hint, suggestion. The use of 'tip' for hint or suggestion is slang. historic, historical. Historic means ' forming an important part of history', 'famous in history'; historical means 'based on history':

Historic scenes; a historic spot; an historical novel (§ 139).

home, at home. Do not use the adverb home after the verb be unless the sentence implies motion; do not say 'to home' for at home; do not use home for house:

1. She went home yesterday; she is at home today.

2. She hasn't been home for a year. (Here home expresses the result of implied motion.)

3. He is just home from college.

4. Carpenters build houses; families make homes.

honorable, reverend. Use the before honorable and reverend; use these titles and Sir before the Christian name or another title, but never before the surname (see §§ 529, 545, VIII-XVII):

1. The Honorable Peter Sterling. (Never The Honorable Sterling'.)

९

2. The Reverend Charles Browne. (Never The Reverend Browne'. His calling card should also have The: The Reverend Charles Browne.)

3. The Reverend Doctor Browne was here yesterday.

4. Sir Roger de Coverley. Sir Roger. (Never 'Sir de Coverley'.) hope, hopes. Do not use the plural hopes for the singular hope unless you mean it; the verb hope means to look forward to something desired (its use in the sense of desiring that a thing may happen or turn out as stated is colloquial; the proper word is trust):

I. I was in hope you would tell us about it.

2. She had been disappointed in almost all her hopes. 3. I hope they have arrived. (Colloquial; say 'I trust'.) how, that, what. Do not use 'how' for that or what:

1. We discovered how he escaped. (Correct.)

2. I have read that no fruit grows there. (Not 'how'.)
3. What? You don't think he will return? (Not 'How '.)

human beings. 'Humans' for human beings, men, mankind, or the like is now chiefly humorous or affected.

hyphen. Study the uses of the hyphen, §§ 498-509.

i.e. The abbreviation i.e. is for the Latin id est, meaning 'that is '. Do not use i.e. in literary style (§ 529).

if, whether. Either if or whether may be used to introduce an indirect question (§ 77); when if might be mistaken for the conditional if (§ 303, 9), use whether:

I. I asked him if (or whether) his father helped him.

2. I would ask him whether his father helped him. (Not 'if'.)

immediately. Do not use 'right' (§ 278) for immediately (such expressions as 'right away', 'right off', 'right now', 'right here', 'right back', 'right down', are colloquial, U.S.); do not use 'immediately' for as soon as (see direct, directly); avoid ambiguity:

We ought to go back immediately.

improving. Looking up' for improving is commercial slang: Business is improving. (Not 'looking up '.)

in, into. Do not use in for into. See § 290 and N.; do not use on for in or into:

1. I got into the car (train, boat).

2. He was in a sleeping car.

3. They were in a somewhat crowded train.

individual. Individual means a single or particular person; do not use it for person in general:

1. We are jealous of the rights of individuals.

2. Individual style; individual action; individual greatness. 3. She beheld a monstrosity. (Not 'shapeless individual'.) 4. There were a score of persons in the room. (Not 'individuals'.) inferior to, superior to. Inferior and superior are followed by to (not by 'than'; for similar idioms, see § 287):

1. This is inferior (or superior) to that.

2. I feel myself inferior to the task.

instant, proximo, ultimo. The words instant (= of the present month; commonly abbreviated, inst.), proximo (of next month; prox.), and ultimo (of last month; ult.) are adjectives, and do not take a plural:

Your letters of the tenth and thirteenth instant.

intend, mean. The use of 'go' for intend or mean is vulgar:

He didn't mean to do it. (Not 'go'.)

in time, prompt, punctual. Prompt means 'without delay'; punctual means 'not late' (the use of ' on time' for in time, prompt, or punctual is an illogical colloquialism, chiefly U.S.):

1. Shall we be there in time?

2. A prompt answer; call me promptly at seven.
3. The play will begin promptly after the music.
4. He is punctual in his engagements.

5. You can't expect trains to arrive punctually on Christmas eve. isn't, aren't, hasn't, haven't. Certain contractions are proper in familiar conversation, but not elsewhere. Do not use ' ain't' or 'hain't' for isn't, aren't, hasn't, or haven't. I'll and we'll are contractions of I will and we will, and should not be used for I shall and we shall; similarly, I'd and we'd are for I would (or I had) and we would (or we had), and should not be used for I should and we should (§ 187).

join issue. Join issue means properly to accept a disputed point as a basis of argument; it is also used like take issue, which means to take up the opposite side of a case:

1. I join issue with you on that point.

2. I took (or joined) issue with him (or his conclusions).

kind, sort. See § 72.

know, have known, etc. Know usually takes the infinitive with to; have known and had known often omit to in the active voice, but retain it in the passive:

1. We never knew him to be discourteous.

2. In other hands I have known money do good.

3. They have been known to do so.

lady. For the use of lady, see §§ 150, 152. later. Later is usually better than 'later on':

Later we will go to the theater. (Not 'later on'; § 413.)

latest, last. Last means that which follows all others; latest means that which is nearest to the present time; do not use last for latest:

1. The last page of a book; the latest book on the subject.
2. Have you read her latest book? Indeed I have.

3. I have never read his last novel. (He wrote no more.)

4. The latest news; his latest adventure; your latest letter.

5. Take the latest train you can. (It may be the last train of

the day.)

lay, lie. Do not use lay for lie (§§ 172, 173).

lay, plan. Layout', for plan or display (meaning the selection and arrangement of type), is colloquial (chiefly U.S.); for a banquet or the like (as in 'the dinner was a fine layout') it is slang: 1. We studied the lay (less commonly lie) of the land. (Correct.) 2. The town lies south of the original plan.

3. The display on this page is unusually good.

leave. Leave used intransitively (§ 156) for go, start, and the like is colloquial; do not use leave for let (leave alone means to go away from; do not use it for let alone, which means not to interfere with):

1. The train has just left the station.

2. I shall not leave till tomorrow. (Colloquial.)

3. She left her child alone; don't leave me alone.

4. Let him alone. (Not Leave him alone', unless you mean it.) 5. Let go of me. (Not Leave go of me'.)

let's. Let's is colloquial for let us. Do not say 'let's us

let

us us) or 'let's we'. like, love, admire. Love is properly used of the affections, and like is used of the tastes (the use of love for like is a frequent vulgarism in U.S., says the Oxford English Dictionary); do not use admire (for like) with an infinitive:

1. To love children, parents, books, adventures.

2. I respect the nation, but I do not like their manners.
3. To like a fine horse, good company. (Not 'love'.)

4. I like to study history; I like to travel. (Not 'admire '.)
5. To be fond of reading, fishing, telling stories. (Not 'love'.)
6. Don't you like bread and butter with your tea? (Not 'love'.)
7. He isn't what I should like him to be.

like, unlike. Like (unlike), near (nearer, nearest), nigh (nigher, next), and opposite are followed by the objective case (dative, §§ 604, 606); do not use like for as or as if to introduce a clause :

1. You are like her; old bachelors like you and me.

2. He writes like me; he writes as (not 'like') I do.

3. I feel as if I had caught cold. (Not 'like'.)

4. Pies like mother's; such as mother used to make. (Not`like mother used to make '.)

5. They sat down opposite (or opposite to) us.

line, lines. Line is used in many ways which should be avoided (see pet expressions); 'lines' for reins is dialectal and provincial:

1. A course of action (or reasoning). (Not 'line'.)

2. Bookkeeping wasn't to my taste. (Not 'in my line '.)
3. Have you anything to eat? (Not 'in the eating line'.)
4. He is well informed on that subject. (Not along that line'.)
5. I don't like this kind of treatment. (Not 'line '.)

6. Don't hold the reins so tight. (Not 'lines'.)

little, smaller, smallest. See § 134, examples.

loan. Loan is a noun; do not use it as a verb for lend:

1. They quickly repaid the loan.

2. Will you lend me a magazine? (Not 'loan '.)

ws'.

local. Do not use 'local' as a noun for item of local news locate, settle. Locate means to state or discover the locality of; do

not use it for settle:

1. To locate a town on the map; locate a fire. (Correct.)

2. He established his headquarters near the capital.

3. They settled in Pennsylvania. (Not located'.) ('Where was

he located?' means 'Where was he found?')