Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-03-12
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES f. TRACEWELL.

every one does not comprehend every
statement In exactly the same way.
There are more than 100000 words
| in the larger dictionaries. and these
are being added to constantly. OF
course. no one human being uses more
than n 1.-THE Of them but even at its
smallest the average vocabulary Is
pretty good sized enough for plenty OF
Misunderstanding to enter.
| Perhaps It Is the infinite variety OF
combinations of words that helps In
this difficulty. Then, too, idiomatic ex-
prcssions may not always be taken In
the same vein. One could not blame a
| foreigner, for instance, for not under
standing many of our expressions.
One Of the Boy Scout laws runs to
the effect that Scout must do a
good turn to some one every day"
What does 1t mean, Ito do good
turn?
Every one knows offhand what 1t
means. yet very few, perhaps. could ex-
plain exactly that doing of good
turn" expression.
1t is q part of the heritage OF our
language.
That is why nothing can take the
place Of early instruction.: why gram
mar ought to be taught in the schools;
why language study. especially OF de-
rivativcs. Is good. why reading OF the
good books is Indispensable In true
education.
To get the fullest enjoyment from
reading. man must instinctively, as It
we're, know his words. He must get"
them without effort as he reads
He may not even be able to define a
word. but the very feel" of 1t in its
place will be comprehensive to him as
he reads, because his training has been
such as to allow him TO do this.
Take the word duplicate"
Here Is word often used wrongly,
because the person who uses 1t has not
had enough experience with words to
know when 1t Is or Is not correct.
1t is, loosely a synonym for the fol-
lowing:
Copy. counterpart. facsimile. imita-
ton. likeness, replica. reproduction.
transcript.
All Of these. however, are merely
synonyms in the large sense Of the
term. They are not exact synonyms,
by any means.
The late DR.. James c. Fernald (who.
by the way. once lectured at the WASH
ington Y. M. c. Al had the following
differentiations to make:
"A copy Is as nearly like the original
as the copyiSt has power to make 1t; a
duplicate Is exactly like the original;
a carbon copy of typewriter docu-
ment must be a duplicate: We may
have an inaccurate copy, but never an
inaccurate duplicate
"A facsimile Is like the original In
appearance: a duplicate Is the same as
the original in substance and effect: a
facsimile of the Declaration OF indie
pendence Is not a duplicate.
"A facsimile OF key might be quite
useless: duplicate will open the lock.
A counterpart exactly corresponds to
another object, but perhaps without de-
sign. while a copy Is intentional.
IAN imitation Is always thought OF
as inferior TO the original: as, IAN imi-
tation OF Milton" A replica Is copy
Of work OF art made by the maker
of the original.
I'm law. a copy OF on instrument has
In itself no authority: the signatures. as
we'll as other matters. may be copied;
a duplicate is really an original. con-
tanning the same provisions and signed
by the same persons. so that 1t may
have in all respects the same force and
effect; transcript Is an official copy
authenticated by the signature OF the
proper officer and by the seal Of the
appropriate court.
while strictly there could be but one
duplicate. the word Is now extended to
an indefinite number OF exact copies.
Reproduction is chiefly applied to liv.
ing organisms"