“That this was the cause of the disaster, was apparent to all.” Apparent is sometimes used in this sense. The word, however, is equivocal, as it denotes seeming, opposed to real; and obvious, opposed to doubtful or obscure. “I consider the difference between him and the two authors above mentioned, as more apparent than real.”—Campbell. Here apparent is opposed to real; and to this sense it would be right to confine it, as thus all ambiguity would be effectually prevented. “But there soon appeared very apparent reasons for James’s partiality.”—Goldsmith. Obvious, or evident, would unquestionably be preferable.
“How seldom, then, does it happen, that the mind does not find itself in similar circumstances? Very rare indeed.”—Trusler’s Preface to Synon. The adjective rare is here improperly used for the adverb. As the question, indeed, is adverbially proposed, it is somewhat surprising that the author should answer adjectively: it ought to be, “very rarely.”
“No man had ever less friends, and more enemies.” Less refers to quantity, fewer to number; it should be, “fewer friends.”
“The mind may insensibly fall off from this relish of virtuous actions, and by degrees exchange that pleasure, which it takes in the performance of its duty, for delights of a much more inferior and unprofitable nature.”—Addison. Inferior implies comparison, but it is grammatically a positive. When one thing is, in any respect, lower than another, we say, “it is inferior to it;” and if a third thing were still lower, we should say, “it is still more inferior.” But the author is comparing only two subjects; he should therefore have said, “of a much inferior, and more unprofitable nature.” The expression “more preferable” is for the same reason faulty, unless when two degrees of excess are implied.
The adjectives agreeable, suitable, conformable, independent, consistent, relative, previous, antecedent, and many others, are often used, where their several derivative adverbs would be more properly employed; as, “he lives agreeable to nature,” “he wrote to me previous to his coming to town,” “tolerable good,” “he acted conformable to his promise.” It is worthy of remark, however, that the idiom of our language is not repugnant to some of these phraseologies; a circumstance which many of our grammarians have overlooked, if we may judge from the severity with which they have condemned them. If I say, “he acted according to nature,” the expression is deemed unobjectionable: but is not according a participle, or, perhaps, here more properly a participial? “He acted contrary to nature” is also considered as faultless; but is not contrary an adjective? Were we to reason on abstract principles, or to adopt what is deemed the preferable phraseology, we should say, “contrarily” and “accordingly to nature.” This, however, is not the case. “Contrary to nature,” “according to nature,” and many similar phraseologies, are admitted as good: why, then, is “conformable to nature,” an expression perfectly analogous, so severely condemned? Johnson has, indeed, uselessly enough, in my opinion, called according a preposition; fearful, however, of error, he adds, it is properly a participle, for it is followed by to. According is always a participle, as much as agreeing, and can be nothing else. Because secundum in Latin is termed a preposition, hence some have referred according to the same species of words. With equal propriety might in the power of be deemed a preposition, because penes in Latin is so denominated. Now, if “he acted contrary to nature” and “according to nature” be deemed unexceptionable expressions, with many others of the same kind, which might be adduced, it follows that, “he acted agreeable,” “conformable,” “suitable to nature,” may plead in their favour these analogous phraseologies. I offer these observations, in order to show that, misled by abstract reasonings, or by the servile imitation of another language, we sometimes hastily condemn, as altogether inadmissible, modes of expression, which are not repugnant to our vernacular idiom. I would not, however, be understood to mean, that the adverb is not, in these cases, much to be preferred, when it can be employed consistently with good usage. For, if we say, “he acts agreeable to the laws of reason,” the question is, who or what is agreeable? the answer, according to the strict construction of the sentence, is he; but it is not he, but his mode of acting, of which the accordance is predicated; agreeably is, therefore, the preferable term.
I observe also, that, wherever the adjective is employed to modify the meaning of another adjective, it becomes particularly exceptionable, and can scarcely, indeed, plead aught in its favour, as, “indifferent good,” “tolerable strong,” instead of “indifferently good,” and “tolerably strong.” The following phraseology is extremely inelegant, and is scarcely admissible on any principle of analogy: “Immediately consequent to the victory, Drogheda was invested.”—Belsham’s History. What was consequent? Grammatically “Drogheda.”
“No other person, besides my brother, visited me to-day.” Here the speaker means to say that no person, besides his brother, visited him to-day; but his expression implies two exceptions from none, the terms other and besides each implying one, and can, therefore, be correct on this supposition only, that some one besides his brother had visited him. It should be rather, “no person besides.”
“The old man had, some fifty years ago, been no mean performer on the vielle.”—Sterne. This phraseology appears to me very objectionable; and can be proper in no case, except when the date of the period is to be expressed as uncertain. The word some should be cancelled. We may say, “I was absent some days,” because the period is indefinite; but to say, “I was absent some five days,” either involves an incongruity, representing a period as at once definite and indefinite; or denotes “some five days or other,” a meaning which the expression is rarely intended to signify.
“Brutus and Aruns killed one another.” It should be, “each other:” “one another” is applied to more than two. “The one the other” would be correct, though inelegant.
“It argued the most extreme vanity.”—Hume. Extreme is derived from a Latin superlative, and denotes “the farthest,” or “greatest possible:” it cannot, therefore, be compared.