.

ng as in sing, \ona, iJongve, finng.

as in i;?k, barak^ junction, si7?g1e.

as in rin, cell, city, vice, cypres*,

sh as in she, chaise, machine, ocean, social,

th as in thin, yfoHh, brca/A, ipith, tMxik.

z as in eone, is, lives, music, wise,

zh as in a^ure, treasure, ambrosia.

P

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HELPFUL HINTS
IN ENGLISH

[The phonetics of this book are those of the Scientific Alphabet
prepared by The Ahbiucam Philological Association, adopted
and recommended by The AMERICAN SPELLING REFORM Associ-
ation, and used in the Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary.
The sounds of the phonetic letters and diacritics will be readily un-
derstood by reference to the keyline at the foot of each page.]

a, (A before a consonant sound (whatever the spelling);

an. j" an before a vowel sound (whatever the spelling); a
word beginning with silent h (as honesty honoTy etc.)
takes an; a word beginning with the long sound of u (as
wnit, wniversity, etc., where the u has the sound of yow)
takes a; we say a peach, an apple, an honor, a history,
a humble worshiper, a historical subject, a unit, a
union, a university, a uniform; the matter is euphonic;
sound alone determines. An adjective between article
and noun may change a to an, or the reverse; as, a man,
an honest man; an apple, a ripe apple; an appeal, a
humble appeal, etc.; the short sound of u takes an; as,
an unknown quantity.

a or an omitted. " They were heirs to large prop-
erty'*''; that is, inheritance of "large property" was the
fact in the case of each independently; " heirs to a large
property " would imply that they were jointly to inherit
the same "property.'* The omission of "a" makes
"property" generic, rather than particular. See raw;

MANY.

aboire. See over and above.

ac-cept', ac-sept'. \ "All the specimens were a^cepted^

ex-cept', ec-sept'. S except one." To accept is "to take,
receive"; to except is to "take out, reject." Do not
confuse the two words.

accept of. The preposition is here not needed nor al
lowed. Say simply, "I accept your decision," etc.; ad-
mit and approve take qf; accept and permit do not; there
is no rule in the matter; each expression must be learned
by itself.

ad-dress', noun and verb. There is no authority for
the very common pronunciation, ad' dress.

pa^, ask; at, &ir; element, th6j, us^ge; It, I, i (ee);

o, oh; erat^r, er; full, rule; but, ur; flllti^re (future);

aisle; au ((n/t); ell; c (k) oliat; dli (^Ae); g^o; sins,

i^k; tbin.

6 ':''HELPKUL:PiNTS: IN ENGLISH
' • ' -

-a-dlejb^,:a^tti'^ f lH>'botim^ke fhebe final syllables alike

'tt»^*^, ^AV', * S id isoqfid; tbe ftfst is -diQ, like dew,
due; the second is -da, like do. ' " Marmion stopped to
bid adieuy " Mnch Ado aboat Nothing."

ad-mls'sl-ble. Never spell this word aci;miMaM6. For
the endings -abU and -iUe, a good dictionary most be
frequently consulted.

a-do^be. d-do'bd.

a-dalt% a-dult', not ad'ult

adirerbs should be kept as dose as possible to the word
or words they are to modify. *' I meant to write to Tom
all day*'' Probably not That would involve an ex-
tremely long letter. You ^'modtsitaU day to write to Tom."
Not all words in -/y are adverbs; comely <t kindly, manly,
timely, and others are adjectives. Do not attempt to
make such to order; never say '* a sciftly tone," etc.

ad^Ter-ttse^mientt ad'vgr-toiz'mfiut or ad-vgr'tiz-
mgnt

a'er-o-naut, 6'sr-o-net; some authorities give Sr'o-ndt
or ar'o-n6t.

a^er-o-plane, §'sr-o-pl6n.

af-fect^, ftf-fect'. ♦ '*The firemen were so badly ejected

ef-fect', ef-fect'. f by the gas that they could scarcely
^€Ct the rescue." To affect is ** to influence "; to ^ect,
'' to accomplish, achieve." Do not confuse these words,
as is frequently done.

as^Sran-dlze^ment, ag'ran-doiz'mgnt or ag-gran'-
diz-m^nt

a lialf an liour. "I will do it in a ha^ an hour.''''
If the article a is used, the expression should be, ''Hn a
fia^f'fumr,'''' using the hyphenated or compound noun.
It is better to apply the article simply to the noun Jumr,
and let the hai^ precede (no hyphens): **I will do it in
hai^ an hour.'''' So, JiaHf a minute, etc

a-Iar'um, a-ldr'xTm or a-lar^um.

aFclie-mlst, al'k§-mist, not al-kem'ist

al^Se-bra, al'j§-bra, not al'j§-br6.

aFl-ment, al'i-mgnt, not al'i-mnnt.

all, I All of has proper but limited use. *^How

all of. ) much qfihdX shall I take?" ''AUqf it." AU
qfi8 thus contrasted with a part of, as we may some-
times say ** the whole of it." Even in such case it would
be correct to say, "Take it all,'' which would be more
elegant, but would not so easily and naturally express
the contrast between a part and the whole. Unless we
have some possible division in mind, all is far better
than all of ; instead of " AUqfnB aie here," say ** We
are all here"; instead of, "I have spent all of the
money," ** I have spent all the money "; •* All the mem-
bers were present," rather than " AU (tf the members."
It would be ridiculous to say, ** I love you with otf qf
my heart."

papd, ^k; at, ftir; element, th6y, us^ge; it, }; i (ee);
o, 5h; orator, hr\ full, rllle; but,

HELPFUL HINTS IN ENGLISH 7

al-le'^ro, ai-l§'grO, not al'l§-gro.

al-lude^, »-ii1id% not al-lQd'.

al-ly'» ftl-loi', verb and noun alike; not ai'ly. "The
Al-lies' compelled Napoleon to abdicate." Similarly,
"The Triple Al-Wance:'

AFplne, al'pin; al'pcdn is also need.

aFter-nate, al'tgr-nfit or al-tgr'nfit, t>.

al-ter^nate, al-tgr'net, a. & ».

a-mour^, a-mOr'.

an-ces^tral, an-seB'trol.

an-cho'vy, an-cho'vi.

and't^ron, and'ai'nrn.

an^ffel, fin'jel, not fin'jul.

" aout.'* See now.

Ap'en-nl nes^, ap'gn-nainz', not spelled Appenines not
Appennines.

a'pl-a-ry, §'pi-s-ri or g'pi-fi-ri.

ap^l-ces, ap'i-stz.

ap^pa-ra^tus, ap'a-rfi'tus or -rg'tus.

ap-peu^dl-cFtls, ftp-pen'di-soi'tis or -sl'tis; the for-
mer preferred.

approve, ) Both forms are correct, bnt with a recog-

approTe of. i nized difference in usage: approve, "to
sanction officially*'; "The president a;7proo0d the find-
ing of the court-martial "; approve (jf is " to regard with
favor; thhik well of"; "I should not approve of your
going. " Admit and admit of are similarly distinguished.

a^pron, S'prun or 6'pum.

apt, \ These words are synonyms in the best usage.

IFa-ble, > Some purists have sought to rule apt out of the

likely. I list because it may mean " quick to learn; skil-
ful," etc., as when the Scripture says a bishop must be
" apt to teach," or when we speak of "an apt pupil ";
apt may also mean "pertinent, apposite," as "an apt
quotation." The mistake of the purist always is to as-
sume that if a word has one meaning it can have no
other, wliile, in fact, there is scarcely a leading word in
any language that can be held to a single meaning; thus
the word give has more than twenty meanings; apt has,
besides the meanings above mentioned, still another,
which The Standard Dictionary puts Jirst, as most
frequent in modem use, viz.: "Having a natural or ha-
bitual tendency; likely; liable." The distinction between
likely and lUMe is that likely looks upon the probable
event as favorable, liable as unfavorable; likely to suc-
ceed; liable to fail. Apt inclines toward the meaning of
likely; it has a somewhat jarring effect to be told, " You'll
be apt to drown"; ''^liable to drown" would be more
appropriate.

a'qua, 6'cwa or g'cwa.

arcb^an'sel, Ork'fin'jel. {Arch in the former

arcb^lsli'op, drch'bish'up. i" word is pronounced

ir; ftmit^re (future); aisle; au (out); ell; c (k); chat;
dli (^); «o; sins, i^k; tliin.

. edbyCOOgle

8 HELPFUL HINTS IN ENGLISH

as Ork; in the latter as Orch. The correct sound of this
prefix in any compound most be learned by consalting
the dictionary.

aren't. A correct form, bnt very harsh; to be avoided
when possible. Often, by contracting the verb instead
of the negative, we may use "We're fwrf,*' "They're
no^" etc., which have a mnch pleasanter effect than " We
arm't,^^ " They ar«n'<."

ar^td, ar'id, not ^'rid.

as, needing a correlative ae; as bad as, etc. See than.

a»-cent^, {)s-sent'. I Ascent, an arising; cusent, agree-
as-sent', AS-sent'. f ment. Two words wholly different
in meaning, pronounced alike, but distinguished by
different spelling.

as-par'a-ffus, as-par'a-gus.

as-sent', AS-sent', never assent

as-so^ct-a'tlon, AS-sO'si-d'shnn or as-sO'shi-d'shmi.

at all, j. Two perfectly good idioms, despite the pur-

at tliat. f Ists; at aU signifying, " in any way, respect,
degree, or particular"; at that meaning, "even when
that is conceded; in addition to that."

at dinner. See for.

at'^ta'^ch^, g'tg'shfi'.

at'tl-tude, at'i-tifld, not at'i-tfld.

au'dl-ence. " The audience u;«fe large." No: "wo*
large." Ton do not mean that the members were in-
dividually of great size. See plxtrals— oollective

NOUNS.

Au'ffust, S'gust. {August is the eighth month; that
au-jg:ust', d-gnst'. ) which is august is grand or imposing.
aus'pl-ees, 6s'pi-stz (plural of auspice).
au-tom'a-ton, 9-tem'a-ten.
auno-mo'btle, 6'to-mo'bil, a.; 6'to-mo-bll', n.
a^Tl-atlon, §"vi-§'8hun or g'vi-g'shun.
a'Tt-a^tor, 6'vi-§"t§r or g'vi-6't§r.
aye, §, ever; always; as, to live for aye (forever).
aye, oi, yes; as, " The ayes have it."

ba-cll'lns, ba-sil'us, not bas'i-lus.

bas'ket, bgs'ket, not bgs'kut nor bgs'kit.

bas'^'re-ller, bQ'-re-ltf.

bat'on, bat'nn or ba-ten' or bd'tSA'.

belong. The indefinite use of belong without any
adjunct, though not recognized in literature, is becoming
common; "Why weren't you at the meeting?" "I
don't de&m^"— (to that society or the like, understood).
If, as it seems, the use meets a popular need, it will
probably establish itself.

be-lov'ed, b§-luv'§d, a. ^ As an adjective, three sylla-

be-loired', bg-luvd', pp. ) bles; as a participle, two syl-
lables.

papfi, osk; at, air; element, A^, usfge; it, | i (ee);
o, oh; orator, Sr; fall, rllle; bvt,

d by Google

HELPFUL HINTS IN ENGLISH 9

be-neatb^, bg-ntth' or Oess approved) bQ-ntdh'.

Ber^llu, bfir'Iin or [G.] ber-ltn'.

beti^veeu you and I. No; "between you and mc";
between^ as a preposition, is followed by the objective
case, as yon see at once if no other words intervene be-
fore " me ^^ ; you say without question " between me and
the door "; so, "between (you and) m«." Similarly, say
" between him and m«."

bit. A M/ is primarily a bite^ and applies to solids. Ton
may say, **aW< of bread," "a bit of money," but not
"a little bit of water "; "a Ut of soap," but not " a 6W
of soup."

bt-tn^men, bi-tifi'men or (less favored) bit'yu-men.

bla^taut, bld'tont, not blat'ont nor bld'tont.

blouse, blauz, not blaus.

boat^si^ralu, bot'swdn or {Nautical) bo'sn.

bols'ter-ous, beis'tgr-us, not beis'trns.

bou'dotr'^, bfl'dwflr'.

bonflTe, bOf ; final « not pronounced; as, opera boi{ffe.

boutiaon, btirySA, bfl'ySft', bn'lygft, or [P.] bwfySA'.

bou-quet^, bfl-kg', not bo-kfi'.

bra'TO, brfi'vO or brd'vo.

bron-clit'tts, bre^-ccd'tis or -kt'tis.

bur^den, bSr'dn, not bOr'den.

bu-reau^cra-cy, bifl-rO'craHsi.

bu^reau-crat^tc, bifl'ro-crat'ic.

bnr-lesque', bur-lesc'.

but that, I. " I don't doubt but that he will come."

but wbat. J Omit " but "; " that he will come " is what
you "do not doubt." "I don't doubt but what he will
come " is even worse, because you could not reverse it,
even omitting "but"; you could not say "irAo^ he will
come, I do not doubt." That^ and that only, is here
required. Ton may use either phrase rightly in some
connections, where " but" means " except"; as, " I have
no idea but that (except that) he will come"; "I ask
nothing but whctt (except what) is right"

ea^f<6^, cg'f d'. Two syllables, with chief accent on the
last The accented eie)in words derived from the French
is always pronounced with the sound of long a (d). Do
not say, as one enterprising restaurant man did, that
after some improvements he was " going to open a reg-
ular cafe (k60/* pronouncing the word to rime with sqfe,

eats^Bon, kd'sQU.

ca-lor^c, ca-ler'ic.

cal'o-rte, cal'o-ri.

cam^pa-nl^e, cam'pa-nt'le.

ea-nlne', ca-nain', not kd'noin.

car^t-ca-tnre, car'l-ca-chflr or -tiOr.

6r; ftntl^re (future); aisle; au (out); ell; c (k); cbat;
dli {the); go, siuff, ifjik; thin. ^ .
. ed by Google

10 HELPFUL HINTS IN ENGLISH

ea-rot^ld, ca-ret'id.

cel^o, chel'O, not eel'O.

ee-ment^, 8§-meiiV.

eer^tatu, ecr'ten, not sertn.

chal-ced'o-ny, cal-aed'o-ni.

eba^et', ehg'lfi'.

cba-lyVe-ate* ca-liVg-et or -6t

eliam^ots, Bham'i; the Centary prefers Bham'we, and

Iforray sham'ei.
ebap^er-on, shap'fir-on or shap'sr-on.
elias'ttse-inLent, chas'tiz-iiisnt or chas-toiz'msnt.
ebauf^feur^, ehO'ffir', not shS'fgr, as if spelled shaw'-

fer, nor, as Mr. Dooley exquisitely pats it, " the shover/*
eble, shtc.

ebtrfon, shif'en or shI'fSA'.
cbtf^fo-nter^. shifo-nlr'.
ebtiii-pan^zee, preferably chim-pan'zi, though chim-

pan-zt' is allowed.
cbt-rog/ra-ff , coi-rog'ra-fl.
cbt-rop^o-dlst, cai-rep'o-dlst. All similar compounds

of chiro- (from the Greek cheir^ hand) give the ch the

soond of k and the { the sound of oi.
Clirts^tlan, cris'chian, cris'chon, or cris'tian.
€1irls^tt-an't-ty, cris"chi-an'i-tl; Murray prefers cris'-

ti-an'i-ti, and Webster cris-chan'i-ti.
cbrys^o-pra^sus, Icris'o-prfi'sus.
cln-clio^na, sin-co'na
cU'^en-tele', clai'en-tll' or -tel'.
co'^ad-Jo'tor, cCftd-jfl't^r.
co-ag/u-Iate, co-ag'yu-16t.
eog-no^men, ceg-no'men, not ceg^no-men.
coirnire, cei'fiur or cwg'fflr'.
co^ma-tose, co'ma-tos or cem'a-tos.
come'ly* cum'li, not cOm'li.

com'plat-sance^, cem'pld-zgns' or cem'pld-zgns'.
com'plat-sant'^, cem'plfi-zgnf.
com^plex, cem'plex', a. ; com'plex, n.
eom-plex^tou. Not compUction. For words with

this sound, as affection^ etc., see X.
considerable. An adjective often misused as an

adverb; as, *•' conHderabie hot"; *^ considerable tired."

The adverb considerably should be used in such con-
nections.
eon'strue, cen'strtL
cor-ral', cor-ral'.
co-yo'te, co-yO'te or cei'Ot.

credible, ) Credible refers to things to be believed;
credulous. ScrediUous to persons who may believe

them; incredible and incredulous are similarly distin.

guished. A credulous person will believe incredible

things; a skeptical person may be incredulous of what

is perfectly credible.

papfi, 9sk; at, air; element, th6y, us^ge; It, g, i (ee);
o, 5h; orator, Sr; full, rftle; but,

oogk

HELPFUL HINTS IN ENGLISH 11

cul'^«de»«ac',ca'*dg-sac'orctll'-dg-Bac'. [F.J A passage
or road that has no outlet. New England farmers have
Anglicized it, not inappropriately, as crueltj/'sack,

cjr'no-snre, soi'no-shOr or sin'o-sh&r.

D

da^ta, dfi'ta or dg'ta. This word is the plnral of the
Latin datum; its use as a singular, "The data is ade-
quate," though often found, is incorrect; the expression
should be " The data ar«."

der^o-s:ate, der'o-gfit. — der'^'o-ga^tion. — de-rog^a-
to-ry.

det^es-ta^tton, det'es-td'shim or dt'tes-td'shun.

det^o-nate, det'o-n§t.

dl^a-mond, dd'a-mnnd, not dai'mund.

dt-oc^e-san, dai-es'e-san or dai'o-st'son.

dlp.li-tlie^rl-a, dif-thl'ri-a, not dip-tht'rim.

dlpb'tlionsy dif'theng, not diphthong.

dtslia-bUle^, dis'a-btl' or -bil.

dl-sbeir^el, di-shev'el.

distinction. *^ In distinction to '* is sometimes found,
but "in distinction /wm" is better; we say, "This is
distinct from that," " distinguish light from darkness,"
etc. The same usage would seem to cover distinction,
and require it also to be followed bjfrom. But we say
"in contradistinction to," the "contra-" giving the
effect of opposition rather than separation.

dl- V ert', di-vgrt'. — dl-ver'slon.

dl-irest', di-vest'.

doc^lle, dos'il or do'sil, not do'sail.

doubt. Properly followed by that; " I don't doubt that
he saw me," or " I have no doubt that^''* etc. Doubt but,
doubt but that^ and doubt but what are incorrect ex-
pressions. See BUT THAT.

doi^vn toi^rn. See now.

dnc^at, duc'at, not dQ'cat.

due, ) Dtie and dew^ while different in spelling and

devr, V meaning, are alike in pronunciation, dill; do

do. J stands by itself, pronounced dQ (doo).

due, \ " Oioing to the delay, the enterprise failed,"

onrlnf?. i or "The failure of the enterprise was due to
the delay. " Both sentences are right and nearly identical
in meaning. But, ^''Due to the delay, the enterprise
failed" is harsh and unjustifiable; for in this case the
adjective has no noun with which to agree. Worse, if
possible, is the sentence, "The enterprise failed, due to
the delay." What is that " due " doing there ? It can
not agree either with "enterprise" or "delay," and is
thus left as an unattached adjective, wandering loose.
Why is not the case as bad for owing f Because owing
is a participle, and retains something of the power of the

Hr; fmtl^re (future); aisle; an (out); ell; c (k); eliat;
dli (^e); %o\ sinsf, i^k; tliin.

. ed by Google

12 HELPFUL HINTS IN ENGLISH

verb to agree at timee witn an anezpressed eabject; joet
as we say, "That is well done, considering the difficul-
ties " (that is, if we consider them). Many participles are
thos nsed with the force of prepositions; as, concetmingy
regarding^ etc., and are known as "participial preposi-
tions"; the phrase owing to is classed among "phrase-
' prepositions."*

daplleate, ) " How many words have yon in' that
doable. f article?" "Five hundred." "Well,
duplicate it" No, doulUe it; you want flve hundred
more and other words on the same subject; to duplicate
would be to repeat the same matter word for wordf
which is not what is wanted; the carbon duplicate is an
exact reproduction of the original. Ton may duplicate
an order when the second consignment is to be exactly
like the first

•aeli. Do not say " Each one will find their place."
Each denotes an individual, and is always singular. See

BVEBT ONE.

^'^crn', 6'crfl' or eo-rO'.

ed'el-iv^elss, ed'el-wcds or [G.] d'del-vais.

Kd^ii-barflrh, pronounced Ed'in-bur-o (ed'in-bur-o).

either, t'dhgr or ai'dh^r. The predominance of au-
thority is for t'dhgr. It is related that two disputants
agreed to refer this matter to the first man they met,
whom one of them accosted with the question, "My
friend, is it proper to say neether or nliherf " The stranger,
who chanced to be an Irishman, replied, " Why, then, it's
nayther.''^

Strictly either or neither can be used only with reference
to tuH) persons or things; of more than two we should
say, ^^any one of them " or "no one (or none) of them."

el^e-men'ta-ry, el'§-men'tg-ri. I Two very different

al^l-men'ta-ry, al'i-men'ta-ri. f words (see diction-
ary). Do not confuse them; never speak of " alimentary
physics," nor of the *^ elernentary canal."

^llte', fi-llt'.

en'^'core', OA'cOr'.

enemy, i The singular form, enemy, may be either an

enemies. ) individual or a collective; as used of an indi-
vidual, it may take the plural, enemies; ''He had one

enemy "^"^ or " many enemies." As used collectively,

enemy denotes an entire hostile force; in this sense it
takes no plural, but has itself the effect of a plural;
" Prom the hill I saw the enemy "; " The enemy fled in
all directions"; "The enemy lo«t their guns and bag-

• A Working Grammar qf the Enalffth Language (by
the author of the present work), pp. 204-206.

papa, gsk; at ftir; element th6y, ns^ge; It Si t (ee);
o, oh; orator, or; fall, rule; but

oogle

HELPFUL HINTS IN ENGLISH 18

gage/' Do not say, " Grant tamed the enemUs'' flank/*
bat ** the enemy's flank.'*

Ensllsh'speakins. An excellent phrase to denote
persons or peoples who speak the Bnglish langaage with-
out belonging to the English nation, but there are limits
to the connections in which the phrase may be ased, as
indicated by an item in the Harvard Lampoon: "That
sentence is not incorrect,'* said the professor, "bat it
soands odd to the English-speaking ear."

en'^tr^, OA'trfi', not en-trt' nor en'trl.

en'voy, en'vei, an ambassador; not efl'yei. The word
envoy has long been Anglicized, and Is to be pronoanced
simply as Bnglish. The French pronunciation would be
Ofl'vwd'; efl'vei is neither French nor English. There
is a word envoy^ meaning " a postscript or close of a
poem or ballad," which is pronoanced en-vei'; often
printed as French, Venvoi^ and then pronoanced Idfl' vwd'.

eq'aa-ble, ( An equable mind is one ttiat is calm and

eq'al-ta-ble. ) self -poised; an equitaJUe decision is one
that is fair or just Study these words in the dictionary
and avoid confusing them.

erroneous. This word does not contain the letter i;
erronUms is a misspelling.

etc. A correct abbreviation of the Latin et cetera, mean-
ing "and other things," extended also to persons. The
form &c. may be used in memoranda, bills of lading,
and the like, but never in careful writing. Ect. is never
correct, and is a sure mark of ignorance.

e-tbe're-al, §-tht're-al. Etherial is a variant spelling,
less approved.

every one. "So every one had something to please
them,''*— New York Tribune, March 22, 1911. How can
"everyone" be "them"? There are those who take
the bold ground that because we have no singular
pronoun of common gender, we are justifled In using
the plural, as numbers of people have long been doing;
but this Is not conceded by leading gnunmarians, who
hold that In such cases we should use the masculine, and
leave the feminine to be inferred,— " So every one had
something to please him,'''' The best way out Is to
change the construction; say, "So there was something
to please every one,'*— or the like. By a little practise
one learns to steer around these pitfalls, even in con-
versation, and find the open way of some easy and
pleasant phrase.

every other. "Please leave two quarts to-morrow
morning and every other morning." How often is he to
leave two quarts? The order meant "every alternate
morning," and was so understood by the milkman; but
a lawyer insists that if he had left two quarts every
momhig, he could have collected for it "Every other
day" is a familiar and not objectionable phrase for

Or; fimg^re (future); aisle; an (put); ell; c (k) chat;
dh (the); so; sins, i^; thin. ^ ,

edbyLiOOgle

14 HELPFUL HINTS IN ENGLISH

"every alternate day," but tlie connection of the phrase
with other words needs watching; " thU and every other "
seems nniversal, leaving nothing out If an employer
should say to a clerk, "I expect you to be here at
o'clock to*morrov> morning, and etoery other morning,"
the clerk would understand that this applied to all
working«days, without exception.

ex-pert', ex-p^rt', a. I

ex'pert, ex'pgrt, n. f

•x'qai-site, ex'cwi-zlt, not ex-cwiz'it

ex^traor'dl-na-rr, ex"tr©r'di-nfi-ri or ex'tra-Sr'di-
nfi-rl.

faPcon, fS'cn or fal'cftu.

feir, I The phrase a few indicates a more consider-

WL fenr. ) able number than the simple adjective few;

^^Afew were found by careful search " (that is, a number

worth mentioning); *'Few were ever found" (that is,

scarcely any— a number so small that it may be almost

disregiuded).
fl^an-e^, maee. » -^,_ . ^,
fl^an.e^,/«m. \fi'<^-^''
flenr^'de'lla', fl9r'«dfi«ir.
for, at, to dinner. " We will have a friend for

dinner " would imply that the " friend " is to be eaten;

say, " We will have a friend at dinner," or "We have

invited a friend to dinner."
foreliead, fer'gd, not fOr'hed nor fer'hed.
found. See now.
iHiu^eln, frei'loin, not frO'loin.
flron^tier', fren'ttr' or fren'ttr, the former preferred.

sal^mnt^, gal'ant, a. Brave or chivalrous.

sal-lant^, a. Attentive to women.

Sal'lant', gal-lant' or gal'ant, n. A man of fashion;
beau.

Gal'-res-ton, gal'ves-t^n, not Oal-ves'ton,

Sar'ase, gdr'gj or [F.] gd'rOzh'. Many use the Angli-
cized pronunciation, to rime with carriage; others prefer
to bring over the pronunciation of the French language,
from which the word is taken, and say g^'rOzh'. There
is authority for either.

sas-tH'tls, gas-trai'tis or -trt'tis.

fflVbet, jib'et, not gib'et.

Slad^l*oaus. glad'i-olus. \ Qla-dVo4u8 is

Sla-dl'o-lus, gla-doi'o-lus or -dt'o-lus. ) the word used
in science, as for the botanical genus; glad'i-o'ltu Is the
popular and recognized name for a single phmt or flower
of the genus.

papd, 9sk; at, air; element, th^y, usgge; lt,gi(ee);
o, dh; orator, Sr; fall, rllle; but,

HELPFUL HINTS IN ENGLISH 15

sowing, gO'ing. "I'm going to go." Am going to (he
iSy we are going to^ etc.) is a correct idiom, properly
expressing more than the simple future, meaning, ** I am
about to," "am on the point of," etc.; sometimes ex-
pressing fixed decision; as, " I am going to stand by my
promise." But in some combinations' the phrase is awk-
ward; ** I am going to go'' involves a disagreeable repeti-
tion, which is always to be avoided; "I am going to
come here in the morning " gives a sense of contradiction
between go and come. Qw)d taste avoids all such com-
binations. Where the simple future means as much, say,
"I will"; otherwise, "I intend to," or some similar
phrase, will avoid awkward combinations.

SO •'pel, gos'pel, not ges'pil nor ges'pul.

Sran'a-ry, gran'a-ri, not gr6n'a-ri.

hardly, I Quasi-negative adverbs, either of which

scarcely, f joined with a negative lacks little of making
an affirmative; *' hardly unperceived " means ** almost, or
almost surely, visible"; ^^ scarcely unconscious" signi-
fies "almost, or almost surely, conscious." ''Nothing
would more surely unite in a common cause the various
contentious factions and scarcely unaffiliaUd races of
Mexico than the general belief in that country that the
United States contemplated invasion of its territory." —
New York Times, March 14, 1911. " Scarcely wnafBliated
races" lack little of affiliation; the writer meant "the
scarcely affiliated races of Mexico."

iia^rcin, hg'rem, not har'em nor har'um.

l&aa-teur', ho-tur'.

liadn't. \ " ^°" ^^^ ^^^ ^^'*'^) o»iglit to-" See ought.

Itave. " I should like to have gone. " See likb.

iia-re got to, j. " Have got to " is a forcible colloqui-

must. f alism, often effective because common;

also, perhaps, because it supplies a longer and more
mouth-filling phrase, in place of the brevity of must.
Yet the whole law of best usage is against employing
three words where one will do. " I mw*^" " You must "
are more elegant than "I have got to,"*^ "You have got
to,'' and not less but more vigorous and effective.

lie. See pronouns.

Ued'on-ism, hed'en-izm or hl'den-izm. Authorities
differ; each speaker is free to choose; The Standard
Dictionary gives hed'en-izm the first place. The deriv-
atives are: he-don^c, hed'o-nlsm, hed'o-nist, hed^o-
nis'tic.

lie don't, it don't. Don't is a contraction of do not,
and we can not say, " he do not," " it do not "; the cor-
rect form is " he doesn't," " it doesn't," or in question,
''Doesn't he?" " Doesn't it ? " etc.

Hr; fl1it|Qre (future); aisle; an (out); oil; c (k); chat;
dli (the); go; sins, i^; thin.

. ed by Google

16 HELPFUL HINTS IN ENGLISH

Iter'ald, her'ald. Give the first syllable the soand of e

in met, never of e in her; the newsboys malce little dif

ference between Hur'ruld and Wur^ruld.
bo^mo-nym* ho'mo-nim or. hem'o-nim.
hur•>rah^ hll-rfl' or hurrfl', not hO-r§' (hoo-rayO.
liif'V^'ene, In best usage three syllables, not tvjo. The

adjective is hy^gi-eii'ic,/our syllables, with the primary

accent on the en,
byp^o-chon'drl-ac, hip'o-cen'dri-ac or hai'po-cen'

dri-ac.
bys-te^rl-a, his-tl'ri-a.

I am } yours truly. "/ ctm,*'* if this is your

I remain ) iirst letter to that correspondent; *' / re-
main*^ if yon have previously written.

1-de'a, ai-dl'a; never i'de-a (ai'dia) nor i-dee' (ai-df);
three syllables, with the accent on the second syllable.

l-de'al, ai-dt'al; never ai'di-al nor i-deel'; three sylla-
bles, with the accent on the second syllable.

I don*t think so. ** Never say, 'I donH think,'* '*
exclaims the parist; '^any rational person is always
thinking.'' Doubtless, my dear purist; but not always
thinking the same way that you do. Consult your dic-
tionary and you will find that think has more than one
meaning; it may mean ** to carry on the process of
thought," in which sense we are "always thinJdng'*''\ or
it may mean "to entertain a particular opinion," in
which sense I may never think your way. You tMnk
that tree is a maple; 1 do not tMnk (entertain the
opinion) that it is; in other words, "I donH think so."

In that case, would it not be better to say, "I think
NOT "? That depends on what you mean. The two ex-
pressions are not identical; " I donH think so " means I
am doubtful of the affirmative; "I think not" means I
am almost sure of the negative.

If I iv^ere yon. " Were " in this expression Is not the
Indicative plural agreeing with "you," but the subjunc-
tive singular agreeing with " I "—one of the few remain-
ing forms of the subjunctive in English, in which were
is used for the first and third persons singular, as well
as for the plural, giving " If I were, if he, she, or it
«wv." Were, so used, always implies that the fact is
otherwise; "If I were a dog, I might bay the moon";
"If he toere here, I would tell him to his face." A mis-
use of this construction gives a false sense to a verse in
the Authorized Version of the Scriptures; " Though he
were a Son" {Heb. v, 8) should be "though he woe a
Son." The two uses are contrasted : " If the watch were
here (as it surely is not), I should see it;" " If the watch
was here (as it may have been), it is gone."

papa, 9sk; at, air; el^mgnt, th6y, us|ge; it, §, i (ee);
o, dh; orator, or; full, rflle; but.

d by Google

HELPFUL HINTS IN ENGLISH 17

Immanent, I Jmman«n^ (L. in, in, and maneo^ re-
immlnent. f main) signifies ''indwelling''; as, ''Qod
is immanent in the universe. Imminent (L. in^ in, and
mineo^ threaten) signifies ''threatening; aboat or likel j
to happen immediately '*; this word is always nsed in an
unfavorable sense; we do not speak of imminent snccess,
but of imminent peril. Neither word is to be pronounced
im'mun-nunt^ im'mun-unt.
Impedimenta. A Latin military term, denoting all
encumbrances that impede the movements of troops. It
does not apply to natural obstacles, as streams, moun-
tains, mud, etc., but to things the army might carry, as
tents, baggage-wagons, and other movables. The word
impedimenta is now in accepted military use in America,
just as it was in the armies of Caesar.

Following the Issuance of general orders tonlay by Major
General Carter in which brigade and regimental command-
ers were directed to begin " the elimination from the divi-
sion of all unnecessary impedimenta and its reduction to
the least point consistent with an efficient performance for
field service," confidential instructions went out to all regi-
ments to be prepared for an active field campaign on a
minute's notice.— iV«no York Herald. March 18, 1911.

Impractical, (Two words ignorantly confounded;

impracticable. ) impractical is the negative of practi-
cal, and is rare in good use, unpractical being preferred;
impracticable is the negative ot practicable. A practical
method is one which works in actual practise ; Apracticable
method is one wliich could probably be made to work ; that
is practicable which can be made practical. We may say,
" That is possible, but not practicable "; that is, it could
be done, but with so much disadvantage or difficulty as
not to be worth while in practise; on the other hand, we
may say, " That is theoretical, but not practical '\* that
is, it has no connection with actual practise. Whether
you mean ^^ not practical*^ or *'' not practicable*^ deter-
mines wliich negative you should use; if you mean "not
practical,'* the best word is unpractical. An unprac-
tical (or impractical) man is a mere scholar, dreamer, or
theorist; an impracticable man is one whom nobody can
work with. To get gold from sea^water is impracticable.
The tact which perceives the line that divides the prac-
ticable from the impracticable, Oabdinsb Students
IBstory of England vol. Ill, ch. 48, p. 676.

in^de-eo'rous, ln'd§-cO'rus or (}eea approved) in-dec'-

o-rus.
in'dex-es, In'dex-es, ) Two plurals of index. The plu-
In'dl-ces, in'di-stz. ) ral indices refers to scientific or

mathematical signs, or the like; imiexes to alphabetical

lists. Do not say, "The book has several indicesy'* but

" several indexes of topics,'' etc.

Inflnitive.

The Split Infinitive: May we split the hifinitive? As

Gr; fimi^re (future); aisle; an (out); ell; c (k); cliat;
dli (the); so; sins, i^; tbin.

. ed by Google

18 HELPFUL HINTS IN ENGLISH

yet yoa will do it at your peril, but the time may come
when it will be an esteemed luxary. The traditions are
against it, bnt the demands of convenience and force
may be too strong for the traditions.

A practice that seriously handicaps the police In their
efforts to stamp out th's form of crime [** Black Hand " out-
. ragesl is the failure of persons threatened to promptly noUfu
the department of the receipt of threats. It is tne duty of
every citizen to help protect himself 6y prompUy notift/ing
Police Headquarters when a crime is threatened or com-
mitted.— iVeu; York Herald (editorial), Feb. 2, 1911.

It will be seen that not quite the same force conid
be given by writing "failure prompUy to notify" or
"failure to notify prompUy the department." Why?
Because the approved rule in Bnglish is that the adverb
shall be placed as close as possible to the word it is to
modify, and no connection is so close as after the to and
before the notifi/, "to promptly notify." "Failure
prompUy to notify " gives a suggestion that " promptly "
is connected with "failure"; "to notify prompUy the
department " leaves the " promptly " in a seemingly im-
possible connection with " department." We might very
properly say, "to notify the department promptfy," but
then we have put " promptly " very far away from " no-
tify," with a certain loss. (Note the similar expression
"by prompUy notifying" that follows in the extract.)
The analogy of English use with other parts of the verb
is to put the adverb between the auxiliary and the prin-
cipal verb: " You will prompUy notify "; "I have often
thought"; "I shall be greaUy obliged." There is a
strong tendency to follow a like method with the
infinitive:

It may be easier to bear along all the gualiflcatlons of
an Idea than to first imperfectly conceive such idea, etc.
Hebbebt Spknobb The Fhiloeophy qf Style pt. ill, par. 28.

Where force and clearness are gained by using the " split
infinitive," there seems no reason for objecting to it, bnt
much for using it In some cases, however, there is a
decided gain in keeping the adverb separate, as; "Tou
will need to go instantly "; " to instanUy go " would be
feeble and harsh in comparison. Do not use the " split
infinitive " without good reason; use it without fear, if it
adds clearness and force.

Inflection, i Both forms are in recognized use, but in-

inflexion. ) flection is becoming more common, after
the analogy of affection^ connection, etc. See X.

In hopes. "I was in hopes he would explain"— a
familiar phrase for "I hoped " or "1 was hopeful," etc.
The phrase in hope is not now used, though it is difficult
to tell why not, since we say " in fear "; the idea may l)e
that this was among my hopes. " In hope " was formerly
in good use.
In hope . . . that preaching . . . would prove gainful.

Milton Hirelings.

papfi, gsk; at, air; el^m^nt, thSy, ns§ge; it, | i (ee);
o, oh; orator, or; full, rule; but,

Digitized by L3OOQ IC

HELPFUL HINTS IN ENGLISH 19

I was in hopes you would have shown us our own na-
tion. Addison Mine. Works.

in-qulr'jr, in-cwair'l. There is no authority for the
pronunciation in'qtii-ry (in'kwi-ri).

In'ter-efit-ed, i Accentonflrstsyllableonly; notin'ter'

in'ter-est-lns. fest'ed^ in'ter-esl'iug; do not cat down
to In'trest-ed, in'trest-ing.

i'ron» ai'um.

I'ro-ny, ai'ro-ni.— i-ron'lc-al, ai-ren'ic-al.

•Ise, ) The spelling of words ending in the sound aiz is in

-Ize. f much confusion ; advise is practically always spelled
with -Ue and baptize with -ize; many of the words are
spelled either way on equally good authority. The only
rule to meet the difficulty is, **when in doubt, consult
the dictionary.'^ In some future generation simplified
spelling may come to the rescue.

Is^o-late, is'o-16t or ai'so-16t.

John Jo nes. Many foreigners find it hard to get the
sound of the English j, and say ch instead,— **CAon
Chones, " ^* Can I have a chob / " the immigrant asks, and
thus instantly proclaims himself a foreigner. It is only
necessary to remember that the Bnglish j combines the
sound of d with that of ch—dch. This may be im-
pressed on the mind by writing a small d (*') before the J;
thus: •'John <>Jones. The attempt to say the d puts the
vocal organs in the right position to say the j. Soon one
comes to tMnk *' the litUe d '* whenever he has occasion
to utter the J sound. Then practise such words as Jack^
Jamesi jangle^ Jenny^jety Jewels Jim^ jingle Jockey Joke^
judge^ JiMOt etc., till the sound is fixed in mind and
utterance.
Judgement, Hnj'm^t, not juj'mnnt. The spelling
J udif eminent, ijitdgment is widely preferred In modem

use.
Ju-drclal, ju-dish'al, ) That is judicial which per-
Ju-di'cioaft, ju-dish'ns. f tains to law or jastice; that
is judicious which is wise or prudent; it may not be
judicious to institute ^ucfido^ proceedings.
Ju'-re-nlle, jQ'v§-nil; jQ'vg-nail less approved.

K

kept, kept Do not shorten to "Icep.^*

kln'der-sar^ten, kin'dgr-gOr'tn, not kin'dsr-gdr'-
den. The spelling Hndergarden, sometimea found, is
inaccurate, as a mixture of German and English.

knoiv^, (Either is correct, but they mean different

knoiv^ of. r things. I knmp my friend; I may know qf
a stranger whom I have never met It is related that a

Or; fmtl^re (future); aisle; au(out); oil; c(k); chat;
dh (^Ae); go; sins, i^k; thin.

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50 HELPFUL HINTS IN ENGLISH

lady was asked, ** Do yoa know Bsperantor "—to which
she replied, '*0h, I can't keep ap with all these new
breakfast foods." She not only did not kmno the lan-
guage, bat did not know qf it.

lab'o-ra-to'^ry, lab'o-ra-to'ri, not lab'ra-to'ri.
lai^yn-Kl'tl«, lar'fai-jcd'tis or -gl'tis.
lau'da-num, Id'da-num, not Idd'num.
lauffb, Idf, not laf.

less, t "" There were less men on Banker Hill than in
fevrer. ) front of it/* That is not what is meant; there
were fewer men on the hill than in front of it, but the
results of the battle showed that the Americans were in
no way less than their antagonists. Less refers to quan-
tity, measure, or degree; fewer to number; but we may
say, " a less number," just as we would say, " a smaller
number," thinking of the " number " as one measurable
total. **Less in number" is not, however, a desirable
expression; the correct phrase is '* fewer in number."
Yje-vant', l§-vgnt' or 1§-Tant'. Accent the final syllable.
lev'er, ) The authorities are divided; the Standard and
leaver, f Century prefer lei/er Oev'Sr); Smart, Stormonth,
Webster, and Worcester prefer fe'©«r (l^'vfir); lei/er seems
to be generally favored in America; so the derivative
lev'er-age.
liberty, I Freedom is the nobler word. Liberty Bug-
freedom, f gests libercUion; freedom recognizes nothing

to be liberated from: *' I was bom/rc«."
lie. Lie^ to rest, must be distinguished fh>m toy, to put
In a place of rest; but lie^ to rest, must also be distin-
guished from lie, to falsify, thus:

Present Past Past Participle

lie (to rest) lay lain

He (to falsify) Ued lied

An editorial note in a Western paper says, '* Since his
late accident the editor of our contemporary, the Caflon
Screamer has been compelled to lie only on his left side.
We learn that he is now recovering, and will henceforth
be able to lie as usual."

like (verb). *' I should like to have gone." Do you mean
that you would like now to have gone then? Probably
not; at that time your wish would have been to go. To
express that, say, ** I should have liked to go,'''*

llt'er-a-ture, lit'gr-a-chur or -tiflr.

llt'^ter-a-teur', lifgr-a-tnr', a literary man. Do not
confuse with literature^ literary productions.

lux-n'rl-ant, log-zhfl'rt-ant or lox-yU'ri-ont.

papA, Qsk; at. Ilir; el^m^nt, th6y, nsgge; It, ^ i (ee);
o, dh; orator, er; full, rfile; but,

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HELPFUL HINTS IN ENGLISH 21

ma-draa^, ma-drgs'.

Mafi^na Cliar'ta, mag'na cOr'ta— a Latin phrase.
The second word ia not to be pronounced as Charter
(chdr^tgr). If yon wish to make the phrase Knglishi
say, " The Great Charisrr

lUa-nl'la, uia-nt'la, the capital of the Philippine Is-
lands; not Ma-nil' ia (Ma-nil'a).

many. The phrase a great many is idiomatic; it re-
sembles a collective noan, bat takes only a plural verb;
as, *'A great many were missing.'* Another idiom is
many a, which has the effect of a distribative ploral,—
many considered one by one; the phrase properly takes
a singular verb; ''many a man hat tried in vain.**
''''Many a man" is more widely indosive than "mof^
men "; '* many a time " than **many times.**

mar'i-tliue, mar'i-tim or -toim.

mas^sai^e, mas gj or mQs-sdzh'.

mas^seur^, mgs'snr'.

mat'rl-clde, maiM-said.

ma'tron, mS'trgn or mg'tren.

may^on-nalse', md'en-nfiz'.

mem^olr, mem'wer.

men^ln-ffl'tls, men'in-jcd'tis or -gt'tis.

mer^can-tlle, mgr'cftn-til; mgr'can-toil is less approved.

mile, J, Mile is a noan denoting distance, mild an ad-

mlld. f jective signifying '' moderate, gentle,*' etc. Yet
in some parts of New England these two words are
confused, and persons say, '' He ran a fni/c{,** or the like.
A very fruitful source of error in language is the sup-
position that there can not be two words nearly alike in
sound, but widely different in meaning and use; those
who know one infer that the similar word must be the
same and make it over or misuse it accordingly.

mon'o-plane, men'o-pl6n.

most. Never use for almost; not '*mo8t everybody,"
"fiMW^ always," but '* almost everybody,** ^* almost
always.** The former use is a colloquialism.

mu-se'um, mifl-zt'mn, not miG'zi-nm.

musk'mel^on, musk'mel'Qn. ^

N

na-lTe', nd-tv'; does not rime with knave.

napfa'thol, naf'thol or -thai.

na^tlon-al, nash'nn-al; so na^tton-aM-ty, etc.

u6ey n6.

neither. See kithkr.

No more than possible. "I will spend no more
than possible.'''* Probably not, for to " spend more than
possible ** would be impossible. This construction is a
false reversal of ** as much as possible,** which with the

Gr; fiatf^re (future); aisle; an (out); ell; c (k) chat;
dh (^Ae); so; sing, iigik; thhi. j

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22 HELPFUL HINTS IN ENGLISH

negative gives an absurd meaning. Say, *'I will spend
no more than is necessary,*' or '•' I will spend as litUe <u
possible."
non sequltar. A Latin phrase signifying, **It does
not follow," nsed as a noon for an inconclusive argu-
ment, fa}se inference, etc.; never to be spelled non
sequittfr.
** Not at all,'' in answer to *^ Thank you." That is not
what yon mean; you do not wish to repulse or disclaim
courteous thanks. **Not at all" properly answers '*I
am obliged (or much obliged) to you," for you do not
wish another to feel nnder obligaCian for a favor done.
The true answer to ** Thank you " is ** You are welcome."
no'ted, no'tgd. \ That which is noted is widely

Bo'ta-ble, no'ta-bl. >and favorably known; that

no-to'ri-ous, no-to^ri-ns. I which is notable deserves to
be noted; that which is notorious is widely and un-
favorably known; as, a noted battle«field, a notable
victory, a notorious impostor.
noiv^. The correct vowel sound in this word is a diph-
thong (an), which should be clearly given. In some
parts of the country it is common to hear a corrupt
pronunciation, naow (naau), which similarly appears in
all associated words: **Come on naow.^* ^*No, Tm
going daown taovmV "Well, come aout to see me
when you can." This faulty utterance has a disagree-
able, animal effect. It is the caterwauling sound. In
giving the pure sound the lips are rounded and the tongue
depressed so as to touch the lower teeth. In the false
sound the lips are not rounded nor the tongue depressed;
hence the clear, round tone can not pass. This any one
can see by trying the two forms of utterance before the
glass. It will be hence observed that the naow is a lazy
form of utterance, in which the speaker does not take the
trouble to open the mouth— what in singing is called
" want of control." The full, round tone is more musi-
cal and more capable of snstained effect. To utter the
pure sound requires a certain vigor and decision— but
these are necessary elements of all good speech. Avoid
the easy drawl. Have no vestige of the sound of a in cai
when yon would say broion^ down^ founds out, round,
sound, south, town, etc. Do not say, "This will be
faound true vdthoou^ a daaubt.^^

o'a-»l8, 0'a-sis. \ TheSTANDARD, Webster, and Worcester
o-a'sls, O-d'sis. f prefer o'a-sis; the Century and Stor-

mouth prefer o-a'sis,
obll-jfa-to'^ry, eb'li-ga-tO'ri or ab-lig'a-to'ri.
of, followed by a noun in the objective case, forms a phrase

equivalent to the possessive case; "the welfare qf the

papQ, gsk; at, air; el^mfint, thSy, ns^ge; It, | i (ee);
o, dh; orator, dr; full, rQle; bvt.

HELPFUL HINTS IN ENGLISH 28

nation "= " ^ nation's welfare." This often enables ns
to avoid cumbrous phrases. ''The Society for the Dif-
fusion of Useful Knowledge's publications " is intolera-
bly awkward. But we have a remedy by the nse of qf:
—''The publications qT The Society for the Diffusion of
Useful Knowledge." See Possbssivbs. For a special
form with of^ see "That Check of Thompson's."

o n aeeo u nt o f bim f aill ng. No : '* on account of
his failing." You do not mean "on account of Aim,"
but "on account of the/ai/in^." Whose failing r "Why,
Ai«." That is it. When the participle is used as a nonn
(as here), it takes the possessive, just as if you were to
say, " on account of Ids failure."

op'por-tune^, ap'gr-titin'.

op^por-ta'nl-ty, ep'pftr-tifi'ni-tl.

or, connecting subjects that require different persons or
numbers of the verb: " Either you or I am (are) wrong ";
"Either they or he was (were) here"; "This man or
those men are (is) guilty." There is no way to get the
awkwardness out of such expressions; the rule is that
the verb shall agree with the nearest subject; but then
we seem to be saying "yon am," "they was," "this
man are." It is better to change the construction, say-
ing, " Either yon are wrong or I am," etc. Then the
verbs will take care of themselves. Observe that or does
not pluralize connected subjects, as and does; " A worn*
an and a child (two persons) are lost," but "A womav
or a child (one of the two) is lost." See Plurals.

ordinance, ) An ordinance is a law; ordnance signifies

ordnance, f cannon, collectively. Ordinance is never
to be spelled ordonance^ though there is a word ordon-
nance^ now used chiefly as a technical term in art (see dic-
tionary). Ordnance are to be fired; ordinances enforced.

Orinoco, not Oronoco (as seen in certain advertisements).

ooffht, the verb for duty, is severely simple, and can
never take have^ be, do, or any other auxiliary; expres-
sions like "I had ought," "I hadn't ought," "Yoo
don't ought," etc., are always erroneous. To express
past obligation use the simple ought unchanged, but fol-
lowed by the perfect infinitive of the verb required; as,
"I ought to have gone.''

out. See Kow.

OTer and above. Frequently used as a form of em-
phatic iteration, but objectionable as tautological, since
over and above in this phrase mean the same thing. Be-
yond and above gives a distinct advance of thought,
^extension (beyond) and elevation (above); the phrase
is sometimes reversed, above and beyond.

OT^ld, ov'id, not O'vid (O'vid), a Roman poet.

ox'y-sen, ex'i-jen. Never oxogeuy trade names to the
contrary notwithstanding.

Or; fimg^re (future); aisle; an (out); oil; c (k); eliat;
dh itM)\ go, sins, iigik; tbin.

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24 HELPFUL HINTS IN ENGLISH

pwtr'entt pftr'snt; the pronunciation pd'rent, common In
Bome localities, is recognized by some authorities, but
the preponderance is for pftr'gnt.

park, pdrk, not pdrk. Many guards and conductors
seem to call out "Pork place," "Pork street" for
" Fark place," ''Park street."

participle. ''Having discovered the art of printing
music with movable tjpea.''^— Biography. Well, what
did he do then? The sentence has no verb; the phrase
" having discovered " seems to lead up to some follow-
ing action, but finding no verb we come to a jumping^off
place. A participle, without a leading verb, can not
make a sentence.

paftse^'par^tout', pg8'»pflr"tfl'.

paa^tor, not paster; a pastor (pgs'tQr) presides over a
church; a paster (p§8t'fir) is something ready gummed
for pasting on to some surface; the right to use jmm^a
on ballots has been disputed.

pi/tl-o, pd'ti-0, the inner open court of a Spanish or
Spanish-American dwelling.

pa^tols', pg'twd', not pfi'teis.

pat'rl-clde, pat'ri-soid.

pa'trl-ot, p6'tri-et or pat'ri-§t— pa'^trl-ot'lc, pa'trl-
ot-imi.

pa'tron, pfi'tnm or pat'rnn.

pe'O'Ujf pl'o-nl.

per-pet'a-ate, p$r-pech'u-6t or -pet'yu-6t I To perpet-

per^pe-trate, pfir'pe-trfit. f uate is " to

make perpetual " ; to perpetrate is " to do or accomplish,"
in a bad sense; we do not perpetrate a charity or a suc-
cess, but a blunder or a crime.

pha'e-ton, f6'9-tQn.

pliar^ma-cea'tlc, fdr'ma-sifl'tic or -kifl'tic.

pl-an'lst, pi-an'ist

ple'na-ry, plt'na-ri or plen'a-ri.

pletli'o-ra, pleth'o-ra.— ple-thor^c, plg-ther'ic or
pleth'o-ric.

Plurals.

Rule for collective nouns : A collective noun, as audience^
congregation^ family, Jlock, muUitudet people jmblic, etc.,
though singular in form, may take a verb either In the
singular or the plural number, according as it refers to
the objects included as one aggregate or as separate indi-
viduals; as, "The audience «;a« large"; "The audience
were divided in opinion."* A recent editorial in CoUier^s
Weekly^ protesthig against criticisms of certain news-
papers upon the editor^s use of " flock " with a plural

* See A Working Orammar of the English Language pp.
15,294.

papa, gsk; at, &ir; el^m^nt, thdy, usgge; It, |, t (ee);
o, dh; orator, or; full, rfile; but,

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HELPFUL HINTS IN ENGLISH ^ 25

m> — ,

verb, gives the following apt quotations illustrating the
propriety of such use:

In early times the great majority of the male sex tcere
slaves.— JoHif Stuabt Mill.

The public do not always agree with the newspapers.—
William Hazlitt.

The populace were now melted Into tears.— David Huux.

Note the following peculiar construction:

The ministry availed itMeif of their triumph. Grxen
History qfthe Bnglihh Feople voL ix, p. 107. If. a w.]
An error of an unusually careful and lucid writer. " Min-
istry," as a collective noun, may be either singular or
plural in construction, hnt not both at once; either **The
ministry availed itself ot its triumph " or " availed th£m-
gelvea of their triumph "— preferably the former, since
the triumph was that of the ministry as a body, and not
of the individuals composing it

Three'fourths of any man's fame are mere suggestion."
No; "three-fourths i*." You are not thinking of three
separate fourths, but of the total that those make up, one
aggregate equaling three'fourths,

"A man of high abilities { J^ [-needed." The verb
does not necessarily agree with the nearest noun. Here
the plural noun ^* abilities " is the object of the preposi-
tion '* of," and can not be the subject It is the man
that is needed.

**The Methodist and the Baptist Church (churches t)-*^
Church is correct; "the" before "Baptist" keeps the
singulars apart each by itself; "church" is expressed with
"Baptist" and understood with "Methodist"; but it
would be correct to say, " The Methodist and Baptist
churches are unlike the Presbyterian (church)." See
SPBOIBS and with.

poplar, pep'lar. ) Careless pronunciation often

pop'u-lar, pep'3ru-lar. ) shortens popular into poplar;
the three sylfables of pop^-lar should be distinctly
given; s. poplar tree\ & popular idea,

por-tent', por-tent'. Uathorities are divided.

por'fent, pOr'tent )

por^tl^re', pOr'tiftr'.

Possesslves.

" Diclkens^ or Dickens^s novels ? " A noun ending in *
properly takes another s with the apostrophe to form
the possessive, and Dickens's novels is the preferred
form. So, " Pepys's Diarj/y'^ " James's heir," etc. Some
exceptions are commonly made; as, "for conscience^
sake," "for Jesus' sake," where the apostrophe alone is
added. Also in words of many syllables, where the added
syllable with V would have a disagreeable effect; as, ^^Wm-
pedocles" sandals," " Themisiocles^ services," instead of
" Empedocles's sandals," " Themistodes's services."

Or; fintl^re (future); aisle; au (out); ell; c (k); chat;
dlk (^e); so; siuff, i^; tliin.

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26 HELPFUL HINTS IN ENGLISH

Often we may avoid a disagreeable combinatioii by
using the objective wiUi qf in place of the poeeeeAive;
thas, instead of "The hippopotamus's ekin is thick,''
we may say» "The skin of the hippopotamtis "; instead
of ''*• Aristophanes' s comedies," "The comedies of Aris-
toptianes/' See of.

"Wealthy mannfactorer demands report on his fa-
ther*s»in4aw death."— ^Aid/intf in New York Herald^
March 1, 1911.

This should be " his f ather*in«law's death"; phrases
and compounds take the V at the end of the whole ex-
pression; as, **'IAddeU and Seott's Greek Lexicon." But
there is a limitation upon this. Cumbrous and awkward
phrases are to be avoided, as may readily be done by the
use of the phrase with qf. See of.

" The horses feet were sore." Where will you put the
apostrophe? That depends on what you mean. If
you refer to one horse, write "the horse's feet"; if
to more than one, " the horses' feet." The apostro-
phe precedes the s for the singular, but follows the s for
the plural. How may this be indicated to the ear?
This can not be done by the possessive, but we can do
it perfectly by using the equivalent phrase with qf; then
we may say, in the one case, " the feet of the horse "; in
the other, " the feet of the horses.^'' ^'■Mens and Boys
Clothing." Where shall we place the apostrophes here?
The rule is simple. The few English words that form
the plural in -«n, as men, women, children, oxen, form
the possessive by adding *«— the apostrophe before the s
—men's, women's, children's, oxen's. Hence we have
^''Men's and Boys' Clothing."

possible. See no xorb than possiblb.

pot'^pour'^rl', pO'pO'rl'.

pre-ce'dence, prg-st'dgns, the act of preceding.

pre-ce'dent, pr§-st'dgnt, a. Preceding or antecedent

prec^e-dent, pres'9-dgnt, n. An antecedent factor usage.

preFate, prel'§t, not prt'lfit

pre-mlse', pr§-maiz', v,

prem'lse, prem'is, n.

preposition. " Never end a sentence with a preposi-
Uon." Why not? "It's not allowed by Latin gram-
mar." But we are speaking English. It is allowed in
German grammar, and our language is at base Germanic.
"Well, preposition means somethhig placed before, so
it can not come last" Yes, and interjection means
something thrown between; yet the interjection is often
the very first word in the sentence: "C7A, where shall
rest be found? " The old Latin names of parts of speech
prove nothing. They were made on the wrong side of
the English Channel. "What did you come forf " is
perfectly good English; it is not necessarily equivalent

papd, 98k; at, ftir; element th%, nsfge; It, S I (ee);
o, dh; orator, $r; full, rllle; but,

oogk

HELPFUL HINTS IN ENGLISH 27

to ** Why did yon come? " Why asks for a reason ; what
refers to an object; the answer might be **'For9k book."
The relative that most be followed by its preposition if
any is used; *' I know the man that he talked loUh '%* we
can not say, **the man toith that he talked,'* and *'the
man with whom he talked '* is more formal and less
vigoroos than the other phrase. The inseparable prep-
ositions must often come at the end of a sentence;
*'That is a thiog to be langhed ar\' we can not say,
*' That is a thing at which to be langhed. '* English likes
the preposition at the end of the clause or sentence.
The schoolboys have paraphrased the rule to read,
** Never use a preposition to end a sentence toUh.^^ Lit-
erature is full of this vigorous sentence-ending.

Three things a man Is most likely to be cheated in— a
horse, a wig, and a wife.

Benjamin Franklin Poor RtcharePa Almanac.

The soli out of which such men as he'are made is good
to be bom on^ good to live /or, good to die /or, and to be
buried in.

LowsLL Among My Books, Second Series, OarJMd.
(If vou want to take the life out of that, say, " good on
which to be bom," etc.)

I count life just a stuff

To try the soul's stren^h on.

KOBBBT Bbownino In a Balcony 1. 642.
The usage will outlast the grammarians who are afraid
of it; there is nothing here to be afraid of.

Prepositional Phrases.

No clews have been found to identify the man who shot
the mule. Mr. Phillips baa offered $50 for the arrest of the
person with evidence to convict.— ^Manto ConstUuUon.

Singular that a ** person with evidence" should be
arrested! Prepositional phrases, like adjectives and
adverbs, should be placed as near as possible to the
words tiiey are meant to modify, and by no means so
placed as to modify words not intended. In this case
there is no place in the sentence for the words '* with evi-
dence," etc.; the sentence must be reconstructed so as to
read, for instance, ** for the arrest of the offender and for
evidence to convict him."
prescribe, j. To prescribe is "to order, direct" ; to pro-
proscribe. ) scribe is " to reject, forbid, outlaw. " Pre-
scription and proscription, prescriptive and proacriptive
are similarly distinguished.
pres^en-ta^tlon, prez'en-t6'shxm.
pres'l-dent, prez^i-dgnt, not prez'i-dxmt
pret'ty, prgt'l or prit'l.
proc'ess, presses. The pronunciation pro'cess (prO'ses)

is allowed, but the weight of authority is torpro&ess.
pro*dace', pro-diOs'. \ Prod'uce is the noun, cor-

prod'nce,pred'ifl8 or -yfis. f responding to the verb
pro-ducef. If your ground pro-du'ces well, you will have
mnchpro(f't<<^ (pred'lOs).

Or; flAtl^re (future); aisle; an (out); oil; c (k); ebat;
&h. («Ae); jfo; sins, l^k; tbin. QQole

28 HELPFUL HINTS IN ENGLISH

pro'sram, pro'gram, not prtJ'grum nor prO'grm. Since
the final -me was dropped from prognxmm^ many have
had the idea that the prononciation was also shortened,
and with some this has become a fad. The pronunciation
is the same whether the spelling is programrM or
program ; the final -gram is to be clearly given as in
anagram, monogram, telegram, etc.

pro-sress^, pro-gres^ ir. (.The prononciation

prog^ress, preg'res or prO'gres, n. Spr&gress (pro'gres)
for the noon is allowed, bat the weight of authority is
torprog'rest (prog'res).

prom'ise, prem'is, not prem'ns.

pro no a us. Watch that every prononn has an ante-
cedent to which the mind may, and mast, refer it with-
oat conf asion. Thos yoa will avoid sach blind labyrinths
as the following :

" Alfonso xm..** says the helpful and inatructlve Wom-
an's Home Companion, " was the son of Alfonso XII., who
died five months before be was born, at the age of twenty-
elghV*— Kansas CUy Star.

Here " he ^^ woold natarally refer to the same antecedent
as *' who ^^ ; hence the astonnding qaality of the state-
ment Bven when one sees the joke, and has studied oat
the real meaning, the sentence is a little hard to correct
The best way is, no doabt, to break off, and begin anew;
say: **The father died at the age of twenty-eight, five
months before the son was bom." Not only avoid the
confusion of prononns, but by all means avoid the asso-
ciation of the words, ** bom at the age of twenty-eight '^;
such combinations should not be left at the mercy of a
comma.

pro-nan^ci-a'tion, pro-nun'si-6'shnn or -shi-d'shim.

psen'do-nym, sifi'do-nim.

pais'ne, piQ'n§.

py-ram'i-dal, pi.ram'i-dol.

quay, kt or cwd.

queue, kill.

qnin^n, cwin'in. I This is one of the few

qnin^lne, cwin'in or cwin-ain'. ) words on which one
can scarcely go wrong. For almost any pronunciation
of this word some aathority may be produced: it is pro-
nounced as above and also ki-ntn', cwcd'ncdn, cwi-ntn',
cwin'cdn, and cwi-ncdn' by various lexicographers; the
two pronunciations given in the headline are perhaps to
be preferred.

rac'e-mose^, ns'^moer^ not ra-st'mos.
ra^tl-oc^i-na^ion, rash'i-es'i-n§'shun, not rfi'shi-.

papQ, Qsk; at, &ir; el^m^nt, thdy, ns|ge; it, g; I (ee);
o, oh; orator, or; full, rOle; hot,

HELPFUL HINTS IN ENGLISH 29

ra^tlon, rg'shun or rash un. Aathorlties differ. The
Standard Diotionaby gives first place to rg'shnn.

ra^tion-al, rash'un-al. So ra^tion-Al-Ism, ra^tloii-Al-
ist, ra^tion-aH-ty, ra^tion-al-ly.

ra^tl-o-na^e, rash'o-ng'lt or -ug'16. This is a word
taken directly from the Latin, meaning **a rational or
reasoned exposition of principles ^^ prononnce the final
e; do not make the final -nale one syllable (-nfil), to rime
with snail. It is not necessary to use the word, if one
can not pronounce it.

re-cess^, rg-ses', v. \

re-cess', rg-ses' or rl'ses, n, )

r^'^chaur'f^, r6'shO"f6', n. A rehash.

re-clier'^ch^, rfi-sher'sh§', a. Sought after; choice;
rare.

rec^-pe, res'i-pg.

rec'^l-ta-tlve', res'i-ta-ttv'.

re-course^, rgncors', not rt'cOrs.

reflection. The form reflexion is recognized, but now
little used. See X.

regime', rfi'zhim', not rej'Im nor rej'i-me.

res^i-men, rej'i-men.

Re-nais^sance', rs-n6's<lAs^

rep^er-toire', rep'gr-twdr'.

re-searcli', rg-sgrch', not rt'sgrch.

re-source', rg-sOrs', not rt'sOrs.

r^sa'^m^, rfi'zfl'mfi'. •

re'^tro-cede', rl'tro-sid' or ret'ro-sld.

rev'^ell-le', rev'el-I' or rfi-vfi'lyg.

rib'ald, rib'cdd.

rinse, rins, not rens.

rise, roiz, v. \

rise, rois or roiz, n. f

ro-bust', ro-bnst', not ro'bust.

ro-mance', ro-mans\ not ro'mans.

round. See now.

salm'on, sam'un.

sa^lon', sg'lSA'.

same. *' The same ^* is much used in legal documents,

and now commercially; but the phrase must be kept in

close connection with the word or phrase it is to identify;

otherwise unfortunate inferences may result, as in the

following:
"Dear teacher," wrote the mother, "kindly excuse

John's absence from school yesterday afternoon, as he fell

In the mud. By doing the same you will greatly oblige his

mother."
Same is often improperly used without the article; as,

^'Same should arrive next Tuesday"; " Send «am« by

©r; fiOtlflre (future); aisle; au(OMt); oil; c(k); cliat;
dli (the); ipo; sins, iij^k; tbin.

d by Google

80 HELPFUL HINTS IN ENGLISH

eipress/^ This may be tolerated in a memorandam or
a telegram, bat not in a formal letter or other document

scarcely. See habdlt.

•cen'lc, senile or st'nic.

•ed'a-tive, sed'a-tiv.

•e^nlle, srnil or -noiL

•hone, Bhon or Bhen.

•I^ne-cure, scd'ne-killr or sin'e-kilir.

sleek, sltk, not slik.

sloush, slof . I. V. To cast off, as dead tissae. II. n.

Something cast off, as the dead skin of a serpent
slouffli, slaa, n. A quagmire.
so'^'bri^quet', sO'brl'kfi'.
sol^r^e', swd'rfi'.
sour'fl^, sQ'flg'.

sou^ve-nlr', sfl've-nlr'.

spe^cle, Bpt'sh§ or sprshi-t. \ "I don*t know of what

spe'cl-es, spt'shi-tzorspt'shez. r«p0d« the bird is.'*
Well, one thing is certain; if it is a bird of specie^ it can
not fly; for spwAe is coin, as gold or silver. A species is
a sort, kind, or groap, as of plants or animals. Species^
like series^ is both singular and plnral,— one speiAes or
many species; there is no more reason for making a
singular specie for species than there would be for making
a singular eerie for series. A number of false singulars
have been so invented. In old times in New England
chaise was supposed to be plural, and a singular was
created for it, whence we have " The Wonderful One-
Hoss Shayy Pulse ("a pulsation '') is in some localitiee
supposed to be plural, while in fact it is shigular, and has
a distinct plural, pulses,

squal'ld, scwel'id.

sqnal^or, scweF^r or scw§'lSr.

stu^dent, stiQ'dsnt

stu^dl-ous, stiQ'di-ns.

stn'pld, sHQ'pid.

snb'tlle, sub'til, delicate, refined. )

sab'tle, sut'l, crafty. f

su^de, sw6d.

saflVaa^ette, / As used in connection with woman

suflTras^st. f suffrage, a t!u;ffrageUe is one who is
seeking the franchise, a suffragist, one who has and ex-
ercises it; but a woman stifragist is one— whether man
or woman — who advocates suffrage for women.

suit, sint; as, a suit of clothes. I

suite, swtt; as, a suite of rooms. )

su^mac, sn'mac or shQ'mac.

sur-vell^ance, 8tJr-v§l'yans or sur-vfi'lans.

syn^od, sin'^d.

papd, Qsk; at, fiir; el^m^nt, th^y, us^ge; It, | i (ee);
o, 5h; orator, er; full, rule; but.

oogle

HELPFUL HINTS IN ENGLISH 81

tap^es-try, tap'es-tri, not td'pee-tri.

tar-pau'lin, tOr-pd'lin.

te'di-ous, tt'di-u8.

tet'rarclft, tet'rOrc or tl'trflc.

than. The one English adverb of oompariflon; ^^This
is better than that." Foreigners often mistake the con-
straction; the German inclines to say, ** better as that,"
following the idiom of his own language. Than is now
never recognized as a preposition, anless possibly in the
phrase '* than whom," which has good literary aathorlty,
and for which no substitate can be found. Than may
be followed either by the nominative or the objective,
bat with a difference in meaning: *' He likes yon better
than / (like you)." " He likes you better than (he likes)
m«." There is always a verb to be supplied; think what
that verb is, and you will know what case to use.

Than must correspond with the construction. Bo not
say, *' This left the road as bad, if not worse, than it was
before"; for the construction "as bad than it was
before" is impossible, and the *'as bad" hangs in the
air with no conclusion. The full construction would be,
**as bad ew, if not worse ihan^ it was before." But this
is very harsh and forced. It is better to say, *^ He left
the road as bad as it was before, if not worse" {^^than It
was before " being understood).

'* Thank you." An accepted phrase in place of
the more formal, "I thank you." "Thanks" is
much used, but is too curt and abrupt, and seems like
" Resp'y y'rs " before a signature (never used by good
writers), an attempt to get through a necessary acknowl-
edgment in the shortest way, which destroys all courte-
ous flavor. " Thanks " may do on a street comer or In
leaving a car, but there is generally time to say the better
** Thank you." Compare Not at all.

" that check of Thompson's.** An accepted Eng-
lish idiom. The possessive case of any noun is ordinarily
exactly equivalent to the phrase formed by the preposi-
tion qA foUowed by the same noun; the mercharWs
house— the house of the merchant. In some cases the
two are combined, making a kind of double possessive;
as, " That check of Thompson's.'*'' " That Thompson's
check " would be awkward; " That check qf Thompson "
would seem a little flat; so the two are combined in a
forceful phrase, "That check of Thompson's.*' Some
have supposed an ellipsis of a plural object, " That check
of Thompson's (checks).** But no sach esplanation can
be given of " this head of mine^'' " this heart Q^mintf,**
which are in good literary use. English does use a pos-
sessive After qf in such cases by the right of Iong«estab-
lished custom, constituting what is called an idiom.

Or; fiat|9re (future); aisle; an (out); oil; c (k); chat;
dh {the); so; sins:, i^k; thin.

Digitized by L3OOQ IC

82 HELPFUL HINTS IN ENGLISH

that, I " The property or person which is the subject

nrhlcli. ) of the insurance."— JS^icycfoipMfia. A very awk-
ward expression, because we can not say, " the person
whichy All sndi dif&cnlties are relieved by the nse of
that, which may apply eqnally to persons or things:
" the property or person that,''* etc.

to dinner. See for.

ton'>'sU-irtis, ten-Bil-loi'tis or -irtis: also spelled
toii'>'sU.Fti8.

toni^na-ment, tOr'na-msnt, not tOr'na-ment

tonrn. See now.

trap'e-zoid, trap'e-seid.

trem'or, trem'Qr, or Gess approved) trt'mQr.

trl'cot, trt'co.

trous^seau^, trQ'sO'.

Tnea'day, tiQzMg, not Tooz'day (ttiz'd0) nor Chewz'-
day (chiQz'd0). The fall soond of the English long u (iQ)
as in dew^few^ mw, is a little dilBcalt to give after t ;
hence, to speak it correctly is a mark of education and
culture. Let any one attempt to say rapidly, **I will
meet you^'''' and he will find a strong tendency to say, ** I
will meechoo (mI'chQ)," the initial y sound of the you
f ushig with the preceding i. The same tendency leads
some persons, in the attempt to be very accurate, to say
Chewz'day (chiOz'dg), while others harshly say Tooz'day
(tQz'dg). ** Will those shoes be ready by Chewzdayf*
asked the exquisite. *\No, sir, not before Churzday^^'*
replied the shoemaker. The true pronunciation is very
easy; simply put a y before the H; this may be represented
to the eye thus: Tuesday; or in the scientiflc alphabet
tiQz'd0.

tune, titin, not ttin (as if spelled toon) ; tune does not
rime with moon,

Tjrr'ol, tir'Ol.

vase, vSs or vdz; vdz is also used; vds decidedly pre-
dominates in American use.

vande^Tille, vod'vil.

▼en^l-son, ven'zn or ven'i-zn.

Ter'bi-ase. "I do not object to the verbiage of the.
resolution." Well, if there is "verbiage," you should
object to it, for verbiage means " excess of words," akin
to verbosity. Say, the "wording" or the ** language"
of the resolution.

very. Originally used to intensify, this word often weak-
ens. " That is very well done " is a mild compliment,
unless you emphasize the "very," and say "t)«ry well
done." " That is well done " is stronger and better than
any use of " very " can make it.

Very does not readily join with participles, except in
a few instances; we may say *^very tired" or "wry

papd, gsk; at, air; element, thdy, usgge; it, g, i (ee);
o, oh; orator, or; full, rOle; but.

HELPFUL. klhi^TS t^ ^ENGLISH 83

J — — J — ^ J, t « — . —

determined," '. but ,tfot .'. " var^ iippJ-^bed;^. !*'.tu^ in-
fluenced or int6i'e8tea,"""'very aetonished or surprised,"
nor *'very pleased" with such participles; some inter-
vening word, like much or greaUy^ is needed; as "very
much impressed, interested, influenced, or pleased";
" very greatly astonished," etc.
vf^o-lon-cello, Yl'o-len-chel'lO or voi'o-len-sel'o.

-vrere. See If I were tou.

iirlio. See pronouns.

iirlll I come In ? We do not know. You are the
only one who can answer that question. WiU^ in the
flrst person, denotes intention,* and you only know your
own intentions. Hence, never use wiU interrogatively
in the flrst person. Say, ^^8haU I come in?" ShaU^ in
an interrogative sentence, asks for the consent or ap-
proval of the person addressed, and so becomes a polite
and elegant form. Do not say, *' WiU we go in to din-
ner? " Your friends do not know your intention ; '"'•Shall
we go to dinner?" asks for their consent or approval;
"Does it suit you?" or "Are you ready to go to
dinner with me? "

iiritli.~"Tlie man iiritli Ills two sons were
present." No: "?/;cw present"; "man" is the only
subject; "sons" is in the objective case, the object of
the preposition with; " The man toas present toith his
two sons." The subject might be made plural by using
the conjunction a;2e2 instead of the preposition tf;i/A; "The
man and his two sons were present." The addition of
a noun or a pronoun following toith does not pluralize
the subject.

uroman, I With reference to organizations and move-

uromen. f ments, the singular {woman) is commonly
preferred, as, "The Woman's (not Wom£n'8) Christian
Temperance Union " ; " woman suffrage," not '■'' women
suffrage." Woman^ so used, is generic, denoting all woman-
kind, just as man is generic in the sentence " Man is
mortal." But we say, "Votes for womsn'''' ; there are
to be as many women as there are votes for them;
^^ Votes for woman'''' might suggest plural voting; but
" The ballot for woman " is correct. We may say either
" a woman's college " or " a college for wom£n,'^ but not
" a v)onien''8 college." " Woman'^s nature " is the nature
inseparable from womanhood; ^*women''8 opinions " are
the opinions of a large part of the sex, thought of as
individuals.

•A very full explanation of shall and toill may be found
in A Working Grammar cf the English Language pp.
141-144.

ur; fi11t|Qre (future); aisle; au {puX)\ oil; c (k); cbat;

d^ ithe)\ i^o; sins, i|;^k; thin.

. ed by Google

34

UJL-LPFUL iimn\m/ENGLISH

': X- /.\ ..

The soand of x does not always indicate the letter,
as in affection^ connection^ reflection, etc. In some cases
both forms are allowed. See inflection. The true
spelling most be learned from the dictionary.

yolk, yok or yolk.

you are, were, etc. In nsing the plaral form for the
second person singnlar, the form remains jUural^ both in
prononn and verb; you can never take is or was ; say
always, and only, you are or you were, even if referring
to a single person.

youths, yQths (plaral of youth).

zo-dl^a-cal, zo-dai'a-cal.

zo-ol^o-sy, zo-eKo-ji.— zo^o-log^Ic-al. — zo-oFo-gist.

Zoo is a jocose or perhaps an ignorant popnlar abbrevi-
ation for zoological garden or park.

pagfi, 9Bk; at, air; element, th^y, ns§ge; It, 1 i (ee);

o,oh; orator, dr; full, rule; but, or; flnt|flre (futnre);

aisle; au (out); oil; c (k) chat; dii (the); go; sinff,

iM^; thin.

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li|,Mit li-

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