How to Speak and Write Correctly

s-Examples and Correctio

rd or words in parentheses are u

e glass

talking (together)

d his sister (bo

try last week and ret

er) of his discou

ct) matter of his discourse was exc

er) him, but could

y be found throughout

very day (of my

m and) substance

ater and mixed the

down) the step

) from the to

ill return (

took away he r

watch was compelled to

e) to me whether I hav

lse; and he replied, (says he) if it

n the cars (for)

ot (to) cal

but that woul

ars I (always) find it p

rst (of all)

llest of (all

allest of (al

he house he is (a

enetrated (thr

t there was (also) my gr

our constant endeavor

ve heard (then) his sit

man or that (there)

s the f

n church? Not t

my life) met (with)

did he p

y) he could

he? (Why)

me (for) to a

now where

in (at) t

(by) th

) came eve

we wish to say

g (ago) since

he wood (in order)

aper writing where not alone single words but entire phrases are sometimes bro

ERRORS OF ST

ndamental principles of grammar by breaking the rules regarding one or more of the nine parts of speech. In fact some of them have recklessly trespassed against all nine, and still they sit

fers to "Robinson Crusoe" as "an universally pop

as yet had exhibited the structure of the human kidneys, Vesalius having only examined them in dogs." This means that Vesalius examined human kidney

his who received such criticisms from him (Dickens) very lately and profi

pronominal errors f

lthough not many others so late as him." Sho

ould speedily become as poor as them." Sh

ch, as them that do." Should be they or those, the latter

reception of a prophet, mightier than him, and whose shoes he w

r than her." Should be she.-Ben

ish faction were at liberty to form new schemes." Shou

were obliged to the same proportion more than us.

ses of the pronouns have been used while t

d I the batt

bjective case after it; therefore instead of tho

cell, Let thee and I, my

hould be the obje

pronoun trips the grea

e find the relative

ay that I am?

hat I am?-Acts

rd is not in the objective governed by say or thin

offee house t'other night,

us hints that the author is dead, and yet lay the suspicion upon

ied to I don't know who." -

he above examples shoul

noun thou is very often used for th

ill one day destro

ye; holy men I thoug

les that from

ust decree Transfer the power

avoc with the adjective in the indiscri

e same word, use th

advice sets a bad example. He should ha

n do not admit the addition of the words more, most, or the ter

incitement of human misery.

y the name of Archon among the Gre

d to certain magazines they call lib

ravity and elastic force, have been disco

e, affected every individual in the colony, the indignation

earth were meditating a subm

hey are founded on some new knowledge or impro

est manner of the two."-Shaft

esire seems to be the strongest of the t

sed for the comparative. When only two objects

no degrees of comparison,

ons of all men, so it was more impossible they should pass judgment on the

rs employ adjectives fo

hereafter suitable to a ma

y mean of him."-Bentley's

fund to supply them is extreme sc

t frequently when the subject and the verb are widely separated, especially if some other noun of a different number immedia

few autho

f a patent were communicated t

nd apparel were conspicuous

family were the creatures of

n, languor or listlessne

ply, some pursuit or ob

of his supposed accomplice

rning than we do; yet at the same time none ar

of us have seen strang

past tense, yet the learned Byron overlooked th

gun to pant With feelings of

om Savage's Wanderer in wh

cience sprung, A Bacon brig

rd to the participles

e same spirit and in the same manner

ot wore off the manners of t

ains of the earth were broke o

been shook by the iniquity of for

s of future divisions wer

he present participle is u

gment of a rock from the splinter of a

should be replaced

hall and will are vio

outside, we will be richly rewarded by it

m, they should be more than I am able to e

speak of them, they are mor

be at a loss, in understanding several p

owing and we will have ourselves to blame, if the

in his "English Past and Present" writes, "It rather modified the structure of our sentences than the elements of our vocabul

or Wesley." Thus writes Leslie Stephens of Dr. Johnson. He should have written,-" So far a

s, adjectives and verbs require particular prepositions after them, for instance, the word different alwa

epositions in parentheses are th

ficulty of (in) writing."-

evail upon (over)

ommunicated to (with) his fr

ntrusted to persons on (in) whom the

instance Carlyle, in referring to the Study of Burns, writes:-"Our own contributions to it, we are aware, can be but scan

e intended," he sh

n which they peculiarly and obv

iters have some one vein in which

which repeat the same thought a

wever) poor Polly embraced

ould (mutually) find

artnership between the two Powers

o be) is to frankly acknowledge our ignora

his position-splendid, no doubt,-

in the habit of assuri

as their field o

ing, as was now (frequen

Sultan (continue to) re

rom jesting), this is n

consciousness that you go back with) th

tops and (in appearance) looked the m

ion to make, but he submitted that it was born

hich is termed circumlocution, a going around the bush

s poetry from Dryden, whom, whenever an opportunity was presented, he praised through the whole period of his existence with unvaried liberality; and perhaps his character m

lost no opportunity of praising; and his character

an age not far from the one fixed by the s

ought to a close at the age of seventy;" or,

ermometer crept down to the zero mark," can be expressed

e a snag in writing upon subjects of which they know little or nothing. The young writer should steer clear of

rs, a fact which eloquently testifies that no one is infallible and that the very best is liable to err at times. How

s of grammar and would not know how to write a sentence correctly on paper. Such persons have been accustomed from infancy to hear the language spoken correctly and so the use of the proper words and forms becomes a second nature to them. A child can learn what i

ers, but without such a knowledge we cannot hope to write the language correctly. To write even a common letter we must know the principles of construction