CHAPTER V

WORDS AND PHRASES

1

50. Style."The first merit which attracts in the pages of a good writer, or the talk of a brilliant conversationalist," says Stevenson, "is the apt choice and contrast of the words employed." There is no doubt of the truth of this. Not only the first merit, but the greatest merit which a good piece of writing possesses is a pleasing style. In the last analysis, it is style rather than structure which gives discourse its effectiveness. The plan of the composition may be never so perfect logically, the paragraphs and sentences, considered simply as paragraphs and sentences, may be models in themselves; and yet the composition as a whole may leave us unaffected. It may have no power to attract our attention, or it may fail to give us either information or pleasure. In either case, it has failed in its purpose, and failed because of a lack in what we call style.

Precisely wherein lies the secret of style, it is not easy to say. Style is of so subtle and elusive a nature that it defies exact analysis. To a certain extent, obviously, it is dependent upon the structure of the sentences and paragraphs of the discourse, for we

1 See his Style in Literature.

cannot conceive of a perfect style embodied in sentences and paragraphs glaringly faulty in construction, but to a much greater extent it is a matter, as Stevenson puts it, of the "apt choice and contrast of the words employed." We judge a writer's style, not so much by the way he models his sentences and paragraphs, as by his choice of words and his phrasing, that is to say, by his ability to find the right word to express his ideas and by his ability at the same time to put those words into effective combinations.

words.

51. The choice of - For the effective communication of thought, an all-important prerequisite is a good vocabulary. The writer must have at his command a stock of words adequate to the needs of the thought he wishes to express, otherwise he will be limited in his choice and, in consequence, may not be able to find just the right word to express his idea.

The possession of an adequate vocabulary being taken for granted, then, the writer will find that, in his search for the right word to express his idea, he will have to take into consideration the following things: first, the need of being understood; second, the need of being accurate; and, lastly, the need of being effective. In other words, his diction should be clear, accurate, and forceful.

52. Clearness. - Clearness, of course, is the first thing to be considered. The function of language being to communicate thought, it follows that that

quality in a writer's discourse which enables his thought to be understood is the most desirable. The aim of every writer, therefore, should be to write in such a way as to enable his readers to grasp his thought without difficulty. No one who writes otherwise can be said to possess a good style. A good style is always lucid; and, other things being equal, the more lucid the style the better it is. Every obstacle that hinders the thought of the writer from becoming at once apparent to the reader is a defect of style, and should, if possible, be removed. The reader's attention should be left perfectly free to be concentrated upon the thought, and should not be diverted from the thought to the medium through which that thought is conveyed.

It is obvious, therefore, that the writer is limited in his choice to words which have a well-understood and generally recognized meaning. These words are determined by good usage. Words, it must be remembered, are purely arbitrary or conventional signs; and the convention of one age is not necessarily the same as that of another. In fact, language is continually changing, and we could not if we would use the exact language of any past age. Nor should we want to use the language of any past age. The best English current to-day throughout the whole English-speaking world is the English we should aim to use, not the English of Shakespeare's day, for example. For practical purposes, this English we may regard as the English used by those

writers of the present day most highly esteemed by the best educated people who speak the language. These writers we may consult at any time and find out just what their usage is.

The young writer who would avoid mistakes in the matter of his choice of words would do well, therefore, to make as wide an acquaintance with the standard authors of the present day as possible. If he follows their example, he is not likely to make use of language which will be misunderstood or objected to by his readers. Following their example means, of course, the avoidance of any expressions which can be considered as provincialisms, slang terms, foreign words, obsolete words, or words newly coined without regard to the necessities of the occasion.

Provincialisms, as the name implies, are expressions limited to some particular district. Inasmuch as they are not likely to be understood by many outside of the particular district in which they are current, they ought, obviously, not to be used in discourse addressed to readers in general. For example, the words "roomer," meaning "one who lives in rented rooms," and "tote," meaning "to carry," though current in many parts of the United States, are not current everywhere throughout the country. Still less are they current everywhere throughout the English-speaking world. Words like these should, of course, be avoided by every writer who wishes to appeal to the widest possible number of readers.

In

general, it may be said that all words which do not obtain currency wherever the language is spoken should be avoided.

There is one exception to this general rule, however, and that is where there is a difference of usage between the nations which make up the Englishspeaking world. Here the writer should, naturally, follow the usage of his own country. For example, an American should use the term "elevator," rather than "lift," "ticket-agent," rather than "booking clerk." "Booking-clerk" and "lift" in the sense indicated above are terms used only in England.

Slang terms are, for the most part, colloquialisms not recognized as having established themselves in the language. They differ from provincialisms from the fact that their use is confined, not so much to places as to classes, and also from the fact that there is always a suggestion of vulgarity or bad taste about them. As a rule, they are rather vague in meaning and very short-lived. Hence, apart from the question of taste, they are ill-adapted for use in serious discourse, and should therefore be avoided. To be sure, a distinction has to be made between kinds of slang. Some are wholly bad; others are almost tolerable. For the "vulgar terms used by vulgar men to describe vulgar things"1 nothing can be said; but for many apt or picturesque expressions which are derived from reputable sports or occupations, but which are still labeled "slang," the case is

1 The words are those of Brander Matthews.