Stop for Stay
"Prayer will not stop the ravages of cholera." Stop is frequently misused for stay in another sense of the latter word: "He is stopping at the hotel." Stopping is not a continuing act; one cannot be stopping who has already stopped.
Stunt
A word recently introduced and now overworked, meaning a task, or performance in one's trade, or calling, – doubtless a variant of stint, without that word's suggestion of allotment and limitation. It is still in the reptilian stage of evolution.
Subsequent for Later, or Succeeding
Legitimate enough, but ugly and needless. "He was subsequently hanged." Say, afterward.
Substantiate for Prove
Why?
Success
"The project was a success." Say, was successful. Success should not have the indefinite article.
Such Another for Another Such
There is illustrious authority for this – in poetry. Poets are a lawless folk, and may do as they please so long as they do please.
Such for So
"He had such weak legs that he could not stand." The absurdity of this is made obvious by changing the form of the statement: "His legs were such weak that he could not stand." If the word is an adverb in the one sentence it is in the other. "He is such a great bore that none can endure him." Say, so great a bore.
Suicide
This is never a verb. "He suicided." Say, He killed himself, or He took his own life. See Commit Suicide.
Supererogation
To supererogate is to overpay, or to do more than duty requires. But the excess must be in the line of duty; merely needless and irrelevant action is not supererogation. The word is not a natural one, at best.
Sure for Surely
"They will come, sure." Slang.
Survive for Live, or Persist
Survival is an outliving, or outlasting of something else. "The custom survives" is wrong, but a custom may survive its utility. Survive is a transitive verb.
Sustain for Incur
"He sustained an injury." "He sustained a broken neck." That means that although his neck was broken he did not yield to the mischance.
Talented for Gifted
These are both past participles, but there was once the verb to gift, whereas there was never the verb "to talent." If Nature did not talent a person the person is not talented.
Tantamount for Equivalent
"Apology is tantamount to confession." Let this ugly word alone; it is not only illegitimate, but ludicrously suggests catamount.
Tasty for Tasteful
Vulgar.
Tear Down for Pull Down
"The house was torn down." This is an indigenous solecism; they do not say so in England.
Than Whom
See Whom.
The
A little word that is terribly overworked. It is needlessly affixed to names of most diseases: "the cholera," "the smallpox," "the scarlet fever," and such. Some escape it: we do not say, "the sciatica," nor "the locomotor ataxia." It is too common in general propositions, as, "The payment of interest is the payment of debt." "The virtues that are automatic are the best." "The tendency to falsehood should be checked." "Kings are not under the control of the law." It is impossible to note here all forms of this misuse, but a page of almost any book will supply abundant instance. We do not suffer so abject slavery to the definite article as the French, but neither do we manifest their spirit of rebellion by sometimes cutting off the oppressor's tail. One envies the Romans, who had no article, definite or indefinite.
The Following
"Washington wrote the following." The following what? Put in the noun. "The following animals are ruminants." It is not the animals that follow, but their names.
The Same
"They cooked the flesh of the lion and ate the same." "An old man lived in a cave, and the same was a cripple." In humorous composition this may do, though it is not funny; but in serious work use the regular pronoun.
Then as an Adjective
"The then governor of the colony." Say, the governor of the colony at that time.
Those Kind for That Kind
"Those kind of things." Almost too absurd for condemnation, and happily not very common out of the class of analphabets.
Though for If
"She wept as though her heart was broken." Many good writers, even some devoid of the lexicographers' passion for inclusion and approval, have specifically defended this locution, backing their example by their precept. Perhaps it is a question of taste; let us attend their cry and pass on.
Thrifty for Thriving
"A thrifty village." To thrive is an end; thrift is a means to that end.
Through for Done
"The lecturer is through talking." "I am through with it." Say, I have done with it.
To
As part of an infinitive it should not be separated from the other part by an adverb, as, "to hastily think," for hastily to think, or, to think hastily. Condemnation of the split infinitive is now pretty general, but it is only recently that any one seems to have thought of it. Our forefathers and we elder writers of this generation used it freely and without shame – perhaps because it had not a name, and our crime could not be pointed out without too much explanation.
To for At
"We have been to church," "I was to the theater." One can go to a place, but one cannot be to it.
Total
"The figures totaled 10,000." Say, The total of the figures was 10,000.
Transaction for Action, or Incident
"The policeman struck the man with his club, but the transaction was not reported." "The picking of a pocket is a criminal transaction." In a transaction two or more persons must have an active or assenting part; as, a business transaction, Transactions of the Geographical Society, etc. The Society's action would be better called Proceedings.
Transpire for Occur, Happen, etc
"This event transpired in 1906." Transpire (trans, through, and spirare, to breathe) means leak out, that is, become known. What transpired in 1906 may have occurred long before.
Trifling for Trivial
"A trifling defect"; "a trifling error."
Trust for Wealthy Corporation
There are few trusts; capitalists have mostly abandoned the trust form of combination.
Try an Experiment
An experiment is a trial; we cannot try a trial. Say, make.
Try and for Try to
"I will try and see him." This plainly says that my effort to see him will succeed – which I cannot know and do not wish to affirm. "Please try and come." This colloquial slovenliness of speech is almost universal in this country, but freedom of speech is one of our most precious possessions.
Ugly for Ill-natured, Quarrelsome
What is ugly is the temper, or disposition, not the person having it.
Under-handed and Under-handedly for Under-hand
See Off-handed.
Unique
"This is very unique." "The most unique house in the city." There are no degrees of uniqueness: a thing is unique if there is not another like it. The word has nothing to do with oddity, strangeness, nor picturesqueness.
United States as a Singular Noun
"The United States is for peace." The fact that we are in some ways one nation has nothing to do with it; it is enough to know that the word States is plural – if not, what is State? It would be pretty hard on a foreigner skilled in the English tongue if he could not venture to use our national name without having made a study of the history of our Constitution and political institutions. Grammar has not a speaking acquaintance with politics, and patriotic pride is not schoolmaster to syntax.
Unkempt for Disordered, Untidy, etc
Unkempt means uncombed, and can properly be said of nothing but the hair.
Use for Treat
"The inmates were badly used." "They use him harshly."
Utter for Absolute, Entire, etc
Utter has a damnatory signification and is to be used of evil things only. It is correct to say utter misery, but not "utter happiness;" utterly bad, but not "utterly good."
Various for Several
"Various kinds of men." Kinds are various of course, for they vary – that is what makes them kinds. Use various only when, in speaking of a number of things, you wish to direct attention to their variety – their difference, one from another. "The dividend was distributed among the various stockholders." The stockholders vary, as do all persons, but that is irrelevant and was not in mind. "Various persons have spoken to me of you." Their variation is unimportant; what is meant is that there was a small indefinite number of them; that is, several.
Ventilate for Express, Disclose, etc
"The statesman ventilated his views." A disagreeable and dog-eared figure of speech.
Verbal for Oral
All language is verbal, whether spoken or written, but audible speech is oral. "He did not write, but communicated his wishes verbally." It would have been a verbal communication, also, if written.
Vest for Waistcoat
This is American, but as all Americans are not in agreement about it it is better to use the English word.
Vicinity for Vicinage, or Neighborhood
"He lives in this vicinity." If neither of the other words is desired say, He lives in the vicinity of this place, or, better, He lives near by.
View of
"He invested with the view of immediate profit." "He enlisted with the view of promotion." Say, with a view to.
Vulgar for Immodest, Indecent
It is from vulgus, the common people, the mob, and means both common and unrefined, but has no relation to indecency.
Way for Away
"Way out at sea." "Way down South."
Ways for Way
"A squirrel ran a little ways along the road." "The ship looked a long ways off." This surprising word calls loudly for depluralization.
Wed for Wedded
"They were wed at noon." "He wed her in Boston." The word wed in all its forms as a substitute for marry, is pretty hard to bear.
Well
As a mere meaningless prelude to a sentence this word is overtasked. "Well, I don't know about that." "Well, you may try." "Well, have your own way."
Wet for Wetted
See Bet.
Where for When
"Where there is reason to expect criticism write discreetly."
Which for That
"The boat which I engaged had a hole in it." But a parenthetical clause may rightly be introduced by which; as, The boat, which had a hole in it, I nevertheless engaged. Which and that are seldom interchangeable; when they are, use that. It sounds better.
Whip for Chastise, or Defeat
To whip is to beat with a whip. It means nothing else.
Whiskers for Beard
The whisker is that part of the beard that grows on the cheek. See Chin Whiskers.
Who for Whom
"Who do you take me for?"
Whom for Who
"The man whom they thought was dead is living." Here the needless introduction of was entails the alteration of whom to who. "Remember whom it is that you speak of." "George Washington, than whom there was no greater man, loved a jest." The misuse of whom after than is almost universal. Who and whom trip up many a good writer, although, unlike which and who, they require nothing but knowledge of grammar.
Widow Woman
Omit woman.
Will and Shall
Proficiency in the use of these apparently troublesome words must be sought in text-books on grammar and rhetoric, where the subject will be found treated with a more particular attention, and at greater length, than is possible in a book of the character of this. Briefly and generally, in the first person, a mere intention is indicated by shall, as, I shall go; whereas will denotes some degree of compliance or determination, as, I will go – as if my going had been requested or forbidden. In the second and the third person, will merely forecasts, as, You (or he) will go; but shall implies something of promise, permission or compulsion by the speaker, as, You (or he) shall go. Another and less obvious compulsion – that of circumstance – speaks in shall, as sometimes used with good effect: In Germany you shall not turn over a chip without uncovering a philosopher. The sentence is barely more than indicative, shall being almost, but not quite, equivalent to can.
Win out
Like its antithesis, "lose out," this reasonless phrase is of sport, "sporty."
Win for Won
"I went to the race and win ten dollars." This atrocious solecism seems to be unknown outside the world of sport, where may it ever remain.
Without for Unless
"I cannot go without I recover." Peasantese.
Witness for See
To witness is more than merely to see, or observe; it is to observe, and to tell afterward.
Would-be
"The would-be assassin was arrested." The word doubtless supplies a want, but we can better endure the want than the word. In the instance of the assassin, it is needless, for he who attempts to murder is an assassin, whether he succeeds or not.
FB2 document info
Document ID: 023fbaf9-5f30-4465-8640-685e8bc478a2
Document version: 1
Document creation date: 2006-05-01
Created using: FB Tools software
OCR Source: Project Guthenberg
Document authors :
Анатолий Бурдин (Legio)
Source URLs :
www.gutenberg.net
Document history:
version 0.5 preformat
version 1.0
About
This file was generated by Lord KiRon's FB2EPUB converter version 1.1.5.0.
(This book might contain copyrighted material, author of the converter bears no responsibility for it's usage)
Этот файл создан при помощи конвертера FB2EPUB версии 1.1.5.0 написанного Lord KiRon.
(Эта книга может содержать материал который защищен авторским правом, автор конвертера не несет ответственности за его использование)
http://www.fb2epub.net
https://code.google.com/p/fb2epub/
Write It Right. A Little Blacklist of Literary Faults Page 5