Poisonous for Venomous. Hemlock is poisonous, but a rattlesnake is venomous.
Politics. The word is not plural because it happens to end with s.
Possess for Have. “To possess knowledge is to possess power.” Possess is lacking in naturalness and unduly emphasizes the concept of ownership.
Practically for Virtually. This error is very common. “It is practically conceded.” “The decision was practically unanimous.” “The panther and the cougar are practically the same animal.” These and similar misapplications of the word are virtually without excuse.
Predicate for Found, or Base. “I predicate my argument on universal experience.” What is predicated of something is affirmed as an attribute of it, as omnipotence is predicated of the Deity.
Prejudice for Prepossession. Literally, a prejudice is merely a prejudgment — a decision before evidence — and may be favorable or unfavorable, but it is so much more frequently used in the latter sense than in the former that clarity is better got by the other word for reasonless approval.
Preparedness for Readiness. An awkward and needless word much used in discussion of national armaments, as, “Our preparedness for war.”
Preside. “Professor Swackenhauer presided at the piano.” “The deviled crab table was presided over by Mrs. Dooley.” How would this sound? “The ginger pop stand was under the administration of President Woolwit, and Professor Sooffle presided at the flute.”
Pretend for Profess. “I do not pretend to be infallible.” Of course not; one does not care to confess oneself a pretender. To pretend is to try to deceive; one may profess quite honestly.
Preventative for Preventive. No such word as preventative.
Previous for Previously. “The man died previous to receipt of the letter.”
Prior to for Before. Stilted.
Propose for Purpose, or Intend. “I propose to go to Europe.” A mere intention is not a proposal.
Proposition for Proposal. “He made a proposition.” In current slang almost anything is a proposition. A difficult enterprise is “a tough proposition,” an agile wrestler, “a slippery proposition,” and so forth.
Proportions for Dimensions. “A rock of vast proportions.” Proportions relate to form; dimensions to magnitude.
Proven for Proved. Good Scotch, but bad English.
Proverbial for Familiar. “The proverbial dog in the manger.” The animal is not “proverbial” for it is not mentioned in a proverb, but in a fable.
Quit for Cease, Stop. “Jones promises to quit drinking.” In another sense, too, the word is commonly misused, as, “He has quit the town.” Say, quitted.
Quite. “She is quite charming.” If it is meant that she is entirely charming this is right, but usually the meaning intended to be conveyed is less than that — that she is rather, or somewhat, charming.
Raise for Bring up, Grow, Breed, etc. In this country a word-of-all-work: “raise children,” “raise wheat,” “raise cattle.” Children are brought up, grain, hay and vegetables are grown, animals and poultry are bred.
Real for Really, or Very. “It is real good of him.” “The weather was real cold.”
Realize for Conceive, or Comprehend. “I could not realize the situation.” Writers caring for precision use this word in the sense of to make real, not to make seem real. A dream seems real, but is actually realized when made to come true.
Recollect for Remember. To remember is to have in memory; to recollect is to recall what has escaped from memory. We remember automatically; in recollecting we make a conscious effort.
Redeem for Retrieve. “He redeemed his good name.” Redemption (Latin redemptio, from re and dimere) is allied to ransom, and carries the sense of buying back; whereas to retrieve is merely to recover what was lost.
Redound for Conduce. “A man’s honesty redounds to his advantage.” We make a better use of the word if we say of one (for example) who has squandered a fortune, that its loss redounds to his advantage, for the word denotes a fluctuation, as from seeming evil to actual good; as villification may direct attention to one’s excellent character.
Refused. “He was refused a crown.” It is the crown that was refused to him. See Given.
Regular for Natural, or Customary. “Flattery of the people is the demagogue’s regular means to political preferment.” Regular properly relates to a rule (regula) more definite than the law of antecedent and consequent.
Reliable for Trusty, or Trustworthy. A word not yet admitted to the vocabulary of the fastidious, but with a strong backing for the place.
Remit for Send. “On receiving your bill I will remit the money.” Remit does not mean that; it means give back, yield up, relinquish, etc. It means, also, to cancel, as in the phrase, the remission of sins.
Rendition for Interpretation, or Performance. “The actor’s rendition of the part was good.” Rendition means a surrender, or a giving back.
Reportorial. A vile word, improperly made. It assumes the Latinized spelling, “reporter.” The Romans had not the word, for they were, fortunately for them, without the thing.
Repudiate for Deny. “He repudiated the accusation.”
Reside for Live. “They reside in Hohokus.” Stilted.
Residence for Dwelling, or House. See Mansion.
Respect for Way, or Matter. “They were alike in that respect.” The misuse comes of abbreviating: the sentence properly written might be, They were alike in respect of that — i.e., with regard to that. The word in the bad sense has even been pluralized: “In many respects it is admirable.”
Respective. “They went to their respective homes.” The adjective here (if an adjective is thought necessary) should be several. In the adverbial form the word is properly used in the sentence following: John and James are bright and dull, respectively. That is, John is bright and James dull.
Responsible. “The bad weather is responsible for much sickness.” “His intemperance was responsible for his crime.” Responsibility is not an attribute of anything but human beings, and few of these can respond, in damages or otherwise. Responsible is nearly synonymous with accountable and answerable, which, also, are frequently misused.
Restive for Restless. These words have directly contrary meanings; the dictionaries’ disallowance of their identity would be something to be thankful for, but that is a dream.
Retire for Go to Bed. English of the “genteel” sort. See Genteel.
Rev. for The Rev. “Rev. Dr. Smith.”
Reverence for Revere.
Ride for Drive. On horseback one does drive, and in a vehicle one does ride, but a distinction is needed here, as in England; so, here as there, we may profitably make it, riding in the saddle and driving in the carriage.
Roomer for Lodger. See Bedder and Mealer — if you can find them.
Round for About. “They stood round.” See Around.
Ruination for Ruin. Questionably derived and problematically needful.
Run for Manage, or Conduct. Vulgar — hardly better than slang.
Say for Voice. “He had no say in determining the matter.” Vulgar.
Scholar for Student, or Pupil. A scholar is a person who is learned, not a person who is learning.
Score for Win, Obtain, etc. “He scored an advantage over his opponent.” To score is not to win a point, but to record it.
Second-handed for Second-hand. There is no such word.
Secure for Procure. “He secured a position as book-keeper.” “The dwarf secured a stick and guarded the jewels that he had found.” Then it was the jewels that were secured.
Seldom ever. A most absurd locution.
Self-confessed. “A self-confessed assassin.” Self is superfluous: one’s sins cannot be confessed by another.
Sensation for Emotion. “The play caused a great sensation.” “A sensational newspaper.” A sensation is a physical feeling; an emotion, a mental. Doubtless the one usually accompanies the other, but the good writer will name the one that he has in mind, not t
he other. There are few errors more common than the one here noted.
Sense for Smell. “She sensed the fragrance of roses.” Society English.
Set for Sit. “A setting hen.”
Settee for Settle. This word belongs to the peasantry of speech.
Settle for Pay. “Settle the bill.” “I shall take it now and settle for it later.”
Shades for Shade. “Shades of Noah! how it rained!” “O shades of Caesar!” A shade is a departed soul, as conceived by the ancients; one to each mortal part is the proper allowance.
Show for Chance, or Opportunity. “He didn’t stand a show.” Say, He had no chance.
Sick for Ill. Good usage now limits this word to cases of nausea, but it is still legitimate in sickly, sickness, love-sick, and the like.
Side for Agree, or Stand. “I side with the Democrats.” “He always sided with what he thought right.”
Sideburns for Burnsides. A form of whiskers named from a noted general of the civil war, Ambrose E. Burnside. It seems to be thought that the word side has something to do with it, and that as an adjective it should come first, according to our idiom.
Side-hill for Hillside. A reasonless transposition for which it is impossible to assign a cause, unless it is abbreviated from side o’ the hill.
Sideways for Sidewise. See Endways.
Since for Ago. “He came here not long since and died.”
Smart for Bright, or Able. An Americanism that is dying out. But “smart” has recently come into use for fashionable, which is almost as bad.
Snap for Period (of time) or Spell. “A cold snap.” This is a word of incomprehensible origin in that sense; we can know only that its parents were not respectable. “Spell” is itself not very well-born.
So — as. See As — as.
So for True. “If you see it in the Daily Livercomplaint it is so.” “Is that so?” Colloquial and worse.
Solemnize. This word rightly means to make solemn, not to perform, or celebrate, ceremoniously something already solemn, as a marriage, or a mass. We have no exact synonym, but this explains, rather than justifies, its use.
Some for Somewhat. “He was hurt some.”
Soon for Willingly. “I would as soon go as stay.” “That soldier would sooner eat than fight.” Say, rather eat.
Space for Period. “A long space of time.” Space is so different a thing from time that the two do not go well together.
Spend for Pass. “We shall spend the summer in Europe.” Spend denotes a voluntary relinquishment, but time goes from us against our will.
Square for Block. “He lives three squares away.” A city block is seldom square.
Squirt for Spurt. Absurd.
Stand and Stand for for Endure. “The patient stands pain well.” “He would not stand for misrepresentation.”
Standpoint for Point of View, or Viewpoint.
State for Say. “He stated that he came from Chicago.” “It is stated that the president is angry.” We state a proposition, or a principle, but say that we are well. And we say our prayers — some of us.
Still Continue. “The rain still continues.” Omit still; it is contained in the other word.
Stock. “I take no stock in it.” Disagreeably commercial. Say, I have no faith in it. Many such metaphorical expressions were unobjectionable, even pleasing, in the mouth of him who first used them, but by constant repetition by others have become mere slang, with all the offensiveness of plagiarism. The prime objectionableness of slang is its hideous lack of originality. Until mouth-worn it is not slang.
Stop for Stay. “Prayer will not stop the ravages of cholera.” Stop is frequently misused for stay in another sense of the latter word: “He is stopping at the hotel.” Stopping is not a continuing act; one cannot be stopping who has already stopped.
Stunt. A word recently introduced and now overworked, meaning a task, or performance in one’s trade, or calling — doubtless a variant of stint, without that word’s suggestion of allotment and limitation. It is still in the reptilian stage of evolution.
Subsequent for Later, or Succeeding. Legitimate enough, but ugly and needless. “He was subsequently hanged.” Say, afterward.
Substantiate for Prove. Why?
Success. “The project was a success.” Say, was successful. Success should not have the indefinite article.
Such Another for Another Such. There is illustrious authority for this — in poetry. Poets are a lawless folk, and may do as they please so long as they do please.
Such for So. “He had such weak legs that he could not stand.” The absurdity of this is made obvious by changing the form of the statement: “His legs were such weak that he could not stand.” If the word is an adverb in the one sentence it is in the other. “He is such a great bore that none can endure him.” Say, so great a bore.
Suicide. This is never a verb. “He suicided.” Say, He killed himself, or He took his own life. See Commit Suicide.
Supererogation. To supererogate is to overpay, or to do more than duty requires. But the excess must be in the line of duty; merely needless and irrelevant action is not supererogation. The word is not a natural one, at best.
Sure for Surely. “They will come, sure.” Slang.
Survive for Live, or Persist. Survival is an outliving, or outlasting of something else. “The custom survives” is wrong, but a custom may survive its utility. Survive is a transitive verb.
Sustain for Incur. “He sustained an injury.” “He sustained a broken neck.” That means that although his neck was broken he did not yield to the mischance.
Talented for Gifted. These are both past participles, but there was once the verb to gift, whereas there was never the verb “to talent.” If Nature did not talent a person the person is not talented.
Tantamount for Equivalent. “Apology is tantamount to confession.” Let this ugly word alone; it is not only illegitimate, but ludicrously suggests catamount.
Tasty for Tasteful. Vulgar.
Tear Down for Pull Down. “The house was torn down.” This is an indigenous solecism; they do not say so in England.
Than Whom. See Whom.
The. A little word that is terribly overworked. It is needlessly affixed to names of most diseases: “the cholera,” “the smallpox,” “the scarlet fever,” and such. Some escape it: we do not say, “the sciatica,” nor “the locomotor ataxia.” It is too common in general propositions, as, “The payment of interest is the payment of debt.” “The virtues that are automatic are the best.” “The tendency to falsehood should be checked.” “Kings are not under the control of the law.” It is impossible to note here all forms of this misuse, but a page of almost any book will supply abundant instance. We do not suffer so abject slavery to the definite article as the French, but neither do we manifest their spirit of rebellion by sometimes cutting off the oppressor’s tail. One envies the Romans, who had no article, definite or indefinite.
The Following. “Washington wrote the following.” The following what? Put in the noun. “The following animals are ruminants.” It is not the animals that follow, but their names.
The Same. “They cooked the flesh of the lion and ate the same.” “An old man lived in a cave, and the same was a cripple.” In humorous composition this may do, though it is not funny; but in serious work use the regular pronoun.
Then as an Adjective. “The then governor of the colony.” Say, the governor of the colony at that time.
Those Kind for That Kind. “Those kind of things.” Almost too absurd for condemnation, and happily not very common out of the class of analphabets.
Though for If. “She wept as though her heart was broken.” Many good writers, even some devoid of the lexicographers’ passion for inclusion and approval, have specifically defended this locution, backing their example by their precept. Perhaps it is a question of taste; let us attend their cry and pass on.
Thrifty for Thriving. “A thrifty village.” To thrive is an end; thrift is a means to that e
nd.
Through for Done. “The lecturer is through talking.” “I am through with it.” Say, I have done with it.
To. As part of an infinitive it should not be separated from the other part by an adverb, as, “to hastily think,” for hastily to think, or, to think hastily. Condemnation of the split infinitive is now pretty general, but it is only recently that any one seems to have thought of it. Our forefathers and we elder writers of this generation used it freely and without shame — perhaps because it had not a name, and our crime could not be pointed out without too much explanation.
To for At. “We have been to church,” “I was to the theater.” One can go to a place, but one cannot be to it.
Complete Works of Ambrose Bierce (Delphi Classics) Page 231
