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Language: English
-1-
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
WRITE IT RIGHT
A LITTLE
BLACKLIST
OF
LITERARY
-2-
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
FAULTS
BY
AMBROSE
BIERCE
-3-
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
1909
-4-
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
The
author’s
main
purpose in
-5-
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
this book is
to teach
precision in
writing; and
of good
-6-
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
writing
(which,
essentially,
is clear
thinking
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
made
visible)
precision is
the point of
capital
-8-
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
concern. It
is attained
by choice
of the word
that
-9-
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
accurately
and
adequately
expresses
what the
- 10 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
writer has
in mind,
and by
exclusion
of that
- 11 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
which
either
denotes or
connotes
something
- 12 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
else. As
Quintilian
puts it, the
writer
should so
- 13 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
write that
his reader
not only
may, but
must,
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
understand.
Few
words have
more than
one literal
- 15 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
and
serviceable
meaning,
however
many
- 16 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
metaphorical,
derivative,
related, or
even
unrelated,
- 17 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
meanings
lexicographers
may think it
worth while
to gather
- 18 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
from all
sorts and
conditions
of men,
with which
- 19 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to bloat
their
absurd and
misleading
dictionaries.
- 20 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
This actual
and
serviceable
meaning—not
always
- 21 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
determined
by
derivation,
and seldom
by popular
- 22 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
usage—is
the one
affirmed,
according
to his light,
- 23 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
by the
author of
this little
manual of
solecisms.
- 24 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Narrow
etymons of
the mere
scholar and
loose
- 25 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
locutions of
the
ignorant
are alike
denied a
- 26 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
standing.
The plan
of the book
is more
illustrative
- 27 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
than
expository,
the aim
being to
use the
- 28 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
terms of
etymology
and syntax
as little as
is
- 29 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
compatible
with clarity,
familiar
example
being more
- 30 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
easily
apprehended
than
technical
precept.
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
When both
are
employed
the precept
is
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
commonly
given after
the
example
has
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
prepared
the student
to apply it,
not only to
the matter
- 34 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
in mind, but
to similar
matters not
mentioned.
Everything
- 35 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
in quotation
marks is to
be
understood
as
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
disapproved.
Not all
locutions
blacklisted
herein are
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
always to
be
reprobated
as
universal
- 38 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
outlaws.
Excepting
in the case
of capital
offenders—expressions
ancestrally
- 39 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
vulgar or
irreclaimably
degenerate—absolute
proscription
is possible
as to
- 40 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
serious
composition
only; in
other forms
the writer
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
must rely
on his
sense of
values and
the fitness
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of things.
While it is
true that
some
colloquialisms
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
and, with
less of
license,
even some
slang, may
- 44 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
be
sparingly
employed
in light
literature,
- 45 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
for point,
piquancy or
any of the
purposes
of the
- 46 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
skilled
writer
sensible to
the
necessity
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
and charm
of keeping
at least one
foot on the
ground, to
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
others the
virtue of
restraint
may be
commended
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
as distinctly
superior to
the joy of
indulgence.
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Precision
is much,
but not all;
some
words and
- 51 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
phrases
are
disallowed
on the
ground of
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
taste. As
there are
neither
standards
nor arbiters
- 53 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of taste,
the book
can do little
more than
reflect that
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of its
author,
who is far
indeed
from
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
professing
impeccability.
In neither
taste nor
precision is
- 56 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
any man’s
practice a
court of last
appeal, for
writers all,
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
both great
and small,
are
habitual
sinners
- 58 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
against the
light; and
their
accuser is
cheerfully
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
aware that
his own
work will
supply (as
in making
- 60 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
this book it
has
supplied)
many
"awful
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
examples"—his
later work
less
abundantly,
he hopes,
than his - 62 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
earlier. He
nevertheless
believes
that this
does not
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
disqualify
him for
showing by
other
instances
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
than his
own how
not to write.
The
infallible
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
teacher is
still in the
forest
primeval,
throwing
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
seeds to
the white
blackbirds.
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
A.B.
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
THE BLACKLIST
Before an
unaccented
aspirate
use an.
The
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
contrary
usage in
this country
comes of
too strongly
- 71 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
stressing
our
aspirates.
- 72 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Action
for Act. "In
wrestling, a
blow is a
reprehensible
- 73 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
action." A
blow is not
an action
but an act.
An action
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
may
consist of
many acts.
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Admission
for
Admittance.
"The price
of
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
admission
is one
dollar."
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Admit for
Confess.
To admit is
to concede
something
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
affirmed.
An
unaccused
offender
cannot
- 79 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
admit his
guilt.
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Adopt.
"He
adopted a
disguise."
One may
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
adopt a
child, or an
opinion, but
a disguise
is
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assumed.
Advisedly
for
Advertently,
Intentionally.
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
"It was
done
advisedly"
should
mean that
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
it was done
after
advice.
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Afford. It
is not well
to say "the
fact affords
a
- 86 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
reasonable
presumption";
"the house
afforded
ample
- 87 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
accommodation."
The fact
supplies a
reasonable
presumption.
The house
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
offered, or
gave,
ample
accommodation.
- 89 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Afraid.
Do not say,
"I am afraid
it will rain."
Say, I fear
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
that it will
rain.
- 91 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Afterwards
for
Afterward.
- 92 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Aggravate
for Irritate.
"He
aggravated
me by his
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
insolence."
To
aggravate
is to
augment
- 94 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the
disagreeableness
of
something
already
disagreeable,
- 95 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
or the
badness of
something
bad. But a
person
- 96 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
cannot be
aggravated,
even if
disagreeable
or bad.
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Women are
singularly
prone to
misuse of
this word.
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
All of.
"He gave
all of his
property."
The words
- 99 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
are
contradictory:
an entire
thing
cannot be
- 100 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of itself.
Omit the
preposition.
- 101 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Alleged.
"The
alleged
murderer."
One can
- 102 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
allege a
murder, but
not a
murderer; a
crime, but
- 103 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
not a
criminal. A
man that is
merely
suspected
- 104 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of crime
would not,
in any
case, be an
alleged
- 105 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
criminal, for
an
allegation
is a definite
and
- 106 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
positive
statement.
In their
tiresome
addiction to
- 107 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
this use of
alleged, the
newspapers,
though
having
- 108 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
mainly in
mind the
danger of
libel suits,
can urge in
- 109 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
further
justification
the lack of
any other
single word
- 110 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
that exactly
expresses
their
meaning;
but the fact
- 111 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
that a
mud-puddle
supplies
the
shortest
- 112 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
route is not
a
compelling
reason for
walking
- 113 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
through it.
One can go
around.
- 114 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Allow for
Permit. "I
allow you
to go."
Precision is
- 115 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
better
attained by
saying
permit, for
allow has
- 116 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
other
meanings.
- 117 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Allude to
for
Mention.
What is
alluded to
- 118 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
is not
mentioned,
but referred
to
indirectly.
- 119 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Originally,
the word
implied a
playful, or
sportive,
- 120 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
reference.
That
meaning is
gone out of
it.
- 121 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
And so.
And yet.
"And so
they were
married."
- 122 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
"And yet a
woman."
Omit the
conjunction.
- 123 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
And
which. And
who. These
forms are
incorrect
- 124 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
unless the
relative
pronoun
has been
used
- 125 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
previously
in the
sentence.
"The colt,
spirited and
- 126 -
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strong, and
which was
unbroken,
escaped
from the
- 127 -
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pasture."
"John
Smith, one
of our
leading
- 128 -
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merchants,
and who
fell from a
window
yesterday,
- 129 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
died this
morning."
Omit the
conjunction.
- 130 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Antecedents
for
Personal
History.
Antecedents
- 131 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
are
predecessors.
- 132 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Anticipate
for Expect.
"I anticipate
trouble." To
anticipate
- 133 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
is to act on
an
expectation
in a way to
promote or
- 134 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
forestall the
event
expected.
- 135 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Anxious
for Eager.
"I was
anxious to
go."
- 136 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Anxious
should not
be followed
by an
infinitive.
- 137 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Anxiety is
contemplative;
eagerness,
alert for
action.
- 138 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Appreciate
for Highly
Value. In
the sense
of value, it
- 139 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
means
value
justly, not
highly. In
another
- 140 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
and
preferable
sense it
means to
increase in
- 141 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
value.
Approach.
"The juror
was
approached";
- 142 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
that is,
overtures
were made
to him with
a view to
- 143 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
bribing him.
As there is
no other
single word
for it,
- 144 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
approach is
made to
serve,
figuratively;
and being
- 145 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
graphic, it
is not
altogether
objectionable.
- 146 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Appropriated
for Took.
"He
appropriated
his
- 147 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
neighbor’s
horse to his
own use."
To
appropriate
- 148 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
is to set
apart, as a
sum of
money, for
a special
- 149 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
purpose.
Approve
of for
Approve.
There is no
- 150 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
sense in
making
approve an
intransitive
verb.
- 151 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Apt for
Likely.
"One is apt
to be
mistaken."
- 152 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Apt means
facile,
felicitous,
ready, and
the like; but
- 153 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
even the
dictionary-makers
cannot
persuade a
person of
discriminating
- 154 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
taste to
accept it as
synonymous
with likely.
- 155 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Around
for About.
"The débris
of battle lay
around
- 156 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
them." "The
huckster
went
around,
crying his
- 157 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
wares."
Around
carries the
concept of
circularity.
- 158 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Article. A
good and
useful
word, but
used
- 159 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
without
meaning by
shopkeepers;
as, "A good
article of
- 160 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
vinegar,"
for a good
vinegar.
- 161 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
As for
That, or If.
"I do not
know as he
is living."
- 162 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
This error
is not very
common
among
those who
- 163 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
can write at
all, but one
sometimes
sees it in
high place.
- 164 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
As—as
for So—as.
"He is not
as good as
she." Say,
- 165 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
not so
good. In
affirmative
sentences
the rule is
- 166 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
different:
He is as
good as
she.
- 167 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
As for for
As to. "As
for me, I
am well."
Say, as to
- 168 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
me.
At
Auction for
by Auction.
"The goods
- 169 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
were sold
at auction."
- 170 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
At for By.
"She was
shocked at
his
conduct."
- 171 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
This very
common
solecism is
without
excuse.
- 172 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Attain for
Accomplish.
"By
diligence
we attain
- 173 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
our
purpose." A
purpose is
accomplished;
success is
- 174 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
attained.
Authoress.
A needless
word—as
needless
- 175 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
as
"poetess."
- 176 -
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Avocation
for
Vocation. A
vocation is,
literally, a
- 177 -
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calling; that
is, a trade
or
profession.
An
- 178 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
avocation
is
something
that calls
one away
- 179 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
from it. If I
say that
farming is
some one’s
avocation I
- 180 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
mean that
he
practises it,
not
regularly,
- 181 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
but at odd
times.
- 182 -
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Avoid for
Avert. "By
displaying
a light the
skipper
- 183 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
avoided a
collision."
To avoid is
to shun;
the skipper
- 184 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
could have
avoided a
collision
only by
getting out
- 185 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of the way.
Avoirdupois
for Weight.
Mere
slang.
- 186 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Back of
for Behind,
At the Back
of. "Back of
law is
- 187 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
force."
Backwards
for
Backward.
- 188 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Badly for
Bad. "I feel
badly." "He
looks
badly." The
- 189 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
former
sentence
implies
defective
nerves of
- 190 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
sensation,
the latter,
imperfect
vision. Use
the
- 191 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
adjective.
Balance
for
Remainder.
"The
- 192 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
balance of
my time is
given to
recreation."
In this
- 193 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
sense
balance is
a
commercial
word, and
- 194 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
relates to
accounting.
- 195 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Banquet.
A good
enough
word in its
place, but
- 196 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
its place is
the
dictionary.
Say,
dinner.
- 197 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Bar for
Bend. "Bar
sinister."
There is no
such thing
- 198 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
in heraldry
as a bar
sinister.
- 199 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Because
for For. "I
knew it was
night,
because it
- 200 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
was dark."
"He will not
go,
because he
is ill."
- 201 -
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Bet for
Betted. The
verb to bet
forms its
preterite
- 202 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
regularly,
as do wet,
wed, knit,
quit and
others that
- 203 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
are
commonly
misconjugated.
It seems
that we clip
- 204 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
our short
words
more than
we do our
long.
- 205 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Body for
Trunk. "The
body lay
here, the
head
- 206 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
there." The
body is the
entire
physical
person (as
- 207 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
distinguished
from the
soul, or
mind) and
the head is
- 208 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
a part of it.
As
distinguished
from head,
trunk may
- 209 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
include the
limbs, but
anatomically
it is the
torso only.
- 210 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Bogus
for
Counterfeit,
or False.
The word is
- 211 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
slang; keep
it out.
- 212 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Both.
This word
is
frequently
misplaced;
- 213 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
both men
and
women.
- 215 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Both
alike. "They
are both
alike." Say,
they are
- 216 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
alike. One
of them
could not
be alike.
- 217 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Brainy.
Pure slang,
and
singularly
disagreeable.
- 218 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Bug for
Beetle, or
for
anything.
Do not use
- 219 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
it.
Business
for Right.
"He has no
business to
- 220 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
go there."
Build for
Make.
"Build a
fire." "Build
- 221 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
a canal."
Even "build
a tunnel" is
not
unknown,
- 222 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
and
probably if
the
wood-chuck
is skilled in
- 223 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the
American
tongue he
speaks of
building a
- 224 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
hole.
But. By
many
writers this
word (in
- 225 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the sense
of except)
is regarded
as a
preposition,
- 226 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to be
followed by
the
objective
case: "All
- 227 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
went but
him." It is
not a
preposition
and may
- 228 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
take either
the
nominative
or objective
case, to
- 229 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
agree with
the subject
or the
object of
the verb.
- 230 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
But what.
"I did not
know but
what he
was an
- 232 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
enemy."
Omit what.
If
condemnation
of this
- 233 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
dreadful
locution
seem
needless
bear the
- 234 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
matter in
mind in
your
reading
and you
- 235 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
will soon
be of a
different
opinion.
- 236 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
By for
Of. "A man
by the
name of
Brown."
- 237 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Say, of the
name.
Better than
either form
is: a man
- 238 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
named
Brown.
- 239 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Calculated
for Likely.
"The bad
weather is
calculated
- 240 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to produce
sickness."
Calculated
implies
calculation,
- 241 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
design.
Can for
May. "Can I
go fishing?"
"He can
- 242 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
call on me
if he
wishes to."
- 243 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Candidate
for
Aspirant. In
American
politics,
- 244 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
one is not a
candidate
for an
office until
formally
- 245 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
named
(nominated)
for it by a
convention,
or
- 246 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
otherwise,
as provided
by law or
custom. So
when a
- 247 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
man who is
moving
Heaven
and Earth
to procure
- 248 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the
nomination
protests
that he is
"not a
- 249 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
candidate"
he tells the
truth in
order to
deceive.
- 250 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Cannot
for Can. "I
cannot but
go." Say, I
can but go.
- 251 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Capable.
"Men are
capable of
being
flattered."
- 252 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Say,
susceptible
to flattery.
"Capable of
being
- 253 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
refuted."
Vulnerable
to
refutation.
Unlike
- 254 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
capacity,
capability is
not
passive,
but active.
- 255 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
We are
capable of
doing, not
of having
something
- 256 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
done to us.
Capacity
for Ability.
"A great
capacity for
- 257 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
work."
Capacity is
receptive;
ability,
potential. A
- 258 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
sponge has
capacity for
water; the
hand,
ability to
- 259 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
squeeze it
out.
- 260 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Casket
for Coffin.
A needless
euphemism
affected by
- 261 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
undertakers.
Casualties
for Losses
in Battle.
The
- 262 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
essence of
casualty is
accident,
absence of
design.
- 263 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Death and
wounds in
battle are
produced
otherwise,
- 264 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
are
expectable
and
expected,
and, by the
- 265 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
enemy,
intentional.
- 266 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Chance
for
Opportunity.
"He had a
good
- 267 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
chance to
succeed."
- 268 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Chin
Whiskers.
The
whisker
grows on
- 269 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the cheek,
not the
chin.
- 270 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Chivalrous.
The word is
popularly
used in the
Southern
- 271 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
States
only, and
commonly
has
reference
- 272 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to men’s
manner
toward
women.
Archaic,
- 273 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
stilted and
fantastic.
- 274 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Citizen
for Civilian.
A soldier
may be a
citizen, but
- 275 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
is not a
civilian.
- 276 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Claim for
Affirm. "I
claim that
he is
elected."
- 277 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
To claim is
to assert
ownership.
- 278 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Clever
for
Obliging. In
this sense
the word
- 279 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
was once
in general
use in the
United
States, but
- 280 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
is now
seldom
heard and
life here is
less
- 281 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
insupportable.
Climb
down. In
climbing
one
- 282 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
ascends.
Coat for
Coating. "A
coat of
paint, or
- 283 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
varnish." If
we coat
something
we produce
a coating,
- 284 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
not a coat.
Collateral
Descendant.
There can
be none: a
- 285 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
"collateral
descendant"
is not a
descendant.
- 286 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Colonel,
Judge,
Governor,
etc., for
Mister.
- 287 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Give a man
a title only
if it belongs
to him, and
only while it
- 288 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
belongs to
him.
- 289 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Combine
for
Combination.
The word,
in this
- 290 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
sense, has
something
of the
meaning of
conspiracy,
- 291 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
but there is
no
justification
for it as a
noun, in
- 292 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
any sense.
Commence
for Begin.
This is not
actually
- 293 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
incorrect,
but—well, it
is a matter
of taste.
- 294 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Commencement
for
Termination.
A
contribution
to our
- 295 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
noble
tongue by
its
scholastic
conservators,
- 296 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
"commencement
day" being
their name
for the last
day of the
collegiate - 297 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
year. It is
ingeniously
defended
on the
ground that
- 298 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
on that day
those on
whom
degrees
are
- 299 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
bestowed
commence
to hold
them.
Lovely!
- 300 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Commit
Suicide.
Instead of
"He
committed
- 301 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
suicide,"
say, He
killed
himself, or,
He took his
- 302 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
life. For
married we
do not say
"committed
matrimony."
- 303 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Unfortunately
most of us
do say,
"got
married,"
- 304 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
which is
almost as
bad. For
lack of a
suitable
- 305 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
verb we
just
sometimes
say
committed
- 306 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
this or that,
as in the
instance of
bigamy, for
the verb to
- 307 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
bigam is a
blessing
that is still
in store for
us.
- 308 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Compare
with for
Compare
to. "He had
the
- 309 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
immodesty
to compare
himself
with
Shakespeare."
- 310 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Nothing
necessarily
immodest
in that.
Comparison
- 311 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
with may
be for
observing a
difference;
comparison
- 312 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to affirms a
similarity.
- 313 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Complected.
Anticipatory
past
participle of
the verb "to
- 314 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
complect."
Let us wait
for that.
- 315 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Conclude
for Decide.
"I
concluded
to go to
- 316 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
town."
Having
concluded
a course of
reasoning
- 317 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
(implied) I
decided to
go to town.
A decision
is
- 318 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
supposed
to be made
at the
conclusion
of a course
- 319 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of
reasoning,
but is not
the
conclusion
- 320 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
itself.
Conversely,
the
conclusion
of a
- 321 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
syllogism is
not a
decision,
but an
inference.
- 322 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Connection.
"In this
connection
I should
like to say
- 323 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
a word or
two." In
connection
with this
matter.
- 324 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Conscious
for Aware.
"The King
was
conscious
- 325 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of the
conspiracy."
We are
conscious
of what we
- 326 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
feel; aware
of what we
know.
- 327 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Consent
for Assent.
"He
consented
to that
- 328 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
opinion."
To consent
is to agree
to a
proposal;
- 329 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to assent is
to agree
with a
proposition.
- 330 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Conservative
for
Moderate.
"A
conservative
- 331 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
estimate";
"a
conservative
forecast";
"a
- 332 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
conservative
statement,"
and so on.
These and
many other
- 333 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
abuses of
the word
are of
recent
growth in
- 334 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the
newspapers
and "halls
of
legislation."
- 335 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Having
been found
to have
several
meanings,
- 336 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
conservative
seems to
be thought
to mean
everything.
- 337 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Continually
and
Continuously.
It seems
that these
- 338 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
words
should
have the
same
meaning,
- 339 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
but in their
use by
good
writers
there is a
- 340 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
difference.
What is
done
continually
is not done
- 341 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
interruption.
A
loquacious
fellow, who
nevertheless
- 343 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
finds time
to eat and
sleep, is
continually
talking; but
- 344 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
a great
river flows
continuously.
- 345 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Convoy
for Escort.
"A
man-of-war
acted as
- 346 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
convoy to
the flotilla."
The flotilla
is the
convoy, the
- 347 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
man-of-war
the escort.
- 348 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Couple
for Two.
For two
things to be
a couple
- 349 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
they must
be of one
general
kind, and
their
- 350 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
number
unimportant
to the
statement
made of
- 351 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
them. It
would be
weak to
say, "He
gave me
- 352 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
only one,
although
he took a
couple for
himself."
- 353 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Couple
expresses
indifference
to the exact
number, as
- 354 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
does
several.
That is
true, even
in the
- 355 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
phrase, a
married
couple, for
the number
is carried in
- 356 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the
adjective
and needs
no
emphasis.
- 357 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Created
for First
Performed.
Stage
slang.
- 358 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
"Burbage
created the
part of
Hamlet."
What was it
- 359 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
that its
author did
to it?
- 360 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Critically
for
Seriously.
"He has
long been
- 361 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
critically ill."
A patient is
critically ill
only at the
crisis of his
- 362 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
disease.
Criticise
for
Condemn,
or
- 363 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Disparage.
Criticism is
not
necessarily
censorious;
- 364 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
it may
approve.
- 365 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Cunning
for
Amusing.
Usually
said of a
- 366 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
child, or
pet. This is
pure
Americanese,
as is its
- 367 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
synonym,
"cute."
- 368 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Curious
for Odd, or
Singular.
To be
curious is
- 369 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to have an
inquiring
mind, or
mood—curiosity.
- 370 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Custom
for Habit.
Communities
have
customs;
- 371 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
individuals,
habits—commonly
bad ones.
- 372 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Decease
for Die.
- 373 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Decidedly
for Very, or
Certainly.
"It is
decidedly
- 374 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
cold."
Declared
for Said. To
a
newspaper
- 375 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
reporter no
one seems
ever to say
anything;
all
- 376 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
"declare."
Like
"alleged"
(which see)
the word is
- 377 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
tiresome
exceedingly.
- 378 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Defalcation
for Default.
A
defalcation
is a cutting
- 379 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
off, a
subtraction;
a default is
a failure in
duty.
- 380 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Definitely
for
Definitively.
"It was
definitely
- 381 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
decided."
Definitely
means
precisely,
with
- 382 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
exactness;
definitively
means
finally,
conclusively.
- 383 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Deliver.
"He
delivered
an oration,"
or
- 384 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
"delivered
a lecture."
Say, He
made an
oration, or
- 385 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
gave a
lecture.
- 386 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Demean
for Debase
or
Degrade.
"He
- 387 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
demeaned
himself by
accepting
charity."
The word
- 388 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
relates, not
to
meanness,
but to
demeanor,
- 389 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
conduct,
behavior.
One may
demean
oneself
- 390 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
with dignity
and credit.
- 391 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Demise
for Death.
Usually
said of a
person of
- 392 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
note.
Demise
means the
lapse, as
by death,
- 393 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of some
authority,
distinction
or privilege,
which
- 394 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
passes to
another
than the
one that
held it; as
- 395 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the demise
of the
Crown.
- 396 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Democracy
for
Democratic
Party. One
could as
- 397 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
properly
call the
Christian
Church
"the
- 398 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Christianity."
Dépôt for
Station.
"Railroad
dépôt." A
- 399 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
dépôt is a
place of
deposit; as,
a dépôt of
supply for
- 400 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
an army.
Deprivation
for
Privation.
"The
- 401 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
mendicant
showed the
effects of
deprivation."
Deprivation
- 402 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
refers to
the act of
depriving,
taking
away from;
- 403 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
privation is
the state of
destitution,
of not
having.
- 404 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Dilapidated
for Ruined.
Said of a
building, or
other
- 405 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
structure.
But the
word is
from the
Latin lapis,
- 406 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
a stone,
and cannot
properly be
used of any
but a stone
- 407 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
structure.
Directly
for
Immediately.
"I will come
- 408 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
directly"
means that
I will come
by the most
direct
- 409 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
route.
Dirt for
Earth, Soil,
or Gravel.
A most
- 410 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
disagreeable
Americanism,
discredited
by general
(and
- 411 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Presidential)
use. "Make
the dirt fly."
Dirt means
filth.
- 412 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Distinctly
for
Distinctively.
"The
custom is
- 413 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
distinctly
Oriental."
Distinctly is
plainly;
distinctively,
- 414 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
in a way to
distinguish
one thing
from
others.
- 415 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Donate
for Give.
Good
American,
but not
- 416 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
good
English.
- 417 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Doubtlessly.
A doubly
adverbial
form, like
"illy."
- 418 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Dress for
Gown. Not
so common
as it was a
few years
- 419 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
ago. Dress
means the
entire
costume.
- 420 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Each
Other for
One
Another.
"The three
- 421 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
looked at
each
other." That
is, each
looked at
- 422 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the other.
But there
were more
than one
other; so
- 423 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
we should
say they
looked at
one
another,
- 424 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
which
means that
each
looked at
another. Of
- 425 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
two, say
each other;
of more
than two,
one
- 426 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
another.
Edify for
Please, or
Entertain.
Edify
- 427 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
means to
build; it
has,
therefore,
the sense
- 428 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of uplift,
improvement—usually
moral, or
spiritual.
- 429 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Electrocution.
To one
having
even an
elementary
- 430 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
knowledge
of Latin
grammar
this word is
no less
- 431 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
than
disgusting,
and the
thing
meant by it
- 432 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
is felt to be
altogether
too good
for the
word’s
- 433 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
inventor.
Empty
for Vacant.
Say, an
empty
- 434 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
bottle; but,
a vacant
house.
- 435 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Employé.
Good
French, but
bad
English.
- 436 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Say,
employee.
- 437 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Endorse
for
Approve. To
endorse is
to write
- 438 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
upon the
back of, or
to sign the
promissory
note of
- 439 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
another. It
is a
commercial
word,
having
- 440 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
insufficient
dignity for
literary use.
You may
endorse a
- 441 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
check, but
you
approve a
policy, or
statement.
- 442 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Endways. A
corruption
of endwise.
- 443 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Entitled
for
Authorized,
Privileged.
"The man
- 444 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
is not
entitled to
draw
rations."
Say,
- 445 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
entitled to
rations.
Entitled is
not to be
followed by
- 446 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
an
infinitive.
- 447 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Episode
for
Occurrence,
Event, etc.
Properly,
- 448 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
an episode
is a
narrative
that is a
subordinate
- 449 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
part of
another
narrative.
An
occurrence
- 450 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
considered
by itself is
not an
episode.
- 451 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Equally
as for
Equally.
"This is
equally as
- 452 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
good."
Omit as.
"He was of
the same
age, and
- 453 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
equally as
tall." Say,
equally tall.
- 454 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Equivalent
for Equal.
"My salary
is
equivalent
- 455 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to yours."
Essential
for
Necessary.
This
- 456 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
solecism is
common
among the
best writers
of this
- 457 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
country
and
England. "It
is essential
to go
- 458 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
early";
"Irrigation
is essential
to
cultivation
- 459 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of arid
lands," and
so forth.
One thing
is essential
- 460 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to another
thing only if
it is of the
essence of
it—an
- 461 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
important
and
indispensable
part of it,
determining
- 462 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
its nature;
the soul of
it.
- 463 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Even for
Exact. "An
even
dozen."
- 464 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Every for
Entire, Full.
"The
president
had every
- 465 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
confidence
in him."
- 466 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Every for
Ever.
"Every now
and then."
This is
- 467 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
nonsense:
there can
be no such
thing as a
now and
- 468 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
then, nor,
of course,
a number
of now and
thens. Now
- 469 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
and then is
itself bad
enough,
reversing
as it does
- 470 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the
sequence
of things,
but it is
idiomatic
- 471 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
and there
is no
quarreling
with it. But
"every" is
- 472 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
here a
corruption
of ever,
meaning
repeatedly,
- 473 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
continually.
Ex.
"Ex-President,"
"an
ex-convict,"
- 474 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
and the
like. Say,
former. In
England
one may
- 475 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
say, Mr.
Roosevelt,
sometime
President;
though the
- 476 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
usage is a
trifle
archaic.
- 477 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Example
for
Problem. A
heritage
from the
- 478 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
text-books.
"An
example in
arithmetic."
An equally
- 479 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
bad word
for the
same thing
is "sum":
"Do the
- 480 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
sum," for
Solve the
problem.
- 481 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Excessively
for
Exceedingly.
"The
disease is
- 482 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
excessively
painful."
"The
weather is
excessively
- 483 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
cold."
Anything
that is
painful at
all is
- 484 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
excessively
so. Even a
slight
degree or
small
- 485 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
amount of
what is
disagreeable
or injurious
is
- 486 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
excessive—that
is to say,
redundant,
superfluous,
not
required. - 487 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Executed.
"The
condemned
man was
executed."
- 488 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
He was
hanged, or
otherwise
put to
death; it is
- 489 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the
sentence
that is
executed.
- 490 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Executive
for Secret.
An
executive
session of
- 491 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
a
deliberative
body is a
session for
executive
- 492 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
business,
as
distinguished
from
legislative.
- 493 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
It is
commonly
secret, but
a secret
session is
- 494 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
not
necessarily
executive.
- 495 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Expect
for Believe,
or
Suppose. "I
expect he
- 496 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
will go."
Say, I
believe
(suppose
or think) he
- 497 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
- 498 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Expectorate
for Spit.
The former
word is
frequently
- 499 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
used, even
in laws and
ordinances,
as a
euphemism
- 500 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
for the
latter. It not
only means
something
entirely
- 501 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
different,
but to one
with a Latin
ear is far
more
- 502 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
offensive.
Experience
for Suffer,
or
Undergo.
- 503 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
"The sinner
experienced
a change
of heart."
This will do
- 504 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
if said
lightly or
mockingly.
It does not
indicate a
- 505 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
serious
frame of
mind in the
speaker.
- 506 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Extend
for Proffer.
"He
extended
an
- 507 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
invitation."
One does
not always
hold out an
invitation in
- 508 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
one’s hand;
it may be
spoken or
sent.
- 509 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Fail. "He
failed to
note the
hour." That
implies that
- 510 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
he tried to
note it, but
did not
succeed.
Failure
- 511 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
carries
always the
sense of
endeavor;
when there
- 512 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
has been
no
endeavor
there is no
failure. A
- 513 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
falling
stone
cannot fail
to strike
you, for it
- 514 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
does not
try; but a
marksman
firing at you
may fail to
- 515 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
- 516 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Favor for
Resemble.
"The child
favors its
father."
- 517 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Feel of
for Feel.
"The doctor
felt of the
patient’s
- 518 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
head."
"Smell of"
and "taste
of" are
incorrect
- 519 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
too.
Feminine
for Female.
"A feminine
member of
- 520 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the club."
Feminine
refers, not
to sex
proper, but
- 521 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to gender,
which may
be defined
as the sex
of words.
- 522 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
The same
is true of
masculine.
- 523 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Fetch for
Bring.
Fetching
includes,
not only
- 524 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
bringing,
but going
to
get—going
for and
- 525 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
returning
with. You
may bring
what you
did not go
- 526 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
for.
Finances
for Wealth,
or
Pecuniary
- 527 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Resources.
Financial
for
Pecuniary.
"His
- 528 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
financial
reward";
"he is
financially
responsible,"
- 529 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
and so
forth.
- 530 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Firstly. If
this word
could mean
anything it
would
- 531 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
mean
firstlike,
whatever
that might
mean. The
- 532 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
ordinal
numbers
should
have no
adverbial
- 533 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
form:
"firstly,"
"secondly,"
and the
rest are
- 534 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
words
without
meaning.
- 535 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Fix. This
is, in
America, a
word-of-all-work,
most
frequently - 536 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
meaning
repair, or
prepare.
Do not so
use it.
- 537 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Forebears
for
Ancestors.
The word is
sometimes
- 538 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
spelled
forbears, a
worse
spelling
than the
- 539 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
other, but
not much.
If used at
all it should
be spelled
- 540 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
forebeers,
for it
means
those who
have been
- 541 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
before. A
forebe-er is
one who
fore-was.
Considered
- 542 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
in any way,
it is a
senseless
word.
- 543 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Forecasted.
For this
abominable
word we
are
- 544 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
indebted to
the
weather
bureau—at
least it was
- 545 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
not sent
upon us
until that
affliction
was with
- 546 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
us. Let us
hope that it
may some
day be
losted from
- 547 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the
language.
- 548 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Former
and Latter.
Indicating
the first
and the
- 549 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
second of
things
previously
named,
these
- 550 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
words are
unobjectionable
if not too
far
removed
from the - 551 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
names that
they stand
for. If they
are they
confuse,
- 552 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
for the
reader has
to look
back to the
names.
- 553 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Use them
sparingly.
- 554 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Funeral
Obsequies.
Tautological.
Say,
obsequies;
- 555 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the word is
now used
in none but
a funereal
sense.
- 556 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Fully for
Definitively,
or Finally.
"After many
preliminary
- 557 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
examinations
he was
fully
committed
for trial."
- 558 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
The adverb
is
meaningless:
a
defendant
- 559 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
is never
partly
committed
for trial.
This is a
- 560 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
solecism to
which
lawyers are
addicted.
And
- 561 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
sometimes
they have
been heard
to say
"fullied."
- 562 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Funds
for Money.
"He was
out of
funds."
- 563 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Funds are
not money
in general,
but sums of
money or
- 564 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
credit
available
for
particular
purposes.
- 565 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Furnish
for Provide,
or Supply.
"Taxation
furnished
- 566 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the
money." A
pauper
may furnish
a house if
- 567 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
some one
will provide
the
furniture, or
the money
- 568 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to buy it.
"His flight
furnishes a
presumption
of guilt." It
- 569 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
supplies it.
Generally
for Usually.
"The winds
are
- 570 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
generally
high." "A
fool is
generally
vain." This
- 571 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
misuse of
the word
appears to
come of
abbreviating:
- 572 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Generally
speaking,
the
weather is
bad. A fool,
- 573 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to speak
generally,
is vain.
- 574 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Gent for
Gentleman.
Vulgar
exceedingly.
- 575 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Genteel.
This word,
meaning
polite, or
well
- 576 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
mannered,
was once
in better
repute than
it is now,
- 577 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
and its
noun,
gentility, is
still not
infrequently
- 578 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
found in
the work of
good
writers.
Genteel is
- 579 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
most often
used by
those who
write, as
the
- 580 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Scotchman
of the
anecdote
joked—wi’
deeficulty.
- 581 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Gentleman.
It is not
possible to
teach the
correct use
- 582 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of this
overworked
word: one
must be
bred to it.
- 583 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Everybody
knows that
it is not
synonymous
with man,
- 584 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
but among
the
"genteel"
and those
ambitious
- 585 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to be
thought
"genteel" it
is
commonly
- 586 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
so used in
discourse
too formal
for the
word
- 587 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
"gent." To
use the
word
gentleman
correctly,
- 588 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
be one.
Genuine
for
Authentic,
or
- 589 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Veritable.
"A genuine
document,"
"a genuine
surprise,"
- 590 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
and the
like.
- 591 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Given.
"The
soldier was
given a
rifle." What
- 592 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
was given
is the rifle,
not the
soldier.
"The house
- 593 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
was given
a coat
(coating) of
paint."
Nothing
- 594 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
can be
"given"
anything.
- 595 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Goatee.
In this
country
goatee is
frequently
- 596 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
used for a
tuft of
beard on
the point of
the
- 597 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
chin—what
is
sometimes
called "an
imperial,"
- 598 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
apparently
because
the late
Emperor
Napoleon
- 599 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
pleased to
wear his
beneath
the chin.
- 601 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Got
Married for
Married. If
this is
correct we
- 602 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
should say,
also, "got
dead" for
died; one
expression
- 603 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
is as good
as the
other.
- 604 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Gotten
for Got.
This has
gone out of
good use,
- 605 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
though in
such
compounded
words as
begotten
- 606 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
and
misbegotten
it persists
respectably.
- 607 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Graduated
for Was
Graduated.
- 608 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Gratuitous
for
Unwarranted.
"A
gratuitous
- 609 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
assertion."
Gratuitous
means
without
cost.
- 610 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Grueling.
Used
chiefly by
newspaper
reporters;
- 611 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
as, "He
was
subjected
to a
grueling
- 612 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
cross-examination."
"It was
grueling
weather."
Probably a
corruption
- 613 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of grilling.
Gubernatorial.
Eschew it;
it is not
English, is
- 614 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
needless
and
bombastic.
Leave it to
those who
- 615 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
call a
political
office a
"chair."
"Gubernatorial
- 616 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
chair" is
good
enough for
them. So is
hanging.
- 617 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Had
Better for
Would
Better. This
is not
- 618 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
defensible
as an
idiom, as
those who
always
- 619 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
used it
before their
attention
was
directed to
- 620 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
it take the
trouble to
point out. It
comes of
such
- 621 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
contractions
as he’d for
he would,
I’d for I
would.
- 622 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
These
clipped
words are
erroneously
restored as
- 623 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
as "He had
better
beware," "I
had better
go."
- 625 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Hail for
Come. "He
hails from
Chicago."
This is sea
- 626 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
speech,
and comes
from the
custom of
hailing
- 627 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
passing
ships. It will
not do for
serious
discourse.
- 628 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Have
Got for
Have. "I
have got a
good
- 629 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
horse"
directs
attention
rather to
the act of
- 630 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
getting
than to the
state of
having, and
represents
- 631 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the capture
as recently
completed.
- 632 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Head
over Heels.
A
transposition
of words
- 633 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
hardly less
surprising
than (to the
person
most
- 634 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
concerned)
the
mischance
that it fails
to describe.
- 635 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
What is
meant is
heels over
head.
- 636 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Healthy
for
Wholesome.
"A healthy
climate." "A
- 637 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
healthy
occupation."
Only a
living thing
can be
- 638 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
healthy.
Helpmeet
for
Helpmate.
In Genesis
- 639 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Adam’s
wife is
called "an
help meet
for him,"
- 640 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
appears to
have had
no other
origin.
- 642 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Hereafter
for
Henceforth.
Hereafter
means at
- 643 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
some time
in the
future;
henceforth,
always in
- 644 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the future.
The
penitent
who
promises to
- 645 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
be good
hereafter
commits
himself to
the
- 646 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
performance
of a single
good act,
not to a
course of
- 647 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
good
conduct.
- 648 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Honeymoon.
Moon here
means
month, so it
is incorrect
- 649 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to say, "a
week’s
honeymoon,"
or, "Their
honeymoon
- 650 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
lasted a
year."
- 651 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Horseflesh
for Horses.
A singularly
senseless
and
- 652 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
disagreeable
word
which,
when used,
as it
- 653 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
commonly
is, with
reference
to
hippophilism,
- 654 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
savors
rather more
of the spit
than of the
spirit.
- 655 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Humans
as a Noun.
We have
no single
word
- 656 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
having the
general yet
limited
meaning
that this is
- 657 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
sometimes
used to
express—a
meaning
corresponding
- 658 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to that of
the word
animals, as
the word
men would
- 659 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
if it
included
women and
children.
But there is
- 660 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
time
enough to
use two
words.
- 661 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Hung for
Hanged. A
bell, or a
curtain, is
hung, but a
- 662 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
man is
hanged.
Hung is the
junior form
of the
- 663 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
participle,
and is now
used for
everything
but man.
- 664 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Perhaps it
is our
reverence
for the
custom of
- 665 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
hanging
men that
sacredly
preserves
the elder
- 666 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
form—as
some,
even, of
the most
zealous
- 667 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
American
spelling
reformers
still respect
the u in
- 668 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Saviour.
Hurry for
Haste and
Hasten. To
hurry is to
- 669 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
hasten in a
more or
less
disorderly
manner.
- 670 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Hurry is
misused,
also, in
another
sense:
- 671 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
"There is
no
hurry"—meaning,
There is no
reason for
haste.
- 672 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Hurt for
Harm. "It
does no
hurt." To be
hurt is to
- 673 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
feel pain,
but one
may be
harmed
without
- 674 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
knowing it.
To spank a
child, or
flout a fool,
hurts
- 675 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
without
harming.
- 676 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Idea for
Thought,
Purpose,
Expectation,
etc. "I had
- 677 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
no idea
that it was
so cold."
"When he
went
- 678 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
abroad it
was with
no idea of
remaining."
- 679 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Identified
with. "He is
closely
identified
with the
- 680 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
temperance
movement."
Say,
connected.
- 681 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Ilk for
Kind. "Men
of that ilk."
This
Scotch
- 682 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
word has a
narrowly
limited and
specific
meaning. It
- 683 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
relates to
an
ancestral
estate
having the
- 684 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
same
name as
the person
spoken of.
Macdonald
- 685 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of that ilk
means,
Macdonald
of
Macdonald.
- 686 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
The phrase
quoted
above is
without
meaning.
- 687 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
adverb.
Imaginary
Line. The
adjective is
needless.
- 689 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Geometrically,
every line
is
imaginary;
its graphic
- 690 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
representation
is a mark.
True the
text-books
say, draw a
- 691 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
line, but in
a
mathematical
sense the
line already
- 692 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
exists; the
drawing
only makes
its course
visible.
- 693 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
In for
Into. "He
was put in
jail." "He
went in the
- 694 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
house." A
man may
be in jail, or
be in a
house, but
- 695 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
when the
act of
entrance—the
movement
of
- 696 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
something
from the
outside to
the inside
of another
- 697 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
thing—is
related the
correct
word is into
if the latter
- 698 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
thing is
named.
- 699 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Inaugurate
for Begin,
Establish,
etc.
Inauguration
- 700 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
implies
some
degree of
formality
and
- 701 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
ceremony.
Incumbent
for
Obligatory.
"It was
- 702 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
incumbent
upon me to
relieve
him."
Infelicitous
- 703 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
and
work-worn.
Say, It was
my duty,
or, if
- 704 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
enamored
of that
particular
metaphor,
It lay upon
- 705 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
me.
Individual.
As a noun,
this word
means
- 706 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
something
that cannot
be
considered
as divided,
- 707 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
a unit. But
it is
incorrect to
call a man,
woman or
- 708 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
child an
individual,
except with
reference
to mankind,
- 709 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to society
or to a
class of
persons. It
will not do
- 710 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to say, "An
individual
stood in the
street,"
when no
- 711 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
mention
nor allusion
has been
made, nor
is going to
- 712 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
be made,
to some
aggregate
of
individuals
- 713 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
considered
as a whole.
- 714 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Indorse.
See
Endorse.
- 715 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Insane
Asylum.
Obviously
an asylum
cannot be
- 716 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
unsound in
mind. Say,
asylum for
the insane.
- 717 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
In Spite
of. In most
instances it
is better to
say
- 718 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
despite.
Inside of.
Omit the
preposition.
- 719 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Insignificant
for Trivial,
or Small.
Insignificant
means not
- 720 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
signifying
anything,
and should
be used
only in
- 721 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
contrast,
expressed
or implied,
with
something
- 722 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
that is
important
for what it
implies.
The bear’s
- 723 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
tail may be
insignificant
to a
naturalist
tracing the
- 724 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
animal’s
descent
from an
earlier
species,
- 725 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
but to the
rest of us,
not
concerned
with the
- 726 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
matter, it is
merely
small.
- 727 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Insoluble
for
Unsolvable.
Use the
former
- 728 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
word for
material
substances,
the latter
for
- 729 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
problems.
Inst.,
Prox., Ult.
These
abbreviations
- 730 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of instante
mense (in
the present
month),
proximo
- 731 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
mense (in
the next
month) and
ultimo
mense (in
- 732 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the last
month), are
serviceable
enough in
commercial
- 733 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
correspondence,
but, like
A.M., P.M.
and many
other
contractions
- 734 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of Latin
words,
could
profitably
be spared
- 735 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
from
literature.
- 736 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Integrity
for
Honesty.
The word
means
- 737 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
entireness,
wholeness.
It may be
rightly used
to affirm
- 738 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
possession
of all the
virtues, that
is, unity of
moral
- 739 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
character.
Involve
for Entail.
"Proof of
the
- 740 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
charges
will involve
his
dismissal."
Not at all; it
- 741 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
about, nor
cause to
ensue. An
unofficial
investigation,
- 743 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
for
example,
may
involve
character
- 744 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
and
reputation,
but the
ultimate
consequence
- 745 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
is entailed.
A question,
in the
parliamentary
sense, may
- 746 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
involve a
principle;
its
settlement
one way or
- 747 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
another
may entail
expense,
or injury to
interests.
- 748 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
An act may
involve
one’s
honor and
entail
- 749 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
disgrace.
It for So.
"Going into
the lion’s
cage is
- 750 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
dangerous;
you should
not do it."
Do so is
the better
- 751 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
expression,
as a rule,
for the
word it is a
pronoun,
- 752 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
meaning a
thing, or
object, and
therefore
incapable
- 753 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of being
done.
Colloquially
we may
say do it, or
- 754 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
do this, or
do that, but
in serious
written
discourse
- 755 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
greater
precision is
desirable,
and is
better
- 756 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
obtained, in
most
cases, by
use of the
adverb.
- 757 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Item for
Brief
Article.
Commonly
used of a
- 758 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
narrative in
a
newspaper.
Item
connotes
- 759 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
an
aggregate
of which it
is a
unit—one
- 760 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
thing of
many.
Hence it
suggests
more than
- 761 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
we may
wish to
direct
attention
to.
- 762 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Jackies
for Sailors.
Vulgar, and
especially
offensive to
- 763 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
seamen.
Jeopardize
for Imperil,
or
Endanger.
- 764 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
The correct
word is
jeopard,
but in any
case there
- 765 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
is no need
for
anything so
farfetched
and stilted.
- 766 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Juncture.
Juncture
means a
joining, a
junction; its
- 767 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
use to
signify a
time,
however
critical a
- 768 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
time, is
absurd. "At
this
juncture
the woman
- 769 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
screamed."
In reading
that
account of
it we
- 770 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
scream
too.
- 771 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Just
Exactly.
Nothing is
gained in
strength
- 772 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
nor
precision
by this kind
of
pleonasm.
- 773 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Omit just.
Juvenile
for Child.
This
needless
- 774 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
use of the
adjective
for the
noun is
probably
- 775 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
supposed
to be
humorous,
like
"canine" for
- 776 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
dog, "optic"
for eye,
"anatomy"
for body,
and the
- 777 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
like.
Happily the
offense is
not very
common.
- 778 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Kind of a
for Kind of.
"He was
that kind of
a man."
- 779 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Say that
kind of
man. Man
here is
generic,
- 780 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
and a
genus
comprises
many
kinds. But
- 781 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
there
cannot be
more than
one kind of
one thing.
- 782 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Kind of
followed by
an
adjective,
as, "kind of
- 783 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
good," is
almost too
gross for
censure.
- 784 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Landed
Estate for
Property in
Land.
Dreadful!
- 785 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Last and
Past. "Last
week."
"The past
week."
- 786 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Neither is
accurate: a
week
cannot be
the last if
- 787 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
another is
already
begun; and
all weeks
except this
- 788 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
one are
past. Here
two wrongs
seem to
make a
- 789 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
right: we
can say the
week last
past. But
will we? I
- 790 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
trow not.
Later on.
On is
redundant;
say, later.
- 791 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Laundry.
Meaning a
place
where
clothing is
- 792 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
washed,
this word
cannot
mean, also,
clothing
- 793 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
sent there
to be
washed.
- 794 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Lay (to
place) for
Lie (to
recline).
"The ship
- 795 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
lays on her
side." A
more
common
error is
- 796 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
made in
the past
tense, as,
"He laid
down on
- 797 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the grass."
The
confusion
comes of
the identity
- 798 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of a
present
tense of
the
transitive
- 799 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
verb to lay
and the
past tense
of the
intransitive
- 800 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
verb to lie.
Leading
Question.
A leading
question is
- 801 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
not
necessarily
an
important
one; it is
- 802 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
one that is
so framed
as to
suggest, or
lead to, the
- 803 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
answer
desired.
Few others
than
lawyers
- 804 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
use the
term
correctly.
- 805 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Lease.
To say of a
man that
he leases
certain
- 806 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
premises
leaves it
doubtful
whether he
is lessor or
- 807 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
lessee.
Being
ambiguous,
the word
should be
- 808 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
used with
caution.
- 809 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Leave for
Go away.
"He left
yesterday."
Leave is a
- 810 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
transitive
verb; name
the place of
departure.
- 811 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Leave for
Let. "Leave
it alone."
By this
many
- 812 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
persons
mean, not
that it is to
be left in
solitude,
- 813 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
but that it is
to be
untouched,
or
unmolested.
- 814 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Lengthways
for
Lengthwise.
- 815 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Lengthy.
Usually
said in
disparagement
of some
- 816 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
wearisome
discourse.
It is no
better than
breadthy,
- 817 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
or
thicknessy.
- 818 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Leniency
for Lenity.
The words
are
synonymous,
- 819 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
but the
latter is the
better.
- 820 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Less for
Fewer.
"The
regiment
had less
- 821 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
than five
hundred
men." Less
relates to
quantity,
- 822 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
fewer, to
number.
- 823 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Limited
for Small,
Inadequate,
etc. "The
army’s
- 824 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
operations
were
confined to
a limited
area." "We
- 825 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
had a
limited
supply of
food." A
large area
- 826 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
and an
adequate
supply
would also
be limited.
- 827 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Everything
that we
know about
is limited.
- 828 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Liable for
Likely.
"Man is
liable to
err." Man is
- 829 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
not liable to
err, but to
error.
Liable
should be
- 830 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
followed,
not by an
infinitive,
but by a
preposition.
- 831 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Like for
As, or As if.
"The matter
is now like
it was."
- 832 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
"The house
looked like
it would
fall."
- 833 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Likely for
Probably.
"He will
likely be
elected." If
- 834 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
likely is
thought the
better word
(and in
most cases
- 835 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
it is) put it
this way: "It
is likely that
he will be
elected,"
- 836 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
or, "He is
likely to be
elected."
- 837 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Line for
Kind, or
Class.
"This line of
goods."
- 838 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Leave the
word to
"salesladies"
and
"salesgentlemen."
"That line
- 839 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of
business."
Say, that
business.
- 840 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Literally
for
Figuratively.
"The
stream was
- 841 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
literally
alive with
fish." "His
eloquence
literally
- 842 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
swept the
audience
from its
feet." It is
bad
- 843 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
enough to
exaggerate,
but to
affirm the
truth of the
- 844 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
exaggeration
is
intolerable.
- 845 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Loan for
Lend. "I
loaned him
ten
dollars."
- 846 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
We lend,
but the act
of lending,
or, less
literally, the
- 847 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
thing lent,
is a loan.
- 848 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Locate.
"After many
removals
the family
located at
- 849 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Smithville."
Some
dictionaries
give locate
as an
- 850 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
intransitive
verb having
that
meaning,
but—well,
- 851 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
dictionaries
are funny.
- 852 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Lots, or a
Lot, for
Much, or
Many.
"Lots of
- 853 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
things." "A
lot of talk."
- 854 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Love for
Like. "I love
to travel." "I
love
apples."
- 855 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Keep the
stronger
word for a
stronger
feeling.
- 856 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Lunch for
Luncheon.
But do not
use
luncheon
- 857 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
as a verb.
Mad for
Angry. An
Americanism
of
- 858 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
lessening
prevalence.
It is
probable
that anger
- 859 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
is a kind of
madness
(insanity),
but that is
not what
- 860 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the
misusers of
the word
mad mean
to affirm.
- 861 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Maintain
for
Contend.
"The
senator
- 862 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
maintained
that the
tariff was
iniquitous."
He
- 863 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
maintained
it only if he
proved it.
- 864 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Majority
for
Plurality.
Concerning
votes cast
- 865 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
in an
election, a
majority is
more than
half the
- 866 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
total; a
plurality is
the excess
of one
candidate’s
- 867 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
votes over
another’s.
Commonly
the votes
compared
- 868 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
are those
for the
successful
candidate
and those
- 869 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
- 870 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Make for
Earn. "He
makes fifty
dollars a
month by
- 871 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
manual
labor."
- 872 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Mansion
for
Dwelling,
or House.
Usually
- 873 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
mere
hyperbole,
a
lamentable
fault of our
- 874 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
national
literature.
Even our
presidents,
before
- 875 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Roosevelt,
called their
dwelling
the
Executive
- 876 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Mansion.
Masculine
for Male.
See
Feminine.
- 877 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Mend for
Repair.
"They
mended
the road."
- 878 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
To mend is
to repair,
but to
repair is
not always
- 879 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to mend. A
stocking is
mended, a
road
repaired.
- 880 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Meet for
Meeting.
This
belongs to
the
- 881 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
language
of sport,
which
persons of
sense do
- 882 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
not
write—nor
read.
- 883 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Militate.
"Negligence
militates
against
success." If
- 884 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
"militate"
meant
anything it
would
mean fight,
- 885 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
but there is
no such
word.
- 886 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Mind for
Obey. This
is a
reasonless
extension
- 887 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of one
legitimate
meaning of
mind,
namely, to
- 888 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
heed, to
give
attention.
- 889 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Minus for
Lacking, or
Without.
"After the
battle he
- 890 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
was minus
an ear." It
is better in
serious
composition
- 891 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to avoid
such alien
words as
have
vernacular
- 892 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
equivalents.
Mistaken
for Mistake.
"You are
mistaken."
- 893 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
For whom?
Say, You
mistake.
- 894 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Monarch
for King,
Emperor,
or
Sovereign.
- 895 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Not only
hyperbolical,
but
inaccurate.
There is
- 896 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
not a
monarch in
Christendom.
- 897 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Moneyed
for
Wealthy.
"The
moneyed
- 898 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
men of
New York."
One might
as sensibly
say, "The
- 899 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
cattled men
of Texas,"
or, "The
lobstered
men of the
- 900 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
fish
market."
- 901 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Most for
Almost.
"The
apples are
most all
- 902 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
gone." "The
returning
travelers
were most
home."
- 903 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Moved
for
Removed.
"The family
has moved
- 904 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to another
house."
"The
Joneses
were
- 905 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
moving."
Mutual.
By this
word we
express a
- 906 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
reciprocal
relation. It
implies
exchange,
a giving
- 907 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
and taking,
not a mere
possessing
in common.
There can
- 908 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
be a
mutual
affection,
or a mutual
hatred, but
- 909 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
not a
mutual
friend, nor
a mutual
horse.
- 910 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Name for
Title and
Name. "His
name was
Mr. Smith."
- 911 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Surely no
babe was
ever
christened
Mister.
- 912 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Necessaries
for Means.
"Bread and
meat are
necessaries
- 913 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of life." Not
so; they
are the
mere
means, for
- 914 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
one can,
and many
do, live
comfortably
without
- 915 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
them. Food
and drink
are
necessaries
of life, but
- 916 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
particular
kinds of
food and
drink are
not.
- 917 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Necessities
for
Necessaries.
"Necessities
of life are
- 918 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
those
things
without
which we
cannot
- 919 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
live."
Née.
Feminine
of né, born.
"Mrs.
- 920 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Jones, née
Lucy
Smith."
She could
hardly have
- 921 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
been
christened
before her
birth. If you
must use
- 922 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the French
word say,
née Smith.
- 923 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Negotiate.
From the
Latin
negotium.
It means,
- 924 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
as all
know, to fix
the terms
for a
transaction,
- 925 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to bargain.
But when
we say,
"The driver
negotiated
- 926 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
a difficult
turn of the
road," or,
"The
chauffeur
- 927 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
negotiated
a hill," we
speak
nonsense.
- 928 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Neither—or
for
Neither—nor.
"Neither a
cat or fish
- 929 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
has wool."
Always
after
neither use
nor.
- 930 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
New
Beginner
for
Beginner.
- 931 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Nice for
Good, or
Agreeable.
"A nice
girl." Nice
- 932 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
means
fastidious,
delicately
discriminative,
and the
- 933 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
like. Pope
uses the
word
admirably
of a dandy
- 934 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
who was
skilled in
the nice
conduct
[management]
- 935 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of a
clouded
cane.
- 936 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Noise for
Sound. "A
noise like a
flute"; "a
noise of
- 937 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
twittering
birds," etc.
A noise is a
loud or
disagreeable
- 938 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
sound, or
combination
or
succession
of sounds.
- 939 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
None.
Usually,
and in most
cases,
singular;
- 940 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
as, None
has come.
But it is not
singular
because it
- 941 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
always
means not
one, for
frequently it
does not,
- 942 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
as, The
bottle was
full of milk,
but none is
left. When
- 943 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
it refers to
numbers,
not
quantity,
popular
- 944 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
usage
stubbornly
insists that
it is plural,
and at least
- 945 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
one
respectable
authority
says that
as a
- 946 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
singular it
is
offensive.
One is
sorry to be
- 947 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
offensive to
a good
man.
- 948 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
No Use.
"He tried to
smile, but it
was no
use." Say,
- 949 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of no use,
or, less
colloquially,
in vain.
- 950 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Novel for
Romance.
In a novel
there is at
least an
- 951 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
apparent
attention to
considerations
of
probability;
- 952 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
it is a
narrative of
what might
occur.
Romance
- 953 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
flies with a
free wing
and owns
no
allegiance
- 954 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to
likelihood.
Both are
fiction, both
works of
- 955 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
imagination,
but should
not be
confounded.
They are
- 956 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
as distinct
as beast
and bird.
- 957 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Numerous
for Many.
Rightly
used,
numerous
- 958 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
relates to
numbers,
but does
not imply a
great
- 959 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
number. A
correct use
is seen in
the term
numerous
- 960 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
verse—verse
consisting
of poetic
numbers;
that is,
- 961 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
rhythmical
feet.
- 962 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Obnoxious
for
Offensive.
Obnoxious
means
- 963 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
exposed to
evil. A
soldier in
battle is
obnoxious
- 964 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to danger.
Occasion
for Induce,
or Cause.
"His arrival
- 965 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
occasioned
a great
tumult." As
a verb, the
word is
- 966 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
needless
and
unpleasing.
- 967 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Occasional
Poems.
These are
not, as so
many
- 968 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
authors
and
compilers
seem to
think,
- 969 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
poems
written at
irregular
and
indefinite
- 970 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
intervals,
but poems
written for
occasions,
such as
- 971 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
anniversaries,
festivals,
celebrations
and the
like.
- 972 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Of Any
for Of All.
"The
greatest
poet of any
- 973 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
that we
have had."
- 974 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Offhanded
and
Offhandedly.
Offhand is
both
- 975 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
adjective
and
adverb;
these are
bastard
- 976 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
forms.
On the
Street. A
street
comprises
- 977 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the
roadway
and the
buildings at
each side.
- 978 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Say, in the
street. He
lives in
Broadway.
- 979 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
One
Another for
Each
Other. See
Each
- 980 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Other.
Only.
"He only
had one."
Say, He
- 981 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
had only
one, or,
better, one
only. The
other
- 982 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
sentence
might be
taken to
mean that
only he had
- 983 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
one; that,
indeed, is
what it
distinctly
says. The
- 984 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
correct
placing of
only in a
sentence
requires
- 985 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
attention
and skill.
- 986 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Opine for
Think. The
word is not
very
respectably
- 987 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
connected.
Opposite
for
Contrary. "I
hold the
- 988 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
opposite
opinion."
"The
opposite
practice."
- 989 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Or for
Nor.
Probably
our most
nearly
- 990 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
universal
solecism. "I
cannot see
the sun or
the moon."
- 991 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
This means
that I am
unable to
see one of
them,
- 992 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
though I
may see
the other.
By using
nor, I affirm
- 993 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the
invisibility
of both,
which is
what I
- 994 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
wanted to
do. If a
man is not
white or
black he
- 995 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
may
nevertheless
be a Negro
or a
Caucasian;
- 996 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
but if he is
not white
nor black
he belongs
to some
- 997 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
other race.
See
Neither.
- 998 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Ordinarily
for Usually.
Clumsy.
- 999 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Ovation.
In ancient
Rome an
ovation
was an
- 1000 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
inferior
triumph
accorded
to victors in
minor wars
- 1001 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
or
unimportant
battle. Its
character
and
- 1002 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
limitations,
like those
of the
triumph,
were
- 1003 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
strictly
defined by
law and
custom. An
enthusiastic
- 1004 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
demonstration
in honor of
an
American
civilian is
- 1005 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
nothing like
that, and
should not
be called
by its
- 1006 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
name.
Over for
About, In,
or
Concerning.
- 1007 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
"Don’t cry
over spilt
milk." "He
rejoiced
over his
- 1008 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
acquittal."
Over for
More than.
"A sum of
over ten
- 1009 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
thousand
dollars."
"Upward of
ten
thousand
- 1010 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
dollars" is
equally
objectionable.
- 1011 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Over for
On. "The
policeman
struck him
over the
- 1012 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
head." If
the blow
was over
the head it
did not hit
- 1013 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
him.
Over
with. "Let
us have it
over with."
- 1014 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Omit with.
A better
expression
is, Let us
get done
- 1015 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
with it.
Outside
of. Omit the
preposition.
- 1016 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Pair for
Pairs. If a
word has a
good plural
use each
- 1017 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
form in its
place.
- 1018 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Pants for
Trousers.
Abbreviated
from
pantaloons,
- 1019 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
which are
no longer
worn.
Vulgar
exceedingly.
- 1020 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Partially
for Partly.
A
dictionary
word, to
- 1021 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
swell the
book.
- 1022 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Party for
Person. "A
party
named
Brown."
- 1023 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
The word,
used in that
sense, has
the excuse
that it is a
- 1024 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
word.
Otherwise
it is no
better than
"pants" and
- 1025 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
"gent." A
person
making an
agreement,
however, is
- 1026 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
a party to
that
agreement.
- 1027 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Patron
for
Customer.
- 1028 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Pay for
Give,
Make, etc.
"He pays
attention."
- 1029 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
"She paid a
visit to
Niagara." It
is
conceivable
- 1030 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
that one
may owe
attention or
a visit to
another
- 1031 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
person, but
one cannot
be
indebted to
a place.
- 1032 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Pay.
"Laziness
does not
pay." "It
does not
- 1033 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
pay to be
uncivil."
This use of
the word is
grossly
- 1034 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
commercial.
Say,
Indolence
is
unprofitable.
- 1035 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
There is no
advantage
in incivility.
- 1036 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Peek for
Peep.
Seldom
heard in
England,
- 1037 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
though
common
here. "I
peeked out
through the
- 1038 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
curtain and
saw him."
That it is a
variant of
peep is
- 1039 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
seen in the
child’s word
peek-a-boo,
equivalent
to bo-peep.
- 1040 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Better use
the senior
word.
- 1041 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Peculiar
for Odd, or
Unusual.
Also
sometimes
- 1042 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
used to
denote
distinction,
or
particularity.
- 1043 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Properly a
thing is
peculiar
only to
another
- 1044 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
thing, of
which it is
characteristic,
nothing
else having
- 1045 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
it; as
knowledge
of the use
of fire is
peculiar to
- 1046 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Man.
People
for
Persons.
"Three
- 1047 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
people
were
killed."
"Many
people are
- 1048 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
superstitious."
People has
retained its
parity of
meaning
- 1049 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
with the
Latin
populus,
whence it
comes, and
- 1050 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the word is
not
properly
used
except to
- 1051 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
designate a
population,
or large
fractions of
it
- 1052 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
considered
in the
mass. To
speak of
any stated
- 1053 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
or small
number of
persons as
people is
incorrect.
- 1054 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Per.
"Five
dollars per
day."
"Three per
- 1055 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
hundred."
Say, three
dollars a
day; three
in a
- 1056 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
hundred. If
you must
use the
Latin
preposition
- 1057 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
use the
Latin noun
too: per
diem; per
centum.
- 1058 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Perpetually
for
Continually.
"The child
is
- 1059 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
perpetually
asking
questions."
What is
done
- 1060 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
perpetually
is done
continually
and
forever.
- 1061 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Phenomenal
for
Extraordinary,
or
Surprising.
- 1062 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Everything
that occurs
is
phenomenal,
for all that
- 1063 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
we know
about is
phenomena,
appearances.
Of realities,
- 1064 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
noumena,
we are
ignorant.
- 1065 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Plead
(pronounced
"pled") for
Pleaded.
"He plead
- 1066 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
guilty."
Plenty
for
Plentiful.
"Fish and
- 1067 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
fowl were
plenty."
- 1068 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Poetess.
A foolish
word, like
"authoress."
- 1069 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Poetry
for Verse.
Not all
verse is
poetry; not
- 1070 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
all poetry is
verse. Few
persons
can know,
or hope to
- 1071 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
know, the
one from
the other,
but he who
has the
- 1072 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
humility to
doubt (if
such a one
there be)
should say
- 1073 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
verse if the
composition
is metrical.
- 1074 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Point
Blank. "He
fired at him
point
blank." This
- 1075 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
usually is
intended to
mean
directly, or
at short
- 1076 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
range. But
point blank
means the
point at
which the
- 1077 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
line of sight
is crossed
downward
by the
trajectory—the
- 1078 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
curve
described
by the
missile.
- 1079 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Poisonous
for
Venomous.
Hemlock is
poisonous,
- 1080 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
but a
rattlesnake
is
venomous.
- 1081 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Politics.
The word is
not plural
because it
happens to
- 1082 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
end with s.
Possess
for Have.
"To
possess
- 1083 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
knowledge
is to
possess
power."
Possess is
- 1084 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
lacking in
naturalness
and unduly
emphasizes
the concept
- 1085 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of
ownership.
- 1086 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Practically
for
Virtually.
This error
is very
- 1087 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
common.
"It is
practically
conceded."
"The
- 1088 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
decision
was
practically
unanimous."
"The
- 1089 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
panther
and the
cougar are
practically
the same
- 1090 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
animal."
These and
similar
misapplications
of the word
- 1091 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
are virtually
without
excuse.
- 1092 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Predicate
for Found,
or Base. "I
predicate
my
- 1093 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
argument
on
universal
experience."
What is
- 1094 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
predicated
of
something
is affirmed
as an
- 1095 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
attribute of
it, as
omnipotence
is
predicated
- 1096 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of the
Deity.
- 1097 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Prejudice
for
Prepossession.
Literally, a
prejudice is
- 1098 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
merely a
prejudgment—a
decision
before
evidence—and
may be
- 1099 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
favorable
or
unfavorable,
but it is so
much more
- 1100 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
frequently
used in the
latter sense
than in the
former that
- 1101 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
clarity is
better got
by the
other word
for
- 1102 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
reasonless
approval.
- 1103 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Preparedness
for
Readiness.
An
awkward
- 1104 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
and
needless
word much
used in
discussion
- 1105 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of national
armaments,
as, "Our
preparedness
for war."
- 1106 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Preside.
"Professor
Swackenhauer
presided at
the piano."
- 1107 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
"The
deviled
crab table
was
presided
- 1108 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
over by
Mrs.
Dooley."
How would
this sound?
- 1109 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
"The ginger
pop stand
was under
the
administration
- 1110 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of
President
Woolwit,
and
Professor
- 1111 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Sooffle
presided at
the flute."
- 1112 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Pretend
for Profess.
"I do not
pretend to
be
- 1113 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
infallible."
Of course
not; one
does not
care to
- 1114 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
confess
oneself a
pretender.
To pretend
is to try to
- 1115 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
deceive;
one may
profess
quite
honestly.
- 1116 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Preventative
for
Preventive.
No such
word as
- 1117 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
preventative.
Previous
for
Previously.
"The man
- 1118 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
died
previous to
receipt of
the letter."
- 1119 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Prior to
for Before.
Stilted.
- 1120 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Propose
for
Purpose, or
Intend. "I
propose to
- 1121 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
go to
Europe." A
mere
intention is
not a
- 1122 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
proposal.
Proposition
for
Proposal.
"He made
- 1123 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
a
proposition."
In current
slang
almost
- 1124 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
anything is
a
proposition.
A difficult
enterprise
- 1125 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
is "a tough
proposition,"
an agile
wrestler, "a
slippery
- 1126 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
proposition,"
and so
forth.
- 1127 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Proportions
for
Dimensions.
"A rock of
vast
- 1128 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
proportions."
Proportions
relate to
form;
dimensions
- 1129 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to
magnitude.
- 1130 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Proven
for Proved.
Good
Scotch, but
bad
- 1131 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
English.
Proverbial
for
Familiar.
"The
- 1132 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
proverbial
dog in the
manger."
The animal
is not
- 1133 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
"proverbial"
for it is not
mentioned
in a
proverb,
- 1134 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
but in a
fable.
- 1135 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Quit for
Cease,
Stop.
"Jones
promises to
- 1136 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
quit
drinking."
In another
sense, too,
the word is
- 1137 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
commonly
misused,
as, "He has
quit the
town." Say,
- 1138 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
quitted.
Quite.
"She is
quite
charming."
- 1139 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
If it is
meant that
she is
entirely
charming
- 1140 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
this is right,
but usually
the
meaning
intended to
- 1141 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
be
conveyed
is less than
that—that
she is
- 1142 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
rather, or
somewhat,
charming.
- 1143 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Raise for
Bring up,
Grow,
Breed, etc.
In this
- 1144 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
country a
word-of-all-work:
"raise
children,"
"raise
wheat," - 1145 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
"raise
cattle."
Children
are brought
up, grain,
- 1146 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
hay and
vegetables
are grown,
animals
and poultry
- 1147 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
are bred.
Real for
Really, or
Very. "It is
real good
- 1148 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of him."
"The
weather
was real
cold."
- 1149 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Realize
for
Conceive,
or
Comprehend.
- 1150 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
precision
use this
word in the
sense of to
make real,
- 1152 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
not to
make seem
real. A
dream
seems real,
- 1153 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
but is
actually
realized
when made
to come
- 1154 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
true.
Recollect
for
Remember.
To
- 1155 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
remember
is to have
in memory;
to recollect
is to recall
- 1156 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
what has
escaped
from
memory.
We
- 1157 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
remember
automatically;
in
recollecting
we make a
- 1158 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
conscious
effort.
- 1159 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Redeem
for
Retrieve.
"He
redeemed
- 1160 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
his good
name."
Redemption
(Latin
redemptio,
- 1161 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
from re and
dimere) is
allied to
ransom,
and carries
- 1162 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the sense
of buying
back;
whereas to
retrieve is
- 1163 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
merely to
recover
what was
lost.
- 1164 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Redound
for
Conduce.
"A man’s
honesty
- 1165 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
redounds
to his
advantage."
We make a
better use
- 1166 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of the word
if we say of
one (for
example)
who has
- 1167 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
squandered
a fortune,
that its loss
redounds
to his
- 1168 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
advantage,
for the
word
denotes a
fluctuation,
- 1169 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
as from
seeming
evil to
actual
good; as
- 1170 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
villification
may direct
attention to
one’s
excellent
- 1171 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
character.
Refused.
"He was
refused a
crown." It is
- 1172 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the crown
that was
refused to
him. See
Given.
- 1173 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Regular
for Natural,
or
Customary.
"Flattery of
- 1174 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the people
is the
demagogue’s
regular
means to
- 1175 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
political
preferment."
Regular
properly
relates to a
- 1176 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
rule
(regula)
more
definite
than the
- 1177 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
law of
antecedent
and
consequent.
- 1178 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Reliable
for Trusty,
or
Trustworthy.
A word not
- 1179 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
yet
admitted to
the
vocabulary
of the
- 1180 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
fastidious,
but with a
strong
backing for
the place.
- 1181 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Remit for
Send. "On
receiving
your bill I
will remit
- 1182 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the
money."
Remit does
not mean
that; it
- 1183 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
means give
back, yield
up,
relinquish,
etc. It
- 1184 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
means,
also, to
cancel, as
in the
phrase, the
- 1185 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
remission
of sins.
- 1186 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Rendition
for
Interpretation,
or
Performance.
"The - 1187 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
actor’s
rendition of
the part
was good."
Rendition
- 1188 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
means a
surrender,
or a giving
back.
- 1189 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Reportorial.
A vile word,
improperly
made. It
assumes
- 1190 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the
Latinized
spelling,
"reporter."
The
- 1191 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Romans
had not the
word, for
they were,
fortunately
- 1192 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
for them,
without the
thing.
- 1193 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Repudiate
for Deny.
"He
repudiated
the
- 1194 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
accusation."
Reside
for Live.
"They
reside in
- 1195 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Hohokus."
Stilted.
- 1196 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Residence
for
Dwelling,
or House.
See
- 1197 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Mansion.
Respect
for Way, or
Matter.
"They were
- 1198 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
alike in that
respect."
The misuse
comes of
abbreviating:
- 1199 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the
sentence
properly
written
might be,
- 1200 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
They were
alike in
respect of
that—i.e.,
with regard
- 1201 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to that. The
word in the
bad sense
has even
been
- 1202 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
pluralized:
"In many
respects it
is
admirable."
- 1203 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Respective.
"They went
to their
respective
homes."
- 1204 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
The
adjective
here (if an
adjective is
thought
- 1205 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
necessary)
should be
several. In
the
adverbial
- 1206 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
form the
word is
properly
used in the
sentence
- 1207 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
following:
John and
James are
bright and
dull,
- 1208 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
respectively.
That is,
John is
bright and
James dull.
- 1209 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Responsible.
"The bad
weather is
responsible
for much
- 1210 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
sickness."
"His
intemperance
was
responsible
- 1211 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
for his
crime."
Responsibility
is not an
attribute of
- 1212 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
anything
but human
beings, and
few of
these can
- 1213 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
respond, in
damages
or
otherwise.
Responsible
- 1214 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
is nearly
synonymous
with
accountable
and
- 1215 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
answerable,
which,
also, are
frequently
misused.
- 1216 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Restive
for
Restless.
These
words have
- 1217 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
directly
contrary
meanings;
the
dictionaries’
- 1218 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
disallowance
of their
identity
would be
something
- 1219 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to be
thankful
for, but that
is a dream.
- 1220 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Retire for
Go to Bed.
English of
the
"genteel"
- 1221 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
sort. See
Genteel.
- 1222 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Rev. for
The Rev.
"Rev. Dr.
Smith."
- 1223 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Reverence
for Revere.
- 1224 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Ride for
Drive. On
horseback
one does
drive, and
- 1225 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
in a vehicle
one does
ride, but a
distinction
is needed
- 1226 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
here, as in
England;
so, here as
there, we
may
- 1227 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
profitably
make it,
riding in the
saddle and
driving in
- 1228 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the
carriage.
- 1229 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Roomer
for Lodger.
See
Bedder and
Mealer—if
- 1230 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
you can
find them.
- 1231 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Round
for About.
"They
stood
round."
- 1232 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
See
Around.
- 1233 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Ruination
for Ruin.
Questionably
derived
and
- 1234 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
problematically
needful.
Run for
Manage, or
Conduct.
- 1235 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Vulgar—hardly
better than
slang.
- 1236 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Say for
Voice. "He
had no say
in
determining
- 1237 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the matter."
Vulgar.
- 1238 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Scholar
for Student,
or Pupil. A
scholar is a
person who
- 1239 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
is learned,
not a
person who
is learning.
- 1240 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Score for
Win,
Obtain, etc.
"He scored
an
- 1241 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
advantage
over his
opponent."
To score is
not to win a
- 1242 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
point, but
to record it.
- 1243 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Second-handed
for
Second-hand.
There is no
such word.
- 1244 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Secure
for
Procure.
"He
secured a
- 1245 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
position as
book-keeper."
"The dwarf
secured a
stick and
- 1246 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
guarded
the jewels
that he had
found."
Then it was
- 1247 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the jewels
that were
secured.
- 1248 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Seldom
ever. A
most
absurd
locution.
- 1249 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Self-confessed.
"A
self-confessed
assassin."
Self is
superfluous:
- 1250 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
one’s sins
cannot be
confessed
by another.
- 1251 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Sensation
for
Emotion.
"The play
caused a
- 1252 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
great
sensation."
"A
sensational
newspaper."
- 1253 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
A
sensation
is a
physical
feeling; an
- 1254 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
emotion, a
mental.
Doubtless
the one
usually
- 1255 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
accompanies
the other,
but the
good writer
will name
- 1256 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the one
that he has
in mind, not
the other.
There are
- 1257 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
few errors
more
common
than the
one here
- 1258 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
noted.
Sense
for Smell.
"She
sensed the
- 1259 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
fragrance
of roses."
Society
English.
- 1260 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Set for
Sit. "A
setting
hen."
- 1261 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Settee
for Settle.
This word
belongs to
the
- 1262 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
peasantry
of speech.
- 1263 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Settle for
Pay. "Settle
the bill." "I
shall take it
now and
- 1264 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
settle for it
later."
- 1265 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Shades
for Shade.
"Shades of
Noah! how
it rained!"
- 1266 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
"O shades
of Caesar!"
A shade is
a departed
soul, as
- 1267 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
conceived
by the
ancients;
one to
each
- 1268 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
mortal part
is the
proper
allowance.
- 1269 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Show for
Chance, or
Opportunity.
"He didn’t
stand a
- 1270 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
show."
Say, He
had no
chance.
- 1271 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Sick for
Ill. Good
usage now
limits this
word to
- 1272 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
cases of
nausea,
but it is still
legitimate
in sickly,
- 1273 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
sickness,
love-sick,
and the
like.
- 1274 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Side for
Agree, or
Stand. "I
side with
the
- 1275 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Democrats."
"He always
sided with
what he
thought
- 1276 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
right."
Sideburns
for
Burnsides.
A form of
- 1277 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
whiskers
named
from a
noted
general of
- 1278 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the civil
war,
Ambrose
E.
Burnside. It
- 1279 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
seems to
be thought
that the
word side
has
- 1280 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
something
to do with
it, and that
as an
adjective it
- 1281 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
should
come first,
according
to our
idiom.
- 1282 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Side-hill
for Hillside.
A
reasonless
transposition
- 1283 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
for which it
is
impossible
to assign a
cause,
- 1284 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
unless it is
abbreviated
from side o’
the hill.
- 1285 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Sideways
for
Sidewise.
See
Endways.
- 1286 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Since for
Ago. "He
came here
not long
since and
- 1287 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
died."
Smart for
Bright, or
Able. An
Americanism
- 1288 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
that is
dying out.
But "smart"
has
recently
- 1289 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
come into
use for
fashionable,
which is
almost as
- 1290 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
bad.
Snap for
Period (of
time) or
Spell. "A
- 1291 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
cold snap."
This is a
word of
incomprehensible
origin in
that sense;
- 1292 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
we can
know only
that its
parents
were not
- 1293 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
respectable.
"Spell" is
itself not
very
well-born.
- 1294 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
So—as.
See
As—as.
- 1295 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
So for
True. "If
you see it
in the Daily
Livercomplaint
- 1296 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
it is so." "Is
that so?"
Colloquial
and worse.
- 1297 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Solemnize.
This word
rightly
means to
make
- 1298 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
solemn, not
to perform,
or
celebrate,
ceremoniously
- 1299 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
something
already
solemn, as
a marriage,
or a mass.
- 1300 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
We have
no exact
synonym,
but this
explains,
- 1301 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
rather than
justifies, its
use.
- 1302 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Some for
Somewhat.
"He was
hurt some."
- 1303 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Soon for
Willingly. "I
would as
soon go as
stay." "That
- 1304 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
soldier
would
sooner eat
than fight."
Say, rather
- 1305 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
eat.
Space
for Period.
"A long
space of
- 1306 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
time."
Space is so
different a
thing from
time that
- 1307 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the two do
not go well
together.
- 1308 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Spend
for Pass.
"We shall
spend the
summer in
- 1309 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Europe."
Spend
denotes a
voluntary
relinquishment,
- 1310 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
but time
goes from
us against
our will.
- 1311 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Square
for Block.
"He lives
three
squares
- 1312 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
away." A
city block is
seldom
square.
- 1313 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Squirt for
Spurt.
Absurd.
- 1314 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Stand
and Stand
for for
Endure.
"The
- 1315 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
patient
stands pain
well." "He
would not
stand for
- 1316 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
misrepresentation."
Standpoint
for Point of
View, or
Viewpoint.
- 1317 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
State for
Say. "He
stated that
he came
from
- 1318 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Chicago."
"It is stated
that the
president is
angry." We
- 1319 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
state a
proposition,
or a
principle,
but say that
- 1320 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
we are
well. And
we say our
prayers—some
of us.
- 1321 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Still
Continue.
"The rain
still
continues."
- 1322 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Omit still; it
is
contained
in the other
word.
- 1323 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Stock. "I
take no
stock in it."
Disagreeably
commercial.
- 1324 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Say, I have
no faith in
it. Many
such
metaphorical
- 1325 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
expressions
were
unobjectionable,
even
pleasing, in
the mouth - 1326 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of him who
first used
them, but
by constant
repetition
- 1327 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
by others
have
become
mere
slang, with
- 1328 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
all the
offensiveness
of
plagiarism.
The prime
- 1329 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
objectionableness
of slang is
its hideous
lack of
originality.
Until
- 1330 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
mouth-worn
it is not
slang.
- 1331 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Stop for
Stay.
"Prayer will
not stop
the
- 1332 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
ravages of
cholera."
Stop is
frequently
misused for
- 1333 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
stay in
another
sense of
the latter
word: "He
- 1334 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
is stopping
at the
hotel."
Stopping is
not a
- 1335 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
continuing
act; one
cannot be
stopping
who has
- 1336 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
already
stopped.
- 1337 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Stunt. A
word
recently
introduced
and now
- 1338 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
overworked,
meaning a
task, or
performance
in one’s
- 1339 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
trade, or
calling,—doubtless
a variant of
stint,
without that
word’s
- 1340 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
suggestion
of allotment
and
limitation. It
is still in the
- 1341 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
reptilian
stage of
evolution.
- 1342 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Subsequent
for Later, or
Succeeding.
Legitimate
enough,
- 1343 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
but ugly
and
needless.
"He was
subsequently
- 1344 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
hanged."
Say,
afterward.
- 1345 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Substantiate
for Prove.
Why?
- 1346 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Success.
"The
project was
a success."
Say, was
- 1347 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
successful.
Success
should not
have the
indefinite
- 1348 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
article.
Such
Another for
Another
Such.
- 1349 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
There is
illustrious
authority
for this—in
poetry.
- 1350 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Poets are a
lawless
folk, and
may do as
they please
- 1351 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
so long as
they do
please.
- 1352 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Such for
So. "He
had such
weak legs
that he
- 1353 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
could not
stand." The
absurdity of
this is
made
- 1354 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
obvious by
changing
the form of
the
statement:
- 1355 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
"His legs
were such
weak that
he could
not stand."
- 1356 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
If the word
is an
adverb in
the one
sentence it
- 1357 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
is in the
other. "He
is such a
great bore
that none
- 1358 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
can endure
him." Say,
so great a
bore.
- 1359 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Suicide.
This is
never a
verb. "He
suicided."
- 1360 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Say, He
killed
himself, or
He took his
own life.
- 1361 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
See
Commit
Suicide.
- 1362 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Supererogation.
To
supererogate
is to
overpay, or
to do more
- 1363 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
than duty
requires.
But the
excess
must be in
- 1364 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the line of
duty;
merely
needless
and
- 1365 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
irrelevant
action is
not
supererogation.
The word is
not a - 1366 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
natural
one, at
best.
- 1367 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Sure for
Surely.
"They will
come,
sure."
- 1368 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Slang.
Survive
for Live, or
Persist.
Survival is
- 1369 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
an
outliving, or
outlasting
of
something
- 1370 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
else. "The
custom
survives" is
wrong, but
a custom
- 1371 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
may
survive its
utility.
Survive is a
transitive
- 1372 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
verb.
Sustain
for Incur.
"He
sustained
- 1373 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
an injury."
"He
sustained a
broken
neck." That
- 1374 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
means that
although
his neck
was broken
he did not
- 1375 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
yield to the
mischance.
- 1376 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Talented
for Gifted.
These are
both past
participles,
- 1377 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
but there
was once
the verb to
gift,
whereas
- 1378 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
there was
never the
verb "to
talent." If
Nature did
- 1379 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
not talent a
person the
person is
not
talented.
- 1380 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Tantamount
for
Equivalent.
"Apology is
tantamount
- 1381 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to
confession."
Let this
ugly word
alone; it is
- 1382 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
not only
illegitimate,
but
ludicrously
suggests
- 1383 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
catamount.
Tasty for
Tasteful.
Vulgar.
- 1384 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Tear
Down for
Pull Down.
"The house
was torn
- 1385 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
down." This
is an
indigenous
solecism;
they do not
- 1386 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
say so in
England.
- 1387 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Than
Whom.
See
Whom.
- 1388 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
The. A
little word
that is
terribly
overworked.
- 1389 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
It is
needlessly
affixed to
names of
most
- 1390 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
diseases:
"the
cholera,"
"the
smallpox,"
- 1391 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
"the scarlet
fever," and
such.
Some
escape it:
- 1392 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
we do not
say, "the
sciatica,"
nor "the
locomotor
- 1393 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
ataxia." It is
too
common in
general
propositions,
- 1394 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
as, "The
payment of
interest is
the
payment of
- 1395 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
debt." "The
virtues that
are
automatic
are the
- 1396 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
best." "The
tendency to
falsehood
should be
checked."
- 1397 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
"Kings are
not under
the control
of the law."
It is
- 1398 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
impossible
to note
here all
forms of
this
- 1399 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
misuse, but
a page of
almost any
book will
supply
- 1400 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
abundant
instance.
We do not
suffer so
abject
- 1401 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
slavery to
the definite
article as
the French,
but neither
- 1402 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
do we
manifest
their spirit
of rebellion
by
- 1403 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
sometimes
cutting off
the
oppressor’s
tail. One
- 1404 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
envies the
Romans,
who had no
article,
definite or
- 1405 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
indefinite.
The
Following.
"Washington
wrote the
- 1406 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
following."
The
following
what? Put
in the
- 1407 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
noun. "The
following
animals are
ruminants."
It is not the
- 1408 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
animals
that follow,
but their
names.
- 1409 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
The
Same.
"They
cooked the
flesh of the
- 1410 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
and the
same was
a cripple."
In
humorous
- 1412 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
composition
this may
do, though
it is not
funny; but
- 1413 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
in serious
work use
the regular
pronoun.
- 1414 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Then as
an
Adjective.
"The then
governor of
- 1415 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the colony."
Say, the
governor of
the colony
at that
- 1416 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
time.
Those
Kind for
That Kind.
"Those
- 1417 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
kind of
things."
Almost too
absurd for
condemnation,
- 1418 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
and happily
not very
common
out of the
class of
- 1419 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
analphabets.
Though
for If. "She
wept as
though her
- 1420 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
heart was
broken."
Many good
writers,
even some
- 1421 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
devoid of
the
lexicographers’
passion for
inclusion
- 1422 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
and
approval,
have
specifically
defended
- 1423 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
this
locution,
backing
their
example by
- 1424 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
their
precept.
Perhaps it
is a
question of
- 1425 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
taste; let us
attend their
cry and
pass on.
- 1426 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Thrifty
for
Thriving. "A
thrifty
village." To
- 1427 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
thrive is an
end; thrift is
a means to
that end.
- 1428 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Through
for Done.
"The
lecturer is
through
- 1429 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
talking." "I
am through
with it."
Say, I have
done with
- 1430 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
it.
To. As
part of an
infinitive it
should not
- 1431 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
be
separated
from the
other part
by an
- 1432 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
adverb, as,
"to hastily
think," for
hastily to
think, or, to
- 1433 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
think
hastily.
Condemnation
of the split
infinitive is
- 1434 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
now pretty
general,
but it is
only
recently
- 1435 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
that any
one seems
to have
thought of
it. Our
- 1436 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
forefathers
and we
elder
writers of
this
- 1437 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
generation
used it
freely and
without
shame—perhaps
because it - 1438 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
had not a
name, and
our crime
could not
be pointed
- 1439 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
out without
too much
explanation.
- 1440 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
To for At.
"We have
been to
church," "I
was to the
- 1441 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
theater."
One can go
to a place,
but one
cannot be
- 1442 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to it.
Total.
"The
figures
totaled
- 1443 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
10,000."
Say, The
total of the
figures was
10,000.
- 1444 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Transaction
for Action,
or Incident.
"The
policeman
- 1445 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
struck the
man with
his club,
but the
transaction
- 1446 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
was not
reported."
"The
picking of a
pocket is a
- 1447 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
criminal
transaction."
In a
transaction
two or
- 1448 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
more
persons
must have
an active or
assenting
- 1449 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
part; as, a
business
transaction,
Transactions
of the
- 1450 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Geographical
Society,
etc. The
Society’s
action
- 1451 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
would be
better
called
Proceedings.
- 1452 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Transpire
for Occur,
Happen,
etc. "This
event
- 1453 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
transpired
in 1906."
Transpire
(trans,
through,
- 1454 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
and
spirare, to
breathe)
means leak
out, that is,
- 1455 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
become
known.
What
transpired
in 1906
- 1456 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
may have
occurred
long
before.
- 1457 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Trifling
for Trivial.
"A trifling
defect"; "a
trifling
- 1458 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
error."
Trust for
Wealthy
Corporation.
There are
- 1459 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
few trusts;
capitalists
have
mostly
abandoned
- 1460 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the trust
form of
combination.
- 1461 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Try an
Experiment.
An
experiment
is a trial;
- 1462 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
we cannot
try a trial.
Say, make.
- 1463 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Try and
for Try to. "I
will try and
see him."
This plainly
- 1464 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
says that
my effort to
see him will
succeed—which
I cannot
know and - 1465 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
do not wish
to affirm.
"Please try
and come."
This
- 1466 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
colloquial
slovenliness
of speech
is almost
universal in
- 1467 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
this
country,
but
freedom of
speech is
- 1468 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
one of our
most
precious
possessions.
- 1469 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Ugly for
Ill-natured,
Quarrelsome.
What is
ugly is the
- 1470 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
temper, or
disposition,
not the
person
having it.
- 1471 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Under-handed
and
Under-handedly
for
Under-hand.
See
- 1472 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Off-handed.
Unique.
"This is
very
unique."
- 1473 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
"The most
unique
house in
the city."
There are
- 1474 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
no degrees
of
uniqueness:
a thing is
unique if
- 1475 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
there is not
another like
it. The
word has
nothing to
- 1476 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
do with
oddity,
strangeness,
nor
picturesqueness.
- 1477 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
United
States as a
Singular
Noun. "The
United
- 1478 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
States is
for peace."
The fact
that we are
in some
- 1479 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
ways one
nation has
nothing to
do with it; it
is enough
- 1480 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to know
that the
word
States is
plural—if
- 1481 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
not, what is
State? It
would be
pretty hard
on a
- 1482 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
foreigner
skilled in
the English
tongue if
he could
- 1483 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
not venture
to use our
national
name
without
- 1484 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
having
made a
study of the
history of
our
- 1485 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Constitution
and
political
institutions.
Grammar
- 1486 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
has not a
speaking
acquaintance
with
politics,
- 1487 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
and
patriotic
pride is not
schoolmaster
to syntax.
- 1488 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Unkempt
for
Disordered,
Untidy, etc.
Unkempt
- 1489 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
means
uncombed,
and can
properly be
said of
- 1490 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
nothing but
the hair.
- 1491 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Use for
Treat. "The
inmates
were badly
used."
- 1492 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
"They use
him
harshly."
- 1493 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Utter for
Absolute,
Entire, etc.
Utter has a
damnatory
- 1494 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
signification
and is to be
used of evil
things only.
It is correct
- 1495 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to say utter
misery, but
not "utter
happiness;"
utterly bad,
- 1496 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
but not
"utterly
good."
- 1497 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Various
for Several.
"Various
kinds of
men."
- 1498 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Kinds are
various of
course, for
they
vary—that
- 1499 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
is what
makes
them kinds.
Use
various
- 1500 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
only when,
in speaking
of a
number of
things, you
- 1501 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
wish to
direct
attention to
their
variety—their
- 1502 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
difference,
one from
another.
"The
dividend
- 1503 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
was
distributed
among the
various
stockholders."
- 1504 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
The
stockholders
vary, as do
all persons,
but that is
- 1505 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
irrelevant
and was
not in mind.
"Various
persons
- 1506 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
have
spoken to
me of you."
Their
variation is
- 1507 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
unimportant;
what is
meant is
that there
was a
- 1508 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
small
indefinite
number of
them; that
is, several.
- 1509 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Ventilate
for
Express,
Disclose,
etc. "The
- 1510 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
statesman
ventilated
his views."
A
disagreeable
- 1511 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
and
dog-eared
figure of
speech.
- 1512 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Verbal
for Oral. All
language is
verbal,
whether
- 1513 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
spoken or
written, but
audible
speech is
oral. "He
- 1514 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
did not
write, but
communicated
his wishes
verbally." It
- 1515 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
would have
been a
verbal
communication,
also, if
written. - 1516 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Vest for
Waistcoat.
This is
American,
but as all
- 1517 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Americans
are not in
agreement
about it it is
better to
- 1518 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
use the
English
word.
- 1519 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Vicinity
for
Vicinage,
or
Neighborhood.
- 1520 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
"He lives in
this
vicinity." If
neither of
the other
- 1521 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
words is
desired
say, He
lives in the
vicinity of
- 1522 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
this place,
or, better,
He lives
near by.
- 1523 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
View of.
"He
invested
with the
view of
- 1524 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
immediate
profit." "He
enlisted
with the
view of
- 1525 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
promotion."
Say, with a
view to.
- 1526 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Vulgar
for
Immodest,
Indecent. It
is from
- 1527 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
vulgus, the
common
people, the
mob, and
means
- 1528 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
both
common
and
unrefined,
but has no
- 1529 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
relation to
indecency.
- 1530 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Way for
Away.
"Way out at
sea." "Way
down
- 1531 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
South."
Ways for
Way. "A
squirrel ran
a little ways
- 1532 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
along the
road." "The
ship looked
a long
ways off."
- 1533 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
This
surprising
word calls
loudly for
depluralization.
- 1534 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Wed for
Wedded.
"They were
wed at
noon." "He
- 1535 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
wed her in
Boston."
The word
wed in all
its forms as
- 1536 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
a substitute
for marry,
is pretty
hard to
bear.
- 1537 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Well. As
a mere
meaningless
prelude to
a sentence
- 1538 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
this word is
overtasked.
"Well, I
don’t know
about that."
- 1539 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
"Well, you
may try."
"Well, have
your own
way."
- 1540 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Wet for
Wetted.
See Bet.
- 1541 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Where
for When.
"Where
there is
reason to
- 1542 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
expect
criticism
write
discreetly."
- 1543 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Which
for That.
"The boat
which I
engaged
- 1544 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
had a hole
in it." But a
parenthetical
clause may
rightly be
- 1545 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
introduced
by which;
as, The
boat, which
had a hole
- 1546 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
in it, I
nevertheless
engaged.
Which and
that are
- 1547 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
seldom
interchangeable;
when they
are, use
that. It
sounds - 1548 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
better.
Whip for
Chastise,
or Defeat.
To whip is
- 1549 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
to beat with
a whip. It
means
nothing
else.
- 1550 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Whiskers
for Beard.
The
whisker is
that part of
- 1551 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
the beard
that grows
on the
cheek. See
Chin
- 1552 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Whiskers.
Who for
Whom.
"Who do
you take
- 1553 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
me for?"
Whom
for Who.
"The man
whom they
- 1554 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
thought
was dead
is living."
Here the
needless
- 1555 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
introduction
of was
entails the
alteration
of whom to
- 1556 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
who.
"Remember
whom it is
that you
speak of."
- 1557 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
"George
Washington,
than whom
there was
no greater
- 1558 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
man, loved
a jest." The
misuse of
whom after
than is
- 1559 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
almost
universal.
Who and
whom trip
up many a
- 1560 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
good
writer,
although,
unlike
which and
- 1561 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
who, they
require
nothing but
knowledge
of
- 1562 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
grammar.
Widow
Woman.
Omit
woman.
- 1563 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Will and
Shall.
Proficiency
in the use
of these
- 1564 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
apparently
troublesome
words must
be sought
in
- 1565 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
text-books
on
grammar
and
rhetoric,
- 1566 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
where the
subject will
be found
treated with
a more
- 1567 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
particular
attention,
and at
greater
length,
- 1568 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
than is
possible in
a book of
the
character
- 1569 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
of this.
Briefly and
generally,
in the first
person, a
- 1570 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
mere
intention is
indicated
by shall,
as, I shall
- 1571 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
go;
whereas
will
denotes
some
- 1572 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
degree of
compliance
or
determination,
as, I will
- 1573 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
go—as if
my going
had been
requested
or
- 1574 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
forbidden.
In the
second and
the third
person, will
- 1575 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
merely
forecasts,
as, You (or
he) will go;
but shall
- 1576 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
implies
something
of promise,
permission
or
- 1577 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
compulsion
by the
speaker,
as, You (or
he) shall
- 1578 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
go. Another
and less
obvious
compulsion—that
of
circumstance—speaks
- 1579 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
in shall, as
sometimes
used with
good
effect: In
- 1580 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Germany
you shall
not turn
over a chip
without
- 1581 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
uncovering
a
philosopher.
The
sentence is
- 1582 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
barely
more than
indicative,
shall being
almost, but
- 1583 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
not quite,
equivalent
to can.
- 1584 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Win out.
Like its
antithesis,
"lose out,"
this
- 1585 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
reasonless
phrase is of
sport,
"sporty."
- 1586 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Win for
Won. "I
went to the
race and
win ten
- 1587 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
dollars."
This
atrocious
solecism
seems to
- 1588 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
be
unknown
outside the
world of
sport,
- 1589 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
where may
it ever
remain.
- 1590 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Without
for Unless.
"I cannot
go without I
recover."
- 1591 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Peasantese.
Witness
for See. To
witness is
more than
- 1592 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
merely to
see, or
observe; it
is to
observe,
- 1593 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
and to tell
afterward.
- 1594 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
Would-be.
"The
would-be
assassin
was
- 1595 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
arrested."
The word
doubtless
supplies a
want, but
- 1596 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
we can
better
endure the
want than
the word.
- 1597 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
In the
instance of
the
assassin, it
is
- 1598 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
needless,
for he who
attempts to
murder is
an
- 1599 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
assassin,
whether he
succeeds
or not.
- 1600 -
Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
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Write it Right, by Ambrose Bierce
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