Write It Right Part 2

_Continually_ and _Continuously_. It seems that these words should have the same meaning, but in their use by good writers there is a difference. What is done continually is not done all the time, but continuous action is without interruption. A loquacious fellow, who nevertheless finds time to eat and sleep, is continually talking; but a great river flows continuously.

_Convoy_ for _Escort_. "A man-of-war acted as convoy to the flotilla."

The flotilla is the convoy, the man-of-war the escort.

_Couple_ for _Two_. For two things to be a couple they must be of one general kind, and their number unimportant to the statement made of them. It would be weak to say, "He gave me only one, although he took a couple for himself." Couple expresses indifference to the exact number, as does several. That is true, even in the phrase, a married couple, for the number is carried in the adjective and needs no emphasis.

_Created_ for _First Performed_. Stage slang. "Burbage created the part of Hamlet." What was it that its author did to it?

_Critically_ for _Seriously_. "He has long been critically ill." A patient is critically ill only at the crisis of his disease.

_Criticise_ for _Condemn_, or _Disparage_. Criticism is not necessarily censorious; it may approve.

_Cunning_ for _Amusing_. Usually said of a child, or pet. This is pure Americanese, as is its synonym, "cute."

_Curious_ for _Odd_, or _Singular_. To be curious is to have an inquiring mind, or mood--curiosity.

_Custom_ for _Habit_. Communities have customs; individuals, habits--commonly bad ones.

_Decease_ for _Die_.

_Decidedly_ for _Very_, or _Certainly_. "It is decidedly cold."

_Declared_ for _Said_. To a newspaper reporter no one seems ever to say anything; all "declare." Like "alleged" (which see) the word is tiresome exceedingly.

_Defalcation_ for _Default_. A defalcation is a cutting off, a subtraction; a default is a failure in duty.

_Definitely_ for _Definitively_. "It was definitely decided."

Definitely means precisely, with exactness; definitively means finally, conclusively.

_Deliver_. "He delivered an oration," or "delivered a lecture." Say, He made an oration, or gave a lecture.

_Demean_ for _Debase_ or _Degrade_. "He demeaned himself by accepting charity." The word relates, not to meanness, but to demeanor, conduct, behavior. One may demean oneself with dignity and credit.

_Demise_ for _Death_. Usually said of a person of note. Demise means the lapse, as by death, of some authority, distinction or privilege, which pa.s.ses to another than the one that held it; as the demise of the Crown.

_Democracy_ for _Democratic Party_. One could as properly call the Christian Church "the Christianity."

_Depot_ for _Station_. "Railroad depot." A depot is a place of deposit; as, a depot of supply for an army.

_Deprivation_ for _Privation_. "The mendicant showed the effects of deprivation." Deprivation refers to the act of depriving, taking away from; privation is the state of dest.i.tution, of not having.

_Dilapidated_ for _Ruined_. Said of a building, or other structure.

But the word is from the Latin _lapis_, a stone, and cannot properly be used of any but a stone structure.

_Directly_ for _Immediately_. "I will come directly" means that I will come by the most direct route.

_Dirt_ for _Earth_, _Soil_, or _Gravel_. A most disagreeable Americanism, discredited by general (and Presidential) use. "Make the dirt fly." Dirt means filth.

_Distinctly_ for _Distinctively_. "The custom is distinctly Oriental."

Distinctly is plainly; distinctively, in a way to distinguish one thing from others.

_Donate_ for _Give_. Good American, but not good English.

_Doubtlessly_. A doubly adverbial form, like "illy."

_Dress_ for _Gown_. Not so common as it was a few years ago. Dress means the entire costume.

_Each Other_ for _One Another_. "The three looked at each other." That is, each looked at the other. But there were more than one other; so we should say they looked at one another, which means that each looked at another. Of two, say each other; of more than two, one another.

_Edify_ for _Please_, or _Entertain_. Edify means to build; it has, therefore, the sense of uplift, improvement--usually moral, or spiritual.

_Electrocution_. To one having even an elementary knowledge of Latin grammar this word is no less than disgusting, and the thing meant by it is felt to be altogether too good for the word's inventor.

_Empty_ for _Vacant_. Say, an empty bottle; but, a vacant house.

_Employe_. Good French, but bad English. Say, employee.

_Endorse_ for _Approve_. To endorse is to write upon the back of, or to sign the promissory note of another. It is a commercial word, having insufficient dignity for literary use. You may endorse a check, but you approve a policy, or statement.

_Endways_. A corruption of endwise.

_Ent.i.tled_ for _Authorized_, _Privileged._ "The man is not ent.i.tled to draw rations." Say, ent.i.tled to rations. Ent.i.tled is not to be followed by an infinitive.

_Episode_ for _Occurrence_, _Event_, etc. Properly, an episode is a narrative that is a subordinate part of another narrative. An occurrence considered by itself is not an episode.

_Equally as_ for _Equally_. "This is equally as good." Omit as. "He was of the same age, and equally as tall." Say, equally tall.

_Equivalent_ for _Equal_. "My salary is equivalent to yours."

_Essential_ for _Necessary_. This solecism is common among the best writers of this country and England. "It is essential to go early"; "Irrigation is essential to cultivation of arid lands," and so forth.

One thing is essential to another thing only if it is of the essence of it--an important and indispensable part of it, determining its nature; the soul of it.

_Even_ for _Exact_. "An even dozen."

_Every_ for _Entire_, _Full_. "The president had every confidence in him."

_Every_ for _Ever_. "Every now and then." This is nonsense: there can be no such thing as a now and then, nor, of course, a number of now and thens. Now and then is itself bad enough, reversing as it does the sequence of things, but it is idiomatic and there is no quarreling with it. But "every" is here a corruption of ever, meaning repeatedly, continually.

_Ex_. "Ex-President," "an ex-convict," and the like. Say, former. In England one may say, Mr. Roosevelt, sometime President; though the usage is a trifle archaic.

_Example_ for _Problem_. A heritage from the text-books. "An example in arithmetic." An equally bad word for the same thing is "sum": "Do the sum," for Solve the problem.

_Excessively_ for _Exceedingly_. "The disease is excessively painful."

"The weather is excessively cold." Anything that is painful at all is excessively so. Even a slight degree or small amount of what is disagreeable or injurious is excessive--that is to say, redundant, superfluous, not required.

_Executed_. "The condemned man was executed." He was hanged, or otherwise put to death; it is the sentence that is executed.

_Executive_ for _Secret_. An executive session of a deliberative body is a session for executive business, as distinguished from legislative. It is commonly secret, but a secret session is not necessarily executive.