194 



Till: STANDARD DICTIONARY OF FACTS 



than they -would be if differently constructed, through his own effort, you say "He has gotten 



: be man to whom money." "He has books" means merely that 



it Mongs to," not "The he possesses them; "lie has gotten his books" 



which it IM-I. means that he has obtained them through effort. 



KnjoN Had Health. I>oes anyone en- llan shows simple possession; got shows pos- 



joy batt hralthS Say. "He is in teehle or delicate session plus the effort to obtain the thing. 



Had Ou^ht. This expression is incorrect 



I 'I u ally as IV Cll. As well, or equally because had is used with the past participle of 



the principal verb to form the compound tense. 

 Ought is a defective verb and has no participle: 

 therefore it cannot be 'used with had. 



Hain't is a very objectionable vulgarism. 

 Handy should not be used in the sense, 

 neur. nt-tir by, close at hand; as, "The store is 



\ presses quite a- much a* ,./////// </> W9U. 

 I .\ -i l.i-t hi^l> : i-|K-tuaily 



nally. . hoi-M- \\asever- 



lly running away." 



I .\ -r\ . - has this in rom- 



should be, "'All of us have this in >m- 



Except. See Accept. 

 K\rrssi\ rl\ . 



Tlie weather is 



luimh/, " say "The store is near." 

 Have to Have or Had to Have. 



Hot- 



ter than " I have to have my work done by three 



very warm." not e&MMtMtyj hot. "My friend o'clock " is " I should, must, or ought to have my 

 w** exceedingly popular." n -fly popular, work," etc. Got to get is another unpleasant 



Excise Laws. An <.rr/.s< is a tax levied j repetition. 



on don hicts; it is an internal revenue ! Hence is superfluous in the sentence, "It 



tax. New York has license laws and license will be many years hence, we apprehend, before 

 commissioners, and properly they should be so he returns." 



How. "I have heard how, in Italy, one is 

 beset on all sides by beggars," should read, "I 

 have heard that in Italy, etc. 



However. Use how, not however, in such 



called. New York's excise laws, so called, are 

 properly license \ 



Exercise Exorcise. Do not use these 

 words interchangably. A>rr/xc means a put- 



tint: into use, action, or practice; exorcise to 

 cast or drive out an evil spirit), by religious 

 or magical formulas or ceremonies. 



Expect. We cannot expect . backwards. 

 >cct you thought I would come to see you 

 yesterday should be, "I suppose" etc. "I 

 expect you know all about it " should be " I sus- 



pect you know," etc. 



Experience. "We experienced 

 hardships" should read "We suffered." 



great 



Extend. "They showed me every kind- 

 ness" is better than "They extended every kind- 



tome.' 

 Fart her Further. 



Use farther for all 



distances that can be measured either great or 

 small. Use further in all other sentences. 



Female applies to animals, as well as to 

 women, and so should not be used in such sen- 

 tences as "With the dislike not unnatural to 



females," etc. 

 Fewer Less. 



Fewer refers to number, 



a sentence as, "However could you tell such a 

 story!" 



If. Use whether in place of if in these sen- 

 tences; "I doubt if the book will suit you"; 

 "Go and see if he has come." 



Ill Sick. Almost all British speakers and 

 writers limit the meaning of sick to the expres- 

 sion of qualmishness, sickness at the stomach, 

 nausea, and lay the proper burden of the ad- 

 jective sick upon the verb ill. They sneer at us 

 for not joining in the robbery and the imposition. 

 Richard Grant White says, "I was present once 

 when a British merchant, receiving in his own 

 house a Yankee youth at a little party, said, in 

 a tone that attracted the attention of the whole 

 room, 'Good, evening! We haven't seen you 

 for a long while. Have you been seeck' (the 

 sneer prolonged the word), 'as you say in your 

 country?' 'No, thank you/ said the other, 

 frankly and promptly, ' I've been hill, as they 

 sav in yours.' " 



In Into. In is sometimes an adverb and 



and less to quantity. Instead of "There were 

 not less than twenty scholars absent," we should sometimes a preposition. As an adverb it is 

 say "There were not fewer than twenty scholars j correctly used in these sentences; "Come in"; 

 absent." Instead of "There were not less than "Go in"; as a 



ten chapter! in the book," we should sav, "There 

 were not fewer than ten chapters in the book." 



I iricl. "I thought the firm found every- 

 thing" should be "supplied everything." 



Fixed. This word is often misused for ar- 



preposition it should be used 

 with verbs of rest and into with verbs of motion. 

 These words are correctly used in, "He sat in 

 his chair"; "He ran into the house." 

 Incite Insight. Incite means to rouse 



to a particular action; as, 



ranged; as, "I must fix the books." "Who i cited to set the house on fire. 



fixed the di>hcs on the shelves?" It is vul- 

 garly used thus; "I will fix him." "The jury 

 was fixetl." "You must fix up, if you go. 

 " You're affairs are in a bad fix." 



Former Latter. The less the writer uses 



The mob was 

 Insight is a noun 



and means the power or faculty of immediate 

 and acute perception or understanding; "The 

 strongest insight we obtain into nature is that 

 which we receive," etc. 



In Our Midst is not according to the 



these word- the better. In the interest of force genius of our language. It should be written 

 and clearness their use should be studiously , in the midst of us. Also in the midst of them, 

 avoided. It is nearly always better to repeat and not in their midst. 



the noun. This avoids the reader's going back 

 to see which is fornn-r and which is Intti r. 



Got Have. If a man inherits a fortune, 

 you say he has money; if he obtains money 



Inaugurate should not be used in place 

 of begin for the simple things of daily life. It 

 i< a l>ii: word misused. 



Individual should not be used for person. 



