170. “He was tired of the dust of the town, and flew to the pure air of the country:” say, fled. Flew is part of the verb to fly; fled, of to flee.
171. “The first edition was not as well printed as the present:” say, so well, &c.
172. “The Unabridged Dictionary was his greatest work, it being the labor of a life-time:” pronounce Dictionary as if written Dik-shun-a-ry; not, as is too commonly the practice, Dixonary.
173. “I should feel sorry to be beholding to him:” say, beholden.
174. “He is a despicable fellow, and such an epitaph is strictly applicable to him:” never place the accent in despicable and applicable on the second syllable, but always on the first.
175. “Some disaster has certainly befell him:” say, befallen.
176. Carefully distinguish between sergeant and serjeant: both are pronounced sarjant, but the former is used in a military sense, and the latter applied to a lawyer. These distinctions are, however, observed chiefly in England.
177. “She is a pretty creature:” never pronounce creature like creetur.
178. The following expression would be of special significance on coming from a surgeon or anatomist: “Desiring to know your friend better, I took him apart to converse with him.” It has been said that two persons who take each other apart, frequently do so for the express purpose of putting their heads together.
179. “I am very wet, and must go and change myself:” say, change my clothes.