The Verbalist Part 12

OF ALL OTHERS. "The vice of covetousness, _of all others_, 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 enters 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.

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 superfluous. The sentence would be correct with either one, but not with both of them.

"The apples fell _off of_ the tree": read, "fell _off_ the 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 p.r.o.nouns of demonstrative signification are called indefinite because they refer to no particular subject. This is one of them. If we were putting a supposition by way of argument or ill.u.s.tration, we might say, "Suppose _I_ 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 _one's_ 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 _one's_ 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 p.r.o.noun, by indicating something 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 p.r.o.noun continually lands writers in difficulties. English idiom requires that, when the p.r.o.noun 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 together.' It would be against idiom to say 'half _his_ days.'

"Still, the repet.i.tion of the p.r.o.noun is often felt to be heavy, and writers have recourse to various subst.i.tutions. 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 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.' By the use of 'we' here, a more pointed reference is suggested, 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 persuade ourselves that he chose 'we' and 'one' with a purpose: '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 speculations 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 at variance with his own nature.' We might subst.i.tute '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 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_ is sometimes improperly 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 n.o.body 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 Confederates that any such design could be carried out.' Better _only_.

"'When men grow virtuous in their old age, they _only_ make a sacrifice to G.o.d 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.

'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 inferiors.

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 over_flowed_, and not that it has over_flown_.

OVERLY. This word is now used only by the unschooled.

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_, according 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 substantively, 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 drawing_ a conclusion which was before either unknown or dark," should be, "the drawing _of_ a conclusion." "Prompted by the most extreme vanity, he persisted 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 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 ill.u.s.trate 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.'

"'Repet.i.tion is always to be preferred _before_ obscurity': read, 'to.'

"'He made an effort _for meeting_ them': read, 'to meet.'