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presented  to  the 

LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  •  SAN  DIEGO 

by 
FRIENDS  OF  THE  LIBRARY 


MR.    JOHN   f\ 
donor 


gjftl? 

iff 


/jXUBRARY 

/UNIVERSITY  OF 


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CAtlFORNIA 

SAN  DIEGO 


BY  ALFRED  AYRES. 


THE 

ORTHOEPIST: 

A  Pronouncing  Manual, 

CONTAINING    ABOUT    THREE    THOU- 
SAND FIVE  HUNDRED  WORDS, 

INCLUDING  A   CONSIDERABLE    NUMBER   OF   THE    NAMES 

OF   FOREIGN    AUTHdRS,    ARTISTS,    ETC.,    THAT 

ARE    OFTEN    MISPRONOUNCED. 

FIFTEENTH    EDITION. 


THE 

VE  RB  A  LIST: 

A  Manual 

DEVOTED  TO  BRIEF  DISCUSSIONS  OF 

THE  RIGHT  AND  THE  WRONG 

USE  OF  WORDS, 

AND    TO     SOME     OTHER     MATTERS     OF     INTEREST    TO 

THOSE  WHO  WOULD   SPEAK   AND  WRITE  WITH 

PROPRIETY. 

TENTH    EDITION. 


18mo,  cloth,  each,  $1.OO. 


THE 

VERBALIST: 


A    MA  N  UA  L 

DEVOTED 

TO  BRIEF  DISCUSSIONS  OF  THE  RIGHT  AND  THE 
WRONG   USE    OF  WORDS 

AND 

TO   SOME  OTHER   MATTERS    OF    INTEREST   TO   THOSE   WHO 
WOULD   SPEAK  AND    WRITE    WITH    PROPRIETY. 


BY 

ALFRED    AYRE  S, 


WE  remain  shackled  by  timidity  till  we  have  learned  to  speak  with 
propriety. — JOHNSON. 

As  a  man  is  known  by  his  company,  so  a  man's  company  may  be 
known  by  his  manner  of  expressing  himself.— SWIFT. 


NEW  YORK : 
D.    APPLETON   AND   COMPANY, 

I,   3,    AND  5   BOND   STREET. 


COPYRIGHT   BY 

D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY, 


PREFATORY   NOTE. 


THE  title-page  sufficiently  sets  forth  the  end 
this  little  book  is  intended  to  serve. 

For  convenience'  sake  I  have  arranged  in 
alphabetical  order  the  subjects  treated  of,  and 
for  economy's  sake  I  have  kept  in  mind  that 
"he  that  uses  many  words  for  the  explaining  of 
any  subject  doth,  like  the  cuttle-fish,  hide  him- 
self in  his  own  ink." 

TJie  curious  inquirer  who  sets  himself  to 
look  for  the  learning  in  the  book  is  advised 
that  he  will  best  find  it  in  such  works  as  George 
P.  Marsh's  "  Lectures  on  the  English  Language," 
Fitzedward  Hall's  "  Recent  Exemplifications 
of  False  Philology,"  and  "  Modern  English," 
Richard  Grant  White's  "Words  and  Their 
Uses,"  Edward  S.  Gould's  "  Good  English," 


4  PREFATORY  NOTE. 

William  Mathews'  "  Words :  their  Use  and 
Abuse,"  Dean  Alford's  "  The  Queen's  Eng- 
lish," George  Washington  Moon's  "  Bad  Eng- 
lish," and  "The  Dean's  English,"  Blank's 
"Vulgarisms  and  Other  Errors  of  Speech," 
Alexander  Bain's  "  English  Composition  and 
Rhetoric,''  Bain's  "  Higher  English  Grammar," 
Bain's  "  Composition  Grammar,"  Quackenbos' 
"  Composition  and  Rhetoric,"  John  Nichol's 
"  English  Composition,"  William  Cobbett's 
"  English  Grammar,"  Peter  Bullions'  "  English 
Grammar,"  Goold  Brown's  "  Grammar  of  Eng- 
lish Grammars,"  Graham's  "English  Syno- 
nymes,"  Crabb's  "English  Synonymes,"  Bige- 
low's  "  Hand-book  of  Punctuation,"  and  other 
kindred  works. 

Suggestions  and  criticisms  are  solicited,  with 
the  view  of  profiting  by  them  in  future  editions. 

If  "  The  Verbalist  "  receive  as  kindly  a  wel- 
come as  its  companion  volume,  "  The  Orthoe- 
.pist,"  has  received,  I  shall  be  content. 

A.  A. 
NEW  YORK,  October,  1881. 


ESCHEW  fine  words  as  you  would  rouge. — HARE. 

Cant  is  properly  a  double-distilled  lie ;  the  second 
power  of  a  lie. — CARLYLE. 

If  a  gentleman  be  to  study  any  language,  it  ought  to  be 
that  of  his  own  country. — LOCKE. 

In  language  the  unknown  is  generally  taken  for  the 
magnificent. — RICHARD  GRANT  WHITE. 

He  who  has  a  superlative  for  everything,  wants  a  meas- 
ure for  the  great  or  small. — LAVATER. 

Inaccurate  writing  is  generally  the  expression  of  inac- 
curate thinking. — RICHARD  GRANT  WHITE. 

To  acquire  a  few  tongues  is  the  labor  of  a  few  years  ;  but 
to  be  eloquent  in  one  is  the  labor  of  a  life. — ANONYMOUS. 

Words  and  thoughts  are  so  inseparably  connected  that 
an  artist  in  words  is  necessarily  an  artist  in  thoughts. — 
WILSON  FLAGG. 

It  is  an  invariable  maxim  that  words  which  add  nothing 
to  the  sense  or  to  the  clearness  must  diminish  the  force  of 
the  expression. — CAMPBELL. 

Propriety  of  thought  and  propriety  of  diction  are  com- 
monly found  together.  Obscurity  of  expression  generally 
springs  from  confusion  of  ideas. — MACAULAY. 

He  who  writes  badly  thinks  badly.  Confusedness  in 
words  can  proceed  from  nothing  but  confusedness  in  ths 
thoughts  which  give  rise  to  them. — COBBETT. 


THE   VERBALIST. 


A — An.  The  second  form  of  the  indefinite  article  is 
used  for  the  sake  of  euphony  only.  Herein  everybody 
agrees,  but  what  everybody  does  not  agree  in  is,  that  it  is 
euphonious  to  use  an  before  a  word  beginning  with  an  as- 
pirated A,  when  the  accented  syllable  of  the  word  is  the 
second.  For  myself,  so  long  as  I  continue  to  aspirate  the 
h's  in  such  words  as  heroic,  harangue,  and  historical,  I  shall 
continue  to  use  a  before  them  ;  and  when  I  adopt  the  Cock- 
ney mode  of  pronouncing  such  words,  then  I  shall  use  an 
before  them.  To  my  ear  it  is  just  as  euphonious  to  say,  "  I 
will  crop  off  from  the  top  of  his  young  twigs  a  tender  one, 
and  will  plant  it  upon  an  high  mountain  and  eminent,"  as  it 
is  to  say  an  harangue,  an  heroic,  or  an  historical.  An  is 
well  enough  before  the  doubtful  British  aspiration,  but 
before  the  distinct  American  aspiration  it  is  wholly  out  of 
place.  The  reply  will  perhaps  be,  "  But  these  Its  are  si- 
lent ;  the  change  of  accent  from  the  first  syllable  to  the 
second  neutralizes  their  aspiration."  However  true  this 
may  be  in  England,  it  is  not  at  all  true  in  America ;  hence 
we  Americans  should  use  a  and  not  an  before  such  h's  un- 
til we  decide  to  ape  the  Cockney  mode  of  pronouncing 
them. 

Errors  are  not  unfrequently  made  by  omitting  to  repeat 
the  article  in  a  sentence.  It  should  always  be  repeated 


8  THE   VERBALIST. 

when  a  noun  or  an  adjective  referring  to  a  distinct  thing 
is  introduced ;  take,  for  example,  the  sentence,  "  He  has 
a  black  and  white  horse."  If  two  horses  are  meant,  it 
is  clear  that  it  should  be,  "  He  has  a  black  and  a  white 
horse."-  See  THE. 

Ability — Capacity.  The  distinctions  between  these 
two  words  are  not  always  observed  by  those  who  use  them. 
"  Capacity  is  the  power  of  receiving  and  retaining  knowl- 
edge with  facility  ;  ability  is  the  power  of  applying  knowl- 
edge to  practical  purposes.  Both  these  faculties  are  requi- 
site to  form  a  great  character :  capacity  to  conceive,  and 
ability  to  execute  designs.  Capacity  is  shown  in  quickness 
of  apprehension.  Ability  supposes  something  done  ;  some- 
thing by  which  the  mental  power  is  exercised  in  executing, 
or  performing,  what  has  been  perceived  by  the  capacity." — 
Graham's  "  English  Synonymes." 

Abortive.  An  outlandish  use  of  this  word  may  be  oc- 
casionally met  with,  especially  in  the  newspapers.  "  A 
lad  was  yesterday  caught  in  the  act  of  abortively  appro- 
priating a  pair  of  shoes."  That  is  abortive  that  is  untime- 
ly, that  has  not  been  borne  its  full  time,  that  is  immature. 
We  often  hear  abortion  used  in  the  sense  of  failure,  but 
never  by  those  that  study  to  express  themselves  in  chaste 
English. 

Above.  There  is  little  authority  for  using  this  word  as 
an  adjective.  Instead  of,  "  the  above  statement,"  say,  "  the 
foregoing  statement."  Above  is  also  used  very  inelegantly 
for  more  than ;  as,  "  above  a  mile,"  "  above  a  thousand"  ; 
also,  for  beyond ;  as,  ' '  above  his  strength." 

Accident.     See  CASUALTY. 

Accord.  "  He  [the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury]  was 
shown  through  the  building,  and  the  information  he  de- 
sired was  accorded  him." — Reporters'  English. 


THE   VERBALIST,  g 

"  The  heroes  prayed,  and  Pallas  from  the  skies 

Accords  their  vow." — Pope. 

The  goddess  of  wisdom,  when  she  granted  the  prayers 
of  her  worshipers,  may  be  said  to  have  accorded ;  not  so, 
however,  when  the  clerks  of  our  Sub-Treasury  answer  the 
inquiries  of  their  chief. 

Accuse.     See  BLAME  IT  ON. 

Acquaintance.     See  FRIEND. 

Ad.  This  abbreviation  for  the  word  advertisement  is 
very  justly  considered  a  gross  vulgarism.  It  is  doubtful 
whether  it  is  permissible  under  any  circumstances. 

Adapt — Dramatize.  In  speaking  and  in  writing  of 
stage  matters,  these  words  are  often  misused.  To  adapt  a 
play  is  to  modify  its  construction  with  the  view  of  improv- 
ing its  form  for  representation.  Plays  translated  from  one 
language  into  another  are  usually  more  or  less  adapted ; 
i.  e.,  altered  to  suit  the  taste  of  the  public  before  which  the 
translafion  is  to  be  represented.  To  dramatize  is  to  change 
the  form  of  a  story  from  the  narrative  to  the  dramatic  ;  i.  e., 
to  make  a  drama  out  of  a  story.  In  the  first  instance,  the 
product  of  the  playwright's  labor  is  called  an  adaptation ; 
in  the  second,  a  dramatization. 

Adjectives.  "  Very  often  adjectives  stand  where  ad- 
verbs might  be  expected ;  as,  '  drink  deep,'  '  this  looks 
strange,'  ' standing  erect' 

"  We  have  also  examples  of  one  adjective  qualifying  an- 
other adjective  ;  as,  'wide  open,'  '  red  hot,'  'the  pale  blue 
sky.'  Sometimes  the  corresponding  adverb  is  used,  but 
with  a  different  meaning ;  as,  '  I  found  the  way  easy — easily '  • 
'  it  appears  clear — clearly'  Although  there  is  a  propriety  in 
the  employment  of  the  adjective  in  certain  instances,  yet 
such  forms  as  '  indifferent  well,'  '  extreme  bad,'  are  gram- 
•matical  errors.  '  He  was  interrogated  relative  to  that  cir- 


10  THE    VERBALIST. 

cumstance,'  should  be  relatively,  or  in  relation  to.  It  is  not 
unusual  to  say,  '  I  would  have  done  it  independent  of  that 
circumstance,'  but  independently  is  the  proper  construction. 

"  The  employment  of  adjectives  for  adverbs  is  accounted 
for  by  the  following  considerations : 

"(i.)  In  the  classical  languages  the  neuter  adjective  may 
be  used  as  an  adverb,  and  the  analogy  would  appear  to 
have  been  extended  to  English. 

"(2.)  In  the  oldest  English  the  adverb  was  regularly 
formed  from  the  adjective  by  adding  '  e,'  as  '  soft,  soft^,'  and 
the  dropping  of  the 'e' left  the  adverb  in  the  edjective 
form  ;  thus,  ' clcenej adverb,  became  'clean,'  and  appears  in 
the  phrase  '  clean  gone ' ;  'ftzste,  fast,'  '  to  stick  fast.'  By  a 
false  analogy,  many  adjectives  that  never  formed  adverbs 
in  -e  were  freely  used  as  adverbs  in  the  age  of  Elizabeth : 
'  Thou  didst  it  excellent,' '  eqiial(ior  equally)  good,' '  excellent 
well.'  This  gives  precedent  for  such  errors  as  those  men- 
tioned above. 

"  (3.)  There  are  cases  where  the  subject  is  qualified  rather 
than  the  verb,  as  with  verbs  of  incomplete  predication,  '  be- 
ing,' '  seeming,' '  arriving,'  etc.  In  '  the  matter  seems  clear,' 
'  clear '  is  part  of  the  predicate  of  '  matter.'  '  They  arrived 
safe' :  '  safe  '  does  not  qualify '  arrived,'  but  goes  with  it  to 
complete  the  predicate.  So,  'he  sat  silent'1'  he  Stood  firm' 
'It  comes  beautiful'  and  '  it  comes  beautifully'  have  dif- 
ferent meanings.  This  explanation  applies  especially  to 
the  use  of  participles  as  adverbs,  as  in  Southey's  lines  on 
Loclore ;  the  participial  epithets  applied  there,  although 
appearing  to  modify  '  came,'  are  really  additional  predica- 
tions about '  the  water,'  in  elegantly  shortened  form.  '  The 
church  stood  gleaming  through  the  trees':  '  gleaming '  is  a 
shortened  predicate  of  '  church '  ;  and  the  full  form  would 
be,  'the  church  stood  and  gleamed.'  The  participle  retains 


THE   VERBALIST.  \\ 

its  force  as  such,  while  acting  the  part  of  a  coordinating 
adjective,  complement  to  'stood'  ;  'stood  gleaming'  is  lit- 
tle more  than  'gleamed.'  The  feeling  of  adverbial  force 
in  '  gleaming '  arises  from  the  subordinate  participial  form 
joined  with  a  verb,  '  stood,'  that  seems  capable  of  predicat- 
ing by  itself.  '  Passing  strange  '  is  elliptical :  '  passing  (sur- 
passing) what  is  strange.'  " — Bain. 

"  The  comparative  adjectives  -wiser,  better,  larger,  etc., 
and  the  contrasting  adjectives  different,  other,  etc.,  are  often 
so  placed  as  to  render  the  construction  of  the  sentence  awk- 
ward ;  as, '  That  is  a  much  better  statement  of  the  case  than 
yours,'  instead  of,  'That  statement  of  the  case  is  much  bet- 
ter than  yours ' ;  '  Yours  is  a  larger  plot  of  ground  than 
John's,'  instead  of,  'Your  plot  of  ground  is  larger  than 
John's ' ;  '  This  is  a  different  course  of  proceeding  from 
what  I  expected,'  instead  of,  '  This  course  of  proceeding  is 
different  from  what  I  expected '  ;  '  I  could  take  no  other 
method  of  silencing  him  than  the  one  I  took,'  instead  of, 
'  I  could  take  no  method  of  silencing  him  other  than  the 
one  I  took.' " — Gould's  "  Good  English,"  p.  69. 

Administer.  "  Carson  died  from  blows  administered 
by  policeman  Johnson." — "  New  York  Times."  If  police- 
man Johnson  was  as  barbarous  as  is  this  use  of  the  verb  to 
administer,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  he  was  hanged.  Govern- 
ments, oaths,  medicine,  affairs — such  as  the  affairs  of  the 
state — are  administered,  but  not  blows  :  they  are  dealt. 

Adopt.  This  word  is  often  used  instead  of  to  decide 
upon,  and  of  to  take ;  thus,  "  The  measures  adopted  [by 
Parliament],  as  the  result  of  this  inquiry,  will  be  productive 
of  good."  Better,  "The  measures  decided  upon,"  etc.  In- 
stead of,  "  What  course  shall  you  adopt  to  get  your  pay  ?  " 
say,  "What  course  shall  you  take,"  etc.  Adopt  is  properly 
used  in  a  sentence  like  this :  "  The  course  (or  measures) 


12  THE   VERBALIST. 


proposed  by  Mr.  Blank  was  adipted  by  the  committee." 
That  is,  what  was  Blank's  was  adopted  by  the  committee  — 
a  correct  use  of  the  word,  as  to  adopt,  means,  to  assume  as 
one's  own. 

Adopt  is  sometimes  so  misused  that  its  meaning  is  in- 
verted. "  Wanted  to  adopt,"  in  the  heading  of  advertise- 
ments, not  unfrequently  is  intended  to  mean  that  the  adver- 
tiser wishes  to  be  relieved  of  the  care  of  a  child,  not  that  he 
wishes  to  assume  the  care  of  one. 

Aggravate.  This  word  is  often  used  when  the  speaker 
means  to  provoke,  irritate,  or  anger.  Thus,  "  It  aggravates 
[provokes]  me  to  be  continually  found  fault  with  "  ;  "  He  is 
easily  aggravated  [irritated]."  To  aggravate  means  to  make 
worse,  to  heighten.  We  therefore  very  properly  speak  of 
aggravating  circumstances.  To  say  of  a  person  that  he  is 
aggravated  is  as  incorrect  as  to  say  that  he  is  palliated, 

Agriculturist.  This  word  is  to  be  preferred  to  agri- 
culturalist. See  CONVERSATIONIST. 

Alike.  This  word  is  often  most  bunglingly  coupled 
with  both.  Thus,  "  These  bonnets  are  both  alike,"  or,  worse 
still,  if  possible,  "  both  just  alike."  This  reminds  one  of 
the  story  of  Sam  and  Jem,  who  were  very  like  each  other, 
especially  Sam. 

All.     See  UNIVERSAL. 

All  over.  "  The  disease  spread  all  over  the  country." 
It  is  more  logical  and  more  emphatic  to  say,  "  The  disease 
spread  over  all  the  country." 

Allegory.  An  elaborated  metaphor  is  called  an  alle- 
gory ;  both  are  figurative  representations,  the  words  used 
signifying  something  beyond  their  literal  meaning.  Thus, 
in  the  eightieth  Psalm,  the  Jews  are  represented  under  the 
symbol  of  a  vine  : 

"  Thou  hast  brought  a  vine  out  of  Egypt  :  thou  hast 


THE   VERBALIST.  13 

cast  out  the  heathen,  and  planted  it.  Thou  preparedst 
room  before  it,  and  didst  cause  it  to  take  deep  root,  and  it 
filled  the  land.  The  hills  were  covered  with  the  shadow 
of  it,  and  the  boughs  thereof  were  like  the  goodly  cedars. 
She  sent  out  her  boughs  unto  the  sea,  and  her  branches  unto 
the  river.  Why  hast  thou  then  broken  down  her  hedges, 
so  that  all  they  which  pass  by  the  way  do  pluck  her?  The 
boar  out  of  the  wood  doth  waste  it,  and  the  wild  beast  of 
the  field  doth  devour  it." 

An  allegory  is  sometimes  so  extended  that  it  makes  a 
volume  ;  as  in  the  case  of  Swift's  "  Tale  of  a  Tub,"  Ar- 
buthnot's  "John  Bull,"  Banyan's  "  Pilgrim's  Progress,"  etc. 
Fables  and  parables  are  short  allegories. 

Allow.  This  word  is  frequently  misused  in  the  West 
and  South,  where  it  is  made  to  do  service  for  assert  or  to  be 
of  opinion.  Thus,  "  He  allows  that  he  has  the  finest  horse 
in  the  country." 

Allude.  The  treatment  this  word  has  received  is  to  be 
specially  regretted,  as  its  misuse  has  wellnigh  robbed  it  of 
its  true  meaning,  which  is,  to  intimate  delicately,  to  refer 
to  without  mentioning  directly.  Allude  is  now  very  rarely 
used  in  any  other  sense  than  that  of  to  speak  of,  to  men- 
tion, to  name,  which  is  a  long  way  from  being  its  legiti- 
mate signification.  This  degradation  is  doubtless  a  direct 
outcome  of  untutored  desire  to  be  fine  and  to  use  big 
words. 

Alone.  This  word  is  often  improperly  used  for  only. 
That  is  alone  which  is  unaccompanied ;  that  is  only  of 
which  there  is  no  other.  "  Virtue  alone  makes  us  happy," 
means  that  virtue  unaided  suffices  to  make  us  happy  ; 
"  Virtue  only  makes  us  happy,"  means  that  nothing  else 
can  do  it — that  that,  and  that  only  (not  alone),  can  do  it. 
"  This  means  of  communication  is  employed  by  man  alone" 


14  THE   VERBALIST. 

Dr.  Quackenbos  should  have  written,  "  By  man  only"  See 
also  ONLY. 

Amateur — Novice.  There  is  much  confusion  in  the 
use  of  these  two  words,  although  they  are  entirely  distinct 
from  each  other  in  meaning.  An  amateur  is  one  versed  in, 
or  a  lover  and  practicer  of,  any  particular  pursuit,  art,  or 
science,  but  not  engaged  in  it  professionally.  A  novice  is 
one  who  is  new  or  inexperienced  in  any  art  or  business — a 
beginner,  a  tyro.  A  professional  actor,  then,  who  is  new 
and  unskilled  in  his  art,  is  a  novice  and  not  an  amateur. 
An  amateur  may  be  an  artist  of  great  experience  and  ex- 
traordinary skill. 

Ameliorate.  ' '  The  health  of  the  Empress  of  Germany 
is  greatly  ameliorated. "  WThy  not  say  improved? 

Among.     See  BETWEEN. 

Amount  of  Perfection.  The  observant  reader  of  pe- 
riodical literature  often  notes  forms  of  expression  which  are 
perhaps  best  characterized  by  the  word  bizarre.  Of  these 
queer  locutions,  amount  of  perfection  is  a  very  good  exam- 
ple. Mr.  G.  F.  Watts,  in  the  "  Nineteenth  Century,"  says, 
"An  amount  of  perfection  has  been  reached  which  I  was 
by  no  means  prepared  for."  What  Mr.  Watts  meant  to 
say  was,  doubtless,  that  a  degree  of  excellence  had  been 
reached.  There  are  not  a  few  who,  in  their  prepossession 
for  everything  transatlantic,  seem  to  be  of  opinion  that  the 
English  language  is  generally  better  written  in  England 
than  it  is  in  America.  Those  who  think  so  are  counseled 
to  examine  the  diction  of  some  of  the  most  noted  English 
critics  and  essayists,  beginning,  if  they  will,  with  Matthew 
Arnold. 

And.  Few  vulgarisms  are  more  common  than  the  use 
of  and  for  to.  Examples  :  "  Come  and  see  me  before  you 
go  "  ;  "  Try  and  do  what  you  can  for  him  "  ;  "  Go  and  see 


THE   VERBALIST.  15 

your  brother,  if  you  can."     In  such  sentences  as  these,  the 
proper  particle  to  use  is  clearly  to  and  not  and. 

And  is  sometimes  improperly  used  instead  of  or  ;  thus, 
"It  is  obvious  that  a  language  like  the  Greek  and  Latin" 
(language  ?),  etc.,  should  be,  "  a  language  like  the  Greek  or 
the  Latin "  (language),  etc.  There  is  no  such  thing  as  a 
Greek  and  Latin  language. 

Answer — Reply.  These  two  words  should  not  be 
used  indiscriminately.  An  answer  is  given  to  a  question  ; 
a  reply,  to  an  assertion.  When  we  are  addressed,  v/e  an- 
swer ;  when  we  are  accused,  we  reply.  We  answer  letters, 
and  reply  to  any  arguments,  statements,  or  accusations  they 
may  contain.  Crabb  is  in. error  in  saying  that  replies  "are 
used  in  personal  discourse  only."  Replies,  as  well  as  an- 
swers, are  written.  We  very  properly  write,  "  I  have 
now,  I  believe,  answered  all  your  questions  and  replied  to 
all  your  arguments."  A  rejoinder  is  made  to  a  reply.  "  Who 
goes  there  ?  "  he  cried  ;  and,  receiving  no  answer,  he  fired. 
"  The  advocate  replied  to  the  charges  made  against  his 
client." 

Anticipate.  Lovers  of  big  words  have  a  fondness  for 
making  this  verb  do  duty  for  expect.  Anticipate  is  derived 
from  two  Latin  words  meaning  before  and  to  take,  and, 
when  properly  used,  means,  to  take  beforehand  ;  to  go 
before  so  as  to  preclude  another  ;  to  get  the  start  or  ahead 
of ;  to  enjoy,  possess,  or  suffer,  in  expectation  ;  to  foretaste. 
It  is,  therefore,  misused  in  such  sentences  as,  "  Her  death 
is  hourly  anticipated"  ;  "  By  this  means  it  is  anticipated  that 
the  time  from  Europe  will  be  lessened  two  days." 

Antithesis.  A  phrase  that  opposes  contraries  is  called 
an  antithesis. 

"  I  see  a  chief  who  leads  my  chosen  sons, 

All  armed  with  points,  antitheses,  and  puns." 
2 


16  THE  VERBALIST. 

The  following  are  examples : 

"  Though  gentle,  yet  not  dull ; 

Strong,  without  rage  ;  without  o'erflowing,  full." 
"Contrasted  faults  through  all  their  manners  reign  ; 
Though  poor,  luxurious  ;  though  submissive,  vain  ; 
Though  grave,  yet  trifling  ;  zealous,  yet  untrue  ; 
And  e'en  in  penance  planning  sins  anew." 
The  following  is  an  excellent  example  of  personification 
and  antithesis  combined : 

"  Talent  convinces  ;  Genius  but  excites  : 

That  tasks  the  reason  ;  this  the  soul  delights. 
Talent  from  sober  judgment  takes  its  birth, 
And  reconciles  the  pinion  to  the  earth  ; 
Genius  unsettles  with  desires  the  mind, 
Contented  not  till  earth  be  left  behind." 
In  the  following  extract  from  Johnson's  "  Life  of  Pope," 
individual  peculiarities  are  contrasted  by  means  of  antith- 
eses : 

"  Of  genius — that  po%ver  which  constitutes  a  poet ;  that 
quality  without  which  judgment  is  cold,  and  knowledge  is 
inert ;  that  energy  which  collects,  combines,  amplifies,  and 
animates — the  superiority  must,  with  some  hesitation,  be 
allowed  to  Dryden.  It  is  not  to  be  inferred  that  of  this 
poetical  vigor  Pope  had  only  a  little,  because  Dryden  had 
more  ;  for  every  other  writer,  since  Milton,  must  give  place 
to  Pope  ;  and  even  of  Dryden  it  must  be  said  that,  if  he 
has  brighter  paragraphs,  he  has  not  better  poems.  Dryden 's 
performances  were  always  hasty,  either  excited  by  some 
external  occasion  or  extorted  by  domestic  necessity  ;  he 
composed  without  consideration  and  published  without 
correction,  ^"hat  his  mind  could  supply  at  call  or  gather 
in  one  excursion  was  all  that  he  sought  and  all  that  he 
gave.  The  dilatory  caution  of  Pope  enabled  him  to  con- 


THE   VERBALIST.  17 

dense  his  sentiments,  to  multiply  his  images,  and  to  accu- 
mulate all  that  study  might  produce  or  chance  might 
supply.  If  the  nights  of  Dryden,  therefore,  are  higher, 
Pope  continues  longer  on  the  wing.  If  of  Dryden's  fire 
the  blaze  is  brighter,  of  Pope's  the  heat  is  more  regular 
and  constant.  Dryden  often  surpasses  expectation,  and 
Pope  never  falls  below  it.  Dryden  is  read  with  frequent 
astonishment,  and  Pope  with  perpetual  delight.  Dryden's 
page  is  a  natural  field,  rising  into  inequalities,  and  diver- 
sified by  the  varied  exuberance  of  abundant  vegetation  ; 
Pope's  is  a  velvet  lawn,  shaven  by  the  scythe,  and  leveled 
by  the  roller." 

There  are  forms  of  antithesis  in  which  the  contrast  is 
only  of  a  secondary  kind. 

Any.  This  word  is  sometimes  made  to  do  service  for 
at  all.  We  say  properly,  "  She  is  not  any  better  "  ;  but  we 
can  not  properly  say,  "  She  does  not  see  any"  meaning  that 
she  is  blind. 

Anybody  else.  "  Public  School  Teachers  are  in- 
formed that  anybody  else's  is  correct." — "  New  York  Times," 
Sunday,  July  31,  1881.  An  English  writer  says :  "  In 
such  phrases  as  anybody  else,  and  the  like,  else  is  often  put 
in  the  possessive  case  ;  as,  '  anybody  else's  servant ' ;  and 
some  grammarians  defend  this  use  of  the  possessive  case, 
arguing  that  somebody  else  is  a  compound  noun."  It  is  bet- 
ter grammar  and  more  euphonious  to  consider  else  as  being 
an  adjective,  and  to  form  the  possessive  by  adding  the 
apostrophe  and  s  to  the  word  that  else  qualifies  ;  thus,  any-, 
body's  else,  nobody's  else,  somebody's  else. 

Anyhow.  "  An  exceedingly  vulgar  phrase,"  says  Pro- 
fessor Mathews,  in  his  "  Words  :  Their  Use  and  Abuse." 
"  Its  use,  in  any  manner,  by  one  who  professes  to  write 
and  speak  the  English  tongue  with  purity,  is  unpardonable." 


18  THE   VERBALIST. 

Professor  Mathews  seems  to  have  a  special  dislike  for  this 
colloquialism.  It  is  recognized  by  the  lexicographers,  and 
I  think  is  generally  accounted,  even  by  the  careful,  per- 
missible in  conversation,  though  incompatible  with  digni- 
fied diction. 

Anxiety  of  Mind.    See  EQUANIMITY  OF  MIND. 

Apostrophe.  Turning  from  the  person  or  persons  to 
whom  a  discourse  is  addressed  and  appealing  to  some 
person  or  thing  absent,  constitutes  what,  in  rhetoric,  is 
called  the  apostrophe.  The  following  are  some  exam- 
ples: 

"  O  gentle  sleep, 

Nature's  soft  nurse,  how  have  I  frighted  thee, 

That  thou'  no  more  wilt  weigh  my  eyelids  down, 

And  steep  my  senses  in  forgetfulness  ?  " 
•'  Sail  on,  thou  lone  imperial  bird 

Of  quenchless  eye  and  tireless  wing  !  " 
"  Help,  angels,  make  assay  ! 

Bow,  stubborn  knees  !  and  heart  with  strings  of  steel, 

Be  soft  as  sinews  of  the  new-born  babe : 

All  may  yet  be  well  ! " 
Appear.     See  SEEM. 

Appreciate.  If  any  word  in  the  language  has  cause 
to  complain  of  ill-treatment,  this  one  has.  Appreciate 
means,  to  estimate  justly — to  set  the  trtie  value  on  men 
or  things,  their  worth,  beauty,  or  advantages  of  any  sort 
whatsoever.  Thus,  an  overestimate  is  no  more  appre- 
ciation than  is  an  underestimate  ;  hence  it  follows  that  such 
expressions  as,  "  I  appreciate  it,  or  her,  or  him,  highly" 
can  not  be  correct.  We  value,  or  prize,  things  highly,  not 
appreciate  them  highly.  This  word  is  also  very  improperly 
made  to  do  service  for ;  i 'se,  or  increase,  in  value  ;  thus, ' '  Land 
appreciates  rapidly  in  the  West."  Dr.  L.  T.  Townsend 


THE   VERBALIST.  ig 

blunders  in  the  use  of  appreciate  in  his  "  Art  of  Speech," 
vol.  i,  p.  142,,  thus:  "The  laws  of  harmony  .  .  .  may  al- 
low copiousness  ...  in  parts  of  a  discourse  ...  in  order 
that  the  condensation  of  other  parts  may  be  the  more  high- 
ly appreciated" 

Apprehend — Comprehend.  The  English  often  use 
the  first  of  these  two  words  where  we  use  the  second.  Both 
express  an  effort  of  the  thinking  faculty  ;  but  to  apprehend 
is  simply  to  take  an  idea  into  the  mind — it  is  the  mind's 
first  effort — while  to  comprehend  is  fully  to  understand. 
We  are  dull  or  quick  of  apprehension.  Children  apprehend 
much  that  they  do  not  comprehend.  Trench  says:  "We 
apprehend  many  truths  which  we  do  not  comprehend." 
"Apprehend"  says  Crabb,  "expresses  the -weakest  kind 
of  belief,  the  having  [of]  the  least  idea  of  the  presence  of 
a  thing." 

Apt.  Often  misused  for  likely,  and  sometimes  for  liable. 
"  What  is  he  apt  to  be  doing  ?  "  "  Where  shall  I  be  apt  to 
find  him?"  "If  properly  directed,  it  will  be  apt  to  reach 
me."  In  such  sentences  as  these,  likely  is  the  proper  word 
to  use.  "  If  you  go  there,  you  will  be  apt  to  get  into 
trouble."  Here  either  likely  or  liable  is  the  proper  word, 
according  to  the  thought  the  speaker  would  convey. 

Arctics.    See  RUBBERS. 

Artist.  Of  late  years  this  word  has  been  appropriated 
by  the  members  of  so  many  crafts,  that  it  has  wellnigh 
been  despoiled  of  its  meaning.  Your  cook,  your  barber, 
your  tailor,  your  boot-maker,  and  so  on  to  satiety,  are  all 
artists.  Painters,  sculptors,  architects,  actors,  and  singers, 
nowadays,  generally  prefer  being  thus  called,  rather  than 
to  be  spoken  of  as  artists. 

As.  "  Not  as  I  know "  :  read,  "  not  that  I  know." 
"  This  is  not  as  good  as  the  last  "  :  read,  "  not  so  good." 


20  THE  VERBALIST. 

"  It  may  be  complete  so  far  as  the  specification  is  con- 
cerned "  :  correctly,  "as  far  as." 

As,  preceded  by  sue h  or  by  same,  has  the  force  of  a  rela- 
tive applying  to  persons  or  to  things.  "  He  offered  me  the 
same  conditions  as  he  offered  you."  "  The  same  conditions 
that "  would  be  equally  proper.  See,  also,  LIKE. 

Ascribe.     See  IMPUTE. 

At.  Things  are  sold  by,  not  at,  auction.  "  The  scene 
is  more  beautiful  at  night  than  by  day  "  :  say,  "  by  night." 

At  alL  "  It  is  not  strange,  for  my  uncle  is  King  of 
Denmark."  Had  Shakespeare  written,  "  It  is  not  at  all 
strange,"  it  is  clear  that  his  diction  would  have  been  much 
less  forcible.  "  I  do  not  wish  for  any  at  all"  ;  "  I  saw  no 
one  at  all "  ;  "  If  he  had  any  desire  at  all  to  see  me,  he 
would  come  where  I  am."  The  at  all  in  sentences  like 
these  is  superfluous.  Yet  there  are  instances  in  which 
the  phrase  is  certainly  a  very  convenient  one,  and  seems  to 
be  unobjectionable.  It  is  much  used,  and  by  good  writers. 

At  best.  Instead  of  at  best  and  at  worst,  we  should 
say  at  the  best  and  at  the  worst. 

At  last.     See  AT  LENGTH. 

At  least.  This  adverbial  phrase  is  often  misplaced. 
"  '  The  Romans  understood  liberty  at  least  as  well  as  we.' 
This  must  be  interpreted  to  mean,  '  The  Romans  under- 
stood liberty  as  well  as  we  understand  liberty.'  The  in- 
tended meaning  is, '  that  whatever  things  the  Romans  failed 
to  understand,  they  understood  liberty.'  To  express  this 
meaning  we  might  put  it  thus  :  '  The  Romans  understood 
at  Last  liberty  as  well  as  we  do ' ;  '  liberty,  at  least,  the 
Romans  understood  as  well  as  we  do.'  '  A  tear,  at  least,  is 
due  to  the  unhappy ' ;  '  at  least  a  tear  is  due  to  the  un- 
happy ' ;  '  a  tear  is  due  at  least  to  the  unhappy ' ;  '  a  tear  is 
due  to  the  unhappy  at  least' — all  express  different  mean- 


THE   VERBALIST.  <*      ^\ 

ings.  '  This  can  not,  often  at  least,  be  done  '  ;  '  this  can  not 
be  done  often,  at  least.'  (i.  '  It  often  happens  that  this  can 
not  be  done.'  2.  '  It  does  not  often  happen  that  this  can 
be  done.')  So,  '  man  is  always  capable  of  laughing  '  ;  '  man 
is  capable  of  laughing  always.'  " — Bain. 

At  length.  This  phrase  is  often  used  instead  of  at  last. 
"  At  length  we  managed  to  get  away":  read,  "at  last." 
"At  length,  we  heard  from  him."  To  hear  from  any  one  at 
length  is  to  hear  fully  ;  i.  e.,  in  detail. 

Authoress.  With  regard  to  the  use  of  this  and  certain 
other  words  of  like  formation,  Mr.  Gould,  in  his  "Good 
English,"  says :  "  Poet  means  simply  a  person  who  writes 
poetry  ;  and  author,  in  the  sense  under  consideration,  a 
person  who  writes  poetry  or  prose — not  a  man  who  writes, 
but  a  person  who  writes.  Nothing  in  either  word  indicates 
sex  ;  and  everybody  knows  that  the  functions  of  both  poets 
and  authors  are  common  to  both  sexes.  Hence,  authoress 
and  poetess  are  superfluous.  And  they  are  superfluous,  also, 
in  another  respect — that  they  are  very  rarely  used,  indeed 
they  hardly  can  be  used,  independently  of  the  name  of  the 
writer,  as  Mrs.,  or  Miss,  or  a  female  Christian  name.  They 
are,  besides,  philological  absurdities,  because  they  are  fabri- 
cated on  the  false  assumption  that  their  primaries  indicate 
men.  They  are,  moreover,  liable  to  the  charge  of  affecta- 
tion and  prettiness,  to  say  nothing  of  pedantic  pretension  to 
accuracy. 

"  If  the  ess  is  to  be  permitted,  there  is  no  reason  for  ex- 
cluding it  from  any  noun  that  indicates  a  person  ;  and  the 
next  editions  of  our  dictionaries  may  be  made  complete  by 
the  addition  of  writress,  officeress,  manageress,  superintend- 
entess,  secretaryess,  treasureress,  walkeress,  talkeress,  and  so 
on  to  the  end  of  the  vocabulary." 

Avocation.    See  VOCATION. 


22  THE   VERBALIST. 

Bad  cold.  Inasmuch  as  colds  are  never  good,  why  say 
a  bad  cold?  We  may  talk  about  slight  colds  and  severe 
colds,  but  not  about  bad  colds. 

Baggage.    See  LUGGAGE. 

Balance.  This  word  is  very  frequently  and  very  erro- 
neously used  in  the  sense  of  rest,  remainder.  It  properly 
means  the  excess  of  one  thing  over  another,  and  in  this  sense 
and  in  no  other  should  it  be  used.  Hence  it  is  improper 
to  talk  about  the  balance  of  the  edition,  of  the  evening,  of 
the  money,  of  the  toasts,  of  the  men,  etc.  In  such  cases 
we  should  say  the  rest  or  the  remainder. 

Barbarism.  Defined  as  an  offense  against  good  usage, 
by  the  use  of  an  improper  word,  i.  e.,  a  word  that  is  anti- 
quated or  improperly  formed.  Preventatire,  enthuse,  agri- 
culturalist, donate,  etc.,  are  barbarisms.  See  also  SOLECISM. 

Been  to.  We  not  unfrequently  hear  a  superfluous  to 
tacked  to  a  sentence  ;  thus,  "  Where  have  you  been  to  ?  " 

Beg.  We  often  see  letters  begin  with  the  words,  "  I 
beg  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  favor,"  etc.  We 
should  write,  "  I  beg  leave  to  acknowledge,"  etc.  No  one 
would  say,  "  I  beg  to  tell  you,"  instead  of,  "I  beg  leave  to 
tell  you." 

Begin  —  Commence.  These  words  have  the  same 
meaning ;  careful  speakers,  however,  generally  prefer  to 
use  the  former.  Indeed,  there  is  rarely  any  good  reason 
for  giving  the  preference  to  the  latter.  See  also  COM- 
MENCE. 

Being  built.    See  Is  BEING  BUILT. 

Belongings.  An  old  idiomatic  expression  now  coming 
into  use  again. 

Beside — Besides.  In  the  later  unabridged  editions 
of  Webster's  dictionary  we  find  the  following  remarks  con- 
cerning the  use  of  these  two  words:  "Beside  and  besides. 


THE   VERBALIST.  23 

whether  used  as  prepositions  or  adverbs,  have  been  con- 
sidered synonymous  from  an  early  period  of  our  literature, 
and  have  been  freely  interchanged  by  our  best  writers. 
There  is,  however,  a  tendency  in  present  usage  to  make 
the  following  distinction  between  them  :  I.  That  beside  be 
used  only  and  always  as  a  preposition,  with  the  original 
meaning  by  t)ie  side  of ;  as,  to  sit  beside  a  fountain  ;  or 
with  the  closely  allied  meaning  aside  from,  or  out  of;  as, 
this  is  beside  our  present  purpose  :  '  Paul,  thou  art  beside 
thyself.'  The  adverbial  sense  to  be  wholly  transferred  to 
the  cognate  word.  2.  That  besides,  as  a  preposition,  take 
the  remaining  sense,  in  addition  to ;  as,  besides  ail  this  ; 
besides  the  consideration  here  offered  :  '  There  was  a  famine 
in  the  land  besides  the  first  famine.'  And  that  it  also  take 
the  adverbial  sense  of  moreover,  beyond,  etc.,  which  had 
been  divided  between  the  words  ;  as,  besides,  there  are  other 
considerations  which  belong  to  this  case." 

Best.     See  AT  BEST. 

Between.  This  word  is  often  misused  for  among ;  thus, 
"  The  word  fellow,  however  much  in  use  it  may  be  between 
men,  sounds  very  objectionable  from  the  lips  of  women." — 
"  London  Queen."  Should  be,  "among  men."  Between  is 
used  in  reference  to  two  things,  parties,  or  persons  ;  among, 
in  reference  to  a  greater  number.  "Castor  and  Pollux 
with  one  soul  between  them."  "  You  have  among  you 
many  a  purchased  slave." 

Blame  it  on.  Here  is  a  gross  vulgarism  which  we 
sometimes  hear  from  persons  of  considerable  culture.  They 
use  it  in  the  sense  of  accuse  or  suspect ;  thus,  "  He  blames 
it  on  his  brother,"  meaning  that  he  accuses  or  suspects  his 
brother  of  having  done  it,  or  of  being  at  fault  for  it. 

Bogus.  A  colloquial  term  incompatible  with  dignified 
diction. 


24  THE  VERBALIST. 

Both.  We  sometimes  hear  such  absurd  sentences  as, 
"  They  both  resemble  each  other  very  much  "  ;  "  7  hey  are 
both  alike  "  ;  "  They  both  met  in  the  street."  Both  is  like- 
wise redundant  in  the  following  sentence  :  "  It  performs  at 
the  same  time  the  offices  both  of  the  nominative  and  objec- 
tive cases." 

Bound.  The  use  of  this  word  in  the  sense  of  deter- 
mined is  not  only  inelegant  but  indefensible.  "  I  am 
bound  to  have  it,"  should  be,  "  I  am  determined  to 
have  it." 

Bravery — Courage.  The  careless  often  use  these  two 
words  as  though  they  were  interchangeable.  Bravery  is 
inborn,  is  instinctive  ;  courage  is  the  product  of  reason,  cal- 
culation. There  is  much  merit  in  being  courageous,  little 
merit  in  being  brave.  Men  who  are  simply  brave  are  care- 
less, while  the  courageous  man  is  always  cautious.  Bravery 
often  degenerates  into  temerity.  Moral  cotcrage  is  that 
firmness  of  principle  which  enables  a  man  lo  do  what  he 
deems  to  be  his  duty,  although  his  action  may  subject  him 
to  adverse  criticism.  True  moral  courage  is  one  of  the 
rarest  and  most  admirable  of  virtues. 

Alfred  the  Great,  in  resisting  the  attacks  of  the  Danes, 
displayed  bravery  /  in  entering  their  camp  as  a  spy,  he  dis- 
played courage. 

Bring — Fetch — Carry.  The  indiscriminate  use  of 
these  three  words  is  very  common.  To  bring  is  to  convey 
to  or  toward — a  simple  act ;  to  fetch  means  to  go  and  bring 
— a  compound  act ;  to  carry  often  implies  motion  from  the 
speaker,  and  is  followed  by  away  or  off,  and  thus  is  opposed 
to  bring  and  fetch.  Yet  one  hears  such  expressions  as, 
"Go  to  Mrs.  D.'s  and  bring\\.er  this  bundle  ;  and  here,  you 
may  fetch  her  this  book  also."  We  use  the  words  correctly 
thus  :  "  fetch,  or  go  bring,  me  an  apple  from  the  cellar  "  ; 


THE   VERBALIST.  25 

"When  you  come  home  bting  some  lemons  "  ;  ''  Carry  this 
book  home  with  you." 

British  against  American  English.  "  The  most  im- 
portant peculiarity  of  American  English  is  a  laxity,  irregu- 
larity, and  confusion  in  the  use  of  particles.  The  same 
thing  is,  indeed,  observable  in  England,  but  not  to  the 
same  extent,  though  some  gross  departures  from  idiomatic 
propriety,  such  as  different  to  for  different  from,  are  com- 
mon in  England,  which  none  but  very  ignorant  persons 
would  be  guilty  of  in  America.  ...  In  the  tenses  of  the 
verbs,  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  well-educated  Americans 
conform  more  closely  to  grammatical  propriety  than  the 
corresponding  class  in  England.  ...  In  general,  I  think 
we  may  say  that,  in  point  of  naked  syntactical  accuracy, 
the  English  of  America  is  not  at  all  inferior  to  that  of  Eng- 
land ;  but  we  do  not  discriminate  so  precisely  in  the  mean- 
ing of  words,  nor  do  we  habitually,  in  either  conversation 
"or  in  writing,  express  ourselves  so  gracefully,  or  employ  so 
classic  a  diction,  as  the  English.  Our  taste  in  language  is 
less  fastidious,  and  our  licenses  and  inaccuracies  are  more 
frequently  of  a  character  indicative  of  want  of  refinement 
and  elegant  culture  than  those  we  hear  in  educated  society 
in  England." — George  P.  Marsh. 

British  against  American  Orthoepy.  "  The  causes 
of  the  differences  in  pronunciation  [between  the  English 
and  the  Americans]  are  partly  physical,  and  therefore  diffi- 
cult, if  not  impossible,  to  resist ;  and  partly  owing  to  a  dif- 
ference of  circumstances.  Of  this  latter  class  of  influences, 
the  universality  of  reading  in  America  is  the  most  obvious 
and  important.  The  most  marked  difference  is,  perhaps,  in 
the  length  or  prosodical  quantity  of  the  vowels  ;  and  both 
of  the  causes  I  have  mentioned  concur  to  produce  this 
effect.  We  are  said  to  drawl  our  words  by  protracting  the 


26  THE  VERBALIST. 

vowels  and  giving  them  a  more  diphthongal  sound  than  the 
English.  Now,  an  Englishman  who  reads  will  habitually 
utter  his  vowels  more  fully  and  distinctly  than  his  country- 
man who  does  not ;  and,  upon  the  same  principle,  a  nation 
of  readers,  like  the  Americans,  will  pronounce  more  delib- 
erately and  clearly  than  a  people  so  large  a  proportion  of 
whom  are  unable  to  read,  as  in  England.  From  our  uni- 
versal habit  of  reading,  there  results  not  only  a  greater  dis- 
tinctness of  articulation,  but  a  strong  tendency  to  assimilate 
the  spoken  to  the  written  language.  Thus,  Americans  in- 
cline to  give  to  every  syllable  of  a  written  word  a  distinct 
enunciation  ;  and  the  popular  habit  is  to  say  dic-tion-ar-y, 
mil-it-ar-y,  with  a  secondary  accent  on  the  penultimate,  in- 
stead of  sinking  the  third  syllable,  as  is  so  common  in  Eng- 
land. There  is,  no  doubt,  something  disagreeably  stiff  in 
an  anxious  and  affected  conformity  to  the  very  letter  of  or- 
thography ;  and  to  those  accustomed  to  a  more  hurried  ut- 
terance we  may  seem  to  drawl,  when  we  are  only  giving  a 
full  expression  to  letters  which,  though  etymologically  im- 
portant, the  English  habitually  slur  over,  sputtering  out,  as 
a  Swedish  satirist  says,  one  half  of  the  word,  and  swallow- 
ing the  other.  The  tendency  to  make  the  long  vowels 
diphthongal  is  noticed  by  foreigners  as  a  peculiarity  of  the 
orthoepy  of  our  language  ;  and  this  tendency  will,  of  course, 
be  strengthened  by  any  cause  which  produces  greater  slow- 
ness and  fullness  of  articulation.  Besides  the  influence  of 
the  habit  of  reading,  there  is  some  reason  to  think  that  cli- 
mate is  affecting  our  articulation.  In  spite  of  the  coldness 
of  our  winters,  our  flora  shows  that  the  climate  of  even  our 
Northern  States  belongs,  upon  the  whole,  to  a  more  south- 
ern type  than  that  of  England.  In  southern  latitudes,  at 
least  within  the  temperate  zone,  articulation  is  generally 
much  more  distinct  than  in  the  northern  regions.  Witness 


THE   VERBALIST. 


27 


the  pronunciation  of  Spanish,  Italian,  Turkish,  as  compared 
with  English,  Danish,  and  German.  Participating,  then,  in 
the  physical  influences  of  a  southern  climate,  we  have  con- 
tracted something  of  the  more  distinct  articulation  that  be- 
longs to  a  dry  atmosphere  and  a  clear  sky.  And  this  view 
of  the  case  is  confirmed  by  the  fact  that  the  inhabitants  of 
the  Southern  States  incline,  like  the  people  of  southern 
Europe,  to  throw  the  accent  toward  the  end  of  the  word, 
and  thus,  like  all  nations  that  use  that  accentuation,  bring 
out  all  the  syllables.  This  we  observe  very  commonly  in 
the  comparative  Northern  and  Southern  pronunciation  of 
proper  names.  I  might  exemplify  by  citing  familiar  in- 
stances ;  but,  lest  that  should  seem  invidious,  it  may  suffice 
to  say  that,  not  to  mention  more  important  changes,  many 
a  Northern  member  of " Congress  goes  to  Washington  a 
dactyl  or  a  trochee,  and  comes  home  an  amphibrach  or  an 
iambus.  Why  or  how  external  physical  causes,  as  climate 
and  modes  of  life,  should  affect  pronunciation,  we  can  not 
say  ;  but  it  is  evident  that  material  influences  of  some  sort 
are  producing  a  change  in  our  bodily  constitution,  and  we 
are  fast  acquiring  a  distinct  national  Anglo-American  type. 
That  the  delicate  organs  of  articulation  should  participate 
in  such  tendencies  is  altogether  natural ;  and  the  operation 
of  the  causes  which  give  rise  to  them  is  palpable  even  in 
our  handwriting,  which,  if  not  uniform  with  itself,  is  gen- 
erally, nevertheless,  so  unlike  common  English  script  as  to 
be  readily  distinguished  from  it. 

"To  the  joint  operation,  then,  of  these  two  causes — 
universal  reading  and  climatic  influences — we  must  ascribe 
our  habit  of  dwelling  upon  vowel  and  diphthongal  sounds, 
or  of  drawling,  if  that  term  is  insisted  upon.  .  .  .  But  it  is 
often  noticed  by  foreigners  as  both  making  us  more  readily 
understood  by  them  when  speaking  our  own  tongue,  and  as 


28  THE   VERBALIST. 

connected  with  a  flexibility  of  organ,  which  enables  us  to 
acquire  a  better  pronunciation  of  other  languages  than  is 
usual  with  Englishmen.  In  any  case,  as,  in  spite  of  the 
old  adage,  speech  is  given  us  that  we  may  make  ourselves 
understood,  our  drawling,  however  prolonged,  is  preferable 
to  the  nauseous,  foggy,  mumbling  thickness  of  articulation 
which  characterizes  the  cockney,  and  is  not  unfrequently 
affected  by  Englishmen  of  a  better  class." — George  P. 
Marsh. 

Bryant's  Prohibited  Words.     See  INDEX  EXPURGA- 

TORIUS. 

But.  This  word  is  misused  in  various  ways.  "  I  do 
not  doubt  but  he  will  be  here":  read,  doubt  that.  "I 
should  not  wonder  but "  :  read,  if.  "  I  have  no  doubt  but 
that  he  will  go  "  :  suppress  but.  "  I  do  not  dcubt  but  that 
it  is  true  "  :  suppress  but.  "  There  can  be  no  doubt  but 
that  the  burglary  is  the  work  of  professional  cracksmen." — 
"  New  York  Herald."  Doubt  tJiat,  and  not  but  that.  "  A 
careful  canvass  leaves  no  doubt  but  that  the  nomination," 
etc. :  suppress  but.  "  There  is  no  reasonable  doubt  but 
that  it  is  all  it  professes  to  be  "  :  suppress  but.  "  The 
mind  no  sooner  entertains  any  proposition  but  it  presently 
hastens,"  etc.  :  read,  than.  "  No  other  resource  but  this 
was  allowed  him  "  :  read,  than. 

By.     See  AT. 

Calculate.  This  word  means  to  ascertain  by  computa- 
tion, to  reckon,  to  estimate  ;  and,  say  some  of  the  purists,  it 
never  means  anything  else  when  properly  used.  If  this  is 
true,  we  can  not  say  a  thing  is  calculated  to  do  harm,  but 
must,  if  we  are  ambitious  to  have  our  English  irreproach- 
able, choose  some  other  form  of  expression,  or  at  least  some 
other  word,  likely  or  apt,  for  example.  Cobbett,  however, 
says,  "  That,  to  Her,  whose  great  example  is  so  well  cal- 


THE   VERBALIST. 


29 


culated  to  inspire,"  etc. ;  and,  "  The  first  two  of  the  three 
sentences  are  well  enough  calculated  for  ushering,"  etc. 
Calculate  is  sometimes  vulgarly  used  for  intend,  purpose, 
expect ;  as,  "  He  calculates  to  get  off  to-morrow." 

Caliber.  This  word  is  sometimes  used  very  absurdly ; 
as,  "  Brown's  Essays  are  of  a  much  higher  caliber  than 
Smith's."  It  is  plain  that  the  proper  word  to  use  here  is 
order. 

Cant.  Cant  is  a  kind  of  affectation  ;  affectation  is  an 
effort  to  sail  under  false  colors  ;  an  effort  to  sail  under  false 
colors  is  a  kind  of  falsehood  ;  and  falsehood  is  a  term  of 
Latin  origin  which  we  often  use  instead  of  the  stronger 
Saxon  term  LYING  ! 

"  Who  is  not  familiar,"  writes  Dr.  William  Matthews, 
"  with  scores  of  pet  phrases  and  cant  terms  which  are  re- 
peated at  this  day  apparently  without  a  thought  of  their 
meaning?  Who  ever  attended  a  missionary  meeting 
without  hearing  '  the  Macedonian  cry,'  and  an  account  of 
some  '  little  interest '  and  '  fields  white  for  the  harvest '  ? 
Who  is  not  weary  of  the  ding-dong  of  '  our  Zion,"  and  the 
solecism  of  '  in  our  midst '  ;  and  who  does  not  long  for  a 
verbal  millennium  when  Christians  shall  no  longer  '  feel  to 
take  '  and  '  grant  to  give '  ?  " 

"How  much  I  regret,"  says  Coleridge,  "  that  so  many 
religious  persons  of  the  present  day  think  it  necessary  to 
adopt  a  certain  cant  of  manner  and  phraseology  [and  of 
tone  of  voice]  as  a  token  to  each  other  [one  another]  ! 
They  improve  this  and  that  text,  and  they  must  do  so  and 
so  in  a  prayerful  way  ;  and  so  on." 

Capacity.    See  ABILITY. 

Caption.  This  word  is  often  used  for  heading,  but,  thus 
used,  it  is  condemned  by  careful  writers.  The  true  mean- 
ing of  caption  is  a  seizure,  an  arrest.  It  does  not  come  from 


3o  THE   VERBALIST. 

a  Latin  word  meaning  a  head,  but  from  a  Latin  word  mean- 
ing to  seize. 

Caret.  Cobbett  writes  of  the  caret  to  his  son :  "  The 
last  thing  I  shall  mention  under  this  head  is  the  caret  [  A  ], 
which  is  used  to  point  upward  to  a  part  which  has  been 
omitted,  and  which  is  inserted  between  the  line  where  the 
caret  is  placed  and  the  line  above  it.  Things  should  be  called 
by  their  right  names,  and  this  should  be  called  the  blunder- 
mark.  I  would  have  you,  my  dear  James,  scorn  the  use  of 
the  thing.  Think  before  you  write  ;  let  it  be  your  custom 
to  -wtite  correctly  and  in  &  plain  hand.  Be  careful  that  neat- 
ness, grammar,  and  sense  prevail  when  you  write  to  a 
blacksmith  about  shoeing  a  horse  as  when  you  write  on  the 
most  important  subjects.  .Habit  is  powerful  in  all  cases; 
but  its  power  in  this  case  is  truly  wonderful.  When  you 
write,  bear  constantly  in  mind  that  some  one  is  to  read  and 
to  understa nd  what  you  write.  This  will  make  your  hand- 
writing and  also  your  meaning  plain.  Far,  I  hope,  from 
my  dear  James  will  be  the  ridiculous,  the  contemptible 
affectation  of  writing  in  a  slovenly  or  illegible  hand,  or  that 
of  signing  his  name  otherwise  than  in  plain  letters." 

Carry.     See  BRING. 

Case.  Many  persons  of  considerable  culture  continu- 
ally make  mistakes  in  conversation  in  the  use  of  the  cases, 
and  we  sometimes  meet  with  gross  errors  of  this  kind  in 
the  writings  of  authors  of  repute.  Witness  the  following : 
"  And  everybody  is  to  know  him  except  /." — George  Meri- 
deth  in  "The  Tragic  Comedies,"  Eng.  eel.,  vol.  i,  p.  33. 
"  Let's  you  and  /  go  "  :  say,  me.  We  can  not  say,  Let  1 
go.  Properly,  Let's  go,  i.  e.,  let  us  go,  or,  let  you  and  me 
go.  "  He  is  as  good  as  me  "  :  say,  as  /.  "  She  is  as  tall  as 
Aim  "  :  say,  as  he.  "  You  are  older  than  me  "  :  say,  than  7. 
"  Nobody  said  so  but  he  "  :  say,  but  Aim.  "  Every  one  can 


THE   VERBALIST.  31 

master  a  grief  but  he  that  hath  it "  :  correctly,  but  him. 
"John  went  out  with  James  and  /"  :  say,  and  me.  "  You 
are  stronger  than  him  "  :  say,  than  he.  "  Between  you 
and  /":  say,  and  me.  "Between  you  and  they":  say, 
and  them.  "He  gave  it  to  John  and  /":  say,  and  me. 
"You  told  John  and  /":  say,  and  me.  "He  sat  be- 
tween him  and  /"  :  say,  and  me.  "  He  expects  to  see 
you  and  /"  :  say,  and  me.  "  You  were  a  dunce  to  do 
it.  Who?  me?"  say,  /.  Supply  the  ellipsis,  and  we 
should  have,  Who  ?  me  a  dunce  to  do  it  ?  "  Where  are 
you  going?  Who?  me?"  say,  7.  We  can't  say,  me  going. 
"  Who  do  you  mean?"  say,  whom.  "  Was  it  them?"  say, 
they.  "If  I  was  him,  I  would  do  it  "  :  say,  were  he.  "  If 
I  was  her,  I  would  not  go  "  :  say,  were  she.  "  Was  it  him  ?  " 
say,  he.  "  Was  it  her?  "  say,  she.  "  For  the  benefit  of  those 
whom  he  thought  were  his  friends  "  :  say,  who.  This  error 
is  not  easy  to  detect  on  account  of  the  parenthetical  words 
that  follow  it.  If  we  drop  them,  the  mistake  is  very  ap- 
parent;  thus,  "For  the  benefit  of  those  whom  were  his 
friends." 

"On  the  supposition,"  says  Bain,  "that  the  interroga- 
tive who  has  whom  for  its  objective,  the  following  are  er- 
rors :  '  who  do  you  take  me  to  be  ? '  '  who  should  I  meet 
the  other  day  ?  '  '  who  is  it  by  ?'  '  who  did  you  give  it  to  ?  ' 
'  who  to  ?  '  '  who  for  ?  '  But,  considering  that  these  expres- 
sions occur  with  the  best  writers  and  speakers,  that  they  are 
more  energetic  than  the  other  form,  and  that  they  lead  to 
no  ambiguity,  it  may  be  doubted  whether  grammarians 
have  not  exceeded  their  province  in  condemning  them." 

Cobbett,  in  writing  of  the  pronouns,  says  :   "  When  the 

relatives  are  placed  in  the  sentence  at  a  distance  from  their 

antecedents  or  verbs  or  prepositions,  the  ear  gives  us  no 

assistance.     '  Who,  of  all  the  men  in  the  world,  do  you 

3 


32  THE  VERBALIST. 

think  I  saw  to-day  ? '  '  Who,  for  the  sake  of  numerous  ser- 
vices, the  office  was  given  to.'  In  both  these  cases  it 
should  be  whom.  Bring  the  verb  in  the  first  and  the  prep- 
osition in  the  second  case  closer  to  the  relative,  as,  who  1 
saw,  to  -who  the  office  was  given,  and  you  see  the  error  at 
Once.  But  take  care  !  '  Whom,  of  all  the  men  in  the  world, 
do  you  think,  was  chosen  to  be  sent  as  an  ambassador?1 
'  Whom,  for  the  sake  of  his  numerous  services,  had  an 
office  of  honor  bestowed  upon  him.'  These  are  nominative 
cases,  and  ought  to  have  who;  that  is  to  say,  who  was 
chosen,  who  had  an  office." 

"  Most  grammarians,"  says  Dr.  Bain,  in  his  "  Higher 
English  Grammar,"  "have  laid  down  this  rule  :  '  The  verb  to 
be  has  the  same  case  after  as  before  it.'  Macaulay  censures 
the  following  as  a  solecism :  '  It  was  him  that  Horace  Wai- 
pole  called  a  man  who  never  made  a  bad  figure  but  as  an 
author.'  Thackeray  similarly  adverts  to  the  same  deviation 
from  the  rule  :  '  "  Is  that  him  ?  "  said  the  lady  in  question- 
able grammar'  But,  notwithstanding  this,"  continues  Dr. 
Bain,  "  we  certainly  hear  in  the  actual  speech  of  all  classes 
of  society  such  expressions  as  '  it  was  me,'  '  it  was  him,'  *  it 
was  her,'  more  frequently  than  the  prescribed  form.*  '  This 
shy  creature,  my  brother  says,  is  me' ;  'were  it  me,  I'd  show 
him  the  difference.' — Clarissa  Harlowe.  '  It  is  not  me\  you 
are  in  love  with.' — Addison.  'If  there  is  one  character 
more  base  than  another,  it  is  him  who,'  etc. — Sydney  Smith. 
'  If  I  were  him' ;  'if  I  had  been  her,'  etc.  The  authority 
of  good  writers  is  strong  on  the  side  of  objective  forms. 

*  If  this  is  true  in  England,  it  is  not  true  in  America.  Nowhere  in 
the  United  States  is  such  "questionable  grammar"  as  this  frequently 
heard  in  cultivated  circles. 

t  "  It  may  be  confidently  affirmed  that  with  good  speakers,  in  the 
case  of  negation,  not  me  is  the  usual  practice." — Bain.  This,  I  confi- 
dently affirm,  is  not  true  in  America. — A.  A. 


THE   VERBALIST.  33 

There  is  also  the  analogy  of  the  French  language  ;  for  while 
•  I  am  here '  is  je  suis  id,  the  answer  to  '  who  is  there  ? '  is 
mot  (me) ;  and  ccst  moi  (it  is  me)  is  the  legitimate  phrase — 
never  cestje  (it  is  I)." 

But  moi,  according  to  all  French  grammarians,  is  very 
often  in  the  nominative  case.  Moi  is  in  the  nominative 
case  when  used  in  reply  to  "  Who  is  there  ?  "  and  also  in 
the  phrase  "  C'est  moi,"  which  makes  "  It  is  /"  the  correct 
translation  of  the  phrase,  and  not  "  It  is  me"  The  French 
equivalent  of  "  I !  I  am  here,"  is  "  Moi !  je  suis  ici."  The 
Frenchman  uses  moi  in  the  nominative  case  when  je  would 
be  inharmonious.  Euphony  with  him  is  a  matter  of  more 
importance  than  grammatical  correctness.  Bescherelle 
gives  many  examples  of  moi  in  the  nominative.  Here  are 
two  of  them :  "  Mon  avocat  et  moi  sommes  de  cet  avis. 
Qui  veut  aller  avec  lui  ?  Moi."  If  we  use  such  phraseology 
as  "It  is  me"  we  must  do  as  the  French  do — consider  me 
as  being  in  the  nominative  case,  and  offer  euphony  as  our 
reason  for  thus  using  it. 

When  shall  we  put  nouns  (or  pronouns)  preceding  verbal, 
or  participial,  nouns,  as  they  are  called  by  some  grammari- 
ans— infinitives  in  ing,  as  they  are  called  by  others — in  the 
possessive  case  ? 

"  '  I  am  surprised  at  John's  (or  his,  your,  etc.)  refusing 
to  go.'  '  I  am  surprised  at  John  (or  him,  you,  etc.)  refus- 
ing to  go.'  [In  the  latter  sentence  refusing  is  a  participle.] 
The  latter  construction  is  not  so  common  with  pronouns  as 
with  nouns,  especially  with  such  nouns  as  do  not  readily 
take  the  possessive  form.  '  They  prevented  him  going  for- 
ward ' :  better,  '  They  prevented  his  going  forward.'  '  He 
was  dismissed  without  any  reason  being  assigned.'  'The 
boy  died  through  his  clothes  being  burned.*  '  We  hear  little 
of  any  connection  being  kept  up  between  the  two  nations.' 


34  THE  VERBALIST. 

1  The  men  rowed  vigorously  for  fear  of  the  tide  turning 
against  us.'  But  most  examples  of  the  construction  uithout 
the  possessive  form  are  OBVIOUSLY  DUE  TO  MERE  SLOVEN- 
LINESS. .  .  .  '  In  case  of  your  being  absent '  :  here  being  is 
an  infinitive  [verbal,  or  participial,  noun]  qualified  by  the 
possessive  your.  'In  case  of  you  being  present':  heie 
being  would  have  to  be  construed  as  a  participle.  The  pos- 
sessive construction  is,  in  this  case,  the  primitive  and  regu~ 
lar  construction ;  THE  OTHER  is  A  MERE  LAPSE.  The 
difficulty  of  adhering  to  the  possessive  form  occurs  when  the 
subject  is  not  a  person  :  '  It  does  not  seem  safe  to  rely  on 
the  rule  of  demand  creating  supply ' :  in  strictness,  '  De- 
mand's creating  supply.'  '  A  petition  was  presented 
against  the  license  being  granted.'  But  for  the  awkward- 
ness of  extending  the  possessive  to  impersonal  subjects,  it 
would  be  right  to  say,  '  against  the  license's  being  grant- 
ed.' '  He  had  conducted  the  ball  without  any  complaint 
being  urged  against  him.'  The  possessive  would  be  suit- 
able, but  undesirable  and  unnecessary." — Professor  Alex- 
ander Bain. 

"  Though  the  ordinary  syntax  of  the  possessive  case  is 
sufficiently  plain  and  easy,  there  is,  perhaps,  among  all  the 
puzzling  and  disputable  points  of  grammar,  nothing  more 
difficult  of  decision  than  are  some  questions  that  occur  re- 
specting the  right  management  of  this  case.  The  observa- 
tions that  have  been  made  show  that  possessives  before 
participles  are  seldom  to  be  approved.  The  following  ex- 
ample is  manifestly  inconsistent  with  itself ;  and,  in  my 
opinion,  the  three  possessives  are  all  wrong  :  '  The  kitch- 
en, too,  now  begins  to  give  dreadful  note  of  preparation  ; 
not  from  armorers  accomplishing  the  knights,  but  from  the 
shopmaid's  chopping  force-meat,  the  apprentice 's  cleaning 
knives,  and  the  journeyman  s  receiving  a  practical  lesson  in 


THE   VERBALIST.  35 

the  art  of  waiting  at  table.'  '  The  daily  instances  of  men's 
dying  around  us."  Say  rather,  '  Of  men  dying  around  us.' 
The  leading  word  in  sense  ought  not  to  be  made  the  ad- 
junct in  construction." — Goold  Brown. 

Casualty.  This  word  is  often  heard  with  the  incorrect 
addition  of  a  syllable,  casuality,  which  is  not  recognized 
by  the  lexicographers.  Some  writers  object  to  the  word 
casualty,  and  always  use  its  synonym  accident. 

Celebrity.  "  A  number  of  celebrities  witnessed  the 
first  representation."  This  word  is  frequently  used,  es- 
pecially in  the  newspapers,  as  a  concrete  term  ;  but  it 
would  be  better  to  use  it  in  its  abstract  sense  only, 
and  in  sentences  like  the  one  above  to  say  distinguished 
persons. 

Character — Reputation.  These  two  words  are  not 
synonyms,  though  often  used  as  such.  Character  means 
the  sum  of  distinguishing  qualities.  "  Actions,  looks, 
words,  steps,  form  the  alphabet  by  which  you  may  spell 
characters." — Lavater.  Reputation  means  the  estimation 
in  which  one  is  held.  One's  reputation,  then,  is  what  is 
thought  of  one's  character ;  consequently,  one  may  have  a 
good  reputation  and  a  bad  character,  or  a  good  character 
and  a  bad  reputation.  Calumny  may  injure  reputation,  but 
not  character.  Sir -Peter  does  not  leave  his  character  be- 
hind him,  but  his  reputation — his  good  name. 

Cheap.  The  dictionaries  define  this  adjective  as  mean- 
ing, bearing  a  low  price,  or  to  be  had  at  a  low  price  ;  but 
nowadays  good  usage  makes  it  mean  that  a  thing  may  be 
had,  or  has  been  sold,  at  a  bargain.  Hence,  in  order  to 
make  sure  of  being  understood,  it  is  better  to  say  low-priced, 
when  one  means  low-priced,  than  to  use  the  word  cheap~ 
What  is  low-priced,  as  everybody  knows,  is  often  dear,  and 
what  is  high-priced  is  often  cheap,  A  diamond  necklace 


36  THE   VERBALIST. 

might  be  cheap  at  ten  thousand  dollars,  and  a  pinchbeck 
necklace  dear  at  ten  dollars. 

Cherubim.  The  Hebrew  plural  of  cherub.  "  We  are 
authorized,"  says  Dr.  Campbell,  "  both  by  use  and  analogy, 
to  say  either  cherubs  and  seraphs,  according  to  the  English 
idiom,  or  cherubim  and  seraphim,  according  to  the  Oriental. 
The  former  suits  better  the  familiar,  the  latter  the  solemn, 
style.  As  the  words  cherubim  and  seraphim  are  plural,  the 
terms  cherubims  and  seraphims,  as  expressing  the  plural,  are 
quite  improper." — "  Philosophy  of  Rhetoric." 

Citizen.  This  word  properly  means  one  who  has  cer- 
tain political  rights  ;  when,  therefore,  it  is  used,  as  it  often 
is,  to  designate  persons  who  may  be  aliens,  it,  to  say  the 
least,  betrays  a  want  of  care  in  the  selection  of  words. 
"  Several  citizens  were  injured  by  the  explosion."  Here 
some  other  word — persons,  for  example — should  be  used. 

Clever.  In  this  country  the  word  clever  is  most  im- 
properly used  in  the  sense  of  good-natured,  well-disposed, 
good-hearted.  It  is  properly  used  in  the  sense  in  which 
we  are  wont  most  inelegantly  to  use  the  word  smart,  though 
it  is  a  less  colloquial  term,  and  is  of  wider  application.  In 
England  the  phrase  "  a  clever  man  "  is  the  equivalent  of  the 
French  phrase,  "  un  homme  a" esprit"  The  word  is  prop- 
erly used  in  the  following  sentences  :  "  Every  work  of  Arch- 
bishop Whately  must  be  an  object  of  interest  to  the  ad- 
mirers of  clever  reasoning";  "  Cobbett's  letter  .  .  .  very 
clever,  but  very  mischievous  "  ;  "  Bonaparte  was  certainly  as 
clever  a  man  as  ever  lived." 

Climax.  A  clause,  a  sentence,  a  paragraph,  or  any  lit- 
erary composition  whatsoever,  is  said  to  end  with  a  climax 
when,  by  an  artistic  arrangement,  the  more  effective  is 
made  to  follow  the  less  effective  in  regular  gradation. 
Any  great  departure  from  the  order  of  ascending  strength 


THE   VERBALIST. 


37 


is  called  an  anti-climax.  Here  are  some  examples  of  cli- 
max : 

"  Give  all  diligence  ;  add  to  your  faith,  virtue  ;  and  to 
virtue,  knowledge  ;  and  to  knowledge,  temperance  ;  and  to 
temperance,  patience  ;  and  to  patience,  godliness  ;  and  to 
godliness,  brotherly  kindness  ;  and  to  brotherly  kindness, 
charity." 

"  What  is  every  year  of  a  wise  man's  life  but  a  criticism 
on  the  past !  Those  whose  life  is  the  shortest  live  long 
enough  to  laugh  at  one  half  of  it  ;  the  boy  despises  the  in- 
fant, the  man  the  boy,  the  sage  both,  and  the  Christian 
all." 

"  What  a  piece  of  work  is  man  !  how  noble  in  reason  ! 
how  infinite  in  faculties  !  in  form  and  moving,  how  express 
and  admirable  !  in  action,  how  like  an  angel !  in  apprehen- 
sion, how  like  a  god  !  " 

Co.  The  prefix  co  should  be  used  only  when  the  word 
to  which  it  is  joined  begins  with  a  vowel,  as  in  co-evaL,  co- 
incident, co-operate,  etc.  Con  is  used  when  the  word  begins 
with  a  consonant,  as  in  con-temporary,  con-junction,  etc. 
Co-partner  is  an  exception  to  the  rule. 

Commence.  The  Britons  use  or  misuse  this  word  in 
a  manner  peculiar  to  themselves.  They  say,  for  example, 
"  commenced  merchant,"  "  commenced  actor,"  "  commenced 
politician,"  and  so  on.  Dr.  Hall  tells  us  that  commence  has 
been  employed  in  the  sense  of  "  begin  to  be,"  "  become," 
"  set  up  as,"  by  first-class  writers,  for  more  than  two  cen- 
turies. Careful  speakers  make  small  use  of  commence  in  any 
sense  ;  they  prefer  to  use  its  Saxon  equivalent,  begin.  See, 
also,  BEGIN. 

Comparison.  When  only  two  objects  are  compared, 
the  comparative  and  not  the  superlative  degree  should  be 
used  ;  thus,  "  Mary  is  the  older  of  the  two  "  ;  "  John  is  the 


38  THE   VERBALIST. 

stronger  of  the  two  "  ;  "  Brown  is  the  richer  of  the  two,  and 
the  richest  man  in  the  city  "  ;  "  Which  is  the  more  desir- 
able, health  or  wealth  ?  "  "  Which  is  the  most  desirable, 
health,  wealth,  or  genius?" 

"  Of  two  such  lessons,  why  forget 
The  nobler  and  the  manlier  one  ?  " 

Completed.  This  word  is  often  incorrectly  used  for 
finished.  That  is  complete  which  lacks  nothing  ;  that  is 
finished  which  has  had  all  done  to  it  that  was  intended. 
The  builder  of  a  house  may  finish  it  and  yet  leave  it  very 
incomplete. 

Condign.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  most  of  those  who 
use  this  word  do  not  know  its  meaning,  which  is,  suitable, 
deserved,  merited,  proper.  "  His  endeavors  shall  not  lack 
condign  praise  "  ;  i.  e.,  his  endeavors  shall  not  lack  proper 
or  their  merited  praise.  "  A  villain  condignly  punished"  is 
a  villain  punished  according  to  his  deserts.  To  use  con- 
dign in  the  sense  of  severe  is  just  as  incorrect  as  it  would 
be  to  use  deserved  or  merited  in  the  sense  of  severe. 

Confirmed  Invalid.  This  phrase  is  a  convenient  mode 
of  expressing  the  idea  it  conveys,  but  it  is  difficult  to  de- 
fend, inasmuch  as  confirmed  means  strengthened,  estab- 
lished. 

Consequence.  This  word  is  sometimes  used  instead 
of  importance  or  moment ;  as,  ' '  They  were  all  persons  of 
more  or  less  consequence  "  :  read,  "  of  more  or  less  impor- 
tance." "  It  is  a  matter  of  no  consequence  "  :  read,  "of  no 
moment" 

Consider.  "  This  word,"  says  Mr.  Richard  Grant 
White,  in  his  "Words  and  Their  Uses,"  "is  perverted 
from  its  true  meaning  by  most  of  those  who  use  it."  Con- 
sider means,  to  meditate,  to  deliberate,  to  reflect,  to  re- 
volve in  the  mind  ;  and  yet  it  is  made  to  do  service  foi 


THE   VERBALIST. 


39 


think,  suppose,  and  regard.  Thus  :  "  I  consider  his  course 
very  unjustifiable  "  ;  "I  have  always  considered  it  my  duty," 
etc. ;  "  I  consider  him  as  being  the  cleverest  man  of  my 
acquaintance." 

Contemptible.  This  word  is  sometimes  used  for  con- 
temptuous. An  old  story  says  that  a  man  once  said  to  Dr. 
Parr,  "  Sir,  I  have  a  contemptible  opinion  of  you."  "  That 
does  not  surprise  me,"  returned  the  Doctor;  "all  your 
opinions  are  contemptible"  What  is  worthless  or  weak  is 
contemptible.  Despicable  is  a  word  that  expresses  a  still 
more  intense  degree  of  the  contemptible.  A  traitor  is  a 
despicable  character,  while  a  poltroon  is  only  contemptible, 

Continually.     See  PERPETUALLY. 

Continue  on.  The  on  in  this  phrase  is  generally  super- 
fluous. "  We  continued  on  our  way  "  is  idiomatic  English, 
and  is  more  euphonious  than  the  sentence  would  be  with- 
out the  particle.  The  meaning  is,  "  We  continued  to  travel 
on  our  way."  In  such  sentences,  however,  as  "  Continue 
on"  "He  continued  to  read  on"  "The  fever  continued 
on  for  some  hours,"  and  the  like,  the  on  generally  serves 
no  purpose. 

Conversationist.  This  word  is  to  be  preferred  to 
conversationalist.  Mr.  Richard  Grant  White  says  that  con- 
versationalist and  agriciilturalist  are  inadmissible.  On  the 
other  hand,  Dr.  Fitzedward  Hall  says:  "As  for  conversa- 
tionist and  conversationalist,  agricultioist  and  agi  icultural- 
ist,  as  all  are  alike  legitimate  formations,  it  is  for  conven- 
tion to  decide  which  we  are  to  prefer. 

Convoke — Convene.  At  one  time  and  another  there 
has  been  some  discussion  with  regard  to  the  correct  use  of 
these  two  words.  According  to  Crabb,  "  There  is  nothing 
imperative  on  the  part  of  those  that  assemble,  or  convene, 
and  nothing  binding  on  those  assembled,  or  convened :  one 


4.0  THE  VERBALIST. 

assembles,  or  convenes,  by  invitation  or  request  ;  one  attends 
to  the  notice  or  not,  at  pleasure.  Convoke,  on  the  other 
hand,  is  an  act  of  authority ;  it  is  the  call  of  one  who  has 
the  authority  to  give  the  call  ;  it  is  heeded  by  those  who 
feel  themselves  bound  to  attend."  Properly,  then,  Presi- 
dent Arthur  convokes,  not  convenes,  the  Senate. 

Corporeal — Corporal.  These  adjectives,  though  re- 
garded as  synonyms,  are  not  used  indiscriminately.  Cor- 
poral is  used  in  reference  to  the  body,  or  animal  frame,  in 
its  proper  sense  ;  corporeal,  to  the  animal  substance  in  an 
extended  sense — opposed  to  spiritual.  Corporal  punish- 
ment ;  corporeal  or  matetialiorm.  or  substance. 

"  That  to  corporeal  substances  could  add 

Speed  most  spiritual." — Milton. 
"  What  seemed  corporal 
Melted  as  breath  into  the  wind." — Shakespeare. 

Couple.  In  its  primitive  signification,  this  word  does 
not  mean  simply  two,  but  two  that  are  united  by  some 
bond  ;  such  as,  for  example,  the  tie  that  unites  the  sexes. 
It  has,  however,  been  so  long  used  to  mean  two  of  a  kind 
considered  together,  that  in  this  sense  it  may  be  deemed 
permissible,  though  the  substitution  of  the  word  two  for  it 
would  often  materially  improve  the  diction. 

Courage.    See  BRAVERY. 

Crime — Vice — Sin.  The  confusion  that  exists  in  the 
use  of  these  words  is  due  largely  to  an  imperfect  under- 
standing of  their  respective  meanings.  Ctime  is  the  viola- 
tion of  the  law  of  a  state  ;  hence,  as  the  laws  of  states  differ, 
what  is  crime  in  one  state  may  not  be  crime  in  another. 
Vice  is  a  course  of  wrong-doing,  and  is  not  modified  either 
by  country,  religion,  or  condition.  As  for  sin,  it  is  very 
difficult  to  define  what  it  is,  as  what  is  sinful  in  the  eyes  of 
one  man  may  not  be  sinful  in  the  eyes  of  another  ;  what  is 


THE   VERBALIST.  4i 

sinful  in  the  eyes  of  a  Jew  may  not  be  sinful  in  the  eyes  of 
a  Christian  ;  and  what  is  sinful  in  the  eyes  of  a  Christian  of 
one  country  may  not  be  sinful  in  the  eyes  of  a  Christian  of 
another  country.  In  the  days  of  slavery,  to  harbor  a  run- 
away slave  was  a  crime,  but  it  was,  in  the  eyes  of  most  peo- 
ple, neither  a  vice  nor  a  sin. 

Crushed  out.  "  The  rebellion  was  finally  crushed  out." 
Out  of  what?  We  may  crush  the  life  out  of  a  man,  or 
crush  a  man  to  death,  and  crush,  not  crush  out,  a  rebel- 
lion. 

Cultured.  This  word  is  said  to  be  a  product  of  Bos- 
ton— an  excellent  place  for  anybody  or  anything  to  come 
from.  Many  persons  object  to  its  use  on  the  ground  that 
there  can  be  no  such  participial  adjective,  because  there  is 
no  verb  in  use  from  which  to  form  it.  We  have  in  use 
the  substantive  culture,  but,  though  the  dictionaries  recog- 
nize the  verb  to  culttire,  we  do  not  use  it.  Be  this  objec- 
tion valid  or  be  it  not,  cultured  having  but  two  sylla- 
bles, while  its  synonym  cultivated  has  four,  it  is  likely 
to  find  favor  with  those  who  employ  short  words  when 
they  convey  their  meaning  as  well  as  long  ones.  Other 
adjectives  of  this  kind  are,  moneyed,  whiskered,  slippered, 
lettered,  talented,  cottaged,  lilied,  anguished,  gifted,  and 
so  forth. 

Curious.  This  word  is  often  used  instead  of  strange 
or  remarkable.  "  A  curious  fact  "  :  better,  "  a  remarkable 
fact."  "  A  curious  proceeding":  better,  "  a  strange  pro- 
ceeding." 

Dangerous.  "  He  is  pretty  sick,  but  not  dangerous." 
Dangerous  people  are  generally  most  dangerous  when  they 
are  most  vigorous.  Say,  rather,  "  He  is  sick,  but  not  in 
danger." 

Dearest.    "A  gentleman  once  began  a  letter  to  his 


4.2  THE   VERBALIST. 

bride  thus :  '  My  dearest  Maria.'  The  lady  replied  :  ;  My 
dear  John,  I  beg  that  you  will  mend  either  your  morals  or 
your  grammar.  You  call  me  your  "  dearest  Maria  "  ;  am  I 
to  understand  that  you  have  other  Marias '  ?  " — Moon's 
"  Bad  English." 

Deceiving.  "  You  are  deceiving  me."  Not  unfrequent- 
ly  deceiving  is  used  when  the  speaker  means  trying  to  de- 
ceive. It  is  when  we  do  not  suspect  deception  that  we  are 
deceived. 

Decimate.  This  word,  meaning  as  it  properly  does  to 
tithe,  to  take  the  tenth  part,  is  hardly  permissible  in  the 
sense  in  which  it  is  used  in  such  sentences  as,  "  The  regi- 
ment held  its  position,  though  terribly  decimated  by  the 
enemy's  artillery."  "Though  terribly  tithed"  would  be 
equally  correct. 

Demean.  This  word  is  sometimes  erroneously  used  in 
the  sense  of  to  debase,  to  disgrace,  to  Immble.  It  is  a  re- 
flexive verb,  and  its  true  meaning  is  to  behave,  to  carry,  to 
conduct;  as,  "He  demeans  himself  in  a  gentlemanly  man- 
ner," i.  e.,  He  behaves,  or  carries,  or  conducts,  himself  in  a 
gentlemanly  manner. 

Denude.  "The  vulture,"  says  Brande,  "has  some 
part  of  the  head  and  sometimes  of  the  neck  denuded  of 
feathers."  Most  birds  might  be  demided  of  the  feathers  on 
their  heads  ;  not  so,  however,  the  vulture,  for  his  head  is 
always  featherless.  A  thing  can  not  be  demided  of  what 
it  does  not  have.  Denuding  a  vulture's  head  and  neck  of 
the  feathers  is  like  denuding  an  eel  of  its  scales. 

Deprecate.  Strangely  enough,  this  word  is  often 
used  in  the  sense  of  disapprove,  censure,  condemn  ;  as, 
"  He  deprecates  the  whole  proceeding ''  ;  "  Your  course, 
from  first  to  last,  is  universally  deprecated"  But,  according 
to  the  authorities,  the  word  really  means,  to  endeavor  to 


THE    VERBALIST.  43 

avert  by  prayer ;  to  pray  exemption  or  deliverance  from ; 
to  beg  off;  to  entreat ;  to  urge  against. 

"  Daniel  kneeled  upon  his  knees  to  deprecate  the  cap- 
tivity of  his  people." — Hewyt. 

Despite.  This  word  is  often  incorrectly  preceded  by 
in  and  followed  by  of ;  thus,  "/«  despite  of  all  our  efforts 
to  detain  him,  he  set  out"  ;  which  should  be,  "  Despite  all 
our  efforts,"  etc.,  or  "  In  spite  of  all  our  efforts,"  etc. 

Determined.     See  BOUND. 

Diction.  This  is  a  general  term,  and  is  applicable  to 
a  single  sentence  or  to  a  connected  composition.  Bad  dic- 
tion may  be  due  to  errors  in  grammar,  to  a  confused  dispo- 
sition of  words,  or  to  an  improper  use  of  words.  Diction, 
to  be  good,  requires  to  be  only  correct  and  clear.  Of  ex- 
cellent examples  of  bad  diction  there  are  very  many  in 
a  little  work  by  Dr.  L.  T.  Townsend,  Professor  of  Sacred 
Rhetoric  in  Boston  University,  the  first  volume  of  which 
has  lately  come  under  my  notice.  The  first  ten  lines  of 
Dr.  Townsend's  preface  are  : 

"  The  leading  genius '  of  the  People's  College  at  Chau- 
tauqua  Lake,  with  a  [the  ?]  view  of  providing  for  his  course  2 
a  text-book,  asked  for  the  publication  of  the  following  laws 
and  principles  of  speech.1 

"  The  author,  not  seeing  sufficient  reason  4  for  withhold- 
ing what  had  been  of  much  practical  benefit 5  to  himself, 
consented.6 

"  The  subject-matter  herein  contained  is  an  outgrowth 
from 7  occasional  instructions  8  given  9  while  occupying  the 
chair 10  of  Sacred  Rhetoric." 

I.  The  phrase  leading  genius  is  badly  chosen.  Founder, 
projector,  head,  organizer,  principal,  or  president — some  one 
of  these  terms  would  probably  have  been  appropriate.  2. 
What  course?  Race-course,  course  of  ethics,  aesthetics, 


44 


THE   VERBALIST. 


rhetoric,  or  what  ?*  3.  "  The  following  laws  and  principles 
of  speech."  And  how  came  these  laws  and  principles  in 
existence?  Who  made  them?  We  are  to  infer,  it  would 
seem,  that  Professor  Townsend  made  them,  and  that  the 
world  would  have  had  to  go  without  the  laws  that  govern 
language  and  the  principles  on  which  langu?ge  is  formed 
had  it  pleased  Professor  Townsend  to  withhold  them.  4. 
"  Sufficient  reason"  !  Then  there  were  reasons  why  Pro- 
fessor Townsend  ought  to  have  kept  these  good  things  all 
to  himself  ;  only,  they  were  not  sufficient.  5.  "  Practical 
benefit "  !  Is  there  any  such  thing  as  impractical  bene- 
fit? Are  not  all  benefits  practical  ?  and,  if  they  are,  what 
purpose  does  the  epithet  practical  serve  ?  6.  Consented 
to  what?  It  is  easy  to  see  that  the  Doctor  means  ac- 
ceded to  the  request,  but  he  is  a  long  way  from  saying 
so.  The  object  writers  usually  have  in  view  is  to  convey 
thought,  not  to  set  their  readers  to  guessing.  7.  The 
otitgrowth  of  would  be  English.  8.  "  Occasional  instruc- 
tions "  !  Very  vague,  and  well  calculated  to  set  the  reader 
to  guessing  again.  9.  Given  to  whom  ?  10.  "  The  chair." 
The  definite  article  made  it  necessary  for  the  writer  to 
specify  what  particular  chair  of  Sacred  Rhetoric  he  meant. 

These  ten  lines  are  a  fair  specimen  of  the  diction  of  the 
entire  volume. 

Page  131.     "To  render  a  given  ambiguous  or  unintel- 
ligible sentence  transparent,  the  following  suggestions  are 
recommended."      The   words   in   italics   are   unnecessary, 
'since  what  is  ambiguous  is  unintelligible.     Then  who  has 
ever  heard  of  recommending  suggestions  ? 

Dr.  Townsend  speaks  of  mastei  ing  a  subject  before  pub- 
lishing it.     Publishing  a  subject  ? 

*  Should  be,  a  text-book  for  his  course,  and  not,_/iv-  kis  course  a 
text-book. 


THE    VERBALIST. 


45 


Page  133.  "  Violations  of  simplicity,  whatever  the 
type,  show  either  that  the  mind  of  the  writer  is  tainted  with 
affectation,  or  else  that  an  effort  is  making  to  conceal  con- 
scious poverty  of  sentiment  under  loftiness  of  expression." 
Here  is  an  example  of  a  kind  of  sentence  that  can  be 
mended  in  only  one  way — by  rewriting,  which  might  be 
done  thus :  Violations  of  simplicity,  whatever  the  type, 
show  either  that  the  writer  is  tainted  with  affectation,  or 
that  he  is  making  an  effort  to  conceal  poverty  of  thought 
under  loftiness  of  expression. 

Page  143.  "  This  quality  is  fully  stated  and  recom- 
mended," etc.  Who  has  ever  heard  of  stating  a  quality? 

On  page  145  Dr.  Townsend  says:  "A  person  can  not 
read  a  single  book  of  poor  style  without  having  his  own 
style  vitiated."  A  book  of  poor  style  is  an  awkward  ex- 
pression, to  say  the  least.  A  single  badly-written  book  would 
have  been  unobjectionable. 

Page  160.  "The  presented  picture  produces  instant- 
ly a  definite  effect."  Why  this  unusual  disposition  of 
words?  Why  not  say,  in  accordance  with  the  idiom  of 
the  language,  "  The  picture  presented  instantly  produces," 
etc.? 

Page  161.  "  The  boy  studies  .  .  .  geography  and  hates 
everything  connected  with  the  sea  and  land."  Why  the 
boy  ?  As  there  are  few  things  besides  seals  and  turtles  that 
are  connected  with  the  sea  and  land,  the  boy  in  question 
has  few  things  to  hate. 

On  page  175,  Dr.  Townsend  heads  a  chapter  thus : 
"  Art  of  acquiring  Skill  in  the  use  of  Poetic  Speech." 
This  reminds  one  of  the  man  who  tried  to  lift  himself  over 
a  fence  by  taking  hold  of  the  seat  of  his  breeches.  "  How 
lo  acquire  skill "  is  probably  what  is  meant. 

On   page    232,    "  Jeremy    Taylor   is  among    the    best 


4.6  THE   VERBALIST. 

models  of  long  sentences  which  are  both  clear  and  logical." 
Jeremy  Taylor  is  a  clear  and  logical  long  sentence  ? !  True, 
our  learned  rhetorician  says  so,  but  he  doesn't  mean  it. 
He  means,  "In  Jeremy  Taylor  we  find  some  of  the  best 
examples  of  long  sentences  which  are  at  once  clear  and 
logical." 

Since  the  foregoing  was  written,  the  second  volume  of 
Professor  Townsend's  "  Art  of  Speech  "  has  been  published. 
In  the  brief  preface  to  this  volume  we  find  this  character- 
istic sentence :  "  The  author  has  felt  that  clergymen  more 
than  those  of  other  professions  will  study  this  treatise." 
The  antecedent  of  the  relative  those  being  clergymen,  the 
sentence,  it  will  be  perceived,  says :  "  The  author  has  felt 
that  clergymen  more  than  clergymen  of  other  professions  will 
study  this  treatise."  Comment  on  such  "art "  as  Professor 
Townsend's  is  not  necessary. 

I  find  several  noteworthy  examples  of  bad  diction  in  an 
article  in  a  recent  number  of  an  Australian  magazine.  The 
following  are  some  of  them  :  "  Large  capital  always  man- 
ages to  make  itself  master  of  the  situation  ;  it  is  the  small 
capitalist  and  the  small  landholder  that  would  suffer," 
etc.  Should  be,  "  The  large  capitalist  ,  .  .  himself"  etc. 
Again:  "  The  small  farmer  would  .  .  .  be  despoiled  .  .  . 
of  the  meager  profit  which  strenuous  labor  had  conquered 
from  the  reluctant  soil."  Not  only  are  the  epithets  in 
italics  superfluous,  and  consequently  weakening  in  their 
effect,  but  idiom  does  not  permit  strenuous  to  be  used  to 
qualify  labor:  hard  labor  and  strenuous  effort.  Again: 
"  Capital  has  always  the  choice  of  a  large  field."  Should 
be, "  the  choice  offered  by  a  large  field."  Again  :  "  Should 
capital  be  withdrawn,  tenements  would  soon  prove  insuf- 
ficient." Should  be,  "  the  number  of  tenements  would,"  etc. 
Again  :  "  Men  of  wealth,  therefore,  would  find  their  Fifth 


THE   VERBALIST. 


47 


Avenue  mansions  and  their  summer  villas  a  little  more 
burdened  with  taxes,  but  with  this  increase  happily  bal- 
anced by  the  exemption  of  their  bonds  and  mortgages,  their 
plate  and  furniture."  The  thought  here  is  so  simple  that 
we  easily  divine  it  ;  but,  if  we  look  at  the  sentence  at  all 
carefully,  we  find  that,  though  we  supply  the  ellipses  in  the 
most  charitable  manner  possible,  the  sentence  really  says  : 
"  Men  would  find  their  mansions  more  burdened,  but  would 
find  them  with  this  increased  burden  happily  balanced  by 
the  exemption,"  etc.  The  sentence  should  have  been  framed 
somewhat  in  this  wise  :  "  Men  .  .  .  would  find  their  .  .  . 
mansions  .  .  .  more  burdened  with  taxes,  but  this  increase 
in  the  taxes  on  their  real  estate  would  be  happily  balanced 
by  the  exemption  from  taxation  of  their  bonds,  mortgages, 
plate,  and  furniture."  Again  :  "  Men  generally  .  .  .  would 
be  inclined  to  laugh  at  the  idea  of  intrusting  the  modern 
politician  with  such  gigantic  opportunities  for  enriching  his 
favorites."  We  do  not  intrust  one  another  with  opportuni- 
ties. To  enrich  would  better  the  diction.  Again :  "  The 
value  of  land  that  has  accrued  from  labor  is  not  .  .  .  a  just 
object  for  confiscation."  Correctly  :  "  The  value  of  land 
that  has  resulted  horn,  labor  is  notjus/fy  ...  an  object  of 
confiscation."  Accnte  is  properly  used  more  in  the  sense  of 
spontaneous  growth.  Again  :  "  If  the  state  attempts  to  con- 
fiscate this  increase  by  means  of  taxes,  either  rentals  will 
increase  correspondingly,  or  such  a  check  will  be  put  upon 
the  growth  of  'each place and  all  the  enterprises  connected  with 
it  that  greater  injury  would  be  done  than  if  things  had  been 
left  untouched."  We  have  here,  it  will  be  observed,  a  con- 
fusion of  moods;  the  sentence  begins  in  the  indicative  and 
ends  in  the  conditional.  The  words  in  italics  are  worse 
than  superfluous.  Rewritten  :  "  If  the  state  should  attempt 
to  confiscate  this  increase  by  means  of  taxes,  either  rentals 


48  THE   VERBALIST. 

•would  increase  correspondingly,  or  such  a  check  would  be 
put  upon  growth  and  enterprise  that  greater  injury  would," 
etc.  Again  :  "  The  theory  that  land  ...  is  a  boon  of  Na- 
ture, to  which  every  person  has  an  inalienable  rght  equal 
to  every  other  person,  is  not  new."  The  words  theory  and 
boon  are  here  misused.  A  theory  is  a  system  of  suppositions. 
The  things  man  receives  from  Nature  are  gifts,  not  boons  : 
the  gift  of  reason,  the  gift  of  speech,  etc.  The  sentence 
should  be  :  "  The  declaration  (or  assertion}  that  land  ...  is 
a  gift  of  Nature,  to  which  every  person  has  an  inalienable 
right  equal  to  that  of  any  other  person,  is  not  new."  Or, 
more  simply  and  quite  as  forcibly :  "...  to  which  one  per- 
son has  an  inalienable  right  equal  to  that  of  another,  is  not 
new."  Or,  more  simply  still,  and  more  forcibly :  "...  to 
which  one  man  has  as  good  a  right  as  another,  is  not  new." 
By  substituting  the  word  man  for  person,  we  have  a  word 
of  one  syllable  that  expresses,  in  this  connection,  all  that 
the  longer  word  expresses.  The  fewer  the  syllables,  if  the 
thought  be  fully  expressed,  the  more  vigorous  the  diction. 
Inalienability  being  foreign  to  the  discussion,  the  long  word 
inalienable  only  encumbers  the  sentence. 

"  We  have  thus '  passed  in  review2  the  changes  and  im- 
provements3 which  the  revision  contains4  in  the  First  Epis- 
tle to  the  Corinthians.  It  has5  not,  indeed/5  been  possible 
to  refer  to 7  them  all ;  but  so  many  illustrations 8  have  been 
given  in 9  the  several  classes  described  that  the  reader  will 
have10  a  satisfactory11  survey  of  the  whole  subject.  What- 
ever may  be  said  of  other  portions  12  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, we  think  it  will  be  generally  admitted  that  in  this 
Epistle  the  changes  have  improved  the  old  13  translation. 
They  are  such  as14  make  the  English  version15  conform 
more  completely  16  to  the  Greek  original.  If  this  be  n  true, 
the  revisers  have  done  a  good  work  for  the  Church.18  If  it 


THE   VERBALIST. 


49 


be  true  I9  with  regard  to  all  the  New  Testament  books,  the 
work  which  they  have  done  will  remain20  a  blessing  to  the 
readers  of  those  books  for  '21  generations  to  come.  But  the 
blessing  will  be  only  in  the  clearer  presentation  of  the  Divine 
truth,  and,  therefore,  it  will  be  only  to  the  glory  of  God." 

This  astonishingly  slipshod  bit  of  composition  is  from 
the  pen  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Timothy  Dwight.  If  the  learned 
Professor  of  Divinity  in  Yale  College  deemed  it  worth  while 
to  give  a  little  thought  to  manner  as  well  as  to  matter,  it  is 
probable  that  his  diction  would  be  very  different  from  what 
it  is  ;  and,  if  he  were  to  give  a  few  minutes  to  the  making 
of  verbal  corrections  in  the  foregoing  paragraph,  he  would, 
perhaps,  do  something  like  this:  i,  change  thus  to  now  ;  2, 
write  some  of  the  changes  ;  3,  strike  out  and  improvements  ; 
4,  for  contains  changes  substitute  some  other  form  of  expres- 
sion ;  5,  instead  of  has  been,  write  was;  6,  strike  out  in- 
deed; 7,  instead  of  refer  to,  write  cite ;  8,  change  illustra- 
tions to  examples ;  9,  instead  of  in,  write  of;  10,  instead 
of  the  reader  -will  have,  write  the  reader  will  be  able  to  get  ; 
II,  change  satisfactory  to  tolerable  ;  12,  change  portions  to 
parts;  13,  not  talk  of  the  old  translation,  as  we  have  no 
new  one  ;  14,  strike  out  as  superfluous  the  words  are  such 
as ;  15,  change  version  to  text ;  16,  substitute  nearly  foi 
completely,  which  does  not  admit  of  comparison  ;  17,  substi- 
tute the  indicative  for  the  conditional ;  18,  end  sentence 
with  the  word  work;  19,  introduce  also  after  be;  20,  in- 
stead of  remain,  in  the  sense  of  be,  use  be ;  21,  introduce 
the  after  for.  As  for  the  last  sentence,  it  reminds  one  of 
Mendelssohn's  "  Songs  without  Words,"  though  here  we 
have,  instead  of  a  song  and  no  words,  words  and  no  song, 
or  rather  no  meaning.  As  is  often  true  of  cant,  we  have 
here  simply  a  syntactical  arrangement  of  words  signifying 
— nothing. 


5o  THE   VERBALIST. 

If  Professor  Dwight  were  of  those  who,  in  common 
with  the  Addisons  and  Macaulays  and  Newmans,  think  it 
worth  while  to  give  some  attention  to  diction,  the  thought 
conveyed  in  the  paragraph  under  consideration  would,  per- 
haps, have  been  expressed  somewhat  in  this  wise : 

"  We  have  now  passed  in  review  some  of  the  changes 
that,  in  the  revision,  have  been  made  in  the  First  Epistle 
to  the  Corinthians.  It  was  not  possible  to  cite  them  all, 
rjut  a  sufficient  number  of  examples  of  the  several  classes 
described  have  been  given  to  enable  the  reader  to  get  a  tol- 
erable survey  of  the  whole  subject.  Whatever  may  be  said 
of  the  other  parts  of  the  New  Testament,  we  think  it  will 
be  generally  admitted  that  in  this  Epistle  the  changes  have 
improved  the  translation.  They  make  the  English  text 
conform  more  nearly  to  the  Greek.  This  being  true,  the 
revisers  have  done  a  good  work  ;  and,  if  it  be  also  true  with 
regard  to  all  the  New  Testament  books,  the  work  which 
they  have  done  will  be  a  blessing  to  the  readers  of  these 
books  for  the  generations  to  come." 

Die  'with.  Man  and  brute  die  of,  and  not  with,  fevers, 
consumption,  the  plague,  pneumonia,  old  age,  and  so  on. 

Differ.  Writers  differ  from  one  another  in  opinion  with 
regard  to  the  particle  we  should  use  with  this  verb.  Some 
say  they  differ  with,  others  that  they  differ  from,  their 
neighbors  in  opinion.  The  weight  of  authority  is  on  the 
side  of  always  using  from,  though  A  may  differ  itith  C 
from  D  in  opinion  with  regard,  say,  to  the  size  of  the  fixed 
stars.  "  I  differ,  as  to  this  matter,  from  Bishop  Lowth." 
• — Cobbett.  Different  to  is  heard  sometimes  instead  of  dif- 
ferent from. 

.  Directly.  The  Britons  have  a  way  of  using  this  word 
in  the  sense  of  when,  as  soon  as.  This  is  quite  foreign  to 
its  true  meaning,  which  is  immediately,  at  once,  straight- 


THE   VERBALIST.  ^ 

way.  They  say,  for  example,  "  Directly  he  reached  the  city, 
he  went  to  his  brother's."  "  Directly  he  [the  saint]  was 
dead,  the  Arabs  sent  his  woolen  shirt  to  the  sovereign." — 
"  London  News."  Dr.  Hall  says  of  its  use  in  the  sense  of 
as  soon  as  :  "  But,  after  all,  it  may  simply  anticipate  on  the 
English  of  the  future." 

Dirt.  This  word  means  filth  or  anything,  that  renders 
foul  and  unclean,  and  means  nothing  else.  It  is  often  im- 
properly used  for  earth  or  loam,  and  sometimes  even  for 
sand  or  gravel.  We  not  unfrequently  hear  of  a  dirt  road 
when  an  unpaved  road  is  meant. 

Discommode.  This  word  is  rarely  used  ;  incommode 
is  accounted  the  better  form. 

Disremember.  This  is  a  word  vulgarly  used  in  the 
sense  of  forget.  It  is  said  to  be  more  frequently  heard  in 
the  South  than  in  the  North. 

Distinguish.  This  verb  is  sometimes  improperly  used 
for  discriminate.  We  distinguish  by  means  of  the  senses 
as  well  as  of  the  understanding  ;  we  discriminate  by  means 
of  the  understanding  only.  "  It  is  difficult,  in  some  cases, 
to  distinguish  between"  etc.  :  should  be,  "  It  is  difficult,  in 
some  cases,  to  discriminate  between"  etc.  We  distinguish 
one  thing  from  another,  and  discriminate  between  two  or 
more  things. 

Dock — Wharf.  The  first  of  these  words  is  often  im- 
properly used  for  the  second.  Of  docks  there  are  several 
kinds  :  a  naval  dock  is  a  place  for  the  keeping  of  naval  stores, 
timber,  and  materials  for  ship-building ;  a  dry  dock  is  a 
place  where  vessels  are  drawn  out  of  the  water  for  repairs  ; 
a  wet  dock  is  a  place  where  vessels  are  kept  afloat  at  a  cer- 
tain level  while  they  are  loaded  and  unloaded  ;  a  sectional 
dock  is  a  contrivance  for  raising  vessels  out  of  the  water  on 
a  series  of  air-tight  boxes.  A  dock,  then,  is  a  place  into 


52  THE   VERBALIST. 

which  things  are  received  ;  hence,  a  man  might  fall  into  a 
dock,  but  could  no  more  fall  off  a  dock  than  he  could  fall  oft 
a  hole.  A  wharf  is  a  sort  of  quay  built  by  the  side  of  the 
water.  A  similar  structure  built  at  a  right  angle  with  the 
shore  is  generally  called  a.  pier.  Vessels  lie  at  wharves  and 
piers,  not  at  docks. 

Donate.  This  word,  which  is  defined  as  meaning  to 
give,  to  contribute,  is  looked  upon  by  most  champions  of 
good  English  as  being  an  abomination.  Donation  is  also 
little  used  by  careful  writers.  " Donate"  says  Mr.  Gould, 
"  may  be  dismissed  with  this  remark  :  so  long  as  its  place  is 
occupied  by  give,  bestow,  grant,  present,  etc.,  it  is  not  need- 
ed ;  and  it  should  be  unceremoniously  bowed  out,  or  thrust 
out,  of  the  seat  into  which  it  has,  temporarily,  intruded." 

Done.  This  past  participle  is  often  very  inelegantly,  if 
not  improperly,  used  thus  :  "  He  did  not  cry  out  as  some 
have  done  against  it,"  which  should  read,  "  He  did  not  cry 
out  as  some  have  against  it  "  ;  i  e.,  "  as  some  have  cried  out 
against  it." 

"  Done  is  frequently  a  very  great  offender  against  gram- 
mar," says  Cobbett.  "  To  do  is  the  act  of  doing.  We  see 
people  write,  '  I  did  not  speak  yesterday  so  well  as  I  wished 
to  have  done!  Now,  what  is  meant  by  the  writer?  He 
means  to  say  that  he  did  not  speak  so  well  as  he  then 
wished,  or  was  wishing,  to  speak.  Therefore,  the  sentence 
should  be,  '  I  did  not  speak  yesterday  so  well  as  I  wished 
to  do'  That  is  to  say, '  so  well  as  I  wished  to  do  it '  ;  that  is 
to  say,  to  do  or  to  perform  the  act  of  speaking. 

"  Take  great  care  not  to  be  too  free  in  your  use  of  the 
verb  to  do  in  any  of  its  times  or  modes.  It  is  a  nice  little 
handy  word,  and,  like  our  oppressed  it,  it  is  made  use  of 
very  often  when  the  writer  is  at  a  loss  for  what  to  put  down. 
To  do  is  to  act,  and  therefore  it  never  can,  in  any  of  its 


THE   VERBALIST. 


53 


parts,  supply  the  place  of  a  neuter  verb.  '  How  do  you 
do  ? '  Here  do  refers  to  the  state,  and  is  essentially  pas- 
sive or  neuter.  Yet,  to  employ  it  for  this  purpose  is  very 
common.  Dr.  Blair,  in  his  23d  Lecture,  says  :  'It  is  some- 
what unfortunate  that  this  Number  of  the  "Spectator" 
did  not  end,  as  it  might  have  done,  with  the  former  beau- 
tiful period.'  That  is  to  say,  done  it.  And  then  we  ask, 
Done  what  ?  Not  the  act  of  ending,  because  in  this  case 
there  is  no  action  at  all.  The  verb  means  to  come  to  an 
end,  to  cease,  not  to  go  any  further.  This  same  verb  to 
end  is  sometimes  an  active  verb  :  '  I  end  my  sentence ' ; 
then  the  verb  to  do  may  supply  its  place  ;  as,  '  I  have  not 
ended  my  sentence  so  well  as  I  might  have  done ' ;  that  is, 
done  it;  that  is,  done,  or  performed,  the  act  of  ending.  But 
the  Number  of  the  '  Spectator'  was  no  actor;  it  was  expected 
to  perform  nothing  ;  it  was,  by  the  Doctor,  wished  to  have 
ceased  to  proceed.  'Did  not  end  as  it  very  well  might  have 
ended.  .  .'  This  would  have  been  correct  ;  but  the  Doctor 
wished  to  avoid  the  repetition,  and  thus  he  fell  into  bad 
grammar.  '  Mr.  Speaker,  I  do  not  feel  so  well  satisfied  as 
I  should  have  done  if  the  Right  Honorable  Gentleman  had 
explained  the  matter  more  fully.'  To  feel  satisfied  is — when 
the  satisfaction  is  to  arise  from  conviction  produced  by  fact 
or  reasoning — a  senseless  expression  ;  and  to  supply  its 
place,  when  it  is,  as  in  this  case,  a  neuter  verb,  by  to  do,  is 
as  senseless.  Done  what?  "Done  the  act  of  feeling  I  'I 
do  not  feel  so  well  satisfied  as  I  should  have  done,  or  exe- 
cuted, or  performed  the  act  of  feeling'  !  What  incompre- 
hensible words  ! " 

Don't.  Everybody  knows  that  don't  is  a  contraction  of 
do  not,  and  that  doesn't  is  a  contraction  of  does  not ;  and  yet 
nearlv  everybody  is  guilty  of  using  don't  when  he  should 
use  doesn't.  "  So  you  don't  go  ;  John  doesn't  either,  I  hear." 


54 


THE   VERBALIST. 


Double  Genitive.  An  anecdote  of  Mr.  Lincoln — an 
anecdote  of  Mr.  Lincoln's.  We  see  at  a  glance  that  these 
two  phrases  are  very  different  in  meaning.  So,  also,  a  por- 
trait of  Brown — a  portrait  of  Brown's.  No  precise  rule 
has  ever  been  given  to  guide  us  in  our  choice  between  these 
two  forms  of  the  possessive  case.  Sometimes  it  is  not  ma- 
terial which  form  is  employed ;  where,  however,  it  is  ma- 
terial— and  it  generally  is — we  must  consider  the  thought 
we  wish  to  express,  and  rely  on  our  discrimination. 

Dramatize.    See  ADAPT. 

Drawing-room.     See  PARLOR. 

Dress — Grown.  Within  the  memory  of  many  persons 
the  outer  garment  worn  by  women  was  properly  called  a 
gown  by  everybody,  instead  of  being  improperly  called  a 
dress,  as  it  now  is  by  nearly  everybody. 

Drive.     See  RIDE. 

Due — Owing.  These  two  words,  though  close  syno- 
nyms, should  not  be  used  indiscriminately.  The  mistake 
usually  made  is  in  using  due  instead  of  owing.  That  is  due 
which  ought  to  be  paid  as  a  debt ;  that  is  owing  which  is  to 
be  referred  to  as  a  source.  "  It  was  owing  to  his  exertions 
that  the  scheme  succeeded."  "  It  was  owing  to  your  negli- 
gence that  the  accident  happened."  "  A  certain  respect  is 
due  to  men's  prejudices."  "  This  was  owing  to  an  indiffer- 
ence to  the  pleasures  of  life."  "  It  is  due  to  the  public  that 
I  should  tell  all  I  know  of  the  matter." 

Each  other.  "  Their  great  authors  address  themselves, 
not  to  their  country,  but  to  each  other" — Buckle.  Each 
other  is  properly  applied  to  two  only  ;  one  another  must  be 
used  when  the  number  considered  exceeds  two.  Buckle 
should  have  written  one  another  and  not  each  other,  unless 
he  meant  to  intimate  that  the  Germans  had  only  two  great 
authors,  which  is  not  probable. 


THE   VERBALIST.  55 

Eat.  Grammarians  differ  very  widely  with  regard  to 
the  conjugation  of  this  verb  ;  there  is  no  doubt,  however, 
that  from  every  point  of  view  the  preferable  forms  for  the 
preterite  and  past  participle  are  respectively  ate  and  eaten. 
To  refined  ears  the  other  forms  smack  of  vulgarity,  although 
supported  by  good  authority.  "  I  ate  an  apple."  "  I  have 
eaten  dinner."  "  John  ate  supper  with  me."  "  As  soon  as 
you  have  eaten  breakfast  we  will  set  out." 

Editorial.  The  use  of  this  adjective  as  a  substantive 
is  said  to  be  an  Americanism. 

Education.  This  is  one  of  the  most  misused  of  words. 
A  man  may  be  well  acquainted  with  the  contents  of  text- 
books, and  yet  be  a  person  of  little  education  ;  on  the  other 
hand,  a  man  may  be  a  person  of  good  education,  and  yet 
know  little  of  the  contents  of  text-books.  Abraham  Lin- 
coln and  Edwin  Forrest  knew  comparatively  little  of  what 
is  generally  learned  in  schools  ;  still  they  were  mon  of  cul- 
ture, men  of  education.  A  man  may  have  ever  so  much 
book-knowledge  and  still  be  a  boor  ;  but  a  man  can  not  be 
a  person  of  good  education  and  not  be — so  far  as  manner 
is  concerned — a  gentleman.  Education,  then,  is  a  whole 
of  which  Instruction  and  Breeding  are  the  parts.  The  man 
or  the  woman — even  in  this  democratic  country  of  ours — 
who  deserves  the  title  of  gentleman  or  lady  is  always  a  per- 
son of  education  ;  i.  e.,  he  or  she  has  a  sufficient  acquaint- 
ance with  books  and  with  the  usages  of  social  intercourse 
to  acquit  himself  or  herself  creditably  in  the  society  of  cul- 
tivated people.  Not  moral  worth,  nor  learning,  nor  wealth, 
nor  all  three  combined,  can  unaided  make  a  gentleman,  for 
with  all  three  a  man  might  be  uneducated — i.  e.,  coarse,  un- 
bred, unschooled  in  those  things  which  alone  make  men 
welcome  in  the  society  of  the  refined. 

Effectuate.     This  word,  together  with  ratiocinate  and 


5 6  THE   VERBALIST. 

eventuate,  is  said  to  be  a  great  favorite  with  the  rural  mem- 
bers of  the  Arkansas  legislature. 

Effluvium.  The  plural  of  this  word  is  effluvia.  It  is 
a  common  error  with  those  who  have  no  knowledge  of  Latin 
to  speak  of  "  a  disagreeable  effluvia,"  which  is  as  incorrect 
as  it  would  be  to  talk  about  "  a  disagreeable  vapors." 

Effort  without  Effect.  "  Some  writers  deal  in  exple- 
tives to  a  degree  that  tires  the  ear  and  offends  the  under- 
standing.  With  them  everything  is  excessively,  or  immense- 
ly, or  extremely,  or  vastly,  or  surpi  isingly,  or  -wonderfully,  or 
abundantly,  or  the  like.  The  notion  of  such  writers  is  that 
these  words  give  strength  to  what  they  are  saying.  This  is 
a  great  error.  Strength  must  be  found  in  the  thought,  or  it 
will  never  be  found  in  the  -words.  Big-sounding  words, 
without  thoughts  corresponding,  are  effort  without  effect." — 
William  Cobbett.  See  FORCIBLE-FEEBLE. 

Egoist.  "  One  of  a  class  of  philosophers  who  professed 
to  be  sure  of  nothing  but  their  own  existence." — Reid. 

Egotist.     "  One  who  talks  much  of  himself." 

"  A  tribe  of  egotists  for  whom  I  have  always  had  a  mor- 
tal aversion." — "  Spectator." 

Either.  This  word  means,  strictly,  the  one  or  the  other 
of  two.  Unlike  both,  which  means  two. taken  collectively, 
either,  like  each,  may  mean  two  considered separately ;  but  in 
this  sense  each  is  the  better  word  to  use.  "  Give  me  either 
of  them  "  means,  Give  me  the  one  or  the  other  of  two. 
"  He  has  a  farm  on  either  side  of  the  river  "  would  mean 
that  he  has  two  farmspone  on  each  (or  either)  side  of  the 
river.  "  He  has  a  farm  on  both  sides  of  the  river  "  would 
mean  that  his  farm  lies  partly  on  the  one  side  of  the  river 
and  partly  on  the  other.  The  use  of  either  in  the  sense  of 
each,  though  biblical  and  defensible,  may  be  accounted  little 
if  any  better  than  an  affectation.  Neither  is  the  negative 


THE   VERBALIST. 


57 


of  either.  Either  is  responded  to  by  or,  neither  by  nor ; 
as,  "either  this  or  that,"  "  neither  this  nor  that."  Either 
and  neither  should  not — strictly — be  use.d  in  relation  to 
more  than  two  objects.  But,  though  both  eitAerand.  neither 
are  strictly  applicable  to  two  only,  they  have  been  for  a 
very  long  time  used  in  relation  to  more  than  two  by  many 
good  writers  ;  and,  as  it  is  often  convenient  so  to  use  them, 
it  seems  probable  that  the  custom  will  prevail.  When  more 
than  two  things  are  referred  to,  any  and  none  should  be 
used  instead  of  either  and.  neither  ;  as,  "  any  of  the  three," 
not,  "  either  of  the  three  "  ;  "  none  of  the  four,"  not,  "  neither 
of  the  four." 

Either  Alternative.  The  word  alternative  means  a 
choice  offered  between  two  things.  An  alternative  unit, 
for  example,  offers  the  alternative  of  choosing  between  the 
doing  of  a  specified  act  or  of  showing  cause  why  it  is  not 
done.  Such  propositions,  therefore,  as,  "  You  are  at  lib- 
erty to  choose  either  alternative,"  "  Two  alternatives  are 
presented  to  me,"  "  Several  alternatives  presented  them- 
selves," and  the  like,  are  not  correct  English.  The  word  is 
correctly  used  thus  :  "  I  am  confronted  with  a  hard  alterna- 
tive :  I  must  either  denounce  a  friend  or  betray  my  trust." 
We  rarely  hear  the  word  alternate  or  any  of  its  derivatives 
correctly  pronounced. 

Elder.    See  OLDER. 

Elegant.  Professor  Proctor  says :  "  If  you  say  to  an 
American,  '  This  is  a  fine  morning,'  he  is  likely  to  reply, 
'  It  is  an  elegant  morning,'  or  perhaps  oftener  by  using  sim- 
ply the  word  elegant.  This  is  not  a  pleasing  use  of  the 
word."  This  is  not  American  English,  Professor,  but  pop- 
injay English. 

Ellipsis.  The  omission  of  a  word  or  of  words  neces- 
sary to  complete  the  grammatical  construction,  but  not 


58  THE  VERBALIST 

necessary  to  make  the  meaning  clear,  is  called  an  ellipsit 
We  almost  always,  whether  in  speaking  or  in  writing,  leave 
out  some  of  the  words  necessary  to  the  full  expression  of 
our  meaning.  For  example,  in  dating  a  letter  to-day,  we 
should  write,  "  New  York,  August  25,  1881,"  which  would 
be,  if  fully  written  out,  "  I  am  now  writing  in  the  city  of 
New  York  ;  this  is  the  twenty-fifth  day  of  August,  and  this 
month  is  in  the  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  eighty-first 
year  of  the  Christian  era."  "  I  am  going  to  Wallack's  " 
means,  "  I  am  going  to  Wallack's  theatre."  "  I  shall  spend 
the  summer  at  my  aunt's  "  ;  i.  e.,  at  my  aunt's  house. 

By  supplying  the  ellipses  we  can  often  discover  the 
errors  in  a  sentence,  if  there  are  any. 

Enjoy  bad  Health.  As  no  one  has  ever  been  known 
to  enjoy  bad  health,  it  is  better  to  employ  some  other  form 
of  expression  than  this.  Say,  for  example,  he  is  in  feebk, 
or  delicate,  health. 

Enthuse.  This  is  a  word  that  is  occasionally  heard  in 
conversation,  and  is  sometimes  met  with  in  print ;  but  it 
has  not  as  yet  made  its  appearance  in  the  dictionaries. 
What  its  ultimate  fate  will  be,  of  course,  no  one  can  tell ; 
for  the  present,  however,  it  is  studiously  shunned  by  those 
who  are  at  all  careful  in  the  selection  of  their  language.  It 
is  said  to  be  most  used  in  the  South.  The  writer  has  never 
seen  it  anywhere  in  the  North  but  in  the  columns  of  the 
"  Boston  Congregationalist." 

Epigram.  "  The  word  epigram  signified  originally  an 
inscription  on  a  monument.  It  next  came  to  mean  a  short 
ipoem  containing  some  single  thought  pointedly  expressed, 
the  subjects  being  very  various — amatory,  convivial,  moral, 
eulogistic,  satirical,  humorous,  etc.  Of  the  various  devices 
for  brevity  and  point  employed  in  such  compositions,  es- 
pecially in  modern  times,  the  most  frequent  is  a  play  upon 


THE   VERBALIST. 


59 


words.  ...  In  the  epigram  the  mind  is  roused  by  a  conflict 
or  contradiction  between  the  form  of  the  language  and  the 
meaning  really  conveyed." — Bain. 

Some  examples  are  : 

"  When  you  have  nothing  to  say,  say  it." 

"  We  can  not  see  the  wood  for  the  trees  "  ;  that  is,  \ve 
can  not  get  a  general  view  because  we  are  so  engrossed  with 
the  details. 

"Verbosity  is  cured  by  a  large  .vocabulary"  ;  that  is,  he 
who  commands  a  large  vocabulary  is  able  to  select  words 
that  will  give  his  meaning  tersely. 

"By  indignities  men  come  to  dignities." 

"  Some  people  are  too  foolish  to  commit  follies." 

"  He  went  to  his  imagination  for  his  facts,  and  to  his 
memory  for  his  tropes." 

Epithet.  Many  persons  use  this  word  who  are  in  error 
with  regard  to  its  meaning  ;  they  think  that  to  "  apply  epi- 
thets" to  a  person  is  to  vilify  and  insult  him.  Not  at  all. 
An  epithet  is  a  word  that  expresses  a  quality,  good  or  bad  ; 
a  term  that  expresses  an  attribute.  "  All  adjectives  are  epi- 
thets, but  all  epithets  are  not  adjectives"  says  Crabb  ;  "  thus, 
in  Virgil's  Pater  tineas,  the/a/^r  is  an  epithet,  but  not  an 
adjective"  Epithet  is  the  technical  term  of  the  rhetorician  ; 
adjective,  that  of  the  grammarian. 

Equally  as  well.  A  redundant  form  of  expression,  as 
any  one  will  see  who  for  a  moment  considers  it.  As  -well, 
or  equally  well,  expresses  quite  as  much  as  equally  as  -well. 

Equanimity  of  mind.  This  phrase  is  tautological, 
and  expresses  no  more  than  does  equanimity  (literally, 
"  equalmindedness  ")  alone  ;  hence,  of  mind  is  superfluous, 
and  consequently  inelegant.  Anxiety  of  mind  is  a  scarcely 
less  redundant  form  of  expression.  A  capricious  mind  is  in 
the  same  category. 


60  THE  VERBALIST. 

Erratum.     Plural,  errata. 

Esquire.  An  esquire  was  originally  the  shield-bearer 
of  a  knight.  It  is  much,  and,  in  the  opinion  of  some,  rather 
absurdly,  used  in  this  country.  Mr.  Richard  Grant  White 
says  on  the  subject  of  its  use  :  "  I  have  yet  to  discover 
what  a  man  means  when  he  addresses  a  letter  to  John 
Dash,  Esqr."  He  means  no  more  nor  less  than  when  he 
writes  Mr.  (master).  The  use  of  Esq.  is  quite  as  prevalent 
in  England  as  in  America,  and  has  little  more  meaning 
there  than  here.  It  simply  belongs  to  our  stock  of  cour- 
teous epithets. 

Euphemism.  A  description  which  describes  in  in- 
offensive language  that  which  is  of  itself  offensive,  or  a 
figure  which  uses  agreeable  phraseology  when  the  literal 
would  be  offensive,  is  called  a  euphemism. 

Eventuate.     See  EFFECTUATE. 

Everlastingly.  This  adverb  is  misused  in  the  South 
in  a  manner  that  is  very  apt  to  excite  the  risibility  of  one 
to  whom  the  peculiar  misuse  is  new.  The  writer  recently 
visited  the  upper  part  of  New  York  with  a  distinguished 
Southern  poet  and  journalist.  It  was  the  gentleman's  first 
ride  over  an  elevated  road.  When  we  were  fairly  under 
way,  in  admiration  of  the  rate  of  speed  at  which  the  cars 
were  moving,  he  exclaimed,  "  Well,  they  do  just  everlast- 
ingly shoot  along,  don't  they  ! " 

Every.  This  word,  which  means  simply  each  or  all 
taken  separately,  is  of  late  years  frequently  made,  by  slip- 
shod speakers,  to  do  duty  for  perfect,  entire,  great,  or  all 
possible.  Thus  we  have  such  expressions  as  every  pains, 
every  confidence,  every  praise,  every  charity,  and  so  on. 
We  also  have  such  diction  as,  "Every  one  has  this  in  com- 
mon "  ;  meaning,  "  All  of  us  have  this  in  common." 

Every-day  Latin.     A  fortiori  :  with  stronger  reason- 


THE   VERBALIST.  6 1 

A  posteriori  :  from  the  effect  to  the  cause.  A  priori  :  from 
the  cause  to  the  effect.  Bona  fide  :  in  good  faith  ;  in  real- 
ity. Certiorari  :  to  be  made  more  certain.  Ceteris  panbus  : 
other  circumstances  being  equal.  De  facto  :  in  fact ;  in 
reality.  De  jure  :  in  right ;  in  law.  Ecce  homo  :  behold 
the  man.  Ergo  :  therefore.  Et  cetera  :  and  the  rest ;  and 
so  on.  Excerpta  :  extracts.  Exempli  gratia  :  by  way  of 
example;  abbreviated,  e.  g.t  and  ex.  gr.  Ex  ojficio :  by 
virtue  of  his  office.  Ex  parte :  on  one  side  ;  an  ex  parts 
statement  is  a  statement  en  one  side  only.  Ibidem  :  in  the 
same  place  ;  abbreviated,  ibid.  Idem  :  the  same.  Id  est  : 
that  is  ;  abbreviated,  i.  e.  Imprimis  :  in  the  first  place. 
In  statu  quo  :  in  the  former  state  ;  just  as  it  was.  In  statit 
quo  ante  helium  :  in  the  same  state  as  before  the  war.  In 
transitu :  in  passing.  Index  expurgatorius :  a  purifying 
index.  In  extremis  :  at  the  point  of  death.  In  memoriam  : 
in  memory.  Ipse  dixit :  on  his  sole  assertion.  Item:  also. 
Labor  omnia  vincit :  labor  overcomes  every  difficulty.  Locus 
sigilli :  the  place  of  the  seal.  Multum  in  parvo :  much 
in  little.  Mutatis  mutandis :  after  making  the  necessary 
changes.  Ne  plus  ultra  :  nothing  beyond  ;  the  utmost 
point.  Nolens  volens :  willing  or  unwilling.  Nota  bene  : 
mark  well;  take  particular  notice.  Omncs  :  all.  0  tern- 
fora,  O  mores  t  O  the  times  and  the  manners  !  Otium  cum 
dignitate  :  ease  with  dignity.  Otium  sine  dignitate  :  ease 
without  dignity.  Particeps  criminis  :  an  accomplice.  Pec-, 
cam  :  I  have  sinned.  Per  se  :  by  itself.  Ptima  facie  :  on 
the  first  view  or  appearance  ;  at  first  sight.  Pro  bono  pub- 
lic o  :  for  the  public  good.  Quidnunc:  what  now?  Qtdd 
pro  quo :  one  thing  for  another ;  an  equivalent.  Quon- 
dam :  formerly.  Rara  avis  :  a  rare  bird  ;  a  prodigy.  Re- 
surgam :  I  shall  rise  again.  Seriatim :  in  order.  Sine 
die  :  without  specifying  any  particular  day  ;  to  an  indefinite 


62  THE   VERBALIST. 

time.  Sine  qua  non  :  an  indispensable  condition.  Stti 
genet  is  :  of  its  own  kind.  Vade  mecum  :  go  with  me. 
Verbatim  :  word  by  word.  Versus  :  against.  Vale :  fare- 
well. Via  :  by  the  way  of.  Vice  :  in  the  place  of.  Vide  : 
see.  Vi  et  armis  :  by  main  force.  Viva  voce  :  orally  ;  by 
word  of  mouth.  Vox  populi,  vox  Dei  :  the  voice  of  the 
people  is  the  voice  of  God. 

Evidence — Testimony.  These  words,  though  differ- 
ing widely  in  meaning,  are  often  used  indiscriminately  by 
careless  speakers.  Evidence  is  that  which  tends  to  convince  ; 
testimony  is  that  which  is  intended  to  convince.  In  a  judi- 
cial investigation,  for  example,  there  might  be  a  great  deal 
of  testimony — a  great  deal  of  testifying — and  very  little  evi- 
dence ;  and  the  evidence  might  be  quite  the  reverse  of  the 
testimony.  See  PROOF. 

Exaggeration.  "Weak  minds,  feeble  writers  and 
speakers  delight  in  superlatives"  See  EFFORT  WITHOUT 
EFFECT. 

Except.  "  No  one  need  apply  except  he  is  thoroughly 
familiar  with  the  business,"  should  be,  "No  one  need 
apply  unless"  etc. 

Excessively.  That  class  of  persons  who  are  never 
content  with  any  form  of  expression  that  falls  short  of  the 
superlative,  frequently  use  excessively  when  exceedingly  or 
even  the  little  word  very  would  serve  their  turn  better. 
They  say,  for  example,  that  the  weather  is  excessively  hot, 
when  they  should  content  themselves  with  saying  simply 
that  the  weather  is  very  -warm,  or,  if  the  word  suits  them 
better,  hot.  Intemperance  in  the  use  of  language  is  as 
much  to  be  censured  as  intemperance  in.  anything  else ; 
like  intemperance  in  other  things,  its  effect  is  vulgarizing. 

Execute.  This  word  means  to  follow  out  to  the  end, 
to  carry  into  effect,  to  accomplish,  to  fulfill,  to  perform ; 


THE   VERBALIST.  63 

as,  to  execute  an  order,  to  execute  a  purpose.  And  the 
dictionaries  and  almost  universal  usage  say  that  it  also 
means  to  put  to  death  in  conformity  with  a  judicial  sen- 
tence ;  as,  to  execute  a  criminal.  Some  of  our  careful 
speakers,  however,  maintain  that  the  use  of  the  word  in 
this  sense  is  indefensible.  They  say  that  laws  and  sentences 
are  executed,  but  not  criminals,  and  that  their  execution 
only  rarely  results  in  the  death  of  the  persons  upon  whom 
they  are  executed.  In  the  hanging  of  a  criminal,  it  is,  then, 
not  the  criminal  who  is  executed,  but  the  law  and  the  sen- 
tence. The  criminal  is  hanged. 

Expect.  This  verb  always  has  reference  to  what  is  to 
come,  never  to  what  is  past.  We  can  not  expect  back- 
ward. Instead,  therefore,  of  saying,  "  I  expect,  you  thought 
I  would  come  to  see  you  yesterday,"  we  should  say,  "  I 
suppose"  etc. 

Experience.  "  We  experience  great  difficulty  in  get- 
ting him  to  take  his  medicine."  The  word  have  ought  to 
be  big  enough,  in  a  sentence  like  this,  for  anybody.  "  We 
experienced  great  hardships."  Better,  "  We  suffered." 

Extend.  This  verb,  the  primary  meaning  of  which  is 
to  stretch  out,  is  used,  especially  by  lovers  of  big  words,  in 
connections  where  to  give,  to  show,  or  to  offer  would  be 
preferable.  For  example,  it  is  certainly  better  to  say, 
"  They  showed  me  every  courtesy,"  than  "  They  extended 
every  courtesy  to  me."  See  EVERY. 

False  Grammar.  Some  examples  of  false  grammar 
will  show  what  every  one  is  the  better  for  knowing  :  that 
in  literature  nothing  should  be  taken  on  trust ;  that  errors 
of  grammar  even  are  found  where  we  should  least  expect 
them.  "  I  do  not  know  whether  the  imputation  were  just 
or  not." — Emerson.  "  I  proceeded  to  inquire  if  the  '  ex- 
tract "...  were  a  veritable  quotation." — Emerson.  Should 


64  THE   VERBALIST. 

be  was  in  both  cases.  "  How  sweet  the  moonlight  sleeps !" 
— Townsend,  "Art  of  Speech,"  vol.  i,  p.  114.  Should  be 
sweetly.  "There  is  no  question  but  these  arts  .  .  .  will 
greatly  aid  him,"  etc. — Ibid.,  p.  130.  Should  be  that.  "  Near- 
ly all  who  have  been  distinguished  in  literature  or  oratory 
have  made  .  .  .  the  generous  confession  that  their  attain- 
ments have  been  reached  through  patient  and  laborious  in- 
dustry. They  have  declared  that  speaking  and  writing, 
though  once  difficult  for  them,  have  become  well-nigh  recrea- 
tions."— Ibid.,  p.  143.  The  have  been  should  be  were,  and 
the  have  become  should  be  became.  "  Many  pronominal  ad- 
verbs are  correlatives  of  each  other" — Harkness's  "  New 
Latin  Grammar,"  p.  147.  Should  be  one  another.  "  Hot 
and  cold  springs,  boiling  springs,  and  quiet  springs  lie  with- 
in a  few  feet  of  each  other,  but  none  of  them  are  properly 
geysers" — Appletons'  "Condensed  Cyclopaedia,"  vol.  ii,  p. 
414.  Should  be  one  another,  and  not  one  of  them  is  properly  a 
geyser.  "  How  much  better  for  you  as  seller  and  the  nation 
as  buyer  .  .  .  than  to  sink  ...  in  cutting  one  another's 
throats. "  Should  be  each  other's.  "  A  minister,  noted  for 
prolixity  of  style,  was  once  preaching  before  the  inmates  of 
a  lunatic  asylum.  In  one  of  his  illustrations  he  painted  a 
scene  of  a  man  condemned  to  be  hung,  but  reprieved  under 
the  gallows."  These  two  sentences  are  so  faulty  that  the 
only  way  to  mend  them  is  to  rewrite  them.  They  are  from 
a  work  that  professes  to  teach  the  "art  of  speech."  Mend- 
ed: "A  minister,  noted  for  his  prolixity,  once  preached  be- 
fore the  inmates  of  a  lunatic  asylum.  By  way  of  illus- 
tration he  painted  a  scene  in  which  a  man,  who  had  been 
condemned  to  be  hanged,  was  reprieved  under  the  gallows." 
Female.  The  terms  male  and  female  are  not  unfre- 
quently  used  where  good  taste  would  suggest  some  other 
word.  For  example,  we  see  over  the  doors  of  school- 


THE   VERBALIST.  65 

houses,  "Entrance  for  males,"  "Entrance  for  females." 
Now  bucks  and  bulls  are  males  ae  well  as  boys  and  men, 
and  cows  and  sows  are  females  as  well  as  girls  and  women. 

Fetch.    See  BRING. 

Fewer.     See  LESS. 

Final  Completion.  If  there  were  such  a  thing  as  a 
plurality  or  a  series  of  completions,  there  would,  of  course, 
be  such  a  thing  as  the  final  completion  ;  but,  as  every 
completion  is  final,  to  talk  about  a  final  completion  is  as 
absurd  as  it  would  be  to  talk  about  a.  final  finality. 

First  rate.  There  are  people  who  object  to  this  phrase, 
and  yet  it  is  well  enough  when  properly  placed,  as  it  is,  for 
example,  in  such  a  sentence  as  this  :  "  He's  a  '  first  class ' 
fellow,  and  I  like  him  first  rate  ;  if  I  didn't,  '  you  bet '  I'd 
just  give  him  '  hail  Columbia '  for  '  blowing "  the  thing 
all  round  town  like  the  big  fool  that  he  is." 

Firstly.  George  Washington  Moon  says  in  defense  of 
firstly  :  "  I  do  not  object  to  the  occasional  use  of  first  as 
an  adverb  ;  but,  in  sentences  where  it  would  be  followed 
by  secondly,  thirdly,  etc.,  I  think  that  the  adverbial  form  i? 
preferable."  To  this,  one  of  Mr.  Moon's  critics  replies : 
"  However  desirable  it  may  be  to  employ  the  word  firstly 
on  certain  occasions,  the  fact  remains  that  the  employment 
of  it  on  any  occasion  is  not  the  best  usage."  Webster  in- 
serts firstly,  but  remarks,  "  Improperly  used  for  first" 

Flee — Fly.  These  verbs,  though  near  of  kin,  are  net 
interchangeable.  For  example,  we  can  not  say,  "  He  fieit, 
the  city,"  "  He  flew  from  his  enemies,"  "  He  flew  at  the  ap^ 
proach  of  danger,"  flew  being  the  imperfect  tense  of  to  fly, 
which  is  properly  used  to  express  the  action  of  birds  on 
the  wing,  of  kites,  arrows,  etc.  The  imperfect  tense  of  to 
flee  is  fled ;  hence,  "  He  fled  the  city,"  etc. 

Forcible-feeble.     This  is  a  "  novicy  "  kind  of  diction 


66  THE  VERBALIST. 

in  which  the  would-be  forcible  writer  defeats  his  object  by 
the  overuse  of  expletives.  Examples  :  "  And  yet  the  great 
centralization  of  wealth  is  one  of  the  [great]  evils  of  the 

day.     All  that  Mr. utters  [says]  upon  this  point  is 

forcible  and  just.  This  centralization  is  due  to  the  enor- 
mous reproductive  power  of  capital,  to  the  immense  advan- 
tage that  costly  and  complicated  machinery  gives  to  great 
[large]  establishments,  and  to  the  marked  difference  of  per- 
sonal force  among  men."  The  first  great  is  misplaced  ;  the 
word  utters  is  misused  ;  the  second  great  is  ill-chosen.  The 
other  words  in  italics  only  enfeeble  the  sentence.  Again  : 
"  In  countries  where  immense  [large]  estates  exist,  a  breaking 
up  of  these  -vast  demesnes  into  many  minor  freeholds  would 
no  doubt  be  a  [of]  -very  great  advantage."  Substitute  large 
for  immense,  and  take  out  vast,  many,  and  very,  and  the 
language  becomes  much  more  forcible.  Again  :  "  The  very 

first  effect  of  the taxation  plan  would  be  destructive 

to  the  interests  of  this  great  multitude  [class]  ;  it  would  im- 
poverish our  innumerable  farmers,  it  would  confiscate  the 
earnings  of  [our]  industrious  tradesmen  and  artisans,  it 
•would  [and]  paralyze  the  hopes  of  struggling  millions." 
What  a  waste  of  portly  expletives  is  here  !  With  them  the 
sentence  is  high-flown  and  weak  ;  take  them  out,  and  in- 
troduce the  words  inclosed  in  brackets,  and  it  becomes 
simple  and  forcible. 

Friend — Acquaintance.  Some  philosopher  has  said 
that  he  who  has  half  a  dozen  friends  in  the  course  of  his 
life  may  esteem  himself  fortunate  ;  and  yet,  to  judge  from 
many  people's  talk,  one  would  suppose  they  had  friends  by 
the  score.  No  man  knows  whether  he  has  any  friends  or 
not  until  he  has  "  their  adoption  tried  "  ;  hence,  he  who  is 
desirous  to  call  things  by  their  right  names  will,  as  a  rule, 
use  the  word  acquaintance  instead  of  friend.  "  Your  friend  " 


THE   VERBALIST.  67 

is  a  favorite  and  very  objectionable  way  many  people,  es- 
pecially young  people,  have  of  writing  themselves  at  the 
bottom  of  their  letters.  In  this  way  the  obscure  stripling 
protests  himself  the  FRIEND  of  the  first  man  in  the  land, 
and  that,  too,  when  he  is,  perhaps,  a  comparative  stranger 
and  asking  a  favor. 

Galsome.  Here  is  a  good,  sonorous  Anglo-Saxon  word 
— meaning  malignant,  venomous,  churlish — that  has  fallen 
into  disuse. 

Gentleman.  Few  things  are  in  worse  taste  than  to  use 
the  term  gentleman,  whether  in  the  singular  or  plural,  to 
designate  the  sex.  "  If  I  was  a  gentleman,"  says  Miss 
Snooks.  "Gentlemen  have  just  as  much  curiosity  as  ladies" 
says  Mrs.  Jenkins.  "  Gentlemen  have  so  much  more  liberty 
than  we  ladies  have,"  says  Mrs.  Parvenue.  Now,  if  these 
ladies  were  ladies,  they  would  in  each  of  these  cases  use  the 
word  man  instead  of  gentleman,  and  woman  instead  of  lady  ; 
further,  Miss  Snooks  would  say,  "If  I  were."  Well-bred 
men,  men  of  culture  and  refinement — gentlemen,  in  short — 
use  the  terms  lady  and  gentleman  comparatively  little,  and 
they  are  especially  careful  not  to  call  themselves  gentlemen 
when  they  can  avoid  it.  A  gentleman,  for  example,  does 
not  say,-  "  I,  with  some  other  gentlemen,  went,"  etc.  ;  he  is 
careful  to  leave  out  the  word  other.  The  men  who  use 
these  terms  most,  and  especially  those  who  lose  no  oppor- 
tunity to  proclaim  themselves  gentlemen,  belong  to  that  class 
of  men  who  cock  their  hats  on  one  side  of  their  heads,  and 
often  wear  them  when  and  where  gentlemen  would  remove 
them  ;  who  pride  themselves  on  their  familiarity  with  the 
latest  slang  ;  who  proclaim  their  independence  by  showing 
the  least  possible  consideration  for  others  ;  who  laugh  long 
and  loud  at  their  own  wit ;  who  wear  a  profusion  of  cheap 
finery,  such  as  outlandish  watch-chains  hooked  in  the  low- 


68  THE  VERBALIST. 

est  button-hole  of  their  vests,  Brazilian  diamonds  in  their 
shirt-bosoms,  and  big  seal-rings  on  their  little  ringers ;  who 
use  bad  grammar  and  interlard  their  conversation  with  big 
oaths.  In  business  correspondence  Smith  is  addressed  as 
Sir,  while  Smith  &  Brown  are  often  addressed  as  Gentle- 
men— or,  vulgarly,  as  Gents,  Better,  much,  is  it  to  address 
them  as  Sirs. 

Since  writing  the  foregoing,  I  have  met  with  the  follow- 
ing paragraph  in  the  London  publication,  "All  the  Year 
Round  " :  "  Socially,  the  term  '  gentleman '  'has  become  al- 
most vulgar.  It  is  certainly  less  employed  by  gentlemen 
than  by  inferior  persons.  The  one  speaks  of  'a  man  I 
know,'  the  other  of  'a  gentleman  I  know.'  In  the  one 
case  the  gentleman  is  taken  for  granted,  in  the  other  it 
seems  to  need  specification.  Again,  as  regards  the  term 
'  lady."  It  is  quite  in  accordance  with  the  usages  of  society 
to  speak  of  your  acquaintance  the  duchess  as  '  a  very  nice 
person.'  People  who  would  say  '  very  nice  lady '  are  not 
generally  of  a  social  class  which  has  much  to  do  with 
duchesses  ;  and  if  you  speak  of  one  of  these  as  a  '  person,' 
you  will  soon  be  made  to  feel  your  mistake." 

Gents.  Of  all  vulgarisms,  this  is,  perhaps,  the  most 
offensive.  If  we  say  gents,  why  not  say  lades  ?  • 

Gerund.  "  '  I  have  work  to  do,'  '  there  is  no  more  to 
say'  are  phrases  where  the  verb  is  not  in  the  common  in- 
finitive, but  in  the  form  of  the  gerund.  '  He  is  the  man  to 
do  it,  or  for  doing  it.'  '  A  house  to  let,'  '  the  course  to  steer 
by,'  'a  place  to  lie  in,'  'a  thing  to  be  done,'  'a  city  to  take 
refuge  in,1  '  the  means  to  do  ill  deeds,'  are  adjective  gerunds  ; 
they  may  be  expanded  into  clauses  :  '  a  house  that  the 
owner  lets  or  will  let '  ;  '  the  course  that  we  should  steer 
by  ' ;  'a  thing  that  should  be  done  ' ;  '  a  city  wherein  one 
may  take  refuge '  ;  '  the  means  whereby  ill  deeds  may  be 


THE   VERBALIST.  69 

done.'  When  the  to  ceased  in  the  twelfth  century  to  be 
a  distinctive  mark  of  the  dative  infinitive  or  gerund,  for 
was  introduced  to  make  the  writer's  intention  clear.  Hence 
the  familiar  form  in  '  what  went  ye  out  for  to  see  ? '  '  they 
came  for  to  show  him  the  temple.'  " — Bain. 

Get.  In  sentences  expressing  simple  possession — as,  "  I 
lizvegot  a  book,"  "  What  has  he  got  there  ?  "  "  Have  you 
got  any  news?"  "  They  have  got  a  new  house,"  etc. — got 
is  entirely  superfluous,  if  not,  as  some  writers  contend,  ab- 
solutely incorrect.  Possession  is  completely  expressed  by 
have.  "  Foxes  have  holes  ;  the  birds  of  the  air  have 
nests  "  ;  not,  "  Foxes  have  got  holes ;  the  birds  of  the  air 
have  got  nests."  Formerly  the  imperfect  tense  of  this  verb 
was  gat,  which  is  now  obsolete,  and  the  perfect  participle 
was  gotten,  which,  some  grammarians  say,  is  growing  obso- 
lete. If  this  be  true,  there  is  no  good  reason  for  it.  If  we 
say  eaten,  -written,  sttiven,  forgotten,  why  not  say  gotten, 
where  this  form  of  the  participle  is  more  euphonious — as  it 
often  is — than  got  ? 

Goods.  This  term,  like  other  terms  used  in  trade,  should 
be  restricted  to  the  vocabulary  of  commerce.  Messrs.  Arnold 
&  Constable,  in  common  with  the  Washington  Market 
huckster,  very  properly  speak  of  their  wares  as  their  goods  ; 
but  Mrs.  Arnold  and  Mrs.  Constable  should,  and  I  doubt 
not  do,  speak  of  their  gowns  as  being  made  of  fine  or 
coarse  silk,  cashmere,  muslin,  or  whatever  the  material 
may  be. 

Gould  against  Alford.  Mr.  Edward  S.  Gould,  in  his 
review  of  Dean  Alford's  "  Queen's  English,"  remarks,  on 
page  131  of  his  "  Good  English  "  :  "  And  now,  as  to  the 
style  *  of  the  Dean's  book,  taken  as  a  whole.  He  must  be 
held  responsible  for  every  error  in  it ;  because,  as  has  been 
*  Mr.  Gould  criticises  the  Dean's  diction,  not  his  style. 


7o  THE   VERBALIST. 

shown,  he  has  had  full  leisure  for  its  revision.*  The  errors 
are,  nevertheless,  numerous  ;  and  the  shortest  way  to  ex- 
hibit them  is  f  in  tabular  form."  In  several  instances  Mr. 
Gould  would  not  have  taken  the  Dean  to  task  had  he 
known  English  better.  The  following  are  a  few  of  Mr. 
Gould's  corrections  in  which  he  is  clearly  in  the  right  : 

Paragraph 

4.  "  Into  another  land  than  "  ;  should  be,  "  into  a  land 
otlier  than." 

16.  "  We  do  not  follow  rule  in  spelling  other  words, 
but  custom  "  ;  should  be,  "  we  do  not  follow  rule,  but  cus- 
tom, in  spelling,"  etc. 

1 8.  "  The  distinction  is  observed  in  French,  but  never 
appears  to  have  been  made,"  etc. ;  read,  "  appears  never  to 
have  been  made." 

61.  "  Rather  to  aspirate  more  than  less";  should  be, 
"  to  aspirate  more  rather  than  less." 

g.  "It  is  said  also  only  to  occur  three  times,"  etc. ; 
read,  "  occur  only  three  times." 

44.  "  This  doubling  only  takes  place  in  a  syllable,"  etc.  ; 
read,  "  takes  place  only" 

142.  "  Which  can  only  be  decided  when  those  circum- 
stances are  known  "  ;  read,  "can  be  decided  only  when," 
etc. 

166.  "  I  will  only  say  that  it  produces,"  etc.  ;  read,  "  I 
will  say  only"  etc. 

170.  "  It  is  said  that  this  can   only  be  filled  in  thus  "  ; 
read,  "  can  be  filled  in  only  thus." 

368.  "  I  can  only  deal  with  the  complaint  in  a  general 
way  "  ;  read,  ' '  deal  -with  the  complaint  only"  etc. 

86.  "/«  so  far  as  they  are  idiomatic,"  etc.  What  is  the 
use  of  in  ? 

171.  "  Try  the  experiment"  ;  "tried  the  experiment." 
Read,  make  and  made. 

345.  "  It  is  most  generally  used  of  that  very  sect,"  etc. 
Why  most? 

*  Better,  "  to  revise  it." 

t  "  Is  to  put  them  in  tabular  form." 


THE   VERBALIST.  71 

362.  "  The  joining  together  two  clauses  with  a  third,"1 
etc. ;  read,  "  of  two  clauses,"  etc. 

Gown.     See  DRESS. 

Graduated.  Students  do  not  graduate  •  they  are  grad- 
uated. Hence  most  writers  nowadays  say,  "  I  was,  he 
was,  or  they  were  graduated  "  ;  and  ask,  "  When  were  you, 
or  was  he,  graduated  ?  " 

Grammatical  Errors.  "  The  correctness  of  the  ex-- 
pression  grammatical  errors  has  been  disputed.  '  How,'  it 
has  been  asked,  '  can  an  error  be  grammatical  ? '  How,  it 
may  be  replied,  can  we  with  propriety  say,  grammatically 
incorrect?  Yet  we  can  do  so. 

"  No  one  will  question  the  propriety  of  saying  gram- 
matically correct.  Yet  the  expression  is  the  acknowledg- 
ment of  things  grammatically  incorrect.  Likewise  the  phrase 
grammatical  correctness  implies  the  existence  of  grammatical 
incorrectness.  If,  then,  a  sentence  is  grammatically  incorrect, 
or,  what  is  the  same  thing,  has  grammatical  incorrectness,  it 
includes  a  GRAMMATICAL  ERROR.  Grammatically  incorrect 
signifies  INCORRECT  WITH  RELATION  TO  THE  RULES  OF 
GRAMMAR.  Grammatical  errors  signifies  ERRORS  WITH  RE- 
LATION TO  THE  RULES  OF  GRAMMAR. 

"  They  who  ridicule  the  phrase  grammatical  errors,  and 
substitute  the  phrase  errors  in  grammar,  make  an  egregious 
mistake.  Can  there,  it  may  be  asked  with  some  show  of 
reason,  be  an  error  in  grammar  ?  Why,  grammar  is  a 
science  founded  in  our  nature,  referable  to  our  ideas  of 
time,  relation,  method  ;  imperfect,  doubtless,  as  to  the  sys- 
tem by  which  it  is  represented  ;  but  surely  we  can  speak 
of  error  in  that  which  is  error's  criterion  !  All  this  is 
hypercritical,  but  hypercriticism  must  be  met  with  its  own 
weapons. 

"  Of  the  two  expressions — a  grammatical  error,  and  an 


7 2  THE   VERBALIST. 

error  in  grammar — the  former  is  preferable.  If  one's  judg- 
ment can  accept  neither,  one  must  relinquish  the  belief  in 
the  possibility  of  tersely  expressing  the  idea  of  an  offense 
against  grammatical  rules.  Indeed,  it  would  be  difficult 
to  express  the  idea  even  by  circumlocution.  Should  some 
one  say,  '  This  sentence  is,  according  to  the  rules  of  gram- 
mar, incorrect.'  '  What ! '  the  hyperciitic  may  exclaim,  '  in- 
correct !  and  according  to  the  rules  of  grammar!'  'This 
sentence,  then,'  the  corrected  person  would  reply,  '  contains 
an  error  in  grammar.'  '  Nonsense  ! '  the  hypercritic  may 
shout,  '  grammar  is  a  science  ;  you  may  be  wrong  in  its 
interpretation,  but  principles  are  immutable  ! ' 

"  After  this,  it  need  scarcely  be  added  that,  grammati- 
cally, no  one  can  make  a  mistake,  that  there  can  be  no 
grammatical  mistake,  that  there  can  be  no  bad  grammar, 
and,  consequently,  no  bad  English ;  a  very  pleasant  con- 
clusion, which  would  save  us  a  great  amount  of  trouble  if  it 
did  not  lack  the  insignificant  quality  of  being  true." — "  Vul- 
garisms and  Other  Errors  of  Speech." 

Gratuitous.  There  are  those  who  object  to  the  use  of 
this  word  in  the  sense  of  unfounded,  unwarranted,  unreason- 
able, untrue.  Its  use  in  this  sense,  however,  has  the  sanc- 
tion of  abundant  authority.  "  Weak  and  gratuitous  con- 
jectures."— Person.  "  A  gratuitous  assumption." — Godwin. 
"  The  gratuitous  theory." — Southey.  "  A  gratuitous  inven- 
tion."— De  Quincey.  "  But  it  is  needless  to  dwell  on  the 
improbability  of  a  hypothesis  which  has  been  shown  to  be 
altogether  gratuitous" — Dr.  Newman. 

Grow.  This  verb  originally  meant  to  increase  in  size, 
but  has  normally  come  to  be  also  used  to  express  a  change 
from  one  state  or  condition  to  another ;  as,  to  grow  dark,  to 
grow  weak  or  strong,  to  grow  faint,  etc.  But  it  is  doubt- 
ful whether  what  is  large  can  properly  be  said  to  groin 


THE   VERBALIST. 


73 


small.  In  this  sense,  become  would  seem  to  be  the  better 
word. 

Gums.     See  RUBBERS. 

Had  have.  Nothing  could  be  more  incorrect  than  the 
bringing  together  of  these  two  auxiliary  verbs  in  this  man- 
ner ;  and  yet  we  occasionally  find  it  in  writers  of  repute. 
Instead  of  "  Had  I  known  it,"  "  Had  you  seen  it,"  "  Had 
we  been  there,"  we  hear,  "  Had  I  have  known  it,"  "  Had 
you  have  seen  it,"  "  Had  we  have  been  there." 

Had  ought.  This  is  a  vulgarism  of  the  worst  descrip- 
tion, yet  we  hear  people,  who  would  be  highly  indignant 
if  any  one  should  intimate  that  they  were  not  ladies  and 
gentlemen,  say,  "  He  had  ought  to  go."  A  fitting  reply 
would  be,  "  Yes,  I  think  he  better  had."  Ought  says  all 
that  had  ought  says. 

Had  rather.  This  expression  and  had  better  are  much 
used,  but,  in  the  opinion  of  many,  are  indefensible.  We 
hear  them  in  such  sentences  as,  "  I  had  rather  not  do  it," 
"  You  had  better  go  home."  "  Now,  what  tense,"  it  is  asked, 
''is  had  do  and  had  go?"  If  we  transpose  the  words  thus, 
"  You  had  do  better  (to)  go  home,"  it  becomes  at  once  appar- 
ent, it  is  asserted,  that  the  proper  word  to  use  in  connection 
with  rather  and  better'^  not  had,  but  would ;  thus,  "  I  -would 
rather  not  do  it,"  "  You  would  better  go  home."  Examples 
of  this  use  of  had  can  be  found  in  the  writings  of  our  best 
authors.  For  what  Professor  Bain  has  to  say  on  this  sub- 
ject in  his  "Composition  Grammar,"  see  SUBJUNCTIVE 
MOOD. 

Half.  "  It  might  have  been  expressed  in  one  half  the 
space.'  We  see  at  a  glance  that  one  here  is  superfluous. 

Hanged — Hung.  The  irregular  form,  hung,  of  the 
past  participle  of  the  verb  to  hang  is  most  used  ;  but,  when 
the  word  denotes  suspension  by  the  neck  for  the  purpose  of 


74  THE   VERBALIST. 

destroying  life,  the  regular  form,  hanged,  is  always  used  by 
careful  writers  and  speakers. 

Haste.     See  HURRY. 

Heading.     See  CAPTION. 

Healthy — Wholesome.  The  first  of  these  two  words 
is  often  improperly  used  for  the  second  ;  as,  "  Onions  are  a 
healthy  vegetable."  A  man,  if  he  is  in  good  health,  is  heal- 
thy ;  the  food  he  eats,  if  it  is  not  deleterious,  is  wholesome. 
A  healthy  ox  makes  wholesome  food.  We  speak  of  healthy 
surroundings,  a  healthy  climate,  situation,  employment,  and 
of  -wholesome  food,  advice,  examples.  Healthful  is  gener- 
ally used  in  the  sense  of  conducive  to  health,  virtue,  moral- 
ity ;  as,  healthful  exercise,  the  healthful  spirit  of  the  com- 
munity — meaning  that  the  spirit  that  prevails  in  the  com- 
munity is  conducive  to  virtue  and  good  morals. 

Helpmate.  The  dictionaries  suggest  that  this  word  is 
a  corruption  of  help  and  meet,  as  we  find  these  words  used 
in  Gen.  ii,  18,  "  I  will  make  him  a  help  meet  for  him,"  and 
that  the  proper  word  is  helpmeet.  If,  as  is  possible,  the 
words  in  Genesis  mean,  "  I  will  make  him  a  help,  meet 
[suitable]  for  him,"  then  neither  helpmate  nor  helpmeet  has 
any  raison  d'etre. 

Highfalutin.  This  is  a  style  of  writing  often  called  the 
freshman  style.  It  is  much  indulged  in  by  very  young  men, 
and  by  a  class  of  older  men  who  instinctively  try  to  make 
up  in  clatter  for  what  they  lack  in  matter.  Examples  of  this 
kind  of  writing  are  abundant  in  Professor  L.  T.  Townsend's 
"  Art  of  Speech,"  which,  as  examples,  are  all  the  better  for 
not  being  of  that  exaggerated  description  sometimes  met 
with  in  the  newspapers.  Vol.  i,  p.  131 :  "  Very  often  ad- 
verbs, prepositions,  and  relatives  drift  so  far  from  their  moor- 
ings as  to  lose  themselves,  or  make  attachments  where  they 
do  not  belong."  Again,  p.  135  :  "  Every  law  of  speech  en- 


THE   VERBALIST. 


75 


forces  the  statement  that  there  is  no  excuse  for  such  inflated 
and  defective  style.  [Such  style  !]  To  speak  thus  is  treason 
in  the  realms  and  under  the  laws  of  language."  Again, 
p.  175  :  "  Cultivate  figure-making  habitudes.  This  is  done 
by  asking  the  spiritual  import  of  every  physical  object 
seen  ;  also  by  forming  the  habit  of  constantly  metaphoriz- 
ing.  Knock  at  the  door  of  anything  met  which  interests, 
and  ask,  '  Who  lives  here  ? '  The  process  is  to  look,  then 
close  the  eyes,  then  look  within."  The  blundering  inan- 
ity of  this  kind  of  writing  is  equaled  only  by  its  bump- 
tious grandiloquence.  On  p.  137  Dr.  Townsend  quotes 
this  wholesome  admonition  from  Coleridge :  "  If  men 
would  only  say  what  they  have  to  say  in  plain  terms,  how 
much  more  eloquent  they  would  be  ! "  As  an  example  of 
reportorial  highfalutin,  I  submit  the  following :  "  The  spirit 
of  departed  day  had  joined  communion  with  the  myriad 
ghosts  of  centuries,  and  four  full  hours  fled  into  eternity 
before  the  citizens  of  many  parts  of  the  town  found  out 
there  was  a  freshet  here  at  all." 

Hints.  "  Never  write  about  any  matter  that  you  do 
not  well  understand.  If  you  clearly  understand  all  about 
your  matter,  you  will  never  want  thoughts,  and  thoughts 
instantly  become  words. 

"One  of  the  greatest  of  all  faults  in  writing  and  in 
speaking  is  this :  the  using  of  many  words  to  say  little. 
In  order  to  guard  yourself  against  this  fault,  inquire  what  is 
the  substance,  or  amount,  of  what  you  have  said.  Take  a 
long  speech  of  some  talking  Lord  and  put  down  upon  paper 
what  the  amount  of  it  is.  You  will  most  likely  find  that 
the  amount  is  very  small  ;  but  at  any  rate,  when  you 
get  it,  you  will  then  be  able  to  examine  it  and  to  tell 
what  it  is  worth.  A  very  few  examinations  of  the  sort 
will  so  frighten  you  that  you  will  be  for  ever  after  upon 


76  THE   VERBALIST. 

your  guard  against  talking  a  great  deal  and  saying  little,"-* 
Cobbett. 

"  Be  simple,  be  unaffected,  be  honest  in  your  speaking  and 
writing.  Never  use  a  long  word  where  a  short  one  will  do. 
Call  a  spade  a  spade,  not  a  well-known  oblong  instrument 
of  manual  husbandry  ;  let  home  be  home,  not  a  residence ; 
a  place  a  place,  not  a  locality ;  and  so  of  the  rest.  Where 
a  short  word  will  do,  you  always  lose  by  using  a  long  one. 
You  lose  in  clearness ;  you  lose  in  honest  expression  of 
your  meaning  ;  and,  in  the  estimation  of  all  men  who  are 
qualified  to  judge,  you  lose  in  reputation  for  ability.  The 
only  true  way  to  shine,  even  in  this  false  world,  is  to  be 
modest  and  unassuming.  Falsehood  may  be  a  very  thick 
crust,  but,  in  the  course  of  time,  truth  will  find  a  place  to 
break  through.  Elegance  of  language  may  not  be  in  the 
power  of  all  of  us  ;  but  simplicity  and  straightforwardness 
are.  Write  much  as  you  would  speak  ;  speak  as  you  think. 
If  with  your  inferiors,  speak  no  coarser  than  usual ;  if  with 
your  superiors,  no  finer.  Be  what  you  say  ;  and,  within 
the  rules  of  prudence,  say  what  you  are." — Dean  Alford. 

"Go  critically  over  what  you  have  written,  and  strike 
out  every  word,  phrase,  and  clause  which  it  is  found  will 
leave  the  sentence  neither  less  clear  nor  less  forcible  than 
it  is  without  them." — Swinton. 

"  With  all  watchfulness,  it  is  astonishing  what  slips  are 
made,  even  by  good  writers,  in  the  employment  of  an  inap- 
propriate word.  In  Gibbon's  '  Rise  and  Fall,'  the  follow- 
ing instance  occurs :  '  Of  nineteen  tyrants  who  started  up 
after  the  reign  of  Gallienus,  there  was  not  one  who  enjoyed 
a  life  of  peace  or  a  natural  death.'  Alison,  in  his  '  His- 
tory of  Europe,'  writes:  'Two  great  sins — one  of  omission 
and  one  of  commission — have  been  commiittdhy  the  states 
of  Europe  in  modern  times.'  And  not  long  since  a  worthy 


THE   VERBALIST. 


77 


Scotch  minister,  at  the  close  of  the  services,  intimated  his 
intention  of  visiting  some  of  his  people  as  follows  :  '  I 

intend,  during  this  week,  to  visit  in  Mr.  M 's  district, 

and  will  on  this  occasion  take  the  opportunity  of  embracing 
all  the  servants  in  the  district.'  When  worthies  such  as 
these  offend,  who  shall  call  the  bellman  in  question  as  he 
cries,  '  Lost,  a  silver-handled  silk  lady's  parasol '  ? 

"  The  proper  arrangement  of  words  into  sentences  and 
paragraphs  gives  clearness  and  strength.  To  attain  a  clear 
and  pithy  style,  it  may  be  necessary  to  cut  down,  to  re- 
arrange, and  to  rewrite  whole  passages  of  an  essay.  Gib- 
bon wrote  his  '  Memoirs  '  six  times,  and  the  first  chapter  of 
his  '  History '  three  times.  Beginners  are  always  slow  to 
prune  or  cast  away  any  thought  or  expression  which  may 
have  cost  labor.  They  forget  that  brevity  is  no  sign  of 
thoughtlessness.  Much  consideration  is  needed  to  com- 
press the  details  of  any  subject  into  small  compass.  Es- 
sences are  more  difficult  to  prepare,  and  therefore  more 
valuable,  than  weak  solutions.  Pliny  wrote  to  one  of  his 
friends,  '  I  have  not  time  to  write  you  a  short  letter,  there- 
fore I  have  written  you  a  long  one.'  Apparent  elaborate- 
ness is  always  distasteful  and  weak.  Vividness  and  strength 
are  the  product  of  an  easy  command  of  those  small  trench- 
ant Saxon  monosyllables  which  abound  in  the  English  lan- 
guage."— "Leisure  Hour." 

"As  a  rule,  the  student  will  do  well  to  banish  for 
the  present  all  thought  of  ornament  or  elegance,  and  to 
aim  only  at  expressing  himself  plainly  and  clearly.  The 
best  ornament  is  always  that  which  comes  unsought.  Let 
him  not  beat  about  the  bush,  but  go  straight  to  the  point. 
Let  him  remember  that  what  is  written  is  meant  to  be 
read  ;  that  time  is  short ;  and  that — other  things  being 
equal — the  fewer  words  the  better.  .  .  .  Repetition  is  a  far 


;8  THE   VERBALIST. 

less  serious  fault  than  obscurity.  Young  writers  are  often 
unduly  afraid  of  repeating  the  same  word,  and  require  to 
be  reminded  that  it  is  always  better  to  use  the  right  word 
over  again  than  to  replace  it  by  a  wrong  one — and  a  word 
which  is  liable  to  be  misunderstood  is  a  wrong  one.  A 
frank  repetition  of  a  word  has  even  sometimes  a  kind  of 
charm — as  bearing  the  stamp  of  truth,  the  foundation  of  all 
excellence  of  style." — Hall. 

"  A  young  writer  is  afraid  to  be  simple  ;  he  has  no 
faith  in  beauty  unadorned,  hence  he  crowds  his  sentences 
with  superlatives.  In  his  estimation,  turgidity  passes  for 
eloquence,  and  simplicity  is  but  another  name  for  that 
which  is  weak  and  unmeaning." — George  Washington 
Moon. 

Honorable.    See  REVEREND. 

How.  "  I  have  heard  how  in  Italy  one  is  beset  on  all 
sides  by  beggars":  read,  "heard  that."  "I  have  heard 
how  some  critics  have  been  pacified  with  claret  and  a  sup- 
per, and  others  laid  asleep  with  soft  notes  of  flattery." — Dr. 
Johnson.  The  how  in  this  sentence  also  should  be  that. 
How  means  the  manner  in  which.  We  may,  therefore, 
say,  "  I  have  heard  hoiu  he  went  about  it  to  circumvent 
you." 

"  And  it  is  good  judgment  alone  can  dictate  how  far 
to  proceed  in  it  and  when  to  stop."  Cobbett  comments 
on  this  sentence  in  this  wise  :  "Dr.  Watts  is  speaking  heie 
of  writing.  In  such  a  case,  an  adverb,  like  how  far,  ex- 
pressive of  longitudinal  space,  introduces  a  rhetotical  figure  ; 
for  the  plain  meaning  is,  that  judgment  will  dictate  how 
much  to  write  on  it  and  not  how  far  to  proceed  in  it.  The 
figure,  however,  is  very  proper  and  much  better  than  the 
literal  words.  But  when  a  figure  is  begun  it  should  be  car- 
ried on  throughout,  which  is  not  the  case  here ;  for  the 


THE   VERBALIST. 


79 


Doctor  begins  with  a  figure  of  longitudinal  space  and  ends 
with  a  figure  of  time.  It  should  have  been,  where  to  stop. 
Or,  how  long  to  proceed  in  it  and  when  to  stop.  To  tell  a 
man  how  far  he  is  to  go  into  the  Western  countries  of 
America,  and  when  he  is  to  stop,  is  a  very  different  thing 
from  telling  him  how  far  he  is  to  go  and  where  he  is  to 
stop.  I  have  dwelt  thus  on  this  distinction  for  the  purpose 
of  putting  you  on  the  watch  and  guarding  you  against  con- 
founding figures.  The  less  you  use  them  the  better,  till 
you  understand  more  about  them." 

Humanitarianism.  This  word,  in  its  original,  theo- 
logical sense,  means  the  doctrine  that  denies  the  godhead 
of  Jesus  Christ,  and  avers  that  he  was  possessed  of  a  hu- 
man nature  only  ;  a  humanitarian,  therefore,  in  the  theo- 
logical sense,  is  one  who  believes  this  doctrine.  The  word 
and  its  derivatives  are,  however,  nowadays,  both  in  this 
country  and  in  England,  most  used  in  a  humane,  philan- 
thropic sense ;  thus,  "  The  audience  enthusiastically  en- 
dorsed the  humanitarianism  of  his  eloquent  discourse." — 
Hatton. 

Hung.     See  HANGED. 

Hurry.  Though  widely  different  in  meaning,  both  the 
verb  and  the  noun  hurry  are  continually  used  for  haste  and 
hasten.  Hurry  implies  not  only  haste,  but  haste  with  con- 
fusion, flurry  ;  while  haste  implies  only  rapidity  of  action, 
an  eager  desire  to  make  progress,  and,  unlike  hurry,  is  not 
incompatible  with  deliberation  and  dignity.  It  is  often 
wise  to  hasten  in  the  affairs  of  life  ;  but,  as  it  is  never  wise 
to  proceed  without  forethought  and  method,  it  is  never 
wise  to  hurry.  Sensible  people,  then,  may  be  often  in 
haste,  but  are  never  in  a  hurry ;  and  we  tell  others  to  make 
haste,  and  not  to  hurry  up. 

Hyperbole.     The  magnifying  of  things  beyond  their 


80  THE   VERBALIST. 

natural  limits  is  called  hyperbole.  Language  that  signifies, 
literally,  more  than  the  exact  truth,  more  than  is  really  in- 
tended to  be  represented,  by  which  a  thing  is  represented 
greater  or  less,  better  or  worse  than  it  really  is,  is  said  to 
be  hyperbolical.  Hyperbole  is  exaggeration. 

"  Our  common  forms  of  compliment  are  almost  all  of 
them  extravagant  hyperboles" — Blair. 

Some  examples  are  the  following  : 
"  Rivers  of  blood  and  hills  of  slain." 
"  They  were  swifter  than  eagles;  they  were  stronger  than 

lions." 

"  The  sky  shrunk  upward  with  unusual  dread, 
And  trembling  Tiber  div'd  beneath  his  bed." 
"  So  frowned  the  mighty  combatants,  that  hell 
Grew  darker  at  their  frown." 

"  I  saw  their  chief  tall  as  a  rock  of  ice  ;  his  spear  the 
blasted  fir ;  his  shield  the  rising  moon  ;  he  sat  on  the  shore 
like  a  cloud  of  mist  on  a  hill." 

Ice-cream — Ice-water.  As  for  ice-cream,  there  is  no 
such  thing,  as  ice-cream  would  be  the  product  of  frozen 
cream,  i.  e.,  cream  made  from  ice  by  melting.  What  is 
called  ice-cream  is  cream  iced ;  hence,  properly,  iced  cream 
and  not  ice-cream.  The  product  of  melted  ice  is  zV^-water, 
whether  it  be  cold  or  warm  ;  but  water  made  cold  with  ice 
is  iced  water,  and  not  ice-water. 

If.  "I  doubt  if  this  will  ever  reach  you  "  :  say,  "  I 
doubt  whether  this  will  ever  reach  you." 

HI.    See  SICK. 

Illy.  It  will  astonish  not  a  few  to  learn  that  there  is 
no  such  word  as  illy.  The  form  of  the  adverb,  as  well  as 
of  the  adjective  and  the  noun,  is  ill.  A  thing  is  ill  formed, 
or  ill  done,  or  ill  made,  or  ill  constructed,  or  ill  put  to. 
gether. 


THE  VERBALIST.  8l 

*  ///  fares  the  land,  to  hastening  ills  a  prey, 
Where  wealth  accumulates  and  men  decay." — Goldsmith. 

Immodest.  This  adjective  and  its  synonyms,  indecent 
and  indelicate,  are  often  used  without  proper  discrimination 
being  made  in  their  respective  meanings.  Indecency  and 
immodesty  are  opposed  to  morality  :  the  former  in  externals, 
as  dress,  words,  and  looks  ;  the  latter  in  conduct  and  dis- 
position. "Indecency"  says  Crabb,  "may  be  a  partial, 
immodesty  is  a  positive  and  entire  breach  of  the  moral  law. 
Indecency  is  less  than  immodesty,  but  more  than  indelicacy" 
It  is  indecent  for  a  man  to  marry  again  very  soon  after  the 
death  of  his  wife.  It  is  indelicate  for  any  one  to  obtrude 
himself  upon  another's  retirement.  It  is  indecent  for  wom- 
en to  expose  their  persons  as  do  some  whom  we  can  not 
call  immodest. 

"  Immodest  words  admit  of  no  defense, 
For  want  of  decency  is  want  of  sense." 

— Earl  of  Roscommon. 

Impropriety.  As  a  rhetorical  term,  denned  as  an 
error  in  using  words  in  a  sense  different  from  their  recog- 
nized signification. 

Impute.  Non-painstaking  writers  not  unfrequently  use 
impute  instead  of  ascribe.  "  The  numbers  [of  blunders] 
that  have  been  imputed  to  him  are  endless." — "  Appletons' 
Journal."  The  use  of  impute  in  this  connection  is  by  no 
means  indefensible  ;  still  it  would  have  been  better  to  use 
ascribe. 

In  our  midst.  The  phrases  in  our  midst  and  in  their 
midst  are  generally  supposed  to  be  of  recent  introduction  ; 
and,  though  they  have  been  used  by  some  respectable 
writers,  they  nevertheless  find  no  favor  with  those  who 
study  propriety  in  the  use  of  language.  To  the  phrase 
in  the  midst  no  one  objects.  "  Jesus  came  and  stood 


82  THE  VERBALIST. 

in  the  midst."  "  There  was  a  hut  in  the  midst  of  the 
forest." 

In  respect  of.  "  The  deliberate  introduction  of  in- 
correct forms,  whether  by  the  coinage  of  new  or  the  revival 
of  obsolete  and  inexpressive  syntactical  combinations,  ought 
to  be  resisted  even  in  trifles,  especially  where  it  leads  to 
the  confusion  of  distinct  ideas.  An  example  of  this  is  the 
recent  use  of  the  adverbial  phrases  in  respect  of,  in  regard 
of,  for  in  or  with  respect  to,  or  regard  to.  This  innovation 
is  without  any  syntactical  ground,  and  ought  to  be  con- 
demned and  avoided  as  a  mere  grammatical  crotchet." — 
George  P.  Marsh,  "  Lectures  on  the  English  Language," 
p.  660. 

In  so  far  as.  A  phrase  often  met  with,  and  in  which 
the  in  is  superfluous.  "A  want  of  proper  opportunity 
would  suffice,  in  so  far  as  the  want  could  be  shown."  "  We 
are  to  act  up  to  the  extent  of  our  knowledge  ;  but,  in  so  far 
as  our  knowledge  falls  short,"  etc. 

Inaugurate.  This  word,  which  means  to  install  in 
office  with  certain  ceremonies,  is  made,  by  many  lovers  of 
big  words,  to  do  service  for  begin;  but  the  sooner  these 
rhetorical  high-fliers  stop  inaugurating  and  content  them- 
selves with  simply  beginning  the  things  they  are  called 
upon  to  do  in  the  ordinary  routine  of  daily  life,  the  sooner 
they  will  cease  to  set  a  very  bad  example. 

Indecent.     See  IMMODEST. 

Index  expurgatorius.  William  Cullen  Bryant,  who 
was  a  careful  student  of  English,  while  he  was  editor  of  the 
"  New  York  Evening  Post,"  sought  to  prevent  the  writers 
for  that  paper  from  using  "  over  and  above  (for  '  more 
than ') ;  artiste  (for  '  artist ') ;  aspirant ;  authoress  ;  beat  (for 
•  defeat ')  ;  bagging  (for  '  capturing ') ;  balance  (for  '  remain- 
der') ;  banquet  (for  '  dinner'  or  '  supper') ;  bogus  ;  casket 


THE  VERBALIST.  83 

(for  '  coffin  ')  ;  claimed  (for  '  asserted  ') ;  collided  ;  com- 
mence (for  '  begin  ') ;  compete  ;  cortege  (for  '  procession  ') ; 
COtemporary  (for  '  contemporary  ')  ;  couple  (for  '  two ')  ; 
darky  (for  '  negro ') ;  day  before  yesterday  (for  '  the  day 
before  yesterday  ') ;  debut  ;  decrease  (as  a  verb) ;  democ- 
racy (applied  to  a  political  party) ;  develop  (for  '  expose  ') ; 
devouring  element  (for  '  fire  ') ;  donate  ;  employe  ;  enacted 
(for  '  acted  ') ;  indorse  (for  '  approve  ')  ;  en  route  ;  esq.  ; 
graduate  (for  '  is  graduated  ')  ;  gents  (for  '  gentlemen  ') ; 
'  Hon.' ;  House  (for  '  House  of  Representatives  ') ;  hum- 
bug ;  inaugurate  (for  '  begin ') ;  in  our  midst  ;  item  (for 
'  particle,  extract,  or  paragraph ') ;  is  being  done,  and  all 
passives  of  this  form  ;  jeopardize ;  jubilant  (for  '  rejoicing ') ; 
juvenile  (for  '  boy ')  ;  lady  (for  '  wife  ') ;  last  (for  '  latest ') ; 
lengthy  (for  'long');  leniency  (for  'lenity');  loafer;  loan 
or  loaned  (for '  lend '  or  '  lent ') ;  located  ;  majority  (relating 
to  places  or  circumstances,  for  '  most ') ;  Mrs.  President, 
Mrs.  Governor,  Mrs.  General,  and  all  similar  titles  ;  mutual 
(for  'common');  official  (for  'officer');  ovation;  on  yes- 
terday ;  over  his  signature  ;  pants  (for  '  pantaloons ')  ;  par- 
ties (for '  persons  ') ;  partially  (for '  partly ') ;  past  two  weeks 
(for  '  last  two  weeks,  and  all  similar  expressions  relating  to 
a  definite  time) ;  poetess  ;  portion  (for  '  part ')  ;  posted  (for 
'  informed ') ;  progress  (for  '  advance ') ;  reliable  (for  '  trust- 
worthy ') ;  rendition  (for  '  performance  ') ;  repudiate  (for 
'  reject '  or  '  disown  ') ;  retire  (as  an  active  verb) ;  Rev.  (for 
'  the  Rev.') ;  role  (for  '  part ') ;  roughs  ;  rowdies  ;  secesh  ; 
sensation  (for  '  noteworthy  event ') ;  standpoint  (for  '  point 
of  view ') ;  start,  in  the  sense  of  setting  out ;  state  (for 
'  say ') ;  taboo  ;  talent  (for  '  talents  '  or  '  ability ') ;  talented  ; 
tapis  ;  the  deceased  ;  war  (for '  dispute '  or  '  disagreement ')." 
This  index  is  offered  here  as  a  curiosity  rather  than  as 
a  guide,  though  in  the  main  it  might  safely  be  used  as 


84  THE   VERBALIST. 

such.  No  valid  reason,  however,  can  be  urged  for  discour- 
aging the  use  of  several  words  in  the  list ;  the  words  aspir- 
ant, banquet,  casket,  compete,  decrease,  progress,  start, 
talented,  and  deceased,  for  example. 

Indicative  and  Subjunctive.  "  '  I  see  the  signal,'  is 
unconditional ;  '  z/  I  see  the  signal,'  is  the  same  fact  ex- 
pressed in  the  form  of  a  condition.  The  one  form  is  said 
to  be  in  the  indicative  mood,  the  mood  that  simply  states 
or  indicates  the  action  ;  the  other  form  is  in  the  subjunctive, 
conditional,  or  conjunctive  mood.  There  is  sometimes  a 
slight  variation  made  in  English,  to  show  that  an  affirma- 
tion is  made  as  a  condition.  The  mood  is  called  '  subjunc- 
tive,' because  the  affirmation  is  subjoined  to  another  affirma- 
tion :  '  If  I  see  t/ie  signal,  I  will  call  out.' 

"  Such  forms  as  '  I  may  see,' '  I  can  see,'  have  sometimes 
been  considered  as  a  variety  of  mood,  to  which  the  name 
'  Potential '  is  given.  But  this  can  not  properly  be  main- 
tained. There  is  no  trace  of  any  inflection  corresponding 
to  this  meaning,  as  we  find  with  the  subjunctive.  Moreover, 
such  a  mood  would  have  itself  to  be  subdivided  into  indica- 
tive and  subjunctive  forms  :  '  I  may  go,'  '  if  I  may  go.' 
And  further,  we  might  proceed  to  constitute  other  moods 
on  the  same  analogy,  as,  for  example,  an  obligatory  mood — 
'  I  must  go,'  or  '  I  ought  to  go'  ;  a  mood  of  resolution — 
'  I  will  go,  you  shall  go ' ;  a  mood  of  gratification — '  I  am 
delighted  to  go ' ;  of  deprecation — '  I  am  grieved  to  go.' 
The  only  difference  in  the  two  last  instances  is  the  use  of 
the  sign  of  the  infinitive  '  to,'  which  does  not  occur  after 
'  may,'  '  can,'  '  must,'  '  ought,''  etc. ;  but  that  is  not  an 
essential  difference.  Some  grammarians  consider  the  form 
'  I  do  go  '  a  separate  mood,  and  term  it  the  emphatic  mood. 
But  all  the  above  objections  apply  to  it  likewise,  as  well  as 
many  others." — Bain.  See  SUBJUNCTIVE  MOOD. 


THE   VERBALIST.  85 

Individual.  This  word  is  often  most  improperly  used 
for  person  ;  as,  "  The  individual  I  saw  was  not  aver  forty  "  ; 
"  There  were  several  individuals  on  board  that  I  had  never 
seen  before."  Individual  means,  etymologically,  that  which 
can  not  be  divided,  and  is  used,  in  speaking  of  things  as 
well  as  of  persons,  to  express  unity.  It  is  opposed  to  the 
whole,  or  that  which  is  divisible  into  parts. 

Indorse.  Careful  writers  generally  discountenance  the 
use  of  indorse  in  the  sense  of  sanction,  approve,  applaud. 
In  this  signification  it  is  on  the  list  of  prohibited  words  in 
some  of  our  newspaper  offices.  "  The  following  rules  are 
indorsed  by  nearly  all  writers  upon  this  subject." — Dr. 
Townsend.  It  is  plain  that  the  right  word  to  use  here  is 
approved.  "  The  public  will  heartily  indorse  the  sentiments 
uttered  by  the  court." — New  York  "  Evening  Telegram." 
"  The  public  will  heartily  approve  the  sentiments  expressed 
by  the  court,"  is  what  the  sentence  should  be. 

Infinitive  Mood.  When  we  can  choose,  it  is  generally 
better  to  use  the  verb  in  the  infinitive  than  in  the  participial 
form.  "Ability  being  in  general  the  power  of  doing"  etc. 
Say,  to  do.  "  I  desire  to  reply  ...  to  the  proposal  of  sub- 
stituting  a  tax  upon  land  values  .  .  .  and  making  \\i\s  tax,  as 
near  [nearly]  as  may  be,  equal  to  rent,"  etc.  Say,  to  substi- 
tute and  to  make.  "  This  quality  is  of  prime  importance 
when  the  chief  object  is  the  imparting  of  knowledge."  Say, 
to  impart. 

Initiate.  This  is  a  pretentious  word,  which,  with  its 
derivatives,  many  persons — especially  those  who  like  to  be 
grandiloquent — use,  when  homely  English  would  serve  their 
turn  much  better. 

Innumerable  Number.  A  repetitional  expression  to  be 
avoided.  We  may  say  innumerable  times,  or  numberless  times, 
but  we  should  not  say  an  innumerable  number  of  times. 


86  THE  VERBALIST. 

Interrogation.  The  rhetorical  figure  that  asks  a  ques- 
tion in  order  to  emphasize  the  reverse  of  what  is  asked  is 
called  interrogation ;  as,  "  Do  we  mean  to  submit  to  this 
measure  ?  Do  we  mean  to  submit,  and  consent  that  we  our- 
selves, our  country  and  its  rights,  shall  be  trampled  on  ?  " 

"  Doth  God  pervert  judgment  ?  or  doth  the  Almighty 
pervert  justice  ?  " 

Introduce.     See  PRESENT. 

Irony.  That  mode  of  speech  in  which  what  is  meant 
is  contrary  to  the  literal  meaning  of  the  words — in  which 
praise  is  bestowed  when  censure  is  intended — is  called  irony, 
Irony  is  a  kind  of  delicate  sarcasm  or  satire — raillery, 
mockery. 

"  In  writings  of  humor,  figures  are  sometimes  used  of  so 
delicate  a  nature  that  it  shall  often  happen  that  some  people 
will  see  things  in  a  direct  contrary  sense  to  what  the  author 
and  the  majority  of  the  readers  understand  them :  to  such 
the  most  innocent  irony  may  appear  irreligion." — Cam- 
bridge. 

Irritate.     See  AGGRAVATE. 

Is  being  built.  A  tolerable  idea  of  the  state  of  the  dis- 
cussion regarding  the  propriety  of  using  the  locution  is 
being  built,  and  all  like  expressions,  will,  it  is  hoped,  be 
obtained  from  the  following  extracts.  The  Rev.  Peter 
Bullions,  in  his  "  Grammar  of  the  English  Language,"  says  : 

"  There  is  properly  no  passive  form,  in  English,  corre- 
sponding to  the  progressive  form  in  the  active  voice,  except 
where  it  is  made  by  the  participle  ing,  in  a  passive  sense  ; 
thus,  '  The  house  is  building ' ;  '  The  garments  are  making '; 
'  Wheat  is  selling,'  etc.  An  attempt  has  been  made  by 
some  grammarians,  of  late,  to  banish  such  expressions  from 
the  language,  though  they  have  been  used  in  all  time  past 
by  the  best  writers,  and  to  justify  and  defend  a  clumsy  sole- 


THE   VERBALIST.  87 

cism,  which  has  been  recently  introduced  chiefly  through 
the  newspaper  press,  but  which  has  gained  such  currency, 
and  is  becoming  so  familiar  to  the  ear,  that  it  seems  likely 
to  prevail,  with  all  its  uncouthness  and  deformity.  I  refer 
to  such  expressions  as  '  The  house  is  being  built ' ;  '  The 
letter  is  being  written '  ;  '  The  mine  is  being  worked ' ; 
'  The  news  is  being  telegraphed,'  etc.,  etc. 

"  This  mode  of  expression  had  no  existence  in  the  lan- 
guage till  within  the  last  fifty  years  ^  This,  indeed,  would 
not  make  the  expression  wrong,  were  it  otherwise  unexcep- 
tionable ;  but  its  recent  origin  shows  that  it  is  not,  as  is 
pretended,  a  necessary  form. 

"  This  form  of  expression,  when  analyzed,  is  found  not 
to  express  what  it  is  intended  to  express,  and  would  be  used 
only  by  such  as  are  either  ignorant  of  its  import  or  are 
careless  and  loose  in  their  use  of  language.  To  make  this 
manifest,  let  it  be  considered,  first,  that  there  is  no  progres- 
sive form  of  the  verb  to  be,  and  no  need  of  it ;  hence,  there 
is  no  such  expression  in  English  as  is  being.  Of  course  the 
expression  *is  being  built,'  for  example,  is  not  a  compound 
of  i-f  6eing-a.nd  built,  but  of  is  and  being  built ;  that  is,  of 
the  verb  to  be  and  the  present  participle  passive.  Now,  let 
it  be  observed  that  the  only  verbs  in  which  the  present 
participle  passive  expresses  a  continued  action  are  those 
mentioned  above  as  the  first  class,  in  which  the  regular 
passive  form  expresses  a  continuance  of  the  action  ;  as,  is 
loved,  is  desired,  etc.,  and  in  which,  of  course,  the  form  in 
question  (is  being  built)  is  not  required.  Nobody  would 
think  of  saying,  'He  is  being  loved';  'This  result  is 
being  desired.' 

"  The  use  of  this  form  is  justified  only  by  condemning 
an  established  usage  of  the  language  ;  namely,  the  passive 
*  Bullions'  "  Grammar  "  was  published  in  1867. 


88  THE   VERBALIST. 

sense  in  some  verbs  of  the  participle  in  ing.  In  reference 
to  this  it  is  flippantly  asked,  '  What  does  the  house 
build  ?  '  '  What  does  the  letter  write  ? '  etc.  —  taking  for 
granted,  without  attempting  to  prove,  that  the  participle  in 
ing  can  not  have  a  passive  sense  in  any  verb.  The  follow- 
ing are  a  few  examples  from  writers  of  the  best  reputation, 
which  this  novelty  would  condemn :  '  While  the  ceremony 
was  performing.' — Tom.  Brown.  '  The  court  was  then 
holding.' — Sir  G.  McKenzie.  '  And  still  be  doing,  never 
done.' — Butler.  '  The  books  are  selling.' — Allen's  '  Gram- 
mar.' '  To  know  nothing  of  what  is  transacting  in  the 
regions  above  us.' — Dr.  Blair.  '  The  spot  where  this  new 
and  strange  tragedy  was  acting.' — E.  Everett.  '  The  for- 
tress was  building." — Irving.  '  An  attempt  is  making  in 
the  English  parliament.' — D.  Webster.  '  The  church  now 
erecting  in  the  city  of  New  York.' — '  N.  A.  Review.' 
'  These  things  were  transacting  in  England.' — Bancroft. 

"  This  new  doctrine  is  in  opposition  to  the  almost  unani- 
mous judgment  of  the  most  distinguished  grammarians 
and  critics,  who  have  considered  the  subject,  and  expressed 
their  views  concerning  it.  The  following  are  a  specimen  : 
•Expressions  of  this  kind  are  condemned  by  some  critics; 
but  the  usage  is  unquestionably  of  far  better  authority,  and 
(according  to  my  apprehension)  in  far  better  taste,  than  the 
more  complex  phraseology  which  some  late  writers  adopt 
in  its  stead  ;  as,  "  The  books  are  now  being  sold."  ' — Goold 
Brown.  '  As  to  the  notion  of  introducing  a  new  and  more 
complex  passive  form  of  conjugation,  as,  "  The  bridge  is 
being  built"  "  The  bridge  was  being  built,"  and  so  forth,  it  is 
one  of  the  most  absurd  and  monstrous  innovations  ever 
thought  of.  "  The  work  is  now  being  published"  is  cer- 
tainly no  better  English  than,  "  The  work  was  being  pub' 
lished,  has  been  being  published,  had  been  being  published, 


THE  VERBALIST.  89 

shall  or  -will  be  being  published,  shall  or  will  have  been  being 
published"  and  so  on  through  all  the  moods  and  tenses. 
What  a  language  shall  we  have  when  our  verbs  are  thus 
conjugated  ! ' — Brown's  '  Gr.  of  Eng.  Gr.,'  p.  361.  De  War 
observes :  '  The  participle  in  ing  is  also  passive  in  many 
instances;  as,  "The  house  is  building,"  "I  heard  of  a 
plan  forming," '  etc. — Quoted  in  '  F razee's  Grammar,'  p. 
49.  '  It  would  be  an  absurdity,  indeed,  to  give  up  the  only 
way  we  have  of  denoting  the  incomplete  state  of  action  by 
a  passive  form  (viz.,  by  the  participle  in  ing  in  the  passive 
sense).' — Arnold's  'English  Grammar,'  p.  46.  '  The  pres- 
ent participle  is  often  used  passively ;.  as,  "The  ship  is 
building."  The  form  of  expression,  is  bdng  built,  is  being 
committed,  etc.,  is  almost  universally  condemned  by  gram- 
marians, but  it  is  sometimes  met  with  in  respectable  writers ; 
it  occurs  most  frequently  in  newspaper  paragraphs  and  in 
hasty  compositions.  See  Worcester's  "  Universal  and  Criti- 
cal Dictionary."' — Weld's  'Grammar,'  pp.  118  and  180. 
'When  we  say,  "The  house  is  building,"  the  advocates  of 
the  new  theory  ask,  "  Building  what  ?  "  We  might  ask,  in 
turn,  when  you  say,  "  The  field  ploughs  well,"—"  Ploughs 
what  ?  "  "  Wheat  sells  well," — ' '  Sells  what  ?  "  If  usage  al- 
lows us  to  say,  "  Wheat  sells  at  a  dollar,"  in  a  sense  that  is 
not  active,  why  may  we  not  say,  "  Wheat  is  selling  at  a  dol- 
lar," in  a  sense  that  is  not  active  ? ' — Hart's  '  Grammar,' 
p.  76.  '  The  prevailing  practice  of  the  best  authors  is  in 
favor  of  the  simple  form  ;  as,  "  The  house  is  building."  ' — 
Wells'  '  School  Grammar,'  p.  148.  '  Several  other  ex- 
pressions of  this  sort  now  and  then  occur,  such  as  the  new- 
fangled and  most  uncouth  solecism  "  is  being  done"  for  the 
good  old  English  idiom  "  is  doing  " — an  absurd  periphrasis 
driving  out  a  pointed  and  pithy  turn  of  the  English  Ian- 
guage.' — '  N.  A.  Review,'  quoted  by  Mr.  Wells,  p.  148. 


pb  THE  VERBALIST. 

'  The  phrase,  "  is  being  built,"  and  others  of  a  similar  kind, 
have  been  for  a  few  years  insinuating  themselves  into  our 
language  ;  still  they  are  not  English.' — Harrison's  '  Rise, 
Progress,  and  Present  Structure  of  the  English  Language.' 
'  This  mode  of  expression  [the  house  is  being  built]  is  be- 
coming quite  common.  It  is  liable,  however,  to  several 
important  objections.  It  appears  formal  and  pedantic.  It 
has  not,  as  far  as  I  know,  the  support  of  any  respectable 
grammarian.  The  easy  and  natural  expression  is,  "  The 
house  is  building."' — Prof.  J.  W.  Gibbs." 

Mr.  Richard  Grant  White,  in  his  "Words  and  Their 
Uses,"  expresses  his  opinion  of  the  locution  is  being  in  this 
wise :  "  In  bad  eminence,  at  the  head  of  those  intruders  in 
language  which  to  many  persons  seem  to  be  of  established 
respectability,  but  the  right  of  which  to  be  at  all  is  not  fully 
admitted,  stands  out  the  form  of  speech  is  being  done,  or 
rather,  is  being,  which,  about  seventy  or  eighty  years  ago, 
began  to  affront  the  eye,  torment  the  ear,  and  assault  the 
common  sense  of  the  speaker  of  plain  and  idiomatic  Eng- 
lish." Mr.  White  devotes  thirty  pages  of  his  book  to  the 
discussion  of  the  subject,  and  adduces  evidence  that  is 
more  than  sufficient  to  convince  those  who  are  content  with 
an  ex  parte  examination  that  "  it  can  hardly  be  that  such 
an  incongruous  and  ridiculous  form  of  speech  as  is  being 
done  was  contrived  by  a  man  who,  by  any  stretch  of  the 
name,  should  be  included  among  grammarians." 

Mr.  George  P.  Marsh,  in  his  "  Lectures  on  the  English 
Language,"  says  that  the  deviser  of  the  locution  in  question 
was  "some  grammatical  pretender,"  and  that  it  is  "an 
awkward  neologism,  which  neither  convenience,  intelli- 
gibility, nor  syntactical  congruity  demands." 

To  these  gentlemen,  and  to  those  who  are  of  their  way 
of  thinking  with  regard  to  is  being,  Dr.  Fitzedward  Hall 


THE   VERBALIST.  gi 

replies  at  some  length,  in  an  article  published  in  "  Scribner's 
Monthly"  for  April,  1872.  Dr.  Hall  writes  : 

" '  All  really  well  educated  in  the  English  tongue  la- 
ment the  many  innovations  introduced  into  our  language 
from  America ;  and  I  doubt  if  more  than  one  of  these 
novelties  deserve  acceptation.  That  one  is,  substituting  a 
compound  participle  for  an  active  verb  used  in  a  neuter 
signification  :  for  instance,  "  The  house  is  being  built"  in- 
stead of,  "  The  house  is  building!' '  Such  is  the  assertion 
and  such  is  the  opinion  of  some  anonymous  luminary,* 
who,  for  his  liberality  in  welcoming  a  supposed  American- 
ism, is  somewhat  in  advance  of  the  herd  of  his  countrymen. 
Almost  any  popular  expression  which  is  considered  as  a 
novelty,  a  Briton  is  pretty  certain  to  assume,  off-hand,  to 
have  originated  on  our  side  of  the  Atlantic.  Of  the  asser- 
tion I  have  quoted,  no  proof  is  offered  ;  and  there  is  little 
probability  that  its  author  had  any  to  offer.  '  Are  being," 
in  the  phrase  '  are  being  thrown  up,'  f  is  spoken  of  in  '  The 
North  American  Review '  \  as  '  an  outrage  upon  English 
idiom,  "to  be  detested,  abhorred,  execrated,  and  given 
over  to  six  thousand  "  penny-paper  editors '  ;  and  the  fact 
is,  that  phrases  of  the  form  here  pointed  at  have  hitherto 
enjoyed  very  much  less  favor  with  us  than  with  the  Eng- 
lish. 

"  As  lately  as  1860,  Dr.  Worcester,  referring  to  is  being 
built,  etc.,  while  acknowledging  that  '  this  new  form  has 

*  "  L.  W.  K.,  CLK.,  LL.  D.,  EX.  SCH.,  T.  C.,  D.  Of  this  reverend 
gentleman's  personality  I  know  nothing.  He  does  not  say  exactly 
what  he  means ;  but  what  he  means  is,  yet,  unmistakable.  The  ex- 
tract given  above  is  from  '  Public  Opinion,'  January  20,  1866." 

t  "  The  analysis,  taken  for  granted  in  this  quotation,  of  'are  being 
thrown  up '  into  '  are  being '  and  '  thrown  up '  will  be  dealt  with  in 
the  sequel,  and  shown  to  be  untenable." 

\  "  Vol.  xlv,  p.  504  (1837)." 


92  THE   VERBALIST. 

been  used  by  some  respectable  writers,'  speaks  of  it  as 
having  '  been  introduced '  '  within  a  few  years.'  Mr. 
Richard  Grant  White,  by  a  most  peculiar  process  of  ra- 
tiocination, endeavors  to  prove  that  what  Dr.  Worcester 
"calls  'this  new  form'  came  into  existence  just  fifty-six 
years  ago.  He  premises  that  in  Jarvis's  translation  of 
4  Don  Quixote,'  published  in  1742,  there  occurs  'were  car- 
rying,' and  that  this,  in  the  edition  of  1818,  is  sophisticated 
into  '  were  being  carried.'  '  This  change,'  continues  our 
logician,  '  and  the  appearance  of  is  being  with  a  perfect 
participle  in  a  very  few  books  published  between  A.  D.  1815 
and  1820,  indicate  the  former  period  as  that  of  the  origin 
of  this  phraseology,  which,  although  more  than  half  a  cen- 
tury old,  is  still  pronounced  a  novelty  as  well  as  a  nui- 
sance.' 

"  Who,  in  the  next  place,  devised  our  modern  imper- 
fects passive  ?  The  question  is  not,  originally,  of  my 
asking  ;  but,  as  the  learned  are  at  open  feud  on  the  sub- 
ject, it  should  not  be  passed  by  in  silence.  Its  deviser  is, 
more  than  likely,  as  undiscoverable  as  the  name  of  the 
valiant  antediluvian  who  first  tasted  an  oyster.  But  the 
deductive  character  of  the  miscreant  is  another  thing  ;  and 
hereon  there  is  a  war  between  the  philosophers.  Mr.  G. 
P.  Marsh,  as  if  he  had  actually  spotted  the  wretched  creat- 
ure, passionately  and  categorically  denounces  him  as  '  some 
grammatical  pretender.'  '  But,'  replies  Mr.  White,  '  that 
it  is  the  work  of  any  grammarian  is  more  than  doubtful. 
Grammarians,  with  all  their  faults,  do  not  deform  language 
with  fantastic  solecisms,  or  even  seek  to  enrich  it  with  new 
and  startling  verbal  combinations.  They  rather  resist 
novelty,  and  devote  themselves  to  formulating  that  which 
use  has  already  established.'  In  the  same  page  with  this, 
Mr.  White  compliments  the  great  unknown  as  '  some  prc- 


THE   VERBALIST. 


93 


cise  and  feeble-minded  soul,'  and  elsewhere  calls  him  '  some 
pedantic  writer  of  the  last  generation.'  To  add  even  one 
word  toward  a  solution  of  the  knotty  point  here  indicated 
transcends,  I  confess,  my  utmost  competence.  It  is  pain- 
ful to  picture  to  one's  self  the  agonizing  emotions  with 
which  certain  philologists  would  contemplate  an  authentic 
effigy  of  the  Attila  of  speech  who,  by  his  is  being  built  or 
is  being  done,  first  offered  violence  to  the  whole  circle  of 
the  proprieties.  So  far  as  I  have  observed,  the  first  granir 
mar  that  exhibits  them  is  that  of  Mr.  R.  S.  Skillern,  M.  A., 
the  first  edition  of  which  was  published  at  Gloucester  in 
1802.  Robert  Southey  had  not,  on  the  gth  of  October, 
1795,  been  out  of  his  minority  quite  two  months  when, 
evidently  delivering  himself  in  a  way  that  had  already  be- 
come familiar  enough,  he  wrote  of  '  a  fellow  whose  utter- 
most upper  grinder  is  being  torn  out  by  the  roots  by  g 
mutton-fisted  barber.'  *  This  is  in  a  letter.  But  repeated 
instances  of  the  same  kind  of  expression  are  seen  in  Southey's 
graver  writings.  Thus,  in  his  '  Colloquies,'  etc.,f  we  read 
of ' such  [nunneries]  as  at  this  time  are  being  reestablished' 

"'While  my  hand  was  being  drest  by  Mr.  Young,  I 
spoke  for  the  first  time,'  wrote  Coleridge,  in  March,  1797. 

"  Charles  Lamb  speaks  of  realities  which  '  are  being 
acted  before  us,'  and  of  '  a  man  who  is  being  strangled' 

"  Walter  Savage  Landor,  in  an  imaginary  conversation, 
represents  Pitt  as  saying  :  '  The  man  who  possesses  them 
may  read  Swedenborg  and  Kant  while  he  is  being-  tossed  in 
a  blanket.'  Again  :  '  I  have  seen  nobles,  men  and  women, 

The  Life   and  Correspondence  of  the  late  Robert  Southey,* 
vol.  i,  p.  249." 

t  "  Vol.  i,  p.  338.  '  A  student  who  is  being  crammed''  •  '  that  verb 
if  eternally  being  declined' — '  The  Doctor,'  pp.  38  and  40  (mono- 
tome  ed.)." 


94 


THE   VERBALIST. 


kneeling  in  the  street  before  these  bishops,  when  no  cere- 
mony of  the  Catholic  Church  was  being  performed'  Also, 
in  a  translation  from  Catullus :  '  Some  criminal  is  being 
tried  for  murder.' 

"  Nor  does  Mr.  De  Quincey  scruple  at  such  English  as 
'  made  and  being  made'  '  the  bride  that  was  being  -married 
to  him,'  and  '  the  shafts  of  Heaven  were  even  now  being 
forged'  On  one  occasion  he  writes,  '  Not  done,  not  even 
(according  to  modern  purism)  being  done ' ;  as  if  '  purism ' 
meant  exactness,  rather  than  the  avoidance  of  neoterism. 

"  I  need,  surely,  name  no  more,  among  the  dead,  who 
found  is  being  built,  or  the  like,  acceptable.  '  Simple- 
minded  common  people  and  those  of  culture  were  alike 
protected  against  it  by  their  attachment  to  the  idiom  of 
their  mother  tongue,  with  which  they  felt  it  to  be  directly 
at  variance.'  So  Mr.  White  informs  us.  But  the  writers 
whom  I  have  quoted  are  formidable  exceptions.  Even 
Mr.  White  will  scarcely  deny  to  them  the  title  of  '  people 
of  culture.' 

"  So  much  for  offenders  past  repentance ;  and  we  all 
know  that  the  sort  of  phraseology  under  consideration  is 
daily  becoming  more  and  more  common.  The  best  written 
of  the  English  reviews,  magazines,  and  journals  are  perpet- 
ually marked  by  it ;  and  some  of  the  choicest  of  living 
English  writers  employ  it  freely.  Among  these,  it  is 
enough  if  I  specify  Bishop  Wilberforce  and  Mr.  Charles 
Reade.* 

"  Extracts  from  Bishop  Jewel  downward  being  also  given, 
Lord  Macaulay,  Mr.  Dickens,  'The  Atlantic  Monthly,' and 
•  The  Brooklyn  Eagle '  are  alleged  by  Mr.  White  in  proof 

*  "  In  '  Put  Yourself  in  his  Place,'  chapter  x,  he  writes :  '  She 
basked  in  the  present  delight,  and  looked  as  if  she  was  being  taken  to 
heaven  by  an  angel.' " 


THE   VERBALIST. 


95 


that  people  still  use  such  phrases  as  '  Chelsea  Hospital  was 
building?  and  '  the  train  was  preparing.'  '  Hence  we  see,' 
he  adds,*  '  that  the  form  is  being  done,  is  being  made,  is 
being  built,  lacks  the  support  of  authoritative  usage  from 
the  period  of  the  earliest  classical  English  to  the  present 
day.'  I  fully  concur  with  Mr.  White  in  regarding  '  neither 
"The  Brooklyn  Eagle"  nor  Mr.  Dickens  as  a  very  high 
authority  in  the  use  of  language  '  ;  yet,  when  he  has  re- 
nounced the  aid  of  these  contemned  straws,  what  has  he  to 
rest  his  inference  on,  as  to  the  present  day,  but  the  practice 
of  Lord  Macaulay  and  '  The  Atlantic  Monthly '  ?  Those 
who  think  fit  will  bow  to  the  dictatorship  here  prescribed 
to  them ;  but  there  may  be  those  with  whom  the  classic 
sanction  of  Southey,  Coleridge,  and  Landor  will  not  be 
wholly  void  of  weight.  All  scholars  are  aware  that,  to 
convey  the  sense  of  the  imperfects  passive,  our  ancestors, 
centuries  ago,  prefixed,  with  is,  etc.,  in,  afterward  corrupted 
into  a,  to  a  verbal  substantive.  '  The  house  is  in  building' 
could  be  taken  to  mean  nothing  but  tzdes  cedijicantur  ; 
and,  when  the  in  gave  place  to  a,\  it  was  still  manifest 
enough,  from  the  context,  that  building  was  governed  by  a 
preposition.  The  second  stage  of  change,  however,  namely, 
when  'the  a  was  omitted,  entailed,  in  many  cases,  great 
danger  of  confusion.  In  the  early  part  of  the  last  century, 
when  English  was  undergoing  what  was  then  thought  to 
be  purification,  the  polite  world  substantially  resigned  is 
a-building  to  the  vulgar.  Toward  the  close  of  the  same 
century,  when,  under  the  influence  of  free  thought,  it  began 
to  be  felt  that  even  ideas  had  a  right  to  faithful  and  une- 

*  "  '  Words,'  etc.,  p.  340." 

t  "  Thomas  Fuller  writes :  '  At  his  arrival,  the  last  stake  of  the 
Christians  was  on  losing? — '  The  Historic  of  the  Holy  Warre,'  p.  218 
(ed.  1647)." 


96  THE   VERBALIST. 

quivocal  representation,  a  just  resentment  of  ambiguity  was 
evidenced  in  the  creation  of  is  being  built.  The  lament  is 
too  late  that  the  instinct  of  reformation  did  not  restore  the 
old  form.  It  has  gone  forever  ;  and  we  are  now  to  make 
the  best  of  its  successors.  '  "  The  brass  is  forging ;"  '  in  the 
ppinion  of  Dr.  Johnson,  is  '  a  vicious  expression,  probably 
corrupted  from  a  phrase  more  pure,  but  now  somewhat 
obsolete,  ..."  the  brass  is  a-forging."  '  Yet,  with  a  true 
Tory's  timidity  and  aversion  to  change,  it  is  not  surprising 
that  he  went  on  preferring  what  he  found  established, 
vicious  as  it  confessedly  was,  to  the  end.  But  was  the 
expression  '  vicious  '  solely  because  it  was  a  corruption  ? 
In  1787  William  Beckford  wrote  as  follows  of  the  fortune- 
tellers of  Lisbon :  '  /  saw  one  dragging  into  light,  as  I 
passed  by  the  ruins  of  a  palace  thrown  down  by  the  earth- 
quake. Whether  a  familiar  of  the  Inquisition  was  griping 
her  in  his  clutches,  or  whether  she  was  taking  to  account  by 
some  disappointed  votary,  I  will  not  pretend  to  answer." 
Are  the  expressions  here  italicized  either  perspicuous  or 
graceful  ?  Whatever  we  are  to  have  in  their  place,  we 
should  be  thankful  to  get  quit  of  them. 

"  Inasmuch  as,  concurrently  with  building  for  the  active 
participle,  and  being  built  for  the  corresponding  passive 
participle,  we  possessed  the  former,  with  is  prefixed,  as  the 
active  present  imperfect,  it  is  in  rigid  accordance  with  the 
symmetry  of  our  verb  that,  to  construct  the  passive  present- 
imperfect,  we  prefix  is  to  the  latter,  producing  the  form  is 
being  built.  Such,  in  its  greatest  simplicity,  is  the  pro- 
cedure which,  as  will  be  seen,  has  provoked  a  very  levanter 
of  ire  and  vilification.  But  anything  that  is  new  will  be 
excepted  to  by  minds  of  a  certain  order.  Their  tremulous 
and  impatient  dread  of  removing  ancient  landmarks  even 
disqualifies  them  for  thoroughly  investigating  its  character 


THE   VERBALIST.  97 

and  pretensions.  In  has  built  and  will  build,  we  find  the 
active  participle  perfect  and  the  active  infinitive  subjoined 
to  auxiliaries  ;  and  so,  in  has  been  built  and  mill  be  built, 
the  passive  participle  perfect  and  the  passive  infinitive  are 
subjoined  to  auxiliaries.  In  is  building  and  is  being  built, 
we  have,  in  strict  harmony  with  the  constitution  of  the  per- 
fect and  future  tenses,  an  auxiliary  followed  by  the  active 
participle  present  and  the  passive  participle  present.  Built 
is  determined  as  active  or  passive  by  the  verbs  which  qualify 
it,  have  and  be  ;  and  the  grammarians  are  right  in  consid- 
ering it,  when  embodied  in  has  built,  as  active,  since  its 
analogue,  embodied  in  has  been  built,  is  the  exclusively 
passive  been  built.  Besides  this,  has  been  +  btalt  would 
signify  something  like  has  existed,  built*  which  is  plainly 
neuter.  We  are  debarred,  therefore,  from  such  an  analysis  ; 
and,  by  parity  of  reasoning,  we  may  not  resolve  is  being 
built  into  is  being -\-built.  It  must  have  been  an  inspira- 
tion of  analogy,  felt  or  unfelt,  that  suggested  the  form  I 
am  discussing.  Is  being -\-built,  as  it  can  mean,  pretty 
nearly,  only  exists,  built,  would  never  have  been  proposed 
as  adequate  to  convey  any  but  a  neuter  sense  ;  whereas  it 
was  perfectly  natural  for  a  person  aiming  to  express  a  pas- 
sive sense  to  prefix  is  to  the  passive  concretion  being  built. \ 
"  The  analogical  justification  of  is  being  built  which  I 
have  brought  forward  is  so  obvious  that,  as  it  occurred  to 

*  "  I  express  myself  in  this  manner  because  I  distinguish  between  bt 
and  exist" 

t  "  Samuel  Richardson  writes :  '  Jenny,  who  attends  me  here,  has 
more  than  once  hinted  to  me  that  Miss  Jervis  loves  to  sit  up  late, 
either  reading  or  being  read  to  by  Anne,  who,  though  she  reads  well, 
is  not  fond  of  the  task.' — '  Sir  Charles  Grandison,'  vol.  iii,  p.  46  (ed. 
I754)- 

"  The  transition  is  very  slight  by  which  we  pass  from  '  sits  being 
read  to '  to  '  is  being  read  to.'  " 


98  THE  VERBALIST. 

myself  more  than  twenty  years  ago,  so  it  must  have  occurred 
spontaneously  to  hundreds  besides.  It  is  very  singular  that 
those  who,  like  Mr.  Marsh  and  Mr.  White,  have  pondered 
long  and  painfully  over  locutions  typified  by  is  being  built, 
should  have  missed  the  real  ground  of  their  grammatical 
defensibleness,  and  should  have  warmed  themselves,  in  their 
opposition  to  them,  into  uttering  opinions  which  no  calm 
judgment  can  accept. 

"  '  One  who  is  being  beaten '  is,  to  Archbishop  Whately, 
'  uncouth  English.'  '  "  The  bridge  is  being  built"  and  other 
phrases  of  the  like  kind,  have  pained  the  eye '  of  Mr.  David 
Booth.  Such  phrases,  according  to  Mr.  M.  Harrison,  '  are 
not  English.'  To  Professor  J.  W.  Gibbs  '  this  mode  of  ex- 
pression .  .  .  appears  formal  and  pedantic ' ;  and  '  the  easy 
and  natural  expression  is,  "  The  house  is  building."  '  *  In 
all  this,  little  or  nothing  is  discernible  beyond  sheer  preju- 
dice, the  prejudice  of  those  who  resolve  to  take  their  stand 
against  an  innovation,  regardless  of  its  utility,  and  who  are 
ready  to  find  an  argument  against  it  in  any  random  epithet 
of  disparagement  provoked  by  unreasoning  aversion.  And 
the  more  recent  denouncers  in  the  same  line  have  no  more 
reason  on  their  side  than  their  elder  brethren. 

"  In  Mr.  Marsh's  estimation,  is  being  built  illustrates 
'  corruption  of  language ' ;  it  is  '  clumsy  and  unidiomatic ' ; 
it  is  '  at  best  but  a  philological  coxcombry ' ;  it  '  is  an  awk- 
ward neologism,  which  neither  convenience,  intelligibility, 
nor  syntactical  congruity  demands,  and  the-  use  of  which 
ought,  therefore,  to  be  discountenanced,  as  an  attempt  at 
the  artificial  improvement  of  the  language  in  a  point  which 
needed  no  amendment.'  Again,  '  To  reject '  is  building  in 
favor  of  the  modern  phrase  '  is  to  violate  the  laws  of  Ian- 

*  "  I  am  here  indebted  to  the  last  edition  of  Dr.  Worcester's  '  Dic- 
tionary,' preface,  p.  xxxix." 


THE   VERBALIST. 


99 


guage  by  an  arbitrary  change  ;  and,  in  this  particular  case, 
the  proposed  substitute  is  at  war  with  the  genius  of  the 
English  tongue.'  Mr.  Marsh  seems  to  have  fancied  that, 
wherever  he  points  out  a  beauty  in  is  building,  he  points 
out,  inclusively,  a  blemish  in  is  being  built. 

"  The  fervor  and  feeling  with  which  Mr.  White  advances 
to  the  charge  are  altogether  tropical.  '  The  full  absurdity 
of  this  phrase,  the  essence  of  its  nonsense,  seems  not  to 
have  been  hitherto  pointed  out.'  It  is  not  '  consistent  with 
reason ' ;  and  it  is  not  '  conformed  to  the  normal  develop- 
ment of  the  language.'  It  is  '  a  monstrosity,  the  illogical, 
confusing,  inaccurate,  unidiomatic  character  of  which  I 
have  at  some  length,  but  yet  imperfectly,  set  forth.'  Final- 
ly, '  In  fact,  it  means  nothing,  and  is  the  most  incongruous 
combination  of  words  and  ideas  that  ever  attained  respect- 
able usage  in  any  civilized  language.'  These  be  '  prave 
'ords ' ;  and  it  seems  a  pity  that  so  much  sterling  vitupera- 
tive ammunition  should  be  expended  in  vain.  And  that  it 
is  so  expended  thinks  Mr.  White  himself  ;  for,  though  pass- 
ing sentence  in  the  spirit  of  a  Jeffreys,  he  is  not  really  on 
the  judgment-seat,  but  on  the  lowest  hassock  of  despair. 
As  concerns  the  mode  of  expression  exemplified  by  is  being 
built,  he  owns  that  '  to  check  its  diffusion  would  be  a  hope- 
less undertaking.'  If  so,  why  not  reserve  himself  for  ser- 
vice against  some  evil  not  avowedly  beyond  remedy  ? 

"  Again  we  read,  '  Some  precise  and  feeble-minded 
soul,  having  been  taught  that  there  is  a  passive  voice  in 
English,  and  that,  for  instance,  building  is  an  active  parti- 
ciple, and  builded  or  built  a  passive,  felt  conscientious 
scruples  at  saying  "  the  house  is  building."  For  what  could 
the  house  build?"  As  children  say  at  play,  Mr.  White 
burns  here.  If  it  had  occurred  to  him  that  the  '  conscien- 
tious scruples '  of  his  hypothetical,  '  precise,  and  feeble- 


100  THE  VERBALIST. 

minded  soul '  were  roused  by  been  built,  not  by  built,  I  sus- 
pect his  chapter  on  is  being  built  would  have  been  much 
shorter  than  it  is  at  present,  and  very  different.  '  The 
fatal  absurdity  in  this  phrase  consists,'  he  tells  us,  '  in  the 
combination  of  is  with  being;  in  the  making  of  the  verb  to 
be  a  supplement,  or,  in  grammarians'  phrase,  an  auxiliary 
to  itself — an  absurdity  so  palpable,  so  monstrous,  so  ridicu- 
lous, that  it  should  need  only  to  be  pointed  out  to  be 
scouted.'  *  Lastly,  '  The  question  is  thus  narrowed  simply 
to  this,  Does  to  be  being  (esse  ens)  mean  anything  more  or 
other  than  to  be  ? ' 

"  Having  convicted  Mr.  White  of  a  mistaken  analysis,  I 
am  not  concerned  with  the  observations  which  he  founds 
on  his  mistake.  However,  even  if  his  analysis  had  been 
correct,  some  of  his  arguments  would  avail  him  nothing. 
For  instance,  is  being  built,  on  his  understanding  of  it,  that 
is  to  say,  is  being  +  built,  he  represents  by  ens  (zdificatus  est, 
as  '  the  supposed  corresponding  Latin  phrase."  f  The  Latin 
is  illegitimate  ;  and  he  infers  that,  therefore,  the  English  is 
the  same.  But  adificans  est,  a  translation,  on  the  model 
which  he  offers,  of  the  active  is  building,  is  quite  as  illegiti- 
mate as  ens  cedificatus  est.  By  parity  of  non-seqttitur,  we 
are,  therefore,  to  surrender  the  active  is  building.  Assume 
that  a  phrase  in  a  given  language  is  indefensible  unless  it 

*  "  '  Words  and  their  Uses,'  p.  353." 

t  "  '  It  is  being  is  simply  equal  to  it  is.  And,  in  the  supposed  corre- 
sponding Latin  phrases,  ens  factus  est,  ens  <edificatus  est  (the  obso- 
leteness of  ens  as  a  participle  being  granted),  the  monstrosity  is  not  in 
the  use  of  ens  with  factus,  but  in  that  of  ens  with  est.  The  absurdity 
is,  in  Latin,  just  what  it  is  in  English,  the  use  of  is  with  being,  the 
making  of  the  verb  to  be  a  complement  to  itself.' — Ibid.,  pp.  354,  355. 

"Apparently,  Mr.  White  recognizes  no  more  difference  between  sup- 
plement and  complement  than  he  recognizes  between  be  and  exist, 
See  the  extract  I  have  made  above,  from  p.  353." 


THE   VERBALIST.  101 

has  its  counterpart  in  some  other  language  ;  from  the  very 
conception  and  definition  of  an  idiom  every  idiom  is  ille- 
gitimate. 

"  I  now  pass  to  another  point.  '  To  be  and  to  exist  are,' 
to  Mr.  White's  apprehension,  '  perfect  synonyms,  or  more 
nearly  perfect,  perhaps,  than  any  two  verbs  in  the  language. 
In  some  of  their  meanings  there  is  a  shade  of  difference, 
but  in  others  there  is  none  whatever  ;  and  the  latter  are 
those  which  serve  our  present  purpose.  When  we  say,  "  He, 
being  forewarned  of  danger,  fled,"  we  say,  "  He,  existing 
forewarned  of  danger,  fled."  When  we  say  that  a  thing  z'j 
done,  we  say  that  it  exists  done.  .  .  .  Is  being  done  is  sim- 
ply exists  existing  done'  But,  since  is  and  exists  are  equi- 
pollent, and  so  being  and  existing,  is  being  is  the  same  as 
the  unimpeachable  is  existing.  Q.  non  E.  D.  Is  existing 
ought,  of  course,  to  be  no  less  objectionable  to  Mr.  White 
than  is  being.  Just  as  absurd,  too,  should  he  reckon  the 
Italian  sono  stato,  era  stato,  sia  stato,  fossi  stato,  saro  stato, 
sarei  stato,  essere  stato,  and  essendo  stato.  For  in  Italian 
both  essere  and  stare  are  required  to  make  up  the  verb  sub- 
stantive, as  in  Latin  both  esse  and  the  offspring  of  fuere  are 
required  ;  and  stare,  primarily  '  to  stand,'  is  modified  into 
a  true  auxiliary.  The  alleged  '  full  absurdity  of  this  phrase,' 
to  wit,  is  being  built,  '  the  essence  of  its  nonsense,'  vanishes 
thus  into  thin  air.  So  I  was  about  to  comment  bluntly,  not 
forgetting  to  regret  that  any  gentleman's  cultivation  of  logic 
should  fructify  in  the  shape  of  irrepressible  tendencies  to 
suicide.  But  this  would  be  precipitate.  Agreeably  to  one 
of  Mr.  White's  judicial  placita,  which  I  make  no  apology 
for  citing  twice,  '  no  man  who  has  preserved  all  his  senses 
will  doubt  for  a  moment  that  "  to  exist  a  mastiff  or  a  mule  " 
is  absolutely  the  same  as  "  to  be  a  mastiff  or  a  mule." ' 
Declining  to  admit  their  identity,  I  have  not  preserved  all 


102  THE   VERBALIST. 

my  senses  ;  and,  accordingly — though  it  may  be  in  me  the 
very  superfetation  of  lunacy — I  would  caution  the  reader  to 
keep  a  sharp  eye  on  my  arguments,  hereabouts  particularly. 
The  Cretan,  who,  in  declaring  all  Cretans  to  be  liars,  left 
the  question  of  his  veracity  doubtful  to  all  eternity,  fell  into 
a  pit  of  his  own  digging.  Not  unlike  the  unfortunate  Cre- 
tan, Mr.  White  has  tumbled  headlong  into  his  own  snare. 
It  was,  for  the  rest,  entirely  unavailing  that  he  insisted  on 
the  insanity  of  those  who  should  gainsay  his  fundamental 
postulate.  Sanity,  of  a  crude  sort,  may  accept  it ;  and 
sanity  may  put  it  to  a  use  other  than  its  propounder's. 

"Mr.  Marsh,  after  setting  forth  the  all-sufficiency  of  is 
building,  in  the  passive  sense,  goes  on  to  say  :  '  The  re- 
formers who  object  to  the  phrase  I  am  defending  must,  in 
consistency,  employ  the  proposed  substitute  with  all  passive 
participles,  and  in  other  tenses  as  well  as  the  present.  They 
must  say,  therefore,  "  The  subscription  -paper  is  being  missed, 
but  I  know  that  a  considerable  sum  is  being  wanted  to  make 
up  the  amount "  ;  "  the  great  Victoria  Bridge  has  been  being 
bitilt  more  than  two  years  "  ;  "  when  I  reach  London,  the 
ship  Leviathan  will  be  being  built";  "if  my  orders  had 
been  followed,  the  coat  would  have  been  being  made  yester- 
day "  ;  "  if  the  house  had  then  been  being  built,  the  mortar 
•would  have  been  being  mixed"  '  We  may  reply  that,  while 
awkward  instances  of  the  old  form  are  most  abundant  in 
our  literature,  there  is  no  fear  that  the  repulsive  elabora- 
tions which  have  been  worked  out  in  ridicule  of  the  new 
forms  will  prove  to  have  been  anticipations  of  future  usage. 
There  was  a  time  when,  as  to  their  adverbs,  people  com- 
pared them,  to  a  large  extent,  with  -er  and  -est,  or  with 
more  and  most,  just  as  their  ear  or  pleasure  dictated.  They 
wrote  plainlier  and  plainliest,  or  more  plainly  and  most 
plainly ;  and  some  adverbs,  as  early,  late,  often,  seldom,  and 


THE   VERBALIST. 


103 


soon,  we  still  compare  in  a  way  now  become  anomalous. 
And  as  our  forefathers  treated  their  adverbs  we  still  treat 
many  adjectives.  Furthermore,  obligingness,  preparedness, 
and  designedly  seem  quite  natural ;  yet  we  do  not  feel  that 
they  authorize  us  to  talk  of  '  the  seeingness  of  the  eye,'  '  the 
under stoodness  of  a  sentence,'  or  of  '  a  statement  acknoivl- 
edgedly  correct.'  '  The  now  too  notorious  fact '  is  toler- 
able ;  but  '  the  never  to  be  sufficiently  execrated  monster 
Bonaparte '  is  intolerable.  The  sun  may  be  shorn  of  his 
splendor  ;  but  we  do  not  allow  cloudy  weather  to  shear  him 
of  it.  How,  then,  can  any  one  claim  that  a  man  who  pre- 
fers to  say  is  being  built  should  say  has  been  being  built? 
Are  not  awkward  instances  of  the  old  form,  typified  by  is 
building,  as  easily  to  be  picked  out  of  extant  literature  as 
sflch  instances  of  the  new  form,  likely  ever  to  be  used,  are 
to  be  invented  ?  And  '  the  reformers  '  have  not  forsworn 
their  ears.  Mr.  Marsh,  at  p.  135  of  his  admirable  '  Lec- 
tures,' lays  down  that '  the  adjective  reliable,  in  the  sense  of 
•worthy  of  confidence,  is  altogether  unidiomatic ' ;  and  yet, 
at  p.  112,  he  writes  'reliable  evidence.'  Again,  at  p.  396  of 
the  same  work,  he  rules  that  whose,  in  '  I  passed  a  house 
whose  windows  were  open,'  is  '  by  no  means  yet  fully  estab- 
lished ' ;  and  at  p.  145  of  his  very  learned  '  Man  and  Na- 
ture '  he  writes  '  a  quadrangular  pyramid,  the  perpendicular 
of  whose  sides,'  etc.  Really,  if  his  own  judgments  sit  so 
very  loose  on  his  practical  conscience,  we  may,  without  be- 
ing chargeable  with  exaction,  ask  of  him  to  relax  a  little 
the  rigor  of  his  requirements  at  the  hands  of  his  neigh- 
bors. 

"  Beckford's  Lisbon  fortune-teller,  before  had  into  court, 
was  '  dragging  into  light,'  and,  perchance,  '  was  taking  to  ac- 
count.' Many  moderns  would  say  and  write  '  bzing  dragged 
into  light,'  and  '  was  being  taken  to  account.'  But,  if  we 


104  THE   VERBALIST. 

are  to  trust  the  conservative  critics,  in  comparison  with  ex- 
pressions of  the  former  pattern,  those  of  the  latter  are 
'  uncouth,'  '  clumsy,'  '  awkward  neologisms,'  '  philological 
coxcombries,'  '  formal  and  pedantic,'  '  incongruous  and  ri- 
diculous forms  of  speech,'  '  illogical,  confusing,  inaccurate 
monstrosities.'  Moreover,  they  are  neither  'consistent  wilh 
reason  '  nor  '  conformed  to  the  normal  development  of  the 
language ' ;  they  are  '  at  war  with  the  genius  of  the  Eng- 
lish tongue '  ;  they  are  '  unidiomatic ' ;  they  are  '  not  Eng- 
lish.' In  passing,  if  Mr.  Marsh  will  so  define  the  term  un- 
idiomatic as  to  evince  that  it  has  any  applicability  to  the 
case  in  hand,  or  if  he  will  arrest  and  photograph  '  the  gen- 
ius of  the  English  tongue,'  so  that  we  may  know  the  origi- 
nal when  we  meet  with  it,  he  will  confer  a  public  favor. 
And  now  I  submit  for  consideration  whether  the  sole 
strength  of  those  who  decry  is  being  built  and  its  congeners 
does  not  consist  in  their  talent  for  calling  hard  names.  If 
they  have  not  an  uneasy  subconsciousness  that  their  cause 
is  weak,  they  would,  at  least,  do  well  in  eschewing  the  vio- 
lence to  which,  for  want  of  something  better,  the  advocates 
of  weak  causes  proverbially  resort. 

"  I  once  had  a  friend  who,  for  some  microscopic  penum- 
bra of  heresy,  was  charged,  in  the  words  of  -his  accuser, 
with  '  as  near  an  approach  to  the  sin  against  the  Holy 
Ghost  as  is  practicable  to  human  infirmity.'  Similarly,  on 
one  view,  the  feeble  potencies  of  philological  turpitude 
seem  to  have  exhibited  their  most  consummate  realization 
in  engendering  is  being  bidlt.  The  supposed  enormity  per- 
petrated in  its  production,  provided  it  had  fallen  within  the 
sphere  of  ethics,  would,  at  the  least,  have  ranked,  with  its 
denunciators,  as  a  brand-new  exemplification  of  total  de- 
pravity. But,  after  all,  what  incontestable  defect  in  it  has 
any  one  succeeded  in  demonstrating  ?  Mr.  White,  in  op- 


THE   VERBALIST. 


105 


posing  to  the  expression  objections  based  on  an  erroneous 
analysis,  simply  lays  a  phantom  of  his  own  evoking  ;  and, 
so  far  as  I  am  informed,  other  impugners  of  is  being  built 
have,  absolutely,  no  argument  whatever  against  it  over  and 
beyond  their  repugnance  to  novelty.  Subjected  to  a  little 
untroubled  contemplation,  it  would,  I  am  confident,  have 
ceased  long  ago  to  be  matter  of  controversy  ;  but  the  dust 
of  prejudice  and  passion,  which  so  distempers  the  intellect- 
ual vision  of  theologians  and  politicians,  is  seen  to  make, 
with  ruthless  impartiality,  BO  exception  of  the  perspicacity 
of  philologists. 

"  Prior  to  the  evolution  of  is  b^ing  built  and  was  being 
built,  we  possessed  no  discriminate  equivalents  to  (edificatur 
and  adificabatur  ;  is  built  and  was  built,  by  which  they 
were  rendered,  corresponding  exactly  to  adificatus  est  and 
adificatus  erat.  Cum  cedificantur  was  to  us  the  same  as 
tedificabatur.  On  the  wealth  of  the  Greek  in  expressions 
of  imperfect  passive  I  need  not  dwell.  With  rare  excep- 
tions, the  Romans  were  satisfied  with  the  present-imperfect 
and  the  past-imperfect ;  and  we,  on  the  comparatively  few 
occasions  which  present  themselves  for  expressing  other  im- 
perfects, shall  be  sure  to  have  recourse  to  the  old  forms 
rather  than  to  the  new,  or  else  to  use  periphrases.*  The 
purists  may,  accordingly,  dismiss  their  apprehensions,  es- 
pecially as  the  neoterists  have,  clearly,  a  keener  horrorof 
phraseological  ungainliness  than  themselves.  One  may 

But  those  things  which,  being  not  now  doing,  or  having  not  yet 
been  done,  have  a  natural  aptitude  to  exist  hereafter,  may  be  properly 
said  to  appertain  to  the  future.'— Harris's  '  Hermes,'  book  I,  chap. 
viii  (p.  155,  foot-note,  ed.  1771).  For  Harris's  being  not  now  doing; 
which  is  to  translate  HITJ  yivo^eva,  the  modern  school,  if  they  pursued 
uniformity  with  more  of  fidelity  than  of  taste,  would  have  to  put  bein% 
not  now  being  done.  There  is  not  much  to  choose  between  the  two." 


106  THE   VERBALIST. 

have  no  hesitation  about  saying  '  the  house  is  being  built,' 
and  may  yet  recoil  from  saying  that  '  it  should  have  been 
being  built  last  Christmas ' ;  and  the  same  person — just  as, 
provided  he  did  not  feel  a  harshness,  inadequacy,  and  am- 
biguity in  the  passive  '  the  house  is  building,'  he  would  use 
the  expression — will,  more  likely  than  not,  elect  is  in  prepa- 
ration preferentially  to  is  being  prepared.  If  there  are  any 
who,  in  their  zealotry  for  the  congruous,  choose  to  adhere 
to  the  new  form  in  its  entire  range  of  exchangeability  for 
the  old,  let  it  be  hoped  that  they  will  find,  in  Mr.  Marsh's 
speculative  approbation  of  consistency,  full  amends  for  the 
discomfort  of  encountering  smiles  or  frowns.  At  the  same 
time,  let  them  be  mindful  of  the  career  of  Mr.  White,  with 
his  black  flag  and  no  quarter.  The  dead  Polonius  was,  in 
Hamlet's  phrase,  at  supper,  '  not  where  he  eats,  but  where 
he  is  eaten.'  Shakespeare,  to  Mr.  White's  thinking,  in  this 
wise  expressed  himself  at  the  best,  and  deserves  not  only 
admiration  therefor,  but  to  be  imitated.  '  While  the  ark 
•was  built'  'while  the  ark  was  prepared,'  writes  Mr.  White 
himself.*  Shakespeare  is  commended  for  his  ambiguous 
is  eaten,  though  in  eating  or  an  eating  would  have  been  not 
only  correct  in  his  day,  but,  where  they  would  have  come 
in  his  sentence,  univocal.  With  equal  reason  a  man  would 
be  entitled  to  commendation  for  tearing  his  mutton-chops 
with  his  fingers,  when  he  might  cut  them  up  with  a  knife 
and  fork.  '  Is  eaten,'  says  Mr.  White,  '  does  not  mean  has 
been  eaten.'  Very  true  ;  but  a  continuous  unfinished  pas- 
sion— Polonius's  still  undergoing  manducation,  to  speak 
Johnsonese — was  in  Shakespeare's^  mind  ;  and  his  words 
describe  a  passion  no  longer  in  generation.  The  King  of 
Denmark's  lord  chamberlain  had  no  precedent  in  Herod, 
when  '  he  was  eaten  of  worms '  ;  the  original,  yev6(j.evos 
*  " '  Words  and  their  Uses,'  p.  343." 


THE   VERBALIST.  107 

,  yielding,  but  for  its  participle,  '  he  became 
worm-eaten. ' 

"  Having  now  done  with  Mr.  White,  I  am  anxious,  be- 
fore taking  leave  of  him,  to  record,  with  all  emphasis,  that 
it  would  be  the  grossest  injustice  to  write  of  his  elegant 
1  Life  and  Genius  of  Shakespeare,'  a  book  which  does 
credit  to  American  literature,  in  the  tone  which  I  have 
found  unavoidable  in  dealing  with  his  '  Words  and  their 
Uses.' " 

The  student  of  English  who  has  honestly  weighed  the 
arguments  on  both  sides  of  the  question,  must,  I  believe, 
be  of  opinion  that  our  language  is  the  richer  for  having 
two  forms  for  expressing  the  Progressive  Passive.  Further, 
he  must,  I  believe,  be  of  opinion  that  in  very  many  cases 
he  conforms  to  the  most  approved  usage  of  our  time  by 
employing  the  old  form  ;  that,  however,  if  he  were  to  em- 
ploy the  old  form  in  all  cases,  his  meaning  would  some- 
times be  uncertain. 

It.  Cobbett  discourses  of  this  little  neuter  pronoun  in 
this  wise :  "  The  word  it  is  the  greatest  troubler  that  I 
know  of  in  language.  It  is  so  small  and  so  convenient  that 
few  are  careful  enough  in  using  it.  Writers  seldom  spare 
this  word.  Whenever  they  are  at  a  loss  for  either  a  nomi- 
native or  an  objective  to  their  sentence,  they,  without  any 
kind  of  ceremony,  clap  in  an  it.  A  very  remarkable  in- 
stance of  this  pressing  of  poor  it  into  actual  service,  con- 
trary to  the  laws  of  grammar  and  of  sense,  occurs  in  a 
piece  of  composition,  where  we  might,  with  justice,  insist 
on  correctness.  This  piece  is  on  the  subject  of  grammar  ; 
it  is  a  piece  written  by  a  Doctor  of  Divinity  and  read  by 
him  to  students  in  grammar  and  language  in  an  academy  ; 
and  the  very  sentence  that  I  am  now  about  to  quote  is 
selected  by  the  author  of  a  grammar  as  testimony  of  high 


108  THE   VERBALIST. 

authority  in  favor  of  the  excellence  of  his  work.  Surely, 
if  correctness  be  ever  to  be  expected,  it  must  be  in  a  case 
like  this.  I  allude  to  two  sentences  in  the  '  Charge  of  the 
Reverend  Doctor  Abercrombie  to  the  Senior  Class  of  the 
Philadelphia  Academy,'  published  in  1806  ;  which  sen- 
tences have  been  selected  and  published  by  Mr.  Lindley 
Murray  as  a  testimonial  of  the  merits  of  his  grammar  ;  and 
which  sentences  are  by  Mr.  Murray  given  to  us  in  the  fol- 
lowing words :  '  The  unwearied  exertions  of  this  gentle- 
man have  done  more  toward  elucidating  the  obscurities 
and  embellishing  the  structure  of  our  language  than  any 
other  wtiter  on  the  subject.  Such  a  work  has  long  been 
wanted,  and  from  the  success  with  which  it  is  executed, 
can  not  be  too  highly  appreciated.' 

"  As  in  the  learned  Doctor's  opinion  obscurities  can  be 
elucidated,  and  as  in  the  same  opinion  Mr.  Murray  is  an 
able  hand  at  this  kind  of  work,  it  would  not  be  amiss  were 
the  grammarian  to  try  his  skill  upon  this  article  from  the 
hand  of  his  dignified  eulogist ;  for  here  is,  if  one  may  use 
the  expression,  a  constellation  of  obscurities.  Our  poor 
oppressed  it,  which  we  find  forced  into  the  Doctor's  service 
in  the  second  sentence,  relates  to  '  such  a  -work,'  though  this 
work  is  nothing  that  has  an  existence,  notwithstanding  it 
is  said  to  be  ' executed'  In  the  first  sentence,  the  ' exer- 
tions'  become,  all  of  a  sudden,  a  '  -writer' :  the  exertions 
have  done  more  than  '  any  other  writer ' ;  for,  mind  you, 
it  is  not  the  gentleman  that  has  done  anything  ;  it  is  '  the 
exertions '  that  have  done  what  is  said  to  be  done.  The 
word  gentleman  is  in  the  possessive  case,  and  has  nothing 
to  do  with  the  action  of  the  sentence.  Let  us  give  the  sen- 
tence a  turn,  and  the  Doctor  and  the  grammarian  will  hear 
how  it  will  sound.  '  This  gentleman's  exertions  have  done 
more  ,'han  any  other  -writer'  This  is  on  a  level  with  '  This 


THE   VERBALIST.  109 

gentleman's  Jo?  has  killed  more  hares  than  way  other  sports- 
man! No  doubt  Doctor  Abercrombie  meant  to  say,  '  The 
exertions  of  this  gentleman  have  done  more  than  those  of 
any  other  writer.  Such  a  work  as  this  gentleman's  has 
long  bedn  wanted  ;  his  work,  seeing  the  successful  man- 
ner of  its  execution,  can  not  be  too  highly  commended.' 
Meant  /  No  doubt  at  all  of  that  !  And  when  we  hear  a 
Hampshire  ploughboy  say,  '  Poll  Cherrycheek  have  giv'd 
a  thick  handkecher,'  we  know  very  well  that  he  means  to 
say,  '  Poll  Cherrycheek  has  given  me  this  handkerchief ' ; 
and  yet  we  are  too  apt  to  laugh  at  him  and  to  call  him 
ignorant ;  which  is  wrong,  because  he  has  no  pretensions 
to  a  knowledge  of  grammar,  and  he  may  be  very  skillful  as 
a  ploughboy.  However,  we  will  not  laugh  at  Doctor  Aber- 
crombie, whom  I  knew,  many  years  ago,  for  a  very  kind 
and  worthy  man.  But,  if  we  may,  in  any  case,  be  allowed 
to  laugh  at  the  ignorance  of  our  fellow-creatures,  that  case 
certainly  does  arise  when  we  see  a  professed  grammarian, 
the  author  of  voluminous  precepts  and  examples  on  the 
subject  of  grammar,  producing,  in  imitation  of  the  posses- 
sors of  valuable  medical  secrets,  testimonials  vouching  for 
the  efficacy  of  his  literary  panacea,  and  when,  in  those 
testimonials,  we  find  most  flagrant  instances  of  bad  gram- 
mar. ^ 

"  However,  my  dear  James,  let  this  strong  and  striking 
instance  of  the  misuse  of  the  word  it  serve  you  in  the  way 
of  caution.  Never  put  an  it  upon  paper  without  thinking 
well  of  what  you  are  about.  When  I  see  many  its  in  a 
page,  I  always  tremble  for  the  writer." 

Jeopardize.  This  is  a  modern  word  which  we  could 
easily  do  without,  as  it  means  neither  more  nor  less  than 
its  venerable  progenitor  to  jeopard,  which  is  greatly  pre- 
ferred by  all  careful  writers. 


110  THE  VERBALIST. 

Just  going  to.  Instead  of  "  I  am  just  going  to  go,"  it  U 
better  to  say,  "  I  am  just  about  to  go." 

Kids.  "  This  is  another  vile  contraction.  Habit  blinds 
people  to  the  unseemliness  of  a  term  like  this.  How  would 
it  sound  if  one  should  speak  of  silk  gloves  as  silks  ?  " 

Kind.    See  POLITE. 

Knights  Templars.  The  name  of  this  ancient  body 
has  been  adopted  by  a  branch  of  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
but  in  a  perverted  form — Knights  Templar  ;  and  this  form 
is  commonly  seen  in  print,  whether  referring  to  the  old 
knights  or  to  their  modern  imitators.  This  doubtless  is 
due  to  the  erroneous  impression  that  Templar  is  an  ad- 
jective, and  so  can  not  take  the  plural  form  ;  while  in  fact 
it  is  a  case  of  two  nouns  in  apposition — a  double  designa- 
tion— meaning  Knights  of  the  order  of  Templars.  Hence 
the  plural  should  be  Knights  Templars,  and  not  Knights 
Templar.  Members  of  the  contemporaneous  order  of  St. 
John  of  Jerusalem  were  commonly  called  Knights  Hos- 
pitallers. 

Lady.  To  use  the  term  lady,  whether  in  the  singular 
or  in  the  plural,  simply  to  designate  the  sex,  is  in  the  worst 
possible  taste.  There  is  a  kind  of  pin-feather  gentility 
which  seems  to  have  a  settled  aversion  to  using  the  terms 
man  and  woman.  Gentlemen  and  ladies  establish  their 
claims  to  being  called  such  by  their  bearing,  and  not  by 
arrogating  to  themselves,  even  indirectly,  the  titles.  In 
England,  the  title  lady  is  properly  correlative  to  lord ;  but 
there,  as  in  this  country,  it  is  used  as  a  term  of  complaisance, 
and  is  appropriately  applied  to  women  whose  lives  are  ex- 
emplary, and  who  have  received  that  school  and  home  edu- 
cation which  enables  them  to  appear  to  advantage  in  the 
better  circles  of  society.  Such  expressions  as  "  She  is  a 
fine  lady,  a  clever  lady,  a  well-dressed  lady,  a  good  lady,  X 


THE  VERBALIST.  m 

modest  lady,  a  charitable  lady,  an  amiable  lady,  a  handsome 
lady,  a  fascinating  lady"  and  the  like,  are  studiously  avoided 
by  persons  of  refinement.  Ladies  say,  "  we  women,  the 
•women  of  America,  •women's  apparel,"  and  so  on  ;  vulgar 
women  talk  about  "  us  ladies,  the  ladies  of  America, 
ladies'  apparel,"  and  so  on.  If  a  woman  of  culture  and 
refinement — in  short,  a  lady — is  compelled  from  any  cause 
soever  to  work  in  a  store,  she  is  quite  content  to  be  called 
a  sales-woman  ;  not  so,  however,  with  your  young  woman 
who,  being  in  a  store,  is  in  a  better  position  than  ever 
before.  She,  Heaven  bless  her !  boils  with  indignation 
if  she  is  not  denominated  a  sales  lady.  Lady  is  often  the 
proper  term  to  use,  and  then  it  would  be  very  improper  to 
use  any  other ;  but  it  is  very  certain  that  the  terms  lady 
and  gentleman  are  least  used  by  those  persons  who  are 
most  worthy  of  being  designated  by  them.  With  a  nice 
discrimination  worthy  of  special  notice,  one  of  our  daily 
papers  recently  said  :  "  Miss  Jennie  Halstead,  daughter  of 
the  proprietor  of  the '  Cincinnati  Commercial,'  is  one  of  the 
most  brilliant  young  women  in  Ohio." 

In  a  late  number  of  the  "  London  Queen  "  was  the  fol- 
"  lowing  :  "  The  terms  ladies  and  gentlemen  become  in  them- 
selves vulgarisms  when  misapplied,  and  the  improper  appli- 
cation of  the  wrong  term  at  the  wrong  time  makes  all  the 
difference  in  the  world  to  ears  polite.  Thus,  calling  a  man 
a  gentleman  when  he  should  be  called  a  man,  or  speak- 
ing of  a  man  as  a  man  when  he  should  be  spoken  of  as  a 
gentleman;  or  alluding  to  a  lady  as  a  woman  when  she 
should  be  alluded  to  as  a  lady,  or  speaking  of  a  woman 
as  a  lady  when  she  should  properly  be  termed  a  woman. 
Tact  and  a  sense  of  the  fitness  of  things  decide  these  points, 
there  being  no  fixed  rule  to  go  upon  to  determine  when  a 
man  is  a  man  or  when  he  is  a  gentleman  ;  and,  although  he 


HZ  THE   VERBALIST, 

is  far  oftener  termed  the  one  than  the  other,  he  does  not 
thereby  lose  his  attributes  of  a  gentleman.  In  common 
parlance,  a  man  is  always  a  man  to  a  man,  and  never  a 
gentleman ;  to  a  woman,  he  is  occasionally  a  man  and  oc- 
casionally a  gentleman  ;  but  a  man  would  far  oftener  term 
a  woman  a  -woman  than  he  would  term  her  a  lady.  When 
a  man  makes  use  of  an  adjective  in  speaking  of  a  lady,  he 
almost  invariably  calls  her  a  woman.  Thus,  he  would  say, 
'  I  met  a  rather  agreeable  woman  at  dinner  last  night ' ; 
but  he  would  not  say,  '  I  met  an  agreeable  lady  '  ;  but  he 
might  say,  'A  lady,  a  friend  of  mine,  told  me,'  etc.,  when 
he  would  not  say,  '  A  woman,  a  friend  of  mine,  told  me,' 
etc.  Again,  a  man  would  say,  '  Which  of  the  ladies  did 
you  take  in  to  dinner? '  He  would  certainly  not  say, '  Which 
of  the  women,'  etc. 

"  Speaking  of  people  en  masse,  it  would  be  to  belong  to 
a  very  advanced  school  to  refer  to  them  in  conversation  as 
'men  and  women,'  while  it  would  be  all  but  vulgar  to  style 
them  'ladies  and  gentlemen,'  the  compromise  between  the 
two  being  to  speak  of  them  as  '  ladies  and  men.'  Thus  a 
lady  would  say,  '  I  have  asked  two  or  three  ladies  and  sev- 
eral men '  ;  she  would  not  say,  '  I  have  asked  several  men 
and  women ' ;  neither  would  she  say,  '  I  have  asked  several 
ladies  and  gentlemen.'  And,  speaking  of  numbers,  it  would 
be  very  usual  to  say,  '  There  were  a  great  many  ladies,  and 
but  very  few  men  present,'  or,  '  The  ladies  were  in  the 
majority,  so  few  men  being  present.'  Again,  a  lady  would 
not  say,  '  I  expect  two  or  three  men,'  but  she  would  say, 
'  I  expect  two  or  three  gentlemen.'  When  people  are  on 
ceremony  with  each  other  [one  another],  they  might,  per- 
haps, in  speaking  of  a  man,  call  him  a  gentleman  ;  but, 
otherwise,  it  would  be  more  usual  to  speak  of  him  as  a  man. 
Ladies,  when  speaking  of  each  other  \one  another],  usually 


THE   VERBALIST.  113 

employ  the  term  woman  in  prefersnce  to  that  of  lady.  Thus 
they  would  say,  '  She  is  a  very  good-natured  woman,'  '  What 
sort  of  a  -woman  is  she  ? '  the  term  lady  being  entirely  out 
of  place  under  such  circumstances.  Again,  the  term  young 
lady  gives  place  as  far  as  possible  to  *he  term  girl,  although 
it  greatly  depends  upon  the  amount  of  intimacy  existing  as 
to  which  term  is  employed." 

Language.  A  note  in  Worcester's  Dictionary  says  : 
"  Language  is  a  very  general  term,  and  is  not  strictly  con- 
fined to  utterance  by  words,  as  it  is  also  expressed  by  the 
countenance,  by  the  eyes,  and  by  signs.  Tongue  refers 
especially  to  an  original  language  ;  as,  '  the  Hebrew 
tongue'  The  modern  languages  are  derived  from  the 
original  tongues"  If  this  be  correct,  then  he  who  speaks 
French,  German,  English,  Spanish,  and  Italian,  may  prop- 
erly say  that  he  speaks  five  languages,  but  only  one 
tongue. 

Lay — Lie.  Errors  are  frequent  in  the  use  of  these  two 
irregular  verbs.  Lay  is  often  used  for  lie,  and  lie  is  some- 
times used  for  lay.  This  confusion  in  their  use  is  due,  in 
some  measure,  doubtless,  to  the  circumstance  that  lay  ap- 
pears in  both  verbs,  it  being  the  imperfect  tense  of  to  lie. 
We  say,  "A  mason  lays  bricks,"  "A  ship  lies  at  anchor," 
etc.  "I  must  lie  down";  "I  must  lay  myself  down"; 
"  I  must  lay  this  book  on  the  table "  ;  "  He  lies  on  the 
grass  "  ;  "  He  lays  his  plans  well "  ;  "  He  lay  on  the  grass  "  ; 
"  He  laid  it  away  "  ;  "  He  has  lain  in  bed  long  enough  ".  ; 
"He  has  laid  tip  some  money,"  "in  a  stock,"  "down  the 
law  "  ;  "  He  is  laying  out  the  grounds  "  ;  "  Ships  lie  at  the 
wharf"  ;  "  Hens  lay  eggs"  ;  "  The  ship  lay  at  anchor"  ; 
"  The  hen  laid  an  egg."  It  will  be  seen  that  lay  al- 
ways expresses  transitive  action,  and  that  lie  expresses 
rest. 


114  THE    VERBALIST. 

"  Here  lies  our  sovereign  lord,  the  king, 

Whose  word  no  man  relies  on  ; 
He  never  says  a  foolish  thing, 
Nor  ever  does  a  wise  one." 

. — Written  on  the  bedchamber  door  of  Charles  II,  by  the 
Earl  of  Rochester. 

Learn.  This  verb  was  long  ago  used  as  a  synonym  of 
teach,  but  in  this  sense  it  is  now  obsolete.  To  teach  is  to 
give  instruction ;  to  learn  is  to  take  instruction.  "  I  will 
learn,  if  you  will  teach  me."  See  TEACH. 

Leave.  There  are  grammarians  who  insist  that  this 
verb  should  not  be  used  without  an  object,  as,  for  example, 
it  is  used  in  such  sentences  as,  "  When  do  you  leave?  "  "  I 
leave  to-morrow."  The  object  of  the  verb — home,  town, 
or  whatever  it  may  be — is,  of  course,  understood  ;  but  this, 
say  these  gentlemen,  is  not  permissible.  On  this  point 
opinions  will,  I  think,  differ ;  they  will,  however,  not  differ 
with  regard  to  the  vulgarity  of  using  leave  in  the  sense  of 
let ;  thus,  "  Leave  me  be "  ;  " Leave  it  alone"  ;  " Leave  her 
be — don't  bother  her  "  ;  "  Leave  me  see  it." 

Lend.     See  LOAN. 

Lengthy.  This  word  is  of  comparatively  recent  origin, 
and,  though  it  is  said  to  be  an  Americanism,  it  is  a  good 
deal  used  in  England.  The  most  careful  writers,  however, 
both  here  and  elsewhere,  much  prefer  the  word  long  :  "  a 
long  discussion,"  "  a  long  discourse,"  etc. 

Leniency.  Mr.  Gould  calls  this  word  and  lenience 
"  two  philological  abortions."  Lenity  is  undoubtedly  the 
proper  word  to  use,  though  both  Webster  and  Worcester 
do  recognize  leniency  and  lenience. 

Less.  This  word  is  much  used  instead  of  fewer.  Less 
relates  to  quantity  ;  fewer  to  number.  Instead  of,  "  There 
were  not  less  than  twenty  persons  present,"  we  should 


THE   VERBALIST.  115 

say,  "  There  were  not  fewer  than  twenty  persons  pres- 
ent." 

Lesser.  This  form  of  the  comparative  of  little  is  ac- 
counted a  corruption  of  less.  It  may,  however,  be  used 
instead  of  less  with  propriety  in  verse,  and  also,  in  some 
cases,  in  prose.  We  may  say,  for  example,  "  Of  two  evils 
choose  the  less"  or  "  the  lesser."  The  latter  form,  in  sen- 
tences like  this,  is  the  more  euphonious. 

Liable.  Richard  Grant  White,  in  inveighing  against 
the  misuse  of  this  word,  cites  the  example  of  a  member  from 
a  rural  district,  who  called  out  to  a  man  whom  he  met  in 
the  village,  where  he  was  in  the  habit  of  making  little  pur- 
chases: "  I  say,  mister,  kin  yer  tell  me  whar  I'd  be  li'ble 
to  find  some  beans  ?  "  See,  also,  APT. 

Lie.    See  LAY. 

Like — As.  Both  these  words  express  similarity  ;  like 
(adjective)  comparing  things,  as  (adverb)  comparing  action, 
existence,  or  quality.  Like  is  followed  by  an  object  only, 
and  does  not  admit  of  a  verb  in  the  same  construction. 
As  must  be  followed  by  a  verb  expressed  or  understood. 
We  say,  "  He  looks  like  his  brother,"  or  "  He  looks  as 
his  brother  looks."  "  Do  as  I  do,"  not  "  like  I  do."  "  You 
must  speak  as  James  does,"  not  "like  James  does."  "  He 
died  as  he  had  lived,  like  a  dog."  "  It  is  as  blue  as  indi- 
go "  ;  i.  e.,  "  as  indigo  is." 

Like,  To.    See  LOVE. 

Likely.    See  APT. 

Lit.  This  form  of  the  past  participle  of  the  verb  to 
light  is  now  obsolete.  "  Have  you  lighted  the  fire  ?  "  "  The 
gas  is  lighted."  Het  for  heated  is  a  similar,  but  much  great- 
er, vulgarism. 

Loan — Lend.  There  are  those  who  contend  that  there 
is  no  such  verb  as  to  loan,  although  it  has  been  found  in 


U6  THE  VERBALIST. 

our  literature  for  more  than  three  hundred  years.  Whether 
there  is  properly  such  a  verb  or  not,  it  is  quite  certain  that 
it  is  only  those  having  a  vulgar  penchant  for  big  words  who 
will  prefer  it  to  its  synonym  lend.  Better  far  to  say  "Lend 
me  your  umbrella"  than  "Loan  me  your  umbrella." 

Locate — Settle.  The  use  of  the  verb  to  locate  in  the 
sense  of  to  settle  is  said  to  be  an  Americanism.  Although 
the  dictionaries  recognize  to  locate  as  a  neuter  verb,  as  such 
it  is  marked  "  rarely  used,"  and,  in  the  sense  of  ta  settle,  it 
is  among  the  vulgarisms  that  careful  speakers  and  writers 
are  studious  to  avoid.  A  man  settles,  not  locates,  in  Nebraska. 
"Where  do  you  intend  to  settle?"  not  locate.  See,  also, 
SETTLE. 

Loggerheads.  "  In  the  mean  time  France  is  at  logger- 
heads internally." — ''New  York  Herald,"  April  29,  1881. 
Loggerheads  internally  ?  ! 

Looks  beautifully.  It  is  sometimes  interesting  to  note 
the  difference  between  vulgar  bad  grammar  and  genteel  bad 
grammar,  or,  more  properly,  between  non-painstaking  and 
painstaking  bad  grammar.  The  former  uses,  for  example, 
adjectives  instead  of  adverbs ;  the  latter  uses  adverbs  in- 
stead of  adjectives.  The  former  says,  "  This  bonnet  is 
trimmed  shocking";  the  latter  says,  "This  bonnet  looks 
shockingly."  In  the  first  sentence  the  epithet  qualifies  the 
verb  is  trimmed,  and  consequently  should  have  its  adverbial 
form — shockingly  ;  in  the  second  sentence  the  epithet  quali- 
fies the  appearance — a  noun — of  the  bonnet,  and  conse- 
quently should  have  its  adjectival  form — shocking.  The 
second  sentence  means  to  say,  "  This  bonnet  presents  a 
shocking  appearance."  The  bonnet  certainly  does  not  real- 
ly look ;  it  is  looked  at,  and  to  the  looker  its  appearance  is 
shocking.  So  we  say,  in  like  manner,  of  a  person,  that  he 
or  she  looks  sweet,  or  charming,  or  beautiful,  or  handsome, 


THE   VERBALIST.  117 

or  horrid,  or  graceful,  or  timid,  and  so  on,  always  using  an 
adjective.  "  Miss  Coghlan,  as  Lady  Teazle,  looked  charm- 
ingly" The  grammar  of  the  "  New  York  Herald  "  would 
not  have  been  any  more  incorrect  if  it  had  said  that  Miss 
Coghlan  looked  gladly,  or  sadly,  or  madly,  or  delightedly,  or 
pleasedly.  A  person  may  look  sick  or  sickly,  but  in  both 
cases  the  qualifying  word  is  an  adjective.  The  verbs  to 
smell,  to  feel,  to  sound,  and  to  appear  are  also  found  in  sen- 
tences in  which  the  qualifying  word  must  be  an  adjective 
and  not  an  adverb.  We  say,  for  example,  "  The  rose  smells 
sweet"  ;  "The  butter  smells  good,  or  bad,  or  fresh"  ;  "I 
feel  glad,  or  sad,  or  bad,  or  despondent,  or  annoyed,  or  nerv- 
ous";  "  This  construction  sounds  harsh";  "  How  delight- 
ful the  country  appears  !  " 

On  the  other  hand,  to  look,  to  feel,  to  smell,  to  sound, 
and  to  appear  are  found  in  sentences  where  the  qualifying 
word  must  be  an  adverb  ;  thus,  " He  feels  his  loss  keenly" ; 
"  The  king  looked  graciously  on  her"  ;  "  I  smell  it  faintly." 
We  might  also  say,  "  He  feels  sad  [adjective],  because  he 
feels  his  loss  keenly"  (adverb)  ;  "He  appears  well"  (ad- 
verb). 

The  expression,  "She  seemed  confusedly,  or  timidly,"  is 
not  a  whit  more  incorrect  than  "  She  looked  beautifully,  or 
charmingly."  See  ADJECTIVES. 

Love — Like.  Men  who  are  at  all  careful  in  the  selec- 
tion "of  language  to  express  their  thoughts,  and  have  not  an 
undue  leaning  toward  the  superlative,  love  few  things  :  their 
wives,  their  sweethearts,  their  kinsmen,  truth,  justice,  and 
their  country.  Women,  on  the  contrary,  as  a  rule,  love  a 
multitude  of  things,  and,  among  their  loves,  the  thing  they 
perhaps  love  most  is — taffy. 

Luggage — Baggage.  The  former  of  these  words  is 
generally  used  in  England,  the  latter  in  America. 


llg  THE  VERBALIST. 

Lunch.  This  word,  when  used  as  a  substantive,  may 
at  the  best  be  accounted  an  inelegant  abbreviation  of  lunch- 
eon. The  dictionaries  barely  recognize  it.  The  proper 
phraseology  to  use  is,  "  Have  you  lunched? "  or,  "  Have 
you  had  your  luncheon?"  or,  better,  "  Have  you  had  lunch- 
eon ?  "  as  we  may  in  most  cases  presuppose  that  the  per- 
son addressed  would  hardly  take  anybody's  else  luncheon. 

Luxurious — Luxuriant.  The  line  is  drawn  much  more 
sharply  between  these  two  words  now  than  it  was  formerly. 
Luxurious  was  once  used,  to  some  extent  at  least,  in  the 
sense  of  rank  growth,  but  now  all  careful  writers  and  speak- 
ers use  it  in  the  sense  of  indulging  or  delighting  in  luxiiry. 
We  talk  of  a  luxurious  table,  a  luxurious  liver,  luxurious 
ease,  luxiirious  freedom.  Luxuriant,  on  the  other  hand,  is 
restricted  to  the  sense  of  rank,  or  excessive,  growth  or  pro- 
duction ;  thus,  luxuriant  weeds,  luxutiant  foliage  or 
branches,  luxuriant  growth. 

"  Prune  the  luxuriant,  the  uncouth  refine, 
But  show  no  mercy  to  an  empty  line." — Pope. 

Mad.  Professor  Richard  A.  Proctor,  in  a  recent  num- 
ber of  "The  Gentleman's  Magazine,"  says:  "The  word 
mad  in  America  seems  nearly  always  to  mean  angry.  For 
mad,  as  we  use  the  word,  Americans  say  crazy.  Herein 
they  have  manifestly  impaired  the  language."  Have  they  ? 

"Now,  in  faith,  Gratiano, 

You  give  your  wife  too  unkind  a  cause  of  grief ; 
An  'twere  to  me,  I  would  be  mad  at  it." 

— "  Merchant  of  Venice." 

"  And  being  exceedingly  mad  against  them,  I  persecuted 
them  even  unto  strange  cities." — Acts  xxvi,  II. 

Make  a  visit.  The  phrase  "  make  a  visit,"  according 
to  Dr.  Hall,  whatever  it  once  was,  is  no  longer  English. 

Male.    See  FEMALE. 


THE   VERBALIST,  ug 

Marry.  There  has  been  some  discussion,  at  one  time 
and  another,  with  regard  to  the  use  of  this  word.  Is  John 
Jones  married  to  Sally  Brown  or  ivith  Sally  Brown,  or  are 
they  married  to  each  other?  Inasmuch  as  the  woman  loses 
her  name  in  that  of  the  man  to  whom  she  is  wedded,  and 
becomes  a  member  of  his  family,  not  he  of  hers — inasmuch 
as,  with  few  exceptions,  it  is  her  life  that  is  merged  in  his — 
it  would  seem  that,  properly,  Sally  Brown  is  married  to  John 
Jones,  and  that  this  would  be  the  proper  way  to  make  the 
announcement  of  their  having  been  wedded,  and  not  John 
Jones  to  Sally  Brown. 

There  is  also  a  difference  of  opinion  as  to  whether  the 
active  or  the  passive  form  is  preferable  in  referring  to  a  per- 
son's wedded  state.  In  speaking  definitely  of  the  act  of 
marriage,  the  passive  form  is  necessarily  used  with  refer- 
ence to  either  spouse.  "John  Jones  was  married  to  Sally 
Brown  on  Dec.  i,  1881 "  ;  not,  "  John  Jones  married  Sally 
Brown "  on  such  a  date,  for  (unless  they  were  Quakers) 
some  third  person  married  him  to  her  and  her  to  him. 
But,  in  speaking  indefinitely  of  the  fact  of  marriage,  the 
active  form  is  a  matter  of  course.  "  \Vhom  did  John  Jones 
marry  ?"  "  He  married  Sally  Brown."  "  John  Jones,  when 
he  had  sown  his  wild  oats,  married  [married  himself,  as  the 
French  say]  and  settled  down."  Got  married  is  a  vulgarism. 

May.  In  the  sense  of  can,  may,  in  a  negative  clause, 
has  become  obsolete.  "  Though  we  may  say  a  horse,  we 
may  not  say  a  ox."  The  first  may  here  is  permissible  ;  not 
so,  however,  the  second,  which  should  be  can. 

Meat.  At  table,  we  ask  for  and  offer  beef,  mutton, 
veal,  steak,  turkey,  duck,  etc.,  and  do  not  ask  for  nor  offer 
meat,  which,  to  say  the  least,  is  inelegant.  "  Will  you  have 
[not,  take]  another  piece  of  beef  [not,  of  the  beef]  ?  "  not, 
"  Will  you  have  another  piece  of  meat  ?  " 


120  THE   VERBALIST. 

Memorandum.  The  plural  is  memoranda,  except  when 
the  singular  means  a  book ;  then  the  plural  is  memorandums. 

Mere.  This  word  is  not  unfrequently  misplaced,  and 
sometimes,  as  in  the  following  sentence,  in  consequence  of 
being  misplaced,  it  is  changed  to  an  adverb :  "  It  is  true  of 
men  as  of  God,  that  words  merely  meet  with  no  response." 
What  the  writer  evidently  intended  to  say  is,  that  mere 
words  meet  with  no  response. 

Metaphor.  An  implied  comparison  is  called  a  meta- 
phor ;  it  is  a  more  terse  form  of  expression  than  the  simile. 
Take,  for  example,  this  sentence  from  Spenser's  "  Philoso- 
phy of  Style  "  :  "  As,  in  passing  through  the  crystal,  beams 
of  white  light  are  decomposed  into  the  colors  of  the  rain- 
bow ;  so,  in  traversing  the  soul  of  the  poet,  the  colorless 
rays  of  truth  are  transformed  into  brightly-tinted  poetry." 
Expressed  in  metaphors,  this  becomes  :  "  The  white  light 
of  truth,  in  traversing  the  many-sided,  transparent  soul  of 
the  poet,  is  refracted  into  iris-hued  poetry." 

Worcester's  definition  of  a  metaphor  is  :  "A  figure  of 
speech  founded  on  the  resemblance  which  one  object  is 
supposed  to  bear,  in  some  respect,  to  another,  or  a  figure 
by  which  a  word  is  transferred  from  a  subject  to  which  it 
properly  belongs  to  another,  in  such  a  manner  that  a  com- 
parison is  implied,  though  not  formally  expressed ;  a  com- 
parison or  simile  comprised  in  a  word  ;  as,  '  Thy  word  is  a 
lamp  to  my  feet.'  "  A  metaphor  differs  from  a  simile  in  be- 
ing expressed  without  any  sign  of  comparison  ;  thus,  "  the 
silver  moon  "  is  a  metaphor;  "  the  moon  is  bright  as  silver" 
is  a  simile.  Examples  : 

"  But  look,  the  morn,  in  russet  mantle  clad, 

Walks  o'er  the  dew  of  yon  high  eastern  hill." 
"  Canst  thou  not  minister  to  a  mind  diseased — 
Pluck  from  the  memory  a  rooted  sorrow?" 


THE   VERBALIST.  121 

"  At  length  Erasmus 

Stemmed  the  wild  torrent  of  a  barbarous  age, 
And  drove  those  holy  Vandals  off  the  stage." 

"  Censure  is  the  tax  a  man  pays  to  the  public  for  being 
eminent." 

Metonymy.  The  rhetorical  figure  that  puts  the  effect 
for  the  cause,  the  cause  for  the  effect,  the  container  for  the 
thing  contained,  the  sign,  or  symbol,  for  the  thing  signified, 
or  the  instrument  for  the  agent,  is  called  metonymy. 

"  One  very  common  species  of  metonymy  is,  when  the 
badge  is  put  for  the  office.  Thus  we  say  the  miter  for  the 
priesthood  ;  the  crown  for  royalty  ;  for  military  occupation 
we  say  the  sword ;  and  for  the  literary  professions,  those 
especially  of  theology,  law,  and  physic,  the  common  expres- 
sion is  the  gown." — Campbell. 

Dr.  Quackenbos,  in  his  "  Course  of  Composition  and 
Rhetoric,"  says  :  "  Metonymy  is  the  exchange  of  names  be- 
tween things  related.  It  is  founded,  not  on  resemblance, 
but  on  the  relation  of,  I.  Cause  and  effect ;  as, '  They  have 
Moses  and  the  prophets'  i.  e.,  their  writings  ;  '  Gray  hairs 
should  be  respected,'  i.  e.,  old  age.  2.  Progenitor  and  pos- 
terity ;  as,  '  Hear,  O  Israel ! '  i.  e.,  descendants  of  Israel. 
3.  Subject  and  attribute  ;  as,  '  Youth  and  beauty  shall  be 
laid  in  dust,'  i.  e.,  the  young  and  beautiful.  4.  Place  and 
inhabitant ;  as,  '  What  land  is  so  barbarous  as  to  allow  this 
injustice  ? '  i.  e.,  what  people.  5.  Container  and  thing  con- 
tained ;  as,  '  Our  ships  next  opened  fire,'  i.  e.,  our  sailors. 
6/  Sign  and  thing  signified  ;  as,  '  The  scepter  shall  not  de- 
part from  Judah,'  i.  e.,  kingly  power.  7.  Material  and 
thing  made  of  it  ;  as, '  His  steel  gleamed  on  high,'  i.  e.,  his 
sword" 

"  Petitions  having  proved  unsuccessful,  it  was  deter- 
mined to  approach  the  throne  more  boldly." 


122  THE  VERBALIST. 

Midst,  The.     See  IN  OUR  MIDST. 

Mind — Capricious.  "  Lord  Salisbury's  mind  is  capri* 
cious." — "  Tribune,"  April  3,  1881.  See  EQUANIMITY  OF 
MIND. 

Misplaced  Clauses.  In  writing  and  speaking,  it  is  as 
important  to  give  each  clause  its  proper  place  as  it  is  to 
place  the  words  properly.  The  following  are  a  few  in- 
stances of  misplaced  clauses  and  adjuncts  :  "  All  these  cir- 
cumstances brought  close  to  us  a  state  of  things  which  we 
never  thought  to  have  witnessed  [to  witness]  in  peaceful 
England.  In  the  sister  island,  indeed,  -we  had  read  of  such 
horrors,  but  now  they  were  brought  home  to  our  very 
household  hearth." — Swift.  Better :  "  We  had  read,  in- 
deed, of  such  horrors  occurring  in  the  sister  island,"  etc. 

"  The  savage  people  in  many  places  in  America,  except 
the  government  of  families,  have  no  government  at  all,  and 
live  at  this  day  in  that  savage  manner  as  I  have  said 
before." — Hobbes.  Better:  "The  savage  people  ...  in 
America  have  no  government  at  all,  except  the  government 
of  families,"  etc, 

"  I  shall  have  a  comedy  for  you,  in  a  season  or  two  at 
farthest,  that  I  believe  will  be  worth  your  acceptance." — 
Goldsmith.  Bettered  :  "  In  a  season  or  two  at  farthest,  I 
shall  have  a  comedy  for  you  that  I  believe  will  be  worth 
your  acceptance." 

Among  the  following  examples  of  the  wrong  placing  of 
words  and  clauses,  there  are  some  that  are  as  amusing  as 
they  are  instructive  :  "  This  orthography  is  regarded  as  nor- 
mal in  England."  What  the  writer  intended  was,  "  in  Eng- 
land as  normal" — a  very  different  thought.  "  The  Normal 
School  is  a  commodious  building  capable  of  accommodating 
three  hundred  students  four  stories  high."  "  HOUSEKEEP- 
ER.— A  highly  respectable  middle-aged  Person  who  has  been 


THE   VERBALIST.  123 

filling  the  above  Situation  with  a  gentleman  for  upwards  of 
eleven  years  and  who  is  now  deceased  is  anxious  to  meet  a 
similar  one."  "  To  PIANO-FORTE  MAKERS. — A  lady  keep- 
ing a  first-class  school  requiring  a  good  piano,  is  desirous  of 
receiving  a  daughter  of  the  above  in  exchange  for  the  same." 
"  The  Moor,  seizing  a  bolster  boiling  over  with  rage  and 
jealousy,  smothers  her."  "  The  Dying  Zouave  the  most 
wonderful  mechanical  representation  ever  seen  of  the  last 
breath  of  life  being  shot  in  the  breast  and  life's  blood  leav- 
ing the  wound."  "Mr.  T presents  his  compliments  to 

Mr.  H ,  and  I  have  got  a  hat  that  is  not  his,  and,  if  he 

have  a  hat  that  is  not  yours,  no  doubt  they  are  the  expect- 
ant ones."  See  ONLY. 

Misplaced  Words.  "  Of  all  the  faults  to  be  found 
in  writing,"  says  Cobbett,  "  this  is  one  of  the  most  com- 
mon, and  perhaps  it  leads  to  the  greatest  number  of  mis- 
conceptions. All  the  words  may  be  the  proper  words  to 
be  used  upon  the  occasion,  and  yet,  by  a  misplacing  of  a 
part  of  them,  the  meaning  may  be  wholly  destroyed ;  and 
even  made  to  be  the  contrary  of  what  it  ought  to  be." 

"  I  asked  the  question  with  no  other  intention  than  to 
set  the  gentleman  free  from  the  necessity  of  silence,  and  to 
give  him  an  opportunity  of  mingling  on  equal  terms  with  a 
polite  assembly  from  which,  however  uneasy,  he  could  not 
then  escape,  by  a  kind  introduction  of  the  only  subject  on 
which  I  believed  him  to  be  able  to  speak  with  propriety." 
— Dr.  Johnson. 

"  This,"  says  Cobbett,  "  is  a  very  bad  sentence  alto- 
gether. '  However  uneasy*  applies  to  assembly  and  not  to 
gentleman.  Only  observe  how  easily  this  might  have  been 
avoided.  '  From  which  he,  however  uneasy,  could  not  then 
escape.'  After  this  we  have,  '  he  could  not  then  escape,  by 
a  kind  introduction!  We  know  what  is  meant ;  but  the 


124  THE   VERBALIST. 

Doctor,  with  all  his  commas,  leaves  the  sentence  confused. 
Let  us  see  whether  we  can  not  make  it  clear.  '  I  asked  the 
question  with  no  other  intention  than,  by  a  kind  introduc- 
tion of  the  only  subject  on  which  I  believed  him  to  be  able 
'  to  speak  with  propriety,  to  set  the  gentleman  free  from  the 
necessity  of  silence,  and  to  give  him  an  opportunity  of 
mingling  on  equal  terms  with  a  polite  assembly  from  which 
he,  however  uneasy,  could  not  then  escape.' " 

"  Reason  is  the  glory  of  human  nature,  and  one  of  the 
chief  eminences  whereby  we  are  raised  above  our  fellow- 
creatures,  the  brutes,  in  this  lower  world." — Doctor  Watts' 
"  Logic." 

"  I  have  before  showed  an  error,"  Cobbett  remarks,  "  in 
the  first  sentence  of  Doctor  Watts'  work.  This  is  the 
second  sentence.  The  words  in  this  lower  -world  are  not 
words  misplaced  only ;  they  are  wholly  unnecessary,  and 
they  do  great  harm  ;  for  they  do  these  two  things :  first, 
they  imply  that  there  are  brutes  in  the  higher  world ;  and, 
second,  they  excite  a  doubt  whether  we  are  raised  above 
those  brutes. 

"  I  might  greatly  extend  the  number  of  my  extracts  from 
these  authors  ;  but  here,  I  trust,  are  enough.  I  had  noted 
down  about  two  hundred  errors  in  Dr.  Johnson's  '  Lives  of 
the  Poets '  ;  but,  afterward  perceiving  that  he  had  revised 
and  corrected  '  The  Rambler '  with  extraordinary  care,  I 
chose  to  make  my  extracts  from  that  work  rather  than  from 
the  '  Lives  of  the  Poets.'  " 

The  position  of  the  adverb  should  be  as  near  as  possible 
to  the  word  it  qualifies.  Sometimes  we  place  it  before  the 
auxiliary  and  sometimes  after  it,  according  to  the  thought 
we  wish  to  express.  The  difference  between  "  The  fish 
should  properly  be  broiled"  and  "The  fish  should  be  prop- 
erly broiled  "  is  apparent  at  a  glance.  "  The  colon  may  be 


THE   VERBALIST.  125 

properly  used  in  the  following  cases " :  should  be,  "  may 
properly  be  used."  "  This  mode  of  expression  rather  suits 
a  familiar  than  a  grave  style  "  :  should  be,  "  suits  a  familiar 
rather  than  a  grave  style."  "  It  is  a  frequent  error  in  the 
writings  even  of  some  good  authors  "  :  should  be,  "  in  the 
writings  of  even  some  good  authors."  "  Both  the  circum- 
stances of  contingency  and  futurity  are  necessary  "  :  should 
be,  "  The  circumstances  of  contingency  and  futurity  are  both 
necessary."  "He  has  made  charges  .  .  .  which  he  has 
failed  utterly  to  sustain." — "  New  York  Tribune."  Here 
it  is  uncertain  at  first  sight  which  verb  the  adverb  is  in- 
tended to  qualify ;  but  the  nature  of  the  case  makes  it 
probable  that  the  writer  meant  "  has  utterly  failed  to  sus- 
tain." 

Mistaken.  "  If  I  am  not  mistaken,  you  are  in  the 
wrong":  say,  "If  I  mistake  not."  "I  tell  you,  you  are 
mistaken"  Here  mistaken  means,  "You  are  wrong;  you 
do  not  understand";  but  it  might  be  taken  to  mean,  "I 
mistake  you."  For  "you  are  mistaken"  say,  "you  mis- 
take" If,  as  Horace  and  Professor  Davidson  aver,  usage 
in  language  makes  right,  then  the  grammarians  ought  long 
ago  to  have  invented  some  theory  upon  which  the  locution 
you  are  mistaken  could  be  defended.  Until  they  do  invent 
such  a  theory,  it  will  be  better  to  say  you  mistake,  he  mis- 
takes, and  so  on  ;  or  you  are,  or  he  is — as  the  case  may  be 
— in  error. 

More  perfect.  Such  expressions  as,  "  the  more  perfect 
of  the  two,"  "  the  most  perfect  thing  of  the  kind  I  have 
ever  seen,"  "  the  most  complete  cooking-stove  ever  invent- 
ed," and  the  like,  can  not  be  defended  logically,  as  noth- 
ing can  be  more  perfect  than  perfection,  or  more  complete 
than  completeness.  Still  such  phrases  are,  and  probably 
will  continue  to  be,  used  by  good  writers. 


126  THE   VERBALIST. 

Most.  "  Everybody  abuses  this  word,"  says  Mr.  Gould 
in  his  "Good  English";  and  then,  in  another  paragraph,  he 
adds:  "If  a  man  would  cross  out  most  wherever  he  can 
find  it  in  any  book  in  the  English  language,  he  would  in 
a/most  every  instance  improve  the  style  of  the  book." 
That  this  statement  may  appear  within  bounds,  he  gives 
many  examples  from  good  authors,  some  of  which  are  the 
following :  "  a  most  profound  silence  "  ;  "  a  most  just  idea  "  ; 
" a  most  complete  orator  "  ;  "  this  was  most  extraordinary"  ; 
"an  object  of  most  perfect  esteem"  ;  "a  most  extensive 
erudition  "  ;  "  he  gave  it  most  liberally  away  "  ;  "  it  is,  most 
assuredly,  not  because  I  value  his  services  least "  ;  "would 
most  seriously  affect  us  "  ;  "  that  such  a  system  must  most 
widely  and  most  powerfully,"  etc. ;  "it  is  most  effectually 
nailed  to  the  counter"  ;  "it  is  most  undeniable  that,"  etc. 

This  word  is  much,  and  very  erroneously,  used  for  al- 
most. "  He  comes  here  most  every  day."  The  user  of 
such  a  sentence  as  this  means  to  say  that  he  comes  nearly 
every  day,  but  he  really  says,  if  he  says  anything,  that  he 
comes  more  every  day  than  he  does  every  night.  In  such 
sentences  almost,  and  not  most,  is  the  word  to  use. 

Mutual.  This  word  is  much  misused  in  the  phrase 
"our  mutual  friend."  Macaulay  says:  "Mutual  friend  is 
a  low  vulgarism  for  common  friend."  Mtitttal  properly  re- 
lates to  two  persons,  and  implies  reciprocity  of  sentiment — 
sentiment,  be  it  what  it  may,  received  and  returned.  Thus, 
we  say  properly,  "John  and  James  have  a  mutual  affec- 
tion, or  a  mutual  aversion,"  i.  e.,  they  like  or  dislike  each 
other  ;  or,  "  John  and  James  are  mutually  dependent,"  i.  e., 
they  are  dependent  on  each  other.  In  using  the  word  mu- 
iual,  care  should  be  taken  not  to  add  the  words  for  each 
other  or  on  each  other,  the  thought  conveyed  by  these  words 
being  already  expressed  in  the  word  mutual.  "  Dependent 


THE   VERBALIST. 


127 


on  each  other "'  is  the  exact  equivalent  of  "  mutually  de- 
pendent"'; hence,  saying  that  John  and  James  are  mutually 
dependent  on  each  otlier  is  as  redundant  in  form  as  it  would 
be  to  say  that  the  editors  of  "  The  Great  Vilifier  "  are  the 
biggest,  greatest  mud-slingers  in  America. 

Myself.  This  form  of  the  personal  pronoun  is  properly 
used  in  the  nominative  case  only  where  increased  emphasis 
is  aimed  at. 

"  I  had  as  lief  not  be  as  live  to  be 

In  awe  of  such  a  thing  as  I  myself." 

"  I  will  do  it  myself ^  "  I  saw  it  myself."  It  is,  therefore, 
incorrect  to  say,  "  Mrs.  Brown  and  myself  were  both  very 
much  pleased." 

Name.  This  word  is  sometimes  improperly  used  for 
mention ;  thus,  "I  never  named  the  matter  to  any  one  "  : 
should  be,  "  I  never  mentioned  the  matter  to  any  one." 

Neighborhood.     See  VICINITY. 

Neither.     See  EITHER. 

Neither — Nor.  "  He  would  neither  give  wine,  nor  oil, 
nor  money."  —  Thackeray.  The  conjunction  should  be 
placed  before  the  excluded  object ;  "  neither  give  "  implies 
neither  some  other  verb,  a  meaning  not  intended.  Re- 
arrange thus,  taking  all  the  common  parts  of  the  contracted 
sentences  together :  "  He  would  give  neither  wine,  nor  oil, 
nor  money."  So,  "  She  can  neither  help  her  beauty,  nor 
her  courage,  nor  her  cruelty"  (Thackeray),  should  be,  "She 
can  help  neither"  etc.  "  He  had  neither  time  to  intercept 
nor  to  stop  her"  (Scott),  should  be,  "He  had  time  neither 
to  intercept,"  etc.  "  Some  neitfier  can  for  wits  nor  critics 
pass  "  (Pope),  should  be,  "  Some  can  neither  for  wits  nor 
critics  pass." 

Never.  Grammarians  differ  with  regard  to  the  correct- 
ness of  using  never  in  such  sentences  as,  "  He  is  in  error, 

t7 


128  THE   VERBALIST. 

though  never  so  wise,"  "  Charm  he  never  so  wisely."  In 
sentences  like  these,  to  say  the  least,  it  is  better,  in  com- 
mon with  the  great  majority  of  writers,  to  use  ever. 

New.  This  adjective  is  often  misplaced.  "  He  has  a 
new  suit  of  clothes  and  a  new  pair  of  gloves."  It  is  not 
the  suit  and  the  fair  that  are  new,  but  the  clothes  and  the 
gloves. 

Nice.  Archdeacon  Hare  remarks  of  the  use,  or  rather 
misuse,  of  this  word  :  "  That  stupid  vulgarism  by  which  we 
use  the  word  nice  to  denote  almost  every  mode  of  approba- 
tion, for  almost  every  variety  of  quality,  and,  from  sheer 
poverty  of  thought,  or  fear  of  saying  anything  definite, 
wrap  up  everything  indiscriminately  in  this  characterless 
domino,  speaking  at  the  same  breath  of  a  nice  cheese-cake, 
a  nice  tragedy,  a  nice  sermon,  a  nice  day,  a  nice  country, 
as  if  a  universal  deluge  of  niaiserie — for  nice  seems  origin- 
ally to  have  been  only  niais — had  whelmed  the  whole  isl- 
and." Nice  is  as  good  a  word  as  any  other  in  its  place, 
but  its  place  is  not  everywhere.  We  talk  very  properly 
about  a  nice  distinction,  a  nice  discrimination,  a  nice  calcu- 
lation, a  nice  point,  and  about  a  person's  being  nice,  and 
over-nice,  and  the  like  ;  but  we  certainly  ought  not  to  talk 
about  "  Othello's  "  being  a  nice  tragedy,  about  Salvini's  be- 
ing a  nice  actor,  or  New  York  bay's  being  a  nice  harbor.* 

Nicely.  The  very  quintessence  of  popinjay  vulgarity  is 
reached  when  nicely  is  made  to  do  service  for  well,  in  this 
wise  :  "  How  do  you  do?  "  "  Nicely."  "  How  are  you  ?  " 
' '  Nicely." 

No.     This  word  of  negation  is  responded  to  by  nor  in 

*  The  possessive  construction  here  is,  in  my  judgment,  not  impera- 
tively demanded.  There  is  certainly  no  lack  of  authority  for  putting 
the  three  substantives  in  the  accusative.  The  possessive  construction 
seems  to  me,  however,  to  be  preferable. 


THE    VERBALIST. 


129 


sentences  like  this :  "  Let  your  meaning  be  obscure,  and 
no  grace  of  diction  nor  any  music  of  well-turned  sentences 
will  make  amends." 

"  Whether  he  is  there  or  no."  Supply  the  ellipsis,  and 
we  have,  "Whether  he  is  there  or  no  there."  Clearly, 
the  word  to  use  in  sentences  like  this  is  not  no,  but  not. 
And  yet  our  best  writers  sometimes  inadvertently  use  no 
with  •whether.  Example :  "  But  perhaps  some  people  are 
quite  indifferent  -wJiether  or  no  it  is  said,"  etc. — Richard 
Grant  White,  in  "Words  and  Their  Uses,"  p.  84.  Sup- 
ply the  ellipsis,  and  we  have,  "  said  or  no  said."  In  a  little 
book  entitled  "  Live  and  Learn,"  I  find,  "  No  less  than 
fifty  persons  were  there  ;  No  fewer"  etc.  In  correcting 
one  mistake,  the  writer  himself  makes  one.  It  should  be, 
" Not  fewer,"  etc.  If  we  ask,  "There  were  fifty  persons 
there,  were  there  or  were  there  not?"  the  reply  clearly 
would  be,  "  There  were  not  fewer  than  fifty."  "  There 
was  no  one  of  them  who  would  not  have  been  proud,"  etc., 
should  be,  "  There  was  not  one  of  them." 

Not.  The  correlative  of  not,  when  it  stands  in  the  first 
member  of  a  sentence,  is  nor  or  neither.  "  Not  for  thy 
ivory  nor  thy  gold  will  I  unbind  thy  chain."  "  I  will  not 
do  it,  neither  shall  you." 

The  wrong  placing  of  not  often  gives  rise  to  an  imper- 
fect negation  ;  thus,  "  John  and  James  were  not  there," 
means  that  John  and  James  were  not  there  in  company.  It 
does  not  exclude  the  presence  of  one  of  them.  The  nega- 
tive should  precede  in  this  case  :  "  Neither  John  nor  James 
was  there."  "Our  company  was  not  present"  (as  a  com- 
pany, but  some  of  us  might  have  been),  should  be,  "  No 
member  of  our  company  was  present." 

Not — but  only.  "  Errors  frequently  arise  in  the  use 
of  not—  but  only,  to  understand  which  we  must  attend  to 


130  THE  VERBALIST. 

the  force  of  the  whole  expression.  '  He  did  not  pretend  to 
extirpate  French  music,  but  only  to  cultivate  and  civilize  it.' 
Here  the  not  is  obviously  misplaced.  '  He  pretended,  or 
professed,  not  to  extirpate.'  " — Bain. 

Notorious.  Though  this  word  can  not  be  properly 
used  in  any  but  a  bad  sense,  we  sometimes  see  it  used 
instead  of  noted,  which  may  be  used  in  either  a  good  or  a 
bad  sense.  Notoi  ious  characters  are  always  persons  to  be 
shunned,  whereas  noted  characters  may  or  may  not  be  per- 
sons to  be  shunned. 

"  This  is  the  tax  a  man  must  pay  for  his  virtues — they 
hold  up  a  torch  to  his  vices  and  render  those  frailties  notori- 
ous in  him  which  would  pass  without  observation  in  an- 
other."— Lacon. 

Novice.     See  AMATEUR. 

Number.  It  is  not  an  uncommon  thing  for  a  pronoun 
in  the  plural  number  to  be  used  in  connection  with  an 
antecedent  in  the  singular.  At  present,  the  following  notice 
may  be  seen  in  some  of  our  Broadway  omnibuses  :  "  Fifty 
dollars  reward  for  the  conviction  of  any  person  caught  col- 
lecting or  keeping  fares  given  to  them  to  deposit  in  the 
box."  Should  be,  to  him.  "A  person  may  be  very  near- 
sighted if  they  can  not  recognize  an  acquaintance  ten  feet 
off."  Should  be,  if  he. 

The  verb  to  be  is  often  used  in  the  singular  instead  of 
in  the  plural ;  thus,  "  There  is  several  reasons  why  it  would 
be  better "  :  say,  are.  "  How  many  is  there  ?  "  say,  are. 
"  There  is  four  "  :  say,  are.  "  Was  there  many  ?  "  say,  were. 
06  No  matter  how  many  there  was  "  :  say,  were. 

A  verb  should  agree  in  number  with  its  subject,  and  not 
with  its  predicate.  We  say,  for  example,  "  Death  is  the 
wages  of  sin,"  and  "  The  wages  of  sin  are  death." 

"  When  singular  nouns  connected  by  and  are  preceded 


THE   VERBALIST.  131 

by  each,  every,  or  no,  the  verb  must  be  singular."  We  say, 
for  example,  "Each  boy  and  each  girl  studies."  "Every  leaf, 
and  every  twig,  and  every  drop  of  water  teems  with  life." 
"No  book  and  no  paper  was  arranged." 

Each  being  singular,  a  pronoun  or  verb  to  agree  with 
it  must  also  be  singular  ;  thus,  "  Let  them  depend  each  on 
his  own  exertions  "  ;  "  Each  city  has  its  peculiar  privileges  "  ; 
"  Everybody  has  a  right  to  look  after  his  own  interest." 

Errors  are  often  the  result  of  not  repeating  the  verb ; 
thus,  "  Its  significance  is  as  varied  as  the  passions  "  :  cor- 
rectly, "  as  are  the  passions."  "  The  words  are  as  incapa- 
ble of  analysis  as  the  thing  signified":  correctly,  "as  is 
the  thing  signified." 

Observe.  The  dictionaries  authorize  the  use  of  this 
word  as  a  synonym  of  say  and  remark ;  as,  for  example, 
"What  did  you  observe?"  for  "What  did  you  say,  or  re- 
mark ? "  In  this  sense,  however,  it  is  better  to  leave  ob- 
serve to  the  exclusive  use  of  those  who  delight  in  being 
fine. 

O'clock.  "It  is  a  quarter  to  ten  o'clock."  What  does 
this  statement  mean,  literally  ?  We  understand  by  it  that 
it  lacks  a  quarter  of  ten,  i.  e.,  of  being  ten  ;  but  it  does  not 
really  mean  that.  Inasmuch  as  to  means  toward,  it  really 
means  a  quarter  after  nine.  We  should  say,  then,  a  quarter 
of,  which  means,  literally,  a  quarter  out  of  ten. 

Of  all  others.  "  The  vice  of  covetousness,  of  all  oth- 
ers, enters  deepest  into  the  soul."  This  sentence  says  that 
covetousness  is  one  of  the  other  vices.  A  thing  can  not  be 
another  thing,  nor  can  it  be  one  of  a  number  of  other  things. 
The  sentence  should  be,  "  Of  all  the  vices,  covetousness  en- 
ters deepest  into  the  soul "  ;  or,  "  The  vice  of  covetousness, 
of  all  the  vices,  enters,"  etc. ;  or,  "  The  vice  of  covetousness, 
above  all  others,  enters,"  etc. 


132  THE   VERBALIST, 

Of  any.  This  phrase  is  often  used  when  of  all  is 
meant ;  thus,  "  This  is  the  largest  of  any  I  have  seen." 
Should  be,  "the  largest  of  all"  etc. 

Off  of.  In  such  sentences  as,  "  Give  me  a  yard  off  of 
this  piece  of  calico,"  either  the  off  or  the  of  is  vulgarly  su- 
perfluous. The  sentence  would  be  correct  with  either  one, 
but  not  with  both  of  them.  "  The  apples  fell  off  of  the 
tree"  :  read,  "fell  offi\ie  tree." 

Often.  This  adverb  is  properly  compared  by  changing 
its  termination  :  often,  oftener,  oftenest.  Why  some  writers 
use  more  and  most  to  compare  it,  it  is  not  easy  to  see  ;  this 
mode  of  comparing  it  is  certainly  not  euphonious. 

Oh — O.  It  is  only  the  most  careful  writers  who  use 
these  two  interjections  with  proper  discrimination.  The 
distinction  between  them  is  said  to  be  modern.  Oh  is 
simply  an  exclamation,  and  should  always  be  followed  by 
some  mark  of  punctuation,  usually  by  an  exclamation  point. 
"  Oh  !  you  are  come  at  last."  "  Oh,  help  him,  you  sweet 
heavens!"  "Oh,  woe  is  me!"  "Oh!  I  die,  Horatio." 
O,  in  addition  to  being  an  exclamation,  denotes  a  calling  to 
or  adjuration ;  thus,  "  Hear,  O  heavens,  and  give  ear,  O 
earth  ! "  "  O  grave,  where  is  thy  victory  ! "  "  O  heavenly 
powers,  restore  him  !  "  "  O  shame  !  where  is  thy  blush  ?  " 

Older — Elder.  "  He  is  the  older  man  of  the  two,  and 
the  oldest  in  the  neighborhood."  "  He  is  the  elder  of  the 
two  sons,  and  the  eldest  of  the  family."  "  The  elder  son  is 
heir  to  the  estate  ;  he  is  older  than  his  brother  by  ten  years." 

On  to.  We  get  on  a  chair,  on  an  omnibus,  on  a  stump, 
and  on  a  spree,  and  not  on  to. 

One.  Certain  pronouns  of  demonstrative  signification 
are  called  indefinite  because  they  refer  to  no  particular 
subject.  This  is  one  of  them.  If  we  were  putting  a  sup- 
position  by  way  of  argument  or  illustration,  we  might  say, 


THE   VERBALIST.  133 

*  Suppose  /  were  to  lose  my  way  in  a  wood  "  ;  or,  "  Suppose 
you  were  to  lose  your  way  in  a  wood  "  ;  or,  "  Suppose  one 
were  to  lose  ones  way  in  a  wood."  All  these  forms  are 
used,  but,  as  a  rule,  the  last  is  to  be  preferred.  The  first 
verges  on  egotism,  and  the  second  makes  free  with  another's 
person,  whereas  the  third  is  indifferent.  "If  ones  honesty 
were  impeached,  what  should  one  do?  "  is  more  courtly  than 
to  take  either  one's  self  or  the  person  addressed  for  the 
example. 

One  should  be  followed  by  one,  and  not  by  he.  "  The 
better  acquainted  one  is  with  any  kind  of  rhetorical  trick, 
the  less  liable  he  is  to  be  misled  by  it."  Should  be,  "  the 
less  liable  one  is  to  be  misled  by  it." 

In  the  phrase,  "  any  of  the  little  ones"  one  is  the  numeral 
employed  in  the  manner  of  a  pronoun,  by  indicating  some- 
thing that  has  gone  before,  or,  perhaps,  has  to  come  after. 
"  I  like  peaches,  but  I  must  have  a  ripe  one,  or  ripe  ones." 

Professor  Bain  says,  in  his  "Composition  Grammar"  : 

"  This  pronoun  continually  lands  writers  in  difficulties. 
English  idiom  requires  that,  when  the  pronoun  has  to  be 
again  referred  to,  it  should  be  used  itself  a  second  time. 
The  correct  usage  is  shown  by  Pope  :  '  One  may  be  ashamed 
to  consume  half  one's  days  in  bringing  sense  and  rhyme  to- 
gether.' It  would  be  against  idiom  to  srfy  '  half  his  days.' 

"  Still,  the  repetition  of  the  pronoun  is  often  felt  to  be 
heavy,  and  writers  have  recourse  to  various  substitutions. 
Even  an  ear  accustomed  to  the  idiom  can  scarcely  accept 
with  unmixed  pleasure  this  instance  from  Browning  : 
"  '  Alack  !  one  lies  oneself 
Even  in  the  stating  that  one's  end  was  truth, 
Truth  only,  if  one  states  so  much  in  words.' 

"  The  representative  '  I '  or  '  we  '  occasionally  acts  the 
part  of  '  one.'  The  following  sentence  presents  a  curious 


134  THE   VERBALIST. 

alternation  of  'we'  with  'one* — possibly  not  accidental 
(George  Eliot) :  '  It's  a  desperately  vexatious  thing  that, 
after  all  one's  reflections  and  quiet  determinations,  we  should 
be  ruled  by  moods  that  one  can't  calculate  on  beforehand.1 
By  the  use  of  '  we '  here,  a  more  pointed  reference  is  sug< 
gested,  while  the  vagueness  actually  remains. 

"  Fenimore  Cooper,  like  Scott,  is  not  very  particular  ;  an 
example  may  be  quoted  :  '  Modesty  is  a  poor  man's  wealth  ; 
but,  as  we  grow  substantial  in  the  world,  patroon,  one  can 
afford  to  begin  to  speak  truth  of  himself  as  well  as  of  his 
neighbor.'  Were  Cooper  a  careful  writer,  we  might  per- 
suade ourselves  that  he  chose  '  we '  and  '  one '  with  a  pur- 
pose :  '  we '  might  indicate  that  the  speaker  had  himself 
and  the  patroon  directly  in  his  eye,  although  at  the  same 
time  he  wanted  to  put  it  generally ;  and  '  one '  might  hint 
that  modesty  succeeded  in  getting  the  better  of  him.  But 
'  himself '  and  '  his '  would  alone  show  that  such  specula- 
tions are  too  refined  for  the  occasion. 

"  The  form  '  a  man,'  which  was  at  one  time  common, 
seems  to  be  reviving.  In  '  Adam  Bede  '  we  have,  '  A  man 
can  never  do  anything  aft  variance  with  his  own  nature." 
We  might  substitute  '  one,' 

"  '  Men '  was  more  frequent  in  good  writing  formerly 
than  now.  '  Neither  do  men  light  a  candle,  and  put  it 
under  a  bushel.'  '  Do  men  gather  grapes  of  thorns  ? ' 
Hume  is  fond  of  expressing  a  general  subject  by  '  men.' 

"  '  Small  birds  are  much  more  exposed  to  the  cold  than 
large  ones'  This  usage  is  hardly  '  indefinite ' ;  and  it 
needs  no  further  exemplification." 

Only.  This  word,  when  used  as  an  adjective,  is  more 
frequently  misplaced  than  any  other  word  in  the  language. 
Indeed,  I  am  confident  that  it  is  not  correctly  placed  half 
the  time,  either  in  conversation  or  in  writing.  Thus,  ''  In 


THE   VERBALIST.  135 

its  pages,  papers  of  sterling  merit  [only]  will  only  appear  " 
(Miss  Braddon) ;  "  Things  are  getting  dull  down  in  Texas ; 
they  only  shot  [only]  three  men  down  there  last  week "  ; 
"  I  have  only  got  [only]  three."  Only  i?  sometimes  im- 
properly used  for  except  or  unless ;  thus,  "  The  trains  will 
not  stop  only  when  the  bell  rings."  The  meaning  here  is 
clearly  "  except  when  the  bell  rings." 

Dr.  Bain,  in  his  "  Higher  English  Grammar,"  speaking 
of  the  order  of  words,  says  : 

"  The  word  requiring  most  attention  is  only. 
•    "  According  to  the  position  of  only,  the  same  words  may 
be  made  to  express  very  different  meanings. 

"  '  He  only  lived  for  their  sakes.'  Here  only  must  be 
held  as  qualifying  '  lived  for  their  sakes,'  the  emphasis  being 
on  lived,  the  word  immediately  adjoining.  The  meaning 
then  is  '  he  lived,'  but  did  not  -work,  did  not  die,  did  not  do 
any  other  thing  for  their  sakes. 

"  '  He  lived  only  for  their  sakes.'  Only  now  qualifies 
'  for  their  sakes,'  and  the  sentence  means  he  lived  for  this 
one  reason,  namely,  for  their  sakes,  and  not  for  any  other 
reason. 

"  '  He  lived  for  their  sakes  only'  The  force  of  the  word 
when  placed  at  the  end  is  peculiar.  Then  it  often  has  a 
diminutive  or  disparaging  signification.  '  He  lived  for  their 
sakes,'  and  not  for  any  more  worthy  reason.  '  He  gave 
sixpence  only,'  is  an  insinuation  that  more  was  expected. 

"  By  the  use  of  alone,  instead  of  only,  other  meanings 
are  expressed.  '  He  alone  lived  for  their  sakes ' ;  that  is, 
he,  and  nobody  else,  did  so.  '  He  lived  for  their  sakes  alone' 
or,  '  for  the  sake  of  them  alone ' ;  that  is,  not  for  the  sake 
of  any  other  persons.  '  It  was  alone  by  the  help  of  the  Con- 
federates that  any  such  design  could  be  carried  out.'  Better 
only. 


136  THE  VERBALIST. 

"  '  When  men  grow  virtuous  in  their  old  age,  they  only 
make  a  sacrifice  to  God  of  the  devil's  leavings.' — Pope. 
Here  only  is  rightly  placed.  '  Think  only  of  the  past  as  its 
remembrance  gives  you  pleasure,'  should  be,  '  think  of  the 
past,  only  as  its  remembrance,'  etc.  '  As  he  did  not  leave 
his  name,  it  was  only  known  that  a  gentleman  had  called 
on  business ' :  it  was  known  only.  '  I  can  only  refute  the 
accusation  by  laying  before  you  the  whole ' :  this  would 
mean,  '  the  only  thing  I  am  able  to  do  is  to  refute  ;  I  may 
not  retaliate,  or  let  it  drop,  I  must  refute  it.'  '  The  negroes 
are  to  appear  at  church  only  in  boots '  ;  that  is,  when  the 
negroes  go  to  church  they  are  to  have  no  clothing  but  boots. 
1  The  negroes  are  to  appear  only  at  church  in  boots '  might 
mean  that  they  are  not  to  appear  anywhere  but  at  church, 
whether  in  boots  or  out  of  them.  The  proper  arrangement 
would  be  to  connect  the  adverbial  adjunct,  in  boots,  with 
its  verb,  appear,  and  to  make  only  qualify  at  church  and 
no  more  :  '  the  negroes  are  to  appear  in  boots  only  at 
church.' " 

It  thus  appears  very  plain  that  we  should  look  well  to 
our  onlys. 

Ought — Should.  These  two  words,  though  they  both 
imply  obligation,  should  not  be  used  indiscriminately.  Ought 
is  the  stronger  term  ;  what  we  ought  to  do,  we  are  morally 
bound  to  do.  We  ought  to  be  truthful  and  honest,  and 
should  be  respectful  to  our  elders  and  kind  to  our  in- 
feriors. 

Overflown.  Flown  is  the  past  participle  of  to  fly,  and 
flowed  of  to  flow.  As,  therefore,  a  river  does  not  fly  over 
its  banks,  but  flows  over  them,  we  should  say  of  it  that  it 
has  overflowed,  and  not  that  it  has  o\zrjloivn. 

Overly.  This  word  is  now  used  only  by  the  un- 
schooled. 


THE   VERBALIST.  137 

Owing.     See  DUE. 

Pants.  This  abbreviation  is  not  used  by  those  who  are 
careful  in  the  choice  of  words.  The  purist  does  not  use 
the  word  pantaloons  even,  but  trousers.  Pants  are  worn 
by  gents  who  eat  lunches  and  open  wine,  and  trousers  are 
worn  by  gentlemen  who  eat  luncheons  and  order  wine. 

Paraphernalia.  This  is  a  law  term.  In  Roman  law, 
it  meant  the  goods  which  a  woman  brought  to  her  husband 
besides  her  dowry.  In  English  law,  it  means  the  goods 
which  a  woman  is  allowed  to  have  after  the  death  of  her 
husband,  besides  her  dower,  consisting  of  her  apparel  and 
ornaments  suitable  to  her  rank.  When  used  in  speaking 
of  the  affairs  of  every-day  life,  it  is  generally  misused. 

Parlor.  This  word,  in  the  sense  of  drawing-room,  ac- 
cording to  Dr.  Hall,  except  in  the  United  States  and  some 
of  the  English  colonies,  is  obsolete. 

Partake.  This  is  a  very  fine  word  to  use  for  eat; 
just  the  word  for  young  women  who  hobble  on  French 
heels. 

Partially — Partly.  "  It  is  only  partially  done."  This 
use  of  the  adverb  partially  is  sanctioned  by  high  authority, 
but  that  does  not  make  it  correct.  A  thing  done  in  part 
is  partly,  not  partially,  done. 

Participles.  When  the  present  participle  is  used  sub- 
stantively,  in  sentences  like  the  following,  it  is  preceded 
by  the  definite  article  and  followed  by  the  preposition  of. 
The  omitting  of  the  preposition  is  a  common  error.  Thus,. 
"  Or,  it  is  the  draiving  a  conclusion  which  was  before  either 
unknown  or  dark,"  should  be,  "  the  drawing  of  a  conclu- 
sion." "Prompted  by  the  most  extreme  vanity,  he  per- 
sisted in  the  writing  bad  verses,"  should  be,  "  in  writing 
bad  verses,"  or  "in  the  writing  of  bad  verses."  "There 
is  a  misuse  of  the  article  a  which  is  very  common.  It  is 


138  THE   VERBALIST. 

the  using  it  before  the  word  most." — Moon.  Most  writers 
would  have  said  "  the  using  of  it."  Mr.  Moon  argues  for 
his  construction. 

Particles.  "  Nothing  but  study  of  the  best  writers  and 
practice  in  composition  will  enable  us  to  decide  what  are 
the  prepositions  and  conjunctions  that  ought  to  go  with 
certain  verbs.  The  following  examples  illustrate  some 
common  blunders  : 

"  '  It  was  characterized  with  eloquence ' :  read,  'by.' 

"  *  A  testimonial  of  the  merits  of  his  grammar  *  :  read, 
'to.' 

"  '  It  was  an  example  of  the  love  to  form  comparisons ' : 
read,  '  of  forming.' 

" '  Repetition  is  always  to  be  preferred  before  obscurity ' : 
read,  '  to.' 

"'He  made  an  effort  for  meeting  them':  read,  'to 
meet.' 

"  '  They  have  no  other  object  but  to  come ' :  read,  '  other 
object  than,'  or  omit  '  other.' 

"  Two  verbs  are  not  unfrequently  followed  by  a  single 
preposition,  which  accords  with  one  only  ;  e.  g.,  '  This 
duty  is  repeated  and  inculcated  upon  the  reader.'  '  Repeat 
upon '  is  nonsense ;  we  must  read  '  is  repeated  to  and  in- 
culcaled  upon.'  " — Nichol's  "  English  Composition,"  p.  39. 
We  often  see  for  used  with  the  substantive  sympathy  ;  the 
best  practice,  however,  uses  -with  ;  thus,  "  Words  can  not 
express  the  deep  sympathy  I  feel  -with  you." — Queen  Vic- 
toria. 

Party.  This  is  a  very  good  word  in  its  place,  but  it 
is  very  much  out  of  its  place  when  used — as  it  often  is 
by  the  vulgar  —  where  good  taste  would  use  the  word 
person. 

Patronize.    This  word  and  its  derivatives  would  be 


THE    VERBALIST. 


139 


much  less  used  by  the  American  tradesman  than  they  are, 
if  he  were  better  acquainted  with  their  true  meaning.  Then 
he  would  solicit  his  neighbors'  custom,  not  their  patronage. 
A  man  can  have  no  patrons  without  incurring  obligations — 
without  becoming  a  protege ;  while  a  man  may  have  cus- 
tomers innumerable,  and,  instead  of  placing  himself  under 
obligations  to  them,  he  may  place  them  under  obligations 
to  him.  Princes  are  the  patrons  of  those  tradesmen  whom 
they  allow  to  call  themselves  their  purveyors  ;  as,  "  John 
Smith,  Haberdasher  to  H.  R.  H.  the  Prince  of  Wales." 
Here  the  Prince  patronizes  John  Smith. 

Pell-mell.  This  adverb  means  mixed  or  mingled  to- 
gether ;  as,  "  Men,  horses,  chariots,  crowded  pell-mell''  It 
can  not  properly  be  applied  to  an  individual.  To  say,  for 
example,  "  He  rushed  pell-mell  down  the  stairs,"  is  as  in- 
correct as  it  would  be  to  say,  "  He  rushed  down  the  stairs 
mixed  together" 

Per.  This  Latin  preposition  is  a  good  deal  used  in 
English,  as,  for  example,  in  such  phrases  as  per  day,  per 
man,  per  pound,  per  ton,  and  so  on.  In  all  such  cases  it 
is  better  to  use  plain  English,  and  say,  a  day,  a  man,  a 
pound,  a  ton,  etc.  Per  is  correct  before  Latin  nouns  only ; 
as,  per  annum,  per  diem,  per  cent.,  etc. 

Perform.  "  She  performs  on  the  piano  beautifully." 
In  how  much  better  taste  it  is  to  say  simply,  "  She  plays 
the  piano  well,"  or,  more  superlatively,  "  exceedingly  well," 
or  "  admirably  "  !  If  we  talk  about  performing  on  musical 
instruments,  to  be  consistent,  we  should  call  those  who 
perform,  piano-performers,  cornet-performers,  violin-per- 
formers, and  so  on. 

Perpetually.  This  word  is  sometimes  misused  for 
tontinually.  Dr.  William  Mathews,  in  his  "  Words,  their 
Use  and  Abuse,"  says:  "The  Irish  are  perpetually  using 


140 


THE   VERBALIST. 


shall  for  -will,"  Perpetiial  means  never  ceasing,  continu- 
ing without  intermission,  uninterrupted ;  while  continual 
means  that  which  is  constantly  renewed  and  recurring  with 
perhaps  frequent  stops  and  interruptions.  As  the  Irish 
do  something  besides  misuse  shall,  the  Doctor  should  have 
said  that  they  continually  use  shall  for  will.  I  might  per- 
haps venture  to  intimate  that  perpetually  is  likewise  misused 
in  the  following  sentence,  which  I  copy  from  the  "  London 
Queen,"  if  I  were  not  conscious  that  the  monster  who  can 
write  and  print  such  a  sentence  would  not  hesitate  to  cable 
a  thunderbolt  at  an  offender  on  the  slightest  provocation. 
Judge,  if  my  fears  are  groundless :  "  But  some  few  people 
contract  the  ugly  habit  of  making  use  of  these  expressions 
unconsciously  and  continuously,  perpetually  interlarding 
their  conversation  with  them." 

Person.  See  PARTY  ;  also,  INDIVIDUAL. 
Personalty.  This  word  does  not,  as  some  persons 
think,  mean  the  articles  worn  on  one's  person.  It  is  prop- 
erly a  law  term,  and  means  personal  property.  "There  is 
but  one  case  on  record  of  a  peer  of  England  leaving  over 
$7>5OO,ooo  personalty." 

Personification.  That  rhetorical  figure  which  attrib- 
utes sex,  life,  or  action  to  inanimate  objects,  or  ascribes  to 
objects  and  brutes  the  acts  and  qualities  of  rational  beings, 
is  called  personification  or  prosopopoeia. 

"  The  mountains  sing  together,  the  hills  rejoice  and  clap 
their  hands"  "  The  worm,  a-ware  of  his  intent,  harangued 
him  thus." 

"  See,   Winter  comes  to  rule  the  varied  year, 

Sullen  and  sad  with  all  his  rising  train." — Thomson. 
"  So  saying,  her  rash  hand,  in  evil  hour, 

Forth  reaching  to  the  fruit,  she  plucked,  she  ate  ! 

Earth  felt  the  wound  j  and  Nature  from  her  seat, 


THE  VERBALIST.  141 

Sighing  through  all  her  works,  gave  signs  of  zuoe, 
That  all  was  lost." — Milton. 
"  War  and  Love  are  strange  compeers. 

War  sheds  blood,  and  Love  sheds  tears  ; 

War  has  swords,  and  Love  has  darts  ; 

War  breaks  heads,  and  Love  breaks  hearts." 

"  Levity  is  often  less  foolish  and  gravity  less  wise  than 
each  of  them  appears." 

"  The  English  language,  by  reserving  the  distinction 
of  gender  for  living  beings  that  have  sex,  gives  especial 
scope  for  personification.  The  highest  form  of  personifica^ 
tion  should  be  used  seldom,  and  only  when  justified  by  the 
presence  of  strong  feeling." — Bain. 

"  Knowledge  and  wisdom,  far  from  being  one, 

Have  ofttimes  no  connection.     Knowledge  dwells 

In  heads  replete  with  thoughts  of  other  men  ; 

Wisdom  in  minds  attentive  to  their  own. 

Knowledge  is  proud  that  he  has  learned  so  much  ; 

Wisdom  is  humble  that  he  knows  no  more." — Cowper. 
Phenomenon.     Plural,  phenomena. 

•  Plead.  The  imperfect  tense  and  the  perfect  participle 
of  the  verb  to  plead  are  both  pleaded  and  not  plead.  "He 
pleaded  not  guilty."  "  You  should  have  pleaded  your  cause 
with  more  fervor." 

Plenty.  In  Worcester's  Dictionary  we  find  the  follow- 
ing note  :  "Plenty  is  much  used  colloquially  as  an  adjec- 
tive, in  the  sense  of  plentiful,  both  in  this  country  and  in 
England  ;  and  this  use  is  supported  by  respectable  author- 
ities, though  it  is  condemned  by  various  critics.  Johnson 
says  :  '  It  is  used  barbarously,  I  think,  for  plentiful' ;  and 
Dr.  Campbell,  in  his  '  Philosophy  of  Rhetoric,'  says  :  '  Plenty 
for  plentiful  appears  to  me  so  gross  a  vulgarism  that  I 
should  not  have  thought  it  worthy  of  a  place  here  if  I  had 


142 


THE   VERBALIST. 


not  sometimes  found  it  in  works  of  considerable  merit."' 
We  should  say,  then,  that  money  is  plentiful,  and  not  that 
it  is  plenty. 

Pleonasm.  Redundancy  or  pleonasm  is  the  use  of  more 
words  than  are  necessary  to  express  the  thought  clearly. 
"  They  returned  back  again  to  the  same  city  from  whence 
they  came  forth  " :  the  five  words  in  italics  are  redundant 
or  pleonastic.  "The  different  departments  of  science  and 
of  art  mutually  reflect  light  on  each  other" :  either  of  the 
expressions  in  italics  embodies  the  whole  idea.  ''  The  uni- 
versal opinion  of  all  men  "  is  a  pleonastic  expression  often 
heard.  "  I  wrote  you  a  letter  yesterday  "  :  here  a  letter  is 
redundant. 

Redundancy  is  sometimes  permissible  for  the  surer  con- 
veyance of  meaning,  for  emphasis,-  and  in  the  language  of 
poetic  embellishment. 

Polite.  This  word  is  much  used  by  persons  of  doubt- 
ful culture,  where  those  of  the  better  sort  use  the  word 
kind.  We  accept  kind,  not  polite  invitations ;  and,  when 
any  one  has  been  obliging,  we  tell  him  that  he  has  been 
kind ;  and,  when  an  interviewing  reporter  tells  us  of  his 
having  met  with  a  polite  reception,  we  may  be  sure  that  the 
person  by  whom  he  has  been  received  deserves  well  for  his 
considerate  kindness.  "  I  thank  you  and  Mrs.  Pope  for 
my  kind  reception." — Atterbury. 

Portion.  This  word  is  often  incorrectly  used  for  part. 
A  portion  is  properly  a  part  assigned,  allotted,  set  aside  for 
a  special  purpose ;  a  share,  a  division.  The  verb  to  por- 
tion means  to  divide,  to  parcel,  to  endow.  We  ask,  there- 
fore, "  In  what  part  [not,  in  what  portion]  of  the  country, 
state,  county,  town,  or  street  do  you  live  ?  " — or,  if  we  pre- 
fer grandiloquence  to  correctness,  reside.  In  the  sentence, 
"  A  large  po rtion  of  the  land  is  untilled,"  the  right  word 


THE   VERBALIST.  143 

would  be  either  part  or  proportion,  according  to  the  inten- 
tion of  the  writer. 

Posted.  A  word  very  much  and  very  inelegantly  used 
for  informed.  Such  expressions  as,  "  I  will  post  you,"  "  I 
must  post  myself  up,"  "  If  I  had  been  better  posted"  and 
the  like,  are,  at  the  best,  but  one  remove  from  slang. 

Predicate.  This  word  is  often  very  incorrectly  used 
in  the  sense  of  to  base ;  as,  "He  predicates  his  opinion  on 
insufficient  data."  Then  we  sometimes  hear  people  talk 
about  predicating  an  action  upon  certain  information  or 
upon  somebody's  statement.  To  predicate  means  primarily 
to  speak  before,  and  has  come  to  be  properly  used  in  the 
sense  of  assumed  or  believed  to  be  the  consequence  of. 
Examples  :  "  Contentment  is  predicated  of  virtue  "  ;  "  Good 
health  may  be  predicated  of  a  good  constitution."  He  who 
is  not  very  sure  that  he  uses  the  word  correctly  would  do 
better  not  to  use  it  at  all. 

Prejudice — Prepossess.  Both  these  words  mean,  to 
incline  in  one  direction  or  the  other  for  some  reason 
not  founded  in  justice ;  but  by  common  consent  prejudice 
has  come  to  be  used  in  an  unfavorable  sense,  and  prepos- 
sess in  a  favorable  one.  Thus,  we  say,  "  He  is  prejudiced 
against  him,"  and  "  He  is  prepossessed  in  his  favor."  We 
sometimes  hear  the  expression,  "  He  is  prejudiced  in  his 
favor,"  but  this  can  not  be  accounted  a  good  use  of  the 
word. 

Prepositions.  The  errors  made  in  the  use  of  the  prep- 
ositions are  very  numerous.  "  The  indolent  child  is  one 
who  [that  ?]  has  a  strong  aversion  from  action  of  any  sort." 
— Graham's  "  English  Synonymes,"  p.  236.  The  prevailing 
and  best  modern  usage  is  in  favor  of  to  instead  of  from 
after  averse  and  aversion,  and  before  the  object.  "  Clear- 
ness .  .  .  enables  the  reader  to  see  thoughts  without  notic- 
10 


14.4  THE   VERBALIST. 

ing  the  language  with  which  they  are  clothed." — Town, 
send's  "  Art  of  Speech."  We  clothe  thoughts  in  language. 
"  Shakespeare  .  .  .  and  the  Bible  are  .  .  .  models  for  the 
English-speaking  tongue." — Ibid.  If  this  means  models  of 
English,  then  it  should  be  of  ;  but  if  it  means  models  for 
English  organs  of  speech  to  practice  on,  then  it  should  be 
for ;  or  if  it  means  models  to  model  English  tongues  after, 
then  also  it  should  be  for.  "  If  the  resemblance  is  too 
faint,  the  mind  is  fatigued  -while  attempting  to  trace  the 
analogies."  "Aristotle  is  in  error  "while  thus  describing 
governments." — Ibid.  Here  we  have  two  examples,  not 
of  the  misuse  of  the  preposition,  but  of  the  erroneous  use 
of  the  adverb  -while  instead  of  the  preposition  in.  "For 
my  part  I  can  not  think  that  Shelley's  poetry,  except  by 
snatches  and  fragments,  has  the  value  of  the  good  work  of 
Wordsworth  or  Byron." — Matthew  Arnold.  Should  be, 
"  except  in  snatches."  "  Taxes  with  us  are  collected  nearly 
[almost]  solely  from  real  and  personal  estate." — "  Apple- 
tons'  Journal."  Taxes  are  levied  on  estates  and  collected 
from  the  owners. 

"  If  I  am  not  commended  for  the  beauty  of  my  works, 
I  may  hope  to  be  pardoned  for  their  brevity."  Cobbett 
comments  on  this  sentence  as  follows :  "  We  may  com- 
mend him  for  the  beauty  of  his  works,  and  we  may  pardon 
him  for  their  brevity,  if  we  deem  the  brevity  a  fault ;  but 
this  is  not  what  he  means.  He  means  that,  at  any  rate,  he 
shall  have  the  merit  of  brevity.  '  If  I  am  not  commended 
for  the  beauty  of  my  works,  I  may  hope  to  be  pardoned  on 
.account  of  their  brevity.'  This  is  what  the  Doctor  meant ; 
but  this  would  have  marred  a  little  the  antithesis :  it  would 
have  unsettled  a  little  of  the  balance  of  that  seesaw  in 
which  Dr.  Johnson  so  much  delighted,  and  which,  falling 
into  the  hands  of  novel-writers  and  of  members  of  Parlia- 


THE   VERBALIST.  145 

ment,  has,  by  moving  unencumbered  with  any  of  the  Doc- 
tor's reason  or  sense,  lulled  so  many  thousands  asleep  ! 
Dr.  Johnson  created  a  race  of  writers  and  speakers.  '  Mr. 
Speaker,  that  the  state  of  the  nation  is  very  critical,  all  men 
will  allow  ;  but  that  it  is  wholly  desperate,  few  will  be- 
lieve.' When  you  hear  or  see  a  sentence  like  this,  be  sure 
that  the  person  who  speaks  or  writes  it  has  been  reading 
Dr.  Johnson,  or  some  of  his  imitators.  But,  observe,  these 
imitators  go  no  further  than  the  frame  of  the  sentences. 
They,  in  general,  take  care  not  to  imitate  the  Doctor  in 
knowledge  and  reasoning." 

The  rhetoricians  would  have  us  avoid  such  forms  of  ex- 
pression as,  "  The  boy  went  to  and  asked  the  advice  of  his 
teacher";  "I  called  on  and  had  a  conversation  -with  my 
brother." 

Very  often  the  preposition  is  not  repeated  in  a  sentence, 
when  it  shourd  be.  We  say  properly,  "  He  comes  from 
Ohio  or  from  Indiana"  ;  or,  "  He  comes  either  from  Ohio 
or  Indiana." 

Prepossess.    See  PREJUDICE. 

Present — Introduce.  Few  errors  are  more  common, 
especially  among  those  who  are  always  straining  to  be  fine, 
than  that  of  using  present,  in  the  social  world,  instead  of 
introduce.  Present  means  to  place  in  the  presence  of  a 
superior ;  introduce,  to  bring  to  be  acquainted.  A  person  is 
presented  at  court,  and  on  an  official  occasion  to  our  Presi- 
dent ;  but  persons  who  are  unknown  to  each  other  are 
introduced  by  a  common  acquaintance.  And  in  these  in= 
troductions,  it  is  the  younger  who  is  introduced  to  the 
older  ;  the  lower  to  the  higher  in  place  or  social  position  ; 
the  gentleman  to  the  lady.  A  lady  should  say,  as  a  rule, 
that  Mr.  Blank  was  introduced  to  her,  not  that  she  was 
introduced  to  Mr.  Blank. 


146  THE  VERBALIST. 

Presumptive.  This  word  is  sometimes  misused  by  the 
careless  far  presumptuous. 

Preventive.  A  useless  and  unwarranted  syllable  is 
sometimes  added  to  this  word — -preventative. 

Previous.  This  adjective  is  much  used  in  an  adverbial 
sense  ;  thus,  "Previous  to  my  return,"  etc.  Until  previous 
is  recognized  as  an  adverb,  if  we  would  speak  grammatical- 
ly, we  must  say,  "Previously  to  my  return."  "Previously 
to  my  leaving  England,  I  called  on  his  lordship." 

Procure.  This  is  a  word  much  used  by  people  who 
strive  to  be  fine.  "  Where  did  you  get  it  ?  "  with  them  is, 
"Where  did  yon  procure  it  ?" 

Profanity.  The  extent  to  which  some  men  habitually 
interlard  their  talk  with  oaths  is  disgusting  even  to  many 
who,  on  occasion,  do  not  themselves  hesitate  to  give  ex- 
pression to  their  feelings  in  oaths  portly  and  unctuous.  If 
these  fellows  could  be  made  to  know  how  offensive  to 
decency  they  make  themselves,  they  would,  perhaps,  be 
less  profane. 

Promise.  This  word  is  sometimes  very  improperly 
used  for  assure ;  thus,  "I  promise  you  I  was  very  much 
astonished." 

Pronouns  of  the  First  Person.  "  The  ordinary  uses 
of  '  I '  and  '  we,'  as  the  singular  and  plural  pronouns  of  the 
first  person,  would  appear  to  be  above  all  ambiguity,  un- 
certainty, or  dispute.  Yet  when  we  consider  the  force  of 
the  plural  '  we,'  we  are  met  with  a  contradiction  ;  for,  as 
a  rule,  only  one  person  can  speak  at  the  same  time  to  the 
same  audience.  It  is  only  by  some  exceptional  arrange- 
ment, or  some  latitude  or  license  of  expression,  that  several 
persons  can  be  conjoint  speakers.  For  example,  a  plurality 
may  sing  together  in  chorus,  and  may  join  in  the  responses 
at  church,  or  in  the  simultaneous  repetition  of  the  Lord's 


THE   VERBALIST.  147 

Prayer  or  the  Creed.  Again,  one  person  may  be  the  au- 
thorized spokesman  in  delivering  a  judgment  or  opinion 
held  by  a  number  of  persons  in  common.  Finally,  in  writ- 
ten compositions,  the  '  we '  is  not  unsuitable,  because  a 
plurality  of  persons  may  append  their  names  to  a  document 

"  A  speaker  using  '  we  '  may  speak  for  himself  and  one 
or  more  others  ;  commonly  he  stands  forward  as  the  repre- 
sentative of  a  class,  more  or  less  comprehensive.  '  As  soon 
as  my  companion  and  I  had  entered  the  field,  we  saw  a 
man  coming  toward  us'  ;  '  -we  like  our  new  curate ' ;  ' you 
do  us  poets  the  greatest  injustice  ' ;  '  we  must  see  to  the 
efficiency  of  our  forces.'  The  widest  use  of  the  pronoun 
will  be  mentioned  presently. 

" '  We '  is  used  for  '  I '  in  the  decrees  of  persons  in  au- 
thority ;  as  when  King  Lear  says  : 

'  Know  that  we  have  divided 
In  three  our  kingdom.' 

By  the  fiction  of  plurality  a  veil  of  modesty  is  thrown  over 
the  assumption  of  vast  superiority  over  human  beings  gen- 
erally. Or,  '  we '  may  be  regarded  as  an  official  form  where- 
by the  speaker  personally  is  magnified  or  enabled  to  rise  to 
the  dignity  of  the  occasion. 

"  The  editorial  'we'  is  to  be  understood  on  the  same 
principle.  An  author  using  '  we '  appears  as  if  he  were  not 
alone,  but  sharing  with  other  persons  the  responsibility  of 
his  views. 

"This  representative  position  is  at  its  utmost  stretch  in 
the  practice  of  using  '  we '  for  human  beings  generally  ;  as 
in  discoursing  on  the  laws  of  human  nature.  The  preach. 
er,  the  novelist,  or  the  philosopher,  in  dwelling  upon  the 
peculiarity  of  our  common  constitution,  being  himself  an 
example  of  what  he  is  speaking  of,  associates  the  rest  of 
mankind  with  him,  and  speaks  collectively  by  means  \>f 


,48  THE  VERBALIST. 

'  we.'  *  We  are  weak  and  fallible ' ;  '  we  are  of  yesterday ' ; 
1  we  are  doomed  to  dissolution.'  '  Here  have  we  no  con- 
tinuing city,  but  we  seek  one  to  come.' 

"It  is  not  unfrequent  to  have  in  one  sentence,  or  in 
close  proximity,  both  the  editorial  and  the  representative 
meaning,  the  effect  being  ambiguity  and  confusion.  '  Let 
us  [the  author]  now  consider  why  we  [humanity  generally] 
overrate  distant  good.'  In  such  a  case  the  author  should 
fallback  upon  the  singular  for  himself — '/will  now  con- 
sider— .'  '  We  [speaker]  think  we  [himself  and  hearers 
together]  should  come  to  the  conclusion.'  Say,  either'/ 
think,'  or  'you  would." 

"  The  following  extract  from  Butler  exemplifies  a  similar 
confusion  :  '  Suppose  we  [representative]  are  capable  of 
happiness  and  of  misery  in  degrees  equally  intense  and 
extreme,  yet  we  [rep.]  are  capable  of  the  latter  for  a  much 
longer  time,  beyond  all  comparison.  We  [change  of  sub- 
ject to  a  limited  class]  see  men  in  the  tortures  of  pain — . 
Such  is  our  [back  to  representative]  make  that  anything 
may  become  the  instrument  of  pain  and  sorrow  to  us.' 
The  '  we '  at  the  commencement  of  the  second  sentence — 
'  We  see  men  in  the  tortures ' — could  be  advantageously 
changed  to  'you,'  or  the  passive  construction  could  be 
substituted  ;  the  remaining  we's  would  then  be  consistently 
representative. 

"  From  the  greater  emphasis  of  singularity,  energetic 
speakers  and  writers  sometimes  use  '  I '  as  representative  of 
mankind  at  large.  Thus :  '  The  current  impressions  re- 
ceived through  the  senses  are  not  voluntary  in  origin.  What 
/  see  in  walking  is  seen  because  /  have  an  organ  of  vision.' 
The  question  of  general  moral  obligation  is  forcibly  stated 
by  Paley  in  the  individual  form,  '  Why  am  /  obliged  to 
keep  my  word  ? '  It  is  sometimes  well  to  confine  the  atten- 


THE   VERBALIST. 


149 


tion  of  the  hearer  or  reader  to  his  own  relation  to  the 
matter  under  consideration,  more  especially  in  difficult  or 
non-popular  argument  or  exposition.  The  speaker,  by 
using  '  I,'  does  the  action  himself,  or  makes  himself  the 
example,  the  hearer  being  expected  to  put  himself  in  the 
same  position." — Bain's  "  Composition  Grammar." 

Pronouns  of  the  Second  Person.  "  Anomalous  usages 
have  sprung  up  in  connection  with  these  pronouns.  The 
plural  form  has  almost  wholly  superseded  the  singular ;  a 
usage  more  than  five  centuries  old.* 

"  The  motive  is  courtesy.  The  singling  out  of  one  per- 
son for  address  is  supposed  to  be  a  liberty  or  an  excess  of 
familiarity ;  and  the  effect  is  softened  or  diluted  by  the 
fiction  of  taking  in  others.  If  our  address  is  uncompliment- 
ary, the  sting  is  lessened  by  the  plural  form  ;  and  if  the 
reverse,  the  shock  to  modesty  is  not  so  great.  This  is  a 
refinement  that  was  unknown  to  the  ancient  languages. 
The  orators  of  Greece  delighted  in  the  strong,  pointed, 
personal  appeal  implied  in  the  singular  '  thou.'  In  modern 
German,  '  thou '  (du)  is  the  address  of  familiarity  and  in- 
timacy ;  while  the  ordinary  pronoun  is  the  curiously  in- 
direct '  they '  ( .SiV).  On  solemn  occasions,  we  may  revert 
to  '  thou.'  Cato,  in  his  meditative  soliloquy  on  reading 
Plato's  views  on  the  immortality  of  the  soul  before  killing 
himself,  says :  '  Plato,  thou  reasonest  well.'  So  in  the 
Commandments,  'thou'  addresses  to  each  individual  an 
unavoidable  appeal :  '  Thou  shalt  not .'  But  our  ordi- 
nary means  of  making  the  personal  appeal  is,  '  you,  sir,' 

'you,  madam,'  'ray  Lord,  you ,'  etc. ;  we  reserve  'thou' 

for  the  special  case  of  addressing  the  Deity.  The  applica- 
tion of  the  motive  of  courtesy  is  here  reversed  ;  it  would  be 

*  "  The  use  of  the  plural  for  the  singular  was  established  as  early  as 
the  beginning  of  the  fourteenth  century." — Morris,  p.  118,  §  153. 


150  THE   VERBALIST. 

irreverent  to  merge  this  vast  personality  in  a  promiscuous 
assemblage. 

"'You'  is  not  unfrequently  employed,  like  'we,' as  a 
representative  pronoun.  The  action  is  represented  with 
great  vividness,  when  the  person  or  persons  addressed  may 
be  put  forward  as  the  performers  :  '  There  is  such  an  echo 
among  the  old  ruins  and  vaults,  that  if  you  stamp  a  little 
louder  than  ordinary,  you  hear  the  sound  repeated  ' ;  '  Some 
practice  is  required  to  see  these  animals  in  the  thick  forest, 
even  when  yoti  hear  them  close  by  you.' 

"  There  should  not  be  a  mixture  of  '  thou '  and  '  you ' 
in  the  same  passage.  Thus,  Thackeray  (Adventures  of 
Philip) :  '  So,  as  thy  sun  rises,  friend,  over  the  humble 
house-tops  round  about  your  home,  shall  you  wake  many 
and  many  a  day  to  duty  and  labor.'  So,  Cooper  (Water- 
Witch)  :  '  7^02/hast  both  master  and  mistress?  You  have 
told  us  of  the  latter,  but  we  would  kftow  something  of  the 
former.  Who  is  thy  master?'  Shakespeare,  Scott,  and 
others  might  also  be  quoted. 

"  '  Ye'  and  '  you '  were  at  one  time  strictly  distinguished 
as  different  cases;  'ye'  was  nominative,  'you'  objective 
(dative  or  accusative).  But  the  Elizabethan  dramatists  con- 
founded the  forms  irredeemably  ;  and  '  you '  has  gradually 
ousted  '  ye '  from  ordinary  use.  '  Ye '  is  restricted  to  the 
expression  of  strong  feeling,  and  in  this  employment  occurs 
chiefly  in  the  poets." — Bain's  "Composition  Grammar." 

Proof.  This  word  is  much  and  very  improperly  used 
for  evidence,  which  is  only  the  medium  of  proof,  proof  being 
the  effect  of  evidence.  "  What  evidence  have  you  to  offer  in 
proof  of  the  truth  of  your  statement  ?  "  See  also  EVIDENCE. 

Propose — Purpose.  Writers  and  speakers  often  fail  to 
discriminate  properly  between  the  respective  meanings  of 
these  two  verbs.  Propose,  correctly  used,  means,  to  put 


THE   VERBALIST.  1?1 

forward  or  to  offer  for  tJte  consideration  of  others  ;  hence,  a 
proposal  is  a  scheme  or  design  offered  for  acceptance  or  con- 
sideration, a  proposition.  Purpose  means,  to  intend,  to 
design,  to  resolve  ;  hence,  a  purpose  is  an  intention,  an  aim, 
that  which  one  sets  before  one's  self.  Examples  :  "  What 
do  you  purpose  doing  in  the  matter?"  "What  do  you 
propose  that  we  shall  do  in  the  matter  ?  "  "I  will  do  "  means 
"  I  purpose  doing,  or  to  do."  "  I  purpose  to  write  a  history 
of  England  from  the  accession  of  King  James  the  Second 
down  to  a  time  which  is  within  the  memory  of  men  still 
living." — Macaulay.  It  will  be  observed  that  Macaulay 
says,  "  I  purpose  to  write,"  and  not,  "  I  purpose  -wtiting" 
using  the  verb  in  the  infinitive  rather  than  in  the  participial 
form.  "On  which  he  purposed  to  mount  one  of  his  little 
guns."  See  INFINITIVE. 

Proposition.  This  word  is  often  used  when  proposal 
would  be  better,  for  the  reason  that  proposal  has  but  one 
meaning,  and  is  shorter  by  one  syllable.  "  He  demon- 
strated the  proposition  of  Euclid,  and  rejected  the  proposal 
of  his  friend." 

Prosaist.  Dr.  Hall  is  of  opinion  that  this  is  a  word 
we  shall  do  well  to  encourage.  It  is  used  by  good  writers. 

Proven.  This  form  for  the  past  participle  of  the  verb 
to  prove  is  said  to  be  a  Scotticism.  It  is  not  used  by  careful 
writers  and  speakers.  The  correct  form  is  proved. 

Providing.  The  present  participle  of  the  verb  to  pro* 
vide  is  sometimes  vulgarly  used  for  the  conjunction  provided, 
as  in  this  sentence  from  the  "  London  Queen  "  :  "  Society 
may  be  congratulated,  .  .  .  providing  that,"  etc. 

Provoke.    See  AGGRAVATE. 

Punctuation.  The  importance  of  punctuation  can  not 
be  overestimated  ;  it  not  only  helps  to  make  plain  the  mean- 
ing of  what  one  writes,  but  it  may  prevent  one's  being  mis- 


15Z 


THE   VERBALIST. 


construed.  Though  no  two  writers  could  be  found  who 
punctuate  just  alike,  still  in  the  main  those  who  pay  atten- 
tion to  the  art  put  in  their  stops  in  essentially  the  same 
manner.  The  difference  that  punctuation  may  make  in  the 
meaning  of  language  is  well  illustrated  by  the  following 
anecdote : 

At  Ramessa  there  lived  a  benevolent  and  hospitable 
prior,  who  caused  these  lines  to  be  painted  over  his  door : 
"  Be  open  evermore, 
O  thou  my  door  ! 
To  none  be  shut — to  honest  or  to  poor  ! " 

In  time  the  good  prior  was  succeeded  by  a  man  as  selfish 
as  his  predecessor  was  generous.     The  lines  over  the  door 
of  the  priory  were  allowed  to  remain  ;  one  stop,  however, 
was  altered,  which  made  them  read  thus  : 
"  Be  open  evermore, 
O  thou  my  door  ! 
To  none — be  shut  to  honest  or  to  poor  ! " 

He  punctuates  best  who  makes  his  punctuation  con- 
tribute most  to  the  clear  expression  of  his  thought ;  and 
that  construction  is  best  that  has  least  need  of  being  punc- 
tuated. 

THE  COMMA. — The  chief  difference  in  the  punctuation 
of  different  writers  is  usually  in  their  use  of  the  comma,  in 
regard  to  which  there  is  a  good  deal  of  latitude  ;  much  is 
left  to  individual  taste.  Nowadays  the  best. practice  uses 
it  sparingly.  An  idea  of  the  extent  to  which  opinions 
differ  with  regard  to  the  use  of  the  comma  may  be  formed 
from  the  following  excerpt  from  a  paper  prepared  for 
private  use  : 

"  In  the  following  examples,  gathered  from  various 
sources — chiefly  from  standard  books — the  superfluous  com- 
mas  are  inclosed  in  parentheses  : 


THE   VERBALIST.  153 

"  I.  'It  remains(,)  perhaps(,)  to  be  said(,)  that,  if  any 
lesson  at  all(,)  as  to  these  delicate  matters(,)  is  needed(,)  in 
this  period,  it  is  not  so  much  a  lesson,'  etc.  2.  '  The  obe- 
dience is  not  due  to  the  power  of  a  right  authority,  but  to 
the  spirit  of  fear,  and(,)  therefore(,)  is(,)  in  reality(,)  no 
obedience  at  all.'  3.  '  The  patriot  disturbances  in  Canada 
.  .  .  awakened  deep  interest  among  the  people  of  the  United 
States(,)  who  lived  adjacent  to  the  frontier.'  4.  '  Observers(>) 
who  have  recently  investigated  this  point(,)  do  not  all  agree,' 
etc.  5.  '  The  wind  did(,)  in  an  instant(,)  what  man  and 
steam  together  had  failed  to  do  in  hours.'  6.  'All  the  cabin 
passengers(,)  situated  beyond  the  center  of  the  boat(,)  were 
saved.'  7.  '  No  other  writer  has  depicted(,)  with  so  much 
art  or  so  much  accuracy(,)  the  habits,  the  manners,'  etc.  8. 
'  If  it  shall  give  satisfaction  to  those  who  have(,)  in  any  way(,) 
befriended  it,  the  author  will  feel,'  etc.  9.  '  Fonned(,)  or 
consisting  of(,)  clay.'  10.  '  The  subject  [witchcraft]  grew 
interesting  ;  and(,)  to  examine  Sarah  Cloyce  and  Elizabeth 
Proctor,  the  deputy-governor(,)  and  five  other  magistrates^) 
went  to  Salem.'  n.  '  The  Lusitanians(,)  who  had  not  left 
their  home(,)  rose  as  a  man, 'etc.  12.  '  Vague  reports  .  .  .  had 
preceded  him  to  Washington,  and  his  Mississippi  friends(,) 
who  chanced  to  be  at  the  capitalQ  were  not  backward  to 
make  their  boast  of  him.'  13.  '  Our  faith  has  acquired  a 
new  vigor(,)  and  a  clearer  vision.'  14.  '  In  iSigQ  he  re- 
moved to  Cambridge.'  15.  '  Dore  was  born  at  Strasburg(,) 
in  1832,  and  labors,'  etc.  16.  '  We  should  never  apply  dry 
compresses,  charpie,  or  wadding(,)  to  the  wound.'  17.  ' — to 
stand  idle,  to  look,  act,  or  think(,)  in  a  leisurely  way."  18. 
' — portraits  taken  from  the  farmers,  schoolmasters,  and 
peasantry(,)  of  the  neighborhood.'  19.  ' — gladly  wel- 
comed painters  of  Flanders,  Holland,  and  Spain(,)  to  their 
shores.' 


154  THE   VERBALIST. 

"  In  all  these  cases,  the  clauses  between  or  following  the 
inclosed  commas  are  so  closely  connected  grammatically 
with  the  immediately  preceding  words  or  phrases,  that  they 
should  be  read  without  a  perceptible  pause,  or  with  only  a 
slight  one  for  breath,  without  change  of  voice.  Some  of 
the  commas  would  grossly  pervert  the  meaning  if  strictly 
construed.  Thus,  from  No.  3  it  wculd  appear  that  the 
people  of  the  United  States  in  general  lived  adjacent  to  the 
frontier ;  from  No.  4,  that  all  observers  have  recently  in- 
vestigated the  point  in  question  ;  from  No.  6,  that  all  the 
cabin  passengers  were  so  situated  that  they  were  saved, 
whereas  it  is  meant  that  only  a  certain  small  proportion  of 
them  were  saved  ;  from  No.  10  (Bancroft),  that  somebody 
whose  name  is  accidentally  omitted  went  to  Salem  '  to  ex- 
amine Sarah  Cloyce  and  Elizabeth  Proctor,  the  deputy- 
governor,  and  five  other  magistrates';  from  No.  n,  that 
none  of  the  Lusitanians  had  left  their  home,  whereas  it  was 
the  slaughter  by  the  Romans  of  a  great  number  of  them  who 
had  left  their  home  that  caused  the  rising. 

"  Commas  are  frequently  omitted,  and  in  certain  posi- 
tions very  generally,  where  the  sense  and  correct  reading 
require  a  pause.  In  the  following  examples,  such  commas, 
omitted  in  the  works  from  which  they  were  taken,  are  in- 
closed in  brackets : 

"  I.  '  The  modes  of  thought[,]  and  the  types  of  charac- 
ter which  those  modes  proclucef,]  are  essentially  and  uni- 
versally transformed.'  2.  '  Taken  by  itselff,]  this  doctrine 
could  have  no  effect  whatever ;  indeed[,]  it  would  amount 
to  nothing  but  a  verbal  proposition.'  3.  '  Far  belowf,]  the 
little  stream  of  the  Oder  foamed  over  the  rocks.'  4.  '  When 
the  day  returned[,]  the  professor,  the  artist[,]  and  I  rowed 
to  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  shore.'  5.  '  Proceeding 
into  the  interior  of  India[,]  they  passed  through  Belgaum/ 


THE   VERBALIST.  155 

6.  '  If  Loring  is  defeated  in  the  Sixth  District[,]  it  can  be 
borne.' 

"  In  No.  3,  the  reader  naturally  enunciates  '  the  little 
stream  of  the  Oder '  as  in  the  objective  case  after  '  below ' ; 
but  there  he  comes  to  a  predicate  which  compels  him  to  go 
back  and  read  differently.  In  No.  4,  it  appears  that  '  the 
day  returned  the  professor,'  and  then  '  the  artist  and  I 
rowed,'  etc." 

All  clauses  should  generally  be  isolated  by  commas  ; 
where,  however,  the  connection  is  very  close  or  the  clause 
is  very  short,  no  point  may  be  necessary.  "  But  his  pride 
is  greater  than  his  ignorance,  and  what  he  wants  in  knowl- 
edge he  supplies  by  sufficiency."  "  A  man  of  polite  imagi- 
nation can  converse  with  a  picture,  and  find  an  agreeable 
companion  in  a  statue."  "Though  he  slay  me,  yet  will  I 
trust  him."  "  The  prince,  his  father  being  dead,  suc- 
ceeded." "To  confess  the  truth,  I  was  much  at  fault." 
"  As  the  heart  panteth  after  the  water-brooks,  so  panteth 
my  soul  after  thee."  "Where  the  bee  sucks,  there  suck 
I."  "  His  father  dying,  he  succeeded  to  the  estate." 
"  The  little  that  is  known,  and  the  circumstance  that  little 
is  known,  must  be  considered  as  honorable  to  him." 

The  comma  is  used  before  and  after  a  phrase  when  co- 
ordinating and  not  restrictive.  "  The  jury,  having  retired 
for  half  an  hour,  brought  in  a  verdict."  "The  stranger, 
unwilling  to  obtrude  himself  on  our  notice,  left  in  the 
morning."  "  Rome,  the  city  of  the  Emperors,  became  the 
city  of  the  Popes."  "  His  stories,  which  made  everybody 
laugh,  were  often  made  to  order."  "He  did  not  come, 
which  I  greatly  regret."  "  The  younger,  who  was  yet  a 
boy,  had  nothing  striking  in  his  appearance."  "  They 
passed  the  cup  to  the  stranger,  who  drank  heartily." 
"  Peace  at  any  price,  which  these  orators  seem  to  advo- 


156  THE   VERBALIST. 

cate,  means  war  at  any  cost."  "  Sailors,  who  are  generally 
superstitious,  say  it  is  unlucky  to  embark  on  Friday." 

Adverbs  and  short  phrases,  -when  they  break  the  con- 
nection, should  be  between  commas.  Some  of  the  most 
common  words  and  phrases  so  used  are  the  following : 
Also,  too,  there,  indeed,  perhaps,  surely,  moreover,  like- 
wise, however,  finally,  namely,  therefore,  apparently,  mean- 
while, consequently,  unquestionably,  accordingly,  notwith- 
standing, in  truth,  in  fact,  in  short,  in  general,  in  reality, 
no  doubt,  of  course,  as  it  were,  at  all  events,  to  be  brief, 
to  be  sure,  now  and  then,  on  the  contrary,  in  a  word,  by 
chance,  in  that  case,  in  the  mean  time,  for  the  most  part. 
"  History,  in  a  word,  is  replete  with  moral  lessons."  "As 
an  orator,  however,  he  was  not  great."  "There  is,  re- 
member, a  limit  at  which  forbearance  ceases  to  be  a  vir- 
tue." "  Our  civilization,  therefore,  is  not  an  unmixed 
good."  "  This,  I  grant  you,  is  not  of  great  importance." 

If,  however,  the  adverb  does  not  break  the  connection, 
but  readily  coalesces  with  the  rest  of  the  sentence,  the 
commas  are  omitted.  "  Morning  will  come  at  last,  how- 
ever dark  the  night  may  be."  "  We  then  proceeded  on 
our  way."  "  Our  civilization  is  therefore  not  an  unmixed 
good."  "  Patience,  I  say  ;  your  mind  perhaps  may 
change." 

Adverbial  phrases  and  clauses  beginning  a  sentence  are 
set  off  by  commas.  "In  truth,  I  could  not  tell."  "To 
sum  up,  the  matter  is  this."  "  Everything  being  ready, 
they  set  out."  "By  looking  a  little  deeper,  the  reason 
will  be  found."  "  Finally,  let  me  sum  up  the  argument." 
"  If  the  premises  were  admitted,  I  should  deny  the  conclu- 
sion." "  Where  your  treasure  is,  there  will  your  heart  be 
also." 

Words  used  in  apposition  should  be  isolated  by  com- 


THE   VERBALIST.  157 

mas.  "  Newton,  the  great  mathematician,  was  very  mod- 
est." "  And  he,  their  prince,  shall  rank  among  my  peers." 
In  such  sentences,  however,  as,  "  The  mathematician  New- 
ton was  very  modest,"  and  "  The  Emperor  Napoleon  was 
a  great  soldier,"  commas  are  not  used. 

The  name  or  designation  of  a  person  addressed  is  iso- 
lated by  commas.  "  It  touches  you,  my  lord,  as  well  as 
me."  "John,  come  here."  "  Mr.  President,  my  object  is 
peace."  "  Tell  me,  boy,  where  do  you  live?"  "  Yes,  sir, 
I  will  do  as  you  say."  "  Mr.  Brown,  what  is  your  number?  " 

Pairs  of  words. — "  Old  and  young,  rich  and  poor,  wise 
and  foolish,  were  involved."  "  Sink  or  swim,  live  or  die, 
survive  or  perish,  I  give  my  hand  and  heart  to  this  vote." 
"Interest  and  ambition,  honor  and  shame,  friendship  and 
enmity,  gratitude  and  revenge,  are  the  prime  movers  in 
public  transactions." 

A  restrictive  clause  is  not  separated  by  a  comma  from 
the  noun.  "  Every  one  must  love  a  boy  who  [that]  is  at- 
tentive and  docile."  "  He  preaches  sublimely  who  [that] 
lives  a  holy  life."  "  The  things  which  [that]  are  seen  are 
temporal."  "  A  king  depending  on  the  support  of  his  sub- 
jects can  not  rashly  go  to  war."  "  The  sailor  who  [that]  is 
not  superstitious  will  embark  any  day." 

The  comma  is  used  after  adjectives,  nouns,  and  verbs 
in  sentences  like  the  following  : 

"  Are  all  thy  conquests,  glories,  triumphs,  spoils 

Shrunk  to  this  little  measure  ?  " 
"  He  fills,  he  bounds,  connects  and  equals  all." 
"  Who  to  the  enraptured  heart,  and  ear,  and  eye 

Teach  beauty,  virtue,  truth,  and  love,  and  melody."  * 

*  "  Some  writers  omit  the  comma  in  cases  where  the  conjunction  is 
used.  But,  as  the  conjunction  is  generally  employed  in  such  cases  for 
emphasis,  commas  ought  to  be  used  ;  although,  where  the  words  are 


158  THE  VERBALIST. 

"  He  rewarded  his  friends,  chastised  his  foes,  set 
Justice  on  her  seat,  and  made  his  conquest  secure." 

The  comma  is  used  to  separate  adjectives  in  opposition, 
but  closely  connected.  "Though  deep,  yet  clear;  though 
gentle,  yet  not  dull."  "  Liberal,  not  lavish,  is  kind  Na- 
ture's hand."  "  Though  black,  yet  comely  ;  and  though 
rash,  benign." 

After  a  nominative,  where  the  verb  is  understood. 
"  To  err  is  human  ;  to  forgive,  divine."  "  A  wise  man 
seeks  to  shine  in  himself;  a  fool,  in  others."  "Conversa- 
tion makes  a  ready  man  ;  writing,  an  exact  man  ;  reading, 
a  full  man." 

A  long  subject  is  often  separated  from  the  predicate  by 
a  comma.  "  Any  one  that  refuses  to  earn  an  honest  liveli- 
hood, is  not  an  object  of  charity."  "  The  circumstance  of 
his  being  unprepared  to  adopt  immediate  and  decisive 
measures,  was  represented  to  the  Government."  "  That 
he  had  persistently  disregarded  every  warning  and  per- 
severed in  his  reckless  course,  had  not  yet  undermined 
his  credit  with  his  dupes."  "  That  the  work  of  forming 
and  perfecting  the  character  is  difficult,  is  generally  al- 
lowed." 

In  a  series  of  adjectives  that  precede  their  noun,  a 
comma  is  placed  after  each  except  the  last ;  there  usage 
omits  the  point.  "  A  beautiful,  tall,  willowy,  sprightly 
girl."  "  A  quick,  brilliant,  studious,  learned  man."  * 

A  comma  is  placed  between  short  members  of  corn- 
very  closely  connected,  or  where  they  constitute  a  clause  in  the  midst 
of  a  long  sentence,  they  may  be  omitted." — Bigelow's  "Handbook  of 
Punctuation." 

*  "  This  usage  violates  one  of  the  fundamental  principles  of  punc- 
tuation ;  it  indicates,  very  improperly,  that  the  noun  man  is  more 
closely  connected  with  learned  than  with  the  other  adjectives.  Anal- 
ogy and  perspicuity  require  a  comma  after  learned."  —  Quackenbos. 


THE   VERBALIST. 


159 


pound  sentences,  connected  by  and,  but,  for,  nor,  or,  because, 
whereas,  that  expressing  purpose  (so  that,  in  order  that), 
and  other  conjunctions.  "  Be  virtuous,  that  you  may  be 
respected."  "  Love  not  sleep,  lest  you  come  to  poverty." 
"  Man  proposes,  but  God  disposes." 

A  comma  must  not  be  placed  before  that  except  when 
it  is  equivalent  to  in  order  that.  "  He  says  that  \\f,  will  be 
here." 

A  comma  must  not  be  placed  before  and  when  it  con- 
nects two  words  only.  "  Time  and  tide  wait  for  no  man." 
"A  rich  and  prosperous  people."  "  Plain  and  honest  truth 
wants  no  artificial  covering." 

A  comma  is  sometimes  necessary  to  prevent  ambiguity. 
"  He  who  pursues  pleasure  only  defeats  the  object  of  his 
creation."  Without  a  comma  before  or  after  only,  the 
meaning  of  this  sentence  is  doubtful. 

The  following  sentences  present  some  miscellaneous 
examples  of  the  use  of  the  comma  by  writers  on  punctu- 
ation :  "Industry,  as  well  as  genius,  is  essential  to  the 
production  of  great  works."  "  Prosperity  is  secured  to  a 
state,  not  by  the  acquisition  of  territory  or  riches,  but  by 
the  encouragement  of  industry."  "Your  manners  are  af- 
fable, and,  for  the  most  part,  pleasing."  * 

"  However  fairly  a  bad  man  may  appear  to  act,  we 
distrust  him."  "Why,  this  is  rank  injustice."  "Well, 
follow  the  dictates  of  your  inclination."  "  The  comma 
may  be  omitted  in  the  case  of  too,  also,  therefore,  andper- 
haps,  when  introduced  so  as  not  to  interfere  with  the  har- 
monious flow  of  the-  period  ;  and,  particularly,  when  the 
sentence  is  short."  f  "  Robert  Horton,  M.  D.,  F.  R.  S." 
"  To  those  who  labor,  sleep  is  doubly  pleasant  "  ;  "  Sleep 

*  Many  writers  would  omit  the  last  two  commas  in  this  sentence, 
t  The  commas  before  and  niter  particularly  are  hardly  necessary 
11 


l6o  THE   VERBALIST. 

is  doubly  pleasant  to  those  who  labor."  "  Those  who 
persevere,  succeed."  "To  be  overlooked,  slighted,  and 
neglected  ;  to  be  misunderstood,  misrepresented,  and  slan- 
dered ;  to  be  trampled  under  foot  by  the  envious,  the  igno- 
rant, and  the  vile ;  to  be  crushed  by  foes,  and  to  be  dis- 
trusted and  betrayed  even  by  friends — such  is  too  often  the 
fate  of  genius."  "  She  is  tall,  though  not  so  handsome  as 
her  sister."  "Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you."  "Whatever 
is,  is  right."  "  What  is  foreordained  to  be,  will  be."  "The 
Emperor  Augustus  was  a  patron  of  the  fine  arts."  "Au- 
gustus, the  Emperor,  was  a  patron  of  the  fine  arts." 
"  United,  we  stand  ;  divided,  we  fall."  "  God  said,  Let 
there  be  light."  "July  21,  1881."  "President  Garfield 
was  shot,  Saturday  morning,  July  2,  1881  ;  he  died,  Monday 
night,  Sept.  19,  1881."  "I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  ycur 
obedient  servant,  John  Jones."  "  New  York,  August, 
1881."  "Room  20,  Equitable  Building,  Broadway,  New 
York." 

"  When  you  are  in  doubt  as  to  the  propriety  of  inserting 
commas,  omit  them  ;  IT  is  BETTER  TO  HAVE  TOO  FEW  THAN 
TOO  MANY." — Quackenbos. 

THE  SEMICOLON. — Reasons  are  preceded  by  semicolons  ; 
"  Economy  is  no  disgrace  ;  for  it  is  better  to  live  on  a  little 
than  to  outlive  a  great  deal."  Clauses  in  opposition  are 
separated  by  a  semicolon  when  the  second  is  introduced  by 
an  adversative  :  "Straws  swim  at  the  surface  ;  but  pearls 
lie  at  the  bottom  "  ;  "  Lying  lips  are  an  abomination  to  the 
Lord  ;  but  they  that  deal  truly  are  his  delight."  Without 
the  adversative,  the  colon  is  to  be  preferred  :  "  Prosperity 
showeth  vice  :  adversity,  virtue."  The  great  divisions  of  a 
sentence  must  be  pointed  with  a  semicolon  when  the  minor 
divisions  are  pointed  with  commas  :  "  Mirth  should  be  the 
embroidery  of  conversation,  not  the  web  ;  and  wit  the  orna- 


THE  VERBALIST.  161 

ment  of  the  mind,  not  the  furniture."  The  things  enu- 
merated must  be  separated  by  semicolons,  when  the  enun- 
ciation of  particulars  is  preceded  by  a  colon  :  "  The  value 
of  a  maxim  depends  on  four  things :  the  correctness  of  the 
principle  it  embodies ;  the  subject  to  which  it  relates  ;  the 
extent  of  its  application  ;  and  the  ease  with  which  it  may 
be  practically  carried  out."  When  as  introduces  an  ex- 
ample, it  is  preceded  by  a  semicolon.  When  several 
successive  clauses  have  a  common  connection  with  a  pre- 
ceding or  following  clause,  they  are  separated  by  semi- 
colons ;  as,  "  Children,  as  they  gamboled  on  the  beach ; 
reapers,  as  they  gathered  the  harvest ;  mowers,  as  they 
rested  from  using  the  scythe  ;  mothers,  as  they  busied  them- 
selves about  the  household — were  victims  to  an  enemy, 
who  disappeared  the  moment  a  blow  was  struck."  "  Reason 
as  we  may,  it  is  impossible  not  to  read  in  such  a  fate  much 
that  we  know  not  how  to  interpret ;  much  of  provocation 
to  cruel  deeds  and  deep  resentment  ;  much  of  apology  for 
wrong  and  perfidy  ;  much  of  doubt  and  misgiving  as  to  the 
past ;  much  of  painful  recollections  ;  much  of  dark  fore- 
boding." "Philosophers  assert  that  Nature  is  unlimited; 
that  her  treasures  are  endless  ;  that  the  increase  of  knowl- 
edge will  never  cease." 

THE  COLON. — This  point  is  less  used  now  than  former- 
ly :  its  place  is  supplied  by  the  period,  the  semicolon,  or 
the  dash  ;  and  sometimes,  even  by  the  comma.  The  colon 
is  used  very  differently  by  different  writers.  "  He  was 
heard  to  say,  '  I  have  done  with  this  world.'"  Some  writers 
would  put  a  colon,  some  a  comma,  after  say.  "  When  the 
quoted  passage  is  brought  in  without  any  introductory 
word,  if  short,"  says  Quackenbos,  "it  is  generally  preceded 
by  a  comma  ;  if  long,  by  a  colon  ;  as,  '  A  simpleton,  meet- 
ing a  philosopher,  asked  him,  "  What  affords  wise  men  the 


162  THE  VERBALIST. 

greatest  pleasure  ?  "    Turning  on  his  heel,  the  sage  replied, 
"  To  get  rid  of  fools." ' 

Formal  enumerations  of  particulars,  and  direct  quota- 
tions, when  introduced  by  such  phrases  as  in  these  -words, 
as  follows,  the  following,  namely,  this,  these,  thus,  etc.,  are 
properly  preceded  by  a  colon.  "  We  hold  these  truths  to 
be  self-evident :  that  all  men  are  created  equal  ;  that  they 
are  endowed  by  their  Creator  with  certain  inalienable 
rights ;  that  among  these  are  life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit 
of  happiness."  "  Lord  Bacon  has  summed  up  the  whole 
matter  in  the  following  words  :  '  A  little  philosophy  in- 
clineth  men's  minds  to  atheism  ;  but  depth  in  philosophy 
bringeth  men's  minds  to  religion.'  "  "  The  human  family 
is  composed  of  five  races :  first,  the  Caucasian  ;  second, 
the  Mongolian  ;  third,  the,"  etc. 

"All  were  attentive  to  the  godlike  man, 
When  from  his  lofty  couch  he  thus  began  : 
'  Great  queen,'  "  etc. — Dryden. 

When  the  quotation,  or  other  matter,  begins  a  new 
paragraph,  the  colon  is,  by  many  writers,  followed  with  a 
dash  ;  as,  "  The  cloth  being  removed,  the  President  rose 
and  said  : — 

"  '  Ladies  and  gentlemen,  we  are,'  "  etc. 

The  colon  is  used  to  mark  the  greater  breaks  in  sen- 
tences, when  the  lesser  breaks  are  marked  by  semicolons. 
"  You  have  called  yourself  an  atom  in  the  universe ;  you 
have  said  that  you  are  but  an  insect  in  the  solar  blaze  :  is 
your  present  pride  consistent  with  these  professions  ?  "  "A 
clause  is  either  independent  or  dependent :  independent,  ^ 
if  it  forms  an  assertion  by  itself;  dependent,  if  it  enters 
into  some  other  clause  with  the  value  of  a  part  of  speech." 
A  colon  is  sometimes  used  instead  of  a  period  to  separate 
two  short  sentences,  which  are  closely  connected.  "  Never 


THE   VERBALIST. 


163 


flatter  people  :  leave  that  to  such  as  mean  to  betray  them." 
"  Some  things  we  can,  and  others  we  can  not  do  :  we  can 
walk,  but  we  can  not  fly." 

THE  PERIOD. — Complete  sentences  are  always  followed 
either  by  a  period,  or  by  an  exclamation  or  an  interrogation 
point.* 

The  period  is  also  used  after  abbreviations  ;  as,  R.  D. 
Van  Nostrand,  St.  Louis,  Mo.  ;  Jno.  B.  Morris,  M.  D., 
F.  R.  S.,  London,  Eng. ;  Jas.  W.  Wallack,  Jr.,  New  York 
City,  N.  Y. ;  Jas.  B.  Roberts,  Elocutionist,  Phila.,  Pa. 

INTERROGATION-POINT. — This  point  is  used  after  ques- 
tions put  by  the  writer,  and  after  questions  reported  direct- 
ly. "  What  can  I  do  for  you  ?  "  "  Where  are  you  going  ?  " 
"  What  do  you  say  ?  "  cried  the  General.  "  The  child  still 
lives?"  It  should  not  be  used  when  the  question  is  re- 
ported indirectly.  "  He  asked  me  where  I  was  going." 
"  The  Judge  asked  the  witness  if  he  believed  the  man  to 
be  guilty." 

EXCLAMATION-POINT. — This  mark  is  placed  after  in- 
terjections, after  sentences  and  clauses  of  sentences  of  pas- 
sionate import,  and  after  solemn  invocations  and  addresses. 
"  Zounds  !  the  man's  in  earnest."  "  Pshaw  !  what  can  we 
do  ?  "  "  Bah  !  what's  that  to  me  ?  "  "  Indeed  !  then  I  must 
look  to  it."  "  Look,  my  lord,  it  comes  ! "  "  Rest,  rest, 
perturbed  spirit ! "  "  O  heat,  dry  up  my  brains  !  "  "  Dear 
maid,  kind  sister,  sweet  Ophelia!"  "While  in  this  part 
of  the  country,  I  once  more  revisited — and,  alas,  with  what 
melancholy  presentiments! — the  home  of  my  youth."  "O 
rose  of  May  ! "  "  Oh,  from  this  time  forth,  my  thoughts 
be  bloody  or  be  nothing  worth  !  "  "  O  heavens  !  die  two 
months  ago,  and  not  forgotten  yet  ?  " 

*  The  only  exception  to  this  rule  is  the  occasional  use  of  the  colon 
to  separate  two  short  sentences  that  are  closely  connected. 


164  THE   VERBALIST, 

"  Night,  sable  goddess  !  from  her  ebon  throne, 
In  rayless  majesty  now  stretches  forth 
Her  leaden  scepter  o'er  a  slumbering  world. 
Silence,  how  dead  !  and  darkness,  how  profound " ! 

— Young. 

"  Hail,  holy  light !  offspring  of  heaven  just  born  !  " — Miltoa 
"  But  thou,  O  Hope  !  with  eyes  so  fair, 
What  was  thy  delighted  measure  ?  " — Collins. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  interjection  O  is  an  excep- 
tion to  the  rule  :  it  is  often  followed  by  a  comma,  but  never 
by  an  exclamation-point. 

An  exclamation-point  sometimes  gives  the  same  words 
quite  another  meaning.  The  difference  between  "  What's 
that  ?  "  and  "  What's  that ! "  is  obvious. 

THE  DASH. — Cobbett  did  not  favor  the  use  of  this  mark, 
as  we  see  from  the  following  :  "  Let  me  caution  you  against 
the  use  of  what,  by  some,  is  called  the  dash.  The  dash  is 
a  stroke  along  the  line ;  thus,  '  I  am  rich — I  was  poor — I 
shall  be  poor  again.1  This  is  wild  work  indeed  !  Who  is 
to  know  what  is  intended  by  these  dashes  ?  Those  who 
have  thought  proper,  like  Mr.  Lindley  Murray,  to  place  the 
dash  amongst  the  grammatical  points,  ought  to  give  us  some 
rule  relative  to  its  different  longitudinal  dimensions  in  dif- 
ferent cases.  The  inch,  the  three-quarter-inch,  the  half- 
inch,  the  quarter-inch  :  these  would  be  something  determi- 
nate ;  but  '  the  dash,'  without  measure,  must  be  a  perilous 
thing  for  the  young  grammarian  to  handle.  In  short,  '  the 
dash '  is  a  cover  for  ignorance  as  to  the  use  of  points,  and  it 
can  answer  no  other  purpose." 

This  is  one  of  the  few  instances  in  which  Cobbett  was 
wrong.  The  dash  is  the  proper  point  with  which  to  mark 
an  unexpected  or  emphatic  pause,  or  a  sudden  break  or  tran- 
sition. It  is  very  often  preceded  by  another  point.  "  And 


THE   VERBALIST.  165 

Huitzilopochtli — a  sweet  name  to  roll  under  one's  tongue — 
for  how  many  years  has  this  venerable  war-god  blinked  in 
the  noonday  sun  ! "  "  Crowds  gathered  about  the  news- 
paper bulletins,  recalling  the  feverish  scenes  that  occurred 
when  the  President's  life  was  thought  to  be  hanging  by  a 
thread.  '  Wouldn't  it  be  too  bad,'  said  one,  '  if,  after  all — 
no,  I  won't  allow  myself  to  think  of  it.'  "  "  Was  there 
ever — but  I  scorn  to  boast."  "  You  are — no,  I'll  not  tell 
you  what  you  are." 

"  He  suffered — but  his  pangs  are  o'er  ; 
Enjoyed — but  his  delights  are  fled  ; 
Had  friends — his  friends  are  now  no  more  ; 

And  foes — his  foes  are  dead." — Montgomery. 
"  Greece,  Carthage,  Rome, — where  are  they  ?  "    "  He  chas- 
tens ; — but  he  chastens  to  save." 

Dashes  are  much  used  where  parentheses  were  formerly 
employed.  "  In  the  days  of  Tweed  the  expression  to  divide 
fair — forcible,  if  not  grammatical — acquired  much  currency." 
"  In  truth,  the  character  of  the  great  chief  was  depicted 
two  thousand  five  hundred  years  before  his  birth,  and  de- 
picted— such  is  the  power  of  genius — in  colors  which  will 
be  fresh  as  many  years  after  his  death."  "  To  render  the 
Constitution  perpetual — which  God  grant  it  may  be  ! — it  is 
necessary  that  its  benefits  should  be  practically  felt  by  all 
parts  of  the  country." 

PARENTHESIS. — This  mark  is  comparatively  little  used 
nowadays.  The  dash  is  preferred,  probably  because  it 
disfigures  the  page  less.  The  office  of  the  parenthesis  is 
to  isolate  a  phrase  which  is  merely  incidental,  and  which 
might  be  omitted  without  detriment  to  the  grammatical 
construction. 

*"  Know  then  this  truth  (enough  for  man  to  know), 
Virtue  alone  is  happiness  below." — Pope. 


166  THE  VERBALIST. 

"  The  bliss  of  man  (could  pride  that  blessing  find) 
Is  not  to  act  or  think  beyond  mankind." 

BRACKETS. — This  mark  is  used  principally  to  inclose 
words  improperly  omitted  by  the  writer,  or  words  intro- 
duced for  the  purpose  of  explanation  or  to  correct  an  error. 
The  bracket  is  often  used  in  this  book. 

THE  APOSTROPHE. — This  point  is  used  to  denote  the 
omission  of  letters  and  sometimes  of  figures  ;  as,  Jan'y,  '8 1  ; 
I've  for  I  have  ;  you'll  for  you  will ;  'tis  for  it  is  ;  don't  for 
do  not ;  can't  for  can  not ;  It  was  in  the  year  '93  ;  the  spirit 
of  '76  ;  It  was  in  the  years  1812,  '13,  and  '14. 

Also  to  denote  the  possessive  case  ;  as,  Brown's  house  ; 
the  king's  command  ;  Moses'  staff ;  for  conscience'  sake  ; 
the  boys'  garden. 

Also  with  s  to  denote  the  plural  of  letters,  figures,  and 
signs  ;  as,  Cross  your  t's,  dot  your  z's,  and  mind  your/'s  and 
^'s  ;  make  your  s's  better,  and  take  out  the  x's. 

CAPITALS. — A  capital  letter  should  begin  every  sen- 
tence, every  line  of  verse,  and  every  direct  quotation. 

All  names  of  the  Deity,  of  Jesus  Christ,  of  the  Trinity, 
and  of  the  Virgin  Mary  must  begin  with  a  capital.  Pro- 
nouns are  usually  capitalized  when  they  refer  to  the  Deity. 

Proper  'names,  and  nouns  and  adjectives  formed  from 
proper  names,  names  of  streets,  of  the  months,  of  the  clays 
of  the  week,  and  of  the  holidays,  are  capitalized. 

Titles  of  nobility  and  of  high  office,  when  used  to  desig- 
nate particular  persons,  are  capitalized  ;  as,  the  Earl  of 
Dunraven,  the  Mayor  of  Boston,  the  Baron  replied,  the 
Cardinal  presided. 

THE  PARAGRAPH. — In  writing  for  the  press,  the  division 
of  matter  into  paragraphs  is  often  quite  arbitrary  ;  in  letter- 
writing,  on  the  contrary,  the  several  topics  treated  of  should, 
as  a  rule,  be  isolated  by  paragraphic  divisions.  These  di- 


THE   VERBALIST.  167 

visions  give  one's  letters  a  shapely  appearance  that  they 
otherwise  never  have. 

Purchase.  This  word  is  much  preferred  to  its  synonym 
buy,  by  that  class  of  people  who  prefer  the  word  reside  to 
live,  procure  to  get,  inaugurate  to  begirt,  and  so  on.  They 
are  generally  of  those  who  are  great  in  pretense,  and  who 
would  be  greater  still  if  they  were  to  pretend  to  all  they 
have  to  pretend  to. 

Purpose.     See  PROPOSE. 

Quantity.  This  word  is  often  improperly  used  for 
number.  Quantity  should  be  used  in  speaking  of  what  is 
measured  or  weighed  ;  number,  of  what  is  counted.  Ex- 
amples: "What  quantity  of  apples  have  you,  and  what 
number  of  pineapples?"  "Delaware  produces  a  large 
quantity  of  peaches  and  a  large  number  of  melons." 

Quit. — This  word  means,  properly,  to  leave,  to  go  away 
from,  to  forsake  ;  as,  "  Avaunt !  quit  my  sight."  This  is 
the  only  sense  in  which  the  English  use  it.  In  America, 
it  is  generally  used  in  the  sense  of  to  leave  off,  to  stop  ;  as, 
"  Quit  your  nonsense  "  ;  "  Quit  laughing  "  ;  "  Quit  your 
noise  "  ;  "  He  has  quit  smoking,"  and  so  on. 

Quite.  This  word  originally  meant  completely,  per- 
fectly, totally,  entirely,  fully ;  and  this  is  the  sense  in 
which  it  was  used  by  the  early  writers  of  English.  It  is 
now  often  used  in  the  sense  of  rather ;  as,  "  It  is  quite 
warm "  ;  "  She  is  qtiite  tall "  ;  "  He  is  quite  proficient." 
Sometimes  it  is  incorrectly  used  in  the  sense  of  consider- 
able ;  as,  quite  an  amount,  quite  a  number,  qtiite  a  fortune. 
Quite,  according  to  good  modern  usage,  may  qualify  an 
adjective,  but  not  a  noun.  "  She  is  quite  the  lady,"  is  a 
vile  phrase,  meaning,  "  She  is  very  or  quite  ladylike." 

Railroad  Depot.  Few  things  are  more  offensive  to 
fastidious  ears  than  to  hear  a  railway  station  called  a  depot. 


168  THE   VERBALIST. 

A  depot  is  properly  a  place  where  goods  or  stores  of  any 
kind  are  kept ;  and  the  places  at  which  the  trains  of  a  rail- 
road— or,  better,  railway — stop  for  passengers,  or  the  points 
from  which  they  start  and  at  which  they  arrive,  are,  prop- 
erly, the  stations. 

Railway.  The  English  prefer  this  word  to  rail- 
road. 

Raise  the  rent.  An  expression  incorrectly  used  for 
increase  the  rent. 

Rarely.  It  is  no  uncommon  thing  to  see  this  adverb 
improperly  used  in  such  sentences  as,  "  It  is  very  rarely 
that  the  puppets  of  the  romancer  assume,"  etc. — "Apple- 
tons'  Journal,"  February,  1881,  p.  177.  "  But,"  says  the 
defender  of  this  phraseology,  "  rarely  qualifies  a  verb — the 
verb  to  be."  Not  at  all.  The  sentence,  if  written  out  in 
full,  would  be,  "  It  is  a  very  rare  thing  that,"  etc.,  or  "The 
circumstance  is  a  very  rare  one  that,"  etc.,  or  "  It  is  a  very 
rare  occurrence  that,"  etc.  To  those  who  contend  for 
"  It  is  very  rarely  that,"  etc.,  I  would  say,  It  is  very  sadly 
that  persons  of  culture  will  write  and  then  defend — or 
rather  try  to  defend — such  grammar. 

Ratiocinate.    See  EFFECTUATE. 

Real. — This  adjective  is  often  vulgarly  used  in  the 
sense  of  the  adverb  very ;  thus,  real  nice,  real  pretty,  real 
angry,  real  cute,  and  so  on. 

Recommend.  This  word,  which  means  to  commend 
or  praise  to  another,  to  declare  worthy  of  esteem,  trust,  or 
favor,  is  sometimes  put  to  strange  uses.  Example :  "  Re- 
solvad,  that  the  tax-payers  of  the  county  be  recommended  to 
meet,"  etc.  What  the  resolving  gentlemen  meant  was, 
that  the  lax-payers  should  be  counseled  to  meet. 

Redundancy.    See  PLEONASM. 

Reliable.    This  is  a  modem  word  which  is  often  met 


THE   VERBALIST.  169 

with ;  but  it  is  not  used  by  our  careful  writers.  They 
prefer  its  synonym  trustworthy,  and  argue  that,  in  conse- 
quence of  being  ill-formed,  reliable  can  not  possibly  have 
the  signification  in  which  it  is  used. 

Remainder.     See  BALANCE. 

Rendition.  This  word  is  much  misused  for  rendering. 
Example :  "  The  excellence  of  Mr.  Gilbert's  rendition  of 
certain  characters,  Sir  Peter  and  Sir  Antony,  for  instance, 
is  not  equaled,"  etc.  Rendition  means  the  act  of  yield- 
ing possession,  surrender,  as  the  rendition  of  a  town  or 
fortress.  The  sentence  above  should  read,  "  The  excel- 
lence of  Mr.  Gilbert's  rendering"  etc.  Rendition  is  also 
sometimes  improperly  used  for  performance. 

Reply.     See  ANSWER. 

Reputation.    See  CHARACTER. 

Reside.  A  big  word  that  Mr.  Wouldbe  uses  where 
Mr.  Is  uses  the  little  word  live. 

Residence.  In  speaking  of  a  man's  domicile,  it  is  not 
only  in  better  taste  but  more  correct  to  use  the  term  house 
than  residence.  A  man  has  a  residence  in  New  York,  when 
he  has  lived  here  long  enough  to  have  the  right  to  exercise 
the  franchise  here  ;  and  he  may  have  a  hozise  in  Fifth 
Avenue  where  he  lives.  People  who  are  live  in  houses  ; 
people  who  would  be  reside  in  residences.  The  former 
buy  things  ;  the  latter  purchase  them. 

Rest.    See  BALANCE. 

Restive.  Some  of  the  dictionaries,  Richard  Grant 
White,  and  some  other  writers,  contend  that  this  word,  when 
properly  used,  means  unwilling  to  go,  standing  still  stub- 
bornly, obstinate,  stubborn,  and  nothing  else.  In  com- 
bating this  opinion,  Fitzedward  Hall  says  :  "  Very  few 
instances,  I  apprehend,  can  be  produced,  from  our  litera- 
ture, of  this  use  of  restive."  Webster  gives  impatient,  un« 


170 


THE  VERBALIST. 


easy,  as  a  second  meaning  ;  and  this  is  the  sense  in  which 
the  word  is  nearly  always  used. 

Retire.  It  is  only  the  over-nice  who  use  retire  in  the 
sense  of  go  to  bed. 

Reverend — Honorable.  Many  persons  are  in  doubt 
whether  they  should  or  should  not  put  the  before  these 
adjectives.  Emphatically,  yes,  they  should.  See  "  Words 
and  Their  Uses,"  by  Richard  Grant  White,  for  a  full  dis- 
cussion of  the  question  ;  also  "  Good  English,"  by  Edward 
S.  Gould. 

Rhetoric.     The  art  which  has  for  its  object  the  ren- 
dering of  language  effective  is  called  rhetoric.     Without 
some  study  of  the  art  of  composition,  no  one  can  expect  to 
write  well,  or  to  judge  the  literary  work  of  others. 
True  ease  in  writing  comes  from  art,  not  chance, 
As  those  move  easiest  who  have  learned  to  dance." 

Ride — Drive.  Fashion,  both  in  England  and  in  this 
country,  says  that  we  must  always  use  the  second  of  these 
words  when  we  speak  of  going  out  in  a  carriage,  although 
ride  means,  according  to  all  the  lexicographers,  "  to  be  car- 
ried on  a  horse  or  other  animal,  or  in  any  kind  of  vehicle 
or  carriage." 

Right.  Singularly  enough,  this  word  is  made,  by  some 
people,  to  do  service  for  ought,  in  duty  bound,  under 
obligation  to  ;  thus,  "  You  had  a  right  to  tell  me,"  meaning, 
"You  should  have  told  me."  "The  Colonists  contended 
that  they  had  no  right  to  pay  taxes,"  meaning,  "  They  were 
under  no  obligation  to  pay  taxes,"  i.  e.,  that  it  was  unjust  to 
tax  them. 

Right  here.  The  expressions  "  right  here  "  and  "  right 
there  "  are  Americanisms.  Correctly,  "just  here  "  and  "  just 
there." 

Rolling.     The  use  of  this  participial  adjective  in  the 


THE   VERBALIST.  \-j\ 

sense  of  undulating  is  said  to  be  an  Americanism. 
Whether  an  Americanism  or  not,  it  would  seem  to  be 
quite  unobjectionable. 

Rubbers.  This  word,  in  common  with  gums  and 
arctics,  is  often,  in  defiance  of  good  taste,  used  for  over- 
shoes. 

Sabbath.  This  term  was  first  used  in  English  for  Sun- 
day, or  Lord's  day,  by  the  Puritans.  Nowadays  it  is  little 
used  in  this  sense.  The  word  to  use  is  Sunday. 

Sarcasm.  Bain  says  that  sarcasm  is  vituperation  soft- 
ened in  the  outward  expression  by  the  arts  and  figures  of 
disguise — epigram,  innuendo,  irony — and  embellished  with 
the.  figures  of  illustration.  Crabb  says  that  sarcasm  is  the 
indulgence  only  of  personal  resentment,  and  is  never  justi- 
fiable. 

Satire.  The  holding  up  to  ridicule  of  the  follies  and 
weaknesses  of  mankind,  by  way  of  rebuke,  is  called  satire. 
Satire  is  general  rather  than  individual,  its  object  be- 
ing the  reformation  of  abuses.  A  lampoon,  which  has 
been  defined  as  a  personal  satire,  attacks  the  individual 
rather  than  his  fault,  and  is  intended  to  injure  rather  than 
to  reform. 

Said  Sheridan  :  "  Satires  and  lampoons  on  particular 
people  circulate  more  by  giving  copies  in  confidence  to  the 
friends  of  the  parties  than  by  printing  them." 

Saw.  The  imperfect  tense  of  the  verb  to  see  is  care- 
lessly used  by  good  writers  and  speakers  when  they  should 
use  the  perfect ;  thus,  "  I  never  saw  anything  like  it  be- 
fore," when  the  meaning  intended  is,  "  I  have  never  [in  all 
my  life]  seen  anything  like  it  before  [until  now]."  We  say 
properly,  "  I  never  saw  anything  like  it  when  I  was  in 
Paris  "  ;  but,  when  the  period  of  time  referred  to  extends  to 
the  time  when  the  statement  is  made,  it  must  be  have  seen. 


172  THE   VERBALIST. 

Like  mistakes  are  made  in  the  use  of  other  verbs,  but  they 
are  hardly  as  common  ;  yet  we  often  hear  such  expressions 
as,  "  I  was  never  in  Philadelphia,"  "  I  never  went  to  the 
theatre  in  my  life,"  instead  of  have  been  in  Philadelphia, 
and  have  gone  to  the  theatre. 

Section.  The  use  of  this  word  for  region,  neighbor- 
hood, vicinity,  part  (of  the  town  or  country),  is  said  to  be  a 
Westernism.  A  section  is  a  division  of  the  public  lands 
containing  six  hundred  and  forty  acres. 

Seem — Appear.  Graham,  in  his  "English  Synonymes," 
says  of  these  two  words  :  "  What  seems  is  in  the  mind  ; 
what  appears  is  external.  Things  appear  as  they  present 
themselves  to  the  eye  ;  they  seem  as  they  are  represented  to 
the  mind.  Things  appear  good  or  bad,  as  far  as  we  can 
judge  by  our  senses.  Things  seem  right  or  wrong  as  we 
determine  by  reflection.  Perception  and  sensation  have  to 
do  with  appearing ;  reflection  and  comparison,  with  seem- 
ing. When  things  are  not  what  they  appear,  our  senses  are 
deceived  ;  when  things  are  not  what  they  seem,  our  judg- 
ment is  at  fault." 

"  No  man  had  ever  a  greater  power  over  himself,  or 
was  less  the  man  he  seemed  to  be,  which  shortly  after  ap- 
peared to  everybody,  when  he  cared  less  to  keep  on  the 
mask." — Clarendon. 

Seldom  or  ever.  This  phrase  should  be  "seldom  if 
ever,"  or  " seldom  or  never" 

Seraphim.  This  is  the  plural  of  seraph.  "  One  of  the 
seraphim."  "  To  Thee  cherubim  and  seraphim  continually 
do  cry."  See  CHERUBIM. 

Set — Sit.  The  former  of  these  two  verbs  is  often  incor- 
rectly used  for  the  latter.  To  set ;  imperfect  tense,  set ; 
participles,  setting,  set.  To  sit;  imperfect  tense,  sat;  parti- 
ciples, sitting,  sat.  To  set  means  to  put,  to  place,  to  plant ; 


THE   VERBALIST. 


173 


to  put  in  any  place,  condition,  state,  or  posture.  We  say, 
to  set  about,  to  set  against,  to  set  out,  to  set  going,  to 
set  apart,  to  set  aside,  to  set  down  (to  put  in  writing).  To 
sit  means  to  rest  on  the  lower  part  of  the  body,  to  repose 
on  a  seat,  to  perch,  as  a  bird,  etc.  We  say,  "Sit  up,"  i.  e., 
rise  from  lying  to  sitting  ;  "  We  will  sit  up,"  i.  e.,  will  not  go 
to  bed  ;  "Sit  down,"  i.  e.,  place  yourself  on  a  seat.  We  sit  a 
horse  and  we  sit  for  a  portrait.  Garments  wVwell  or  other- 
wise. Congress  sits,  so  does  a  court.  "  I  have  sat  up  long 
enough."  "  I  have  set  it  on  the  table."  We  j^down  figures, 
but  we  sit  down  on  the  ground.  We  set  a  hen,  and  a  hen 
sits  on  eggs.  We  should  say,  therefore,  "as  cross  as  a  sit- 
ting [not,  as  a  setting]  hen." 

Settle.  This  word  is  often  inelegantly,  if  not  incor- 
rectly, used  for  fay.  We  pay  our  way,  pay  our  fare,  pay 
our  hotel-bills,  and  the  like.  See,  also,  LOCATE. 

Shall  and  Will.  The  nice  distinctions  that  should  be 
made  between  these  two  auxiliaries  are,  in  some  parts  of 
the  English-speaking  world,  often  disregarded,  and  that, 
too,  by  persons  of  high  culture.  The  proper  use  of  shall 
and  will  can  much  better  be  learned  from  example  than 
from  precept.  Many  persons  who  use  them,  and  also  should 
and  would,  with  well-nigh  unerring  correctness,  do  so  un- 
consciously ;  it  is  simply  habit  with  them,  and  they,  though 
their  culture  may  be  limited,  will  receive  a  sort  of  verbal 
shock  from  Biddy's  inquiry,  "  Will  I  put  the  kettle  on, 
ma'am  1 "  when  your  Irish  or  Scotch  countess  would  not  be 
in  the  least  disturbed  by  it. 

SHALL,  in  an  affirmative  sentence,  in  the  first  person, 
and  WILL  in  the  second  and  third  persons,  merely  announce 
future  action.  Thus,  "  I  shall  go  to  town  to-morrow." 
"  I  shall  not ;  I  shall  wait  for  better  weather."  "  We  shall 
be  glad  to  see  you."  "  I  shall  soon  be  twenty."  "We  shaft 


174  THE   VERBALIST. 

set  out  early,  and  shall  try  to  arrive  by  noon."  "  You  will 
be  pleased."  "  You  will  soon  be  twenty."  "  You  will  find 
him  honest."  "  He  will  go  with  us." 

SHALL,  in  an  affirmative  sentence,  in  the  second  and  third 
persons,  announces  the  speaker's  intention  to  control.  Thus', 
"  You  shall  hear  me  out."  "  You  shall  go,  sick  or  well." 
"  He  shall  be  my  heir."  "  They  shall  go,  whether  they 
want  to  go  or  not." 

WILL,  in  the  first  person,  expresses  a  promise,  announces 
the  speaker's  intention  to  control,  proclaims  a  determination, 
Thus,  "  I  -will  [I  promise  to]  assist  you."  "  I  -will  [I  am 
determined  to]  have  my  right."  "  We  -will  [we  promise  to] 
come  to  you  in  the  morning." 

SHALL,  in  an  interrogative  sentence,  in  the  first  and  third 
persons,  constdts  the  will  or  judgment  of  another ;  in  the 
second  person,  it  inquires  concerning  the  intention  or  future 
action  of  another.  Thus,  "  Shall  I  go  with  you  ?  "  "  When 
shall  we  see  you  again  ?  "  "  When  shall  I  receive  it  ?  " 
"  When  shall  I  get  well  ?  "  "  When  shall  we  get  there  ?  " 
"  Shall  he  come  with  us?"  "  Shall  you  demand  indem- 
nity?" "Shall  you  go  to  town  to-morrow?"  "What 
shall  you  do  about  it  ?  " 

WILL,  in  an  interrogative  sentence,  in  the  second  person, 
asks  concerning  the  wish,  and,  in  the  third  person,  concerning 
the  purpose  or  future  action  of-  others.  Thus,  "  Will  you 
have  an  apple?"  "Will  you  go  with  me  to  my  uncle's?" 
"  Will  he  be  of  the  party  ?  "  "  Will  they  be  willing  to  re- 
ceive us  ?  "  "  When  -will  he  be  here  ?  " 

Will  can  not  be  used  interrogatively  in  the  first  person 
singular  or  plural.  We  can  not  say,  "  Will  I  go  ?  "  "  Will 
I  help  you  ?  "  "  Will  I  be  late  ?  "  "  Will  we  get  there  in 
time  ?  "  "  Will  we  see  you  again  soon  ?  " 

Official  courtesy,  in  order  to  avoid  the  semblance  of 


THE   VERBALIST. 


'75 


compulsion,  conveys  its  commands  in  the  you-will  form  in- 
stead of  the  strictly  grammatical  you-shall  form.  It  says, 
for  example,  "  You  -will  proceed  to  Key  West,  where  you 
will  find  further  instructions  awaiting  you." 

A  clever  writer  on  the  use  of  shall  and  will  says  that 
whatever  concerns  one's  beliefs,  hopes,  fears,  likes,  or  dis- 
likes, can  not  be  expressed  in  conjunction  with  I  will.  Are 
there  no  exceptions  to  this  rule  ?  If  I  say,  "  I  think  I  shall 
go  to  Philadelphia  to-morrow,"  I  convey  the  impression  that 
my  going  depends  upon  circumstances  beyond  my  control ; 
but  if  I  say,  "  I  think  I  will  go  to  Philadelphia  to-morrow," 
I  convey  the  impression  that  my  going  depends  upon  circum- 
stances within  my  control — that  my  going  or  not  depends  on 
mere  inclination.  We  certainly  must  say,  "  I  fear  that  I  shall 
lose  it "  ;  "  I  hope  that  I  shall  be  well  "  ;  "  I  believe  that  I 
shall  have  the  ague  "  ;  "  I  hope  that  I  shall  not  be  left 
alone";  "I  fear  that  we  shall  have  bad  weather";  "I 
shall  dislike  the  country  "  ;  "  I  shall  like  the  performance." 
The  writer  referred  to  asks,  "  How  can  one  say,  '  I  will 
have  the  headache  '  ?  "  I  answer,  Very  easily,  as  every 
young  woman  knows.  Let  us  see  :  "  Mary,  you  know  you 
promised  John  to  drive  out  with  him  to-morrow  ;  how  shall 
you  get  out  of  it?"  "Oh,  I  will  have  the  headache  !" 
We  request  that  people  will  do  thus  or  so,  and  not  that 
they  shall.  Thus,  "  It  is  requested  that  no  one  will  leave 
the  room." 

Shall  is  rarely,  if  ever,  used  for  will ;  it  is  will  that  is 
used  for  shall.  Expressions  like  the  following  are  common  : 
"  Where  will  you  be  next  week  ?  "  "I  will  be  at  home." 
"  We  wzY/have  dinner  at  six  o'clock."  "  How  will  you  go 
about  it  ?  "  "  When  will  you  begin  ?  "  "  When  will  you 
set  out  ?  "  "  What  will  you  do  with  it  ?  "  In  all  such  ex- 
pressions, when  it  is  a  question  of  mere  future  action  on 
12 


176  THE   VERBALIST. 

the  part  of  the  person  speaking  or  spoken  to,  the  auxiliary 
must  be  shall,  and  not  -will. 

Should  and  -would  follow  the  regimen  of  shall  and  -will. 
Would  is  often  used  for  should ;  should  rarely  for  would. 
Correct  speakers  say,  "  I  should  go  to  town  to-morrow  if 
I  had  a  horse."  "  I  should  not ;  I  should  wait  for  better 
weather."  "  We  should  be  glad  to  see  you."  "  We  should 
have  started  earlier,  if  the  weather  had  been  clear."  "  I 
should  like  to  go  to  town,  and  would  go  if  I  could."  "  I 
•would  assist  you  if  I  could."  "  I  should  have  been  ill  if  I 
had  gone."  "I  -would  I  were  home  again!"  "I  should 
go  fishing  to-day  if  I  were  home."  "  I  should  so  like  to  go 
to  Europe  ! "  "I  should  prefer  to  see  it  first."  "  I  should 
be  delighted."  "  I  should  be  glad  to  have  you  sup  with 
me."  "  I  knew  that  I  should  be  ill."  "  I  feared  that  I 
should  lose  it."  "  I  hoped  that  I  should  see  him."  "  I 
thought  I  should  have  the  ague."  "  I  hoped  that  I  should 
not  be  left  alone."  "  I  was  afraid  that  we  should  have  bad 
weather."  "  I  knew  I  should  dislike  the  country."  "  I 
should  not  like  to  do  it,  and  will  not  [determination]  unless 
compelled  to." 

Shimmy.  "  We  derive  from  the  French  language  our 
word  chemise  —  pronounced  shemmeeze.  In  French,  the 
word  denotes  a  man's  shirt,  as  well  as  the  under  garment 
worn  by  women.  In  this  country,  it  is  often  pronounced 
by  people  who  should  know  better — shimmy.  Rather  than 
call  it  shimmy,  resume  the  use  of  the  old  English  words 
shift  and  smock.  Good  usage  unqualifiedly  condemns 
gents,  pants,  kids,  gums,  and  shimmy." — "Vulgarisms  and 
Other  Errors  of  Speech." 

Should.    See  OUGHT. 

Sick — HL  These  words  are  often  used  indiscriminately. 
Sick,  however,  is  the  stronger  word,  and  generally  the  better 


THE   VERBALIST.  177 

word  to  use.  ///  is  used  in  England  more  than  with  us  : 
there  sick  is  generally  limited  to  the  expressing  of  nausea  ; 
as,  "  sick  at  the  stomach." 

Signature,  over  or  under  ?  A  man  writes  under,  not 
over,  a  signature.  Charles  Dickens  wrote  under  the  signa- 
ture of  "  Boz  "  ;  Mr.  Samuel  L.  Clemens  writes  under  the 
signature  of  "  Mark  Twain."  The  reason  given  in  Web- 
ster's Dictionary  for  preferring  the  use  of  under  is  absurd  ; 
viz.,  that  the  paper  is  under  the  hand  in  writing.  The 
expression  is  elliptical,  and  has  no  reference  to  the  position 
either  of  the  signature  or  of  the  paper.  "  Given  under  my 
hand  and  seal"  means  "  under  the  guarantee  of  my  signa- 
ture and  my  seal."  "  Under  his  own  signature  "  or  "  name  " 
means  "  under  his  own  character,  without  disguise."  "  Un- 
der the  signature  of  Boz  "  means  "  under  the  disguise  of  the 
assumed  name  Boz."  We  always  write  under  a  certain 
date,  though  the  date  be  placed,  as  it  often  is,  at  the  bottom 
of  the  page. 

Signs.  In  one  of  the  principal  business  streets  of  New 
York  there  is  a  sign  which  reads,  "  German  Lace  Store." 
Now,  whether  this  is  a  store  that  makes  a  specialty  of  Ger- 
man laces,  or  whether  it  is  a  store  where  all  kinds  of  lace 
are  sold,  kept  by  a  German  or  after  the  German  fashion,  is 
something  that  the  sign  doubtless  means  to  tell  us,  but, 
owing  to  the  absence  of  a  hyphen  ("  German-Lace  Store," 
or  "  German  Lace-Store  "),  does  not  tell  us.  Nothing  is  more 
common  than  erroneous  punctuation  in  signs,  and  gross 
mistakes  by  the  unlettered  in  the  wording  of  the  simplest 
printed  matter. 

The  bad  taste,  incorrect  punctuation,  false  grammar, 
and  ridiculous  nonsense  met  with  on  signs  and  placards, 
and  in  advertisements, -are  really  surprising.  An  advertise- 
ment tells  us  that  "a  pillow  which  assists  in  procuring 


17S  THE   VERBALIST. 

sleep  is  a  benediction "  ;  a  placard,  that  they  have  "  Char- 
lotte de  Russe"  for  sale  within,  which  means,  if  it  means 
anything,  that  they  have  for  sale  somebody  or  something 
called  Charlotte  of  Russian  ;  and,  then,  on  how  many  signs 
do  we  see  the  possessive  case  when  the  plural  number  is 
intended  ! 

Simile.  In  rhetoric,  a  direct  and  formal  comparison  is 
called  a  simile.  It  is  generally  denoted  by  like,  as,  or 
to;  as, 

"  I  have  ventured, 

Like  little  wanton  boys  that  swim  on  bladders, 
These  many  summers  in  a  sea  of  glory." 
"  Thy  smile  is  as  the  dawn  of  vernal  day." — Shakespeare. 
"  As,  down  in  the  sunless  retreats  of  the  ocean, 

Sweet  flow'rets  are  springing  no  mortal  can  see  ; 
So,  deep  in  my  bosom,  the  prayer  of  devotion, 

Unheard  by  the  world,  rises  silent  to  thee." — Moore. 
"  'Tis  with  our  judgments  as  with  our  watches  ;  none 

Go  just  alike,  yet  each  believes  his  own." — Pope. 
"  Grace  abused  brings  forth  the  foulest  deeds, 
As  richest  soil  the  most  luxuriant  weeds." — Cowper. 

"  As  no  roads  are  so  rough  as  those  that  have  just  been 
mended,  so  no  sinners  are  so  intolerant  as  those  who  have 
just  turned  saints." — "  Lacon." 
Sin.    See  CRIME. 

Since — Ago.  Dr.  Johnson  says  of  these  two  adverbs  : 
"  Reckoning  time  toward  the  present,  we  use  since ;  as, 
'  It  is  a  year  since  it  happened ' :  reckoning  from  the  pres- 
ent, we  use  ago ;  as,  '  It  is  a  year  ago.'  This  is  not,  per- 
haps, always  observed." 

Dr.  Johnson's  rule  will  hardly  suffice  as  a  sure  guide. 
Since  is  often  used  for  ago,  but  ago  never  for  since.  Ago  is 
derived  from  the  participle  agone,  while  since  comes  from  a 


THE   VERBALIST. 


179 


preposition.  We  say  properly,  "  not  long  "  or  "  some  time 
ago  [agone]."  Since  requires  a  verbal  clause  after  it ;  as, 
"  Since  I  saw  you  "  ;  "  Since  he  was  here." 

Sing.  Of  the  two  forms — sang  and  sung — for  the  im- 
perfect tense  of  the  verb  to  sing,  the  former — sang — is  to  be 
preferred. 

Sit.    See  SET. 

Slang.  The  slang  that  is  heard  among  respectable 
people  is  made  up  of  genuine  words,  to  which  an  arbitrary 
meaning  is  given.  It  is  always  low,  generally  coarse,  and 
not  unfrequently  foolish.  With  the  exception  of  cant,  there 
is  nothing  that  is  more  to  be  shunned.  We  sometimes  meet 
with  persons  of  considerable  culture  who  interlard  their 
talk  with  slang  expressions,  but  it  is  safe  to  assert  that  they 
are  always  persons  of  coarse  natures. 

Smart.    See  CLEVER. 

Smell  of.    See  TASTE  OF. 

So.    See  As ;  SUCH  ;  THAT. 

So  much  so.  "  The  shipments  by  the  coast  steamers 
are  very  large,  so  much  so  [large?]  as  to  tax  the  capacity  of 
the  different  lines." — "  Telegram,"  September  19,  1881. 
The  sentence  should  be,  "  The  shipments  by  the  coast 
steamers  are  very  large,  so  large  as  to  tax,"  etc. 

Solecism.  In  rhetoric,  a  solecism  is  defined  as  an  of- 
fense against  the  rules  of  grammar  by  the  use  of  words  in  a 
wrong  construction  ;  false  syntax. 

"  Modern  grammarians  designate  by  solecism  any  word 
or  expression  which  does  not  agree  with  the  established 
usage  of  writing  or  speaking.  But,  as  customs  change,  that 
which  at  one  time  is  considered  a  solecism  may  at  another 
be  regarded  as  correct  language.  A  solecism,  therefore, 
differs  from  a  barbarism,  inasmuch  as  the  latter  consists  in 
the  use  of  a  word  or  expression  which  is  altogether  con- 


180  THE  VERBALIST. 

trary  to  the  spirit  of  the  language,  and  can,  properly 
speaking,  never  become  established  as  correct  language." 
— "  Penny  Cyclopaedia."  See,  also,  BARBARISM 

Some.  This  word  is  not  unfrequently  misused  for  some- 
what ;  thus,  "  She  is  some  better  to-day."  It  is  likewise 
often  misused  for  about ;  thus, "  I  think  it  is  some  ten  miles 
from  here  "  :  read,  "  about  ten  miles  from  here." 

Specialty.  This  form  has  within  a  recent  period  been 
generally  substituted  for  speciality.  There  is  no  apparent 
reason,  however,  why  the  i  should  be  dropped,  since  it  is 
required  by  the  etymology  of  the  word,  and  is  retained  in 
nearly  all  other  words  of  the  same  formation. 

Specious  Fallacy.  A  fallacy  is  a  sophism,  a  logical 
artifice,  a  deceitful  or  false  appearance  ;  while  specious 
means  having  the  appearance  of  truth,  plausible.  Hence 
we  see  that  the  very  essence  of  a  fallacy  is  its  speciousness. 
We  may  very  properly  say  that  a  fallacy  is  more  or  less 
specious,  but  we  can  not  properly  say  that  a  fallacy  is  spe- 
cious, since  without  speciousness  we  can  have  no  fallacies. 

Splendid.  This  poor  word  is  used  by  the  gentler  sex 
to  qualify  well-nigh  everything  that  has  their  approval,  from 
a  sugar-plum  to  the  national  capitol.  In  fact,  splendid  and 
awful  seem  to  be  about  the  only  adjectives  some  of  our 
superlative  young  women  have  in  their  vocabularies. 

Standpoint.  This  is  a  word  to  which  many  students 
of  English  seriously  object,  and  among  them  are  the  editors 
of  some  of  our  daily  papers,  who  do  not  allow  it  to  appear 
in  their  columns.  The  phrase  to  which  no  one  objects 
is,  paint  of  view. 

State.  This  word,  which  properly  means  to  make 
known  specifically,  to  explain  particularly,  is  often  misused 
for  say.  When  say  says  all  one  wants  to  say,  why  use  a 
more  pretentious  word  ? 


THE   VERBALIST.  18 1 

Stop.  "Where  are  you  stopping?"  "At  the  Metro- 
politan." The  proper  word  to  use  here  is  staying.  To  stop 
means  to  cease  to  go  forward,  to  leave  off ;  and  to  stay 
means  to  abide,  to  tarry,  to  dwell,  to  sojourn.  We  stay, 
not  stop,  at  home,  at  a  hotel,  or  with  a  friend,  as  the  case 
may  be. 

Storm.  Many  persons  indulge  in  a  careless  use  of  this 
word,  using  it  when  they  mean  to  say  simply  that  it  rains 
or  snows.  To  a  storm  a  violent  commotion  of  the  atmos- 
phere is  indispensable.  A  very  high  wind  constitutes  a 
storm,  though  it  be  dry. 

Straightway.  Here  is  a  good  Anglo-Saxon  word  of 
two  syllables  whose  place,  without  any  good  reason,  is 
being  usurped  by  the  Latin  word  immediately,  of  Jive  syl- 
lables. 

Street.  We  live  in,  hot  on — meet  our  acquaintances  in, 
not  on — things  occur  in,  not  on — houses  are  built  in,  not 
on,  the  street,  and  so  forth. 

Style.  This  is  a  term  that  is  used  to  characterize  the 
peculiarities  that  distinguish  a  writer  or  a  composition. 
Correctness  and  clearness  properly  belong  to  the  domain  of 
diction,'  simplicity,  conciseness,  gravity,  elegance,  diffuse- 
ness,  floridity,  force,  feebleness,  coarseness,  etc.,  belong  to 
the  domain  of  style. 

Subjunctive  Mood.  This  mood  is  unpopular  with  not 
a  few  now-a-day  grammarians.  One  says  that  it  is  rapidly 
falling  into  disuse  ;  that,  in  fact,  there  is  good  reason  to 
suppose  it  will  soon  become  obsolete.  Another  says  that 
it  would,  perhaps,  be  better  to  abolish  it  entirely,  as  its  use 
is  a  continual  source  of  dispute  among  grammarians  and  of 
perplexity  to  schools.  Another  says  that  it  is  a  universal 
stumbling-block  ;  that  nobody  seems  to  understand  it,  al- 
though almost  everybody  attempts  to  use  it. 


l3z  THE   VERBALIST. 

That  the  subjunctive  mood  is  much  less  used  now  than 
it  was  a  hundred  years  ago  is  certain,  but  that  it  is  obso- 
lescent is  very  far  from  certain.  It  would  not  be  easy,  I 
think,  to  find  a  single  contemporary  writer  who  does  not 
use  it.  That  it  is  not  always  easy  to  determine  what  form 
of  it  we  should  employ  is  very  true  ;  but  if  we  are  justified  in 
abolishing  it  altogether,  as  Mr.  Chandler  suggests,  because 
its  correct  use  is  not  always  easy,  then  we  are  also  justified 
in  abolishing  the  use  of  shall  and  will,  and  of  the  preposi- 
tions, for  surely  their  right  use  is  likewise  at  times  most 
puzzling.  MeanWhile,  most  persons  will  think  it  well  to 
learn  to  use  the  subjunctive  mood  properly.  With  that 
object  in  view,  one  can  not,  perhaps,  do  better  than  to  at- 
tend to  what  Dr.  Alexander  Bain,  Professor  of  Logic  in 
the  University  of  Aberdeen,  says  upon  the  subject.  In 
Professor  Bain's  "  Higher  English  Grammar  "  we  find  : 

"  In  subordinate  clauses. — In  a  clause  expressing  a  con- 
dition, and  introduced  by  a  conjunction  of  condition,  the 
verb  is  sometimes,  but  not  always,  in  the  subjunctive  mood  : 
'  If  I  be  able,'  'if  I  -were  strong  enough,'  'if  thou  should 
come.' 

"  The  subjunctive  inflexions  have  been  wholly  lost. 
The  sense  that  something  is  wanting  appears  to  have  led 
many  writers  to  use  indicative  forms  where  the  subjunctive 
might  be  expected.  The  tendency  appears  strongest  in  the 
case  of  '  wert,'  which  is  now  used  as  indicative  (for  '  wast ') 
only  in  poetical  or  elevated  language. 

"  The  following  is  the  rule  given  for  the  use  of  the  sub- 
junctive mood : 

"  When  in  a  conditional  clause  it  is  intended  to  express 
doubt  or  denial,  use  the  subjunctive  mood.*  '  If  I  were 
sure  of  what  you  tell  me,  I  would  go.' 

*  "  Dr.  Angus  on  the  '  English  Tongue,'  art.  527. 


THE   VERBALIST.  183 

"  When  the  conditional  clause  is  affirmative  and  certain, 
the  verb  is  indicative  :  '  If  that  is  the  case  '  (as  you  now  tell 
me,  and  as  I  believe),  '  I  can  understand  you.'  This  is 
equivalent  to  a  clause  of  assumption,  or  supposition  :  '  That 
being  the  case,'  '  inasmuch  as  that  is  the  case,'  etc. 

"  As  futurity  is  by  its  nature  uncertain,  the  subjunctive 
is  extensively  used  for  future  conditionality  :  '  If  it  rain,  we 
shall  not  be  able  to  go '  ;  '  if  I  be  well '  ;  '  if  he  come  short- 
ly';  'if  thou  return  at  all  in  peace '  ;  '  though  he  slay  me, 
yet  will  I  trust  in  him.'  These  events  are  all  in  the  un- 
certain future,  and  are  put  in  the  subjunctive.* 

"A  future  result  or  consequence  is  expressed  by  the 
subjunctive  in  such  instances  as  these  :  '  I  will  wait  till  he 
return' ;  '  no  fear  lest  dinner  cool' ;  '  thou  shalt  stone  him 
with  stones,  that  he  die '  ;  '  take  heed  lest  at  any  time  your 
hearts  be  overcharged  with  surfeiting.' 

"  Uncertainty  as  to  a  past  event  may  arise  from  our 
own  ignorance,  in  which  case  the  subjunctive  is  properly 
employed,  and  serves  the  useful  purpose  of  distinguishing 

.  *  "  In  the  following  passages,  the  indicative  mood  would  be  more  suit- 
able than  the  subjunctive :  '  If  thou  be  the  Son  of  God,  command 
that  these  stones  be  made  bread  '  ;  '  if  thou  be  the  Son  of  God,  come 
down  from  the  cross.'  For,  although  the  address  was  not  sincere  on  the 
part  of  the  speakers,  they  really  meant  to  make  the  supposition  or  to 
grant  that  he  was  the  Son  of  God ;  '  seeing  that  thou  art  the  Son  of 
God."  Likewise  in  the  following:  'Now  if  Christ  be  preached,  that 
He  rose  from  the  dead,  how  say  some  among  you  that  there  is  no  res- 
urrection from  the  dead  ?  '  The  meaning  is,  '  Seeing  now  that  Christ 
is  preached.'  In  the  continuation,  the  conditional  clauses  are  of  a  dif- 
ferent character,  and  '  be '  is  appropriate :  '  But  if  there  be  no  resur- 
rection from  the  dead,  then  is  Christ  not  risen.  And  if  Christ  be  not 
risen,  then  is  our  preaching  vain,  and  your  faith  is  also  vain.'  Again, 
'  If  thou  bring  thy  gift  to  the  altar,  and  there  remember^/,'  etc.  Con- 
sistency and  correctness  require  '  remember.'  " — Harrison  on  the  "  Eng- 
lish Language,"  p.  287. 


184  THE  VERBALIST. 

our  ignorance  from  our  knowledge.  '  If  any  of  my  readers 
has  looked  with  so  little  attention  upon  the  world  around 
him  ' ;  this  would  mean — '  as  I  know  that  they  have.'  The 
meaning  intended  is  probably — '  as  I  do  not  know  whether 
they  have  or  not,"  and  therefore  the  subjunctive  '  have '  is 
preferable.  '  If  ignorance  is  blissj'  which  I  (ironically) 
admit.  Had  Gray  been  speaking  seriously,  he  would  have 
said,  '  if  ignorance  be  bliss,'  he  himself  dissenting  from  the 
proposition. 

"  A  wish  contrary  to  the  fact  takes  the  subjunctive :  '  I 
wish  he  -were  here  '  (which  he  is  not). 

"  An  intention  not  yet  carried  out  is  also  subjunctive  : 
'  The  sentence  is  that  you  be  imprisoned,' 

"The  only  correct  form  of  the  future  subjunctive  is — 
'  if  I  should.'  We  may  say,  '  I  do  not  know  whether  or  not 
I  shall  come ' ;  but  '  if  I  shall  come,'  expressing  a  condition, 
is  not  an  English  construction.  '  If  he  will '  has  a  real 
meaning,  as  being  the  present  subjunctive  of  the  verb 
1  will ' :  '  if  he  be  willing,'  '  if  he  have  the  will.'  It  is  in 
accordance  with  good  usage  to  express  a  future  subjunctive 
meaning  by  a  present  tense  ;  but  in  that  case  the  form  must 
be  strictly  subjunctive,  and  not  indicative.  '  If  any  mem- 
ber absents  himself,  he  shall  forfeit  a  penny  for  the  use  of 
the  club '  ;  this  ought  to  be  either  '  absent,'  or  '  should 
absent.'  '  If  thou  neglectest  or  doest  unwillingly  what  I  com- 
mand thee,  I  will  rack  thee  with  old  cramps '  ;  better,  '  if 
thou  neglect  or  do  unwillingly,'  or  '  if  thou  should  neglect.* 
The  indicative  would  be  justified  by  the  speaker's  belief 
that  the  supposition  is  sure  to  turn  out  to  be  the  fact. 

"  The  past  subjunctive  may  imply  denial ;  as,  '  if  the 
book  were  in  the  library  (as  it  is  not),  it  should  be  at  your 
service.' 

"'  If  the  book  be  in  the  library,'  means,  'I  do  not  know 


THE   VERBALIST.  185 

whether  it  be  or  not.'  We  have  thus  the  power  of  discrimi- 
nating three  different  suppositions.  '  If  the  book  is  in  the 
library '  (as  I  know  it  is)  ;  '  if  it  be '  (I  am  uncertain)  ;  '  if  it 
were'  (as  I  know  it  is  not).  So,  '  if  it  rains,'  '  if  it  rain,'  '  if 
it  rained.'  '  Nay,  and  the  villains  march  wide  between  the 
legs,  as  if  they  had  gyves  on,'  implying  that  they  had  not.  , 

"  The  same  power  of  the  past  tense  is  exemplified  in 
'if  I  could,  I  would,'  which  means,  '  I  can  not'  ;  whereas, 
'  if  I  can,  I  will,'  means  '  I  do  not  know.' 

"The  past  subjunctive  may  be  expressed  by  an  inver- 
sion :  '  Had  I  the  power,'  '  -were  I  as  I  have  been.' 

"  In  Principal  Clauses. — The  principal  clause  in  a  con- 
ditional statement  also  takes  the  subjunctive  form  when  it 
refers  to  what  is  future  and  contingent,  and  when  it  refers 
to  what  is  past  and  uncertain,  or  denied.  '  If  he  should 
try,  he  would  succeed '  ;  '  if  I  had  seen  him,  I  should  have 
asked  him.' 

"  The  usual  forms  of  the  subjunctive  in  the  principal 
clause  are  '  would,'  '  should,'  '  would  have,'  '  should  have ' ; 
and  it  is  to  be  noted  that  in  this  application  the  second  per- 
sons take  the  inflexional  ending  of  the  indicative :  '  shouldst,' 
1  wouldst.' 

" '  If  'twere  done  when  'tis  done,  then  'twere  (would  be)  well 
It  were  (should  be)  done  quickly.' 

"  The  English  idiom  appears  sometimes  to  permit  the 

use  of  an  indicative  where  we  should  expect  a  subjunctive 

form.      '  Many  acts,   that  had  been   otherwise  blamable, 

were  employed ' ;  '  I  had  fainted,  unless  I  had  believed,'  etc. 

41 '  Which  else  lie  furled  and  shrouded  in  the  soul.' 

44  In  '  else  '  there  is  implied  a  conditional  clause  that 
would  suit  '  lie ' ;  or  the  present  may  be  regarded  as  a 
more  vivid  form  of  expression.  '  Had '  may  be  indicative  ; 
just  as  we  sometimes  find  pluperfect  indicative  for  pluper- 


186  THE  VERBALIST. 

feet  subjunctive  in  the  same  circumstances  in  Latin.  We 
may  refer  it  to  the  general  tendency,  as  already  seen  in  the 
uses  of  'could,'  'would,'  'should,'  etc.,  to  express  con- 
ditionality  by  a  past  tense  ;  or  the  indicative  may  be  used 
as  a  more  direct  and  vivid  mode.  '  Had '  may  be  subjunc- 
tive ;  '  I  had  fainted '  is,  in  construction,  analogous  to  '  I 
should  have  fainted ' ;  the  word  for  futurity,  '  shall,'  not 
being  necessary  to  the  sense,  is  withdrawn,  and  its  past 
inflexion  transferred  to  '  have.'  Compare  Germ,  wurde 
haben  and  hdtte" 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing,  we  find  in  Professor  Bain's 
"Composition  Grammar"  the  following: 

"The  case  most  suited  to  the  subjunctive  is  contingent 
futurity ',  or  the  expression  of  an  event  unknown  absolutely, 
as  being  still  in  the  future  :  '  If  to-morrow  be  fine,  I  will 
walk  with  you.' 

"  '  Unless  I  were  prepared,'  insinuates  pretty  strongly 
that  I  am  or  am  not  prepared,  according  to  the  manner  of 
the  principal  clause. 

41 '  What's  a  tall  man  unless  \i&Jight? ' 

" '  The  sword  hath  ended  him  :  so  shall  it  thee, 

Unless  thou  yield  thee  as  my  prisoner.' 
"  'Who  but  must  laugh,  if  such  a  man  there  be? 
Who  would  not  weep,  if  Atticus  were  he  ? ' 

'"I  am  to  second  Ion  if  he  fail';  the  failing  is  left 
quite  doubtful.  '  I  should  very  imperfectly  execute  the 
task  which  I  have  undertaken  if  I  -were  merely  to  treat 
of  battles  and  sieges.'  Macaulay  thus  implies  that  the 
scope  of  his  work  is  to  be  wider  than  mere  battles  and 
sieges. 

"  '  The  subjunctive  appears  in  some  other  constructions. 
'  I  hope  to  see  the  exhibition  before  it  close ' ;  '  wait  till  he 
return ' ;  '  thou  shalt  stand  by  the  river's  brink  against  he 


THE   VERBALIST.  187 

tome'' ; '  take  heed  lest  passion  sway  thy  judgment ' ;  '  speak 
to  me,  though  it  be  in  wrath'  ;  'if  he  smite  him  with  an  in- 
strument of  iron  so  that  he  die,  he  is  a  murderer ' ;  '  beware 
this  night  that  thou  cross  not  my  footsteps  '  (Shelley). 

"  Again.  '  Whatever  this  be  ' ;  '  whoever  he  be  '  ;  '  hovv- 
e'er  it  be '  (Tennyson) ;  and  such  like. 

"  '  And  as  long,  O  God,  as  she 
Have  a  grain  of  love  for  me, 
So  long,  no  doubt,  no  doubt, 
Shall  I  nurse  in  my  dark  heart, 
However  weary,  a  spark  of  will 
Not  to  be  trampled  out.' 

"  The  Future  Subjunctive  is  given  in  our  scheme  of  the 
verb  as  '  should '  in  all  persons  :  '  If  I  should,  if  thou 
should,  if  he  should.'  In  old  English,  we  have  '  thou 
shouldst ' :  '  if  thou,  Lord,  shouldst  mark  iniquities." 

"  An  inverted  conditional  form  has  taken  deep  root  in 
our  language,  and  may  be  regarded  as  an  elegant  and  for- 
cible variety.  While  dispensing  with  the  conjunction,  it 
does  not  cause  ambiguity  ;  nevertheless,  conditionality  is 
well  marked. 

"  '  //you  should  abandon  your  Penelope  and  your  home 

for  Calypso,  ' :  '  should  you  abandon .' 

"  '  Go  not  my  horse  the  better, 
I  must  become  a  borrower  of  the  night 
For  a  dark  hour  or  twain.' 
" '  Here  had  we  now  our  country's  honor  roofd 

Were  the  graced  person  of  our  Banquo  present." 
"  '  Be  thou  a  spirit  of  health  or  goblin  damn'd, 

Bring  with  thee  airs  from  heaven  or  blasts  from  hell, 
Be  thy  intents  wicked  or  charitable, 
Thou  com'st  in  such  a  questionable  shape 
That  I  will  speak  to  thee.' 


1 88  THE  VERBALIST. 

"  '  Come  one,  come  all,  this  rock  shall  fly 

From  its  firm  base  as  soon  as  I.' — Scott, 
"  The  following  examples  are  given  by  Matzner  : 
"  '  Varney's  communications,  be  they  what  they  might, 
rwere  operating  in  his  favor.' — Scott. 

" '  Governing  persons,  were  they  never  so  insignificant 
intrinsically,  have  for  most  part  plenty  of  Memoir-writers.' 
— Carlyle. 

"  '  Even  were  I  disposed,  I  could  not  gratify  the  read- 
er.'— Warren. 

" '  Bring  them  back  to  me,  cost  what  it  may.' — Cole- 
ridge, '  Wallen  stein.' 

" '  And  will  you,  nill  you,  I  will  marry  you.' — '  Tam- 
ing of  the  Shrew.' 

"  Were  is  used  in  the  principal  clause  for  '  should  be ' 
or  '  would  be.'  * 

" '  I  were  (•=  should  be)  a  fool,  not  less  than  if  a  panther 
Were  panic-stricken  by  the  antelope's  eye, 
If  she  escape  me.' — Shelley. 
41 '  Were  you  but  riding  forth  to  air  yourself, 

Such  parting  were  too  petty.' 

" '  He  were  (=  would  be)  no  lion,  were  not  Roman* 
hinds.' 

"  '  Should  he  be  roused  cut  of  his  sleep  to-night,  .  .  . 

It  were  not  well ;  indeed  it  were  not  well.' — Shelley. 
"Had  is  sometimes  used   in  the  principal    clause  for 
'  should  have '  or  '  would  have.'  f 

*  "  So,  in  German,  -ware  for  ivilrde  sein.  '  Halt '  ich  Schwingen, 
halt '  ich  Fliigel,  nach  den  Hiigeln  zog''  ich  hin,'  for  '  wtirde  ich 
zieken.'  " 

t  "  So,  in  German,  hdtte  occurs  for  wttrde  haben,  '  Ware  er  da 
gewesen,  so  hcitten  wir  ihn  gesehen,'  for  'so  warden  wir  ihn  gesehen 
baben.'  Hatten  is  still  conditional,  not  indicative.  In  Latin,  the 


THE   VERBALIST.  189 

"  '  Had  I  known  this  before  we  set  out,  I  think  I  had 
(=  would  have)  remained  at  home.' — Scott. 

"  '  Hadst  thou  been  kill'd  when  first  thou  didst  presume, 
Thou  hadst  not  lived  to  kill  a  son  of  mine.' 

"'If  he 

Had  killed  me,  he  had  done  a  kinder  deed.' 
"  '  For  once  he  had  been  ta'en  or  slain, 

An  it  had  not  been  his  ministry.' — Scott. 
"  '  If  thou  hadst  said  him  nay,  it  had  been  sin.'  * 
" '  Had  better,  rather,  best,  as  lief,  as  well,  etc.,'  is  a 
form  that  is  explained  under  this  heading.     '  Had '  stands 
for  '  would  have.'     The  exploded  notion  that  '  had '  is  a 
corrupted  '  would '  must  be  guarded  against. 

" '  I  had  as  lief  not  be.'  That  is — '  I  -would  as  lief  have 
not  (to)  be '  =  '  I  would  as  willingly  (or  as  soon)  have  non- 
existence.' 

"'  Had  you  rather  Csesar  were  living ?'     '  Would 

you  rather  have  (u-ould you  prefer  that)  Ceesar  were  living  ?  ' 
"  'He  had  better  reconsider  the  matter'  is  'he  would 
better  have  (to)  reconsider  the  matter.' 

"  '  I  had  rather  be  a  kitten  and  cry  mew 

Than  one  of  these  same  metre  ballad-mongers  ; 
I  had  rather  hear  a  brazen  canstick  turned.' 
"  Let  us  compare  this  form  with  another  that  appears 
side  by  side  with  it  in  early  writers.     (Cp.  Lat.  '  habeo ' 
and  '  mihi  est.') 

"  The  construction  of  '  had '  is  thus  illustrated  in  Chau- 
cer, as  in — Nonne  Prestes  Tale,  300 : 

pluperfect  indicative  is  occasionally  used  ;  which   is  explained  as  a 
more  vivid  form." 

*  "  In  principal  clauses  the  inflection  of  the  second  person  is  always 
retained  :  '  thou  had.rf,'  '  thou  would.**,  should.?/,'  etc.  In  the  ex- 
ample, the  subordinate  clause,  although  subjunctive,  shows,  '  hadrf.' 
And  this  usage  is  exceedingly  common." 


190  THE  VERBALIST. 

"  '  By  God,  I  hadde  levere  than  my  scherte, 
That  ye  hadde  rad  his  legend,  as  I  have.' 

"  Compare  now  : 

"  '  Ah  me  were  levere  with  lawe  loose  my  lyf 

Then  so  to  fote  hem  falle.' — Wright,  '  Polit.  S.' 

"  Here  '  were '  is  unquestionably  for  '  would  be '  ;  and 
the  whole  expression  might  be  given  by  'had,'  thus  :  'Ah, 

/ hadde  levere ,'  ' (to)  loose '  and  ' (to)  falle'  changing 

from  subjects  of  '  were  '  to  objects  of  'hadde.' 

"  So,  in  the  Chaucer  example  above,  if  we  substitute 
'be '  for  'have,'  we  shall  get  the  same  meaning,  thus  :  '  By 

God,  me  were  levere .'     The  interchange  helps  us  to 

see  more  clearly  that  '  hadde '  is  to  be  explained  as  sub- 
junctive for  'would  have.'"  See  INDICATIVE  and  SUB- 
JUNCTIVE. 

Such.  "  I  have  never  before  seen  stick  a  large  ox." 
By  a  little  transposing  of  the  words  of  this  sentence,  we 
have,  "  I  have  never  before  seen  an  ox  such  large,"  which 
makes  it  quite  clear  that  we  should  say  so  large  an  ox  and 
not  such  a  large  ox.  As  proof  that  this  error  in  the  use  of 
such  is  common,  we  find  in  Mr.  George  Washington  Moon's 
"  Dean's  English  and  Bad  English,"  the  sentence,  "  With 
all  due  deference  to  such  a  high  authority  on  such  a  very 
important  matter."  With  a  little  transposing,  this  sentence 
is  made  to  read,  "With  all  due  deference  to  an  authority 
such  high  on  a  matter  such  very  important."  It  is  clear  that 
the  sentence  should  read,  "  With  all  due  deference  to  so  high 
an  authority  on  so  very  important  a  matter."  The  phrases, 
such  a  handsome,  such  a  lovely,  such  a  long,  such  narrow, 
etc.,  are  incorrect,  and  should  be  so  handsome,  so  lovely,  so 
long,  and  so  on. 

Summon.  This  verb  comes  in  for  its  full  share  of  maul- 
ing. We  often  hear  such  expressions  as  "  I  will  summons 


THE   VERBALIST. 


191 


him,"  instead  of  summon  him  ;  and  "  He  was  summonsed" 
instead  of  summoned. 

Superfluous  Words.  "  Whenever  I  try  to  write  well,  I 
always  find  I  can  do  it."  "  I  shall  have  finished  by  the  latter 
end  of  the  week."  "  Iron  sinks  down  in  water."  "  He  com- 
bined together  all  the  facts."  "  My  brother  called  on  me, 
and  we  both  took  a  walk."  "  I  can  do  it  equally  as  well  as 
he."  "We  could  not  forbear  from  doing  it."  "Before  I 
go,  I  must  first  be  paid."  "  We  were  compelled  to  return 
back"  "  We  forced  them  to  retreat  back  fully  a  mile." 
"  His  conduct  was  approved  of  by  everybody."  "  They 
conversed  together  for  a  long  time."  "  The  balloon  rose  up 
very  rapidly."  "  Give  me  another  one"  "  Come  home  as 
soon  as  ever  you  can."  "  Who  finds  him  in  money  ?  "  "  He 
came  in  last  of  all."  "  He  has  got  all  he  can  carry."  "  What 
have  you  got?"  "  No  matter  what  I  have  got"  "  I  have 
got  the  headache."  "  Have  you  got  any  brothers  ?  "  "  No, 
but  I  have  got  a  sister."  All  the  words  in  italics  are  super- 
fluous. 

Superior.  This  word  is  not  unfrequently  used  for  able, 
excellent,  gifted  ;  as,  "  She  is  a  superior  woman,"  meaning 
an  excellent  woman  ;  "  He  is  a  superior  man,"  meaning  an 
able  man.  The  expression  an  infet  ior  man  is  not  less  ob- 
jectionable. 

Supposititious.  This  word  is  properly  used  in  the  sense 
of  put  by  a  trick  into  the  place  or  character  belonging  to 
another,  spurious,  counterfeit,  not  genuine  ;  and  improp- 
erly in  the  sense  of  conjectural,  hypothetical,  imaginary, 
presumptive  ;  as,  "  This  is  a  supposititious  case,"  meaning 
an  imaginary  or  presumptive  case.  "  The  English  critic  de- 
rived his  materials  from  a  stray  copy  of  some  supposititious 
indexes  devised  by  one  of  the  '  Post '  reporters." — "  Nation." 
Here  is  a  correct  use  of  the  word. 
13 


192  THE   VERBALIST. 

Swosh.  There  is  a  kind  of  ill-balanced  brain  in  which 
the  reflective  and  the  imaginative  very  much  outweight  the 
perceptive.  Men  to  whom  this  kind  of  an  organization  has 
been  given  generally  have  active  minds,  but  their  minds 
never  present  anything  clearly.  To  their  mental  vision  all 
is  ill-defined,  chaotic.  They  see  everything  in  a  haze. 
Whether  such  men  talk  or  write,  they  are  verbose,  illogical, 
intangible,  will-o'-the-wispish.  Their  thoughts  are  phan- 
tomlike  ;  like  shadows,  they  continually  escape  their  grasp. 
In  their  talk  they  will,  after  long  dissertations,  tell  you  that 
they  have  not  said  just  what  they  would  like  to  say  ;  there  is 
always  a  subtle,  lurking  something  still  unexpressed,  which 
something  is  the  real  essence  of  the  matter,  and  which  your 
penetration  is  expected  to  divine.  In  their  writings  they 
are  eccentric,  vague,  labyrinthine,  pretentious,  transcenden- 
tal,* and  frequently  ungrammatical.  These  men,  if  write 
they  must,  should  confine  themselves  to  the  descriptive  ; 
for  when  they  enter  the  essayist's  domain,  which  they  are 
very  prone  to  do,  they  write  what  I  will  venture  to  call 
swosh. 

We  find  examples  in  plenty  of  this  kind  of  writing  in 
the  essays  of  Mr.  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson.  Indeed,  the  im- 
partial critic  who  will  take  the  trouble  to  examine  any  of 
Mr.  Emerson's  essays  at  all  carefully,  is  quite  sure  to  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  Mr.  Emerson  has  seen  everything  he 
has  ever  made  the  subject  of  his  essays  very  much  as  Lon- 
don is  seen  from  the  top  of  Saint  Paul's  in  a  fog. 

*  To  those  who  are  not  quite  clear  as  to  what  transcendentalism  is, 
the  following  lucid  definition  will  be  v/elcome :  "  It  is  the  spiritual  cog- 
noscence  of  psychological  irrefragability  connected  with  concutient 
ademption  of  incolumnient  spirituality  and  etherealized  contention  of 
subsultory  concretion."  Translated  by  a  New  York  lawyer,  it  stands 
thus :  "  Transcendentalism  is  two  holes  in  a  sand-bank :  a  storm 
washes  away  the  sand-bank  without  disturbing  the  holes." 


THE  VERBALIST.  193 

Mr.  Emerson's  definition  of  Nature  runs  thus  :  "  Philo- 
sophically considered,  the  universe  is  composed  of  Nature 
and  the  Soul.  Strictly  speaking,  therefore,  all  that  is  sepa- 
rate from  us,  all  which  philosophy  distinguishes  from  the 
Not  Me — that  is,  both  Nature  and  Art,  and  all  other  men, 
and  my  own  body — must  be  ranked  under  this  name  '  NA- 
TURE.' In  enumerating  the  values  of  Nature  and  casting 
up  their  sum,  I  shall  use  the  word  in  both  senses — in  its 
common  and  in  its  philosophical  import.  In  inquiries  so 
general  as  our  present  one,  the  inaccuracy  is  not  material ; 
no  confusion  of  thought  will  occur.  Nature,  in  the  com- 
mon sense,  refers  to  essences  unchanged  by  man :  space, 
the  air,  the  river,  the  leaf.  Art  is  applied  to  the  mixture 
of  his  will  with  the  same  things,  as  in  a  house,  a  canal,  a 
picture,  a  statue.  But  his  operations,  taken  together,  are 
so  insignificant — a  little  chipping,  baking,  patching,  and 
washing — that  in  an  impression  so  grand  as  that  of  the 
world  on  the  human  mind  they  do  not  vary  the  result." 

In  "Letters  and  Social  Aims"  Mr.  Emerson  writes: 
"  Eloquence  is  the  power  to  translate  a  truth  into  language 
perfectly  intelligible  to  the  person  to  whom  you  speak.  He 
who  would  convince  the  worthy  Mr.  Dunderhead  of  any 
truth  which  Dunderhead  does  not  see,  must  be  a  master  of 
his  art.  Declamation  is  common  ;  but  such  possession  of 
thought  as  is  here  required,  such  practical  chemistry  as  the 
conversion  of  a  truth  written  in  God's  language  into  a  truth 
in  Dunderhead's  language,  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and 
cogent  weapons  that  is  forged  in  the  shop  of  the  Divine 
Artificer." 

The  first  paragraph  of  Mr.  Emerson's  "  Essay  on  Art  " 
reads :  "  All  departments  of  life  at  the  present  day — 
Trade,  Politics,  Letters,  Science,  or  Religion — seem  to  feel, 
and  to  labor  to  express,  the  identity  of  their  law.  They  arc 


194 


THE   VERBALIST. 


rays  of  one  sun  ;  they  translate  each  into  a  new  language 
the  sense  of  the  other.  They  are  sublime  when  seen  as 
emanations  of  a  Necessity  contradistinguished  from  the 
vulgar  Fate  by  being  instant  and  alive,  and  dissolving  man, 
as  well  as  his  works,  in  its  flowing  beneficence.  This  in- 
fluence is  conspicuously  visible  in  the  principles  and  his- 
tory of  Art." 

Another  paragraph  from  Mr.  Emerson's  "  Essay  on 
Eloquence "  :  "  The  orator,  as  we  have  seen,  must  be  a 
substantial  personality.  Then,  first,  he  must  have  power 
of  statement — must  have  the  fact,  and  know  how  to  tell 
it.  In  a  knot  of  men  conversing  on  any  subject,  the  per- 
son who  knows  most  about  it  will  have  the  ear  of  the 
company,  if  he  wishes  it,  and  lead  the  conversation,  no 
matter  what  genius  or  distinction  other  men  there  present 
may  have  ;  and,  in  any  public  assembly,  him  who  has  the 
facts,  and  can  and  will  state  them,  people  will  listen  to, 
though  he  is  otherwise  ignorant,  though  he  is  hoarse  and 
ungrateful,  though  he  stutters  and  screams." 

Mr.  Emerson,  in  his  "  Essay  on  Prudence,"  writes  : 
"  There  are  all  degrees  of  proficiency  in  knowledge  of  the 
world.  It  is  sufficient  to  our  present  purpose  to  indicate 
three.  One  class  live  to  the  utility  of  the  symbol,  es- 
teeming health  and  wealth  a  final  good.  Another  class 
live  above  this  mark  to  the  beauty  of  the  symbol,  as  the 
poet  and  artist,  and  the  naturalist  and  man  of  science.  A 
third  class  live  above  the  beauty  of  the  symbol  to  the 
beauty  of  the  thing  signified  ;  these  are  wise  men.  The 
first  class  have  common  sense  ;  the  second,  taste  ;  and  the 
third,  spiritual  perception.  Once  in  a  long  time  a  man 
traverses  the  whole  scale,  and  sees  and  enjoys  the  sym- 
bol solidly  ;  then,  also,  has  a  clear  eye  for  its  beauty  ;  and, 
lastly,  whilst  he  pitches  his  tent  on  this  sacred  volcanic  isle 


THE   VERBALIST. 


'95 


of  nature,  does  not  offer  to  build  houses  and  barns  thereon, 
reverencing  the  splendor  of  God  which  he  sees  bursting 
through  each  chink  and  cranny." 

Those  who  are  wont  to  accept  others  at  their  self- 
assessment  and  to  see  things  through  other  people's  eyes 
— and  there  are  many  such — are  in  danger  of  thinking 
this  kind  of  writing  very  fine,  when  in  fact  it  is  not  only  the 
veriest  swash,  but  that  kind  of  swosh  that  excites  at  least 
an  occasional  doubt  with  regard  to  the  writer's  sanity. 
We  can  make  no  greater  mistake  than  to  suppose  that  the 
reason  we  do  not  understand  these  rhetorical  contortionists 
is  because  they  are  so  subtle  and  profound.  We  under- 
stand them  quite  as  well  as  they  understand  themselves. 
At  their  very  best,  they  are  but  incoherent  diluters  of  other 
men's  ideas.  They  have  but  one  thing  to  recommend  them 
— honesty.  They  believe  in  themselves. 

"  Whatever  is  dark  is  deep.  Stir  a  puddle,  and  it  is 
deeper  than  a  well." — Swift. 

Synecdoche.  The  using  of  the  name  of  a  part  for 
that  of  the  whole,  the  name  of  the  whole  for  that  of  a  part, 
or  the  using  of  a  definite  number  for  an  indefinite,  is  called, 
in  rhetoric,  synecdoche.  "  The  bay  was  covered  with  sails  "  ; 
i.  e ,  with  ships.  "  The  man  was  old,  careworn,  and  gray  "  ; 
i.  e ,  literally,  his  hair,  not  the  man,  was  gray.  "Nine 
tenths  of  every  man's  happiness  depends  on  the  reception 
he  meets  with  in  the  world."  "  He  had  seen  seventy  win- 
ters.'' "  Thus  spoke  the  tempter " :  here  the  part  of  the 
character  is  named  that  suits  the  occasion. 

"  His  roof  was  at  the  service  of  the  outcast  ;  the  un- 
fortunate ever  found  a  welcome  at  his  threshold." 

Take.  I  copy  from  the  "  London  Queen  "  :  "  The 
verb  to  take  is  open  to  being  considered  a  vulgar  verb  when 
used  in  reference  to  dinner,  tea,  or  to  refreshments  of  any 


196  THE   VERBALIST. 

kind.  'Will  you  take'  is  not  considered  comme  il  faut ; 
the  verb  in  favor  for  the  offering  of  civilities  being  to  have," 
According  to  "  The  Queen,"  then,  we  must  say,  "Will  you 
have  some  dinner,  tea,  coffee,  wine,  fish,  beef,  salad,"  etc. 

Taste  of.  The  redundant  of,  often  used,  in  this  coun- 
try, in  connection  with  the  transitive  verbs  to  taste  and  to 
smell,  is  a  Yankeeism.  We  taste  or  smell  a  thing,  not  taste 
of  nor  smell  of  a  thing.  The  neuter  verbs  to  taste  and  to 
smell are  often  followed  by  of.  "  If  butter  tastes  of  brass." 
"  For  age  but  tastes  of  pleasures." 

"  You  shall  stifle  in  your  own  report, 
And  smell  of  calumny." — Shakespeare. 

Tautology.  Among  the  things  to  be  avoided  in  writ- 
ing is  tautology,  which  is  the  repeating  of  the  same  thought, 
whether  in  the  same  or  in  different  words. 

Tautophony.  "  A  regard  for  harmony  requires  us,  in 
the  progress  of  a  sentence,  to  avoid  repeating  a  sound  by 
employing  the  same  word  more  than  once,  or  using,  in 
contiguous  words,  similar  combinations  of  letters.  This 
fault  is  known  as  tautology'' — Dr.  G.  P.  Quackenbos,  "  Ad- 
vanced Course  of  Composition  and  Rhetoric,"  p.  300.  Dr. 
Quackenbos  is  in  error.  The  repetition  of  the  same  sense 
is  tautology,  and  the  repetition  of  the  same  sound,  or,  as 
Dr.  Quackenbos  has  it,  "  the  repeating  of  a  sound  by  em- 
ploying the  same  word  more  than  once,  or  by  using  in 
contiguous  words  similar  combinations  of  letters,"  is  tau- 
tophony. 

Teach.  To  impart  knowledge,  to  inform,  to  instruct ; 
as,  " Teach  me  how  to  do  it "  ;  •*  Teach  me  to  swim "  ;  "He 
taught  me  to  write."  The  uncultured  often  misuse  learn 
for  teach.  See  LEARN. 

Tense.  The  errors  made  in  the  use  of  the  tenses  are 
manifold.  The  one  most  frequently  made  by  persons  of 


THE   VERBALIST. 


197 


culture — the  one  that  everybody  makes  would,  perhaps,  be 
nearer  the  fact — is  that  of  using  the  imperfect  instead  of 
the  perfect  tense  ;  thus,  "  I  never  saw  it  played  but  once": 
say,  have  seen.  "  He  was  the  largest  man  I  ever  saw '  :  say, 
have  seen.  "  I  never  in  my  life  had  such  trouble  "  :  say, 
have  had.  Another  frequent  error,  the  making  of  which 
is  not  confined  to  the  unschooled,  is  that  of  using  two 
verbs  in  a  past  tense  when  only  one  should  be  in  that  time  ; 
thus,  "  I  intended  to  have  gone  "  :  say,  to  go.  "  It  was  my 
intention  to  have  come":  say,  to  come.  "I  expected  to 
have  found  you  here  "  :  say,  to  find.  ' '  I  was  very  desirous 
to  have  gone  " :  say,  to  go.  ''  He  was  better  than  I  expected 
to  have  found  him  "  :  say,  to  find. 

Among  other  common  errors  are  the  following  :  "  I  seen 
him  when  he  done  it  "  :  say,  "  I  saw  him  when  he  did  it." 
"  I  should  have  went  home  "  :  szy,gom.  "  If  he  had  -went "  : 
say,  gone.  "  I  wish  you  had  went "  :  say,  gone.  "  He  has 
went  out  "  :  say,  gone.  "  I  come  to  town  this  morning  "  : 
say,  came.  "  He  come  to  me  for  advice  "  :  say,  came.  "  It 
begun  veiy  late  "  :  say,  began.  "It  had  already  began  "  : 
say,  begun.  "  The  following  toasts  were  drank  "  :  say,  drunk. 
•'  His  text  was  that  God  was  love"  :  say,  is  love.  Another 
error  is  made  in  such  sentences  as  these:  "  If  I  had  have 
known":  say,  had  known.  "If  he  had  have  come  as  he 
promised  "  :  say,  had  come.  "  If  you  had  have  told  me  "  : 
say,  had  told. 

Testimony.    See  EVIDENCE. 

Than.  Than  and  as  implying  comparison  have  the 
same  case  after  as  before  them.  "  He  owes  more  than 
me  "  :  read,  than  / — i.  e.,  more  than  /  owe.  "  John  is  not 
so  old  as  her" :  read,  as  she — i.  e.,  as  she  is.  We  should 
say,  then,  "  He  is  stronger  than  she"  "  She  is  older  than 
he"  "  You  are  richer  than  /,"  etc.  But  it  does  not  always 


igS  THE  VERBALIST. 

happen  that  the  nominative  case  comes  after  than  or  as. 
"  I  love  you  more  than  him,"  "  I  give  you  more  than 
Aim,"  "  I  love  you  as  well  as  him  "  ;  that  is  to  say,  "  I  love 
you  more  than  /  love  him,"  "  I  give  you  more  than  I  give 
him"  "  I  love  you  as  well  as  /  love  him"  Take  away  him 
and  put  he  in  all  these  cases,  and  the  grammar  is  just  as 
good,  but  the  meaning  is  quite  different.  "  I  love  you  as 
well  as  him"  means  that  I  love  you  as  well  as  I  love  him  ; 
but,  "  I  love  you  as  well  as  he"  means  that  I  love  you  as 
well  as  he  loves  you. 

Than  whom.  Cobbett,  in  his  "  Grammar  of  the  Eng- 
lish Language,"  says:  "There  is  an  erroneous  way  of  em- 
ploying -whom,  which  I  must  point  out  to  your  particular 
attention,  because  it  is  so  often  seen  in  very  good  writers, 
and  because  it  is  very  deceiving.  '  The  Duke  of  Argyll, 
than  whom  no  man  was  more  hearty  in  the  cause.'  '  Crom- 
well, than  -whom  no  man  was  better  skilled  in  artifice.'  A 
hundred  such  phrases  might  be  collected  from  Hume, 
Blackstone,  and  even  from  Drs.  Blair  and  Johnson.  Yet 
they  are  bad  grammar.  In  all  such  cases,  who  should  be 
made  use  of :  for  it  is  nominative  and  not  objective.  '  No 
man  was  more  hearty  in  the  cause  than  he  was ' ;  '  No  man 
was  better  skilled  in  artifice  than  he  was.'  *  It  is  a  very 
common  Parliament-house  phrase,  and  therefore  presumably 
corrupt ;  but  it  is  a  Dr.  Johnson  phrase,  too :  '  Pope,  than 
•whom  few  men  had  more  vanity.'  The  Doctor  did  not  say, 
'  Myself,  than  -whom  few  men  have  been  found  more  base, 
having,  in  my  dictionary,  described  a  pensioner  as  a  slave 
of  state,  and  having  afterward  myself  become  a  pen- 
sioner.' 

"  I  differ  in  this  matter  from  Bishop   Lowth,  who  says 

*  "  Cromwell — than  he  no  man  was  more  skilled  in  artifice ;  op 
Cromwell — no  man  was  mere  skilled  in  artifice  than  he  (was)." 


THE   VERBALIST. 


199 


that  '  The  relative  who,  having  reference  to  no  verb  or 
preposition  understood,  but  only  to  its  antecedent,  when  it 
follows  than,  is  always  in  the  objective  case ;  even  though 
the  pronoun,  if  substituted  in  its  place,  would  be  in  the 
nominative.'  And  then  he  gives  an  instance  from  Milton. 
'  Beelzebub,  than  whom,  Satan  except,  none  higher  sat.'  It 
is  curious  enough  that  this  sentence  of  the  Bishop  is.  itself, 
ungrammatical !  Our  poor  unfortunate  it  is  so  placed  a» 
to  make  it  a  matter  of  doubt  whether  the  Bishop  meant  it 
to  relate  to  who  or  to  its  antecedent.  However,  we  know 
its  meaning ;  but,  though  he  says  that  who,  when  it  follows 
than,  is  always  in  the  objective  case,  he  gives  us  no  reason 
for  this  departure  from  a  clear  general  principle  ;  unless 
we  are  to  regard  as  a  reason  the  example  of  Milton,  who 
has  committed  many  hundreds,  if  not  thousands,  of  gram- 
matical errors,  many  of  which  the  Bishop  himself  has 
pointed  out.  There  is  a  sort  of  side-wind  attempt  at 
reason  in  the  words,  '  having  reference  to  no  verb  or  prep- 
osition understood.'  I  do  not  see  the  reason,  even  if  this 
could  be  ;  but  it  appears  to  me  impossible  that  a  noun  or 
pronoun  can  exist  in  a  grammatical  state  without  having 
reference  to  some  verb  or  preposition,  either  expressed  or 
understood.  What  is  meant  by  Milton  ?  '  Than  Beelze- 
bub, none  sat  higher,  except  Satan.'  And  when,  in  order 
to  avoid  the  repetition  of  the  word  Beelzebub,  the  relative 
becomes  necessary,  the  full  construction  must  be,  '  no  devil 
sat  higher  than  who  sat,  except  Satan  ' ;  and  not,  '  no  devil 
sat  higher  than  whom  sat.'  *  The  supposition  that  there 
can  be  a  noun  or  pronoun  which  has  reference  to  no  verb 
and  no  preposition,  is  certainly  a  mistake." 

Of  this,  Dr.  Fitzedward  Hall  remarks,  in  his  "  Recent 
Exemplifications  of  False  Philology  " :    "  That  any  one 

*  "  No  devil  sat  higher  than  he  sat,  except  Satan." 


zoo  THE  VERBALIST. 

but  Cobbett  would  abide  this  as  English  is  highly  im- 
probable ;  and  how  the  expression — a  quite  classical  one — 
which  he  discards  can  be  justified  grammatically,  except  by 
calling  its  than  a  preposition,  others  may  resolve  at  their 
leisure  and  pleasure." 

Thanks.  There  are  many  persons  who  think,  it  in 
questionable  taste  to  use  thanks  for  thank  you. 

That.  The  best  writers  often  appear  to  grope  after  a 
separate  employment  for  the  several  relatives. 

"  '  THAT  '  is  the  proper  restrictive,  explicative,  limiting, 
or  defining  relative. 

'  '  That,'  the  neuter  of  the  definite  article,  was  early  in 
use  as  a  neuter  relative.  All  the  other  oldest  relatives 
gradually  dropt  away,  and  '  that '  came  to  be  applied  also 
to  plural  antecedents,  and  to  masculines  and  feminines. 
When  '  as,'  '  which,'  and  '  who  '  came  forward  to  share  the 
work  of  '  that,'  there  seems  to  have  arisen  not  a  little  uncer- 
tainty about  the  relatives,  and  we  find  curious  double  forms  : 
'whom  that,'  'which  that,"  'which  as,'  etc.  Gower  has, 
'Venus  -whose  priest  that  I  am';  Chaucer  writes— '  This 
Abbot  which  that  was  an  holy  man,' '  his  love  the  which  that 
he  oweth.'  By  the  Elizabethan  period,  these  double  forms 
have  disappeared,  and  all  the  relatives  are  used  singly  with- 
out hesitation.  From  then  till  now,  '  that '  has  been  strug- 
gling with  '  who '  and  '  which '  to  regain  superior  favor, 
with  varying  success.  '  Who '  is  used  for  persons, '  which ' 
for  things,  in  both  numbers  ;  so  is  '  that ' ;  and  the  only 
opportunity  of  a  special  application  of  '  that '  lies  in  the 
important  distinction  between  coordination  and  restriction. 
Now,  as  '  who '  and  '  which '  are  most  commonly  preferred 
for  coordination,  it  would  be  a  clear  gain  to  confine  them 
to  this  sense,  and  to  reserve  '  that '  for  the  restrictive  appli- 
cation alone.  This  arrangement,  then,  would  fall  in  with 


THE   VERBALIST.  2oi 

the  most  general  use  of  '  thai,'  especially  beyond  the  limits  of 
formal  composition. 

"  The  use  of  '  that '  solely  as  restrictive,  with  '  who '  and 
*  which '  solely  as  coordinating,  also  avoids  ambiguities  that 
often  attend  the  indiscriminate  use  of  '  who '  and  '  which ' 
for  coordinate  and  for  restrictive  clauses.  Thus,  when  we 
say, '  his  conduct  surprised  his  English  friends,  -who  had  not 
known  him  long,'  we  may  mean  either  that  his  English 
friends  generally  were  surprised  (the  relative  being,  in  that 
case,  coordinating),  or  that  only  a  portion  of  them — namely, 
the  particular  portion  that  had  not  known  him  long — were 
surprised.  In  this  last  case  the  relative  is  meant  to  define 
or  explain  the  antecedent,  and  the  doubt  would  be  removed 
by  writing  thus  :  '  his  English  friends  that  had  not  known 
him  long.'  So  in  the  following  sentence  there  is  a  similar 
ambiguity  in  the  use  of '  which ' :  '  the  next  winter  which 
you  will  spend  in  town  will  give  you  opportunities  of  mak- 
ing a  more  prudent  choice.'  This  may  mean,  either  '  you 
will  spend  next  winter  in  town  '  ('  which '  being  coordinat- 
ing), or  '  the  next  of  the  winters  when  you  are  to  live  in 
town,"  let  that  come  when  it  may.  In  the  former  case, 
'  which '  is  the  proper  relative  ;  in  the  latter  case,  the  mean- 
ing is  restrictive  or  denning,  and  would  be  best  brought  out 
by  '  that ' :  '  the  next  winter  that  you  will  spend  in  town.' 

"A  further  consideration  in  favor  of  employing  '  that* 
for  explicative  clauses  is  the  unpleasant  effect  arising  from 
the  too  frequent  repetition  of '  who '  and '  which'  Gramma- 
rians often  recommend  '  that '  as  a  means  of  varying  the 
style ;  but  this  end  ought  to  be  sought  in  subservience  to 
the  still  greater  end  of  perspicuity. 

"  The  following  examples  will  serve  further  to  illustrate 
the  distinction  between  that,  on  the  one  hand,  and  -who  and 
which,  on  the  other : 


202  THE  VERBALIST. 

"  '  In  general,  Mr.  Burchell  was  fondest  of  the  company 
of  children,  whom  he  used  to  call  harmless  little  men.' 
4  Whom '  is  here  idiomatically  used,  being  the  equivalent  of 
'  and  them  he  used  to  call,'  etc. 

"  '  Bacon  at  last,  a  mighty  man,  arose, 
Whom  a  wise  king  and  nation  chose 
Lord  Chancellor  of  both  their  laws.' 
Here,  also,  '  whom  '  is  equal  to  '  and  him.' 

"  In  the  following  instance  the  relative  is  restrictive  or 
defining,  and  '  that '  would  be  preferable  :  '  the  conclusion 
of  the  "  Iliad  "  is  like  the  exit  of  a  great  man  out  of  com- 
pany -whom  he  has  entertained  magnificently.'  Compare 
another  of  Addison's  sentences  :  '  a  man  of  polite  imagina- 
tion is  let  into  a  great  many  pleasures  that  the  vulgar  are 
not  capable  of  receiving.' 

"  Both  relatives  are  introduced  discriminatingly  in  this 
passage  : — '  She  had  learned  that  from  Mrs.  Wood,  -who  had 
heard  it  from  her  husband,  "who  had  heard  it  at  the  public- 
house  from  the  landlord,  who  had  been  let  into  the  secret 
by  the  boy  that  carried  the  beer  to  some  of  the  prisoners.' 

"  The  following  sentences  are  ambiguous  under  the 
modern  system  of  using  '  who '  for  both  purposes  : — '  I  met 
the  boatman  who  took  me  across  the  ferry.'  If '  who '  is 
the  proper  relative  here,  the  meaning  is, '  I  met  the  boatman, 
and  he  took  me  across,'  it  being  supposed  that  the  boatman 
is  known  and  definite.  But  if  there  be  several  boatmen, 
and  I  wish  to  indicate  one  in  particular  by  the  circumstance 
that  he  had  taken  me  across  the  ferry,  I  should  use  '  that.' 
'  The  youngest  boy  who  has  learned  to  dance  is  James.' 
This  means  either  '  the  youngest  boy  is  James,  and  he  has 
learned  to  dance,'  or,  '  of  the  boys,  the  youngest  that  has 
learned  to  dance  is  James.'  This  last  sense  is  restrictive, 
and  '  that '  should  be  used. 


THE   VERBALIST.  203 

'*  Turning  now  to  '  which,'  we  may  have  a  series  of 
parallel  examples.  '  The  court,  which  gives  currency  to 
manners,  should  be  exemplary  ' :  here  the  meaning  is  '  the 
court  should  be  exemplary,  for  the  cozirt  gives  currency  to 
manners.'  'Which 'is  the  idiomatic  relative  in  this  case. 
'  The  cat,  which  you  despise  so  much,  is  a  very  useful  ani- 
mal.' The  relative  here  also  is  coordinating,  and  not  re 
strictive.  If  it  were  intended  to  point  out  one  individual 
cat  specially  despised  by  the  person  addressed, '  that '  would 
convey  the  sense.  'A  theory  which  does  not  tend  to  the 
improvement  of  practice  is  utterly  unworthy  of  regard.' 
The  meaning  is  restrictive  ;  '  a  theory  that  does  not  tend.' 
The  following  sentence  is  one  of  many  from  Goldsmith  that 
give  '  that '  instead  of '  which ' : — '  Age,  that  lessens  the  en- 
joyment of  life,  increases  our  desire  of  living.'  Thackeray 
also  was  fond  of  this  usage.  But  it  is  not  very  common. 

"  '  Their  faith  tended  to  make  them  improvident ;  but  a 
wise  instinct  taught  them  that  if  there  was  one  thing  which 
ought  not  to  be  left  to  fate,  or  to  the  precepts  of  a  deceased 
prophet,  it  was  the  artillery ' ;  a  case  where  '  that '  is  the 
proper  relative. 

" '  All  words,  which  are  signs  of  complex  ideas,  furnish 
matter  of  mistake.'  This  gives  an  erroneous  impression, 
and  should  be  '  all  words  that  are  signs  of  complex  ideas.' 

"  '  In  all  cases  of  prescription,  the  universal  practice  of 
judges  is  to  direct  juries  by  analogy  to  the  Statute  of  Limi- 
tations, to  decide  against  incorporeal  rights  -which  have  for 
many  years  been  relinquished ' :  say  instead,  '  incorporeal 
rights  that  have  for  many  years,'  and  the  sense  is  clear. 

"  It  is  necessary  for  the  proper  understanding  of '  which ' 
to  advert  to  its  peculiar  function  of  referring  to  a  whole 
clause  as  the  antecedent :  '  William  ran  along  the  top  of  the 
wall,  which  alarmed  his  mother  very  much.'  The  antece- 


204 


THE   VERBALIST. 


dent  is  obviously  not  the  noun  '  wall,'  but  the  fact  expressed 
by  the  entire  clause — '  William  ran,'  etc.  '  He  by  no  means 
wants  sense,  which  only  serves  to  aggravate  his  former  folly ' ; 
namely,  (not  '  sense,'  but)  the  circumstance  '  that  he  does 
not  want  sense.'  '  He  is  neither  over-exalted  by  prosperity, 
nor  too  much  depressed  by  misfortune  ;  which  you  must 
allow  marks  a  great  mind.'  '  We  have  done  many  things 
which  we  ought  not  to  have  done,'  might  mean  '  we  ought 
not  to  have  done  many  things '  ;  that  is,  '  we  ought  to  have 
done  few  things.'  '  That '  would  give  the  exact  sense  in- 
tended :  '  we  have  done  many  things  that  we  ought  not  to 
have  done.'  '  He  began  to  look  after  his  affairs  himself, 
•which  was  the  way  to  make  them  prosper.' 

"  We  must  next  allude  to  the  cases  where  the  relative  is 
governed  by  a  preposition.  We  can  use  a  preposition  be- 
fore '  who '  and  '  which,'  but  when  the  relative  is  '  that,'  the 
preposition  must  be  thrown  to  the  end  of  the  clause.  Owing 
to  an  imperfect  appreciation  of  the  genius  of  our  language, 
offense  was  taken  at  this  usage  by  some  of  our  leading 
writers  at  the  beginning  of  last  century,  and  to  this  circum- 
stance we  must  refer  the  disuse  of  '  that '  as  the  relative  of 
restriction.* 

*  "  Speaking  of  Dryden,  Hallam  says,  '  His  "  Essay  on  Dramatic 
Poesy,"  published  in  1668,  was  reprinted  sixteen  years  afterward,  and 
it  is  curious  to  observe  the  changes  which  Dryden  made  in  the  expres- 
sion. Malone  has  carefully  noted  all  these  ;  they  show  both  the  care 
the  author  took  with  his  own  style,  and  the  change  which  was  gradually 
working  in  the  English  language.  The  Anglicism  of  terminating  the 
sentence  with  a  preposition  is  rejected.  Thus,  "  I  can  not  think  so 
contemptibly  of  the  age  I  live  in,"  is  exchanged  for  "  the  age  in  which 
I  live."  "  A  deeper  expression  of  belief  than  all  the  actor  can  persuade 
us  to,"  is  altered,  "  can  insinuate  into  us."  And,  though  the  old  form 
continued  in  use  long  after  the  time  of  Dryden,  it  has  of  late  years  been 
reckoned  inelegant,  and  proscribed  in  all  cases,  perhaps  with  an  unne- 
cessary fastidiousness,  to  which  I  have  not  uniformly  deferred,  since 


THE  VERBALIST. 


205 


" '  It  is  curious  that  the  only  circumstance  connected 
with  Scott,  and  related  by  Lockhart,  of  ivhich  I  was  a  wit- 
ness, is  incorrectly  stated  in  the  "  Life  of  Sir  Walter." ' 
— Leslie's  '  Memoirs.'  The  relative  should  be  restrictive  : 
1  that  I  was  a  witness  of.' 

"  '  There  are  many  words  -which  are  adjectives  which 
have  nothing  to  do  with  the  qualities  of  the  nouns  to  which 
they  are  put.' — Cobbett.  Better  :  '  there  are  many  words 
that  are  adjectives  that  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  qualities 
of  the  nouns  (that)  they  are  put  to' 

"  '  Other  objects,  of -which  we  have  not  occasion  to  speak 
so  frequently,  we  do  not  designate  by  a  name  of  their  own.1 
This,  if  amended,  would  be  :  '  other  objects  that  we  have 
not  occasion  to  speak  0/so  frequently,  we  do  not,'  etc. 

"  '  Sorrow  for  the  dead  is  the  only  sorrow  from  which 
we  refuse  to  be  divorced ' :  '  the  only  sorrow  (that)  we  re- 
fuse to  be  divorced  from! 

"  '  Why,  there  is  not  a  single  sentence  in  this  play  that 
I  do  not  know  the  meaning  of' — Addison. 

our  language  is  of  Teutonic  structure,  and  the  rules  of  Latin  and  French 
grammar  are  not  always  to  bind  us.' 

"  The  following  examples,  taken  from  Massinger's  '  Grand  Duke  of 
Florence,"  will  show  what  was  the  usage  of  the  Elizabethan  writers: — 
"  '  For  I  must  use  the  freedom  /  was  born  -with.' 
"  '  In  that  dumb  rhetoric  which  you  make  use  of! 

"  ' if  I  had  been  heir 

Of  all  the  globes  and  sceptres  mankind  bows  to.1 

"  ' the  name  of  friend 

Which  you  are  pleased  to  grace  me  with' 

"  ' wilfully  ignorant  in  my  opinion 

Of  what  it  did  invite  him  to? 
"'I  look  to  her  as  on  a  princess 
/  dare  not  be  ambitious  of.' 

"  ' a  duty 

That  I  was  born  with.'' 


206  THE  VERBALIST. 

"  '  Originality  is  a  thing  we  constantly  clamor  for,  and 
constantly  quarrel  with.' — Carlyle. 

"  '  A  spirit  more  amiable,  but  less  vigorous,  than  Luther's 
would  have  shrunk  back  from  the  dangers  which  he  braved 
and  surmounted ' :  '  that  he  braved '  ;  '  the  dangers  braved 
and  surmounted  by  him.' 

"  '  Nor  is  it  at  all  improbable  that  the  emigrants  had 
been  guilty  of  those  faults  from  which  civilized  men  who 
settle  among  an  uncivilized  people  are  rarely  free.' — Ma- 
caulay.  '  Nor  is  it  at  all  improbable  that  the  emigrants 
had  been  guilty  of  the  faults  that  (such  faults  as)  civilized 
men  that  settle  (settling,  or  settled}  among  an  uncivilized 
people  are  rarely  free  from.' 

" '  Prejudices  are  notions  or  opinions  which  the  mind 
entertains  without  knowing  the  grounds  and  reasons  of 
them,  and  which  are  assented  to  without  examination.' 
— Berkeley.  The  'which'  in  both  cases  should  be  'that,' 
but  the  relative  may  be  entirely  dispensed  with  'by  parti- 
cipial conversion  :  '  prejudices  are  notions  or  opinions  en- 
tertained by  the  mind  without  knowing  the  grounds  and 
reasons  of  them,  and  assented  to  without  examination.' 

"  The  too  frequent  repetition  of  '  who '  and  '  which ' 
may  be  avoided  by  resolving  them  into  the  conjunction  and 
personal  or  other  pronoun  :  '  In  such  circumstances,  the 
utmost  that  Bosquet  could  be  expected  to  do  was  to  hold 
his  ground,  (which)  and  this  he  did."  " — Bain's  "  Higher 
English  Grammar." 

This  word  is  sometimes  vulgarly  used  for  so  ;  thus, 
"  I  was  that  nervous  I  forgot  everything  "  ;  "I  was  that 
frightened  I  could  hardly  stand." 

The.  Bungling  writers  sometimes  write  sheer  non- 
sense, or  say  something  very  different  from  what  they  have 
in  their  minds,  by  the  simple  omission  of  the  definite  arti- 


THE   VERBALIST.  207 

cle  ;  thus,  "  The  indebtedness  of  the  English  tongue  to  the 
French,  Latin  and  Greek  is  disclosed  in  almost  every  sen- 
tence framed."  According  to  this,  there  is  such  a  thing  as 
a  French,  Latin  and  Greek  tongue.  Professor  Townsend 
meant  to  say  :  "  The  indebtedness  of  the  English  tongue  to 
the  French,  the  Latin,  and  the  Greek,"  etc. 

Then.  The  use  of  this  word  as  an  adjective  is  con- 
demned in  very  emphatic  terms  by  some  of  our  gram- 
marians, and  yet  this  use  of  it  has  the  sanction  of  such 
eminent  writers  as  Addison,  Johnson,  Whately,  and  Sir  J. 
Hawkins.  Johnson  says,  "  In  his  theti  situation,"  which, 
if  brevity  be  really  the  soul  of  wit,  certainly  has  much 
more  soul  in  it  than  "  In  the  situation  he  then  occupied." 
However,  it  is  doubtful  whether  then,  as  an  adjective,  will 
ever  again  find  favor  with  careful  writers. 

Thence.    See  WHENCE. 

Think  for.  We  not  unfrequently  hear  a  superfluous 
for  tacked  to  a  sentence  ;  thus,  "  You  will  find  that  he 
knows  more  about  the  affair  than  you  think  for" 

Those  kind.  "  Those  kind  of  apples  are  best "  :  read, 
"  That  kind  of  apples  is  best."  It  is  truly  remarkable  that 
many  persons  who  can  justly  lay  claim  to  the  possession 
of  considerable  culture  use  this  barbarous  combination.  It 
would  be  just  as  correct  to  say,  "  Those  flock  of  geese,"  or 
"  Those  drove  of  cattle,"  as  to  say,  "  Those  sort  or  kind  of 
people." 

Those  who.  This  phrase,  applied  in  a  restrictive  sense, 
is  the  modern  substitute  for  the  ancient  idiom  they  that,  an 
idiom  in  accordance  with  the  true  meaning  of  that. 

" '  They  that  told   me  the   story  said ' ;    '  Blessed   are 

they  that  mourn ' ;  '  and  Simon  and  they  that  were  with 

him  ' ;  '  I  love  them  that  love  me,  and  they  that  seek  me 

early  shall  find  me '  ;  '  they  that  are  whole  have  no  need  of 

14 


zo8  THE  VERBALIST. 

a  physician ' ;  '  how  sweet  is  the  rest  of  them  that  labor ! ' 
'  I  can  not  tell  who  to  compare  them  to  so  fitly  as  to  them 
that  pick  pockets  in  the  presence  of  the  judge  '  ;  '  they  that 
enter  into  the  state  of  marriage  cast  a  die  of  the  greatest 
contingency'  (J.  Taylor). 

"  '  That  man  hath  perfect  blessedness 

Who  walketh  not  astray,' 

if  expressed  according  to  the  old  idiom  would  be,  '  the  man 
hath — that  walketh.' 

"  '  That '  and  '  those,'  as  demonstrative  adjectives,  refer 
backward,  and  are  not  therefore  well  suited  for  the  forward 
reference  implied  in  making  use  of  '  that  which  '  and  '  those 
who '  as  restrictive  relatives.  It  is  also  very  cumbrous  to 
say  '  that  case  to  -which  you  allude  '  for  '  the  case  (that)  you 
allude  to' 

"  Take  now  the  following  :  '  The  Duke  of  Wellington 
is  not  one  of  those  who  interfere  with  matters  over  which 
he  has  no  control ' :  '  the  Duke  is  not  one  of  them  that  in" 
terfere  in  matters  that  they  have  no  control  over  (matters 
that  they  can  not  control,  beyond  their  control,  out  of  their 
province).'  If  '  them  that '  sounds  too  antiquated,  we  may 
adopt  as  a  convenient  compromise,  '  the  Duke  is  not  one 
of  those  that ' ;  or,  '  the  Duke  is  not  one  to  interfere  in  mat- 
ters out  of  his  province  ' ;  '  the  duke  is  not  one  that  inter- 
feres with  what  he  has  no  control  over!  " — Bain. 

Threadbare  Quotations.  Among  the  things  that  are 
in  bad  taste  in  speaking  and  writing,  the  use  of  threadbare 
quotations  and  expressions  is  in  the  front  rank.  Some  of 
these  use's  et  casses  old-timers  are  the  following:  "Their 
name  is  legion";  "hosts  of  friends";  "the  upper  ten". 
"Variety  is  the  spice  of  life";  "Distance  lends  enchant- 
ment to  the  view"  ;  "A  thing  of  beauty  is  a  joy  for  ever"  ; 
v  the  light  fantastic  toe  "  ;  "  own  the  soft  impeachment  "  ; 


THE   VERBALIST. 


209 


"fair  women  and.  brave  men";  "revelry  by  night";  "A 
rose  by  any  other  name  would  smell  as  sweet." 

To.  It  is  a  well-established  rule  of  grammar  that  to, 
the  sign  of  the  infinitive  mood,  should  not  be  used  for  the 
infinitive  itself;  thus,  "  He  has  not  done  it,  nor  is  he  likely 
to"  It  should  be,  "  nor  is  he  likely  to  do  it" 

We  often  find  to ,  when  the  sign  of  the  infinitive,  sepa- 
rated by  an  adverb  from  the  verb  to  which  it  belongs, 
Professor  A.  P.  Peabody  says  that  no  standard  Englis'.i 
writer  makes  this  mistake,  and  that,  so  far  as  he  knows,  it 
occurs  frequently  with  but  one  respectable  American  writer. 

Very  often  to  is  used  instead  of  at ;  thus,  "  I  have  been 
to  the  theatre,  to  church,  tj  my  uncle's,  to  a  concert,"  and  so 
on.  In  all  these  cases,  the  preposition  to  use  is  clearly  at, 
and  not  to.  See,  also,  AND. 

To  the  Fore.  An  old  idiomatic  phrase,  now  freely 
used  again. 

Tongue.  "  Much  tongue  and  much  judgment  seldom 
go  together." — L'Estrange.  See  LANGUAGE. 

Toward.  Those  who  profess  to  know  about  such 
things  say  that  etymology  furnishes  no  pretext  for  the  add- 
ing of  s  to  ward  in  such  words  as  backward,  forward,  to- 
ward, upward,  onward,  downward,  afterward,  heavenward, 
earthward,  and  the  like. 

Transferred  Epithet.  This  is  the  shifting  of  a  qualify- 
ing word  from  its  proper  subject  to  some  allied  subject. 
Examples : 

"  The  little  fields  made  green 

By  husbandry  of  many  thrifty  years" 

"He  plods  his  weary  way."  "  Hence  to  your  idle  bed!" 
By  this  figure  the  diction  is  rendered  more  terse  and  vigor- 
ous ;  it  is  much  used  in  verse.  For  the  sake  of  conciseness, 
it  is  used  in  prose  in  such  phrases  as  the  lunatic 


Zio  THE  VERBALIST. 

the  criminal  court,  the  condemned  cell,  the  blind  asylum, 
the  cholera  hospital,  the  foundling  asylum,  and  the  like. 
"  Still  in  harmonious  intercourse  they  lived 
The  rural  day,  and  talked  the  flowing  heart." 

"  There  be  some  who,  with  everything  to  make  them 
happy,  plod  their  discontented  and  melancholy  way  through 
life,  less  grateful  than  the  dog  that  licks  the  hand  that 
feeds  it." 

Transpire.  This  is  one  of  the  most  frequently  mis- 
used words  in  the  language.  Its  primary  meaning  is  to 
evaporate  insensibly  through  the  pores,  but  in  this  sense  it 
is  not  used  ;  in  this  sense  we  use  its  twin  sister  /^rspire. 
Transpire  is  now  properly  used  in  the  sense  of  to  escape 
from  secrecy,  to  become  known,  to  leak  out ;  and  improp- 
erly used  in  the  sense  of  to  occur,  to  happen,  to  come  to 
pass,  and  to  elapse.  The  word  is  correctly  used  thus : 
"  You  will  not  let  a  word  concerning  the  matter  transpire"  ; 
"  It  transpires  [leaks  out]  that  S.  &  B.  control  the  enter- 
prise " ;  "  Soon  after  the  funeral  it  transpired  [became 
known]  that  the  dead  woman  was  alive  "  ;  "It  has  trans- 
pired [leaked  out]  that  the  movement  originated  with  John 
Blank"  ;  "No  report  of  the  proceedings  was  allowed  to 
transpire  "  ;  "  It  has  not  yet  transpired  who  the  candidate 
is  to  be."  The  word  is  incorrectly  used  thus  :  "  The  Mex- 
ican war  transpired  in  1847 "  ;  "  The  drill  will  transpire 
under  shelter";  "The  accident  transjired  one  day  last 
week  "  ;  "  Years  will  transpire  before  it  will  be  finished  "  ; 
"  More  than  a  century  transpired  before  it  was  revisited  by 
civilized  man." 

Trifling  Minutiae.  The  meaning  of  trifles  and  of  minu- 
tia:  is  so  nearly  the  same  that  no  one  probably  ever  uses 
the  phrase  trifling  minutia  except  from  thoughtlessness. 

Trustworthy.     See  RELIABLE. 


THE   VERBALIST.  2ll 

Try.  This  word  is  often  improperly  used  for  make. 
We  make  experiments,  not  try  them,  which  is  as  incorrect 
as  it  would  be  to  say,  try  the  attempt,  or  the  ttial. 

Ugly.  In  England,  this  word  is  restricted  to  meaning 
ill-favored ;  with  us  it  is  often  used — and  not  without  au- 
thority— in  the  sense  of  ill-tempered,  vicious,  unmanageable. 

Unbeknown.  This  word  is  no  longer  used  except  by 
the  unschooled. 

Underhanded.  This  word,  though  found  in  the  dic- 
tionaries, is  a  vulgarism,  and  as  such  is  to  be  avoided. 
The  proper  word  is  underhand.  An  underhand,  not  an 
underhanded,  proceeding. 

Universal — All.  "  He  is  universally  esteemed  by  all 
who  know  him."  If  he  is  universally  esteemed,  he  must 
be  esteemed  by  all  who  know  him  ;  and,  if  he  is  esteemed 
by  all  who  know  him,  he  must  be  universally  esteemed. 

Upward  of.  This  phrase  is  often  used,  if  not  im- 
properly, at  least  inelegantly,  for  more  than  ;  thus,  "  I  have 
been  here  for  upward  of  a  year"  ;  "  For  upward  of  three 
quarters  of  a  century  she  has,"  etc.,  meaning,  for  more  than 
three  quarters  of  a  century. 

Utter.  This  verb  is  often  misused  for  say,  express. 
To  utter  means  to  speak,  to  pronounce ;  and  its  deriva- 
tive utterance  means  the  act,  manner,  or  power  of  utter- 
ing, vocal  expression ;  as,  "  the  utterance  of  articulate 
sounds."  We  utter  a  cry  ;  express  a  thought  or  sentiment ; 
speak  our  mind  ;  and,  though  prayers  are  said,  they  may  be 
uttered  in  a  certain  tone  or  manner.  "  Mr.  Blank  is  right 
in  all  he  utters"  :  read,  says.  "The  court  uttered  a  senti- 
ment that  all  will  applaud  " :  read,  expressed  a  sentiment. 

The  primary  meaning  of  the  adjective  utter  is  outer, 
on  the  outside  ;  but  it  is  no  longer  used  in  this  sense.  It  is 
now  used  in  the  sense  of  complete,  total,  perfect,  mere, 


2)2  THE   VERBALIST. 

entire ;  but  he  who  uses  it  indiscriminately  as  a  synonym 
of  these  words  will  frequently  utter  utter  nonsense — i.  e.,  he 
will  utter  that  which  is  without  the  pale  of  sense.  For 
example,  we  can  not  say  utter  concord,  but  we  can  say  utter 
discord — i.  e.,  without  the  pale  of  concord. 

Valuable.  The  following  sentence,  which  recently  ap- 
peared in  one  of  the  more  fastidious  of  our  morning  papers, 
is  offered  as  an  example  of  extreme  slipshodness  in  the  use 
of  language:  "Sea  captains  are  among  the  most  valuable 
contributors  to  the  Park  aviary."  What  the  writer  proba- 
bly meant  to  say  is,  "  Sea  captains  are  among  those  whose 
contributions  to  the  Park  aviary  are  the  most  valuable." 

Vast.  This  word  is  often  met  with  in  forcible-feeble 
diction,  where  it  is  used  instead  of  great  or  large  to  qualify 
such  words  as  number,  majority,  multitude,  and  the  like. 
Big  words  and  expletives  should  be  used  only  where  they 
are  really  needed  ;  where  they  are  not  really  needed,  they 
go  wide  of  the  object  aimed  at.  The  sportsman  that  hunts 
small  game  with  buck-shot  comes  home  empty-handed. 

Veracity.  The  loss  would  be  a  small  one  if  we  were 
to  lose  this  word  and  its  derivatives.  Truth  and  its  deriva- 
tives would  supply  all  our  needs.  In  the  phrase  so  often 
heard,  "A  man  of  truth  and  veracity,"  veracity  is  entirely 
superfluous,  it  having  precisely  the  same  meaning  as  truth. 
The  phrase,  "  A  big,  large  man,"  is  equally  good  diction. 

Verbiage.  An  unnecessary  profusion  of  words  is  called 
verbiage  :  verbosity,  wordiness. 

"  I  thought  what  I  read  of  it  verbiage." — Johnson. 

Sometime.":  a  better  name  than  verbiage  for  wordiness 
would  be  emptiness.  Witness  :  "  Clearness  may  be  devel- 
oped and  cultivated  in  three  ways,  (a)  By  constantly  prac- 
ticing in  heart  and  life  the  thoughts  and  ways  of  honesty  and 
frankness."  The  first  sentence  evidently  means,  "  Clear- 


THE   VERBALIST.  213 

ness  may  be  attained  in  three  ways  "  ;  but  what  the  second 
sentence  means — if  it  means  anything — is  more  than  I  can 
tell.  Professor  L.  T.  Townsend,  "  Art  of  Speech,"  vol.  i, 
p.  130,  adds:  "  This  may  be  regarded  as  the  surest  path  to 
greater  transparency  of  style."  The  transparency  of  Dr. 
Townsend's  style  is  peculiar.  Also,  p.  144,  we  find  :  "  The 
laws  and  rules '  thus  far  laid  down  8  furnish  ample  founda- 
tion for 8  the  general  statement  that  an  easy  and  natural  * 
expression,  an  exact  verbal  incarnation  of  one's  thinking,5 
together  with  the  power  of  using  appropriate  figures,  and 
of  making  nice  discriminations  between  approximate  syno- 
nyms,6 each  being  an  important  factor  in  correct  style,  are 
attained  in  two  ways.1  (i)  Through  moral8  and  mental 
discipline.  (2)  Through  continuous  and  intimate 9  ac- 
quaintance with  such  authors  as  best  exemplify  those  at- 
tainments." 10 

I.  Would  not  laws  cover  the  whole  ground?  2.  En 
passant  I  would  remark  that  Dr.  Townsend  did  not  make 
these  laws,  though  he  so  intimates.  3.  I  suggest  the  word 
justify  in  place  of  these  four.  4.  What  is  natural  is  easy  ; 
easy,  therefore,  is  superfluous.  5.  If  this  means  anything, 
it  does  not  mean  more  than  the  adjective  clear  would  ex- 
press, if  properly  used  in  the  sentence.  6.  Approximate 
synonyms  ! !  Who  ever  heard  of  any  antagonistic  or  even 
of  dissimilar  synonyms  ?  7.  The  transparency  of  this  sen- 
tence is  not  unlike  the  transparency  of  corrugated  glass. 
8.  What  has  morality  to  do  with  correctness  ?  g.  An  in- 
timate acquaintance  would  suffice  for  most  people.  10. 
Those  attainments!  What  are  they?  Dr.  Townsend's 
corrugated  style  makes  it  hard  to  tell. 

This  paragraph  is  so  badly  conceived  throughout  that 
it  is  well-nigh  impossible  to  make  head,  middle,  or  tail  of 
it ;  still,  if  I  am  at  all  successful  in  guessing  what  Professor 


214  THE   VERBALIST. 

Townsend  wanted  to  say  in  it,  then — when  shorn  of  its 
redundancy  and  high-flown  emptiness — it  will  read  some- 
what like  this  :  "  The  laws  thus  far  presented  justify  the 
general  statement  that  a  clear  and  natural  mode  of  ex- 
pression— together  with  that  art  of  using  appropriate  figures 
and  that  ability  properly  to  discriminate  between  syno- 
nyms which  are  necessary  to  correctness — is  attained  in 
two  ways,  (i)  By  mental  discipline.  (2)  By  the  study  of 
our  best  authors." 

The  following  sentence  is  from  a  leading  magazine  :  "  If 
we  begin  a  system  of  interference,  regulating  men's  gains, 
bolstering  here,  in  order  to  strengthen  this  interest,  [and]  re- 
pressing elsewhere  [there],  in  order  to  equalize  wealth,  we 
shall  do  an  [a]  immense  deal  of  mischief,  and  without  bring- 
ing about  a  more  agreeable  condition  of  things  than  now 
[we]  shall  simply  discourage  enterprise,  repress  industry, 
and  check  material  growth  in  all  directions."  Read  with- 
out the  eighteen  words  in  italics  and  with  the  four  inclosed. 

"  Nothing  disgusts  sooner  than  the  empty  pomp  of  lan- 
guage." 

Vice.    See  CRIME. 

Vicinity.  This  word  is  sometimes  incorrectly  used 
without  the  possessive  pronoun;  thus,  "Washington  and 
vicinity,"  instead  of  "Washington  and  its  vicinity."  The 
primary  meaning  of  vicinity  is  nearness,  proximity.  In 
many  of  the  cases  in  which  vicinity  is  used,  neighborhood 
would  be  the  better  word,  though  vicinity  is  perhaps  prefer- 
able where  it  is  a  question  of  mere  locality. 

Vocation — Avocation.  These  words  are  frequently 
confounded.  A  man's  vocation  is  his  profession,  his  call- 
ing, his  business  ;  and  his  avocations  are  the  things  that 
occupy  him  incidentally.  Mademoiselle  Bernhardt's  voca- 
tion is  acting  ;  her  avocations  are  painting  and  sculpture. 


THE   VERBALIST, 


215 


*  The  tracing  of  resemblances  among  the  objects  and  events 
of  the  world  is  a  constant  avocation  of  the  human  mind." 

Vulgar.  By  the  many,  this  word  is  probably  more 
frequently  used  improperly  than  properly.  As  a  noun,  it 
means  the  common  people,  the  lower  orders,  the  multi- 
tude, the  many  ;  as  an  adjective,  it  means  coarse,  low, 
unrefined,  as  "  the  vulgar  people."  The  sense  in  which 
it  is  misused  is  that  of  immodest,  indecent.  The  wearing, 
for  example,  of  a  gown  too  short  at  the  top  may  be  inde- 
tent,  but  is  not  vulgar. 

Was.  "  He  said  he  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
there  was  no  God."  "  The  greatest  of  Byron's  works  was 
his  whole  work  taken  together." — Matthew  Arnold.  What 
is  true  at  all  times  should  be  expressed  by  using  the  verb 
in  the  present  tense.  The  sentences  above  should  read  is, 
not  was. 

Wharf.    See  DOCK. 

What.  "  He  would  not  believe  but  what  I  did  it  "  : 
read,  but  that.  "  I  do  not  doubt  but  what  I  shall  go  to 
Boston  to-morrow  "  :  read,  doubt  that.  We  say  properly, 
"  I  have  nothing  but  what  you  see  "  ;  "  You  have  brought 
everything  but  what  I  wanted." 

Whence.  As  this  adverb  means — unaided — from  what 
place,  source,  or  cause,  it  is,  as  Dr.  Johnson  styled  it,  "  a 
vicious  mode  of  speech  "  to  say  from  whence,  Milton  to  the 
contrary  notwithstanding.  Nor  is  there  any  more  pro- 
priety in  the  phrase  from  thence,  as  thence  means — unaided 
—  from  that  place.  "  Whence  do  you  come  ? "  not  "  From 
whence  do  you  come  ?"  Likewise,  "  He  went  hence"  not 
"from  hence." 

Whether.  This  conjunction  is  often  improperly  re- 
peated in  a  sentence  ;  thus,  "  I  have  not  decided  whether 
I  shall  go  to  Boston  or  whether  I  shall  go  to  Philadelphia'." 


2l6  THE   VERBALIST. 

Which.  This  pronoun  as  an  interrogative  applies  to 
persons  as  well  as  to  things  y  as  a  relative,  it  is  now  made 
to  refer  to  things  only. 

"  Which  is  employed  in  coordinate  sentences,  where  it, 
or  they,  and  a  conjunction  might  answer  the  purpose  ;  thus, 
4  At  school  I  studied  geometry,  which  (and  it)  I  found 
useful  afterward.'  Here  the  new  clause  is  something  inde- 
pendent added  to  the  previous  clause,  and  not  limiting 
that  clause  in  any  way.  So  in  the  adjectival  clause ;  as, 
4  He  struck  the  poor  dog,  which  (and  it,  or  although  it)  had 
never  done  him  harm.'  Such  instances  represent  the  most 
accurate  meaning  of  -which.  Who  and  which  might  be 
termed  the  COORDINATING  RELATIVES. 

"  Which  is  likewise  used  in  restrictive  clauses  that  limit 
or  explain  the  antecedent ;  as,  '  The  house  which  he  built 
still  remains.'  Here  the  clause  introduced  by  which  speci- 
fies, or  points  out,  the  house  that  is  the  subject  of  the 
statement,  namely,  by  the  circumstance  that  a  certain  per- 
son built  it.  As  remarked  with  regard  to  who,  our  most 
idiomatic  writers  prefer  that  in  this  particular  application, 
and  would  say,  '  The  house  that  he  built  still  remains.'  " 

"  Which  sometimes  has  a  special  reference  attaching  to 
it,  as  the  neuter  relative :  '  Caesar  crossed  the  Rubicon, 
which  was  in  effect  a  declaration  of  war.'  The  antecedent 
in  this  instance  is  not  Rubicon,  but  the  entire  clause. 

"  There  is  a  peculiar  usage  where  -which  may  seem  to 
be  still  regularly  used  in  reference  to  persons,  as  in  '  John 
is  a  soldier,  which  I  should  like  to  be,'  that  is,  'And  I 
should  like  to  be  a  soldier!  "  See  THAT. 

Who.  There  are  few  persons,  even  among  the  most 
cultivated,  who  do  not  make  frequent  mistakes  in  the  use 
of  this  pronoun.  They  say,  "  W ho  did  you  see  ?  "  "  Who 
did  you  meet  ?  "  "  Who  did  he  marry  ?  "  "  Who  did  you 


THE  VERBALIST. 


217 


hear  ?  "  "  Who  did  he  know  ?  "  "  Who  are  you  writing 
to  ?  "  "  Who  are  you  looking  at  ?  "  In  all  these  sentences 
the  interrogative  pronoun  is  in  the  objective  case,  and 
should  be  used  in  the  objective  form,  which  is  whom,  and 
not  who.  To  show  that  these  sentences  are  not  correct, 
and  are  not  defensible  by  supposing  any  ellipsis  whatso- 
ever, we  have  only  to  put  the  questions  in  another  form. 
Take  the  first  one,  and,  instead  of  "  Who  did  you  see  ?" 
say,  "Who  saw  you?"  which,  if  correct,  justifies  us  in  saying, 
"  Who  knew  he,"  which  is  the  equivalent  of  "  Who  did  he 
know  ?  "  But  "  Who  saw  you  ?  "  in  this  instance,  is  clearly 
not  correct,  since  it  says  directly  the  opposite  of  what  is 
intended. 

Who  was  little  used  as  a  relative  till  about  the  six- 
teenth century.  Bain  says  :  "  In  modern  use,  more  espe- 
cially in  books,  who  is  frequently  employed  to  introduce  a 
clause  intended  to  restrict,  define,  limit,  or  explain  a  noun 
(or  its  equivalent) ;  as,  '  That  is  the  man  who  spoke  to  us 
yesterday.'  " 

"  Here  the  clause  introduced  by  who  is  necessary  to 
define  or  explain  the  antecedent  the  man ;  without  it,  we 
do  not  know  who  the  man  is.  Such  relative  clauses  are 
typical  adjective  clauses — i.  e.,  they  have  the  same  effect  as 
adjectives  in  limiting  nouns.  This  may  be  called  the 
RESTRICTIVE  use  of  the  relative. 

"  Now  it  will  be  found  that  the  practice  of  our  most 
idiomatic  writers  and  speakers  is  to  prefer  that  to  who  in 
this  application. 

"  Who  is  properly  used  in  such  coordinate  sentences 
as,  '  I  met  the  watchman,  who  told  me  there  had  been  a 
fire.'  Here  the  two  clauses  are  distinct  and  independent ; 
in  such  a  case,  and  he  might  be  substituted  for  who. 

"  Another  form  of  the  same  use  is  when  the  second 


2i8  THE  VERBALIST. 

clause  is  of  the  kind  termed  adverbial,  where  we  may  re- 
solve who  into  a  personal  or  demonstrative  pronoun  and 
conjunction.  'Why  should  we  consult  Charles,  -who  (for 
he,  seeing  that  he)  knows  nothing  of  the  matter  ?  ' 

"  Who  may  be  regarded  as  a  modern  objective  form, 
side  by  side  with  -whom.  For  many  good  writers  and 
speakers  say  '  who  are  you  talking  of  ? '  '  -who  does  the  gar- 
den belong  to  ? '  '  who  is  this  for  ? '  '  -who  from  ? ' "  etc. 

If  this  be  true — if  who  may  be  regarded  as  a  modern 
objective  form,  side  by  side  with  -whom — then,  of  course, 
such  expressions  as  "  Who  did  you  see  ?  "  "  Who  did  you 
meet  ?"  "  Who  did  he  marry  ?  "  "  Who  were  you  with  ?  " 
"  Who  will  you  give  it  to  ?"  and  the  like,  are  correct.  That 
they  are  used  colloquially  by  well-nigh  everybody,  no  one 
will  dispute  ;  but  that  they  are  correct,  few  grammarians  will 
concede.  See  THAT. 

Whole.  This  word  is  sometimes  most  improperly  used 
for  all ;  thus,  "  The  whole  Germans  seem  to  be  saturated 
with  the  belief  that  they  are  really  the  greatest  people  on 
earth,  and  that  they  would  be  universally  recognized  as 
being  the  greatest,  if  they  were  not  so  exceeding  modest." 
"  The  whole  Russians  are  inspired  with  the  belief  that  their 
mission  is  to  conquer  the  world." — Alison. 

Wholesome.     See  HEALTHY. 

Whose.  Mr.  George  Washington  Moon  discounte- 
nances the  use  of  whose  as  the  possessive  of  which.  He 
says,  "  The  best  writers,  when  speaking  of  inanimate  ob- 
jects, use  of  which  instead  of  whose."  The  correctness  of 
this  statement  is  doubtful.  The  truth  is,  I  think,  that  good 
writers  use  that  form  for  the  possessive  case  of  -which  that 
in  their  judgment  is,  in  each  particular  case,  the  more 
euphonious,  giving  the  preference,  perhaps,  to  of  which. 
On  this  subject  Dr.  Campbell  says:  "The  possessive  of 


THE   VERBALIST.  2lg 

who  is  properly  whose.  The  pronoun  which,  originally  in- 
declinable, had  no  possessive.  This  was  supplied,  in  the 
common  periphrastic  manner,  by  the  help  of  the  preposi- 
tion and  the  article.  But,  as  this  could  not  fail  to  enfeeble 
the  expression,  when  so  much  time  was  given  to  mere  coru 
junctives,  all  our  best  authors,  both  in  prose  and  verse, 
have  now  come  regularly  to  adopt,  in  such  cases,  the  pos-, 
sessive  of  who,  and  thus  have  substituted  one  syllable  in 
the  room  of  three,  as  in  the  example  following :  '  Philosophy, 
whose  end  is  to  instruct  us  in  the  knowledge  of  nature,'  for 
'  Philosophy,  the  end  of  which  is  to  instruct  us.'  Some 
grammarians  remonstrate  ;  but  it  ought  to  be  remembered 
that  use,  well  established,  must  give  law  to  grammar,  and 
not  grammar  to  use." 

Professor  Bain  says :  "  Whose,  although  the  possessive 
of  who,  and  practically  of  "which,  is  yet  frequently  em- 
ployed for  the  purpose  of  restriction  :  '  We  are  the  more 
likely  to  guard  watchfully  against  those  faults  whose  de- 
formity we  have  seen  fully  displayed  in  others.'  This  is 
better  than  '  the  deformity  of  which  we  have  seen.'  '  Prop- 
ositions of  whose  truth  we  have  no  certain  knowledge.' — 
Locke."  Dr.  Fitzedward  Hall  says  that  the  use  of  whose 
for  of  which,  where  the  antecedent  is  not  only  irrational 
but  inanimate,  has  had  the  support  of  high  authority  for 
several  hundred  years. 

Widow  Woman.  Since  widows  are  always  women, 
why  say  a  widow  woman  ?  It  would  be  perfectly  correct 
to  say  a  widowed  woman. 

Widowhood.  There  is  good  authority  for  using  this 
word  in  speaking  of  men  as  well  as  of  women. 

Without.  This  word  is  often  improperly  used  instead 
of  unless  ;  as,  "  You  will  never  live  to  my  age  without  you 
keep  yourself  in  breath  and  exercise " ;  "I  shall  not  go 


2ZO  THE   VERBALIST. 

•without  my  father  consents  " :  properly,  unless  my  father 
consents,  or,  without  my  father's  consent. 

Worst.     We  should  say  at  the  worst,  not  at  worst, 

Wove.  The  past  participle  of  the  verb  to  weave  is 
woven.  "  Where  was  this  cloth  woven  ?  "  not  wove. 

You  are  mistaken.     See  MISTAKEN. 

You  •was.  Good  usage  does,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped 
always  will,  consider  you  was  a  gross  vulgarism,  certain 
grammarians  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding.  You  is  the 
form  of  the  pronoun  in  the  second  person  plural,  and  must, 
if  we  would  speak  correctly,  be  used  with  the  correspond- 
ing form  of  the  verb.  The  argument  that  we  use  you  in  the 
singular  number  is  so  nonsensical  that  it  does  not  merit  a 
moment's  consideration.  It  is  a  custom  we  have — and 
have  in  common  with  other  peoples — to  speak  to  one  an- 
other in  the  second  person  plural,  and  that  is  all  there  is 
of  it.  The  Germans  speak  to  one  another  in  the  third  per- 
son plural.  The  exact  equivalent  in  German  of  our  IIoiu 
are  you?  is,  How  are  they  ?  Those  who  would  say  you  was 
should  be  consistent,  and  in  like  manner  sayj0«  has  and 
you  does. 

Yours,  &c.  The  ignorant  and  obtuse  not  unfrequently 
profess  themselves  at  the  bottom  of  their  letters  "Yours, 
&c."  And  so  forth  !  forth  what?  Few  vulgarisms  are  equally 
offensive,  and  none  could  be  more  so.  In  printing  corre* 
spondence,  the  newspapers  often  content  themselves  with 
this  short-hand  way  of  intimating  that  the  writer's  name 
was  preceded  by  some  one  of  the  familiar  forms  of  ending 
letters  ;  this  an  occasional  dunderhead  seems  to  think  is 
Sufficient  authority  for  writing  himself,  Yours.  &c. 

THE    END. 


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