SPEECH.
A.
Abacus—ab´a-kŭs, not a-băk´ŭs.
Abdomen—ab-dō´men, not ab´do-men.
Acclimate—ak-klī´māte, not ak´kli-māte.
Acclimated is also accented on the second syllable.
Acclimatization—ak-kli-mat-i-zā´shun, not ak-klī´ma-ti-zā-shun.
Adult—a-dŭlt´, not ăd´ult.
Aerated—ā´er-ā-ted, not ā´rē-ā-ted. "Areated bread" is a mistake that is frequently made.
Ailantus—ā-lăn´tŭs, not ā-lăn´thŭs; ăt-lăn´tus is a still worse error.
Albumen—al-bū´men, not al´bu-men.
Alder—awl´der, not ăl´der; it is the name of a tree and does not mean the ordinary elder.
Alike. It is sufficient to say that two persons or things are alike, not both alike. The word associated with alike is just as unnecessary as it is with resemble and equal in the following sentences: "These two men both resemble each other." "These two sums are both equal."
Allopathy—al-lŏp´a-thy, not al´lo-path-y.
Allopathist is similarly accented.
Alpaca—al-păk´a, not al-la-păk´a.
Altercate—ăl´ter-kāte, not awl´ter-kate.
Amenable—a-mē´na-ble, not a-mĕn´a-ble.
Among. A thing is divided among many and between two.
Amour—a-mōōr´, not am´-mōre nor ā´mōōr.
Angry. Say angry with a person and at a thing.
Animalcula is the plural of animalculum; there is no such word as animalculœ. Animalcule (singular) and animalcules (plural), are proper words; the former is pronounced an-i-mal´kūle and the latter an-i-mal´kūlz.
Antarctic—ant-ärk´tik, not ant-är´tik.
Antepenult—an-te-pe-nŭlt´, not an-te-pē´nŭlt.
Apex—ā´pex, not ăp´ex.
Apparatus—ap-pa-rā´tus, not ap-pa-răt´us.
Aquaria, not aquariums, is the plural of aquarium.
Arabic—ăr´a-bĭk, not a-răb´ĭk, a-rā´bĭk, nor ăr´a-băk; which errors are very common, especially in the compound word gum-arabic.
Arbitrary is often incorrectly pronounced as if spelled ar-bi-ta-ry.
Archangel—ärk-ān´jel, not ärch-ān´jel.
Archbishop—ärch-bish´op, not ärk-bish´op.
Archipelago—ärk-i-pel´a-gō, not ärch-i-pel´a-gō.
Architect—är´ki-tect, not är´chi-tect.
Archives—är´kīvez, not är´chīvez, nor är´kēvez.
Arctic—ärk´tik, not är´tik.
Arid—ăr´id, not ā´rid.
Aroma—a-rō´ma, not ăr´o-ma.
At should not be used when it has no possible connection with the other words of a sentence; as, "Where are you living at?"
At all, not a tall.
Attacked, not attackted.
Auction—awk´shun, not ŏk´shun.
Ay or Aye, meaning yes, and aye, an affirmative vote, are pronounced äĭ and not ī nor ā.
Aye, meaning forever, always (used chiefly in poetry), is pronounced ā not ī nor äĭ.
B.
Bade—băd, not bāde.
Badinage—băd´in-äzh, not băd´in-āje. Worcester gives the same pronunciation, but places the accent on the last syllable.
Balance. There are two common errors connected with this word. One is to write it ballance: the other is to use it in the sense of remainder, rest, etc.; as, the balance of the day, the balance of the people. Balance means properly "the excess on one side, or what added to the other makes equality." The corrupt use of the word, as above mentioned, is laid down as a vulgarism.
Bantam, not banty.
Bellows—bĕl´lŭs, not bĕl´lōz. The plural is the same as the singular.
Besom—bē´zum, not bē´sum. A broom.
Betroth—be-trŏth, not be-trōth. Betrothed, Betrothal, etc., are similarly pronounced.
Blacking, not blackening for boots and shoes.
Blouse—blowz, not blowss.
Bologna—bō-lōn´ya, not bō-lō´na. Bologna sausage, Bologna phial, etc.
Bona fide—bō´na-fī´de, not bō´na-fīde nor bŏn´a-fīde.
Booth. The th is sounded as in the preposition with, not as in both.
Bouquet—bōō-kā´ or boōō´kā, not bō-kā´.
Bourgeois, meaning a kind of type, is pronounced bür-jois´, not like the following word:
Bourgeois, a citizen, pronounced bōōr-zhwaw´.
Brand-new, not bran-new. Although the latter adjective is much used, it is evidently a corruption of the former. An article in its newness may be bright like a brand of fire, or the brand of the manufacturer may remain intact, but there is certainly no bran about it.
Breeches—brĭtch´ez, not as spelled.
Bretzel, not pretzel. A brittle German cake.
Brilliant. A diamond of the finest cut, with its faces and facets so arranged as to secure the greatest degree of brilliancy—whence the name. The name to many conveys the idea of paste, or imitation. A rose diamond may be just as pure, but its depth does not permit it to be made a brilliant of without a much greater loss of substance.
Brougham—brōōm or brōō´am, not brō´am nor brow´am. A kind of carriage.
Burst, Burst and Bursting, not bust, busted and busting.
C.
Calculate is often inappropriately used in lieu of believe, suppose, expect, etc., as in the following sentences: "I calculate you are my friend;" "I calculate the report is true." Still worse than this passive misuse is that active one of using the word in some such sense as this: "Doctor, I know that you are a man of great intelligence and I have unlimited confidence in your honor and ability; but I must say that I think the course of treatment pursued by you during this epidemic, is calculated to increase the mortality among your patients." How inconsistent with the encomium is the dreadful accusation just following! As if the Doctor had sat down and calculated how he could cause injury rather than benefit. Calculate means to ascertain by means of figures or to study what means must be used to secure a certain result. A person may make a speech, write a book, or do anything else calculated to do good, or more rarely, evil, but the intention to accomplish the object spoken of must be present, before the word can be properly used.
Calliope—kal-lī´o-pe, not kal´li-ōpe.
Calvary, not cavalry, when the place of our Saviour's crucifixion is meant.
Camelopard—ka-mel´o-pärd or kam´el-o-pärd, not kam-el-lĕop´ard.
Cantatrice—kăn-ta-trē´che, not kăn´ta-treess.
Canon—kăn´yun, not kăn´nun. A deep gorge or ravine. Spelled also Canyon, pronounced kän-yōn´ or kăn´yon.
Capoch—ka-pōōtsh´, not ka-pōch´. Capouch is another orthography.
Caption in the sense of the heading of a discourse, chapter, page, etc., is not sanctioned by good writers.
Carminative—kär-mīn´a-tive, not kär´mi-nā-tive.
Casualty—kăzh´u-al-ty, not kăz-u-ăl´i-ty.
Cater-cornered—kā´ter-cor-nered, not kăt´ty-cor-nered. Not down, thus compounded in Webster, but his pronunciation of the separate words is as given. Worcester gives the word as above and defines it as an adjective—diagonal. It is generally used though, I believe, as an adverb; as, "the piano stands cater-cornered" (diagonally). It is regarded as an inelegant word, diagonal and diagonally being preferred: though it is probable that this opinion has been caused by the abominable pronunciations catty and kitty cornered.
Catalpa—ka-tăl´pa, not ka-tawl´pa.
Catch, Catching—kătch and kătching, not kĕtch and kĕtching.
Catholic means liberal, general, not bigoted, and not Roman Catholic, unless specially so applied.
Caucasian—kaw-kā´sian,not kaw-kāzh´ian, kaw-kăsh´ian, kaw-kāz´ian nor kaw-kăss´ian.
Cayenne—kā-ĕn´, not kī-ĕn´.
Chaps—chŏps, not chăps. The jaws. Chops is also correct orthography.
Chasten—chās´en, not chăs´en. Chastened, chastening, etc., have also the long a.
Chew, not chaw. The latter word either as a verb or noun is now considered quite vulgar.
Chid, not chī´ded, is the imperfect tense of chide.
Chimera—kĭ-mē´ra, not chi-mē´ra, nor kī-mē´ra.
Chivalric—shĭv´al-rik, not shĭv-ăl´rik. Worcester allows the latter.
Chivalrous—shĭv´al-rŭs, not shĭv-ăl´rus. Worcester gives chĭv´al-rus also.
Chivalry—shĭv´al-ry, not chĭv´al-ry. Worcester sanctions both.
Cicerone—chē-che-rō´ne or sĭs-e-rō´ne, not sĭs´e-rōne. A guide.
Citrate—sĭt´rate, not sī´trate. "Citrate of magnesia."
Climbed, not clomb (klum). One climbs up but does not climb down.
Cochineal—kŏch´i-neel, not kō´chi-neel nor kō´ki-neel.
Cocoa (kō´kō) is not made from the cocoa-nut or tree, but from the seeds of the cacao (ka-kā´o) or chocolate tree. The word is evidently a perversion, but it has gained a permanent footing in its present signification.
Cognomen—kŏg-no´men, not kŏg´no-men.
Cold-chisel, not coal-chisel. It is a chisel of peculiar strength and hardness for cutting cold metal.
Cole-slaw. In the former editions of some dictionaries it has been taught that this word is derived from cole meaning cabbage, and slaw meaning salad. Cole-slaw—cabbage-salad. The uninstructed soon changed the cole into cold and substituted hot for the other extreme of temperature, thus entirely changing the signification. What was really meant, was hot cole-slaw and cold cole-slaw. Many persons still regard cole-slaw as the proper word, and receipt books give that orthography. The last editions of Webster and Worcester, however, only give the words cole and slaw in separate places and define the latter as "sliced cabbage."
Combatant—kŏm´bat-ant, not kom-băt´ant.
Combativeness—kŏm´bat-ive-ness, not kom-băt´ive-ness.
Come is often thoughtlessly used for go or some other word. If How is just leaving Howard's house it is right for How to say, "I'll come to see you soon," but Howard could not properly say, at that place, the same thing. He should say, "I will go to see you soon." If they both live in Philadelphia and should meet in New York, neither could say appropriately, "I'll come to see you after I get home;" that would mean that one would travel back from his home in Philadelphia to New York to see the other. But either might say, "Come and see me when you get home."
Comparable—kŏm´pa-ra-ble, not kŏm-păr´a-ble.
Complaisance—kŏm´pla-zans, not kŏm-plā´zăns. In complaisant and complaisantly, the accent is also on the first syllable. Worcester places it on the third, thus: complaisant (kom-pla-zănt´), etc.
Comptroller—kon-trōl´ler, not kŏmp-trōl´ler.
Conduit—kŏn´dĭt or kŭn´dit, not kŏn´duĭt or kŏn´dūte. A pipe or canal for the conveyance of fluid.
Confab, not conflab. A contraction of confabulation.
Congeries—kŏn-jē´rĭ-eez, not kon-jē´rēz nor kŏn´je-rēz. A collection of particles into one mass.
Contemptuous, not contemptible, when the manifestation of contempt for another is meant. I once heard a young lady describing how she had withered at a glance a poor young man that had incurred her displeasure. "O, I gave him such a contemptible look," said she. If in the enthusiasm of the rehearsal, the look that dwelt upon her features was akin to that given upon the occasion mentioned, no auditor doubted the exact truth of what she said; but she meant differently.
Contiguous—kon-tig´ū-ŭs, not kon-tĭj´ū-ŭs.
Contour—kŏn-tōōr´, not kŏn´tōōr. The boundary lines of a figure.
Contra-dance is better than country-dance, the latter word being a corruption; but it has become admissible from long use. Contredanse is the French original, and means that the parties stand opposite to each other.
Contrary—kŏn´tra-ry, not kon-trā´ry, interfering with the rhythm of the distich from Mother Goose's Melodies:
"Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?"
Contumacy—kŏn´tu-ma-sy, not kon-tū´ma-sy. Obstinacy, stubbornness.
Contumely—kŏn´tu-me-ly not kŏn-tū´me-ly. Insolence, contemptuousness.
Conversant—kŏn´ver-sant, not kon-vĕr´sănt.
Conversazione—kŏn´ver-sät-se-ō´nā, not kon-ver-săs´si-ōne. A meeting for conversation. Worcester pronounces it kŏn-ver-sät-ze-ō´nā. The plural is conversazioni (-nē).
Corporal punishment, not cor-pō´re-al.
Cortege—kôr´tāzh, not kor´tēje. A train of attendants.
Councilor, is a member of council.
Counselor, one who gives advice. Worcester's spelling is councillor and counsellor.
Creek, not krĭck.
Creole. From Webster's dictionary are taken the following definitions and remarks:
1. "One born in America, or the West Indies, of European ancestors.
2. "One born within or near the tropics, of any color. 'The term creole negro is employed in the English West Indies to distinguish the negroes born there from the Africans imported during the time of the slave trade. The application of this term to the colored people has led to an idea common in some parts of the United States, though wholly unfounded, that it implies an admixture greater or less of African blood.'—R. Hildreth."
Crinoline—krĭn´o-lĭn, not krĭn´o-līne nor krĭn´o-leen.
Cuirass—kwē-răs´ or kwē´răs, not kū´răs. A piece of armor.
Cuisine—kwe-zēn´, not kū-seen´ or kū-zīne´. Cooking or cooking department.
Culinary—kū´li-na-ry, not kŭl´i-na-ry.
Cupola—kū´po-la, not kū-po-lō´.
D.
Dahlia—däl´ya or dāl´-ya, not dăl´ya.
Dare not, not darse'nt.
Data—dā´ta, not dăt´a, is the plural of datum (dā´tum).
Debris—dā-brē´, not dē´brĭs nor dā´brē. Rubbish, ruins.
Decade—dĕk´ade, not dē´kade nor dē-kāde´. Ten in number.
Defalcate—de-făl´kate, not de-fawl´kāte.
Defalcation—dē-făl-kā´shun not dē-fawl-kā´shun. Worcester gives dĕf-al-kā´shun. No such word as defalcater is seen.
Deficit—dĕf´i-sit, not de-fī´sit nor de-fĭs´sit. A deficiency.
Delusion, not illusion, when deception occurs from want of knowledge of the world, ignorance of business or trade, or from lack of acumen generally. Illusions are deceptions arising from a temporarily or permanently disordered imagination, or from phenomena occurring in nature: thus we speak of the illusions of fancy, of dreams, and of optical illusions. The mirage of the desert and the fata Morgana are instances of the latter.
Demonstrative—de-mŏn´stra-tive, not dĕm´on-strā-tive.
Demonstrator—dĕm´on-strā-tor, not de-mŏn´strā-tor. Worcester allows the latter.
Depot—de-pō´ or dē´pō, not dā´pō, nor dĕp´po. Worcester sanctions de-pō´ only. I once had a friend, deceased now, of course, who called it de-pŏt´.
Dereliction—der-e-lĭk´shun, not dĕr-e-lĕk´shun. A forsaking, abandonment.
Deshabille—dĕs-a-bĭl´, } Dishabille—dĭs-a-bĭl´, } not dĕs´ha-beel nor dĭs´ha-beel. The French is déshabillé, pronounced about like dā-zä-be-yā, without any particular accent. Some persons, in their vain efforts to get the peculiar liquid sound of the double l, sometimes used, distort the word terribly, pronouncing it even as broad as dĭs-ha-beel´yuh.
Desideratum—de-sid-e-rā´tum, not de-sĭd-er-ăt´um; plural, de-sĭd-er-ā´ta. Something particularly desired.
Desperado—des-per-ā´do, not des-per-ä´do.
Dessert—dĕz-zërt´, not dĕz´zert, nor dĕs´sert: dessert-spoon (dez-zërt´-spoon).
Die. One dies of a disease, not with it.
Differ. One differs with a person in opinion; one person or thing differs from another in some quality.
Disappointed. One is disappointed of a thing not obtained and in a thing obtained. "He will be disappointed of his expectations."
Discourse—dis-kōrs´, not dĭs´kōrs.
Disputable—dis´pu-ta-ble, not dis-pū´ta-ble.
Disputant—dis´pu-tant, not dis-pū´tant.
Distich—dĭs´tĭk, not dĭs´tĭch. Two poetic lines making sense.
Docible—dŏs´i-ble, not dō´si-ble. Tractable; teachable.
Docile—dŏs´ĭl, not dō´sīle.
Dolorous—dŏl´or-ŭs, not dō´lor-oŭs. Dolorously and Dolorousness are similarly accented; but dolor is pronounced dō´lor.
Doubt. "I do not doubt but that it is so," is a very common error. The meaning conveyed is just the opposite to that which the speaker intends. He declares in other words, that he has no doubt but a doubt that it is so; or he does not doubt that it is false. "I have no doubt but," and "there is no doubt but,"—are similar mistakes. The word "but" should be left out.
Dough-face means one that is easily molded to one's will, or readily changed in his views, and not a putty-faced or white-faced person.
Dragomans, not dragomen, is the plural of dragoman, an Eastern interpreter.
Drama—drä´ma or drā´ma, not drăm´a. Worcester says drā´ma or drăm´a.
Dramatis Personæ—drăm´a-tīs per-sō´nē, not dra-măt´is pĕr´so-nē.
Drank, not drunk, is the imperfect tense of drink.
Ducat—dŭk´at, not dū´kat.
E.
Ear—ēar, not yēar. Persons frequently speak of the year-ache, and occasionally "a year of corn," may be heard.
Ecce Homo—ĕk´sē hō´mō, not ĕk´kē hō´mō.
Eider—ī´der, not ē´der. Eider-down and eider-duck.
Elm is pronounced in one syllable and not ĕl´lum.
Elysian—e-lĭz´i-an, not e-lĭs´sian. Worcester gives e-lĭzh´e-an.
Embryo—em´bry-ō, not em-bry´ō.
Employe (Fr. employé)—ĕm-ploy-ā´ or ŏng-plwaw-yā´, not employ´ē or ong-ploy´ā. Employee is not allowed.
Encore—ŏng-kōr´, not ŏng´kōr nor ĕn´kōr.
Eneid—ē-nē´id not ē´ne-id. A poem of Virgil. Worcester sanctions both methods of pronunciation.
Ennui—ŏng-nwē´, not ŏng´wē. Worcester gives a much simpler pronunciation, viz: än-wē´.
Enquiry—en-kwī´ry, not ĕn´kwĭ-ry.
Epsom Salt, not Epsom Salts.
Equable—ē´kwa-ble, not ĕk´wa-ble.
Equally well, etc., not equally as well, etc.
Espionage—ĕs´pe-on-āje or ĕs´pe-on-äzh, not ĕs-pī´o-nāje nor es-pē´on-äzh.
Esquimau—ĕs´ke-mō, not ĕs´qui-maw: plural, Esquimaux (ĕs´ke-mōz), not ĕs´ke-mawz nor ĕs´ke-mō.
Etagere—ĕt-a-zhâr´, not e-tăzh´er-y nor at-tăzh´ĭ-a. Worcester's pronunciation is ā-tä-zhâr´. A piece of parlor furniture with shelves, used for placing small ornaments and fancy articles upon; a what-not.
Excrescence—ex-krĕs´sense not ex-krē´sense. A superfluous appendage: morbid outgrowth.
Expect has reference to the future only, and not to the present or past. "I expect that you are wrong." "I expect you were disappointed yesterday," are errors. There is an abundance of words that may be correctly used, as suppose, suspect, imagine, believe and think.
Expose (Fr. exposé)—ĕks-po-zā´, not ex-pōz´. An exposition; statement.
Exquisite—ĕks´quĭ-zĭt, not eks-quĭz´itĕ. Exquisitely is accented on the first syllable also.
Extant—ex´tant not ex-tănt´.
Extol—ex-tŏl´, not ex-tō´. Extolled, ex-tŏld´, etc.
F.
Facet—făs´set not fā-sĕt´. A small surface or face; as one of the facets of a diamond.
Falchion—fawl´chun, not făl´chĭ-on. A sword. Worcester sanctions fawl´shun, also.
Falcon—faw´kn, not făl-kŏn.
Fang. When applied to a tooth, fang means the portion that is outside of the jaw. This name is often, even by dentists, erroneously given to the root or part that is set into the jaw.
Far, not fur.
Febrile—fē´brĭl or fĕb´rĭl, not fē´brīle. Relating to fever.
February, as it is spelled, and not Fĕb´u-a-ry, as many say and write it.
Feod, feodal, feodality—fūd, fūd´al, and fū-dăl´i-ty. Relating to a kind of tenure formerly existing in Europe, in which military services were rendered by the tenant as a consideration. Feud, feudal, feudality, is the orthography generally adopted now.
Ferret. A ferret is an animal of the weasel kind, used to drive rabbits out of their burrows, and not a species of dog.
Fetid—fĕt´id, not fē´tid.
Fetor—fē´tor, not fĕt´or.
Finale—-fe-nä´lā, not fī´nāle or fī-năl´ly.
Finance—fĭ-năns´, not fī´-năns.
Finances—fĭ-năn´sĕz, not fī´năn-sĕz.
Financier—fĭn-an-seer´, not fī-nan-seer´. Financial, and financially, have also the short i in the first syllable.
Finis—fī´nis, not fĭn´is.
Firmament means the expanse of the sky: the heavens. The meaning, solid foundation, is obsolete.
Flannel, not flannen.
Florid—flŏr´id, not flō´rĭd.
Florin—flŏr´in, not flō-rĭn. A piece of money.
Florist—flō´rist, not flŏr´ist.
Forage—fŏr´aje, not fō´raje.
Forceps—fôr´seps, not fōr´seps. The word is spelled the same in both the singular and the plural numbers. Such mistakes as, "hand me a forcep," instead of "hand me a forceps," are very common. Strictly speaking, "a pair of forceps," ought, I suppose, to mean two forceps; but like the expressions "a pair of scissors" and "a pair of stairs," the phrase has been in use so long that it must be tolerated.
Forehead—fŏr´ed, not fōr´hĕd. Worcester allows either.
Foreign—fŏr´in, not fŭr´in.
Fortnight—fôrt´nīte, not fōrt´nīte, fōrt´nĭt nor fôrt´nĭt. Worcester gives what is authorized above and fôrt´nĭt.
Fortress—fôr´tress, not fōr´tress.
Fragile—frăj´ĭl, not frā´jĭl nor frā´jīle.
Fritter, not flitter, is the name of a kind of fried cake.
Frivolity—fri-vŏl´i-ty, not frĭv´ol-ty.
Frontier—frŏnt´eer, not frŭnt´eer nor frŭn-teer´.
Frontispiece—frŏnt´is-pēse, not frŭnt´is-pēse.
Fuchsia—fōōk´sĭ-a, not fū´shĭ-a. Worcester gives the latter.
Fuzz, not furze, is the word to use, if used at all, when the embryo whiskers, or the downy surface of fruit, etc., are meant. Down is the more appropriate word. Furze is the name of an evergreen shrub.
G.
Gallivating, not gallivanting. Gallivanting is a word that is used to some extent, being applied to persons that are roaming about for amusement or adventure; as, "this young man has been gallivanting around." If it is a corruption of gallanting, it should certainly be abolished as a vulgarism; but if it is a corruption of gallivating, from gallivat, the name of a small sailing vessel, it might be clothed in its proper garb and retained as a useful word in our language. If either is used, the one above preferred should be chosen, at any rate.
Gallows—găl´lus, not găl´lōz. Gallowses, plural.
Gamin—ga-măng´, not găm´in nor gā´min. A street child.
Gape—gäpe or gāpe, not găp.
Gargle. One gargles, not gurgles, the throat.
Gaseous—găz´e-us, not găss-e-us. Worcester gives gā´ze-us too.
Gather—găth´er, not gĕth´er.
Genealogy—jĕn-e-ăl´o-jy, not jē-ne-ăl´o-jy nor je-ne-ŏl´o-jy.
Genealogist (jĕn-e-ăl´o-jist), genealogical (jĕn-e-a-lŏj´i-kal) and genealogically (jĕn-e-a-lŏj´i-kal-ly).
Generic—je-nĕr´ik, not jĕn´er-ik, nor je-nē´rik. Relating to a genus, or kind.
Gerund—jĕr´und, not jē-rund. A kind of verbal noun in Latin.
Get, not gĭt.
Giaour—jowr, not gī´ōōr, jī-owr´ nor jōōr. An epithet applied by the Turks to a disbeliever in Mahomet; the name of one of Byron's poems.
Gibbet—jĭb´bet, not gĭb´bet.
Glamour—glā´mōōr, not glăm´mur. Worcester gives glā´mer, also. A charm in the eyes, making them see things differently from what they really are.
Gneiss—nīs, not nēs nor gnēs. A kind of rock.
Gondola—gŏn´do-la, not gon-dō´la.
Got. There are some sticklers for niceties that overdo themselves in contending that the use of the verb got is generally unnecessary and incorrect in conjunction with have and had. Get means to procure, to obtain, to come into possession of, etc., and it is a very tame assertion that one simply has a thing that cost much mental or physical labor. A scholar has his lesson, but did it creep into his head while he passively shut his eyes and went to sleep? On the contrary, he got it or learned it by hard study, and it is proper to say that he has got it. A man has a cold, but he got it or took it by exposing himself. A person has a sum of money, but he got or earned it by his labor. Another has good friends, but he got or secured them by his pleasant address. The great causes of the warfare against this word are, I think, that have and had, though generally used as auxiliaries, can sometimes be used as principal verbs and make good sense; and that it has not been recollected that in the majority of cases got either stands for, or can be substituted for another verb. In confirmation of this last statement, is appended the following composed by Dr. Withers: "I got on horseback within ten minutes after I got your letter. When I got to Canterbury, I got a chaise for town, but I got wet before I got to Canterbury; and I have got such a cold as I shall not be able to get rid of in a hurry. I got to the Treasury about noon, but first of all I got shaved and dressed. I soon got into the secret of getting a memorial before the board, but I could not get an answer then; however, I got intelligence from the messenger, that I should most likely get one the next morning. As soon as I got back to my inn, I got my supper and got to bed. It was not long before I got asleep. When I got up in the morning, I got my breakfast, and then I got myself dressed that I might get out in time to get an answer to my memorial. As soon as I got it, I got into the chaise and got to Canterbury by three, and about tea-time, I got home. I have got nothing for you, and so adieu."
Applying this test of substitution to any doubtful case, I think it right to assert that if there is no other verb, or participle, that will appropriately take the place of "got," the latter word is unnecessary; but it should hardly be considered as an error, as it is so slight an impropriety compared with many others that are allowed, and especially because we have long had the usage of many of the best writers to sanction the employment of the word. The very people that appear to be so shocked at the use of the superfluous got, may generally be heard making use of such expressions as "fell down upon the ground," "rose up and went away," "covered it over," and "a great, big fire." The down, up, over and big are certainly superfluities, but they have been heard so long that they are seldom mentioned as errors.
Gourmand—gōōr´mänd, not gôr´mand, unless the orthography gormand is used.
Gout—gowt, not gōōt, as actors are sometimes heard pronounce it in the following line from Macbeth: "On thy blade and dudgeon, gouts of blood."
Government—gŭv´ern-ment not gŭv´er-ment. It is a mistake, frequently made, to write and pronounce the word as if it had no "n" in the penultimate.
Gramercy—gra-mër´sy, not grăm´er-sy. A word formerly used to express thankfulness with surprise.
Granary—grăn´a-ry, not grā´na-ry. There are no such words as grainery and grainary.
Gratis—grā´tis, not grăt-is.
Grenade—gre-nāde´, not grĕn´ade. A kind of explosive shell.
Guardian—gärd´ĭ-an, not gär-dē´an.
Guerdon—gër´don, not gwĕr´don nor jĕr´don. A reward; a recompense.
Guild—gĭld, not gīld. A society; a fraternity.
Guipure—ge-pūr´, not gĭm-pūre´ nor gwĭ-pūre´. An imitation of antique lace.
Gunwale—commonly pronounced gŭn´nel and spelled so sometimes.
Gutta-percha—gŭt´ta-për´cha, not gŭt´ta-për´ka.
Gyrfalcon—jër´faw-kn, not jēr´făl-kun.
H.
Habitue (Fr. habitué)—ä-bĭt-u-ā´, not hăb-it-u-ē nor hăb-ĭt-u-ā´.
Halloo (hal-lōō´), holla (hŏl´lä), hollo (hŏl´lō or hŏl-lō´) or hollow (hŏl´lōw), but not hŏl´ler. Worcester gives halloo (hal-lōō´), holla (hŏl-lä´), hollo (hŏl-lō´) and hollow (hŏl´lōw or hŏl-lōw´). It is strange that with such a variety of words to choose from, people generally say "holler."
Hanged is preferable to hung, when the infliction of the death penalty by hanging is meant.
Harass—hăr´ass, not ha-răss´.
Harem—hā´rem, not hăr´em. Worcester gives hä´rem also. Written also haram (ha-răm´).
Hardly. Don't and can't should not be used with hardly. Such errors as, "I don't hardly believe it," are not uncommon. Hardly means scarcely, and the use of don't or can't gives an opposite signification to the sentence.
Haunt—hänt, not hănt.
Haunted—hänt´ed, not hănt´ed.
Hawaiian—ha-wī´yan, not ha-waw´yan. Relating to the island of Hawaii.
Hearth—härth, not hërth.
Hearth-stone—härth´stone, not hërth´stone.
Heather—hĕth´er, not hēth´er. Worcester gives hēth´er as the pronunciation.
Heinous—hā´nus, not hē´nus, hēn´yus nor hān´yus.
Herbaceous—her-bā´shus, not er-bā´shus.
Herbage—ërb´ej or hĕrb´ej, not hĕr´bāje.
Heroine—hĕr´o-ĭn, not hē´-ro-īne nor hē´ro-ĭn. Worcester gives the first and the last of the above.
Heroism—hĕr´o-izm, not hē´ro-ĭzm. Worcester sanctions both.
Hieroglyphic—hī-er-o-glĭf´ik, not hī-er-o-grĭf´ik.
Hindoostanee} Hindustani } hin-dōō-stăn´ee, not hin-dōō´stăn-ee. Worcester's orthography is Hindostanee and Hindostany, but the accent is on the penult as above.
Homage—hŏm´aje, not ŏm´-aje.
Homeopathy—hō-me-ŏp´a-thy, not hō´me-o-păth-y.
Homeopathist—hō-me-ŏp´a-thist, not hō´me-o-păth-ist.
Hooping-cough—hōōp´ing-cough, not hŏŏp´ing-cough. Spelled Whooping-cough, also.
Horizon—ho-rī´zon, not hŏr´i-zon.
Horse-radish—horse-răd-ish, not horse-rĕd-dish.
Hough—hŏk, not hŭff. To disable by cutting the sinews of the ham. As a noun, the word means the joint at the lower portion of the leg of a quadruped; written hock, also.
Houri—howr´y, not owr´y. A nymph of paradise.
Hovel—hŏv´el, not hŭv´el.
Hundred, as spelled, not hun´derd.
Hydropathy—hī-drŏp´a-thy, not hī´drō-păth-y.
Hydropathist—hī-drŏp´a-thist, not hī´drō-păth-ist.
Hygiene—hī´ji-ēne, not hī-geen´ nor hī´geen. Worcester authorizes the first and last.
I.
Illustrate—il-lŭs´trate, not ĭl´lus-trāte. Illustrated, illustrating, illustrative and illustrator, are likewise accented on the second syllable.
Imbroglio—ĭm-brōl´yō, not ĭm-brŏl´yō. Worcester says ĭm-brōl´ye-ō.
Immobile—im-mŏb´ĭl, not ĭm-mō´bĭl nor ĭm-mō´bīle.
Imperturbable—im-per-tür´ba-ble, not ĭm-per-tōō´ra-ble, nor ĭm-për´tu-ra-ble. Incapable of being disturbed.
Implacable—im-plā´ka-ble, not ĭm-plăk´a-ble.
Impotent—im´po-tent, not ĭm-pō´tent. Impotency and impotence are accented similarly.
Improvise—im-pro-vīze´, not ĭm´pro-vīze.
Incognito—in-kŏg´ni-tō, not in-cŏn´i-to nor in-cŏg-nĭsh´ō. Incog is an authorized abbreviation. Incognita, is a female in disguise.
Indiscretion—ĭn-dis-krĕsh´un, not ĭn-dis-krē´shun.
Indissoluble—in-dĭs´so-lu-ble, not ĭn-dĭs-sŏl´u-ble. Indissolubly, etc.
Industry—in´dus-try, not ĭn-dus´try.
Infinitesimal—in-fin-i-tĕs´i-mal, not ĭn-fĭn-tĕs´i-mal.
Ingenious—ĭn-jēn´yŭs, means possessed of genius; skillful, etc.
Ingenuous—ĭn-jĕn´yu-us, means noble, open, frank, generous, etc.
Inquiry—in-kwī´ry, not ĭn´kwĭ-ry.
Inveigle—ĭn-vē´gle, not ĭn-vā´gle. Inveigler (in-vē´gler) and inveiglement (in-vē´gle-ment).
Irate ī-rāte´, not ī´rāte. Worcester gives the latter.
Irrational—ir-răsh´un-al, not ĭr-rā´shun-al. Irrationally (ĭr-răsh´un-al-ly), etc.
Irrecognizable—ir-re-kŏg´ni-za-ble, not ĭr-rĕk´og-nī-za-ble.
Irrelevant, not irrevelant. Not applicable; not suited.
Isinglass ī´zĭng-glass, is a kind of gelatine prepared from the sounds or air-bladders of certain fish, and is used in jellies, for clarifying liquors, etc.; while the transparent substance, frequently called isinglass, which is used in the doors of stoves and lanterns, is really mica, a mineral that admits of being cleaved into thin plates.
Isolate—ĭs´o-lāte, not ī´so-late. Isolated (ĭs´o-lā-ted), etc. Worcester gives ĭz´o-lāte, etc.
Itch—ĭtch, not ēch.
J.
Jamb, not jam is the spelling of the side-piece of a door, window or fire-place.
Jaundice—jän´dĭs, not jan-ders.
Jean—jāne, not jeen. A twilled cotton cloth. Written also jane.
Jew's-harp—jūz´härp, not jūs´härp.
Jocund—jŏk´und, not jō´kund. Jocundity, jocundly, jocundness, have also the short o.
Jugular—jū´gu-lar, not jŭg´u-lar.
Jujube—jū´jūbe, not jū´jū-be. "Jujube paste."
Just, not jĕst in such sentences as: "I have just done it;" "He has just enough," etc.
K.
Knoll—nōl, not nŏl.
Lamm, to beat, is not spelled lăm nor lămb.
Lapel—la-pĕl´, not lăp´el. That part of a coat which laps over the facing.
Lariat—lăr´i-at, not lā´ri-at. A lasso.
Lay. This word in the sense here considered is a transitive verb, or one in which the action or state implied by the verb, passes over to an object. The present tense is lay; the imperfect tense and past participle are laid; and the present participle laying. Requiring an object in each of the various meanings attached to it, it is proper to say: "The hen lays an egg every day;" "The man laid his load on the ground;" "The rain has laid the dust;" "The hunter is laying a snare." The verb lie is an intransitive verb and can have no object after it. The present tense is lie; the imperfect tense is lay; the past participle is lain; the present participle is lying. Having no objective case to which the action or state passes over, it is correct to say: "Ohio lies north of Kentucky;" "The sick man lay upon the bed yesterday;" "He has lain there helpless for weeks;" "The goods I bought are lying on my hands." Contrasting the sentences under each verb it will be readily seen that Ohio does not lie Kentucky, but the hen lays the egg; the invalid did not lay the bed like the man laid his load; he has not lain anything, as the rain has laid the dust; and the goods are not lying anything, as the hunter is laying the snare. If the foregoing differences have been carefully observed, I imagine that it will always be easy to select the proper word by remembering the following rules:
1. If the person or thing spoken of exerts an action that must pass over to an object, use lay, laid and laying.
2. If the person or thing spoken of exerts an action that does not pass over to an object, use lie, lay, lain and lying.
"He laid upon the bed," then, is incorrect, for the verb has no object. It should be: "He lay upon the bed." But, "He laid himself upon the bed," would be correct, for there is an objective case, himself, supplied. "Let these papers lay," should be, "Let these papers lie." "The ship lays at anchor," should be, "The ship lies at anchor." "The ship laid at anchor," should be, "The ship lay at anchor." "They have laid in wait for you," should be, "They have lain in wait for you." "This trunk is laying in our way," should be, "This trunk is lying in our way." Errors connected with the use of these verbs are more common, probably, than any others in our language, being detected in the conversation and writings of many of the best educated people. Attention to the above rules, and a few trial sentences in the different moods, tenses, numbers and persons, ought to make the selection of the proper word so simple, that persons should seldom make mistakes.
Learn. Learning is done by the scholar or student, and teaching by the instructor. "She will learn me how to play," should be, "She will teach me how to play," etc.
Leasing—leez´ing, not lēs´ing. An obsolete word meaning falsehood; lying. "Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing."—Bible.
Leg. Of late years there has become quite popular a prudish notion that it is indelicate to say leg when one of the limbs that supports the human body is meant, limb being preferred instead. Leg is certainly a less euphonious word than limb, and if the latter had the same signification attached to it, there would be no objection to its employment; but limb means arm just as much as it does leg. There is nothing immodest in the sound or meaning of the word leg; if there were, it would be well to speak of the limb of a table, a limb of mutton, or a three limbed stool; and the mention of such words as legacy or legate should cause the blush to rise to our cheeks. The very use of the word limb indicates what is passing in the mind of the speaker—a thought of leg, an indelicate meaning attached to it, and a fear to speak the word. The mind of the listener is affected similarly and the result is that a conversation intended to be perfectly pure, has a slight stain left upon it. If we could pass through life without ever finding it necessary to speak of our legs to strangers, there would be no danger of compromising ourselves; but run-away and other accidents are constantly occurring in which legs are broken or otherwise injured. When a surgeon is called, if he is told that a limb is injured, he has one chance in four of guessing the riddle. It is not always safe to trifle thus with some of the serious, practical old followers of Esculapius. Before now they have given such rebukes as to make people ashamed that they did not say leg in the first place; or they have left the bedside abruptly with such a remark as: "When you find out whether it is your arm or your leg, send for me again." If people will persist in using limb for leg, it is to be hoped that they will adopt some adjective prefix to remove all ambiguity. How would north-east, south-east, etc., do? Any one informed that the south-east limb was fractured, would know at once that it was the right leg.
Legate—lĕg´ate, not lē´gāte.
Legendary—lĕj´end-a-ry, not lē´jĕnd-a-ry.
Leisure—lē´zhur, not lĕzh´ur, nor lā´zhur. Leisurely (lē´zhur-ly).
Length, not lĕnth. Every letter is sounded, also, in lengthy, lengthen, lengthiness, etc.
Lenient—lē´ni-ent, not lĕn´i-ent. Leniently (lē´ni-ent-ly), etc.
Lethe—lē´the, not lēth; the th is as in both. The mythological and poetical name of a river of the infernal region, the drinking of a portion of which caused forgetfulness of the past.
Lethean—lē-thē´an, not lē´the-an.
Let's. It should be remembered that let's is really let us, the apostrophe denoting the elision of the u. Such expressions then as: "let's us go," "let's him and me go," should he, "let us go" (or let's go), and "let him and me go;" for who wishes to say "let us us go," or "let us him and me go."
Leverage—lĕv´er-aje, not lē´ver-aje.
Licorice—lĭk´o-rĭs, not lĭk´er-ĭsh.
Lie. See Lay.
Lien—lē´en or lī´en, not leen. A charge upon property for the satisfaction of a debt.
Lighted is preferable to lĭt as the imperfect tense and past participle of light. "He lighted the gas," instead of, "He lit the gas." "I have lighted the fire," instead of, "I have lit the fire." The same remarks apply to the imperfect and participle of light taken as an intransitive verb. "The bird has lighted upon the tree," instead of, "has lit upon the tree." Lit is condemned as common.
Lithographer—lĭ-thog´ra-pher, not lĭth´o-grăph-er, nor lī-thŏg´ra-pher. Lithography (lĭ-thŏg´ra-phy).
Loath—lōth, not lŏth; the th is as in both. Reluctant. Written sometimes loth. The verb is loathe, with the th as in breathe.
Lyceum—lī-sē´um, not lī´se-um.
M.
Machiavelian—măk-i-a-vēl´ian, not măsh-i-a-vĕl´ian. pertaining to Machiavel; politically cunning.
Mad. In the sense of provoked, wrathful or indignant, angry is generally considered the more appropriate word. "Mad as a March hare," is an indelicate term that should not be used on account of its origin.
Madame—mä-däm´, not măd´am.
Magna Charta—magna kär´ta, not magna chär´ta.
Manes—mā´nēz, not mānz. The souls of the dead.
Manor—măn´or, not mā´nor.
Marigold—măr´i-gold, not mā´ri-gold.
Matin—măt´in, not mā´tin.
Matins—măt´inz, not mā´tinz.
Mattress—măt´tress, not ma-trăss´. Written also matress and pronounced as the first.
Meaw—mū, not meyow. To cry like a cat.
Mediocre—me´di-ō-ker, not mē-di-ō´ker, nor mē-di-ŏk´er.
Melange—mā-lŏngzh´, not me-lănj´.
Melanotype—me-lăn´o-type, not me-lān´o-type.
Melodrama—mĕl-o-drā´ma, not mĕl-o-drăm´a, nor mĕl-o-drä´ma.
Memoir—mĕm´wor or mēm´wor, according to Webster; Worcester gives mē-moir´ or mĕm´wär.
Mesdames—mā-däm´, not mĕz-dāmes´.
Metallurgy—mĕt´al-lur-jy, not me-tăl´lur-jy.
Metaphor. The failure to distinguish between metaphors and similes, is a very common mistake. In a metaphor the resemblance is implied without any words to show the similarity; as soon as the latter are added it becomes a simile. "Hope is an anchor," and "Judah is a lion's whelp" are metaphors. "Hope is like an anchor," and "Judah is like a lion's whelp" are similes.
Metrical—mĕt´rik-al, not mē´trik-al.
Mezzo—mĕd´zō or mĕt´zō, not mĕz´zō. An Italian word meaning middle; not extreme. Mezzo-soprano (mĕd´zo-so-prä´no); between contralto and soprano; said of the voice of a female singer. Mezzotinto, etc.
Microscope—mī´kro-scope, not mĭk´ro-scope. Microscopic (mī-kro-scŏp´ic). Microscopy (mī-kros´co-py).
Mien—meen, not māne.
Mineralogy—min-er-al´o-jy, not min-er-ŏl´o-jy.
Minuet—mĭn´ū-et, not mĭn-ū-ĕt´. A dance.
Mischievous—mĭs´che-vŭs, not mĭs-chē´vŭs, nor mis-chē´ve-us. Mischievously and mischievousness are also accented on the first syllable.
Modulate. This word is often used incorrectly instead of moderate in such sentences as: "Modulate your voice," when it is meant to command or request that the tone be moderated or lowered. Modulate means to vary or inflect in a musical manner, and although the word might often be used with propriety in such sentences as the above, yet it is not always what is meant by the speaker. A person's voice may be perfectly modulated and yet the tone may be so high that it is desirable, upon certain occasions, to have it moderated.
Moire—mwôr, not mōre nor mō´re. Moire antique (mwor ăn-tēk´).
Molasses. It may seem incredible to those who have never heard the error I am about to mention, that such a ridiculous blunder could occur. I should hardly have believed it myself, if I had only heard of it; but I was once in a portion of the country where all the people for miles around spoke of molasses as if it were a plural noun, and I frequently heard such remarks as the following: "These molasses are very good; they are the best I have seen for some time." I once began to remonstrate with one of the champions of the plurality of the treacle, and insisted that he should say, "this molasses" and, "it is good," etc.; but it was of no avail. He insisted that the word was analogous to ashes, and if one was plural so was the other. There was no good dictionary or other reliable authority in the neighborhood, as might be imagined from what has been said, so they were left happy in their ignorance.
Monad—mŏn´ad, not mō´nad. An ultimate atom.
Monogram—mŏn´o-gram, not mō´no-gram.
Monograph—mŏn´o-graph, not mō´no-graph.
Monomania—mŏn-o-mā´nia, not mō-no-mā´nia. Monomaniac (mŏn-o-mā´ni-ac).
Moor—mōōr, not mōre. An extensive waste; a heath. Moor, the name of a native of North Africa, is similarly pronounced.
Morale—mo-räl´, not mŏr´āle nor mō-răl´.
Mountainous—mount´ain-ous, not moun-tā´ni-oŭs.
Multiplication—mŭl-ti-pli-cā´tion, not mŭl-ti-pi-cā´tion.
Murrain—mŭr´rĭn, not mŭr´rāne. A disease among cattle.
Museum—mu-zē´um, not mū´ze-um.
Mushroom, not mush-roon.
Musk-melon, not mush-melon; but anything before mush-million.
Mussulmans, not musselmen, is the plural of Mussulman.
Mythology—mĭ-thŏl´o-jy, not mī-thŏl´o-jy.
N.
Naiad—nā´yad, not nā´ĭd nor nā´ăd. A water nymph.
Nainsook—nān-sōōk´, not năn-sōōk´. A kind of muslin.
Naive—nä´ēv, not nāve nor näve. Natural; artless.
Naivete—nä´ēv-tā, not nā-vēte´ nor nā-vē´ta.
Nape—nāp, not năp. The back part of the neck.
Nasal—nā´zal, not nā´sal nor năs´al.
Nasturtium or Nasturtion, not asturtion.
Negligee—nĕg-li-zhā´, not nĕg-li-jē´, nor nĕg´li-zhā.
Newspaper—nūz´pā-per, not nūs´pā-per.
Niche—nĭch, not nĭck, when a concave recess in a wall for an ornament is meant. If a piece is chopped roughly out of anything, it is a nick. Nick of time, not niche of time, when a critical moment is meant; but in figurative language there is no doubt that the phrase "niche of time," may be appropriately used. A great event may be said to stand in a niche of time as an example for coming ages.
Nomad—nŏm´ad, not nō´-mad. One of a wandering tribe. Written nomade (nŏm´ade) also.
Nomenclature—no-men-clā´ture, not nō´men-clātūre.
Nominative, not nom-a-tive.
Nonillion—nō-nĭll´ion, not nŏn-ĭll´ion.
Nook—nōōk, as given by Webster. Worcester sanctions both nōōk and nŏŏk.
Notable—nŏt´a-ble, not nō´ta-ble, when it is applied to a person distinguished for thrift, management, care, etc.; as a notable housekeeper.
Nymphean—nĭm-fē´an, not nĭmf´e-an. Relating to nymphs.
O.
Obesity—o-bĕs´i-ty, not o-bē´si-ty.
Obligatory—ŏb´li-ga-to-ry, not ŏb-lĭg´a-to-ry.
Often—ŏf´n, not ŏf´tĕn.
Omega—o-mē´ga or o-mĕg´a, not ŏm´e-ga. Worcester allows the first only.
Onerous—ŏn´er-ous, not ō´ner-oŭs.
Only—ōn´ly, not ŭn´ly.
Onyx—ō´nyx, not ŏn´yx.
Opal—ō´-pal, not ō-păl´ nor ō-pawl´.
Opponent—op-pō´nent, not ŏp´po-nent.
Ordnance, not ordinance, when cannon, artillery, etc., are intended. Ordinance is a rule established by authority.
Orgeat—ôr´zhat or ôr´zhā, not ôr´je-at. Worcester gives ôr´zhat.
Orthoepy—ôr´tho-e-py, not ôr-thō´e-py.
Orthoepist—ôr´tho-e-pist, not ôr-thō´e-pist.
Overflowed, not overflown.
P.
Palaver—pa-lä´ver, not pa-lăv´er.
Pall-mall—pĕl-mĕl´, not pawl-mawl´. The name of a game formerly played in England; and the name of a street in London. Written also pail-mail and pell-mell, both pronounced as above. Pell-mell used as an adverb means mixed together in a disorderly manner; but one person can not rush pell-mell.
Papaw—pa-paw´, not pŏp´paw as commonly called. Written also pawpaw.
Papyrus—pa-pī´rus, not păp´i-rŭs. A material used for writing upon by the ancients, made from the inner bark of a plant.
Parent—pâr´ent, not pā´rent.
Parisian—pa-rĭz´ian, not pa-rĭsh´ian nor pa-rĭss´ian. Worcester gives pa-rĭzh´i-an.
Paroquet—păr´o-quet, not păr-o-kĕt´.
Parquet—pär-kā´ or pär-kĕt´. Worcester allows pär-kā´ only.
Parquette—pär-ket´, not pär-kā´.
Partner, not pardner.
Partridge, not pattrij.
Patent. The adjective is pronounced either păt´ent or pā´tent. When used as a verb or a noun it is pronounced păt´ent.
Patois—păt-wŏ´, not păt´wŏ nor păt-waw´.
Patriot—pā´tri-ot, not păt´ri-ot. Patriotic, patriotism, etc., have also the long a. Worcester gives the same with the exception of patriotic, which he pronounces both pā´tri-ot-ic and păt´ri-ot-ic.
Patron—pā´tron, not păt´ron. Patroness and patronless have also the long a.
Patronize—păt´ron-īze, not pā´tron-īze.
Patronage—păt´ron-aje, not pā´tron-aje.
Pease, not peas, when an uncounted quantity is referred to, as: a bushel of pease, a plateful of pease, some more pease, etc. Peas when a certain number is mentioned, as: a dozen peas, fifty peas, etc.
Pedal—pĕd´al, not pē´dal, when that portion of a piano or harp that is acted upon by the feet, is meant. Pē´dal is an adjective, and means pertaining to the above, or to a foot.
Perfect. I have selected this as the representative of a class of adjectives that, strictly speaking, do not admit of comparison. I have noticed, invariably, that those who appear to be so anxious to correct the error of giving degrees of comparison to a few stereotyped words of this class, such as round, square, universal, chief, extreme, etc., are singularly remiss in calling attention to a great many other mistakes of the same kind that are equally prominent. Amongst the latter may be mentioned the comparison of correct, complete, even, level, straight, etc. It will be admitted that if anything is perfect it can not be more so; and as soon as it is less so it fails to be perfect at all. So, if anything is correct it is perfectly free from error; it can not be made more correct, and if its correctness is detracted from, it is not quite correct any longer. A straight line is one that does not vary from a perfectly direct course in the slightest degree; it can not be straighter and if it could be less straight, it would be curved. It is ridiculous for any one to insist upon a national reformation of a few such errors, and suffer a hundred others just like them to exist without remonstrance. Either nearer and nearest, more nearly, and most nearly, and the like, should be substituted for the degrees of comparison and used with all such words; or people should treat them as all other adjectives, just as the best writers and speakers have always done. The former course is the more desirable; the latter is certainly the more probable.
Perfidious—per-fĭd´i-ous, not pĕr´fĭd-oŭs. Worcester allows per-fĭd´yŭs in addition to the first.
Peony—pē´o-ny) Pæony (pē´o-ny) or Piony (pī´o-ny) not pī´ny as often called. A flower.
Perambulate, not preambulate.
Period—pē´ri-od, not pĕr´i-od. Periodic, Periodical, etc., have also the long e.
Perspire, not prespire.
Perspiration, not prespiration.
Persuade. This word carries with it the idea of success in one's endeavors to convince or induce. "I persuaded him for a long time, but he would not grant my request," should be, "I tried to persuade him," etc.
Petrel—pĕt´rel, not pē´trel. A bird. Worcester allows the latter also.
Phaeton—phā´et-on, not phā'te-on. A vehicle.
Pharmaceutist—fär-ma-sū´tĭst, not fär-mā-kū´tist nor fär-mā´kū-tist.
Pharmacopœia—fär-ma-co-pē´ya, not fär-mā-cō´pi-a.
Piano—pi-ä´no, not pī-ăn´o. Worcester allows pĭ-ăn´o.
Piano-forte—pĭ-ä´no-fōr´tā, not pī-ăn´o-fōrt. Worcester sanctions pĭ-ä´no-fōr´te, pĭ-ăn´o-fôr-te, and remarks in parenthesis, often pe-ăn´o-fōrt; but the last pronunciation is evidently not preferred.
Pilaster—pĭ-lăs´ter, not pĭl´as-ter. A square pillar set into a wall and projecting slightly.
Piquant—pĭk´ant, not pĭk´wănt nor pēk´wănt. Piquantly (pĭk´ant-ly), etc.
Placard—pla-kärd´, not plăk´ard.
Placid—plăs´id, not plā´sid. Placidly and placidness have also the short a.
Plait—plāt, not plăt nor plēt. A braid; or to braid. Plat (plăt) is a proper word, however, having the same meanings, but the difference in pronunciation must be observed, when the spelling is as above. Plait, meaning a fold of cloth, as in a shirt bosom, is also pronounced plāt. How common an error it is to speak of the pleets when alluding to such folds.
Platina—plăt´i-na or pla-tē´na, not pla-tī´na nor pla-tĭn´a. Worcester allows plăt´i-na only.
Platinum—plăt´i-num or pla-tī´num, not pla-tē´num nor pla-tĭn´um. Worcester gives plăt´i-num only.
Plebeian—ple-bē´ian, not plē´bi-an. Ple-bŏn´, as some pronounce it, is outrageous, neither French, English, nor Hottentot.
Plenary—plē´na-ry, not plĕn´a-ry. Full; entire. Worcester gives both methods.
Poetaster—pō´et-ăs-ter, not pō´et-tāst-er. A petty poet.
Poniard—pŏn´yard, not poin´yard.
Posthumous—pŏst´hu-mous, not pōst´hu-moŭs nor pŏst-ū´moŭs. Posthumously (pŏst´hu-mous-ly).
Potable—pō´ta-ble, not pŏt´a-ble. Drinkable.
Potheen—po-theen´, not pŏt-teen´. When spelled potteen, however, as it may be correctly, the latter pronunciation is proper.
Prairie—prā´ry, not per-rā´ry.
Prebendary—prĕb´end-a-ry, not prē´bend-a-ry. A clergyman of a collegiate or cathedral church, who enjoys a prebend.
Prebend—prĕb´end, not prē´bend. A stipend.
Precedence—pre-sē´dence, not prĕs´e-dence. Precedency and precedently, have the second syllable accented also.
Precedent—pre-sē´dent, not prĕs´e-dent. An adjective meaning antecedent.
Precedent—prĕs´e-dent, not pre-sē´dent nor prē´se-dent. A noun meaning an example or preceding circumstance. Precedented and unprecedented have also the short e.
Precocious—pre-kō´shus, not pre-kŏsh´ŭs. Precociously and precociousness have also the long o.
Predatory—prĕd´a-to-ry, not prē´da-tory. Plundering; pillaging.
Predecessor—prĕd-e-cĕs´sor, not prē-de-cĕs´sor.
Preface—prĕf´ace, not prē´face. Prefatory (prĕf´a-to-ry).
Prejudice, not predudice.
Prelate—prĕl´ate, not prē´-late.
Presage, not prestige, when something is meant that foreshows a future event; an omen. "This is a presage of victory."
Prescription, not perscription.
Prestige, not presage, when it is meant that some one carries weight or influence from past deeds or successes. "The prestige of the hero's name was half the battle."
Presentiment—pre-sent´i-ment, not pre-zent´i-ment.
Pretty—prĭt´ty, not prĕ´ty. Prettily (prĭt´ti-ly), etc.
Preventive, not preventative.
Primeval—prī-mē´val, not prĭm´e-val.
Process—prŏs´ess, not prō´sess.
Prodigy, not projidy.
Produce—prŏd´uce, not prō´dūce. The noun; the verb is pro-dūce´.
Product—prŏd´uct, not prō´duct.
Progress—prŏg´ress, not pro´gress. Noun; the verb is pro-gress´.
Prosody—prŏs´o-dy, not prō´so-dy nor prŏz´o-dy.
Protean—prō´te-an, not pro-tē´an. Assuming different shapes.
Protege (Fr. protégé)—prō-tā-zhā´, not prō´tēje. One under the care of another. Protegee (Fr. protégée)—prō-tā-zhā´, feminine.
Psalm—säm, not săm. Psalmist (säm´ist). Worcester gives săm´ist also for the latter word.
Psalmody—săl´mo-dy, not säm´o-dy nor săm-o-dy.
Psychical—sī´kĭk-al, not sĭk´ĭk-al nor fĭz´ĭk-al, as it is sometimes thoughtlessly pronounced in reading. Pertaining to the human soul.
Pumpkin, not punkin. Pumpkin itself is a corruption of pumpion or pompion, but is the word that is now generally used.
Purulent—pū´ru-lent, not pŭr´u-lent. Containing pus or matter. Purulence and purulency have also the long u in the first syllable.
Put—pŏŏt, not pŭt. This anomalous pronunciation is hard for some to adopt, the natural tendency being to sound the u as it is in a host of other words consisting of two consonants with a short u between them, as: bun, but, cut, dug, fun, gun, hut, nut, etc.
Pyrites—pī-rī´tez, not pe-rī´tez, pĭr´i-tez nor pī´rītez.
Q.
Qualm—kwäm, not kwăm. Worcester allows kwawm also.
Quay—kē, not kwā.
Querulous, means complaining, whining, etc., and not questioning.
Quinine—kwī´nīne or kwĭ-nīne´, not kwi-neen´. Worcester gives kwĭ-nīne´ or kwĭn´īne.
Quoit—kwoit, not kwāte.
Quoth—kwōth or kwŭth, not kwŏth.
Rabies—rā´bi-ēz, not răb´ēz. Madness, as that of dogs.
Radish—răd´ish, not rĕd-ish.
Raillery—răl´ler-y, not rāl´ler-y. Slight ridicule; pleasantry.
Raise—Rise. Raise is a transitive verb, or one in which the action passes over to an object. Present tense, raise; imperfect tense and past participle, raised; present participle, raising. Rise is an intransitive verb, the action not passing over to an object. Present tense, rise; imperfect tense, rose; past participle, risen; present participle, rising. Errors in the use of these words ought to be avoided by remembering the following rules:
1. If the person or thing spoken of exerts an action that passes over to an object, use raise, raised, and raising.
2. If the person or thing spoken of exerts an action that does not pass over to an object, use rise, rose, risen, rising. To avoid further repetition in the method I have adopted to impress upon the mind the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs by contrasted sentences, I would refer the reader to the remarks under Lay. "I will raise in the morning at five," should be, "I will rise," etc. "I will raise the window," etc., is correct, for the action passes to or affects the window. "I will raise myself if I have the strength" is correct, because an object, myself, is furnished. "The price of flour is raising," should be, "The price of flour is rising;" but it is right to say, "The merchants are raising the price of flour." "Gold has raised in value," should be, "Gold has risen in value." "The price of bonds raised in less than an hour," should be, "The price of bonds rose," etc. "The sun is raising," should be, "The sun is rising." "The sun is raising the temperature," is proper. The pulse has risen, but excitement has raised it. The river has risen in its bed and has raised the canal. Birds rise in the air. Arise can often be appropriately substituted for rise.
Rampant—răm´pant, not ram-pant´.
Rapine—răp´ĭn, not răp´een nor rā-peen´.
Raspberry—răz´ber-ry, not răss´ber-ry nor rawz´ber-ry. Worcester gives raz´ber-ry and räs´ber-ry.
Rational—răsh´un-al, not rā-shun-al. Rationalist (răsh´un-al-ĭst), etc.
Recess—re-cĕss´, not rē´cĕss.
Recherche (Fr. recherché)—rŭh-shêr-shā´, not re-shersh´. Worcester gives rā-sher-shā´.
Recluse—re-kluse´, not re-kluze´.
Reconnoissance—re-cŏn´noĭs-sänçe, not rek-on-nois´sançe. Worcester gives re-cŏn´noĭs-sänçe´. Reconnaissance is another method of spelling.
Recriminations, not mutual recriminations; the word itself tells of the mutuality.
Redolent—rĕd´o-lent, not redō´lent. Diffusing odor or fragrance.
Relevant, not revelant. Pertinent; applicable.
Relic, not relict, when that which remains, a corpse, or anything preserved in remembrance, is meant. Relict means a widow.
Rendezvous—rĕn´de-vōō, not rŏn´de-vōō nor rĕn´de-vōōz. Worcester gives rĕn´de-vōō and rĕn´de-vōōz. The plural is rendezvouses (rĕn´de-vōōz-ez).
Requiem—rē´kwi-em, not rĕk´wĭ-em. Worcester gives both pronunciations.
Resume (Fr. résumé)—rā-zū-mā´, not re-zūme´ nor re-zū´mā. Worcester gives rez-u-mā´.
Reticule, not ridicule, when a little bag of net-work is meant.
Reveille—re-vāl´yā, not rev-a-lē´. Worcester gives the first and re-vāl´.
Ribald—rĭb´ald, not rī´bald. Low; obscene. Ribaldry (rĭb´ald-ry).
Rinse—rĭnss, not rĕnse nor wrĕnch. "Wrench your mouth," said an uneducated dentist to a patient after wrenching out a large molar. "Thank you," replied the patient. "You have done that, but I'll rinse it, if you please."
Ripples, not riffles.
Romance—ro-manss´, not rō´manss.
Roseate—rō´ze-at, not rōz´āte. Worcester gives rō´zhe-at also.
Roue (Fr. roué)—rōō-ā´, not rōō. Worcester gives rōō´ā.
S.
Sacerdotal—săs-er-dō´tal, not sā-ser-dō´tal, sā-ker-dō´tal nor săk-er-dō´tal.
Sacrament—săk´ra-ment, not sā´kra-ment. Sacramental (săk´ra-ment-al), etc.
Sacrifice—săk´rĭ-fīz, not săk´rĭ-fĭs nor săk´rĭ-fīse. Verb and noun the same. Sacrificing (săk´rĭ-fī-zĭng), etc.
Sacristan—săk´rist-an, not sā´krist-an nor sā-krĭs´tan. Sacristy (săk´rist-y).
Salam—sa-läm´, not sa-lăm´. Written salaam also, and pronounced similarly.
Saline—sa-līne´ or sā´līne, not sā-lēēn´. Worcester gives sa-līne´ only.
Salve—säv, not săv. Worcester gives sälv also.
Samaritan—sa-măr´i-tan, not sa-mā´ri-tan.
Sanitary, not sanatory, when pertaining to health is meant. Sanatory is more restricted in its application, and means healing; curative.
Saracen—săr´a-sen, not săr´a-ken.
Sarsaparilla—sär-sa-pa-rĭl´la, not săs-sa-pa-rĭl´la, nor sär-sa-fa-rĭl´la.
Satyr—sā´tur, according to Webster. Worcester gives săt´ir also.
Saucy—saw´sy, not sassy.
Said. Said (sĕd), not says (sĕz), in speaking of past remarks. Many of the most cultivated people are guilty of this vulgarism. "'I will call to see you soon,' sez he." "'I will be glad to see you at any time,' sez I." Where the details of a long conversation are given the frequent repetition of sez, or even said, is very grating to the refined ear. The use of asked, inquired, remarked, suggested, answered, replied, etc., instead, has a pleasing effect upon narrative or anecdote. It is preferable, also, to give the exact words of the speaker after said, etc., as: "When he had finished reading the letter, he said: 'I will attend to the business the first leisure moment I have.'" When the word that follows the said, the substance only of the remark may be given, as "He said that he would attend to the business the first leisure moment he had." Whichever form is used in narrative, it is not at all harmonious to give the exact words of one speaker and only the substance of the remarks of another, at least without regard to regularity in alternation.
Schism—sĭzm, not skĭsm.
Seckel, not sĭck-el. A kind of pear.
See. It is not uncommon to meet with people that incorrectly use see in the imperfect tense, as: "I see him yesterday," instead of, "I saw him yesterday." See is never used in any tense but the present, without an auxiliary, as did, shall, etc.
Seignior—sēn´yur, not sān´yor.
Seine—sēn, not sān. A net for catching fish.
Senile—sē´nīle, not sĕn´īle. Pertaining to old age.
Separate, not seperate. The loss of the a is not noticed in the pronunciation, but the mistake frequently occurs in writing this word as it does in the words inseparable, inseparableness, separation, etc.
Servile—sër´vĭl, not sër´vīle.
Set. Noun. There are many who incorrectly use sett in writing of a set of dishes, a set of chess-men, a set of teeth, or of some other collection of things of the same kind. A sett is a piece placed upon the head of a pile for striking upon, when the pile can not be reached by the weight or hammer.
Set—Sit. Blunders in the use of these words are amongst the most common we have. Set, as we shall first consider it, is a transitive verb, or one in which the action passes over to an object. Present tense, set; imperfect tense and past participle, set; present participle, setting. Sit is an intransitive verb, or one which has no object after it. Present tense, sit; imperfect tense and past participle, sat; present participle, sitting.
To avoid repetition as much as possible, I would refer any one to whom the explanation here given is not perfectly clear, to the rules and remarks under Lay and Raise, which are equally applicable here. "Will you set on this chair?" should be, "Will you sit on this chair?" "Will you set this chair in the other room?" is correct. "I set for my picture yesterday," should be, "I sat," etc. "This hat sets well," should be, "This hat sits well." "Court sets next month," should be, "Court sits next month." "The hen has been setting for a week," should be, "The hen has been sitting," etc. "As cross as a setting hen," should be, "As cross as a sitting hen." But a person may set a hen; that is, place her in position on eggs. One sits up in a chair, but he sets up a post. One sits down on the ground, but he sets down figures. Set is also an intransitive verb and has special meanings attached to it as such, but they may be readily understood by a little study of the dictionary, and no confusion need arise. The sun sets. Plaster of Paris sets. A setter dog sets. One sets out on a journey. Sit may also be used in two senses as a transitive verb, as: "The general sits his horse well," and "The woman sat herself down."
Sew—sō, not sū.
Shampoo, not shampoon. Shampooing. Written also champoo.
Shekel—shĕk´el, not shē´kel.
Shumac—shū´mak, not shū-mak´. Written also sumac and sumach, both accented on the first syllable.
Sick of, not sick with, as sick of a fever.
Sienna—si-ĕn´na, not senna, when paint is meant. Senna is a plant used as medicine.
Simultaneous—sī-mul-tā´ne-ous, not sĭm´ul-tā´ne-oŭs. Simultaneously (sī-mul-tā´ne-ous-ly), etc.
Since, not sence.
Sinecure—sī´ne-cure, not sĭn´e-cure. An office which yields revenue without labor.
Sit. See Sat.
Slake—slāke, not slăk, when the word is spelled as given, as: slaked lime, to slake one's thirst, etc. If spelled slack, the ordinary pronunciation is right.
Slough—slow, not slōō nor slō. A mudhole. Written sloo (slōō) also.
Slough—slŭf, not as above. The cast skin of a serpent. Dead flesh which separates from the living. The verb expressing this action is pronounced the same.
Sobriquet—so-bri-kā´, not written soubriquet. Worcester pronounces it sŏb´rē-kā´.
Soften—sŏf´fn, not sawf´ten.
Sonnet—sŏn´net, not sŭn´net.
Soot—sōōt or sŏŏt, not sŭt.
Soporific—sŏp-o-rĭf´ik, not sō-por-ĭf´ik.
Sotto voce—sŏt´tō vō´chā, not sŏt´to vōs´ nor sŏt´tō vō´sē.
Souse—souss, not sowze. To plunge into water.
Spasmodic, not spasmotic.
Spectacles—spĕk´ta-kls, not spĕk´tĭk´els.
Spermaceti—sperm-a-sē´tĭ, not sperm-a-çĭt´y.
Spider, not spiter.
Splenetic—splĕn´e-tic, not sple-nĕt´ic. Fretful; peevish.
Spoliation—spō-li-ā´tion, not spoil-a´tion.
Spurious—spū´ri-ous, not spŭr´i-oŭs. Spuriously (spū´ri-ous-ly), etc.
Statical—stăt´i-cal, not stā´ti-cal. Pertaining to bodies at rest.
Stationery, not stationary, when paper, envelopes, ink, etc., are meant.
Statue, not statute, when a carved image is meant.
Statute, not statue, when a law or decree is meant.
Stearine—stē´a-rĭn, not stĕr´ĭn.
Stereoscope (stē´re-o-scope), Stereotype (stē´re-o-type), etc., according to Webster; and stĕr´e-o-scope, stĕr´-e-o-type, etc., according to Worcester.
Stolid—stŏl´id, not stō´lid. Stupid; dull.
Stratum—strā´tum, not străt´um. Strata (strā´ta), the Latin plural is used much more than the English stratums. Errors like "a strata of gravel," are also not infrequently heard.
Strategic—stra-tē´jik, not străt´e-jĭk. Strategical (stra-tē´ji-cal) and strategist (străt´e-jist). Worcester gives stra-tĕj´ic and stra-tĕj´i-cal.
Strum or Thrum should be used, and not drum, when the noisy and unskillful fingering of a musical instrument is meant.
Stupendous—stu-pen´dŭs, not stu-pĕn´jŭs nor stu-pĕn´de-us.
Suavity—swăv´ĭ-ty, not swäv´ĭ-ty nor suăv´i-ty.
Subtraction, not substraction, when the act of deducting is meant. Substraction is a law term meaning the withholding of some right, for which, however, the word subtraction is also used. Subtract, not substract.
Subtile—sŭb´tĭl, not sŭt´tle.
Subtle—sŭt´tle, not sŭb´tle.
Suffice—sŭf-fīz´, not sŭf-fīs´.
Suicidal—sū-i-sī´dal, not sū-ĭs´i-dal. Worcester placed the principal accent on the first syllable.
Suite—sweet, not sūte. When the word suit is used, however, the latter pronunciation is correct.
Sulphurous—sŭl´phur-ŭs, not sul-phū´rŭs nor sŭl-phū´re-us. Sulphureous is another word.
Summoned, not summonsed.
Supersede, superseded, superseding. Observe the s in the penultimate. It is a common error to write supercede, etc.
Supposititious—sup-pos-i-tĭ´shus, not sup-po-sĭ´shus. Put by a trick in the place of another, as, a supposititious child, a supposititious record.
Surtout—sŭr-tōōt´, not sŭr-towt´ nor sŭr´tōōt.
Swath—swawth, not swawthe. Worcester gives swŏth. The sweep of the scythe in mowing.
Tabernacle—tăb´er-na-cle, not tăb´er-năk´cle.
Tapestry—tăp´es-try, not tā´pĕs-try.
Tarlatan—tär´la-tan, not tärl´tun. Tartan is a different material.
Tarpaulin—tär-paw´lin, not tär-pō´lin. Written also tarpauling and tarpawling.
Tartaric—tar-tăr´ic, not tar-tär´ic. Pertaining to or obtained from tartar, as tartaric acid.
Tassel—tăs´sel, not taw´sel. Worcester gives tŏs´sl also.
Tatterdemalion—tăt-ter-de-măl´ion, not tăt-ter-de-māl´ion.
Telegraphy—te-lĕg´ra-phy, not tĕl´e-grăph-y.
Telegraphist—te-lĕg´ra-phist, not tel´e-grăph-ist. A telegraphic operator. No such word as telegrapher is given.
Terpsichorean—terp-sĭk-o-rē´an, not terp-si-kō´re-an. Relating to Terpsichore (terp-sik´o-re), the muse who presided over dancing.
Tete-a-tete—tāt-ä-tāt´, not teet-ä-teet.
Theatre or theater—thē´a-ter, not the-ā´ter.
Threshold—thrĕsh´ōld, not thrĕz´ōld nor thrĕz´hold. Worcester gives thrĕsh´hold.
Thyme—tīm, not as spelled.
Tic-douloureux—tĭk´dōō-lōō-rōō´, not -dŏl-o-rōō´ nor -dō-lō-rōō´.
Tiny—tī´ny, not tee´ny nor tĭn´y.
Tolu—to-lū´, not tū´lū.
Tomato—to-mā´to or to-mä´to, not to-măt´o.
Topographic—tŏp-o-graph´ic, not tō-po-grăph´ic. Topographical and topographically have also the short o in the first syllable.
Tour—tōōr, not towr.
Tournament—tür´na-ment according to Webster. Worcester gives tōōr´na-ment also.
Toward and towards—tō´-ward and tō´wardz, not to-ward´ and to-wardz´.
Tragacanth—trăg´a-kănth, not trăj´a-sĭnth nor trăg´a-sănth. A gum used for mucilage.
Traverse—trăv´erse, not tra-verse´. Traversable, traversing and traversed have also the accent on the first syllable.
Tremendous—tre-mĕn´dŭs, not tre-mĕn´de-ŭs nor tre-mĕn´jŭs.
Trilobite—trī´lo-bīte, not trĭl´o-bīte nor trŏl´lo-bīte, as it is often called.
Troche—trō´kee, not trōsh, trō´she, trōke nor trŏtch. Plural, troches (trō´keez). A lozenge composed of sugar, mucilage and medicine, as: bronchial troches. Trochee—trō´kee, is a foot in poetry.
Truculent—trū´ku-lent, not trŭk´u-lent.
Truths—truths, not truthz, is the plural of truth.
Tryst—trĭst, not trīst. An appointment to meet. Tryster (trĭst´er), trysting (trĭst´ing).
Turbine—tür´bĭn, not tür´-bīne. A kind of water wheel.
U.
Umbrella—um-brĕl´la, not um-ber-rĕl´ nor um-ber-rĕl´la.
Upas—ū´păs, not ū´paw nor ū´pawz.
Usurp—yū-zurp´, not yū-surp´. Usurper (yū-zurp´er), etc.
V.
Vagary—va-gā´ry, not vā´-ga-ry.
Valenciennes—va-lĕn´si-ĕnz´, not văl-ĕn-seenz´. A French lace.
Valleys, not vallies, is the plural of valley.
Vamos (vä´mōs), or vamose (va-mōse´), not vam-moos´. To depart. (Inelegant.)
Vase, according to Webster; vāse or vāze, according to Worcester. The pronunciations väz and vawz are alluded to but not recommended.
Vehemence—vē´he-mence, not ve-hē´mence nor ve-hĕm´ence. Vehemently and vehement have also the accent on the first syllable.
Vermicelli—-vër-me-chĕl-lĭ or vër-me-sĕl´lĭ, not vêr-me-sĭl´ly. Worcester sanctions the first method only.
Veterinary—vĕt´er-ĭn-a-ry, not ve-tĕr´in-a-ry.
Vicar—vĭk´ar, not vī´kar. Vicarage and vicarship have also the short i in the first syllable.
Violent (vī´o-lent), violence (vī´o-lence), violet (vī´o-let), violin (vī-o-lĭn´), etc., not voi´o-lent, voi´o-lence, voi´o-let, voi-o-lin´, etc.
Viscount—vī´kount, not vĭs´kount. Viscountess (vī´kountess), etc.
Visor—vĭz´or, not vī´zor.
W.
Wake, etc. Wake is both a transitive and an intransitive verb. Present tense, wake; imperfect and past participle, waked; present participle, waking. Awake is also both transitive and intransitive. Present, awake; imperfect, awoke or awaked; participles, awaked and awaking. Awaken is another verb, both transitive and intransitive. Present, awaken; imperfect and past participle, awakened; present participle, awakening. Thus it is seen that we have a great many words to express the fact of being in a conscious state, and the arousing of a person who is asleep. With a little attention there is no reason for committing an error in the use of these words. One may say that he waked, awoke, or awakened early in the morning, but it is wrong to say that he woke in the morning, or that he woke another; for there is no such word as woke. "I wakened at five o'clock," should be, "I awakened at five o'clock;" for there is no such word as wakened. Up is used only with wake, waked and waking, but even then it is one of our most senseless superfluities. There is no stronger meaning in the assertion that a man was waked up, than that he was waked or awakened. If waking up meant to wake and make get up, it would be different, but it does not. One may be waked up and it is just as likely that he will go to sleep again as if he were simply awakened. Awake and awaken are more elegant words than wake.
Wassail—wŏs´sĭl, not wăs´sĭl. A festive occasion, carousal, the song sung at such a time, etc. The verb and the adjective are spelled and pronounced similarly.
Water—waw´ter, not wŏt´er.
Welsh, not Welch. The latter word is seldom used. Welshman, etc.
Whinny, not winny, when the cry of a horse is spoken of.
Whisk, not whist, when a small hand-broom is meant. Wisp, however, is a proper word, meaning the same thing.
Whiting is preferable to whitening.
Widow. It is not necessary to say widow woman; no one will suspect her of being a man.
Wrestle—rĕs´l, not răs´sl.
Y.
Yacht—yŏt, not yăt. Yachting (yŏt´ing), etc.
Yeast—yēst, not ēst.
Yellow—yĕl´lō, not yăl´lō.
Z.
Zoology—zo-ŏl´o-jy, not zōō-ŏl´o-jy. Zoological (zo-o-lŏj´i-cal), etc.
SCRIPTURAL, MYTHOLOGICAL AND
OTHER PROPER NAMES.
In the vocabulary just completed, it has been the design to point out the majority of errors occurring in the pronunciation of the words usually selected by people of fair or excellent education to carry on ordinary English discourse. In the portion of the work now under consideration, nothing like such thoroughness is contemplated.
After a moment's reflection, it will appear to any one, that to mention the thousands upon thousands of proper names, the erroneous pronunciation of which is rather to be expected than the correct, would require an elaborate volume. Every one who has striven to become a fine orthoepist has longed for the ability to comprehend the pronunciation of that myriad of names, any one of which is apt to confront him in any book or paper he may chance to pick up. But to become a proficient in this respect would require years of study and a knowledge of the principles of many foreign languages.
Amongst geographical names, for example, who but the specially instructed would think of pronouncing correctly Goes (hŏŏce), Gelves (hĕl´vĕs) or Jalapa (hä-lä´pä); or amongst biographical names, Gaj (gī), Geel (hāl) or Geijer (gī'er).
It is fortunate for the reputation of those who bear the name of being good scholars, that errors in the pronunciation of most proper names are excusable, which is not the case with the mistakes that have before been laid down. But there are some proper names, of such constant occurrence in daily lectures, reading and conversation, that errors connected with them are not to be overlooked. It is the intention here, simply to call attention to the more common of these, and to lead the reader to appreciate the fact that if one depends upon the usual power of the English letters to gain a correct pronunciation of proper names, he will be more often led astray than otherwise.
The Authorities consulted are the best—Webster, Worcester, Lippincott's Universal Pronouncing Dictionary of Biography and Mythology and Lippincott's Pronouncing Gazetteer of the World.