Arizona republican., 1921-05-15
The English Twisted Tongue


 It was not in a carping spirit that our attention has been called to some English it ought not to be spoken written in the program of the Phoenix High School of 1921, presenting the University of Arizona Glee club Nor is it in carping spirit that dwell ie, the hope that closer atten- ton will be given in the future to English by the young man who prepared the copy for the program
 There appears this
 The class of 1921 take this opportunity to thank all the patrons of this concert for their co operation in assisting them to give a sized statute of Theodore Roosevelt as fitting memorial Of the class, to the Phoenix Union High School.
 It is inconceivable that high school boy girl of graduating this year cannot put to- gether fewer than fifty words without making two grammatical mistakes of orthography, and com mitting two because of a misconcepton or the meaning of common words
 The first error is the of the word take which should takes to agree in number with the substantive. class The second is in the of them instead of .it." agreement in number with class"
 There is corruscation of mistakes about the ex- presson "full-szed statute of Theodore Roosevelt" As we understand, the entertainment was given to raise money to pay statue" and not statute of MT. Roosevelt. It probably in the mind of the class procure 1fe-size" rather than full -sized" statue 'Fu-sized" is too indefinite It may thing of large size. and in the case of a statue of either lfe-size heroic-si A word which may anything really means nothing. As to use statute" for statue" that obviously the result carelessness that it not be attributed to misunderstanding.
 It does not matter much that violate the rules of grammar and those of spelling that convey precisely what Good serviceable English though not quite within the view of purists is better than graceful immaculate English which fails accurately interpret meaning which discloses that do not quite know what 
 Now we come to the expression lifting memor- al.' That of the many English word com binations which many of parrot-wise When ever statue is unveiled any sort of memorial is presented. the orator Or the newspaper reporter chronclng the ceremonial proceedings is apt call it fitting memorial" whether it is not.
 In this case the memorial intended to be provided is not, cannot be. fitting one Many memorials have been erected to Roosevelt and it would be absurd say that any of them fitting to>that great character Certainly plaster statue such as understand the high school memorial is be cannot be fitting"
 This error which in our opinion is the ious in this congestion. of the common desire to adjeetives. which when applied by the mex perienced the most disfigurng words in our language. When used judiciously by expert they well as adverbs beautify and strengthen When used careessly twas done in this case, they blot and weaken.
 So accomplished writer MT. Kipling uses adjectves sparngly that after he has fin- ished the first draft of his work he goes it strike out the adjectives which he had inadver- tently used.
 No doubt in the foregoing observations the high school pupils may find instances of nelegancies and violations of rules, for none of infallble But think have made meaning clear that the English language is something that deserves attention than of give to it.