Part 24
8. Passive agents to verbs in the infinitive mood, should not be employed as active agents. The following are solecisms: "This house to let;" "Horses and carriages to let;" "Congress has much business to perform this session;" because the agents, _house_, _horses_ and _carriages_, and _business_, which are really _passive_, are, according to these constructions, rendered as active. The expressions should be, "This house to _be_ let;" "Horses and carriages to _be_ let;" "much business to _be performed_."
9. AMBIGUITY.--"Nothing is more to be desired than wisdom." Not _literally_ correct, for _wisdom_ is certainly more to be desired than _nothing_; but, as a figurative expression, it is well established and unexceptionable.
"A crow is a large black bird:"--a large, _black--bird_.
"I saw a horse--fly through the window:"--I saw a _horsefly_.
"I saw a ship gliding under full sail through a spy glass." I saw, through a spy glass, a ship gliding under full sail.
"One may see how the world goes with half an eye." One may see with half an eye, how the world goes.
"A great stone, that I happened to find, after a long search, by the sea shore, served me for an anchor." This arrangement of the members and circumstances of this sentence, confines the speaker's _search to the sea shore;_ whereas, he meant, "A _large stone, which,_ after a long search, I happened _to find by the sea shore,_ served me for an anchor."
"I shall only notice those called personal pronouns." I shall notice _only_ those called personal pronouns.
10. TAUTOLOGY.--Avoid words which add no thing to the sense; such as, "_Now_ extant, _free_ gratis, _slow_ mope, _cold_ snow, a _hot_ sun, a _flowing_ stream, a _dull_ blockhead, _wise_ sages." "I am just going to go there;" I am _about_ to go.
11. ABSURDITIES AND IMPROPRIETIES.--"I can learn him many things."
It ought to be, "I can _teach_ him." To _learn_, is to _acquire_ or _receive_ information; to _teach_, means to _communicate_ it.
"I don't think it is so." You _do think_, that it is _not_ so.
_Ever, always._ "I have ever been of this mind." I have _always_ been. _Ever_ and _always_ are not synonymous. _Ever_ refers to _one_ indefinite period of time; as, "If he _ever_ become rich:" _always_ means _at all times_.
_Excuse, pardon._ The former signifies to release from an obligation which refers to the future; the latter, to forgive a neglect or crime that is past. "Excuse me for neglecting to call yesterday:" _pardon_ me.
_Remember, recollect._ We _remember_ a thing which we retain in our mind; we _recollect_ it, when, though having gone from the mind, we have power to call it back.
_Defect, deficiency._ A thing which is incomplete in any of its parts, is _defective;_ a total absence of the thing, is a _deficiency_.
This subject will be resumed in the appendix to this work.
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CORRECTIONS IN ORTHOGRAPHY.
From among those words which are often erroneously spelled, the following are selected and corrected according to Johnson, and to Cobb's Dictionary.
INCORRECT. CORRECT. Abridgement Abridgment abscision abcission achievment achievement adze addice agriculturalist agriculturist ancle ankle attornies attorneys baise baize bason basin bass base bombazin bombasin boose bouse boult bolt buccaneer bucanier burthen burden bye by calimanco calamanco camblet camlet camphire camphor canvas canvass carcase carcass centinel sentinel chace chase chalibeate chalybeate chamelion chameleon chimist chemist chimistry chemistry cholic colic chuse choose cimetar cimeter clench clinch cloke cloak cobler cobbler chimnies chimneys chesnut chestnut clue clew connection connexion corset corslet cypher cipher cyphering ciphering dactyl dactyle develope develop dipthong diphthong dispatch despatch doat dote drouth drought embitter imbitter embody imbody enquire inquire enquirer inquirer enquiry inquiry ensnare insnare enterprize enterprise enthral inthrall entrench intrench entrenchment intrenchment entrust intrust enwrap inwrap epaulette epaulet etherial ethereal faggot fagot fasset faucet fellon felon fie fy germ germe goslin gosling gimblet gimlet grey gray halloe halloo highth height hindrance hinderance honied honeyed impale empale inclose enclose inclosure enclosure indict endict indictment endictment indorse endorse indorsement endorsement instructor instructer insure ensure insurance ensurance judgement judgment laquey lackey laste last licence license loth loath lothsome loathsome malcontent malecontent maneuver manoeuvre merchandize merchandise misprison misprision monies moneys monied moneyed negociate negotiate negociation negotiation noviciate novitiate ouse ooze opake opaque paroxism paroxysm partizan partisan patronize patronise phrenzy phrensy pinchers pincers plow plough poney pony potatoe potato quere query recognize recognise reindeer raindeer reinforce re-enforce restive restiff ribbon riband rince rinse sadler saddler sallad salad sceptic skeptic sceptical skeptical scepticism skepticism segar cigar seignor seignior serjeant sergeant shoar shore soothe sooth staunch stanch streight straight suitor suiter sythe scythe tatler tattler thresh thrash thwak thwack tipler tippler tranquility tranquillity tripthong triphthong trissyllable trisyllable valice valise vallies valleys vise vice vollies volleys waggon wagon warrantee warranty whoopingcough hoopingcough woe wo yeast yest
CORRECTIONS IN ORTHOEPY.
The following words being often erroneously pronounced by polite people, as well as by the vulgar, their correction, in this place, agreeably to _Cobb's Dictionary_, it is presumed, will be useful to many. Some of the mispronunciations given are _provincial_.
1 2 3 4 1 4 1 4 1 3 5 6 1 4 Fate, far, fall, fat--me, met--pine, pin--no, nor, not, move--tube, tub, 7 34 37 bull--oil--found---_th_in--THIS.