"He laid upon the bed," then, is incorrect, for the verb has no object. It should be: "He lay upon the bed." But, "He laid himself upon the bed," would be correct, for there is an objective case, himself, supplied. "Let these papers lay," should be, "Let these papers lie." "The ship lays at anchor," should be, "The ship lies at anchor." "The ship laid at anchor," should be, "The ship lay at anchor." "They have laid in wait for you," should be, "They have lain in wait for you." "This trunk is laying in our way," should be, "This trunk is lying in our way." Errors connected with the use of these verbs are more common, probably, than any others in our language, being detected in the conversation and writings of many of the best educated people. Attention to the above rules, and a few trial sentences in the different moods, tenses, numbers and persons, ought to make the selection of the proper word so simple, that persons should seldom make mistakes.

Learn. Learning is done by the scholar or student, and teaching by the instructor. "She will learn me how to play," should be, "She will teach me how to play," etc.

Leasing—leez´ing, not lēs´ing. An obsolete word meaning falsehood; lying. "Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing."—Bible.

Leg. Of late years there has become quite popular a prudish notion that it is indelicate to say leg when one of the limbs that supports the human body is meant, limb being preferred instead. Leg is certainly a less euphonious word than limb, and if the latter had the same signification attached to it, there would be no objection to its employment; but limb means arm just as much as it does leg. There is nothing immodest in the sound or meaning of the word leg; if there were, it would be well to speak of the limb of a table, a limb of mutton, or a three limbed stool; and the mention of such words as legacy or legate should cause the blush to rise to our cheeks. The very use of the word limb indicates what is passing in the mind of the speaker—a thought of leg, an indelicate meaning attached to it, and a fear to speak the word. The mind of the listener is affected similarly and the result is that a conversation intended to be perfectly pure, has a slight stain left upon it. If we could pass through life without ever finding it necessary to speak of our legs to strangers, there would be no danger of compromising ourselves; but run-away and other accidents are constantly occurring in which legs are broken or otherwise injured. When a surgeon is called, if he is told that a limb is injured, he has one chance in four of guessing the riddle. It is not always safe to trifle thus with some of the serious, practical old followers of Esculapius. Before now they have given such rebukes as to make people ashamed that they did not say leg in the first place; or they have left the bedside abruptly with such a remark as: "When you find out whether it is your arm or your leg, send for me again." If people will persist in using limb for leg, it is to be hoped that they will adopt some adjective prefix to remove all ambiguity. How would north-east, south-east, etc., do? Any one informed that the south-east limb was fractured, would know at once that it was the right leg.

Legate—lĕg´ate, not lē´gāte.

Legendary—lĕj´end-a-ry, not lē´jĕnd-a-ry.

Leisure—lē´zhur, not lĕzh´ur, nor lā´zhur. Leisurely (lē´zhur-ly).

Length, not lĕnth. Every letter is sounded, also, in lengthy, lengthen, lengthiness, etc.

Lenient—lē´ni-ent, not lĕn´i-ent. Leniently (lē´ni-ent-ly), etc.

Lethe—lē´the, not lēth; the th is as in both. The mythological and poetical name of a river of the infernal region, the drinking of a portion of which caused forgetfulness of the past.

Lethean—lē-thē´an, not lē´the-an.

Let's. It should be remembered that let's is really let us, the apostrophe denoting the elision of the u. Such expressions then as: "let's us go," "let's him and me go," should he, "let us go" (or let's go), and "let him and me go;" for who wishes to say "let us us go," or "let us him and me go."

Leverage—lĕv´er-aje, not lē´ver-aje.

Licorice—lĭk´o-rĭs, not lĭk´er-ĭsh.

Lie. See Lay.

Lien—lē´en or lī´en, not leen. A charge upon property for the satisfaction of a debt.

Lighted is preferable to lĭt as the imperfect tense and past participle of light. "He lighted the gas," instead of, "He lit the gas." "I have lighted the fire," instead of, "I have lit the fire." The same remarks apply to the imperfect and participle of light taken as an intransitive verb. "The bird has lighted upon the tree," instead of, "has lit upon the tree." Lit is condemned as common.

Lithographer—lĭ-thog´ra-pher, not lĭth´o-grăph-er, nor lī-thŏg´ra-pher. Lithography (lĭ-thŏg´ra-phy).

Loath—lōth, not lŏth; the th is as in both. Reluctant. Written sometimes loth. The verb is loathe, with the th as in breathe.

Lyceum—lī-sē´um, not lī´se-um.

 

M.

Machiavelian—măk-i-a-vēl´ian, not măsh-i-a-vĕl´ian. pertaining to Machiavel; politically cunning.

Mad. In the sense of provoked, wrathful or indignant, angry is generally considered the more appropriate word. "Mad as a March hare," is an indelicate term that should not be used on account of its origin.

Madame—mä-däm´, not măd´am.

Magna Charta—magna kär´ta, not magna chär´ta.

Manes—mā´nēz, not mānz. The souls of the dead.

Manor—măn´or, not mā´nor.

Marigold—măr´i-gold, not mā´ri-gold.

Matin—măt´in, not mā´tin.

Matins—măt´inz, not mā´tinz.

Mattress—măt´tress, not ma-trăss´. Written also matress and pronounced as the first.

Meaw—mū, not meyow. To cry like a cat.

Mediocre—me´di-ō-ker, not mē-di-ō´ker, nor mē-di-ŏk´er.

Melange—mā-lŏngzh´, not me-lănj´.

Melanotype—me-lăn´o-type, not me-lān´o-type.

Melodrama—mĕl-o-drā´ma, not mĕl-o-drăm´a, nor mĕl-o-drä´ma.

Memoir—mĕm´wor or mēm´wor, according to Webster; Worcester gives mē-moir´ or mĕm´wär.

Mesdames—mā-däm´, not mĕz-dāmes´.

Metallurgy—mĕt´al-lur-jy, not me-tăl´lur-jy.

Metaphor. The failure to distinguish between metaphors and similes, is a very common mistake. In a metaphor the resemblance is implied without any words to show the similarity; as soon as the latter are added it becomes a simile. "Hope is an anchor," and "Judah is a lion's whelp" are metaphors. "Hope is like an anchor," and "Judah is like a lion's whelp" are similes.

Metrical—mĕt´rik-al, not mē´trik-al.

Mezzo—mĕd´zō or mĕt´zō, not mĕz´zō. An Italian word meaning middle; not extreme. Mezzo-soprano (mĕd´zo-so-prä´no); between contralto and soprano; said of the voice of a female singer. Mezzotinto, etc.

Microscope—mī´kro-scope, not mĭk´ro-scope. Microscopic (mī-kro-scŏp´ic). Microscopy (mī-kros´co-py).

Mien—meen, not māne.

Mineralogy—min-er-al´o-jy, not min-er-ŏl´o-jy.

Minuet—mĭn´ū-et, not mĭn-ū-ĕt´. A dance.

Mischievous—mĭs´che-vŭs, not mĭs-chē´vŭs, nor mis-chē´ve-us. Mischievously and mischievousness are also accented on the first syllable.

Modulate. This word is often used incorrectly instead of moderate in such sentences as: "Modulate your voice," when it is meant to command or request that the tone be moderated or lowered. Modulate means to vary or inflect in a musical manner, and although the word might often be used with propriety in such sentences as the above, yet it is not always what is meant by the speaker. A person's voice may be perfectly modulated and yet the tone may be so high that it is desirable, upon certain occasions, to have it moderated.

Moire—mwôr, not mōre nor mō´re. Moire antique (mwor ăn-tēk´).

Molasses. It may seem incredible to those who have never heard the error I am about to mention, that such a ridiculous blunder could occur. I should hardly have believed it myself, if I had only heard of it; but I was once in a portion of the country where all the people for miles around spoke of molasses as if it were a plural noun, and I frequently heard such remarks as the following: "These molasses are very good; they are the best I have seen for some time." I once began to remonstrate with one of the champions of the plurality of the treacle, and insisted that he should say, "this molasses" and, "it is good," etc.; but it was of no avail. He insisted that the word was analogous to ashes, and if one was plural so was the other. There was no good dictionary or other reliable authority in the neighborhood, as might be imagined from what has been said, so they were left happy in their ignorance.

Monad—mŏn´ad, not mō´nad. An ultimate atom.

Monogram—mŏn´o-gram, not mō´no-gram.

Monograph—mŏn´o-graph, not mō´no-graph.

Monomania—mŏn-o-mā´nia, not mō-no-mā´nia. Monomaniac (mŏn-o-mā´ni-ac).

Moor—mōōr, not mōre. An extensive waste; a heath. Moor, the name of a native of North Africa, is similarly pronounced.

Morale—mo-räl´, not mŏr´āle nor mō-răl´.

Mountainous—mount´ain-ous, not moun-tā´ni-oŭs.

Multiplication—mŭl-ti-pli-cā´tion, not mŭl-ti-pi-cā´tion.

Murrain—mŭr´rĭn, not mŭr´rāne. A disease among cattle.

Museum—mu-zē´um, not mū´ze-um.

Mushroom, not mush-roon.

Musk-melon, not mush-melon; but anything before mush-million.

Mussulmans, not musselmen, is the plural of Mussulman.

Mythology—mĭ-thŏl´o-jy, not mī-thŏl´o-jy.

 

N.

Naiad—nā´yad, not nā´ĭd nor nā´ăd. A water nymph.

Nainsook—nān-sōōk´, not năn-sōōk´. A kind of muslin.

Naive—nä´ēv, not nāve nor näve. Natural; artless.

Naivete—nä´ēv-tā, not nā-vēte´ nor nā-vē´ta.

Nape—nāp, not năp. The back part of the neck.

Nasal—nā´zal, not nā´sal nor năs´al.

Nasturtium or Nasturtion, not asturtion.

Negligee—nĕg-li-zhā´, not nĕg-li-jē´, nor nĕg´li-zhā.

Newspaper—nūz´pā-per, not nūs´pā-per.

Niche—nĭch, not nĭck, when a concave recess in a wall for an ornament is meant. If a piece is chopped roughly out of anything, it is a nick. Nick of time, not niche of time, when a critical moment is meant; but in figurative language there is no doubt that the phrase "niche of time," may be appropriately used. A great event may be said to stand in a niche of time as an example for coming ages.

Nomad—nŏm´ad, not nō´-mad. One of a wandering tribe. Written nomade (nŏm´ade) also.

Nomenclature—no-men-clā´ture, not nō´men-clātūre.

Nominative, not nom-a-tive.

Nonillion—nō-nĭll´ion, not nŏn-ĭll´ion.

Nook—nōōk, as given by Webster. Worcester sanctions both nōōk and nŏŏk.

Notable—nŏt´a-ble, not nō´ta-ble, when it is applied to a person distinguished for thrift, management, care, etc.; as a notable housekeeper.

Nymphean—nĭm-fē´an, not nĭmf´e-an. Relating to nymphs.

 

O.

Obesity—o-bĕs´i-ty, not o-bē´si-ty.

Obligatory—ŏb´li-ga-to-ry, not ŏb-lĭg´a-to-ry.

Often—ŏf´n, not ŏf´tĕn.

Omega—o-mē´ga or o-mĕg´a, not ŏm´e-ga. Worcester allows the first only.

Onerous—ŏn´er-ous, not ō´ner-oŭs.

Only—ōn´ly, not ŭn´ly.

Onyx—ō´nyx, not ŏn´yx.

Opal—ō´-pal, not ō-păl´ nor ō-pawl´.

Opponent—op-pō´nent, not ŏp´po-nent.

Ordnance, not ordinance, when cannon, artillery, etc., are intended. Ordinance is a rule established by authority.

Orgeat—ôr´zhat or ôr´zhā, not ôr´je-at. Worcester gives ôr´zhat.

Orthoepy—ôr´tho-e-py, not ôr-thō´e-py.

Orthoepist—ôr´tho-e-pist, not ôr-thō´e-pist.

Overflowed, not overflown.

 

P.

Palaver—pa-lä´ver, not pa-lăv´er.

Pall-mall—pĕl-mĕl´, not pawl-mawl´. The name of a game formerly played in England; and the name of a street in London. Written also pail-mail and pell-mell, both pronounced as above. Pell-mell used as an adverb means mixed together in a disorderly manner; but one person can not rush pell-mell.

Papaw—pa-paw´, not pŏp´paw as commonly called. Written also pawpaw.

Papyrus—pa-pī´rus, not păp´i-rŭs. A material used for writing upon by the ancients, made from the inner bark of a plant.

Parent—pâr´ent, not pā´rent.

Parisian—pa-rĭz´ian, not pa-rĭsh´ian nor pa-rĭss´ian. Worcester gives pa-rĭzh´i-an.

Paroquet—păr´o-quet, not păr-o-kĕt´.

Parquet—pär-kā´ or pär-kĕt´. Worcester allows pär-kā´ only.

Parquette—pär-ket´, not pär-kā´.

Partner, not pardner.

Partridge, not pattrij.

Patent. The adjective is pronounced either păt´ent or pā´tent. When used as a verb or a noun it is pronounced păt´ent.

Patois—păt-wŏ´, not păt´wŏ nor păt-waw´.

Patriot—pā´tri-ot, not păt´ri-ot. Patriotic, patriotism, etc., have also the long a. Worcester gives the same with the exception of patriotic, which he pronounces both pā´tri-ot-ic and păt´ri-ot-ic.

Patron—pā´tron, not păt´ron. Patroness and patronless have also the long a.

Patronize—păt´ron-īze, not pā´tron-īze.

Patronage—păt´ron-aje, not pā´tron-aje.

Pease, not peas, when an uncounted quantity is referred to, as: a bushel of pease, a plateful of pease, some more pease, etc. Peas when a certain number is mentioned, as: a dozen peas, fifty peas, etc.

Pedal—pĕd´al, not pē´dal, when that portion of a piano or harp that is acted upon by the feet, is meant. Pē´dal is an adjective, and means pertaining to the above, or to a foot.

Perfect. I have selected this as the representative of a class of adjectives that, strictly speaking, do not admit of comparison. I have noticed, invariably, that those who appear to be so anxious to correct the error of giving degrees of comparison to a few stereotyped words of this class, such as round, square, universal, chief, extreme, etc., are singularly remiss in calling attention to a great many other mistakes of the same kind that are equally prominent. Amongst the latter may be mentioned the comparison of correct, complete, even, level, straight, etc. It will be admitted that if anything is perfect it can not be more so; and as soon as it is less so it fails to be perfect at all. So, if anything is correct it is perfectly free from error; it can not be made more correct, and if its correctness is detracted from, it is not quite correct any longer. A straight line is one that does not vary from a perfectly direct course in the slightest degree; it can not be straighter and if it could be less straight, it would be curved. It is ridiculous for any one to insist upon a national reformation of a few such errors, and suffer a hundred others just like them to exist without remonstrance. Either nearer and nearest, more nearly, and most nearly, and the like, should be substituted for the degrees of comparison and used with all such words; or people should treat them as all other adjectives, just as the best writers and speakers have always done. The former course is the more desirable; the latter is certainly the more probable.

Perfidious—per-fĭd´i-ous, not pĕr´fĭd-oŭs. Worcester allows per-fĭd´yŭs in addition to the first.

Peony—pē´o-ny) Pæony (pē´o-ny) or Piony (pī´o-ny) not pī´ny as often called. A flower.

Perambulate, not preambulate.

Period—pē´ri-od, not pĕr´i-od. Periodic, Periodical, etc., have also the long e.

Perspire, not prespire.

Perspiration, not prespiration.

Persuade. This word carries with it the idea of success in one's endeavors to convince or induce. "I persuaded him for a long time, but he would not grant my request," should be, "I tried to persuade him," etc.

Petrel—pĕt´rel, not pē´trel. A bird. Worcester allows the latter also.

Phaeton—phā´et-on, not phā'te-on. A vehicle.

Pharmaceutist—fär-ma-sū´tĭst, not fär-mā-kū´tist nor fär-mā´kū-tist.

Pharmacopœia—fär-ma-co-pē´ya, not fär-mā-cō´pi-a.

Piano—pi-ä´no, not pī-ăn´o. Worcester allows pĭ-ăn´o.

Piano-forte—pĭ-ä´no-fōr´tā, not pī-ăn´o-fōrt. Worcester sanctions pĭ-ä´no-fōr´te, pĭ-ăn´o-fôr-te, and remarks in parenthesis, often pe-ăn´o-fōrt; but the last pronunciation is evidently not preferred.

Pilaster—pĭ-lăs´ter, not pĭl´as-ter. A square pillar set into a wall and projecting slightly.

Piquant—pĭk´ant, not pĭk´wănt nor pēk´wănt. Piquantly (pĭk´ant-ly), etc.

Placard—pla-kärd´, not plăk´ard.

Placid—plăs´id, not plā´sid. Placidly and placidness have also the short a.

Plait—plāt, not plăt nor plēt. A braid; or to braid. Plat (plăt) is a proper word, however, having the same meanings, but the difference in pronunciation must be observed, when the spelling is as above. Plait, meaning a fold of cloth, as in a shirt bosom, is also pronounced plāt. How common an error it is to speak of the pleets when alluding to such folds.

Platina—plăt´i-na or pla-tē´na, not pla-tī´na nor pla-tĭn´a. Worcester allows plăt´i-na only.

Platinum—plăt´i-num or pla-tī´num, not pla-tē´num nor pla-tĭn´um. Worcester gives plăt´i-num only.

Plebeian—ple-bē´ian, not plē´bi-an. Ple-bŏn´, as some pronounce it, is outrageous, neither French, English, nor Hottentot.

Plenary—plē´na-ry, not plĕn´a-ry. Full; entire. Worcester gives both methods.

Poetaster—pō´et-ăs-ter, not pō´et-tāst-er. A petty poet.

Poniard—pŏn´yard, not poin´yard.

Posthumous—pŏst´hu-mous, not pōst´hu-moŭs nor pŏst-ū´moŭs. Posthumously (pŏst´hu-mous-ly).

Potable—pō´ta-ble, not pŏt´a-ble. Drinkable.

Potheen—po-theen´, not pŏt-teen´. When spelled potteen, however, as it may be correctly, the latter pronunciation is proper.

Prairie—prā´ry, not per-rā´ry.

Prebendary—prĕb´end-a-ry, not prē´bend-a-ry. A clergyman of a collegiate or cathedral church, who enjoys a prebend.

Prebend—prĕb´end, not prē´bend. A stipend.

Precedence—pre-sē´dence, not prĕs´e-dence. Precedency and precedently, have the second syllable accented also.

Precedent—pre-sē´dent, not prĕs´e-dent. An adjective meaning antecedent.

Precedent—prĕs´e-dent, not pre-sē´dent nor prē´se-dent. A noun meaning an example or preceding circumstance. Precedented and unprecedented have also the short e.

Precocious—pre-kō´shus, not pre-kŏsh´ŭs. Precociously and precociousness have also the long o.

Predatory—prĕd´a-to-ry, not prē´da-tory. Plundering; pillaging.

Predecessor—prĕd-e-cĕs´sor, not prē-de-cĕs´sor.

Preface—prĕf´ace, not prē´face. Prefatory (prĕf´a-to-ry).

Prejudice, not predudice.

Prelate—prĕl´ate, not prē´-late.

Presage, not prestige, when something is meant that foreshows a future event; an omen. "This is a presage of victory."

Prescription, not perscription.

Prestige, not presage, when it is meant that some one carries weight or influence from past deeds or successes. "The prestige of the hero's name was half the battle."

Presentiment—pre-sent´i-ment, not pre-zent´i-ment.

Pretty—prĭt´ty, not prĕ´ty. Prettily (prĭt´ti-ly), etc.

Preventive, not preventative.

Primeval—prī-mē´val, not prĭm´e-val.

Process—prŏs´ess, not prō´sess.

Prodigy, not projidy.

Produce—prŏd´uce, not prō´dūce. The noun; the verb is pro-dūce´.

Product—prŏd´uct, not prō´duct.

Progress—prŏg´ress, not pro´gress. Noun; the verb is pro-gress´.

Prosody—prŏs´o-dy, not prō´so-dy nor prŏz´o-dy.

Protean—prō´te-an, not pro-tē´an. Assuming different shapes.

Protege (Fr. protégé)—prō-tā-zhā´, not prō´tēje. One under the care of another. Protegee (Fr. protégée)—prō-tā-zhā´, feminine.

Psalm—säm, not săm. Psalmist (säm´ist). Worcester gives săm´ist also for the latter word.

Psalmody—săl´mo-dy, not säm´o-dy nor săm-o-dy.

Psychical—sī´kĭk-al, not sĭk´ĭk-al nor fĭz´ĭk-al, as it is sometimes thoughtlessly pronounced in reading. Pertaining to the human soul.

Pumpkin, not punkin. Pumpkin itself is a corruption of pumpion or pompion, but is the word that is now generally used.

Purulent—pū´ru-lent, not pŭr´u-lent. Containing pus or matter. Purulence and purulency have also the long u in the first syllable.

Put—pŏŏt, not pŭt. This anomalous pronunciation is hard for some to adopt, the natural tendency being to sound the u as it is in a host of other words consisting of two consonants with a short u between them, as: bun, but, cut, dug, fun, gun, hut, nut, etc.

Pyrites—pī-rī´tez, not pe-rī´tez, pĭr´i-tez nor pī´rītez.

 

Q.

Qualm—kwäm, not kwăm. Worcester allows kwawm also.

Quay—kē, not kwā.

Querulous, means complaining, whining, etc., and not questioning.

Quinine—kwī´nīne or kwĭ-nīne´, not kwi-neen´. Worcester gives kwĭ-nīne´ or kwĭn´īne.

 

Quoit—kwoit, not kwāte.

Quoth—kwōth or kwŭth, not kwŏth.

 

R.

Rabies—rā´bi-ēz, not răb´ēz. Madness, as that of dogs.

Radish—răd´ish, not rĕd-ish.

Raillery—răl´ler-y, not rāl´ler-y. Slight ridicule; pleasantry.

Raise—Rise. Raise is a transitive verb, or one in which the action passes over to an object. Present tense, raise; imperfect tense and past participle, raised; present participle, raising. Rise is an intransitive verb, the action not passing over to an object. Present tense, rise; imperfect tense, rose; past participle, risen; present participle, rising. Errors in the use of these words ought to be avoided by remembering the following rules:

Rampant—răm´pant, not ram-pant´.

Rapine—răp´ĭn, not răp´een nor rā-peen´.

Raspberry—răz´ber-ry, not răss´ber-ry nor rawz´ber-ry. Worcester gives raz´ber-ry and räs´ber-ry.

Rational—răsh´un-al, not rā-shun-al. Rationalist (răsh´un-al-ĭst), etc.

Recess—re-cĕss´, not rē´cĕss.

Recherche (Fr. recherché)—rŭh-shêr-shā´, not re-shersh´. Worcester gives rā-sher-shā´.

Recluse—re-kluse´, not re-kluze´.

Reconnoissance—re-cŏn´noĭs-sänçe, not rek-on-nois´sançe. Worcester gives re-cŏn´noĭs-sänçe´. Reconnaissance is another method of spelling.

Recriminations, not mutual recriminations; the word itself tells of the mutuality.

Redolent—rĕd´o-lent, not redō´lent. Diffusing odor or fragrance.

Relevant, not revelant. Pertinent; applicable.

Relic, not relict, when that which remains, a corpse, or anything preserved in remembrance, is meant. Relict means a widow.

Rendezvous—rĕn´de-vōō, not rŏn´de-vōō nor rĕn´de-vōōz. Worcester gives rĕn´de-vōō and rĕn´de-vōōz. The plural is rendezvouses (rĕn´de-vōōz-ez).

Requiem—rē´kwi-em, not rĕk´wĭ-em. Worcester gives both pronunciations.

Resume (Fr. résumé)—rā-zū-mā´, not re-zūme´ nor re-zū´mā. Worcester gives rez-u-mā´.

Reticule, not ridicule, when a little bag of net-work is meant.

Reveille—re-vāl´yā, not rev-a-lē´. Worcester gives the first and re-vāl´.

Ribald—rĭb´ald, not rī´bald. Low; obscene. Ribaldry (rĭb´ald-ry).

Rinse—rĭnss, not rĕnse nor wrĕnch. "Wrench your mouth," said an uneducated dentist to a patient after wrenching out a large molar. "Thank you," replied the patient. "You have done that, but I'll rinse it, if you please."

Ripples, not riffles.

Romance—ro-manss´, not rō´manss.

Roseate—rō´ze-at, not rōz´āte. Worcester gives rō´zhe-at also.

Roue (Fr. roué)—rōō-ā´, not rōō. Worcester gives rōō´ā.

 

S.

Sacerdotal—săs-er-dō´tal, not sā-ser-dō´tal, sā-ker-dō´tal nor săk-er-dō´tal.

Sacrament—săk´ra-ment, not sā´kra-ment. Sacramental (săk´ra-ment-al), etc.

Sacrifice—săk´rĭ-fīz, not săk´rĭ-fĭs nor săk´rĭ-fīse. Verb and noun the same. Sacrificing (săk´rĭ-fī-zĭng), etc.

Sacristan—săk´rist-an, not sā´krist-an nor sā-krĭs´tan. Sacristy (săk´rist-y).

Salam—sa-läm´, not sa-lăm´. Written salaam also, and pronounced similarly.

Saline—sa-līne´ or sā´līne, not sā-lēēn´. Worcester gives sa-līne´ only.

Salve—säv, not săv. Worcester gives sälv also.

Samaritan—sa-măr´i-tan, not sa-mā´ri-tan.

Sanitary, not sanatory, when pertaining to health is meant. Sanatory is more restricted in its application, and means healing; curative.

Saracen—săr´a-sen, not săr´a-ken.

Sarsaparilla—sär-sa-pa-rĭl´la, not săs-sa-pa-rĭl´la, nor sär-sa-fa-rĭl´la.

Satyr—sā´tur, according to Webster. Worcester gives săt´ir also.

Saucy—saw´sy, not sassy.

Said. Said (sĕd), not says (sĕz), in speaking of past remarks. Many of the most cultivated people are guilty of this vulgarism. "'I will call to see you soon,' sez he." "'I will be glad to see you at any time,' sez I." Where the details of a long conversation are given the frequent repetition of sez, or even said, is very grating to the refined ear. The use of asked, inquired, remarked, suggested, answered, replied, etc., instead, has a pleasing effect upon narrative or anecdote. It is preferable, also, to give the exact words of the speaker after said, etc., as: "When he had finished reading the letter, he said: 'I will attend to the business the first leisure moment I have.'" When the word that follows the said, the substance only of the remark may be given, as "He said that he would attend to the business the first leisure moment he had." Whichever form is used in narrative, it is not at all harmonious to give the exact words of one speaker and only the substance of the remarks of another, at least without regard to regularity in alternation.

Schism—sĭzm, not skĭsm.

Seckel, not sĭck-el. A kind of pear.

See. It is not uncommon to meet with people that incorrectly use see in the imperfect tense, as: "I see him yesterday," instead of, "I saw him yesterday." See is never used in any tense but the present, without an auxiliary, as did, shall, etc.

Seignior—sēn´yur, not sān´yor.

Seine—sēn, not sān. A net for catching fish.

Senile—sē´nīle, not sĕn´īle. Pertaining to old age.

Separate, not seperate. The loss of the a is not noticed in the pronunciation, but the mistake frequently occurs in writing this word as it does in the words inseparable, inseparableness, separation, etc.

Servile—sër´vĭl, not sër´vīle.

Set. Noun. There are many who incorrectly use sett in writing of a set of dishes, a set of chess-men, a set of teeth, or of some other collection of things of the same kind. A sett is a piece placed upon the head of a pile for striking upon, when the pile can not be reached by the weight or hammer.

Set—Sit. Blunders in the use of these words are amongst the most common we have. Set, as we shall first consider it, is a transitive verb, or one in which the action passes over to an object. Present tense, set; imperfect tense and past participle, set; present participle, setting. Sit is an intransitive verb, or one which has no object after it. Present tense, sit; imperfect tense and past participle, sat; present participle, sitting.

To avoid repetition as much as possible, I would refer any one to whom the explanation here given is not perfectly clear, to the rules and remarks under Lay and Raise, which are equally applicable here. "Will you set on this chair?" should be, "Will you sit on this chair?" "Will you set this chair in the other room?" is correct. "I set for my picture yesterday," should be, "I sat," etc. "This hat sets well," should be, "This hat sits well." "Court sets next month," should be, "Court sits next month." "The hen has been setting for a week," should be, "The hen has been sitting," etc. "As cross as a setting hen," should be, "As cross as a sitting hen." But a person may set a hen; that is, place her in position on eggs. One sits up in a chair, but he sets up a post. One sits down on the ground, but he sets down figures. Set is also an intransitive verb and has special meanings attached to it as such, but they may be readily understood by a little study of the dictionary, and no confusion need arise. The sun sets. Plaster of Paris sets. A setter dog sets. One sets out on a journey. Sit may also be used in two senses as a transitive verb, as: "The general sits his horse well," and "The woman sat herself down."

Sew—sō, not sū.

Shampoo, not shampoon. Shampooing. Written also champoo.

Shekel—shĕk´el, not shē´kel.

Shumac—shū´mak, not shū-mak´. Written also sumac and sumach, both accented on the first syllable.

Sick of, not sick with, as sick of a fever.

Sienna—si-ĕn´na, not senna, when paint is meant. Senna is a plant used as medicine.

Simultaneous—sī-mul-tā´ne-ous, not sĭm´ul-tā´ne-oŭs. Simultaneously (sī-mul-tā´ne-ous-ly), etc.

Since, not sence.

Sinecure—sī´ne-cure, not sĭn´e-cure. An office which yields revenue without labor.

Sit. See Sat.

Slake—slāke, not slăk, when the word is spelled as given, as: slaked lime, to slake one's thirst, etc. If spelled slack, the ordinary pronunciation is right.

Slough—slow, not slōō nor slō. A mudhole. Written sloo (slōō) also.

Slough—slŭf, not as above. The cast skin of a serpent. Dead flesh which separates from the living. The verb expressing this action is pronounced the same.

Sobriquet—so-bri-kā´, not written soubriquet. Worcester pronounces it sŏb´rē-kā´.

Soften—sŏf´fn, not sawf´ten.

Sonnet—sŏn´net, not sŭn´net.

Soot—sōōt or sŏŏt, not sŭt.

Soporific—sŏp-o-rĭf´ik, not sō-por-ĭf´ik.

Sotto voce—sŏt´tō vō´chā, not sŏt´to vōs´ nor sŏt´tō vō´sē.

Souse—souss, not sowze. To plunge into water.

Spasmodic, not spasmotic.

Spectacles—spĕk´ta-kls, not spĕk´tĭk´els.

Spermaceti—sperm-a-sē´tĭ, not sperm-a-çĭt´y.

Spider, not spiter.

Splenetic—splĕn´e-tic, not sple-nĕt´ic. Fretful; peevish.

Spoliation—spō-li-ā´tion, not spoil-a´tion.

Spurious—spū´ri-ous, not spŭr´i-oŭs. Spuriously (spū´ri-ous-ly), etc.

Statical—stăt´i-cal, not stā´ti-cal. Pertaining to bodies at rest.

Stationery, not stationary, when paper, envelopes, ink, etc., are meant.

Statue, not statute, when a carved image is meant.

Statute, not statue, when a law or decree is meant.

Stearine—stē´a-rĭn, not stĕr´ĭn.

Stereoscope (stē´re-o-scope), Stereotype (stē´re-o-type), etc., according to Webster; and stĕr´e-o-scope, stĕr´-e-o-type, etc., according to Worcester.

Stolid—stŏl´id, not stō´lid. Stupid; dull.

Stratum—strā´tum, not străt´um. Strata (strā´ta), the Latin plural is used much more than the English stratums. Errors like "a strata of gravel," are also not infrequently heard.

Strategic—stra-tē´jik, not străt´e-jĭk. Strategical (stra-tē´ji-cal) and strategist (străt´e-jist). Worcester gives stra-tĕj´ic and stra-tĕj´i-cal.

Strum or Thrum should be used, and not drum, when the noisy and unskillful fingering of a musical instrument is meant.

Stupendous—stu-pen´dŭs, not stu-pĕn´jŭs nor stu-pĕn´de-us.

Suavity—swăv´ĭ-ty, not swäv´ĭ-ty nor suăv´i-ty.

Subtraction, not substraction, when the act of deducting is meant. Substraction is a law term meaning the withholding of some right, for which, however, the word subtraction is also used. Subtract, not substract.

Subtile—sŭb´tĭl, not sŭt´tle.

Subtle—sŭt´tle, not sŭb´tle.

Suffice—sŭf-fīz´, not sŭf-fīs´.

Suicidal—sū-i-sī´dal, not sū-ĭs´i-dal. Worcester placed the principal accent on the first syllable.

Suite—sweet, not sūte. When the word suit is used, however, the latter pronunciation is correct.

Sulphurous—sŭl´phur-ŭs, not sul-phū´rŭs nor sŭl-phū´re-us. Sulphureous is another word.

Summoned, not summonsed.

Supersede, superseded, superseding. Observe the s in the penultimate. It is a common error to write supercede, etc.

Supposititious—sup-pos-i-tĭ´shus, not sup-po-sĭ´shus. Put by a trick in the place of another, as, a supposititious child, a supposititious record.

Surtout—sŭr-tōōt´, not sŭr-towt´ nor sŭr´tōōt.

Swath—swawth, not swawthe. Worcester gives swŏth. The sweep of the scythe in mowing.

 

T.

Tabernacle—tăb´er-na-cle, not tăb´er-năk´cle.

Tapestry—tăp´es-try, not tā´pĕs-try.

Tarlatan—tär´la-tan, not tärl´tun. Tartan is a different material.

Tarpaulin—tär-paw´lin, not tär-pō´lin. Written also tarpauling and tarpawling.

Tartaric—tar-tăr´ic, not tar-tär´ic. Pertaining to or obtained from tartar, as tartaric acid.

Tassel—tăs´sel, not taw´sel. Worcester gives tŏs´sl also.

Tatterdemalion—tăt-ter-de-măl´ion, not tăt-ter-de-māl´ion.

Telegraphy—te-lĕg´ra-phy, not tĕl´e-grăph-y.

Telegraphist—te-lĕg´ra-phist, not tel´e-grăph-ist. A telegraphic operator. No such word as telegrapher is given.

Terpsichorean—terp-sĭk-o-rē´an, not terp-si-kō´re-an. Relating to Terpsichore (terp-sik´o-re), the muse who presided over dancing.

Tete-a-tete—tāt-ä-tāt´, not teet-ä-teet.

Theatre or theater—thē´a-ter, not the-ā´ter.

Threshold—thrĕsh´ōld, not thrĕz´ōld nor thrĕz´hold. Worcester gives thrĕsh´hold.

Thyme—tīm, not as spelled.

Tic-douloureux—tĭk´dōō-lōō-rōō´, not -dŏl-o-rōō´ nor -dō-lō-rōō´.

Tiny—tī´ny, not tee´ny nor tĭn´y.

Tolu—to-lū´, not tū´lū.

Tomato—to-mā´to or to-mä´to, not to-măt´o.

Topographic—tŏp-o-graph´ic, not tō-po-grăph´ic. Topographical and topographically have also the short o in the first syllable.

Tour—tōōr, not towr.

Tournament—tür´na-ment according to Webster. Worcester gives tōōr´na-ment also.

Toward and towards—tō´-ward and tō´wardz, not to-ward´ and to-wardz´.

Tragacanth—trăg´a-kănth, not trăj´a-sĭnth nor trăg´a-sănth. A gum used for mucilage.

Traverse—trăv´erse, not tra-verse´. Traversable, traversing and traversed have also the accent on the first syllable.

Tremendous—tre-mĕn´dŭs, not tre-mĕn´de-ŭs nor tre-mĕn´jŭs.

Trilobite—trī´lo-bīte, not trĭl´o-bīte nor trŏl´lo-bīte, as it is often called.

Troche—trō´kee, not trōsh, trō´she, trōke nor trŏtch. Plural, troches (trō´keez). A lozenge composed of sugar, mucilage and medicine, as: bronchial troches. Trochee—trō´kee, is a foot in poetry.

Truculent—trū´ku-lent, not trŭk´u-lent.

Truths—truths, not truthz, is the plural of truth.

Tryst—trĭst, not trīst. An appointment to meet. Tryster (trĭst´er), trysting (trĭst´ing).

Turbine—tür´bĭn, not tür´-bīne. A kind of water wheel.

 

U.

Umbrella—um-brĕl´la, not um-ber-rĕl´ nor um-ber-rĕl´la.

Upas—ū´păs, not ū´paw nor ū´pawz.

Usurp—yū-zurp´, not yū-surp´. Usurper (yū-zurp´er), etc.

 

V.

Vagary—va-gā´ry, not vā´-ga-ry.

Valenciennes—va-lĕn´si-ĕnz´, not văl-ĕn-seenz´. A French lace.

Valleys, not vallies, is the plural of valley.

Vamos (vä´mōs), or vamose (va-mōse´), not vam-moos´. To depart. (Inelegant.)

Vase, according to Webster; vāse or vāze, according to Worcester. The pronunciations väz and vawz are alluded to but not recommended.

Vehemence—vē´he-mence, not ve-hē´mence nor ve-hĕm´ence. Vehemently and vehement have also the accent on the first syllable.

Vermicelli—-vër-me-chĕl-lĭ or vër-me-sĕl´lĭ, not vêr-me-sĭl´ly. Worcester sanctions the first method only.

Veterinary—vĕt´er-ĭn-a-ry, not ve-tĕr´in-a-ry.

Vicar—vĭk´ar, not vī´kar. Vicarage and vicarship have also the short i in the first syllable.

Violent (vī´o-lent), violence (vī´o-lence), violet (vī´o-let), violin (vī-o-lĭn´), etc., not voi´o-lent, voi´o-lence, voi´o-let, voi-o-lin´, etc.

Viscount—vī´kount, not vĭs´kount. Viscountess (vī´kountess), etc.

Visor—vĭz´or, not vī´zor.

 

W.

Wake, etc. Wake is both a transitive and an intransitive verb. Present tense, wake; imperfect and past participle, waked; present participle, waking. Awake is also both transitive and intransitive. Present, awake; imperfect, awoke or awaked; participles, awaked and awaking. Awaken is another verb, both transitive and intransitive. Present, awaken; imperfect and past participle, awakened; present participle, awakening. Thus it is seen that we have a great many words to express the fact of being in a conscious state, and the arousing of a person who is asleep. With a little attention there is no reason for committing an error in the use of these words. One may say that he waked, awoke, or awakened early in the morning, but it is wrong to say that he woke in the morning, or that he woke another; for there is no such word as woke. "I wakened at five o'clock," should be, "I awakened at five o'clock;" for there is no such word as wakened. Up is used only with wake, waked and waking, but even then it is one of our most senseless superfluities. There is no stronger meaning in the assertion that a man was waked up, than that he was waked or awakened. If waking up meant to wake and make get up, it would be different, but it does not. One may be waked up and it is just as likely that he will go to sleep again as if he were simply awakened. Awake and awaken are more elegant words than wake.

Wassail—wŏs´sĭl, not wăs´sĭl. A festive occasion, carousal, the song sung at such a time, etc. The verb and the adjective are spelled and pronounced similarly.

Water—waw´ter, not wŏt´er.

Welsh, not Welch. The latter word is seldom used. Welshman, etc.

Whinny, not winny, when the cry of a horse is spoken of.

Whisk, not whist, when a small hand-broom is meant. Wisp, however, is a proper word, meaning the same thing.

Whiting is preferable to whitening.

Widow. It is not necessary to say widow woman; no one will suspect her of being a man.

Wrestle—rĕs´l, not răs´sl.

 

Y.

Yacht—yŏt, not yăt. Yachting (yŏt´ing), etc.

Yeast—yēst, not ēst.

Yellow—yĕl´lō, not yăl´lō.

 

Z.

Zoology—zo-ŏl´o-jy, not zōō-ŏl´o-jy. Zoological (zo-o-lŏj´i-cal), etc.