Word Study and English Grammar Part 7

The following pages contain a short list of the more common errors in the use of words. Such a list might be extended almost indefinitely. It is only attempted to call attention to such mistakes as are, for various reasons, most liable to occur.

_A_ should be repeated for every individual. "A red and black book"

means one book, "a red and a black book" means two.

_Abbreviate_, and _abridge_; _abbreviation_ is the shortening of a piece of writing no matter how accomplished. An _abridgement_ is a condensation.

_Ability_, power to do something, should be distinguished from _capacity_, power to receive something.

_Above_ should not be used as an adjective, e. g., "The statement made in _above_ paragraph." Subst.i.tute _preceding_, _foregoing_, or some similar adjective.

_Accept_, not _accept of_.

_Accredit_, to give one credentials should be distinguished from _credit_, to believe what one says.

_Administer_ is often misused. One _administers_ a dose of medicine, the laws, an oath, or the government; one does not _administer_ a blow.

_Administer to_ is often incorrectly used for _minister to_, e. g., "The red cross nurse _administers to_ the wounded."

_Admire_ should not be used to express delight, as in the phrase "I should _admire_ to do so."

_Admit_ should be distinguished from _confess_.

_Advent_ should be distinguished from _arrival_, _advent_ meaning an epoch-making _arrival_.

_Affable_ means "easy to speak to" and should not be confused with _agreeable_.

_Affect_ should be distinguished from _effect_. To _affect_ is to influence; to _effect_ is to cause or bring about.

_Aggravate_ should not be used for _annoy_ or _vex_ or _provoke_. It means "to make worse."

_Ain't_ is a corruption of _am not_. It is inelegant though grammatical to say I _ain't_ but absolutely incorrect in other persons and numbers.

_Alike_ should not be accompanied by _both_ as in the phrase "They are _both alike_ in this respect."

_All_, _All right_ should never be written _alright_. _All_ and _universally_ should never be used together. _All_ should not be accompanied by _of_, e. g., "He received _all of_ the votes." Be careful about the use of _all_ in negative statements. Do not say "All present are not printers" when you mean "Not all present are printers." The first statement means there are no printers present, the second means there are some printers present.

_Allege_ is a common error for _say_, _state_, and the like. It means "to declare," "to affirm," or "to a.s.sert with the idea of positiveness"

and is not applicable to ordinary statements not needing emphasis.

_Allow_ means _permit_, never _think_ or _admit_.

_Allude to_ is not the same as _mention_. A person or thing alluded to is not mentioned but indirectly implied.

_Alone_ which means _unaccompanied_ should be distinguished from _only_ which means _no other_.

_Alternative_ should never be used in speaking of more than two things.

_Altogether_ is not the same as _all together_.

_Among_ should not be used with _one another_, e. g., "They divided the spoil _among one another_." It should be "among themselves."

_And_ should not be placed before a relative p.r.o.noun in such a position as to interfere with the construction. It should not be subst.i.tuted for _to_ in such cases as "Try _and_ take more exercise."

_And which_ should not be used for _which_.

_Another_ should be followed by _than_ not _from_, e. g., "Men of another temper _from_ (_than_) the Greeks."

_Answer_ is that which is given to a question; _reply_ to an a.s.sertion.

_Antic.i.p.ate_ should not be used in the sense of _expect_. It means "to forestall."

_Anxious_ should not be confused with _desirous_. It means "feeling anxiety."

_Any_ is liable to ambiguity unless it is used with care. "Any of them"

may be either singular or plural. "It is not intended for _any_ machine"

may mean "There is no machine for which it is intended," or "It is not intended for every machine, but only for a special type."

_Anybody else's_, idiomatic and correct.

_Anyhow_, bad, do not use it.

_Apparently_ is used of what seems to be real but may not be so. It should not be confused with _evidently_ which is used of what both seems to be and is real.

_Appear_ is physical in its meaning and should be distinguished from _seem_ which expresses a mental experience. "The forest _appears_ to be impenetrable," "This does not _seem_ to me to be right."

_Apt_ means "skilful" and should never be used in place of _likely_ or _liable_. It also means "having a natural tendency."

_As_ should not be used as a causal conjunction, e. g., "Do not expect me _as_ I am too uncertain of my time." The word _as_ stands here as a contraction of inasmuch. Subst.i.tute a semicolon, or make two sentences.

_As to_ is redundant in such expressions as "_As to_ how far we can trust him I cannot say."

_At_ is often incorrectly used for _in_, e. g., "He lives _at_ Chicago."

It is also improperly used in such expressions as "Where is he _at_?"

_As that_ should not be used for _that_ alone. Do not say "So _as that_ such and such a thing may happen."

_Audience_ is not the same as _spectators_. An _audience_ listens; _spectators_ merely see. A concert has an _audience_; a moving picture show has _spectators_.

_Aught_ means "anything" and should not be confused with _naught_ or the symbol _0_ which means "nothing."

_Avenge_ means to redress wrongs done to others; _revenge_ wrong done to ourselves. _Avenge_ usually implies just retribution. _Revenge_ may be used of malicious retaliation.

_Avocation_ should not be confused with _vocation_. A man's _vocation_ is his princ.i.p.al occupation. His _avocation_ is his secondary occupation.

_Aware_ is not the same as _conscious_. We are _aware_ of things outside of ourselves; we are _conscious_ of sensations or things within ourselves.

_Awful_ and _awfully_ are two very much abused words. They mean "awe inspiring" and should never be used in any other sense.