Practical Exercises in English Part 34

_Supply the omitted adverbs:--_

1. He was very struck by what she said.

2. I wish you would behave.

3. The king was very dissatisfied with his wife.

4. I have too trusted to my own wild wants.

5. If you cannot behave yourself, you had better stay at home.

6. We are very pleased to see you.

REDUNDANT ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS.[118]--A word that is not needed is said to be "redundant." Redundant expressions should be carefully avoided.

[118] Ibid., pp. 123-125.

EXERCISE LXIX.

_Strike out the useless adjectives and adverbs:--_

1. From thence they marched twenty miles.

2. Which do you prefer most, apples or oranges?

3. Whenever I meet him he always stops me.

4. Celia wished to accompany Rosalind; therefore they both set out together.

5. The view from the top is simply beautiful.

6. Finally Rosalind disclosed her true ident.i.ty.

7. The exercises are appointed for 2 P.M. to-morrow afternoon.

8. There are numerous mountain streams all throughout this region which abound in brook trout.

9. The central pith of the report is as follows.

10. Secluded and alone, he now partook of his solitary repast, which he entirely consumed.

11. Out of the second term I took out the factor _x_.

12. Right in behind East Rock we have a beautiful lake.

13. When everything was all ready they started off.

14. He was a boy of eighteen years old.

15. If the ground is uneven they just level it off with a shovel.

16. Once the two twins were s.h.i.+pwrecked while on a sailing voyage.

17. The purple bird was once a royal king named Picus.

18. A large search-light will show a sail at a distance of three or four miles away.

19. Each of the provinces was ruled over by a duke.

20. When he returned he entered into the printing business.

21. He had a good chance to s.h.i.+ft off the sky to the shoulders of Hercules.

22. The mud falls off from the wheels and makes the street dirty.

23. An old merchant of Syracuse, named ?geon, had two twin sons.

24. He was almost universally admired and respected by all who knew him.

25. Pretty soon the man's hands began to get all blistered.

26. Before you go you must first finish your work.

27. He did it equally as well as his friends.

28. It must be ten years ago since he left town.

29. Collect together all the fragments.

30. The play opens up with a scene in a forest.

31. He has the universal good-will of everybody.

32. Please raise up the window.

33. The story ends up happily.

34. They always entered school together every morning.

35. Out of the entire pack only two dogs remained.

36. He went away, but soon reappeared again.

37. A monstrous large snake crawled out from under the identical stone on which you are this very minute sitting.

38. I was deceived by false misrepresentations.

39. This question opened up the whole subject.

40. Let us, however, endeavor to trace up some of this hearsay evidence as far towards its source as we are able.

41. I will see you later on.

MISUSED ADJECTIVES and ADVERBS.[119]--See the remarks under "Misused Nouns." An amusing ill.u.s.tration of misused adjectives was furnished by an illiterate man who introduced his second wife to a friend as "My _late_ wife."

I.

AGGRAVATING, IRRITATING.--In good use _aggravating_ means "making heavier, more grave, worse in some way." It is often misused for _irritating, exasperating,_ or _provoking_.

ALL, THE WHOLE.--See page 120.

APT, LIKELY, LIABLE.--_Apt_ implies a natural predisposition, an habitual tendency. "_Likely_ implies a probability of whatever character; _liable_, an unpleasant probability."[120] One is _apt_ to speak quickly, _likely_ to hear good news, _liable_ to be hurt.

BOTH, EACH, EVERY.--_Both_, meaning "the two, and not merely one of them," groups objects, as, "_Both_ were men of hot temper." _Each_ means "all of any number, considered one by one," as, "_Each_ boy recited in his turn." _Every_ means "all of any number, considered as composing a group or cla.s.s," as, "_Every_ pupil should have a dictionary and use it freely."

"_Every_ directs attention chiefly to the totality, _each_ chiefly to the individuals composing it. It may also be observed that _each_ usually refers to a numerically definite group.... Thus, 'Each theory is open to objection' relates to an understood enumeration of theories, but 'Every theory is open to objection' refers to all theories that may exist."[121]

MANY, MUCH.--_Many_ refers to number, _much_ to quant.i.ty.

MUTUAL, COMMON.--_Mutual_ properly means "reciprocal,"

"interchanged." It is often misused for _common_ in the sense of "belonging equally to both or all," especially in the phrase, "A _mutual_ friend."

PARTLY, PARTIALLY.--"_Partly_, in the sense of 'in part,' is preferable to _partially_, since _partially_ also means 'with partiality.'"[122]

QUITE, VERY.--_Quite_ properly means "entirely"; in the sense of "very" or "to a considerable degree" it is not in good use.

SO-AS, AS-AS.--Both _so_ and _as_ are used as adverbs of degree correlative with the conjunction "as": unless there is a negative in the clause _as_ is generally used; with a negative _so_ is preferable to _as_. We say "It is _as_ cold as ice," "It is not _so_ good as it looks."

[119] "Foundations," p. 125.

[120] Ibid., p. 128.

[121] Murray's Dictionary.

[122] A.S. Hill: Principles of Rhetoric, revised edition, p. 19.

EXERCISE LXX.

_Tell the difference in meaning between_--

1. The circ.u.mstances of the offense are aggravating (exasperating).

2. She gave an orange to both (each) of them.

3. Each (every) man has his faults.

4. I had a call from both (each) of the boys.