The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1871-01-12
Words And Their Uses.

From Richard Grant Whites new volume.
bearing the above title, we quote few para
graphs showing nice sense of discrimination
founded on practical views of the subject:
AGGRAVATE.-This word should never be
employed In reference to persons, as it means
merely to add weight TOTO make an evil more
oppressive; injury aggravated by insult. 1t
is sometimes improperly used in the sense of
arritate, as Il was much aggravated by his
conduct"
BALANCE in the sense Of rest, remainder.
residue, remnant is an abomination. Balance
is metaphorically the difference between two
sides OF an account the amount which is nee.
cssary to make one equal to the other. **~
Yet we continually hear Of the balance of this
or that thing even the balance of a congre.
cation or of an army!
BoUNTIFUL is applicable only to persons.
A giver may be bountilul, but his Gift cannot
it should be called plentiful or large. "A
bountiful slice is absurd.
FETCH expresses double motion-frst
from aud then toward the speaker; it is ex-
actly equivalent to Ego and bring" and ought
not to be used in the sense of bring alone.
CALCULATE, besides its sectional misuse
for Mlnh or suppose, is sometimes, in the mar.
tlclpal form calculated, put for likely or ant.
"lhat nomination is calculated to iniure the
party" 1t is calculated (designed) to do no
such thing, slough it may be likely to.
CITIZEN should not be used except when
the possession of political rights is meant to
be implied. Newspaper reporters have bad
habit OF bringing 1t out on all occasions, when
''person," 'man" or "bystander" would ex.
press their meaning much better
COUPLE applies to two things which are
bound together or united in some way. "a
couple Of apple" is incorrcct-two apples is
what is meant.
DIRT means filth, and is not SYNONYMOUS
with earth or soil Yet people sometimes
speak OF dirt road or of packing dirt around
the roots OF trees they are setting They mean
earth.
ExEcUTE-W murderer is hanged
his sentence is executed, the man is not A
man cannot be executed-that is, followed GU.
or performed.
EXPECT looks always to the future. You
cannot expect that anything has happened
or is happening, but only that it will happen.
GET, means to obtain, not to possess. "He
has got al! the numbers of the Country Gen.
tlenaan," Have you got molasses ?" "They
have got bad manners" Why will people
persist in introducing the word IN such sem
fences as these, where it is so evidently super
fuous? T
HELP MEEr.-An absurd use of these two
words, as if they together were the name of
one thing-a wife-is too common The SEN
tence in Genesis is: II will make him an
help meet for him.. e., help fit for him.
There is no such word as hepmeet ID
LIE-LAY-Persons not grossly ignorant
sometimes say they will lay (meaning lie)
down, that they lave lay Gain( an hour, or
that the hammer is laying Qying) by the
sacks. Lie means to recline its past tense
is lay" l lay there all that night = its par
ticipes, lying and lain. Lay fused of present
time) means to lay something down-one lays
a carpet its past is laia-"I laid it myself"
its participles, laying and laid-'' was in
terrupted while laying it, and it was not laid
till night.
LOVE rules the heart. not the stomach
You love your wife, or ought to; but favor.
lite articles Of food you like aL
OBSERVE should not be used for sas, as in
the oft-heard sentence, "What did you od-
serce 2"