fell into bad grammar. 'Mr. Speaker, I do not feel so well satisfied as I should have done [felt] if the Right Honorable Gentleman had explained the matter more fully.' To feel satisfied is-when the satisfaction is to arise from conviction produced by fact or reasoning—a senseless expression; and to supply its place when it is, as in this case, a neuter verb, by to do, is as senseless. Done what? Done the act of feeling! I do not feel so well satisfied as I should have done, or executed, or performed the act of feeling'! What incomprehensible words!"

Don't. Everybody knows that don't is a contraction of do not, and that doesn't is a contraction of does not; and yet nearly everybody is guilty of using don't when he should use doesn't. "So you don't go. John doesn't either, I hear," and not, "John don't either, I hear."

Double Genitive. An anecdote of Mr. Lincoln-an anecdote of Mr. Lincoln's. We see at a glance that these two phrases are very different in meaning. So, also, a portrait of Brown-a portrait of Brown's. No precise rule has ever been given to guide us in our choice between these two forms of the possessive case. Sometimes it is not material which form is employed; where, however, it is material-and it commonly is-we must consider the thought we wish to express, and rely on our discrimination.

Drank. Imperfect of drink, but often incorrectly used instead of the participle, drunk; as, "I never have drank [drunk] any." We say properly, "I have neither eaten nor drunk anything to-day."

Drawing-room. See PARLOR.

Dress-Gown. Within the memory of many persons the outer garment worn by women was properly called a

Down by everybody, instead of being improperly called a dress, as it now is by nearly everybody.

Drive. See RIDE.

Due-Owing. These two words, though close synonyms, should not be used indiscriminately. The mistake usually made is in using due instead of owing. That is due that ought to be paid as a debt; that is owing that is the outcome of something else. "It was owing to his exertions that the scheme succeeded." "It was owing to your negligence that the accident happened." "A certain respect is due to men's prejudices."

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ence to the pleasures of life."

This was owing to an indiffer

"It is due to the public that

Each other. "Their great authors address themselves not to their country, but to each other."-Buckle. Each other is properly applied to two only; one another must be used when the number considered exceeds two. Buckle should have written one another, and not each other, unless he meant to intimate that the Germans had only two great authors, which is not probable.

Eat. Grammarians differ very widely with regard to the conjugation of this verb; there is no doubt, however, that from every point of view the preferable forms for the preterite and past participle are respectively ate and eaten. To refined ears the other forms smack of vulgarity, although supported by good authority. "I ate an apple." eaten dinner." John ate supper with me." you have eaten breakfast we will set out."

"I have "As soon as

Editorial. The use of this adjective as a substantive is said to be an Americanism.

Effect-Affect. These verbs, alike as they are to the eye and to the ear, are quite unlike in meaning. Effect means to bring about; as, "To effect a reform." Affect

means to influence; as, "His ideas will affect the character of the reform." For other meanings see a dictionary.

Effluvium. The plural of this word is effluvia. It is a common error with those that have no knowledge of Latin to speak of "a disagreeable effluvia," which is as incorrect as it would be to talk about "a disagreeable vapors." And then, as effluvium means noxious exhalation, it is tautological to qualify the word with the adjective disagreeable. The ultrapurist would avoid using the word at all.

Effort without Effect. Some writers deal in expletives to a degree that tires the ear and offends the understanding. With them everything is excessively, or immensely, or extremely, or vastly, or surprisingly, or wonderfully, or abundantly, or the like. The notion of such writers is that these words give strength to what they are saying. This is a great error. Strength must be found in the thought, or it will never be found in the words. Big-sounding words, without thoughts corresponding, are effort without effect.” -William Cobbett. See FORCIBLE-FEEBLE.

Either. This word means, strictly, the one or the other of two. Unlike both, which means two taken collectively, either, like each, may mean two considered separately; but in this sense each is the better word to use. Give me either of them" means, give me the one or the other of two. "He has a farm on either side of the river" would mean that he has two farms, one on each (or either) side of the river. "He has a farm on both sides of the river" would mean that his farm lies partly on the one side of the river and partly on the other. The use of either in the sense of each, though biblical and defensible, may be accounted little if any better than an affectation. "There is a window at either end of the room." No; there is a window at each end of the room.

Neither is the negative of either. Either is responded to by or, neither by nor; as, "either this or that," "neither this nor that." Either and neither should not, strictly, be used in relation to more than two objects. But though both either and neither are strictly applicable to two only, they have been for a very long time used in relation to more than two by many good writers; and as it is often convenient so to use them, it seems probable that the custom will prevail. When more than two things are referred to, any and none should be used, instead of either and neither; as, any of the three," not "either of the three"; по one of the four," not "neither of the four."

"By the almost universal consent [correctly, in the almost universal opinion] of grammarians,” says Dr. Hodgson, "either, as a distributive adjective, always retains the notion [idea] of duality; any one, therefore, should take its place in the following sentences:

"I should think myself happy if I could be admitted into your service as house steward, clerk, butler, or bailiff, for either of which places I think myself well qualified.'

"There have been three famous talkers in Great Britain, either of whom would illustrate what I say about dogmatists.'

'Concerning the usage [use] of either and neither as conjunctions," says Hodgson, "it seems to be generally conceded that these words, although originally contemplating no more than duality, may be freely extended to any number of objects, as in:

"As for Baynard, neither his own good sense, nor the dread of indigence, nor the consideration of his children, has been of force sufficient to stimulate him,'" etc.

On the use of either instead of each, a correspondent

of the Birmingham Daily Press, in a letter quoted by Di Hodgson, says:

"Either refers to one of two things; each to two thing taken severally. One chair I may place on either side of the table I please. If I have two chairs, I may place one on each side of the table. Yet we continually see such phrases as, 'either side of the street was lined with police'; 'on either side of the throne was a chair of state'; ' on either side of her Majesty stood,' etc. Surely in all these cases the word each should be used, and not either."

Either alternative. The word alternative means a choice offered between two things. An alternative writ, for example, offers the alternative of choosing between the doing of a specified act or of showing cause why it is not done. Such propositions, therefore, as, “You are at liberty to choose either alternative," "Two alternatives are presented to me," " Several alternatives presented themselves," and the like, are not correct English. The word is correctly used thus:

"I am confronted with a hard alternative: I must either denounce a friend or betray my trust."

"I was driven to the alternative of either surrendering the Union, and with it the Constitution, or of laying strong hands upon the colored element."-Lincoln.

"It was a fearful alternative which [that] was presented before them. There was starvation on the one hand, and the union, with all its miseries, on the other. They fled, as Nature dictated to them, from the one, and consented to take refuge in the other.”—John Bright. See Alterna

TIVE.

Elder. See OLDER.

Electricute. Professor March says that this is the correct form for this word.