1

"curiosities," cute for "acute," exam for "examination," gent for "gentleman," gym for "gymnasium," hum for "humbug," mins for "minutes,” pants (“the trade name," it is said) for “pantaloons" ("trousers" is far preferable), par for "paragraph,” pard for "partner," ped for "pedestrian," perks for "perquisites," phone for "telephone," photo for "photograph," prelim for "preliminary examination,” prex for "president," prof for "professor," quad for "quadrangle," spec for "speculation," typo for "typographer," varsity for "university."

Some abbreviations that are frequent in verse are not allowable in prose. For example:

E'er, ne'er, o'er, e'en, i', o', 'mid, 'neath, 'twixt.

The safe rule.

It may be said, and said with truth, that the rules thus far suggested, however firmly founded in reason, are least useful where there is room for doubt whether an old word has become obsolete, or whether a new word has established itself, the very cases in which guidance is most needed. In such cases, prudence at least for writers who have their spurs to win is the better part of valor. Such writers can follow no better counsel than that given by Ben Jonson and Pope:

"Custom is the most certain mistress of language, as the public stamp makes the current money. But we must not be too frequent with the mint, every day coining, nor fetch words from the extreme and utmost ages; since the chief virtue of a style is perspicuity, and nothing so vicious in it as to need an interpreter.

1 "The curt form of gent, as a less ceremonious substitute for the full expression of 'gentleman,' had once made considerable way, but its career was blighted in a court of justice. It is about twenty years ago that two young men, being brought before a London magistrate, described themselves as 'gents.' The magistrate said he considered that a designation little better than 'blackguard.' The abbreviate form has never been able to recover that shock."-John Earle: The Philology of the English Tongue, ¶ 370.

Words borrowed of antiquity do lend a kind of majesty to style,
and are not without their delight sometimes. For they have the
authority of years, and out of their intermission do win themselves
a kind of grace-like newness. But the eldest of the present, and
newness of the past language, is the best. For what was the
ancient language, which some men so dote upon, but the ancient
custom? yet when I name custom, I understand not the vulgar
custom; for that were a precept no less dangerous to language
than life, if we should speak or live after the manners of the
vulgar: but that I call custom of speech, which is the consent of
the learned; as custom of life, which is the consent of the good." 1
"In words, as fashions, the same rule will hold ;
Alike fantastic, if too new, or old;

Be not the first by whom the new are tried,
Nor yet the last to lay the old aside." 2

Even writers of established reputation who unite tact and discretion with genius act in the spirit of these precepts. Cicero was wont to introduce an uncommon expression with "so to speak;" Macaulay's new words can be counted on the fingers; Matthew Arnold apologizes for writing Renascence for "Renaissance." "I have ventured," he says, "to give to the foreign word Renaissance

- destined to become of more common use amongst us, as the movement which it denotes comes, as it will come, increasingly to interest us an English form." 3 "I trade," says Dryden, "both with the living and the dead, for the enrichment of our native language. We have enough in England to supply our necessity; but, if we will have things of magnificence and splendour, we must 1 Ben Jonson: Discoveries. Borrowed from Quintilian: Inst. Orator i. vi. i., xxxix-xlv.

2 Alexander Pope: Essay on Criticism, part ii.

8 M. Arnold: Culture and Anarchy, sect. iv. Since this was written, several writers have adopted Mr. Arnold's suggestion, and Renascence bids fair to find a place in the language.

Query as to the position of "an English form.”

get them by commerce. Poetry requires ornament; and that is not to be had from our old Teuton monosyllables: therefore, if I find any elegant word in a classic author, I propose it to be naturalized, by using it myself; and, if the public approves of it, the bill passes. But every man cannot distinguish between pedantry and poetry: every man, therefore, is not fit to innovate."1

How, then, is a language to grow? How is literature to avail itself of the words, new or old, which it needs for complete expression? The answer suggests itself. In the art of writing, as in every other art, it is the masters who give the law and determine the practice. The poets, the great prose writers, may safely be left to decide what words shall be recalled from the past, imported from other countries, or adopted from the common speech of common people. It is they who determine GOOD USE.

SECTION II.

IMPROPRIETIES.

To use an English word in a sense not English is to be guilty of an IMPROPRIETY of language. Faults of this kind. are numerous. To attempt a complete classification of those into which even a well-informed writer may be betrayed would transcend the limits of this work; but some current errors may be noted.

I. Many words are so much alike in appearance or in sound as to be easily mistaken for one A resemblance another.

in sound misleads.

To accede means "to come to;" to cede means "to yield.”

1 John Dryden: Dedication of "The Æneis."

To accredit means "to invest with credit or authority," or "to send with letters credential; " to credit means "to believe." "Nowa-days, few except very bad writers employ it [accredit] after the manner of Southey, Sir Walter Scott, &c., as a robust substitute for credit or believe." 1

Ceremonious is properly applied to the forms of civility; ceremonial, to ceremonies.

To construe means "to interpret," "to show the meaning;" to construct means "to build:" we may construe a sentence as in translation, or construct it as in composition.

Continual is used of frequently repeated acts, as, "Continual dropping wears away a stone;" continuous, of uninterrupted action, as, "the continuous flowing of a river.”

To convince is "to satisfy the understanding; to convict, "to pronounce guilty." "The jury having been convinced of the prisoner's guilt, he was convicted."

A decided opinion is a strong opinion, which perhaps decides nothing; a decisive opinion settles the question at issue. A lawyer may have decided views on a case; the judgment of a court is decisive.

Definite means "clear," "well-defined;" definitive, "final." An executive officer's ideas of his duty should be definite, and his action definitive.

Distinct means

"separate," "distinguishable," or "distinguished;" distinctive, "characteristic " or "distinguishing."

Enormity is used of deeds of unusual horror, enormousness of things of unusual size. We speak of the enormity of Cæsar Borgia's crimes, of the enormousness of the Rothschilds' wealth.

An exceptional case is a case excluded from the operation of a rule; exceptionable conduct is conduct open to criticism, conduct to which exception may be taken.

Haply, now rarely used in prose, means "by chance;" happily, by a happy chance.”2

An article of food may be healthful or wholesome, but is not properly called healthy.

Human is that which belongs to man as man; humane means "compassionate."

1 Fitzedward Hall: Modern English, chap. viii.

2 See George Eliot's "Sad Fortunes of the Rev. Amos Barton," chap. ii.

Likely implies a probability of whatever character; liable, an unpleasant probability. One is likely to enjoy an evening, to go home to-morrow, to die; liable to be hurt, to attacks of melancholy.

Negligence is used of a habit or trait; neglect, of an act or a succession of acts.

We speak of the observation of a fact, of a star; of the observance of a festival, of a rule.

The act of a public officer when done in his capacity as officer is official; a person who forces his services upon one is officious.

A person may be sensible of cold, that is, may perceive cold, without being sensitive to cold, that is, troubled by cold.

The signification of an act is its meaning; the significance, its importance.

Vocation means 66

calling" or "profession;" avocation, “something aside from one's regular calling, a by-work."

Womanly refers to the stronger side of woman; womanish, to her weaker side. A similar distinction is made between manly and mannish, childlike and childish.

II. Another class of improprieties comprises words that are used in a sense resembling the cor- A resemblance rect one.

in sense misleads.

We allude to an event not distinctly mentioned or directly referred to. Macaulay's allusions are said to imply unusual knowledge on the part of the reader.

Apparently is properly used of that which seems, but may not be, real; evidently, of that which both seems and is real.

Condign is properly used of punishment which is commensurate with the offence, but which is not necessarily severe.

Conscience, the moral sense, is improperly used for consciousness, the noun corresponding to conscious.

To demean (from the French démener) is improperly used in the sense of to debase, as if it came from "mean.'

To discover is properly used in the sense of "to find or find out what previously existed;" to invent, in the sense of "to devise something new." The force of steam was discovered; the steam. boat was invented.