Last; latter. We say latter of two, in preference to last; but last of three.
Lay; lie. We lay a thing down, but we ourselves lie down; we say, “He laid the Bible on the table,” but “He lay down on the couch;” “The coat has been laid away,” and “It has lain in the drawer.” Lay, laid, laid——takes an object; lie, lay, lain——does not.
Learn. Never used as an active verb with an object, a in “I learned him his letters.” We say, “He learned his letters,” and “I taught him his letters.”
Learned. “A learned man”——pronounce learn-ed with two syllables; but “He has learned his lesson”——one syllable.
Like. Do not say, “Do like I do.” Use as when a conjunction is required.
Lives. Do not say, “I had just as lives as not,” but “I had just as Lief.”
Lot. Does not mean many, as in “a lot of men,” but one division, as, “in that lot.”
Lovely. Do not overwork this word. A rose may be lovely, but hardly a plate of soup.
Mad. We prefer to say angry if we mean out of temper.
Mistaken. Some critics insist that it is wrong to say “I am mistaken” when we mean “I mistake.”