Word Study and English Grammar by Frederick W. Hamilton (free novel reading sites TXT) 📕

Egotist, a man with a high or conceited opinion of himself, should not be confused with egoist which is the name for a believer in a certain philosophical doctrine.

Either is distributive and therefore singular and should never be used of more than two.

Elegant denotes delicacy and refinement and should not be used as a term of general approval.

Else should be followed by than, not by but. "No one else than (not but) he could have done so much."

Emigrant, one who goes out of a country should not be confused with immigrant, one who comes into a country.

Enormity is used of wickedness, cruelty, or horror, not of great size, for which enormousness should be used. We speak of the enormity of an offence but of the enormousness of a crowd.

Enthuse should not be used as a verb.

Equally as well; say equally well, or as well.

Every place used adverbially should be everywhere.

Except should never be used in the sense of unless or but.

Exceptional which means "unusual," "forming an exception" should not be confused with exceptionable which means "open to objection."

Expect which involves a sense of the future should not be confused with suppose and similar words, as in the phrase "I expect you know all about it."

Factor is not to be confounded with cause.

Falsity applies to things, falseness to persons.

At fault means "at a loss of what to do next." In fault means "in the wrong."

Favor should not be used in the sense of resemble.

Female should not be used for woman. The words female, woman, and lady should be used with careful attention to their respective shades of meaning.

Few, which emphasizes the fact that the number is small should be distinguished from a few which emphasizes the fact that there is a number though it be small. "Few shall part where many meet." "A few persons were saved in the ark."

Fewer applies to number; less to quantity.

Firstly should not be used for first although secondly and thirdly may be used to complete the series.

Fix should not be used in the sense of repair, arrange, or settle.

Former and latter should never be used where more than two things are involved.

Frequently should be distinguished from commonly, generally, perpetually, usually. Commonly is the antithesis of rarely, frequently of seldom, generally of occasionally, usually of casually.

Funny should not be used to mean strange or remarkable.

Gentleman Friend and Lady Friend are expressions which should be avoided, say "man or woman friend" or "man or woman of my acquaintance" or even "gentleman or lady of my acquaintance."

Good should not be used in the sense of well. "I feel good."

Got is said to be the most misused word in the language. The verb means to secure by effort and should be used only with this meaning, e. g., "I have got the contract." Have got to indicate mere possession is objectionable. Mere possession is indicated by have alone. Another common mistake is the use of got to express obligation or constraint. "I have got to do it."

Guess should not be used in the sense of think or imagine.

Handy should never be used to express nearness.

Hanged should be used to express the execution of a human being. Hung is the past participle in all other uses.

Hardly. "I can hardly see it," not "I can't hardly see it."

Healthy which means "possessed of health" should be distinguished from healthful and wholesome which mean "health giving."

High should not be confused with tall.

Home is not a synonym for house. A beautiful house is a very different thing from a beautiful home.

Honorable as a title should always be preceded by the.

How should not be used for what, or for that. It means "in what manner."

How that should not be used when either one will do alone. Such a sentence as "We have already noted how that Tillotson defied rubrical order...." is very bad.

If should not be used in the sense of where or that.

Ilk means "the same" not kind or sort.

Ill is an adverb as well as an adjective. Do not say illy.

In should not be used for into when motion is implied. You ride in a car but you get into it.

Inaugurate should not be used for begin.

Individual should not be used for person.

Inside of should not be used as an expression of time.

Invaluable, meaning "of very great value" should not be confused with valueless, meaning "of no value."

Invite should not be used for invitation.

Kind is not plural. Do not say "These" or "those" kind of things. Kind of should never be followed by the indefinite article. "What kind of man is he?" not "What kind of a man is he?" Kind of or sort of should not be used in the sense of rather or somewhat.

Kindly is often misused in such expressions as "You are kindly requested to recommend a compositor." Undoubtedly the idea of kindness is attached to the recommendation not to the request and the sentence should be so framed as to express it.

Last is often misused for latest. "The last number of the paper" is not the one that appeared this morning but the one that finally closes publication.

Latter applies only to the last of two. If a longer series than two is referred to, say the last.

Lay, which is a transitive verb, should not be confused with lie. Lay is a verb which expresses causitive action; lie expresses passivity. "He lays plans." "He lies down." The past tense of lay is laid, that of lie is lay.

Learn should not be used in place of teach.

Lengthy is a very poor substitute for long, which needs no substitute.

Liable should not be used for likely. Liable means an unpleasant probability. Likely means any probability. Liable is also used to express obligation. He is liable for this debt.

Like must never be used in the sense of as. "Do like I do" should be "Do as I do."

Literally implies that a statement to which it is attached is accurately and precisely true. It is frequently misused.

Loan is a noun, not a verb.

Locate should not be used in the sense of settle.

Lot or lots should not be used to indicate a great deal.

Love expresses affection or, in its biblical sense, earnest benevolence. Like expresses taste. Do not say "I should love to go."

Lovely means "worthy of affection" and, like elegant, should never be used as a term of general approbation.

Luxuriant which means "superabundant in growth or production" should not be confounded with luxurious which means "given over to luxury." Vegetation is luxuriant, men are luxurious.

Mad means insane and is not a synonym for angry.

Means may be either singular or plural.

Meet should not be used in the sense of meeting except in the case of a few special expressions such as "a race meet."

Mighty should not be used in the sense of very.

Mind should not be used in the sense of obey.

Minus should not be used in the sense of without or lacking.

Most should not be used instead of almost, as in such expressions as "It rained most every day."

Must should not be used for had to or was obliged. In its proper use it refers to the present or future only.

Necessities should be carefully distinguished from necessaries.

Negligence, which denotes a quality of character should be distinguished from neglect which means "a failure to act."

Neither denotes one of two and should not be used for none or no one. As a correlative conjunction it should be followed by nor never by or.

New beginner. Beginner is enough; all beginners are new.

News is singular in construction.

Never is sometimes used as an emphatic negative but such usage is not good.

Nice should not be used in the sense of pleasant or agreeable.

No how should not be used for anyway.

No place should be written as nowhere.

None should be treated as a singular.

Not, like neither, must be followed by the correlative nor, e. g., "Not for wealth nor for fame did he strive."

Not ... but to express a negative is a double negative and therefore should not be used, e. g., "I have not had but one meal to-day."

Nothing like and nowhere near should not be used for not nearly.

O should be used for the vocative and without punctuation.

Oh should be used for the ejaculation and should be followed by a comma or an exclamation point.

Obligate should not be used for oblige.

Observe should not be used for say.

Observation should not be used for observance.

Of is superfluous in such phrases as smell of, taste of, feel of.

Off should never be used with of; one or the other is superfluous.

Other. After no other use than, not but.

Ought must never be used in connection with had or did. "You hadn't ought or didn't ought to do it" should be "You ought not to have done it."

Out loud should never be used for aloud.

Panacea is something that cures all diseases, not an effective remedy for one disease.

Partake of should not be used in the sense of eat. It means "to share with others."

Party should never be used for person except in legal documents.

Per should be used in connection with other words of Latin form but not with English words. Per diem, per annum, and the like are correct. Per day or per year are incorrect. It should be a day, or a year.

Perpendicular, which merely means at right angles to something else mentioned, should not be used for vertical.

Plenty, a noun should not be confused with the adjective plentiful.

Politics is singular.

Post does not mean inform.

Predicate should not be used in the sense of predict or in the sense of base or found.

Premature means "before the proper time." It should not be used in a general way as equivalent to false.

Pretty should not be used in the modifying sense, nor as a synonym for very in such phrases as "pretty good," "pretty near," and the like.

Preventative, no such word, say preventive.

Promise should not be used in the sense of assure.

Propose, meaning "to offer" should not be confused with purpose meaning "to intend."

Proposition should not be confounded with proposal. A proposition is a statement of a statement or a plan. A proposal is the presentation or statement of an offer.

Providing should not be used for provided.

Quality should never be used as an adjective or with an adjective sense. "Quality clothes" is meaningless: "Clothes of quality" equally so. All clothes have quality and the expression has meaning only when the quality is defined as good, bad, high, low, and so forth.

Quit, "to go away from" is not the same as stop.

Quite means "entirely," "wholly," and should never be used in the modifying sense as if meaning rather or somewhat. "Quite a few" is nonsense.

Raise is a much abused word. It is never a noun. As a verb it should be distinguished from rear and increase, as in such phrases as "He was raised in Texas." "The landlord raised my rent."

Rarely ever should not be used for rarely or hardly ever.

Real should not be used in the sense of very.

Reference should be used with with rather than in. Say with reference to, not in reference to. The same rule applies to the words regard and respect. Do not say "in regards to," say "with regard to."

Remember is not the same as recollect, which means "to remember by an effort."

Rendition should not be used for rendering.

Researcher has no standing as a word.

Reside in the sense of live, and residence in the sense of house or dwelling are affectations and should never be used.

Retire should not be used in the sense of "go to bed."

Right should not be used in the sense of duty. "You had a right to warn me," should be "It was your duty to warn me, or you ought to have warned me." Right should not be used in the sense of very. Such expressions as right now,