Slips of Speech : a Helpful Book for Everyone Who Aspires to Correct the Everyday Errors of Speaking eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 164 pages of information about Slips of Speech .

Slips of Speech : a Helpful Book for Everyone Who Aspires to Correct the Everyday Errors of Speaking eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 164 pages of information about Slips of Speech .

“He cannot miss the way without he forgets my instructions.”  “I will not dig the potatoes without Tom comes to help.”  Use unless instead of without.
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Worse, More

“He dislikes arithmetic worse than grammar.”  Use more instead of worse.

Rarely, Rare

“It is rarely that you hear of a prodigal youth growing into an economical man.”  Rarely should be rare to form the adjective attribute of the verb.

Real, Really

Real is often incorrectly used as an adverb, especially by schoolgirls; as, “I think he is real mean.”  The grammar will be improved by substituting really for real, but the expression, as a whole, being applied to all kinds and degrees of offenses, has become meaningless.

Real is often carelessly used in the sense of very; as real pretty, real bright, real kind.

Recipe, Receipt

A recipe is a formula for making some mixture or preparation of materials; a receipt is an acknowledgment of that which has been received.

Region, Neighborhood

Region is a broader and more comprehensive term, and should not be applied to the narrow limits of a neighborhood.
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Remit, Send

The word remit is often used when send would be better.  Remit means to send back, to forgive, to relax.  In its commercial sense it means to transmit or send money in payment of a demand; as, “He remitted the amount by mail.”

Residence, House

This pretentious word is often used when house or home would be in better taste.

Deface, Disfigure

“The walls of many public buildings are defaced by persons who desire that their names shall remain when they are gone.”  “They disfigure their faces that they may appear unto men to fast.”  Disfigure applies more generally to persons; deface, to things.

Demean, Degrade

The word demean is often incorrectly used in the sense of degrade, lower.  It should be used in the sense of behave, conduct, deport, and not in the sense of degrade.

Depot, Station

For many years the word depot was largely employed in the sense of a railway station.  Its primary meaning is a warehouse or storehouse or military station.  As applied to a stopping place for railroad trains the
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English word station is greatly to be preferred to the French word depot, and is rapidly coming into general use in this country.

Description, Kind

“Flowers of every description were found in his garden.”  In the above sense the word kind or variety would be more appropriate.

Bring, Fetch, Carry

Bring implies motion from the object toward the person who issues the command or makes the request.  Fetch implies two motions, first, toward the object; second, toward the person who wishes it.  The gardener, who is in the garden, calls to his servant, who is at the barn, “John, bring me the rake.  You will find it in the barn.”  And if John is with him in the garden, he would say, “John, fetch me the rake from the barn.”

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Project Gutenberg
Slips of Speech : a Helpful Book for Everyone Who Aspires to Correct the Everyday Errors of Speaking from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.