The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-04-07
Words Misused.
Some That Should Never be Used and
Others That are Commonly Misplaced.


OAAO0ASA O00@
Others That are Commonly Misplaced.
[Examiner.l
In the category of words that should never
bs used come first misformed words, as ''lit'
for lighted "plead' as the past participle of
the verb ito Plead instead OF pleaded
"proven" for proved, form now obsolete ex-
cept in the Scotch version of mot proven"
These are what might lie termed grammatical
errors, but they are very common among those
who pass for fair writers and educated men.
Less venial faults arc the use OF such vulga-
riSms as ION to' for on or upon which is be-
coming increasingly frequent among careless
writer's and whose blood has not run cold at
reading advertisements in our religious papers
of baptismal pants" ito be worn, we suppose,
by those reverend gents who minister week
ly Sin our midst, preach lengthy" sermons
that 'enthuse" their hearers, and are gener-
ally reputed to be 'reliable" men, whose acts
will never "ieopardize" the good name of their
focks; albeit they sometimes have "help-
meet or "helpmate" or companion" or lady"
that is to say, a wife-whose words and acts
need to be judged with great 'Ieniency."
cd all but thrce of the words and phrases, con-
demned by Mr.. Ayres, that we are now con-
sidering No well-bred man will ever speak of
such garment as his "pants," nor will he call
his wife anything but his wife. "Hepmeet'
is a stupid word, as has often been pointed out.
and owes its existence to a careless perversion
of Genesis H., Is, ~ will make him an help
mees G e. suitable, fit) for him." and "help-
mate" is a still stupiIer peryersion of "help-
meet" If we are to say lengthy" why not
'strengthy?" and BESIDES our good old friend
"long" will answer every purpose. We say
"leniency," when lenity expresses the same
shade of meaning. Why add so clumsy word
as "jeopardize" to the language when "jeop-
ard" is already there for the same purpose?
Why use the Informed word reliable (which
should be rely-upon-able, to mean what is in
tended) when we have trustworthy and credi-
kle? "Enthuse" is one OF those horribly ILL
formed words whose mere pronunciation Is
their condemnation, in the mind OF one who
has enough acquaintance with the history and
genius of the language to be qualified to ex-
press any opinion on the subject, while ''in our
midst" is a careless way of saying, Sin the
midst of us" which is ineligible English.
The other three words that Mr.. Ayres would
prescribe are preventative" a clumsy and
useless substitute for preventive; graduate,
as an active intransitive verb IA student does
not graduate" from college, the college grad
yates him e. admits him to its gradus; aud
the student therefore is graduated) and mis-
take 4" (When what the speaker means is, "You
do not understand me" for You mistake.D
To Mr.. Ayers's list should be added, we think,
non English words as anent, auditorium, bogus,
nonce, taboo, tspisi such slangy words as dis
gruntled," which is favorite word In the po-
ltical vocabulary, and 'resurrect," which Is
used as a verb in many sermon; such misfor-
nations as ''gubernatoriaP and post gradu-
ate''-hoW can one graduated from a college,
and thus made "a graduate ever become "a
post GRADUATED One should write "a gradu-
ate's course of study, the former having the
preference. We assume that 10 reader Of Tbs
Examiner needs to be warned against any such
pedantic words as ''authoress' and "poetess";
such vulgarisms as ''crank" which the Gui-
teau trial has made SO common; or such q
wrong-headed idiom as different to-" OF which
some English writers are so fond. II they do
not need any warning we beg OF them esche9
each and all to those words. And we are in
clined to add to the list donate and "dona-
tioD,' which are at least unnecessary while we
have so many words as "give," grant" be-
stow" present, and their substantiyes, TO
express the same idea.
Words used in wrong senses fall naturally
into several classes first among which are tbs
words sometimes called reporters English,
words misused because they are thought TO
sound fine. EXAMPLES OF this misuse OF words
are "Apprehend' when the writer means
merely ''think;'' "condign" in such phrase
as condign punishment" when the writer
means severe punishment; casualty" for &C
cident predicate" for declare, and the like.
Some writers can never begin anything; they
ALWAYS "inaugurate'' or initiate" or at the
very best Commenced it; il a speaker or
singer is well received by his audience, he re-
ceives an ovation" il a man is kind-hearted
he is called a humanitarian" Il. e., beliey-
er only in the human nature of Christ), which
is to attribute a grave hereSy to man
under pretext OF complimenting him; and II
one of this ilk goes to church, he always speaks
of it as the sanctuary We exhort all who
read this article to esohew these and all SINH
lar errors. Whatever you may say in the free
dom of conversation, when you take your pen
use plain words to express plain meanings Ii
YOU mean granted, don't say accorded" IL
speaker has talked for fifteen minutes on sub
jact, don't say that he alluded" to 1t, which
means merely to touch and pass by topic; II
you mean think don't say consider" which
denotes the careful weighing OF a thing; don't
saw residence" for house, individual for
person, "portion" for part, purchase" for buy,
and be chary of vicinity for neighborhood.
In short, don't be stilted.
Allied to this class of errors is that careless
and slapgy use of words which results from an
effort 10 be colloquial and easy in writing. 1t
is not easy to be familiar without becoming
vulgar, but the art can be learned In writing
as well as in social intercourse. Careful writers
will avoid all such phrases as the following:
mined, "claim" for assert, "indorse Tor ap-
prove ''loan'' for lend, 'own" for confess.
very common kind of mistake Is the misuse oil
small words through nero carelessness; as to
say "less' where fewer is meant, or 70 use
"such" for so. This list might be indefinitely
increased.
There is also a class of misused words all too
common that are positively vulgar. Under this
head of course, comes all slang, Of which no
wel-bred man ought to be guilty under any cir
cumstahces To slang may be added such
words as these: "Andn in phrases like TRY
and do;" "apt' used for likely; got in COM
binations like che has got a fortune;
"healt W. for wholesome (obsters are usually
healthy but they are considered unwholesome);
companion for wife; 'female" for woman;
Gladly for woman or wife (these last three are
the superlatives of vulgarity); party" for per-
son; "posted' for Informed; ''retire" for go TO
bed: superior" as thus applied, 'she is very
superior person." Probably these examples
will suffice.
Still another class OF misused words are mis-
employed in such ways as to leave room for the
charitable inference thai the e-writer is iguorant
of their real meaning. When one uses alter
native'' the proposition between" and the
coniunctions 'both-and" or "neither-nor," to
refer to more than two objects, it Is evident
that he is guilty of nothing worse than gross ig-
rance. The same conclusion follows when one
calls two objects a couple" when the objects
are not united by any sort OF bond; 1t IS doubt
full whether ''pair" should not also be restrict
ed to two objects SO united. Distinguished
is often wrongly used by those who are not ae-
customed to discriminate between two words
of similar meaning.