Lit, Lighted, Alighted
“He lighted the candle.” “The crow alighted on the top of the tree.” Avoid the use of lit in such cases, and also that slang form, as, “I lit on a beautiful passage in Browning,” in the sense of met with.
Lend, Loan
“Will you lend me your book,” is better than “Will you loan me your book.”
“James is not near so good a scholar as his brother is.” Use nearly.
Nasty, Nice
Nasty is a strong adjective, and should be used only in reference to what is offensively filthy, foul, or defiled. Such expressions as a nasty day, a nasty rain, mark a loose and careless use of the word.
The word nice once meant foolish, ignorant, weak, effeminate. It has now come to mean exact, fine, finished, exciting admiration on account of skill or exactness; as nice proportions, nice workmanship, a nice distinction in philosophy. It is loosely and colloquially used in application to what is pleasing, agreeable, delightful, good.
A bright young lady was once asked, “Don’t you think nice is a nasty word?” She replied, “And do you think nasty is a nice word.” The subject was abruptly changed.