Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-03-22
Good ENGLISH.


From the New York Times
1naccuracy in the use of the English language
is SO common, In spite of the earnest efforts OF
the S,n. that it is ordinarily waste of time to
rebuke it. When, however our leading news
papers are guilty of coniourding the two par
ticiples /" broken and broke" it Is impossible
to resist the impulse to reprove, instruct and
eXhOrt.
There is pleasing tale illustrative of western
manners and customs concerning Wisconsin
girl who attended picnic and wandered some
distance into the woods with the possible ex-
pectatiOn that some one would follow her.
While she was seated on a log wondering if he
would never come grizzly bear stole up be-
mind her. and bracing his hind feet against the
log, Rugged her with all his might. Dreamily
closing her eyes the girl murmured -" Is that
you, charles! Clasp me closer, dear" where
upon the Inundated bear went back to the for
est '' all broke up''
This story is frequently met in the columns of
the religious press, but some time ago an
ingenious editor attempted to improveits gram
mar-as he thOught-by changing broke up
into 'broken up;" and other editors have copied
it with this emendation. Now, the two words
"broke used in the phrase "all broke up
and 'broken," the particple of the verDS'to
break, are entirely different in their origin and
meaning. While broken" is the particlple of a
verb derived from the Anglo-Saxon word
"brecan,' broke" exists only as participle,
and is never found in any other form. 1t has
no connection with the Anglo-Saxon "brecan. "
but comes from the Morso-Gothic verb
brSxan. the primary meaning of which is ''to be
without property. whence we have the express
| sion Ito be dead broke" or penniless. The dis
tnction between these two words, "brOken''
and broke Is very important. To confound
them. as has been done in the case of the story
OF the Wisconsin girl, cannot but give pain to
the lover of pure English. When we are told
that at ha
Wisconsin girl to her satisfaction, was "all
broke up, we know that he felt that life was
worthless and that he was disappointed and
hopeless beast. When, on the other hand, We
are told that he was 'broken up we feel that
the phrase is meaningless. unless it is intended
| to convey the irrelevant falsehOod that his legs
| and ribs were broken.
| The distinction between "broke" and 'broken'
is not wider than that between 'carry-on" and
''gOiny-on," and vet the latter are constantly
coniounded. Only the other day in a case con-
nected with Methodist Church sociable,H one
witness testified that the young people carried
on good DEAL, while another swore that their
| ''gOings-On were shameful" Neither the court
the jury, nor the counsel appeared to have the
least idea ofthe wide distinction between car
ry-on' and'going-On." The former Is defined
10y Dr. johnson as foil Jws: ITO cdrry-On-tO eX-
hibt hilarious mirthfulness-usually said OF
girls Whereas, in Worcester's Dictionary 'go-
| ings-on" is defined as 'indiscreet conduct
on the part of two persons of different sexes
Now, nothing is clearer than that there might
! be shameful ''goings-On" at a sociable where
there was not particle of carrying on and
| conversely, party of young girls might Garry
on to any extent without the slightest approach
| to ''goings-on" on the part Of any one ofthem
To ''carry-On" is often an innocent diversions
but persons who are guilty of ''goings-on" are
wanting either in good sense or in a regard fol
| prOprety.
1t can easily be seen that In the law case to
which reference has been made the witnesses
would not have testified recklessy to ''carry-
ings on" and ''goings-on" if they had known
| the broad distinction between the two word,
and the class of actions which they respectivel,
| represent. The court should, OF course. have
called the attention of the witnesses and of the
| jury to the difference between "carry-on'' and
| ''going-on, but the saddest feature of the whole
affair was that the court actually did not know
that any distinction existed.