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to say that he has made our beautiful earth entirely out of dirt."

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Disagree. 'In your report this morning, . . . it is stated that Mr. Gladstone used the expression 'disagreed from,' and Mr. Disraeli that of 'disagreed to,' . . . and that the amendment was 'disagreed from.' In proposing the rejection, . . . Mr. Gladstone adopted the expression disagreed with,' which is in common use."-London Times.

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Usually followed by with, sometimes by to, rarely by from."-Webster.

Discommode. This word is rarely used; incommode is accounted the better form.

Disposition. This word is sometimes very improperly used for disposal. We place things at the disposal, not at the disposition, of others.

Disremember. This is a word vulgarly used in the sense of forget. It is said to be more frequently heard in the South than in the North.

Distinguish. This verb is sometimes improperly used for discriminate. We distinguish by means of the senses as well as of the understanding; we discriminate by means of the understanding only. "It is difficult, in some cases, to distinguish between," etc., should be, "It is difficult, in some cases, to discriminate between," etc. We distinguish one thing from another, and discriminate between two or more things.

Divers-Diverse. Careless speakers sometimes err in using these words. Divers means several, sundry, various. "In the frame and constitution of the ecclesiastical polity there are divers ranks and degrees."

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Diverse means unlike, different; as, 'Opinions on the subject are very diverse." Divers is not much used.

Dock-Wharf. The first of these words is often improperly used for the second. Of docks there are several kinds. A naval dock is a place for the keeping of naval stores, timber, and materials for shipbuilding. A dry dock is a place where vessels are drawn out of the water for repairs. A wet dock is a place where vessels are kept afloat at a certain level while they are being loaded or unloaded. A sectional dock is a contrivance for raising vessels out of the water on a series of air-tight boxes.

A dock, then, is a place into which things are received; hence, a man might fall into a dock, but could no more fall off a dock than he could fall off a hole. A wharf is a sort of quay built by the side of the water. A similar structure built at a right angle with the shore is commonly called a pier. Vessels lie at wharves and piers, not at docks.

Donate. This word, which is defined as meaning to give, to contribute, is looked upon by most champions of good English as being an abomination. Donation is also little used by careful writers. "Donate," says Mr. Gould, "may be dismissed with this remark: so long as its place is occupied by give, bestow, grant, present, etc., it is not needed; and it should be unceremoniously bowed out, or thrust out, of the seat into which it has temporarily intruded."

The word is a good deal used by persons that are not careful in their speech, and it is quite possible that it will never be less used than it is now.

Done. This past participle is often very inelegantly, if not improperly, used thus: "He did not cry out, as some have done, against it," which should read, “He did not cry out, as some have, against it "—i. e., as some have cried out against it."

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"Done is frequently a very great offender against gram

mar," says Cobbett. "To do is the act of doing. We see people write, 'I did not speak yesterday so well as I wished [to speak] to have done. Now, what is meant by the writer? He means to say that he did not speak so well as he then wished, or was wishing, to speak. Therefore the sentence should be, I did not speak yesterday so well as I wished to do [to speak].' That is to say, 'so well as I wished to do it'; that is to say, to do or to perform the act of speaking.

"Take great care not to be too free in your use of the verb to do in any of its times or modes. It is a nice little handy word, and, like our oppressed it, it is made use of very often when the writer is at a loss for what to put down. To do is to act, and therefore it never can, in any of its parts, supply the place of a neuter verb. 'How do you do?' Here do refers to the state, and is essentially passive or neuter. Yet, to employ it for this purpose is very common. Dr. Blair, in his twenty-third Lecture, says: 'It is somewhat unfortunate that this number of the Spectator did not end, as it might have done, with the former beautiful period. That is to say, done it. And then we ask, Done what? Not the act of ending, because in this case there is no action at all. The verb means, to come to an end, to cease, not to go any further. This same verb to end is sometimes an active verb: 'I end my sentence'; then the verb to do may supply its place; as, 'I have not ended my sentence so well as I might have done [ended it]'; that is, done it; that is, done, or performed, the act of ending. But the number of the Spectator was no actor; it was expected to perform nothing; it was, by the doctor, wished to have ceased to proceed. Did not end as it very well might have ended. ..' This would have been correct, but the doctor wished to avoid the repetition, and thus he

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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!"

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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.

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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

gown 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." This was owing to an indiffer

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ence to the pleasures of life."

"It is due to the public that

I should tell all I know of the matter."

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." "I have eaten dinner." "John ate supper with me." "As soon as you have eaten breakfast we will set out."

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

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