The Century Handbook of Writing Part 44

3. Write the _-ous_ or _-able_ form of the following words: _trace_, _love_, _blame_, _move_, _conceive_, _courage_, _service_, _advantage_, _umbrage_.

4. Write the adjectives which correspond to the following nouns: _force_, _sphere_, _vice_, _sense_, _fleece_, _college_, _hygiene_.

5. Write the nouns which correspond to the following verbs: _please_, _guide_, _grieve_, _arrive_, _oblige_, _prepare_, _inspire_.

=Plurals=

=77a. Most nouns add _s_ or _es_ to form the plural.= Examples: _word_, _words_; _fire_, _fires_, _negro_, _negroes_; _Eskimo_, _Eskimos_; _leaf_, _leaves_ (_f_ changes to _v_ for the sake of euphony); knife, knives.

=b. Nouns ending in _y_ preceded by a consonant (or by _u_ as _w_) change the _y_ to _i_ and add _es_ to form the plural.=

Examples: _sky_, _skies_; _lady_, _ladies_; _colloquy_, _colloquies_; _soliloquy_, _soliloquies_.

=Other nouns ending in _y_ form the plural in the usual way.= Examples: _day_, _days_; _boy_, _boys_; _monkey_, _monkeys_; _valley_, _valleys_.

=c. Compound nouns usually form the plural by adding _s_ or _es_ to the princ.i.p.al word.= Examples: _sons-in-law_, _pa.s.sers-by_; but _stand-bys_, _hat-boxes_, _writing-desks_.

=d. Letters, signs, and sometimes figures, add _'s_ to form the plural.= Examples: Cross your t's and dot your i's; ?'s; $'s; 3's or 3s.

=e. A few nouns adhere to old declensions.= Examples: _ox_, _oxen_; _child_, _children_; _goose_, _geese_; _foot_, _feet_; _mouse_, _mice_; _man_, _men_; _woman_, _women_; _sheep_, _sheep_; _deer_, _deer_; _swine_, _swine_.

=f. Words adopted from foreign languages sometimes retain the foreign plural.= Examples: _alumnus_, _alumni_; _alumna_, _alumnae_; _fungus_, _fungi_; _focus_, _foci_; _radius_, _radii_; _datum_, _data_; _medium_, _media_; _phenomenon_, _phenomena_; _stratum_, _strata_; _a.n.a.lysis_, _a.n.a.lyses_; _ant.i.thesis_, _ant.i.theses_; _basis_, _bases_; _crisis_, _crises_; _oasis_, _oases_; _hypothesis_, _hypotheses_; _parenthesis_, _parentheses_; _thesis_, _theses_; _beau_, _beaux_; _tableau_, _tableaux_; _Mr._, _Messrs._ (_Messieurs_); _Mrs._, _Mmes._ (_Mesdames_).

Exercise:

Write the singular and plural of the following words: _day_, _sky_, _lady_, _wife_, _leaf_, _loaf_, _negro_, _potato_, _tomato_, _pa.s.s_, _gla.s.s_, _boat_, _beet_, _flash_, _crash_, _bead_, _box_, _pa.s.senger_, _messenger_, _son-in-law_, _Smith_, _Jones_, _jack-o'-lantern_, _hanger-on_, _stratum_, _datum_, _phenomenon_, _crisis_, _basis_, _thesis_, _a.n.a.lysis_.

=Compounds=

=78a. Use a hyphen between two or more words which serve as a single adjective before a noun:= _iron-bound bucket_, _well-kept lawn_, _twelve-inch main_, _normal-school teacher_, _up-to-date methods_, _twentieth-century ideas_, _devil-may-care expression_, _a twenty-dollar-a-week clerk_.

=But when the words follow the noun, the hyphen is omitted.= _The lawn is well kept. Methods up to date in every way_.

=Also adverbs ending in _-ly_ are not ordinarily made into compound modifiers:= _nicely kept lawn_, _securely guarded treasure_.

=b. Use a hyphen between members of a compound noun when the second member is a preposition, or when the writing of two nouns solid or separately might confuse the meaning:= _runner-up_, _kick-off_; _letting-down of effort_, _son-in-law_, _jack-o'-lantern_, _Pedro was a bull-fighter_, _a woman-hater_, _Did you ever see a shoe-polish like this?_

=c. Use a hyphen in compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine, and in fractions according to the following examples:=

_Twenty-three_, _eighty-nine_; but _one hundred and one_.

_Twenty-third_, _one-hundred-and-first man_. _Three-fourths_, _four and two-thirds_, _thirty-hundredths_, _thirty-one hundredths_.

But omit the hyphen in simple fractions when loosely used: _Three quarters of my life are spent._ _One third of his fortune._

=d. A hyphen is not used in the following common words:= _airship_, _altogether_, _anybody_, _baseball_, _basketball_, _everybody_, _football_, _goodby_, _herself_, _handbook_, _himself_, _inasmuch_, _itself_, _midnight_, _myself_, _nevertheless_, _n.o.body_, _nothing_ (but _no one_), _nowadays_, _railroad_, _themselves_, _together_, _typewritten_, _wherever_, _without_, _workshop_, _yourself_, _newspaper_, _sunset_.

=e. For words that do not come within the scope of rules, consult an up-to-date dictionary.= Compounds tend, with the pa.s.sing of time, to grow together. Once men wrote _steam boat_, later _steam-boat_, and finally _steamboat_. New-coined words are usually hyphenated; old words are often written solid. The degree of intimacy between the parts of a compound word affects usage; thus we write _sun-motor_, but _sunbeam_; _birth-rate_, but _birthday_; _cooling-room_, but _bedroom_; _non-conductor_, but _nonsense_. The ease with which a vowel blends with the consonant of a syllable adjoining it affects usage; thus _self-evident_, but _selfsame_; _non-existent_, but _nondescript_; _un-American_, but _unwise_. Many compounds, however, are still uncontrolled by usage; whether they should be written as two words or one, whether with or without the hyphen, the dictionaries themselves do not agree.

Exercise:

Copy the following expressions, inserting hyphens where they are necessary: _twenty two years old_, _twenty two dollar bills_ _make forty dollars_, _twenty seven eighths inch boards_, _a normal school graduate_, _two handled boxes_, _a cloth covered basket_, _blood red sun_, _water tight compartment_, _sixty horse power motor_, _seven dollar bathing suits_, _a happy go lucky fellow_, _germ destroying powder_, _he had a son in law_, _pa.s.sers by on the street_, _the kick off is at three o'clock_, _dark complexioned woman_, _silver tongued orator_, _a dish like valley_, _a rope like tail_, _a fish shaped cloud_, _a touch me not expression_, _will o' the wisp_, _well to do merchant_, _rough and tumble existence_.

=79.= SPELLING LIST

The English language comprises about 450,000 words. Of these a student uses about 4000 (although he may understand more than twice that number when he encounters them in sentences). Of these, in turn, not more than four or five hundred are frequently misspelled. The following list includes nearly all of the words which give serious trouble. Certain American colleges using this list require of freshmen an accuracy of ninety per cent.

absurd academy =accept= =accidentally= =accommodate= acc.u.mulate accustom acquainted acquitted =across= addressed =adviser= aeroplane =affects= aggravate alley allotted =all right= ally already altar alter =altogether= alumnus =always= =amateur= =among= a.n.a.logous a.n.a.lysis =angel= angle annual anxiety apparatus =appearance= appropriate arctic =argument= =arising= =arithmetic= arrange arrival ascend asks =athletic= audience auxiliary awkward

balance barbarous baring barring baseball =based= bearing =becoming= before beggar =begging= =beginning= =believing= =benefited= =biscuit= boundaries brilliant =Britain= =Britannica= buoyant bureau =business= =busy=

=calendar= =candidate= =can't= cemetery =certain= =changeable= =changing= characteristic chauffeur =choose= chose chosen =clothes= =coa.r.s.e= column =coming= commission =committee= comparative =compel= compelled competent concede conceivable =conferred= conquer conqueror conscience conscientious considered continuous control =controlled= cooperate country =course= =courteous= courtesy cruelty cylinder

=dealt= debater deceitful decide decision deferred =definite= descend =describe= =description= derived =despair= =desperate= destroy device devise dictionary difference digging dilemma =dining room= dinning =disappear= =disappoint= disavowal discipline disease =dissatisfied= dissipate distinction distribute =divide= =divine= =doctor= =don't= dormitories drudgery dying

ecstasy =effects= =eighth= eliminate =embarra.s.s= eminent encouraging =enemy= =equipped= especially =etc.= everybody exaggerate exceed excellent except exceptional exhaust exhilarate =existence= expense experience explanation

familiar fascinate =February= fiery fifth =finally= financier forfeit formally =formerly= forth =forty= =fourth= frantically fraternity =freshman= (adj.) =friend= fulfil furniture

gallant gambling =generally= G.o.ddess =government= governor =grammar= grandeur =grievous= guard guess guidance

hara.s.s haul =having= height hesitancy =holy= =hoping= huge =humorous= =hurriedly= hundredths hygienic

=imaginary= imitative immediately immigration impromptu imminent incidentally incidents incredulous =independence= indispensable induce influence =infinite= =instance= instant =intellectual= intelligence =intentionally= intercede irresistible =its= it's itself invitation

=judgment=

=knowledge=

laboratory =ladies= =laid= =later= =latter= =lead= =led= liable library =lightning= likely literature loneliness =loose= =lose= =losing= lying

maintain =maintenance= manual manufacturer =many= marriage Ma.s.sachusetts material =mathematics= mattress =meant= messenger =miniature= minutes =mischievous= Mississippi misspelled momentous month murmur muscle mysterious

=necessary= =negroes= =neither= nickel nineteenth ninetieth =ninety= ninth =noticeable= =nowadays=

oblige obstacle =occasion= occasionally occur =occurred= =occurrence= occurring =o'clock= officers =omitted= =omission= =opinion= opportunity =optimistic= =original= outrageous overrun

paid pantomime =parallel= =parliament= particularly =partner= =pastime= peaceable =perceive= perception peremptory =perform= =perhaps= =permissible= perseverance personal personnel =perspiration= persuade pertain pervade physical picnic picnicking =planned= =pleasant= politics politician =possession= possible practically =prairie= =precede= precedent precedents =preference= =preferred= prejudice =preparation= =primitive= =princ.i.p.al= =principle= prisoner =privilege= =probably= =proceed= prodigy profession =professor= proffered prohibition promissory =prove= purchase pursue putting

quant.i.ty =quiet= =quite= quizzes

rapid =ready= =really= recede =receive= recognize =recommend= =reference= =referred= =regard= region =religion= =religious= repet.i.tion replies representative =restaurant= rheumatism ridiculous

sacrilegious safety =sandwich= schedule science scream screech =seems= =seize= sense =sentence= =separate= sergeant several shiftless =shining= shone shown =shriek= =siege= similar =since= smooth soliloquy =soph.o.m.ore= speak specimen =speech= statement =stationary= =stationery= statue stature statute steal steel stops =stopped= =stopping= =stories= stretch =strictly= succeeds successful summarize =superintendent= supersede =sure= =surprise= syllable symmetrical

=temperament= =tendency= than =their= there therefore =they're= thorough thousandths till to =too= =together= =tragedy= track =tract= transferred tranquillity translate treacherous treasurer =tries= =trouble= =truly= =Tuesday= two typical tyranny