Write It Right Part 7

Remit does not mean that; it means give back, yield up, relinquish, etc. It means, also, to cancel, as in the phrase, the remission of sins.

_Rendition_ for _Interpretation_, or _Performance_. "The actor's rendition of the part was good." Rendition means a surrender, or a giving back.

_Reportorial_. A vile word, improperly made. It a.s.sumes the Latinized spelling, "reporter." The Romans had not the word, for they were, fortunately for them, without the thing.

_Repudiate_ for _Deny_. "He repudiated the accusation."

_Reside_ for _Live_. "They reside in Hohokus." Stilted.

_Residence_ for _Dwelling_, or _House._ See _Mansion_.

_Respect_ for _Way_, or _Matter_. "They were alike in that respect."

The misuse comes of abbreviating: the sentence properly written might be, They were alike in respect of that--i.e., with regard to that.

The word in the bad sense has even been pluralized: "In many respects it is admirable."

_Respective_. "They went to their respective homes." The adjective here (if an adjective is thought necessary) should be several. In the adverbial form the word is properly used in the sentence following: John and James are bright and dull, respectively. That is, John is bright and James dull.

_Responsible_. "The bad weather is responsible for much sickness."

"His intemperance was responsible for his crime." Responsibility is not an attribute of anything but human beings, and few of these can respond, in damages or otherwise. Responsible is nearly synonymous with accountable and answerable, which, also, are frequently misused.

_Restive_ for _Restless_. These words have directly contrary meanings; the dictionaries' disallowance of their ident.i.ty would be something to be thankful for, but that is a dream.

_Retire_ for _Go to Bed_. English of the "genteel" sort. See _Genteel_.

_Rev_. for _The Rev_. "Rev. Dr. Smith."

_Reverence_ for _Revere_.

_Ride_ for _Drive_. On horseback one does drive, and in a vehicle one does ride, but a distinction is needed here, as in England; so, here as there, we may profitably make it, riding in the saddle and driving in the carriage.

_Roomer_ for _Lodger_. See _Bedder_ and _Mealer_--if you can find them.

_Round_ for _About_. "They stood round." See _Around_.

_Ruination_ for _Ruin_. Questionably derived and problematically needful.

_Run_ for _Manage_, or _Conduct_. Vulgar--hardly better than slang.

_Say_ for _Voice_. "He had no say in determining the matter." Vulgar.

_Scholar_ for _Student_, or _Pupil_. A scholar is a person who is learned, not a person who is learning.

_Score_ for _Win_, _Obtain_, etc. "He scored an advantage over his opponent." To score is not to win a point, but to record it.

_Second-handed_ for _Second-hand_. There is no such word.

_Secure_ for _Procure_. "He secured a position as book-keeper." "The dwarf secured a stick and guarded the jewels that he had found." Then it was the jewels that were secured.

_Seldom ever_. A most absurd locution.

_Self-confessed_. "A self-confessed a.s.sa.s.sin." Self is superfluous: one's sins cannot be confessed by another.

_Sensation_ for _Emotion_. "The play caused a great sensation." "A sensational newspaper." A sensation is a physical feeling; an emotion, a mental. Doubtless the one usually accompanies the other, but the good writer will name the one that he has in mind, not the other.

There are few errors more common than the one here noted.

_Sense_ for _Smell_. "She sensed the fragrance of roses." Society English.

_Set_ for _Sit_. "A setting hen."

_Settee_ for _Settle_. This word belongs to the peasantry of speech.

_Settle_ for _Pay_. "Settle the bill." "I shall take it now and settle for it later."

_Shades_ for _Shade_. "Shades of Noah! how it rained!" "O shades of Caesar!" A shade is a departed soul, as conceived by the ancients; one to each mortal part is the proper allowance.

_Show_ for _Chance_, or _Opportunity_. "He didn't stand a show." Say, He had no chance.

_Sick_ for _Ill_. Good usage now limits this word to cases of nausea, but it is still legitimate in sickly, sickness, love-sick, and the like.

_Side_ for _Agree_, or _Stand_. "I side with the Democrats." "He always sided with what he thought right."

_Sideburns_ for _Burnsides_. A form of whiskers named from a noted general of the civil war, Ambrose E. Burnside. It seems to be thought that the word side has something to do with it, and that as an adjective it should come first, according to our idiom.

_Side-hill_ for _Hillside_. A reasonless transposition for which it is impossible to a.s.sign a cause, unless it is abbreviated from side o'

the hill.

_Sideways_ for _Sidewise_. See _Endways_.

_Since_ for _Ago_. "He came here not long since and died."

_Smart_ for _Bright_, or _Able_. An Americanism that is dying out. But "smart" has recently come into use for fashionable, which is almost as bad.

_Snap_ for _Period_ (of time) or _Spell_. "A cold snap." This is a word of incomprehensible origin in that sense; we can know only that its parents were not respectable. "Spell" is itself not very well-born.

_So--as_. See _As--as_.

_So_ for _True_. "If you see it in the Daily Livercomplaint it is so."

"Is that so?" Colloquial and worse.

_Solemnize_. This word rightly means to make solemn, not to perform, or celebrate, ceremoniously something already solemn, as a marriage, or a ma.s.s. We have no exact synonym, but this explains, rather than justifies, its use.

_Some_ for _Somewhat_. "He was hurt some."

_Soon_ for _Willingly_. "I would as soon go as stay." "That soldier would sooner eat than fight." Say, rather eat.

_s.p.a.ce_ for _Period_. "A long s.p.a.ce of time." s.p.a.ce is so different a thing from time that the two do not go well together.

_Spend_ for _Pa.s.s_. "We shall spend the summer in Europe." Spend denotes a voluntary relinquishment, but time goes from us against our will.