Administer.—The man died from blows administered by the policeman. Oaths, medicine, affairs of state are administered. Blows are dealt.
Affect, Effect.—To affect means to influence or to pretend. To effect means to bring about. “He affected intoxication.” “He affected the audience strongly.” “I shall effect a reform.”
Afraid.—The adjective afraid should not be used for the verb fear; thus: we say, “I am afraid of fire,” but “I fear I cannot go,” not “I am afraid I cannot go.”
Aggravate means to heighten, intensify, or make worse. Do not use it for annoy or provoke.
Ain’t.—This is illiterately employed as a contraction for are not, am not, is not. Even as a contraction of am not it is censured by many critics, the form I’m not being universally preferred. “Am I not?” is required in interrogative sentences.
Allow.—This word is frequently misused for think, as “I allow that I shall go to town.” Say, “I think that,” etc.
Allude means to refer to indirectly, and not the same as mention. “By mentioning his lifelong companion he alluded to his wife.”
Almost.—Careless speakers sometimes err in saying most for almost, as, for example, “I have read most all the books in the library,” for “almost all.”
Among and Between.—Among is distributive, and may apply to any number more than two; between is used of only two persons or things; as, “They discussed this among themselves;” “This is between us two.”
Among One Another.—“Among one another” is censured by critics, “with one another,” or “among themselves” being suggested as preferable.