Walton Burgess

“ It was prepared to meet the wants of persons—numbered by multitudes in even the most intelligent and refined communities—who from deficiency of education, or from carelessness of manner, are in the habit of misusing many of the most common words of the English language, distorting its grammatical forms, destroying its beauty, and corrupting its purity. ”

“ The only real difficulty arises from the fact, that the past tense of “lie,” when used without an auxiliary, is the same as the present of “lay.” But a little attention will obviate this. Nothing can be more erroneous than to say, “I shall go and lay down.” The question which naturally arises in the mind of the discriminating hearer is, “What are you going to lay down—money, carpets, plans, or what?” for, as a transitive verb is used, an object is wanted to complete the sense. The speaker means, that he himself is going to lie down. ”

“ The first object in the Gradual Lessons in Grammar, is to render the pupil familiar with the different classes of words, in the various relations in which they may be used, by directing attention to the manner in which they affect the meaning of the sentence. Thus it is stated, that “words used as names are nouns.” Then follow examples of the different kinds of nouns, and the pupil is required to tell why they are nouns, and to write others, till he recognizes the noun wherever it is found. ”

“ If the race of critics should not like it—and while books have their “faults,” critics have their “failings”—they are reminded that he who corrects an old error, may render no less service to his brethren, than he who discovers a new truth. If the work shall be the means of saving one sensitive man from a confusion of blushes, in the presence of a company before which he desired to preserve his equanimity, it will not have gone forth without a mission of benefit, which will merit at least one acknowledgment. ”

“ Custom—which, when crystallized, becomes grammar—allows expressions like “The linen tears,” and “The meadow plows well,” although they should not be frequently employed, and should be more seldom coined.
A fruitful source of mistakes in language, is in the linking together of two or more inappropriate tenses, or in the misuse of one. Many among the learned and refined commit blunders of these kinds. A few corrected examples of such are here given:
“His text was, that God was love;” the sentence should be written, “His text was, that God is love.” ”

“ To hear and to listen have each distinct degrees of meaning. To hear implies no effort or particular attention. To listen implies some eagerness to hear. An old proverb says, “They that listen seldom hear any good of themselves.” ”

“ The grammatical number of a verb should agree with that of its subject, and not of its predicate. Thus, the sentences, “Death is the wages of sin,” and “The wages of sin are death,” are properly written.
[Pg 14] In changing from a past tense to the present, when the same nominative remains, the form of the verb should continue unaltered. Thus, instead of saying “He was traveling and travels,” say “He was traveling and is traveling.”
When a verb has both a singular and a plural nominative, separated by or, its number agrees with that of the nearer: as, “the cup or his billiards were his ruin;” ”

“ Conversation is not a gift bestowed only upon those whom genius favors; on the contrary, many men eminent for their fluency of style in writing, have been noted for habitual taciturnity in their intercourse with society. ”

“ Antiquarian is an adjective; antiquary, a noun.
271. An injudicious disposition of a clause in a sentence frequently creates great merriment in the reading. In Goldsmith’s “History of England,” a book remarkable for its carelessness of style, we find the following extraordinary sentence, in one of the chapters of the reign of Queen Elizabeth: “This” [a communication to Mary Queen of Scots] “they effected by conveying their letters to her by means of a brewer that supplied the family with ale through a chink in the wall of her apartment.” ”

“ Thousands of men, otherwise well educated, are often heard to lament their neglect of Elocution in their school-boy days, and their consequent inability to utter in public those thoughts which they would gladly disseminate, and thereby confer a benefit on society. ”

“ The plural, luxuries, standing directly before the verb, (which should be enervates, in the singular,) deceives the ear. Errors of this kind are very common, though a moment’s thought would correct them. The verb must agree with its subject in person and in number; if the noun is in the singular, the verb that belongs to it must also be in the singular.
423. “A father divided a portion of his property among his two children, and the remainder he distributed between [Pg 63] the poor:” say, between his two children, and among the poor. ”

“ A, and not an, is also used before the long sound of u, that is, when u forms a distinct syllable of itself: as, a unit, a union, a university: it is also used before eu: as, a euphony, and likewise before the word ewe: as, a ewe: we should also say, a youth, not an youth.
36. “How do you like these kind of pears?” say, these kinds; a noun in the singular number will not allow its adjective to be in the plural. ”

“ Care should be taken in the use of epithets. For instance, in the sentence, “A wise and good man should be respected,” the words wise and good may properly be applied to the same man; but if the sentence should be altered to read, “An old and young man,” it is obvious that both epithets could not relate to the same person.
378. Never say turkle soup, for turtle soup.
379. The word long should not now be employed to signify many. An example of this early usage is found in the Fifth Commandment, “that thy days may be long upon the land.” ”

“ The letter h is seldom mute at the beginning of a word; but from the negligence of tutors, and the inattention of pupils, many persons have become almost incapable of acquiring its just and full pronunciation. It is, therefore, incumbent on teachers to be particularly careful to inculcate a clear and distinct utterance of this sound. ”

“ This chapter of introduction will not, therefore, be expected to present an essay on the general subject of conversation.
It may be remarked, however, by way of admonitory hint to some, that the most prominent error in the conversation of those who commit the most blunders, does not consist in saying too little that amounts to much, but too much that amounts to little; talkativeness is a characteristic more commonly of the ignorant, than of the wise. Shenstone says, “The common fluency of speech in many men, and most women, is owing to a scarcity of matter and a scarcity of words ”

“ To lay and to lie.—To lay is an active or transitive verb, and must always have an object, expressed or understood. To lie (not meaning to tell a falsehood) is a neuter or intransitive, and therefore does not admit of an object. ”

“ Chief, right, supreme, correct, true, universal, perfect, consummate, extreme, &c., imply the superlative degree without adding est, or prefixing most. In language sublime or impassioned, however, the word perfect requires the superlative form, to give it its fullest effect. ”

“ Words are current coins of the realm, and they who do not have them in their treasury, suffer a more pitiable poverty than others who have not a penny of baser specie in their pocket; and the multitude of those who have an unfailing supply, but which is of the wrong stamp, are possessed only of counterfeit cash, that will not pass in circles of respectability. ”

“ The most successful pupil in each of two classes at school would not improperly be called “the two first boys;” while propriety would require that the first and second boys of the same class should be called “the first two boys.” As a general rule, and easy to be recollected, let “first” be first.
The use of some for about is by many writers thought [Pg 13] to be awkward: as, “Some fifty years ago,” instead of “About Fifty years.”
An ambiguity occasionally arises in employing the adjective no. ”

“ In their solution, the pupil has occasion practically to apply the knowledge he has already acquired of both arithmetic and penmanship, while at the same time he learns Book-keeping as he will have occasion to practice it in after life. For this purpose a set of account books, in which the examples for practice are to be written out by the learner, and a Key for teachers containing the solution, accompany the book. ”

“ He spoke to his audience.
372. “I shall regard your strictures only so far as concerns my own errors:” say, concern; the phrase when filled out should read, “only so far as they concern my own errors.”
373. “I found him better than I expected to have found him:” say, to find him.
374. “I perceived that he was totally blind with half an eye:” say, “I perceived, with half an eye, that he was totally blind.” Otherwise, to a man totally blind you allot half an eye!
375. The word only is often wrongly placed in the sentence, and made to express an idea which is not designed to be conveyed. ”

“ Ever since it was said to Adam, “In the sweat of thy face shall thou eat bread,” there has been a necessity laid upon man not only to labor, but to exchange with others the products of his industry, in order to secure a comfortable support. Excepting merchants, mechanics, and professional men, very few, comparatively, keep any accounts. ”

“ Then follows the adjective, and attention is called to its effect on the meaning of the sentence. The statement at the head of each section is not to be committed to memory, but is made to assist the pupil in appreciating the grammatical forms of the sentences which follow. In this manner, by the introduction of a new class of words, or the use of the same class in a different relation, the sentence is gradually built up; till, from the most simple, we have the most complex an involved forms. ”

“ Loose is the original word, and unloose is a corruption; both words, however, are now sanctioned by good usage, and may be indiscriminately employed, without offence against propriety.
121. “It is dangerous to walk of a slippery morning:” say, on a slippery morning. But the expression, “walking on a slippery morning,” and all others like it, of which a strictly literal interpretation will not give the designed signification, are to be avoided. They often excite a smile when seriousness is intended. ”

“ Say, “Shoulder arms!” The latter is frequently corrupted into “Sojer arms!”
103. “He is very much the gentleman:” say, He is a very gentlemanly man, or, He is very gentlemanly.
104. “The yellow part of an egg is very nourishing:” never pronounce yellow so as to rhyme with tallow, as we so often hear.
105. “We are going to the Zoological Gardens:” pronounce Zoological in five syllables, and place the accent on log in logical; sound log like lodge, and the first two o’s in distinct syllables; never make Zool one syllable. ”

“ In the possessive case of nouns, some instances occur in which a wise choice may be made, but in respect to which usage is divided. Thus, we may say, “They called at Walton’s the bookseller’s,” or, with equal propriety, as far as custom is concerned, “at Walton the bookseller’s.” The first form, however, is preferable.
The use of the hyphen [-] is frequently disregarded in epistolary correspondence, occasioning not only a blemish but a blunder. Its importance may be seen by comparing the meaning of “glass house” with “glass-house;” ”

“ The superiority of these books is acknowledged, wherever they have been brought to a practical test. The more intelligent any school committee, or teachers are, the more readily are these Readers appreciated, and the more eagerly are they sought for use in the school-room. So decided is the preference for them, among the educated, over every other series, that they are gradually but surely superseding them all, and going into general use in all the best schools in our country.
Copies of the above sent by mail, postage paid, on receipt of the prices annexed. ”

“ Not the least glaring among the many misuses of words and forms of expression in conversation, occur by incorrectly employing the pronouns—who, which, what, and that. It may be remarked, that who should be applied exclusively to persons. ”

“ Places within the reach of a Carpenter, with no other necessary preparation than an ordinary education, and a knowledge of the practical principles of his handicraft, the highest efforts of the constructive art. ”

“ Any persons among the readers of this little book, who may chance to be schoolmasters, are warned against giving such a course of instruction.
30. “Dearly beloved brethren:” when beloved is placed [Pg 23] before the noun, as in this instance, pronounce it in three syllables; when placed after, in two syllables, as, “She was much be-loved by us all.” When used as a noun by itself, it is pronounced in three syllables; as, “Be-lov-ed, let us love one another.” ”

“ Just so, people can come faster out of a church when it is almost empty, than when a crowd is at the door!” But although, according to the old proverb, “a still tongue denotes a wise head,” the faculty of speech should not be neglected, merely because it may be misused. ”

“ If you are a Western man, you are liable to give your vowel sounds too great breadth. You should not say bar for bear, hum for home, dawlar for dollar; and it is better to avoid using such expressions as I reckon, I guess, I calculate, too frequently. ”

“ In familiar conversation, however, the latter mode might be thought too formal and precise.
161. “Who did you wish to see?” say, whom.
162. “Whom say ye that I am?” This is the English translation, given in Luke ix. 20, of the question of Christ to Peter. The word whom should be who. Other instances of grammatical inaccuracies occur in the Bible; for example, in the Sermon on the Mount, the Saviour says: “Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth, [Pg 37] where moth and rust doth corrupt,” &c. “Moth and rust” make a plural nominative to “doth corrupt,” a singular verb. ”