FullReads

Mistaken for Mistake. “You are mistaken.” For whom? Say, You mistake.

Monarch for King, Emperor, or Sovereign. Not only hyperbolical, but inaccurate. There is not a monarch in Christendom.

Moneyed for Wealthy. “The moneyed men of New York.” One might as sensibly say, “The cattled men of Texas,” or, “The lobstered men of the fish market.”

Most for Almost. “The apples are most all gone.” “The returning travelers were most home.”

Moved for Removed. “The family has moved to another house.” “The Joneses were moving.”

Mutual. By this word we express a reciprocal relation. It implies exchange, a giving and taking, not a mere possessing in common. There can be a mutual affection, or a mutual hatred, but not a mutual friend, nor a mutual horse.

Name for Title and Name. “His name was Mr. Smith.” Surely no babe was ever christened Mister.

Necessaries for Means. “Bread and meat are necessaries of life.” Not so; they are the mere means, for one can, and many do, live comfortably without them. Food and drink are necessaries of life, but particular kinds of food and drink are not.

Necessities for Necessaries. “Necessities of life are those things without which we cannot live.”

Nee. Feminine of ne, born. “Mrs. Jones, nee Lucy Smith.” She could hardly have been christened before her birth. If you must use the French word say, nee Smith.

Negotiate. From the Latin negotium. It means, as all know, to fix the terms for a transaction, to bargain. But when we say, “The driver negotiated a difficult turn of the road,” or, “The chauffeur negotiated a hill,” we speak nonsense.

Neither–or for Neither–nor. “Neither a cat or fish has wool.” Always after neither use nor.

New Beginner for Beginner.

Nice for Good, or Agreeable. “A nice girl.” Nice means fastidious, delicately discriminative, and the like. Pope uses the word admirably of a dandy who was skilled in the nice conduct [management] of a clouded cane.

Noise for Sound. “A noise like a flute”; “a noise of twittering birds,” etc. A noise is a loud or disagreeable sound, or combination or succession of sounds.

None. Usually, and in most cases, singular; as, None has come. But it is not singular because it always means not one, for frequently it does not, as, The bottle was full of milk, but none is left. When it refers to numbers, not quantity, popular usage stubbornly insists that it is plural, and at least one respectable authority says that as a singular it is offensive. One is sorry to be offensive to a good man.

No Use. “He tried to smile, but it was no use.” Say, of no use, or, less colloquially, in vain.

Novel for Romance. In a novel there is at least an apparent attention to considerations of probability; it is a narrative of what might occur. Romance flies with a free wing and owns no allegiance to likelihood. Both are fiction, both works of imagination, but should not be confounded. They are as distinct as beast and bird.

Numerous for Many. Rightly used, numerous relates to numbers, but does not imply a great number. A correct use is seen in the term numerous verse–verse consisting of poetic numbers; that is, rhythmical feet.

Obnoxious for Offensive. Obnoxious means exposed to evil. A soldier in battle is obnoxious to danger.

Occasion for Induce, or Cause. “His arrival occasioned a great tumult.” As a verb, the word is needless and unpleasing.

Occasional Poems. These are not, as so many authors and compilers seem to think, poems written at irregular and indefinite intervals, but poems written for occasions, such as anniversaries, festivals, celebrations and the like.

Of Any for Of All. “The greatest poet of any that we have had.”

Offhanded and Offhandedly. Offhand is both adjective and adverb; these are bastard forms.

On the Street. A street comprises the roadway and the buildings at each side. Say, in the street. He lives in Broadway.

One Another for Each Other. See Each Other.

Only. “He only had one.” Say, He had only one, or, better, one only. The other sentence might be taken to mean that only he had one; that, indeed, is what it distinctly says. The correct placing of only in a sentence requires attention and skill.