Every-Day Errors of Speech Part 9

=Nomad=--nom'ad, not no'-mad. One of a wandering tribe.

Written =nomade= (nom'ade) also.

=Nomenclature=--no-men-cla'ture, not no'men-clature.

=Nominative=, not _nom-a-tive_.

=Nonillion=--no-nill'ion, not non-ill'ion.

=Nook=--nook, as given by Webster. Worcester sanctions both nook and nook.

=Notable=--not'a-ble, not no'ta-ble, when it is applied to a person distinguished for thrift, management, care, etc.; as a _notable housekeeper_.

=Nymphean=--nim-fe'an, not nimf'e-an. Relating to nymphs.

O.

=Obesity=--o-bes'i-ty, not o-be'si-ty.

=Obligatory=--ob'li-ga-to-ry, not ob-lig'a-to-ry.

=Often=--of'n, not of'ten.

=Omega=--o-me'ga or o-meg'a, not om'e-ga. Worcester allows the first only.

=Onerous=--on'er-ous, not o'ner-ous.

=Only=--on'ly, not un'ly.

=Onyx=--o'nyx, not on'yx.

=Opal=--o'-pal, not o-pal' nor o-pawl'.

=Opponent=--op-po'nent, not op'po-nent.

=Ordnance=, not _ordinance_, when cannon, artillery, etc., are intended. _Ordinance_ is a rule established by authority.

=Orgeat=--or'zhat or or'zha, not or'je-at. Worcester gives or'zhat.

=Orthoepy=--or'tho-e-py, not or-tho'e-py.

=Orthoepist=--or'tho-e-pist, not or-tho'e-pist.

=Overflowed=, not _overflown_.

P.

=Palaver=--pa-la'ver, not pa-lav'er.

=Pall-mall=--pel-mel', not pawl-mawl'. The name of a game formerly played in England; and the name of a street in London.

Written also _pail-mail_ and _pell-mell_, both p.r.o.nounced as above. Pell-mell used as an adverb means mixed together in a disorderly manner; but one person can not rush _pell-mell_.

=Papaw=--pa-paw', not pop'paw as commonly called. Written also =pawpaw=.

=Papyrus=--pa-pi'rus, not pap'i-rus. A material used for writing upon by the ancients, made from the inner bark of a plant.

=Parent=--par'ent, not pa'rent.

=Parisian=--pa-riz'ian, not pa-rish'ian nor pa-riss'ian.

Worcester gives pa-rizh'i-an.

=Paroquet=--par'o-quet, not par-o-ket'.

=Parquet=--par-ka' or par-ket'. Worcester allows par-ka'

only.

=Parquette=--par-ket', not par-ka'.

=Partner=, not _pardner_.

=Partridge=, not _pattrij_.

=Patent.= The _adjective_ is p.r.o.nounced either pat'ent or pa'tent. When used as a verb or a noun it is p.r.o.nounced pat'ent.

=Patois=--pat-wo', not pat'wo nor pat-waw'.

=Patriot=--pa'tri-ot, not pat'ri-ot. =Patriotic=, =patriotism=, etc., have also the long a. Worcester gives the same with the exception of _patriotic_, which he p.r.o.nounces both pa'tri-ot-ic and pat'ri-ot-ic.

=Patron=--pa'tron, not pat'ron. =Patroness= and =patronless= have also the long a.

=Patronize=--pat'ron-ize, not pa'tron-ize.

=Patronage=--pat'ron-aje, not pa'tron-aje.

=Pease=, not _peas_, when an uncounted quant.i.ty is referred to, as: a bushel of _pease_, a plateful of _pease_, some more _pease_, etc. _Peas_ when a certain number is mentioned, as: a dozen _peas_, fifty _peas_, etc.

=Pedal=--ped'al, not pe'dal, when that portion of a piano or harp that is acted upon by the feet, is meant. Pe'dal is an adjective, and means pertaining to the above, or to a foot.

=Perfect.= I have selected this as the representative of a cla.s.s of adjectives that, strictly speaking, do not admit of comparison. I have noticed, invariably, that those who appear to be so anxious to correct the error of giving degrees of comparison to a few stereotyped words of this cla.s.s, such as _round_, _square_, _universal_, _chief_, _extreme_, etc., are singularly remiss in calling attention to a great many other mistakes of the same kind that are equally prominent. Amongst the latter may be mentioned the comparison of _correct_, _complete_, _even_, _level_, _straight_, etc. It will be admitted that if anything is _perfect_ it can not be _more_ so; and as soon as it is _less_ so it fails to be _perfect_ at all.

So, if anything is _correct_ it is perfectly free from error; it can not be made _more_ correct, and if its correctness is detracted from, it is not quite correct any longer. A _straight_ line is one that does not vary from a perfectly _direct_ course in the slightest degree; it can not be _straighter_ and if it could be _less_ straight, it would be _curved_. It is ridiculous for any one to insist upon a national reformation of a few such errors, and suffer a hundred others just like them to exist without remonstrance. Either _nearer_ and _nearest_, _more nearly_, and _most nearly_, and the like, should be subst.i.tuted for the degrees of comparison and used with all such words; or people should treat them as all other adjectives, just as the best writers and speakers have always done. The former course is the more desirable; the latter is certainly the more probable.

=Perfidious=--per-fid'i-ous, not per'fid-ous.

Worcester allows per-fid'yus in addition to the first.

=Peony=--pe'o-ny) =Paeony= (pe'o-ny) or =Piony= (pi'o-ny) not pi'ny as often called. A flower.

=Perambulate=, not _preambulate_.