Every-Day Errors of Speech Part 12

=Roseate=--ro'ze-at, not roz'ate. Worcester gives ro'zhe-at also.

=Roue= (Fr. roue)--roo-a', not roo. Worcester gives roo'a.

S.

=Sacerdotal=--sas-er-do'tal, not sa-ser-do'tal, sa-ker-do'tal nor sak-er-do'tal.

=Sacrament=--sak'ra-ment, not sa'kra-ment. =Sacramental= (sak'ra-ment-al), etc.

=Sacrifice=--sak'ri-fiz, not sak'ri-fis nor sak'ri-fise. Verb and noun the same. =Sacrificing= (sak'ri-fi-zing), etc.

=Sacristan=--sak'rist-an, not sa'krist-an nor sa-kris'tan. =Sacristy= (sak'rist-y).

=Salam=--sa-lam', not sa-lam'. Written =salaam= also, and p.r.o.nounced similarly.

=Saline=--sa-line' or sa'line, not sa-leen'.

Worcester gives sa-line' only.

=Salve=--sav, not sav. Worcester gives salv also.

=Samaritan=--sa-mar'i-tan, not sa-ma'ri-tan.

=Sanitary=, not _sanatory_, when _pertaining_ to health is meant.

=Sanatory= is more restricted in its application, and means healing; curative.

=Saracen=--sar'a-sen, not sar'a-ken.

=Sarsaparilla=--sar-sa-pa-ril'la, not sas-sa-pa-ril'la, nor sar-sa-fa-ril'la.

=Satyr=--sa'tur, according to Webster. Worcester gives sat'ir also.

=Saucy=--saw'sy, not _sa.s.sy_.

=Said.= _Said_ (sed), not says (sez), in speaking of past remarks. Many of the most cultivated people are guilty of this vulgarism. "'I will call to see you soon,' _sez_ he." "'I will be glad to see you at any time,' _sez_ I." Where the details of a long conversation are given the frequent repet.i.tion of _sez_, or even _said_, is very grating to the refined ear. The use of _asked_, _inquired_, _remarked_, _suggested_, _answered_, _replied_, etc., instead, has a pleasing effect upon narrative or anecdote. It is preferable, also, to give the _exact words_ of the speaker after _said_, etc., as: "When he had finished reading the letter, he said: 'I will attend to the business the first leisure moment I have.'" When the word _that_ follows the _said_, the substance only of the remark may be given, as "He said that he would attend to the business the first leisure moment he had." Whichever form is used in narrative, it is not at all harmonious to give the _exact words_ of one speaker and only the substance of the remarks of another, at least without regard to regularity in alternation.

=Schism=--sizm, not skism.

=Seckel=, not sick-el. A kind of pear.

=See.= It is not uncommon to meet with people that incorrectly use _see_ in the imperfect tense, as: "I _see_ him yesterday,"

instead of, "I _saw_ him yesterday." See is never used in any tense but the present, without an auxiliary, as did, shall, etc.

=Seignior=--sen'yur, not san'yor.

=Seine=--sen, not san. A net for catching fish.

=Senile=--se'nile, not sen'ile. Pertaining to old age.

=Separate=, not _seperate_. The loss of the a is not noticed in the p.r.o.nunciation, but the mistake frequently occurs in writing this word as it does in the words =inseparable=, =inseparableness=, =separation=, etc.

=Servile=--ser'vil, not ser'vile.

=Set.= Noun. There are many who incorrectly use _sett_ in writing of a _set_ of dishes, a _set_ of chess-men, a _set_ of teeth, or of some other collection of things of the same kind. A =sett= is a piece placed upon the head of a pile for striking upon, when the pile can not be reached by the weight or hammer.

=Set=--=Sit.= Blunders in the use of these words are amongst the most common we have. _Set_, as we shall first consider it, is a transitive verb, or one in which the action pa.s.ses over to an object. Present tense, _set_; imperfect tense and past participle, _set_; present participle, _setting_. _Sit_ is an intransitive verb, or one which has no object after it. Present tense, _sit_; imperfect tense and past participle, _sat_; present participle, _sitting_.

To avoid repet.i.tion as much as possible, I would refer any one to whom the explanation here given is not perfectly clear, to the rules and remarks under =Lay= and =Raise=, which are equally applicable here. "Will you _set_ on this chair?" should be, "Will you _sit_ on this chair?" "Will you _set_ this _chair_ in the other room?" is correct. "I _set_ for my picture yesterday,"

should be, "I _sat_," etc. "This hat _sets_ well," should be, "This hat _sits_ well." "Court _sets_ next month," should be, "Court _sits_ next month." "The hen has been _setting_ for a week," should be, "The hen has been _sitting_," etc. "As cross as a _setting_ hen," should be, "As cross as a _sitting_ hen." But a person may _set_ a hen; that is, place her in position on eggs.

One _sits_ up in a chair, but he _sets_ up a post. One _sits_ down on the ground, but he _sets_ down figures. _Set_ is also an intransitive verb and has special meanings attached to it as such, but they may be readily understood by a little study of the dictionary, and no confusion need arise. The sun _sets_.

Plaster of Paris _sets_. A setter dog _sets_. One _sets_ out on a journey. _Sit_ may also be used in two senses as a transitive verb, as: "The general _sits_ his horse well," and "The woman _sat_ herself down."

=Sew=--so, not su.

=Shampoo=, not _shampoon_. =Shampooing.= Written also =champoo=.

=Shekel=--shek'el, not she'kel.

=Shumac=--shu'mak, not shu-mak'. Written also =sumac= and =sumach=, both accented on the first syllable.

=Sick= _of_, not sick _with_, as sick _of_ a fever.

=Sienna=--si-en'na, not _senna_, when paint is meant. =Senna= is a plant used as medicine.

=Simultaneous=--si-mul-ta'ne-ous, not sim'ul-ta'ne-ous. =Simultaneously= (si-mul-ta'ne-ous-ly), etc.

=Since=, not _sence_.

=Sinecure=--si'ne-cure, not sin'e-cure. An office which yields revenue without labor.

=Sit.= See =Sat=.

=Slake=--slake, not slak, when the word is spelled as given, as: _slaked_ lime, to _slake_ one's thirst, etc. If spelled =slack=, the ordinary p.r.o.nunciation is right.

=Slough=--slow, not sloo nor slo. A mudhole. Written =sloo= (sloo) also.

=Slough=--sluf, not as above. The cast skin of a serpent. Dead flesh which separates from the living. The verb expressing this action is p.r.o.nounced the same.

=Sobriquet=--so-bri-ka', not written _soubriquet_. Worcester p.r.o.nounces it sob're-ka'.

=Soften=--sof'fn, not sawf'ten.

=Sonnet=--son'net, not sun'net.

=Soot=--soot or soot, not sut.

=Soporific=--sop-o-rif'ik, not so-por-if'ik.

=Sotto voce=--sot'to vo'cha, not sot'to vos'