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Accord. "He [the Secretary of the Treasury] was shown through the building, and the information he desired was accorded him."-Reporters' English.

"The heroes prayed, and Pallas from the skies

Accords their vow."-Pope.

The goddess of wisdom, when she granted the prayers of her worshipers, may be said to have accorded; not so, however, when the clerks of our Sub-Treasury answer the inquiries of their chief.

Accord is sometimes misused for award thus, "The Queen's prize was accorded to our townsman," etc. Accuse. See BLAME IT ON.

Acquaintance. See FRIEND.

Ad.

This abbreviation for the word advertisement is very justly considered a gross vulgarism. It is doubtful whether it is ever permissible.

Adapt-Dramatize. In speaking and in writing of stage matters these words are often misused. To adapt a play is to modify its construction with the view of improving its form for representation. Plays translated from one language into another are usually more or less adaptedi. e., altered to suit the taste of the public before which the translation is to be represented. To dramatize is to change the form of a story from the narrative to the dramatic—i. e., to make a drama out of a story. In the first instance the product of the playwright's labor is called an adaptation; in the second, a dramatization.

Adjectives. Adjectives are often properly used where the tyro in grammar would expect to find an adverb; as, "drink deep," "this looks strange," "he looks bad," "he stood erect."

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Adjectives sometimes properly qualify other adjectives; " wide open,” “red hot,” “pale blue.”

Such sentences as the following are common, yet they are all incorrect: "He was questioned relative [relatively] to the matter"; "I should have done it independent [independently] of that circumstance"; “previous [previously] to my arrival"; "subsequent [subsequently] to the election."

Such comparatives as wiser, better, larger, etc., and the contrasting adjectives different, other, etc., are often so placed as to render the construction awkward; as, “That is a much better statement of the case than yours," instead of "That statement of the case is much better than yours"; "Yours is a larger plot of ground than mine," instead of "Your plot of ground is larger than mine"; "This is a different course of proceeding from what I expected,” instead of "This course of proceeding is different from what I expected"; "I could take no other method of doing it than the one I took," instead of "I could take no method of doing it other than the one I took."

Administer. "Carson died from blows administered by policeman Johnson."-New York Times. If policeman Johnson was as barbarous as is this use of the verb to administer, it is to be hoped that he was hanged. Governments, oaths, medicine, affairs-such as the affairs of the state-are administered, but not blows: they are dealt.

Adopt. This word is often used instead of to decide upon, and of to take; thus, "The measures adopted [by Parliament], as the result of this inquiry, will be productive of good." Better, "The measures decided upon,” etc. Instead of "What course shall you adopt to get your pay?" say "What course shall you take?" etc. Adopt is properly used in a sentence like this: 'The course (or measures) roposed by Mr. Blank was adopted by the committee";

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that is, what was Blank's was adopted by the committeea correct use of the word, as to adopt means to assume as one's own.

Adopt is sometimes so misused that its meaning is inverted. "Wanted to adopt," in the heading of advertisements, not infrequently is intended to mean that the advertiser wishes to be relieved of the care of a child, not that he wishes to assume the care of one.

Advent. Lovers of the strange and high-sounding sometimes use advent instead of the more familiar arrive. Here is an example : "He reflected that it would probably yet be several days before he could reasonably expect the advent of the wagon." How much better to say simply, expect the wagon to arrive"!

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Advent should be used of only what is important, stately, or sacred.

Affect. See EFFECT.

Aggravate. This word is often used when the speaker means to provoke, irritate, or anger. Thus, "It aggravates [provokes] me to be continually found fault with"; "He is easily aggravated [irritated].” To aggravate means to add weight to, to intensify, to make worse, to heighten. We therefore very properly speak of aggravating circumstances. To say of a person that he is aggravated is as incorrect as to say that he is palliated.

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'Wicked people aggravate [i. e., make worse] their transgression by violence."

"Some speeches occasionally aggravated [provoked] him worse than he could bear."

"Her movements are either painfully slow or aggravatingly [provokingly] brusque."

Aggregate. Sometimes misused by lovers of big words in the sense of amount to, thus:

"The purses offered at the two meetings aggregate $32,000."-N. Y. Times.

Aggregate means, to form into a collection or mass; hence we could say properly, The purses aggregated, amount to, $32,000-i. e., the purses, when put together, amount to $32,000. We could also properly say, The purses in the aggregate, amount to, $32,000.

Ago. Sometimes misused for previously. Ago can not be used with a past tense.

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'Nearly a week ago he had started from Denver, well mounted, and with a light wagon loaded with his baggage." Properly, "Nearly a week previously." See SINCE.

Agree. Sometimes misused in the sense of admit, thus: That a flat brick façade, pierced by a few windows, does not make an inspiring [?] picture, all will agree.

Agriculturist. This word is to be preferred to agriculturalist. See CONVERSATIONALIST.

Ain't. This can not be called a contraction, and however much it may be employed it will still be only a vulgarism. I'm not is the only possible contraction of I am not, and we're not of we are not.

Alike. This word is often most bunglingly coupled with both. Thus, "These bonnets are both alike," or, worse still, if possible, “both just alike.” This reminds one of the story of Sam and Jem, who were very like each other, especially Sam.

All. See UNIVERSAL.

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All of. This idiom, though popular, is not sanctioned by the best usage. The of is always a superfluity. have them all," not "I have all of them"; "Take it all," not "Take all of it.”

All over.

"The disease spread all over the country."

It is more logical and more emphatic to say, "The disease spread over all the country."

'Why, it is thought that the disease will spread all over [over all] Europe within thirty days and then cross the waters of the Atlantic."-N. Y. World.

Allege. Sometimes used for say by that class of speakers and writers that have little regard for the fitness of the words they employ—that class for whom bigness has more charms than signification.

A dispatch from Milwaukee, Wis., of July 27, 1884, to the New York Times, said:

“A storm yesterday in Eau Claire County damaged crops and buildings to the extent [amount] of $20,000. Hailstones fell which [that] are alleged [said] to have been [better that were, it is said] six and eight inches in diameter." Six and eight are fourteen-a hailstone fourteen inches in diameter! This Wisconsin Munchausen is indiscreetly extravagant. Hailstones from even six to eight inches in diameter would make too big a story for the credulity of most persons.

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According to Crabb, the synonyms of allege are adduce, assign, and advance. 'What is adduced tends to corroborate or to invalidate; what is alleged tends to criminate or to exculpate; what is assigned tends to justify or to support; what is advanced tends to explain and illustrate."

"The criminal alleged [i. e., pleaded] in his defense," etc.-Addison.

"If it be true, as Mr. Mangon alleges [says, or tells us], that the balloon was moved against the wind," etc.— N. Y. Sun.

Allegory. An elaborated metaphor is called an allegory; both are figurative representations, the words used signifying something beyond their literal meaning. Thus,

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