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substantive is liable to raise confusion. When a sentence or expression `
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is begun with the impersonal _one_ the word must be used throughout in `
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all references to the subject. Thus, "One must mind one's own business if `
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one wishes to succeed" may seem prolix and awkward, nevertheless it is `
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the proper form. You must not say--"One must mind his business if he `
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wishes to succeed," for the subject is impersonal and therefore cannot `
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exclusively take the masculine pronoun. With _any one_ it is different. `
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You may say--"If any one sins he should acknowledge it; let him not try `
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to hide it by another sin." `
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ONLY `
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This is a word that is a pitfall to the most of us whether learned or `
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unlearned. Probably it is the most indiscriminately used word in the `
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language. From the different positions it is made to occupy in a sentence `
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it can relatively change the meaning. For instance in the sentence--"I `
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_only_ struck him that time," the meaning to be inferred is, that the `
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only thing I did to him was to _strike_ him, not kick or otherwise abuse `
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him. But if the _only_ is shifted, so as to make the sentence read-"I `
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struck him _only_ that time" the meaning conveyed is, that only on that `
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occasion and at no other time did I strike him. If another shift is made `
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to-"I struck _only_ him that time," the meaning is again altered so that `
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it signifies he was the only person I struck. `
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In speaking we can by emphasis impress our meaning on our hearers, but in `
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writing we have nothing to depend upon but the position of the word in `
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the sentence. The best rule in regard to _only_ is to place it `
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_immediately before_ the word or phrase it modifies or limits. `
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ALONE `
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is another word which creates ambiguity and alters meaning. If we `
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substitute it for only in the preceding example the meaning of the `
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sentence will depend upon the arrangement. Thus "I _alone_ struck him at `
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that time" signifies that I and no other struck him. When the sentence `
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reads "I struck him _alone_ at that time" it must be interpreted that he `
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was the only person that received a blow. Again if it is made to read "I `
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struck him at that time _alone_" the sense conveyed is that that was the `
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only occasion on which I struck him. The rule which governs the correct `
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use of _only_ is also applicable to _alone_. `
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OTHER AND ANOTHER `
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These are words which often give to expressions a meaning far from that `
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intended. Thus, "I have _nothing_ to do with that _other_ rascal across `
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the street," certainly means that I am a rascal myself. "I sent the `
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despatch to my friend, but another villain intercepted it," clearly `
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signifies that my friend is a villain. `
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A good plan is to omit these words when they can be readily done without, `
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as in the above examples, but when it is necessary to use them make your `
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meaning clear. You can do this by making each sentence or phrase in which `
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they occur independent of contextual aid. `
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AND WITH THE RELATIVE `
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Never use _and_ with the _relative_ in this manner: "That is the dog I `
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meant _and which_ I know is of pure breed." This is an error quite `
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common. The use of _and_ is permissible when there is a parallel relative `
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in the preceding sentence or clause. Thus: "There is the dog which I `
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meant and which I know is of pure breed" is quite correct. `
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LOOSE PARTICIPLES `
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A participle or participial phrase is naturally referred to the nearest `
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nominative. If only one nominative is expressed it claims all the `
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participles that are not by the construction of the sentence otherwise `
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fixed. "John, working in the field all day and getting thirsty, drank `
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from the running stream." Here the participles _working_ and _getting_ `
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clearly refer to John. But in the sentence,--"Swept along by the mob I `
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could not save him," the participle as it were is lying around loose and `
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may be taken to refer to either the person speaking or to the person `
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spoken about. It may mean that I was swept along by the mob or the `
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individual whom I tried to save was swept along. `
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"Going into the store the roof fell" can be taken that it was the roof `
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which was going into the store when it fell. Of course the meaning `
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intended is that some person or persons were going into the store just as `
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the roof fell. `
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In all sentence construction with participles there should be such `
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clearness as to preclude all possibility of ambiguity. The participle `
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should be so placed that there can be no doubt as to the noun to which it `
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refers. Often it is advisable to supply such words as will make the `
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meaning obvious. `
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BROKEN CONSTRUCTION `
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Sometimes the beginning of a sentence presents quite a different `
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grammatical construction from its end. This arises from the fact `
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probably, that the beginning is lost sight of before the end is reached. `
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This occurs frequently in long sentences. Thus: "Honesty, integrity and `
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square-dealing will bring anybody much better through life than the `
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absence of either." Here the construction is broken at _than_. The use of `
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_either_, only used in referring to one of two, shows that the fact is `
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forgotten that three qualities and not two are under consideration. Any `
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one of the three meanings might be intended in the sentence, viz., `
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absence of any one quality, absence of any two of the qualities or `
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absence of the whole three qualities. Either denotes one or the other of `
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two and should never be applied to any one of more than two. When we fall `
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into the error of constructing such sentences as above, we should take `
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them apart and reconstruct them in a different grammatical form. `
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Thus,--"Honesty, integrity and square-dealing will bring a man much `
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better through life than a lack of these qualities which are almost `
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essential to success." `
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DOUBLE NEGATIVE `
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It must be remembered that two negatives in the English language destroy `
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each other and are equivalent to an affirmative. Thus "I _don't_ know `
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_nothing_ about it" is intended to convey, that I am ignorant of the `
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matter under consideration, but it defeats its own purpose, inasmuch as `
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the use of nothing implies that I know something about it. The sentence `
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should read--"I don't know anything about it." `
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Often we hear such expressions as "He was _not_ asked to give _no_ `
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opinion," expressing the very opposite of what is intended. This sentence `
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implies that he was asked to give his opinion. The double negative, `
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therefore, should be carefully avoided, for it is insidious and is liable `
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to slip in and the writer remain unconscious of its presence until the `
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eye of the critic detects it. `
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FIRST PERSONAL PRONOUN `
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The use of the first personal pronoun should be avoided as much as `
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possible in composition. Don't introduce it by way of apology and never `
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use such expressions as "In my opinion," "As far as I can see," "It `
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appears to me," "I believe," etc. In what you write, the whole `
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composition is expressive of your views, since you are the author, `
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therefore, there is no necessity for you to accentuate or emphasize `
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yourself at certain portions of it. `
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Moreover, the big _I's_ savor of egotism! Steer clear of them as far as `
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you can. The only place where the first person is permissible is in `
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passages where you are stating a view that is not generally held and `
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which is likely to meet with opposition. `
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SEQUENCE OF TENSES `
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When two verbs depend on each other their tenses must have a definite `
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relation to each other. "I shall have much pleasure in accepting your `
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kind invitation" is wrong, unless you really mean that just now you `
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decline though by-and-by you intend to accept; or unless you mean that `
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you do accept now, though you have no pleasure in doing so, but look `
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forward to be more pleased by-and-by. In fact the sequence of the `
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compound tenses puzzle experienced writers. The best plan is to go back `
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in thought to the time in question and use the tense you would _then_ `
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naturally use. Now in the sentence "I should have liked to have gone to `
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see the circus" the way to find out the proper sequence is to ask `
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yourself the question--what is it I "should have liked" to do? and the `
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plain answer is "to go to see the circus." I cannot answer--"To have gone `
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to see the circus" for that would imply that at a certain moment I would `
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have liked to be in the position of having gone to the circus. But I do `
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not mean this; I mean that at the moment at which I am speaking I wish I `
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had gone to see the circus. The verbal phrase _I should have liked_ `
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carries me back to the time when there was a chance of seeing the circus `
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and once back at the time, the going to the circus is a thing of the `
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present. This whole explanation resolves itself into the simple `
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question,--what should I have liked _at that time_, and the answer is "to `
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go to see the circus," therefore this is the proper sequence, and the `
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expression should be "I should have liked to go to see the circus." `
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If we wish to speak of something relating to a time _prior_ to that `
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indicated in the past tense we must use the perfect tense of the `
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infinitive; as, "He appeared to have seen better days." We should say "I `
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expected to _meet him_," not "I expected _to have met him_." "We intended `
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_to visit you_," not "_to have visited_ you." "I hoped they _would_ `
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arrive," not "I hoped they _would have_ arrived." "I thought I should `
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_catch_ the bird," not "I thought I should _have caught_ the bird." "I `
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had intended _to go_ to the meeting," not "I had intended to _have gone_ `
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to the meeting." `
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BETWEEN--AMONG `
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These prepositions are often carelessly interchanged. _Between_ has `
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reference to two objects only, _among_ to more than two. "The money was `
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equally divided between them" is right when there are only two, but if `
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there are more than two it should be "the money was equally divided among `
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them." `
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LESS--FEWER `
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_Less_ refers is quantity, _fewer_ to number. "No man has _less_ virtues" `
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should be "No man has _fewer_ virtues." "The farmer had some oats and a `
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_fewer_ quantity of wheat" should be "the farmer had some oats and a `
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_less_ quantity of wheat." `
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FURTHER--FARTHER `
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