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_Further_ is commonly used to denote quantity, _farther_ to denote `
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distance. "I have walked _farther_ than you," "I need no _further_ `
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supply" are correct. `
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EACH OTHER--ONE ANOTHER `
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_Each other_ refers to two, _one another_ to more than two. "Jones and `
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Smith quarreled; they struck each other" is correct. "Jones, Smith and `
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Brown quarreled; they struck one another" is also correct. Don't say, `
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"The two boys teach one another" nor "The three girls love each other." `
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EACH, EVERY, EITHER, NEITHER `
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These words are continually misapplied. _Each_ can be applied to two `
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or any higher number of objects to signify _every one_ of the number `
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_independently_. Every requires _more than two_ to be spoken of and `
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denotes all the _persons_ or _things_ taken _separately_. _Either_ `
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denotes _one or the other of two_, and should not be used to include `
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both. _Neither_ is the negative of either, denoting not the other, `
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and not the one, and relating to _two persons_ or _things_ considered `
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separately. `
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The following examples illustrate the correct usage of these words: `
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_Each_ man of the crew received a reward. `
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_Every_ man in the regiment displayed bravery. `
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We can walk on _either_ side of the street. `
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_Neither_ of the two is to blame. `
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NEITHER-NOR `
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When two singular subjects are connected by _neither_, _nor_ use a `
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singular verb; as, "_Neither_ John _nor_ James _was there_," not _were_ `
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there. `
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NONE `
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Custom Has sanctioned the use of this word both with a singular and `
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plural; as--"None _is_ so blind as he who will not see" and "None _are_ `
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so blind as they who will not see." However, as it is a contraction of `
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_no one_ it is better to use the singular verb. `
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RISE-RAISE `
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These verbs are very often confounded. _Rise_ is to move or pass upward `
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in any manner; as to "rise from bed;" to increase in value, to improve in `
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position or rank, as "stocks rise;" "politicians rise;" "they have risen `
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to honor." `
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_Raise_ is to lift up, to exalt, to enhance, as "I raise the table;" `
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"He raised his servant;" "The baker raised the price of _bread_." `
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LAY-LIE `
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The transitive verb _lay_, and _lay_, the past tense of the neuter verb `
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_lie_, are often confounded, though quite different in meaning. The `
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neuter verb _to lie_, meaning to lie down or rest, cannot take the `
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objective after it except with a preposition. We can say "He _lies_ on `
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the ground," but we cannot say "He _lies_ the ground," since the verb is `
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neuter and intransitive and, as such, cannot have a direct object. With `
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_lay_ it is different. _Lay_ is a transitive verb, therefore it takes a `
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direct object after it; as "I _lay_ a wager," "I _laid_ the carpet," etc. `
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Of a carpet or any inanimate subject we should say, "It lies on the `
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floor," "A knife _lies_ on the table," not _lays_. But of a person we `
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say--"He _lays_ the knife on the table," not "He _lies_----." _Lay_ being `
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the past tense of the neuter to lie (down) we should say, "He _lay_ on `
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the bed," and _lain_ being its past participle we must also say "He has `
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_lain_ on the bed." `
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We can say "I lay myself down." "He laid himself down" and such `
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expressions. `
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It is imperative to remember in using these verbs that to _lay_ means _to `
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do_ something, and to lie means _to be in a state of rest_. `
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SAYS I--I SAID `
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_"Says I"_ is a vulgarism; don't use it. "I said" is correct form. `
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IN--INTO `
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Be careful to distinguish the meaning of these two little prepositions `
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and don't interchange them. Don't say "He went _in_ the room" nor "My `
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brother is _into_ the navy." _In_ denotes the place where a person or `
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thing, whether at rest or in motion, is present; and _into_ denotes `
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_entrance_. "He went _into_ the room;" "My brother is _in_ the navy" are `
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correct. `
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EAT--ATE `
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Don't confound the two. _Eat_ is present, _ate_ is past. "I _eat_ the `
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bread" means that I am continuing the eating; "I _ate_ the bread" means `
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that the act of eating is past. _Eaten_ is the perfect participle, but `
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often _eat_ is used instead, and as it has the same pronunciation (et) of `
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_ate_, care should be taken to distinguish the past tense, I _ate_ from `
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the perfect _I have eaten_ (_eat_). `
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SEQUENCE OF PERSON `
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Remember that the _first_ person takes precedence of the _second_ and the `
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_second_ takes precedence of the _third_. When Cardinal Wolsey said _Ego `
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et Rex_ (I and the King), he showed he was a good grammarian, but a bad `
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courtier. `
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AM COME--HAVE COME `
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"_I am come_" points to my being here, while "I have come" intimates that `
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I have just arrived. When the subject is not a person, the verb _to be_ `
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should be used in preference to the verb _to have_; as, "The box is come" `
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instead of "The box has come." `
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PAST TENSE--PAST PARTICIPLE `
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The interchange of these two parts of the irregular or so-called _strong_ `
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verbs is, perhaps, the breach oftenest committed by careless speakers and `
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writers. To avoid mistakes it is requisite to know the principal parts of `
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these verbs, and this knowledge is very easy of acquirement, as there are `
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not more than a couple of hundred of such verbs, and of this number but a `
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small part is in daily use. Here are some of the most common blunders: "I `
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seen" for "I saw;" "I done it" for "I did it;" "I drunk" for "I drank;" `
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"I begun" for "I began;" "I rung" for "I rang;" "I run" for "I ran;" "I `
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sung" for "I sang;" "I have chose" for "I have chosen;" "I have drove" `
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for "I have driven;" "I have wore" for "I have worn;" "I have trod" for `
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"I have trodden;" "I have shook" for "I have shaken;" "I have fell" for `
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"I have fallen;" "I have drank" for "I have drunk;" "I have began" for "I `
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have begun;" "I have rang" for "I have rung;" "I have rose" for "I have `
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risen;" "I have spoke" for "I have spoken;" "I have broke" for "I have `
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broken." "It has froze" for "It has frozen." "It has blowed" for "It has `
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blown." "It has flowed" (of a bird) for "It has flown." `
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N. B.--The past tense and past participle of _To Hang_ is _hanged_ or `
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_hung_. When you are talking about a man meeting death on the gallows, `
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say "He was hanged"; when you are talking about the carcass of an animal `
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say, "It was hung," as "The beef was hung dry." Also say your coat "_was_ `
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hung on a hook." `
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PREPOSITIONS AND THE OBJECTIVE CASE `
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Don't forget that prepositions always take the objective case. Don't say `
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"Between you and _I_"; say "Between you and _me_" `
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_Two_ prepositions should not govern _one objective_ unless there is an `
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immediate connection between them. "He was refused admission to and `
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forcibly ejected from the school" should be "He was refused admission to `
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the school and forcibly ejected from it." `
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SUMMON--SUMMONS `
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Don't say "I shall summons him," but "I shall summon him." _Summon_ is a `
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verb, _summons_, a noun. `
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It is correct to say "I shall get a _summons_ for him," not a _summon_. `
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UNDENIABLE--UNEXCEPTIONABLE `
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"My brother has an undeniable character" is wrong if I wish to convey the `
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idea that he has a good character. The expression should be in that case `
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"My brother has an unexceptionable character." An _undeniable_ character `
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is a character that cannot be denied, whether bad or good. An `
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unexceptionable character is one to which no one can take exception. `
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THE PRONOUNS `
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Very many mistakes occur in the use of the pronouns. "Let you and I go" `
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should be "Let you and _me_ go." "Let them and we go" should be "Let them `
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and us go." The verb let is transitive and therefore takes the objective `
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case. `
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"Give me _them_ flowers" should be "Give me _those_ flowers"; "I mean `
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_them_ three" should be "I mean those three." Them is the objective case `
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of the personal pronoun and cannot be used adjectively like the `
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demonstrative adjective pronoun. "I am as strong as _him_" should be "I `
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am as strong as _he_"; "I am younger than _her_" should be "I am younger `
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than _she_;" "He can write better than _me_" should be "He can write `
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better than I," for in these examples the objective cases _him_, _her_ `
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and _me_ are used wrongfully for the nominatives. After each of the `
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misapplied pronouns a verb is understood of which each pronoun is the `
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subject. Thus, "I am as strong as he (is)." "I am younger than she (is)." `
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"He can write better than I (can)." `
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