Write It Right. A Little Blacklist of Literary Faults
Ambrose Bierce
The Project Gutenberg EBook of Write It Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Aims and the Plan
The author's main purpose in this book is to teach precision in writing; and of good writing (which, essentially, is clear thinking made visible) precision is the point of capital concern. It is attained by choice of the word that accurately and adequately expresses what the writer has in mind, and by exclusion of that which either denotes or connotes something else. As Quintilian puts it, the writer should so write that his reader not only may, but must, understand.
Few words have more than one literal and serviceable meaning, however many metaphorical, derivative, related, or even unrelated, meanings lexicographers may think it worth while to gather from all sorts and conditions of men, with which to bloat their absurd and misleading dictionaries. This actual and serviceable meaning – not always determined by derivation, and seldom by popular usage – is the one affirmed, according to his light, by the author of this little manual of solecisms. Narrow etymons of the mere scholar and loose locutions of the ignorant are alike denied a standing.
The plan of the book is more illustrative than expository, the aim being to use the terms of etymology and syntax as little as is compatible with clarity, familiar example being more easily apprehended than technical precept. When both are employed the precept is commonly given after the example has prepared the student to apply it, not only to the matter in mind, but to similar matters not mentioned. Everything in quotation marks is to be understood as disapproved.
Not all locutions blacklisted herein are always to be reprobated as universal outlaws. Excepting in the case of capital offenders – expressions ancestrally vulgar or irreclaimably degenerate – absolute proscription is possible as to serious composition only; in other forms the writer must rely on his sense of values and the fitness of things. While it is true that some colloquialisms and, with less of license, even some slang, may be sparingly employed in light literature, for point, piquancy or any of the purposes of the skilled writer sensible to the necessity and charm of keeping at least one foot on the ground, to others the virtue of restraint may be commended as distinctly superior to the joy of indulgence.
Precision is much, but not all; some words and phrases are disallowed on the ground of taste. As there are neither standards nor arbiters of taste, the book can do little more than reflect that of its author, who is far indeed from professing impeccability. In neither taste nor precision is any man's practice a court of last appeal, for writers all, both great and small, are habitual sinners against the light; and their accuser is cheerfully aware that his own work will supply (as in making this book it has supplied) many "awful examples" – his later work less abundantly, he hopes, than his earlier. He nevertheless believes that this does not disqualify him for showing by other instances than his own how not to write. The infallible teacher is still in the forest primeval, throwing seeds to the white blackbirds.
A. B.
The Blacklist
A for An
"A hotel." "A heroic man." Before an unaccented aspirate use an. The contrary usage in this country comes of too strongly stressing our aspirates.
Action for Act
"In wrestling, a blow is a reprehensible action." A blow is not an action but an act. An action may consist of many acts.
Admission for Admittance
"The price of admission is one dollar."
Admit for Confess
To admit is to concede something affirmed. An unaccused offender cannot admit his guilt.
Adopt
"He adopted a disguise." One may adopt a child, or an opinion, but a disguise is assumed.
Advisedly for Advertently, Intentionally
"It was done advisedly" should mean that it was done after advice.
Afford
It is not well to say "the fact affords a reasonable presumption"; "the house afforded ample accommodation." The fact supplies a reasonable presumption. The house offered, or gave, ample accommodation.
Afraid
Do not say, "I am afraid it will rain." Say, I fear that it will rain.
Afterwards for Afterward
Aggravate for Irritate
"He aggravated me by his insolence." To aggravate is to augment the disagreeableness of something already disagreeable, or the badness of something bad. But a person cannot be aggravated, even if disagreeable or bad. Women are singularly prone to misuse of this word.
All of
"He gave all of his property." The words are contradictory: an entire thing cannot be of itself. Omit the preposition.
Alleged
"The alleged murderer." One can allege a murder, but not a murderer; a crime, but not a criminal. A man that is merely suspected of crime would not, in any case, be an alleged criminal, for an allegation is a definite and positive statement. In their tiresome addiction to this use of alleged, the newspapers, though having mainly in mind the danger of libel suits, can urge in further justification the lack of any other single word that exactly expresses their meaning; but the fact that a mud-puddle supplies the shortest route is not a compelling reason for walking through it. One can go around.
Allow for Permit
"I allow you to go." Precision is better attained by saying permit, for allow has other meanings.
Allude to for Mention
What is alluded to is not mentioned, but referred to indirectly. Originally, the word implied a playful, or sportive, reference. That meaning is gone out of it.
And so, And yet
"And so they were married." "And yet a woman." Omit the conjunction.
And which, And who
These forms are incorrect unless the relative pronoun has been used previously in the sentence. "The colt, spirited and strong, and which was unbroken, escaped from the pasture." "John Smith, one of our leading merchants, and who fell from a window yesterday, died this morning." Omit the conjunction.
Antecedents for Personal History
Antecedents are predecessors.
Anticipate for Expect
"I anticipate trouble." To anticipate is to act on an expectation in a way to promote or forestall the event expected.
Anxious for Eager
"I was anxious to go." Anxious should not be followed by an infinitive. Anxiety is contemplative; eagerness, alert for action.
Appreciate for Highly Value
In the sense of value, it means value justly, not highly. In another and preferable sense it means to increase in value.
Approach
"The juror was approached"; that is, overtures were made to him with a view to bribing him. As there is no other single word for it, approach is made to serve, figuratively; and being graphic, it is not altogether objectionable.
Appropriated for Took
"He appropriated his neighbor's horse to his own use." To appropriate is to set apart, as a sum of money, for a special purpose.
Approve of for Approve
There is no sense in making approve an intransitive verb.
Apt for Likely
"One is apt to be mistaken." Apt means facile, felicitous, ready, and the like; but even the dictionary-makers cannot persuade a person of discriminating taste to accept it as synonymous with likely.
Around for About
"The debris of battle lay around them." "The huckster went around, crying his wares." Around carries the concept of circularity.
Article
A good and useful word, but used without meaning by shopkeepers; as, "A good article of vinegar,"
for a good vinegar.
As for That, or If
"I do not know as he is living." This error is not very common among those who can write at all, but one sometimes sees it in high place.
As – as for So – as
"He is not as good as she." Say, not so good. In affirmative sentences the rule is different: He is as good as she.
As for for As to
"As for me, I am well." Say, as to me.
At Auction for by Auction
"The goods were sold at auction."
At for By
"She was shocked at his conduct." This very common solecism is without excuse.
Attain for Accomplish
"By diligence we attain our purpose." A purpose is accomplished; success is attained.
Authoress
A needless word – as needless as "poetess."
Avocation for Vocation
A vocation is, literally, a calling; that is, a trade or profession. An avocation is something that calls one away from it. If I say that farming is some one's avocation I mean that he practises it, not regularly, but at odd times.
Avoid for Avert
"By displaying a light the skipper avoided a collision." To avoid is to shun; the skipper could have avoided a collision only by getting out of the way.
Avoirdupois for Weight
Mere slang.
Back of for Behind, At the Back of
"Back of law is force."
Backwards for Backward
Badly for Bad
"I feel badly." "He looks badly." The former sentence implies defective nerves of sensation, the latter, imperfect vision. Use the adjective.
Balance for Remainder
"The balance of my time is given to recreation." In this sense balance is a commercial word, and relates to accounting.
Banquet
A good enough word in its place, but its place is the dictionary. Say, dinner.
Bar for Bend
"Bar sinister." There is no such thing in heraldry as a bar sinister.
Because for For
"I knew it was night, because it was dark." "He will not go, because he is ill."
Bet for Betted
The verb to bet forms its preterite regularly, as do wet, wed, knit, quit and others that are commonly misconjugated. It seems that we clip our short words more than we do our long.
Body for Trunk
"The body lay here, the head there." The body is the entire physical person (as distinguished from the soul, or mind) and the head is a part of it. As distinguished from head, trunk may include the limbs, but anatomically it is the torso only.
Bogus for Counterfeit, or False
The word is slang; keep it out.
Both
This word is frequently misplaced; as, "A large mob, both of men and women." Say, of both men and women.
Both alike
"They are both alike." Say, they are alike. One of them could not be alike.
Brainy
Pure slang, and singularly disagreeable.
Bug for Beetle, or for anything
Do not use it.
Business for Right
"He has no business to go there."
Build for Make
"Build a fire." "Build a canal." Even "build a tunnel" is not unknown, and probably if the wood-chuck is skilled in the American tongue he speaks of building a hole.
But
By many writers this word (in the sense of except) is regarded as a preposition, to be followed by the objective case: "All went but him." It is not a preposition and may take either the nominative or objective case, to agree with the subject or the object of the verb. All went but he. The natives killed all but him.
But what
"I did not know but what he was an enemy." Omit what. If condemnation of this dreadful locution seem needless bear the matter in mind in your reading and you will soon be of a different opinion.
By for Of
"A man by the name of Brown." Say, of the name. Better than either form is: a man named Brown.
Calculated for Likely
"The bad weather is calculated to produce sickness." Calculated implies calculation, design.
Can for May
"Can I go fishing?" "He can call on me if he wishes to."
Candidate for Aspirant
In American politics, one is not a candidate for an office until formally named (nominated) for it by a convention, or otherwise, as provided by law or custom. So when a man who is moving Heaven and Earth to procure the nomination protests that he is "not a candidate" he tells the truth in order to deceive.
Cannot for Can
"I cannot but go." Say, I can but go.
Capable
"Men are capable of being flattered." Say, susceptible to flattery. "Capable of being refuted." Vulnerable to refutation. Unlike capacity, capability is not passive, but active. We are capable of doing, not of having something done to us.
Capacity for Ability
"A great capacity for work." Capacity is receptive; ability, potential. A sponge has capacity for water; the hand, ability to squeeze it out.
Casket for Coffin
A needless euphemism affected by undertakers.
Casualties for Losses in Battle
The essence of casualty is accident, absence of design. Death and wounds in battle are produced otherwise, are expectable and expected, and, by the enemy, intentional.
Chance for Opportunity
"He had a good chance to succeed."
Chin Whiskers
The whisker grows on the cheek, not the chin.
Chivalrous
The word is popularly used in the Southern States only, and commonly has reference to men's manner toward women. Archaic, stilted and fantastic.
Citizen for Civilian
A soldier may be a citizen, but is not a civilian.
Claim for Affirm
"I claim that he is elected." To claim is to assert ownership.
Clever for Obliging
In this sense the word was once in general use in the United States, but is now seldom heard and life here is less insupportable.
Climb down
In climbing one ascends.
Coat for Coating
"A coat of paint, or varnish." If we coat something we produce a coating, not a coat.
Collateral Descendant
There can be none: a "collateral descendant" is not a descendant.
Colonel, Judge, Governor, etc., for Mister
Give a man a title only if it belongs to him, and only while it belongs to him.
Combine for Combination
The word, in this sense, has something of the meaning of conspiracy, but there is no justification for it as a noun, in any sense.
Commence for Begin
This is not actually incorrect, but – well, it is a matter of taste.
Commencement for Termination
A contribution to our noble tongue by its scholastic conservators, "commencement day" being their name for the last day of the collegiate year. It is ingeniously defended on the ground that on that day those on whom degrees are bestowed commence to hold them. Lovely!
Commit Suicide
Instead of "He committed suicide," say, He killed himself, or, He took his life. For married we do not say "committed matrimony." Unfortunately most of us do say, "got married," which is almost as bad. For lack of a suitable verb we just sometimes say committed this or that, as in the instance of bigamy, for the verb to bigam is a blessing that is still in store for us.
Compare with for Compare to
"He had the immodesty to compare himself with Shakespeare." Nothing necessarily immodest in that. Comparison with may be for observing a difference; comparison to affirms a similarity.
Complected
Anticipatory past participle of the verb "to complect." Let us wait for that.
Conclude for Decide
"I concluded to go to town." Having concluded a course of reasoning (implie
d) I decided to go to town. A decision is supposed to be made at the conclusion of a course of reasoning, but is not the conclusion itself. Conversely, the conclusion of a syllogism is not a decision, but an inference.
Connection
"In this connection I should like to say a word or two." In connection with this matter.
Conscious for Aware
"The King was conscious of the conspiracy." We are conscious of what we feel; aware of what we know.
Consent for Assent
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