LIBRARY 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF 
 ^ CALIFORNIA j 
 

EVERY-DAY 
 
 ERRORS OF SPEECH. 
 
 BY 
 
 L. P. MEEEDITH, M.D. 
 
 REVISED AND CORRECTED 
 BY 
 
 REV. T. H. L. LEARY, M.A., & D.C.L., 
 
 LATE SCHOLAR OX BRASENOSE COLLEGE, OXFOED, 
 AXD ASSISTANT EXAMINER TO HER MAJESTY'S CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSIONERS 
 
 LONDON : 
 WILLIAM TEGG AND CO., 
 
 PANCRAS LANE, QUEEN STREET, CHEAPSIDE, 
 
 1877. 
 
SIX 
 
 ev/e 
 PREFACE. /^77 
 
 The work of Dr. Meredith on '' Errors of Speech, " 
 which is here revised and corrected, won a large 'share 
 of popularity in America, where it was first pubhshed, 
 and its many merits and its undoubted usefulness 
 were immediately recognised. The present Editor 
 has in some cases added to Dr. Meredith's work: in 
 other cases he has made omissions and alterations, 
 not merely with a view to correct inaccuracies and 
 supply deficiencies, but with a view to render the 
 work more serviceable to all who naturally look to 
 England as a superior court of appeal, and as the 
 country where the purest English is spoken and 
 pronounced. In doubtful cases the Editor has 
 given all admissible forms of pronunciation. In 
 many cases it has been found impossible to make any 
 combination of English vowels and consonants do 
 the work of the speaking tongue in the pronunciation 
 A 2 
 
 965 
 
PREFACE, 
 
 of words, and an approximation only has bean, 
 effected ; but in all cases an attempt has been made 
 to guard the reader against the most common errors 
 not merely of English pronunciation, but of English 
 etymology and syntax. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAas 
 
 PREFACE 3 
 
 KEY TO THE PRONUNCIATION 7 
 
 ERRORS IN MISCELLANEOUS WORDS ... 9 
 SCRIPTURAL, MYTHOLOGICAL, AND OTHER PROPER 
 
 NAMES . . . . . • . 67 
 
 SCRIPTURAL NAMES ...... 70 
 
 GREEK AND LATIN PROPER NAMES, MYTHOLOGICAL, 
 
 ETC. 78 
 
 MODERN BIOGRAPHICAL NAMES . . . . 85 
 
 MODERN GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES .... 88 
 
 ENGLISH CHRISTIAN NAMES . . , • 93 
 
 NAMES FOUND IN LITERATURE .... 95 
 
 ORTHOEPICAL ERRORS OF THE PROFESSIONS . 102 
 
 MEDICAL AND DENTAL WORDS .... 109 
 
 SENTENCES FOR PRACTICE . . . . .. 115 
 
 MELANGE 117 
 
 VIOLATED RULES OF GRAMMAR .... 140 
 
Digitized by the Internet Arciiive 
 
 in 2008 with funding from 
 
 IVIicrosoft Corporation 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/everydayerrorsofOOmererich 
 
KEY TO THE PEONUNCIATION OF 
 THE BESPELLING. 
 
 The long sounds of a, e, i, o, u, are represented by a, e, i, 6, u. 
 The short sounds of a, e, i, o, u, „ „ a, e, i, o, ii. 
 
 a, as in aiVy^air, is represented by a. 
 
 „ a or ah. 
 
 a^ 
 
 fi 
 
 far, arm, 
 
 a. 
 
 y, 
 
 all, Mul, 
 
 a. 
 
 » 
 
 wliat, squat. 
 
 Cy 
 
 „ 
 
 ere, where. 
 
 e. 
 
 „ 
 
 obey, weight. 
 
 ^J 
 
 „ 
 
 her, term. 
 
 ^', 
 
 »> 
 
 machine, 
 
 h 
 
 yy 
 
 dirk, whirl, 
 
 0, 
 
 „ 
 
 done, son. 
 
 Oj 
 
 yy 
 
 woman. 
 
 0, 
 
 )) 
 
 do, move. 
 
 Oy 
 
 „ 
 
 for, storm, 
 
 00, 
 
 „ 
 
 soon, moon, 
 
 00, 
 
 „ 
 
 foot, good. 
 
 fly 
 
 >> 
 
 rude, rule. 
 
 th 
 
 » 
 
 ;push, pull. 
 
 th 
 
 ,, 
 
 hum, turn. 
 
 Oly 
 
 [" 
 
 oil, toy. 
 
 aw. 
 
 » 
 
 e or ee. 
 
 » 
 
 1. 
 
 ii 
 
 ii. 
 
 J> 
 
 00. 
 
 J> 
 
 66. 
 
 ii 
 
 6 or aw. 
 
 » 
 
 66 
 
 » 
 
 00. 
 
 )) 
 
 65. 
 
 „ 
 
 00. 
 
 it 
 
 u. 
 
KEY. 
 
 mi J ' 
 
 las ia found, owl, is represented by ow. 
 
 Cy 
 
 j> 
 
 city, cite, 
 
 9» 
 
 „ 8 or 9. 
 
 C, 
 
 »> 
 
 can, cut, 
 
 »» 
 
 „ k. 
 
 €%, 
 
 }) 
 
 child, much. 
 
 ,, 
 
 „ ch. 
 
 eJif 
 
 » 
 
 machine, 
 
 ,, 
 
 „ sh. 
 
 ch 
 
 „ 
 
 chorus. 
 
 }> 
 
 » t. 
 
 ih 
 
 » 
 
 ginger. 
 
 „ 
 
 » 3- 
 
 n, 
 
 a 
 
 think, uncle. 
 
 »» 
 
 „ n. 
 
 qu, 
 
 ft 
 
 require. 
 
 » 
 
 „ kw. 
 
 s> 
 
 a 
 
 these, ease. 
 
 „ 
 
 „ z. 
 
 Obscure vowel sounds, or those which are glided over in a 
 word without any noticeable accent, are unmarked. In those 
 cases where the pronunciation is so evident that mistakes seem 
 improbable, the marks are also omitted. 
 
EVERY DAY 
 ERRORS OF SPEECH. 
 
 Abacus — ab'a-kus, not a-bSk'iis, 
 
 Abdomeii-^ab-do'men, not ab'do-men. 
 
 Acacia — a-ka'shi'a, not a-kash'ya. 
 
 Acclimate — ak-kli'mate, not ak'kli-mate. 
 
 Acclimated is also accented on the second syllable. 
 
 Acclimatization — ak-kli-mat-i-za'shun, not ak-kli'-ma-ti-za-shun. 
 
 Accompanist — ak-kiim'pa-nist, not ak-kum'pa-ny-ist. 
 
 Acumen — a-ku'men, not ak'u-men. 
 
 Addenda — ad-den'da, plural of Addendum. (Something to be 
 
 added.) 
 Adult— a-dult', not ad'ult. 
 Adverse — ad'-verse, not ad-verse'. 
 Aerated — a'er-a-ted, not a'-re-a-ted. " Areated bread *' is a 
 
 mistake that is frequently made. 
 
10 EBEOBS OF SPEECH. 
 
 Albumen — al-bu'men, not al'bu-men. 
 
 Alder — awFder, not al'der ; it is the name of a tree. 
 
 Alike. It is sufficient to say that two persons or things are alike, 
 not both alike. The word hotJt, associated with alike is just 
 as unnecessary as it is with resemhle and e(2nal in the follow- 
 ing sentences : " These two men loth resemble each other." 
 " These two sums are hoth equal." 
 
 Allopathy — al-lop'a-thy, not al lo-path-y. 
 
 AUopathist is similarly accented. 
 
 Alpaca — al-pak'a, not al-pak'er. 
 
 Altercate — awFter-kate, not SI ter-kate. 
 
 Amenable— a-mg'na-ble, not a-men a-ble. 
 
 Among. A thing is divided among many, but 'between two. 
 
 Amour — a-mCor', not am -more nor a'moor. 
 
 Angry. Say angry with a person and at a thing. 
 
 Animalcula is the plural of animalcnlum ; there is no such 
 word as ammalculcs ; wherever used it is a barbarism. Animal- 
 cule (singular) and animalcules (plural), are proper words ; the 
 former is pronounced an-i-mal'-kule and the latter an-i-maF- 
 kalz. 
 
 Antarctic — ^ant-ark'tik, not ant^Hr'tik. Arctic— Srk'"tik, not ar'tik. 
 
 Antepenult — an-te-pe-nult', not an-te-pe'nult. 
 
 Apex — a'pex, not ap'ex. 
 
 Apparatus — ap-pa-ra'tus, not ap-pa-rSt'us. 
 
 Aquaria, not aquariums^ is the plural of aqnaririm, 
 
 Arabic — ar'a-bik, not a-rab'-ik, a-ra'bik, nor ai-'a-bak ; which 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH. 11 
 
 are very common errors, especially in the compound word 
 ff urn- arable. 
 
 Arbitrary is often incorrectly pronounced as if spelled ar-hUta-ry. 
 
 Archangel — ark-an'jel, not arch-an'jel. 
 
 Archbishop — arch-bish'op, not ark-bish'op. 
 
 Archipelago— ark-i-pel'a-go, not arch-i-pera-go. 
 
 Architect — ar^i-tect, not arch'-i-tect. 
 
 Archives — ar'kivz, not arch'ives nor ar'kevez. 
 
 Arid — Sr'id, not 5'rid. 
 
 Aroma — a-rO'ma, not ar'o-ma. 
 
 Asparagus — as-pSr'S-gus, not spar'row-grass. 
 
 At should not be used when it has no grammatical connection 
 
 with the other words of a sentence ; as, " Where are you 
 
 living at? " 
 At all, not S tall. 
 Attacked, not attackted. 
 
 Attorney — at-tur'-ney, the plural is Attorneys, at-tur'neys, not 
 Attomies. 
 
 Auction — awk'shun, not ok'-shun. 
 
 Ay or Aye, meaning yeSy and aye, an affirmative word, are pro- 
 nounced 1, not a. 
 
 Aye, meaning forever, always, (used chiefly in poetry,) is pro- 
 nounced a, not i nor ai. 
 
12 ERRORS OF SPEECH. 
 
 B. 
 
 Bade — ^bSd, not bade. 
 
 Badinage — bad'in-azh, not bad'in-aje. Worcester gives the same 
 pronunciation, but places the accent on the last syllable. 
 
 Bagnio — ban'yo, not bag'ni-o. 
 
 Balance. There are two common errors connected with this 
 word. One is to write it hallance : the other is to use it in 
 the sense of remainder^ rest, etc. ; as, the halance of the 
 day, the lalance of the people. Balance means properly 
 "the excess on one side, which added to the other makes 
 equality." The corrupt use of the word, as above mentioned 
 is laid down as a vulgarism. 
 
 Baluster — not hanister. A rail, a small pillar. 
 
 Balustrade — not hanister. A row or set of little pillars. 
 
 Banana — ba-na'na, not ban-5'na. 
 
 Bantam — not hanty. 
 
 Beau — bo. A man of dress, a lady's gallant. 
 
 Beaux — bSz, plural of beau. 
 
 Belle — bel'. A handsome young lady. 
 
 Belles lettres — bel let'tr. Elegant literature. 
 
 Bellows — bel'lSz, not bel'lus. The plural is the same as the 
 singular. 
 
 Besom — ^be'zum, not be'sum. A broom. 
 
 Betroth — be-troth', not be-tr5th'. Betrothed, Betrothal, etc., are 
 similarly pronounced. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH, 13- 
 
 Billet-doux — ^bil'le-doo. A love letter. 
 
 Bizarre— be-zar', odd, whimsical. 
 
 Blacking, not Uachening^ for boots and shoes. 
 
 Blanc-mange — blo-mon'je, a kind of jelly. 
 
 Blouse — blowz, not blowss. 
 
 Bologna — ^bo-lo'na. Bologna sausage, Bologna phial, etc. 
 
 Bon-mot — bong'-mo, a good word, a repartee. 
 
 Bon-ton — ^bong-tong', fashion. 
 
 Bon-vivant— bong-ve-vang'. 
 
 Bona-fide — bo'na-fide, not bo -ne-fide nor bon'-a-f ide. 
 
 Bouquet — boo-ka' or boo'ka, not bS-ka'. 
 
 Bourgeois, meaning a kind of type, is pronounced biir-jois', but 
 Bourgeois, a citizen, pronounced boSr-zhwaw'. 
 
 Brand-new, not Iran-new. Although the latter adjective is 
 much used, it is evidently a corruption of the former. An 
 article in its newness may be bright like a hrand of fire, or 
 the hrand of the manufacturer may remain intact, but there 
 is certainly no Iran about it. 
 
 Breeches — britch'ez, not as spelled. 
 
 Bretzel, not pretzel, A brittle German cake. 
 
 Brigand — Irig'and, not l?rig-dnd\ 
 
14 ERRORS OF SPEECH, 
 
 Brilliant. A diamond of the finest cut, with its faces and facets 
 so arranged as to secure the greatest degree of brilliancy — 
 whence the name. The name to many conveys the idea of 
 paste, or imitation. A rose diamond may be just as pure, but 
 its depth does not permit it to be called a hrilliant without 
 a much greater loss of substance. 
 
 Brougham — ^broom or broo'am, not bro'am nor brow'am. A 
 kind of carriage. 
 
 Bull— bo8l, not bul. 
 
 Burst, Bursted, Bursting, not hust, busted j and husting. 
 
 Bustle, Bustled, Bustler — hus^sl^ hi^ledy lus'ler^ not as .spelled. 
 
 Cache — kash', not ca'che. A hole in the ground for holding or 
 
 preserving provisions. 
 Cachinnation — kak-in-na'tion, loud laughter. 
 Cacoethes — kak-o-e'thees, not ka-ko'e-thes. A bad habit. 
 Calculate is sometimes inappropriately used in lieu of helievcy 
 
 snjjpose, exjpect, etc. Calculate means to ascertain by means 
 
 of figures, or to study what means must be used to secure a 
 
 certain result. 
 Cahsthenics — kal-is-then'iks, not kal-is-the'niks. Exercises to 
 
 strengthen the body. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH, 15 
 
 Caloric — ca-lor'ic, not cdl'o-ric. 
 
 Calliope — kal-ll o-pe, not kal'li-ope. 
 
 Calvary, not cavalry, when the place of our Saviour's crucifixion 
 
 is meant. 
 Calyx — ca'lix, not cal'ix. The outer covering of a flower. 
 Camelopard — kam'el-o-pard, not kam-el-lep'ard. 
 Canon — kan'yon, not kan'-nun. A deep gorge or ravine. Spelled 
 
 also Canyon, (a Spanish word) ; but Canon — a rule, or an 
 
 ecclesiastical officer, is pronounced kan'-nun. 
 Cantata — can-ta'ta, not can-ta'ta. 
 Cantatrice — kan-ta-tre'che, not kan'ta-treess. 
 Caoutchouc, Tioo'cliooli, not as spelled. 
 Capoch — ka-po5tsh', not ka-p6ch'. Capouch is another form of 
 
 the same word. A monk's hood. 
 Caput, (Cap,) in the sense of the heading of a chapter, page, 
 
 etc., is permitted only in Acts of Parliament and such 
 
 lengthy documents, or to denote a University Council. 
 Cariole — car'i-ole, not carry-oU, nor carry-all. 
 Carminative — kar-mm'a-tive, not kar'mi-na-tive. 
 Carte-blanche — kart-blansh', not kart-blan'-che. Literally blank 
 
 paper signed at bottom, to be filled up at pleasure, full liberty. 
 Casualty — kazh'u-al-ty, not kSz-u-al'i-ty. 
 Catalpa — ka-tal'pa, not ka-tawl'pa. 
 
 Catch, Catching — katch and katching, not ketch and ketching. 
 Cater-cornered — ka'ter-cor-nered, not kat'ty-comered. Not thus 
 
 compounded in Webster, but his pronunciation of the separate 
 
16 EBROBS OF SPEECH. 
 
 words is as given. Worcester gives the word as above, and 
 defines it as an adjective — diagonal. It is however generally 
 used, I believe, as an adverb ; as, " the piano stands cater- 
 comered" (diagonally). It is an inelegant word, diagonal 
 and diagonally being preferred, and may be regarded as 
 obsolete. 
 
 Catholic means universal, liberal, general, not bigoted, and not 
 JRoman Catholic, unless specially so applied ; pronounced 
 kath'o-lic. 
 
 Caucasian — kaw-ka'sian, not kaw-kazh'ian, kaw-kash'ian, kaw- 
 kaz'ian, nor kaw-kass'ian, 
 
 Cayenne — ka-en', not ki-en' nor ki-an. 
 
 Celery — seFle-ry, not saFle-ry. 
 
 Centrifugal — sen-trif'u-gal. 
 
 Centripetal — sen-trip'e-tal. 
 
 Chalcedony — kal-se-do'ny, not chal-sed'o-ny. 
 
 Chaps — chaps. The jaws. Chops is also correct. From Anglo- 
 Saxon cca/plas — ^jaws. 
 
 Character — kar'ak-ter, not kar-ak'ter. 
 
 Charge d'affaires — shar-zha-daf-fare'. 
 
 Chasten— chas'en, not chas'en. Chastened, chastening, etc., have 
 also the long a, but Chastise has the short a, and the accent 
 on the second syllable, chas-tize'. 
 
 Chastisement is pronounced chas-tiz'ment. 
 
 Chew — chu, not cliaw^ nor chow. The latter words either as 
 verbs or nouns are vulgar. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH. 17 
 
 Chiaro Oscuro— ke-ar'o os-cU'ro. 
 
 Chid, not chi'ded, is the imperfect tense of chide. 
 
 Chimera — ki-me'ra, not chi-me'ra, nor ki-me'ra. 
 
 Chivalric — shiv'al-rik, not chiv-Sl'rik. 
 
 Chivalrous — shiv'al-riis, not chiv-aFrus. 
 
 Chivalry — shiv'al-iy, not chiv'al-ry. 
 
 Cicerone — che-che-r5'-ne, not sis'e-rOne. A guide. 
 
 Citrate — sit'-rate, not si'-trate. (" Citrate of magnesia/') 
 
 Climbed, not clomb (klum). (One climbs vp^ but does not climb 
 
 down.') 
 Clough^kliif, a cleft, a ravine. 
 Clyster — klis'ter, not glis'ter. 
 Cochineal — koch'-i-neel. 
 
 Cocoa (ko^ko) is not made from the cocoa nut or tree, but from 
 the seeds of cacao (ka-ka'o) or chocolate tree. The word is 
 evidently a perversion, but in its present signification it has 
 gained a permanent footing. 
 
 Cognomen— kog-no'men, not kog'no-men. 
 
 Cold-chisel, not coal-chisel. It is a chisel of peculiar strength 
 and hardness for cutting cold metal. 
 
 Cole-slaw. In the former editions of some dictionaries it has 
 been taught that this word is derived from cole meaning cab- 
 bage, and slaw meaning salad. Cole-slaw — cabbage-salad. 
 The uninstructed soon changed the cole into cold, and sub- 
 stituted hot for the other extreme of temperature, thus en- 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH. 
 
 tirely changing the signification. What was really meant, was 
 hot cole-slaw and cold cole-slaw. Many persons still regard 
 cole-slaw as the proper word, and receipt books give that 
 orthography. The last edition of Walker and Webster, 
 however, only gives the word slaw^ but defines cole-slaw as 
 "sliced cabbage." 
 
 Comoatant — kom'bat-ant, or kum'batant, not kom-lat'ant. 
 
 Combativeness — kom'bat-ive-ness, not kom-bat'ive-ness. 
 
 Come is often thoughtlessly used for go or some other word. If 
 Edward is just leaving Howard *s house, it is right for 
 Edward to say, "I'll come to see you soon," but Howard 
 could not properly say, at that ^lace^ the same thing. He 
 should say, " I will go to see you soon." If they both live in 
 Manchester, and should meet in London, neither could say, 
 appropriately, " I'll come to see you after I get home ; " that 
 would mean that one would travel back from his home in 
 Manchester to London to see the other. But either might say, 
 " Come and see me when you get home ; " or, " I shall see," etc. 
 
 Commonalty — com'mon-al-ty, not com-mon-al'i-ty. 
 
 Complement, the full number. 
 
 Compliment, praise, flattery. 
 
 Comparable — kom'pa-ra-ble, not k5m-par'a-ble. 
 
 Complaisance — kom'pla-zans, not kom-pla'zans. In complaisant 
 
 and complaisantly, the accent is also on the first syllable. 
 Comptroller — kon-troi'Ier, not komp-trOl'ler. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH, 19 
 
 Conduit — kon'dit or kiiii'dit, not kon'duit nor kSn'dute. A pipe 
 or canal for the conveyance of fluid. 
 
 Confab, not konflah. A contraction of confabulation. 
 Congeries — kon-je'ri-ces, not kon-je'rez nor kon'je-rez. A col- 
 lection of particles into one mass. 
 
 Contemptuous, not contemptible, when the manifestation of con- 
 tempt for another is meant. I once heard a young lady de- 
 scribing how she had withered at a glance a poor young man 
 who had incurred her displeasure. " 0, 1 gare him such a 
 contcviptible look," said she. 
 
 Contiguous — kon-tig'u-us, not kon-tij'u-us. 
 
 Contour — kon-tOor-', not kon'toor. The outline of a figure. 
 
 Contra-dance is better than countrij -dance, the latter word being 
 
 a coiTuption ; but it has become admissible from long use. 
 
 Contre-danse is the Trench original, and means that the 
 
 parties stand opposite to each other. 
 
 Contrary — kon'tra-ry, not kon-tra'ry. 
 
 Contribute — kon-trib'ute, not kon'-trl-bute. 
 
 Contumacy — koii'tu-ma-sy, not kon-tu'ma-sy. Obstinacy, ctub- 
 
 bomness. 
 Contumacious — kon-tu-ma'shus, obstinate. 
 Contumely— kon'tu-me-ly, not kon-tu'me-ly. Insolence, con- 
 
 temptuousness. 
 
 B 2 
 
20 ERRORS OF SPEECIL 
 
 Conversant — kSn'ver-sant, not kon-ver'sant. 
 
 Conversazione — k8n'ver-sUt-se-6'na, not kon-ver-sas'si-one. A 
 
 meeting for conversation. Worcester pronounces it kon-vcr- 
 
 sat-ze-o'na. The plural is conversazioni (-ne). 
 Cook — kook, not kuk. 
 Corporal (punishment,) not kor-po're-al. 
 Cortege — kor'tazh, not kor'teje. , A train of attendants. 
 Councillor is a member of council. 
 Counsellor, one who gives advice. 
 Courier — koo're-er, not kur'ri-er. 
 Covetous — kuv'et-us, not kiiv'et-shus. 
 Cozen — Kuz-zn, not k5zen. To cheat, to beguile. 
 Creek, not krick. 
 Creole, one bom in Spanish America or the AYest Indies, of 
 
 European ancestors ; not necessarily implying an admixture, 
 
 greater or less, of African blood. 
 Crinoline — krin'o-leen, not krin'c-lme. 
 Crochet— kro'sha, not kro'shet, nor kro'shct. 
 Cuirass — kwe-ras' or kwe'-ras, not ku'ras. A piece of armour. 
 Cuisine — kwe-zcen'. Worcester gives kwc-zen'. Cooking, or 
 
 cooking department. 
 ' Culinary — ^kU'li-na-ry, not kul'i-na-ry. 
 Cupola — ^ku'po-la, not ku'-po-lo. 
 Cyclopean — sy-cl6-pe'an, not sy-clu'-pc-an. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH, 21 
 
 Dahlia— dal'ya or dal'ya, not d&l'ya. 
 
 Dare not, not daresn't. 
 
 Data — da'ta, not dat'a, is the plural of datum (da'tum). 
 
 Deaf— def, not deef. 
 
 Debouch— de-boosli', not as spelled. 
 
 Debris — da-bre', not de'bris nor da'bre. Rubbish, ruins. 
 
 Debut — da'boG, first appearance. 
 
 Debutant — da-Lu-tang^. (A novice.) 
 
 Decade — dek'ade, not de'kade nor de-kadc'. Ten in number. 
 
 Defalcate — de-f aFkate, not de-fa wFkate. 
 
 Defalcation — de-fal-ka'shun, not de-fawl-ka'sliun. Worcester 
 
 gives def-al-ka'shun. No such word as defalcator is seen. 
 Deficit — def'i-sit, not def i'- sit, nor de-fis'sit. A deficiency. 
 
 Delusion, not ilhision, when deception occurs from want of know- 
 ledge of the M^orld, ignorance of business or trade, or from 
 want of acumen generally. Illusions are deceptions arising 
 from a temporarily or permanently disordered imagination, 
 or from the operation of natural phenomena acting on the 
 senses or the mind : thus we speak of the illusions of fancy 
 or of dreams, and of optical illusions. The mirage of the 
 desert and the Fata Morgana are instances of the latter. 
 
 Demonstrative — de-mon'-stra-tive, not dem'on-stra-tive. 
 
 Demonstrator — dem'on-stia-tor, not dc-moa-stra-tor. 
 
22 ERROBS OF SPEECH. 
 
 Depot — de-po' or de'po, not da'pO, dep'po, nor depot. Worcester 
 sanctions de-po' only. 
 
 Dereliction — der-e-lik'shun, not der-e-lek'sliun. A forsaking, 
 abandonment. 
 
 Desert — dez'ert, a wilderness. 
 
 Deshabille — des-a-beel', \ 
 
 \ not des'ha-beel nor dis'ha-bcel. 
 Dishabille — dis-a-beel', j 
 
 The French is des-habille, pronounced about like da-za-bc-ya. 
 
 Desideratum — de-sid-e-riitum, not de-sid-er-at'um. (Something 
 particularly desired.) Plural, de-sid-cr-a'ta. 
 
 Desperado — des-per-a'do, not dcs-per-U'do. 
 
 Dessert — dez-zert', not de//-zert, nor des'scrt, a service of fruit : 
 
 dcssert-sjyoon (dez-z ert'-spoon) . 
 Devil — dev'il, not dev'vle. 
 
 Die. One dies of a disease, not with it. 
 
 Differ. One differs with a person in opinion; one person or 
 thing differs /?'()7>i another in some quality. 
 
 Disappointed. One is disappointed of a thing not obtained, and 
 in a thing obtained. " He will be disappointed of his legacy, 
 or in his purchase.'* 
 
 Discourse — dis'kors. 
 
 Disputable — dis'pu-ta-blc, not dis-put'a-ble. 
 
 Disputant — dis'pu-Umt, not dis-pu'tant. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH, 23 
 
 Distich — dis'tik, not dis'tich. Two poetic lines making sense. 
 
 Docile — dSslF or do-sil, not do'sile. Tractable, teachable. 
 
 Dolorous — doi'or-us, not do'lor-ous. Dolorously and Dolorousness 
 are similarly accented ; but dolour is pronounced do'lor. 
 
 Doubt. " I do not doubt but that it is so," is a very common 
 error. The meaning conveyed is just the opposite to that 
 which the speaker intends. He declares, in other words, that 
 he has no doubt hut a doubt that it is so ; or he does not doubt 
 that it is false. " I have no doubt but," and " there is no 
 doubt but," — are similar mistakes. The word " but *' should 
 be left out. 
 
 Dough-face means one that is easily moulded to one's will, or 
 readily changed in his views, and not a putty-faced or white- 
 faced person. 
 
 Dragomans, not dragomen^ is the plural of dragoman^ an Eastern 
 interpreter. 
 
 Drama — dra'ma or dra'ma, not dram'a. Worcester says dra'ma 
 or dram'a. 
 
 Dramatis Personse — dram'-a-tis per-so'ne, not dra-mat'is per'- 
 so-ne. 
 
 Drank, not drunhy is the imperfect tense of drink. Drunk is the 
 perfect participle. 
 
 Ducat— diik'at, not du'kat. 
 
24 ERRORS OF SPEECH. 
 
 Ductile — duk'til, not due-tile. 
 
 Durst not — durst' not, not durs'nt, for did not dare. 
 
 Ear — ear, not y6ar. Persons frequently speak of the year- ache, 
 and occasionally " a year of corn " may be heard. 
 
 Ecce Homo — ek'se ho'mO, not ek'ke ho'mo, nor es'se h5-mS. 
 
 Eider — i'der, not e'der. Eider-down and eidcr-ducli. 
 
 Elm is pronounced in one syllable, and not el'lum. 
 
 Elysian — e-liz'-i-an, not e-lis'-sian. "Worcester gives e-lizh'e-an. 
 
 Embryo — em'bry-5, not em-bry'o. 
 
 Employe (Er. Employe) — em-ploy-a' or ong-plwa,w-ya', not 
 employ 'e or ong-ploy'a. Employee is not allowed. 
 
 Encore — ong-kor', not ong'-kor nor en'kSr. 
 
 Eneid — e-ne'id, not e'ne-id. A poem of Virgil. Worcester sanc- 
 tions both methods of pronunciation. 
 
 Ennui — ong-nwe', not ong'-we. Worcester gives a much simpler 
 pronunciation, viz. : an-w6'. 
 
 Enquiry— en-kwi'ry, not en'-kwi-ry. 
 
 Ensemble — ang-sam'bl. The whole. 
 
 Epsom Salt, not Epsom Salts. Also called Epsomite. 
 
 Equable — ek'wa-ble, not e'kwa-ble. 
 
 Equally well, etc., not equally as well, etc. 
 
 Espionage — Ss'pe-on-aje or es'pe-on-azh, not es-pl'o-niije nor 
 es-pe'on-azh. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH. 25 
 
 Esquimau — es'kc-m5, not es'qui-maw ; plural, Esquimaux (es'ke- 
 moz), not es'Jke-mawz nor es'ke-mo. 
 
 Etagere — et-a-zli ar', not e-tazh 'er-y nor at-tazhl-a. Worcester's 
 pronunciation is a-ta-zhar'. A piece of parlour furniture with 
 shelves, used for placing small ornaments and fancy arti cles 
 upon ; a what-not. 
 
 Excrescence — ex-kres-sense, not ex-kre'sense. A superfluous 
 appendage ; morbid outgrowth. 
 
 Expect has reference to the future only, and not to the present or 
 past. "I expect that you are wrong," "I expect yow. were 
 disappointed yesterday," are errors. There is an abundance 
 of words that may be correctly used, as suppose^ suspect^ ima- 
 gine ^ believe and think. 
 
 Expose (Fr. expose) — eks-po-za,' not ex-p6z'. An exhibition. 
 The English word expose, to exhibit or make public, is pro- 
 nounced as spelled. 
 
 Exquisite — eks'qui-zit, not eks-quiz'ite. Exquisitely is accented 
 on the first syllable also. 
 
 Extant — ex'tant, not ex-tant'. 
 
 Extol— ex-tol', not ex 51'. Extolled, ex-t51d', etc. 
 
 Facet — f as'set, not fa-set'. A small surface or face ; as one of 
 tlie/acets of a diamond. 
 
 Falchion — fawl'shun, not f al'chi-on. A sword. Worcester sanc- 
 tions fawl'chun, also. 
 
26 ERRORS OF SPEECH. 
 
 Falcon — ^faw'kn, or fSl-kon, not fawrkn. 
 
 Pang. When applied to a \oot\\^fang means the portion that is 
 outside of the gums, not the root ov part that is set into the 
 jaw. From Anglo-Saxon Fang, a grasp. 
 
 Far, not/^/7*. 
 
 Febrile — f e'bril or feb'ril, not fe'brile. Eelatiiig to fever. 
 
 February, as it is spelled, and not Feb'u-a-ry, as many say and 
 write it. 
 
 Feod, feodal, feodality — fude, fud'al, and fu-dal'i-ty. Kelating 
 to a kind of tenure formerly existing in Europe, in which 
 military services were rendered by the tenant as rental. 
 Feud, feudal, feudality, is the orthography generally adopted 
 now. 
 
 Ferret. A ferret is an animal of the weasel kind, used to drive 
 rabbits out of their burrows, and rats out of their holes, and 
 not a species of dog. 
 
 Finale — fe-nU'la, not f I'nale or fi-nal'ly. 
 
 Finance — f e-nans', not f I'-nans. 
 
 Finances — fe-nan'sez, not fi'-nan-sez. 
 
 Financier — fin-an-seer', not f I-nan-secr'.. Financial and financially 
 have also the short i in the first syllable. 
 
 Finis — fi'nis, not fiu'is. 
 
 -fe-ncss'. 
 
 Firmament means the expanse of the sky: the heavens. The 
 original and derivative meaning, solid foundation, is obsolete. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH. 27 
 
 Flannel, noijlannen. 
 
 riorid — flor'id, not fio'iid. 
 
 Florin — florin, not flo-rm. A coin worth two shillings. 
 
 Florist — fl5'rist, not flor'ist. 
 
 Foetid or fetid— fe'tid, not fet'id. 
 
 Fc3tor or fetor — f e'tor, not f ct'or. 
 
 Forage — for'aje, not fo'raje. 
 
 Forceps — for'seps, net for'seps. The word is spelled the same 
 in both the singular and the plural numbers. Such mistakes 
 as, '' hand me a forcep," instead of "hand me a forceps,'* are 
 very common. Strictly speaking, " a pair of forceps " ought, 
 I suppose, to mean fivo forceps; but like the expressions "a 
 pair of scissors " and *' a pair of snuffers," the phrase has been 
 in use so long that it must be tolerated. 
 
 Forehead — for 'he J, not for'ed. Worcester allows either. 
 
 Foreign — f Sr'in, not f iir'in. 
 
 Fortnight — fort'nite, not fort'nile, f5rt'nifc, nor fort'nit. Wor- 
 cester gives what is authorized above and fort'nit. 
 
 Fortress — for'tress, not f or'tress. 
 
 Fragile — fraj'il, not fra'jil nor fra'jilc. 
 
 Fritter, not flitter, is the name of a kind of fried cake. 
 
 Frivolity — fri-vol'i-ty, not friv'ol-ty. 
 
 Frontier— front'ccr, not f runt'eer nor f run-tecr'. 
 
28 ERROBS OF SPEECH. 
 
 Prontispiece — f ront'is-pCie, not fiiint'is-pSse. 
 
 Puchsia — f u'she-a, not fook'ti-a. 
 
 Fuzz, not furzey is the word to use, if used at all, when the 
 embryo whisker, or the downy surface of fruit, etc., is meant, 
 Down is the more appropriate word. Furze is the name of an 
 evergreen shrub. 
 
 Gallivating, not gallivanting. Gallivanting is a word that is 
 used to some extent, being applied to persons roaming about 
 for amusement or adventure; as, "this young man has been 
 gallivantingy If it is a corruption of gallanting^ it should 
 certainly be abolished as a vulgarism; but if it is a corruption 
 oi gallivating^ from gallivat,the name of a small sailing vessel, 
 it might be clothed in its proper garb, and retained as a useful 
 word in our language. If either be used, the one above pre- 
 ferred should be chosen. 
 
 Gallows — gal'lus, not gal'loz. Gallowses, plural. 
 
 Gamin — ga-mSng', not gam'in nor ga'min. A street child. 
 
 Gape — gape, not gSp. 
 
 Gargle. One gur'gleSy not gur'gles^ the throat. 
 
 Gaseous — gaz'e-us, not gSss-e-us. Worcester gives ga'ze-us. 
 
 Gather — gath'er, not geth'er. 
 
 Genealogy — ^jen-e-Sl'o-jy, not je-nc-oro-Jy. 
 
 Genealogist (jen-e-al'o-iist), genealogical (jen-e-a-loj l-kal), and 
 genealogically (j en-e-a-loj 'i-kal-ly). 
 
EBROBS OF SPEECH. 29 
 
 Generic — je-ner'ik, not jen'er-ik nor jc-ne'rik. Eelating to a 
 genus, or kind. 
 
 Gerund — jer'und, not je-rund. A kind of verbal noun in Latin. 
 
 Get, not git. 
 
 Giaour — jowr, not gi'oor, ji-owr', nor joor. An epithet applied 
 by the Turks to a disbeliever in Mahomet and vice versa ; tjie 
 name of one of Byron's poems. 
 
 Gibbet — jtb'bet, not gib'bet. 
 
 Gladiator — gla'de-ator, not glad-e-a'tor. 
 
 Glamour — gla'muor, not glam'mnr. "Worcester gives gla'mer 
 also. A eh ami in the eyes, making them see things differently 
 from what they really are 
 
 Gneiss — nis, not nes nor gnes. A kind of rock. 
 
 Gondola —gon'do-la, not gon-do'la. 
 
 Got. There are some sticklers for niceties that overdo them- 
 selves in contending that the use of the verb got is generally 
 unnecessary and incorrect in conjunction with have and had, 
 even in colloquial speech. Get means to procure, to obtain, 
 to come into possession of, etc., and it is a very tame assertion 
 that one simply has a thing that cost much mental or physical 
 labour. A scholar has his lesson, but did it creep into his 
 head while he passively shut his eyes and went to sleep ? On 
 the contrary, he rjot it or learned it by hard study, and it is 
 proper to say that he has rjot it. A man has a cold, but he 
 got it or tooh it by exposing himself. A person has a sum of 
 money, but he got or earned it by his labour. Another has 
 good friends, but he got or secured them by his pleasant 
 address. The chief causes of the warfare against this word 
 are, I think, that have and liad, though generally used as 
 
80 ERBOBS OF SPEECH. 
 
 auxiliaries, can sometimes be used as principal verbs, and 
 make good sense ; and that it has not been sufficiently recol- 
 lected that in the majority of colloquial cases got either 
 stands for, or can be substituted for, another verb. In con- 
 firmation of this last statement, is appended the following 
 composed by Dr. Withers : " I got on horseback within ten 
 minutes after I got your letter. When I got to Canterbury, I 
 got a chaise for town, but I got wet before I got to Canterbury ; 
 and I have got such a cold as I shall not be able to get rid of 
 in a hurry. I got to the Treasury about noon, but first of all 
 I got shaved and dressed. I soon got into the secret of get- 
 ting a memorial before the board, but I could not get an 
 answer then ; however, I got intelligence from the messenger^ 
 that I should most likely get one the next morning. As soon 
 as I got back to my inn, I got my supper and got to bed. It 
 was not long before I got asleep. When I got up in the 
 morning, I got my breakfast, and then I got myself dressed 
 that I might get out in time to get an answer to my memorial. 
 As soon as I got it I ^^^into the chaise, and got to Canter- 
 bury by three, and about tea-lime I got home. I have got 
 nothing for you, and so adieu.'' 
 
 Applying this test of substitution to any doubtful case, I 
 think it right to assert that if there is no other verb or parti- 
 ciple that will appropriately take the place of '*got," the 
 latter word is unnecessary ; but it should hardly be considered 
 as an error, as it is so slight an impropriety compared with 
 many others which are allowed, and especially because wo 
 
EBROBS OF SPEECH. 31 
 
 have long had the usage of many of the best writers and 
 speakers to sanction the employment of the word. The very 
 people that appear to be so shocked at the use of the super- 
 fluous goty may generally be heard making use of such 
 expressions as "fell doivn upon the ground,*' "rose up and 
 went away," " covered it ovcr^* and " a gi-liat hig fire." The 
 do wily upy over, and hig are certainly redundant, but they 
 have been heard so long that they are seldom mentioned as 
 errors. 
 
 Gourmand — goor'maad, not gor'mand, unless the orthography 
 gormand is used. A ravenous eater. 
 
 Gourmet — goor-met, an epicure. 
 
 Gout — gowt, not g5ot, as actors are sometimes heard to pronounce 
 it in the following line from Macbeth : "On thy blade and 
 dudgeon, gouts of blood.'* (From Latin gutta — a drop.) 
 
 Gout — goo, relish, taste. 
 
 Government — giiv'ern-ment, not guv'er-ment. It is a mistake, 
 frequently made, to write and pronounce the word as if it had 
 no " n " in the penultimate. 
 
 Gramercy — gra-mer'sy, not gram'er-sy. A word formerly used 
 to express thankfulness with surprise. 
 
 Granary — gran'a-ry, not gi-a'na-ry. There are no such words as 
 grainery and grainary. 
 
 Gratis — gra'tis, not gi'at-is. 
 
 Grenade — ^gre-nade', not gren'ade. A kind of explosive shell. 
 
 CrTiardian — gardl-an, not gar-de'an. 
 
32 ERRORS OF SPEECH, 
 
 Guerdon — ger'don, not gwer'don nor jcr'don. A reward ; a 
 recompence. 
 
 Guild — gild, not gild. A society ; a fraternity. 
 
 Guillotine — gil'lo-teen, not gwil-lo-tiin'. 
 
 Guipure — ge-pur', not gim-piire' nor gwi-pure'. An imitation of 
 antique lace. 
 
 Gunwale — commonly pronounced gun'nel, and spelled so some- 
 times. 
 Gutta-percha — gut'ta-per'-clia, not giit'fea-per'ka. 
 Gyrfalcon — jer'faw-kn, not jer'fal-kun. 
 
 H. 
 
 Habitue (Fr. habitue)— a-bit-n-a', not hab-it-u-e'. 
 
 Halloo (hal-l6o'), holla (bol'la), hollo (bol'Io or bol-lo') or 
 hollow (liol'low), but not bol'ler. Worcester gives halloo- 
 (hal-lo5'), holla (bol-la'), hollo (hol-lo') and hollow (hol'low 
 or hoI-low'). It is strange that with such a variety of word.> 
 to choose from, people generally say " holler .'' 
 
 Hanged is preferable to hung, when the infliction of the death 
 penalty by hanging is meant. 
 
 Harass — har'ass, not ha-rass'. 
 
 Harem— ha'r em, not har'cm. Worcester gives hU'rem also. 
 Written also haram (ha-ram'). 
 
 Hardly. DoiVt and canH should not be used with hardly. 
 Such errors as, " I don't hardly believe it/' arc not uncommon. 
 Hardly means scarcely, and the use of don't or can't gives an 
 opposite signification to the sentence. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH. 33 
 
 Haunt — hant, not hawnt. 
 
 Haunted— hant'cd, not hawnt'ed. 
 
 Hautboy — ho 'boy a wind instrument. 
 
 Hauteur — hd'tur. 
 
 Hawaiian — ha-wi'yan, not ha-waw'yan. Eclating to the island 
 
 of Hawaii. 
 
 earth — harth, not berth. 
 
 Hearth-stone — harth'stone, not herth'stone. 
 
 Heather — heth'er, not heth'er. Worcester gives heth'er as the 
 
 pronunciation. 
 Heinous — ha'nus, not he'nus, hen'yus, nor han'yus. 
 Herbaceous — er-ba'shus, not her-ba'shus. 
 Herbage — erb'ej or erb'ej, not her'baje. 
 Heroine — her'o-in, not he'ro-ine nor he'ro-in. Worcester gives 
 
 the first and the last of the above. 
 Heroism — her'o-izm, not he'ro-izm. Worcester sanctions both. 
 Hieroglyphic — lil-er-o-glifik, not hi-er-o-grif'ik. 
 
 Hindoostanee 
 
 hin-doo-stan'ee, not hin-doo'stan-ee. Worces- 
 
 Hindustani 
 
 ter's orthography is Hindostanee and Hindostany^ but the 
 
 accent is on the penult as above. 
 Homage — honi'aje, not om'aje. 
 Homeopathy — ho-me-op'a-thy, not ho'me-o-path-y. 
 Homeopathist — ho-me-op'a-thist, not ho'me-o-path-ist. 
 c 
 
34 EEROBS OF SPEECH. 
 
 Hooping-cough — ho5p'ing-cough, not hoop'ing-cougli. Spelled 
 Whooping-cough, also. 
 
 Horizon — ho-ri'zon, not hor':-zon. 
 
 Horse-radish — horse-rad'ish, not horse-red'disli. 
 
 Hough — hok, not liiiff. To disable by cutting the sinews of 
 the ham. As a noun, the word means the joint at the lower 
 portion of the leg of a quadruped ; written hock, also. 
 
 Houri — howr'y, not owi-'y. A nymph of the Mahommedan 
 
 Hovel— hov'el, not hiiv'el. 
 Hundred, as spelled, not hun'derd. 
 Hydropathy — hi-drop'a-thy, not hi'dro-path-y. 
 Hydropathist — hi-dr8p'a-thist, not hi'dr5-path-ist. 
 Hygiene — hi'ji-ene, not hi-jeen' nor hi'geen. Worcester autho- 
 rizes the first and last. 
 
 Ichor — i'kor. The fluid in the veins of the gods. 
 
 Illustrate — il-lus'trate, not il'lus-trate. Illustrated, illustra- 
 ting, and illustrative, are likewise accented on the second 
 syllable; illustrator on the first. 
 
 Imbroglio — im-br6l'y5, not im-brol'yo. Worcester say im 
 
 br6ryc-5. 
 Immobile— im-moL-il, not im-mo'bil nor im-mo'blle. 
 Imperturbable — im-per-tur'ba-ble, not im-per-too'ra-ble, nor 
 
 ijn-per'tu-ra-ble. Incapable of being disturbed. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH, 35 
 
 Impetus — im'pe-tus, not im-pe'tus. 
 
 Implacable — im-pla'ka-ble, not Tm-plak'a-ble. 
 
 Impotent — im'po-tent, not im-po'tent. Impoteacy and impo- 
 tence are accented similarly. 
 
 Improvise — im-pro-vize', not im'pro-Tlze. 
 
 Incognito — in-kog'ni-to, not in-c5n'i-to nor in-co^-nish'o, Incog 
 is an authorized abbreviation. Incognita is a female in disguise. 
 
 Indigenous — in-did'-je-nous. 
 
 Indiscretion — m-dis-kresh'un, not m-dis-kre'sliun. 
 
 Indissoluble — in-dis'so-lu-ble, not in-dis-soru-ble. Indissolubly^ 
 etc 
 
 Industry — in'dus-try, not in-dus'try. 
 Infinitesimal — in-fin-i-tes'i-mal, not in-fin-tes'i-mal. 
 Ingenious — in-jen'yiis, means possessed of genius ; skilful, etc. 
 Ingenuous — m-jea'yu-us, means noble, open, frank, generous, etc. 
 Inquiry — in-kwi'ry, not m'kwi-ry ; spelled also enquiry. 
 Invalid — in-val'-id, null, void, having no force. 
 Invalid — in'-val-eed, one infirm or disabled from wounds or 
 sickness. 
 
 Inveigle — in-ve'gle, not Tn-va'gie. Inveigler (in-ve'gler and 
 
 inveiglement (in-ve'gle-ment). 
 Irate — i-rate', noti'rate. Worcester gives the latter. 
 Irrational— ir-rash'un-al, not ir-ra'shun-al. Irrationally (ir- 
 
 rash'un-al-ly), etc. 
 Iron — i'um, not i'ron. 
 
 G 2 
 
36 EBBOBS OF SPEECH. 
 
 Irrecognizable — ir-re-kog'ni-za-ble. 
 
 Irrelevant, not irrevelant. Not applicable ; not suited. 
 
 Isinglass — i'zmg-glass, is a kind of gelatine prepared from the 
 sounds or air-bladders of certain fish, and is used in jellies, for 
 clarifying liquors, etc. ; while the transparent substance, fre- 
 quently called isinglass^ which is used in the doors of stoves 
 and lanterns, is really micay a mineral that admits of being 
 cleaved into thin plates. 
 
 Isolate — i'so-late, not is'o-Iate. Isolated (I'so-la-ted), etc 
 Worcester gives iz'o-late, etc. 
 
 Itch — ^itch, not ech. 
 
 J- 
 
 Jamb, not jam J is the spelling of the side-piece of a door, window, 
 
 or fire-place. 
 Jaundice — jan'dis, not janders. 
 Jealous — jcFus, not jalus. 
 Jean — jane, not jeen. A twilled cotton cloth. Written also 
 
 jane. 
 Jew's-harp — juz'harp, not jus'harp. 
 Jocund — jok'und, not jo'kmid. Jocundity, jocundly, jocundness, 
 
 have also the short o. 
 Jugular — ju'gu-lar, not jug'u-lar. 
 Jujube— ju'jube, not ju'ju-be. " Jujube paste." 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH, 37 
 
 Just, not jest, in such sentences as : "I \v:i\q just done it ;" 
 "He li^isjust enough," etc. 
 
 K. 
 
 Knoll — nol, not nol. 
 
 L. 
 
 Lamm, to beat, is not spelled lam nor lamb. 
 
 Lapel — ^la-pel', not lap'el. That part of a coat which laps over 
 the facing. 
 
 Lariat — lar'i-at, not la'ri-at. A lasso. 
 
 Lay. This word in the sense here considered is a transitive verb, 
 or one in which the action or state implied by the verb passes 
 over to an object. The present tense is lay ; the imperfect 
 tense and past participle are laid ; and the present participle 
 laying. Eequiring an object in each of the various meanings 
 attached to it, it is proper to say : " The hen lays an ^%'g every 
 day ; " " The man laid his load on the ground ; " " The rain 
 has laid the dust ; " " The hunter is laying a snare." The 
 verb lie is an intransitive verb, and can have no object after it* 
 The present tense is lie ; the imperfect tense is lay ; the past 
 participle is lain ; the present participle is lying. Having no 
 objective case to which the action or state passes over, it 1 
 correct to say : ** Ohio lies north of Kentucky ; " " The sick 
 man lay upon the bed yesterday ; " " He has lain there help- 
 less for weeks ; " " The goods I bought are lying on my hands.* 
 Contrasting the sentences under each verb, it will be readily 
 eeen that Ohio does not lie Kentucky, but the hen lays tha 
 
88 JEREOBS OF SPEECH, 
 
 egg ; the invalid did not lay the bed like the man laid his load ;. 
 he has not ain anything, as the rain has laid the dust ; and the 
 goods are not lyin^ anything, as the hunter is laying the snare. 
 If the foregoing differences have been carefully observed, I 
 imagine that it will always be easy to select the proper word 
 by remembering the following rules : 
 
 1. If the person or thing spoken of exerts an action that 
 must pass over to an object, use lay, laid, and laying. 
 
 2. If the person or thing spoken of exerts an action that 
 does not pass over to an object, use lie, lay, lain, and lying- 
 *• He laid upon the bed," then, is incorrect, for the verb has 
 no object. It should be: "He lay upon the bed." But, 
 ** He laid himself upon the bed," would be correct, for there 
 is an objective case, himself, supplied. "Let these papers 
 lay,^' should be, " Let these papers Zie." " The ship lays at 
 anchor," should be, " The ship lies at anchor." " The ship 
 laid at anchor," should be, " The ship lay at anchor." " They 
 have laid in wait for you," should be, " They have lain in 
 wait for you." " This trunk is laying in our way," should be> 
 " This trunk is lying in our way." Errors connected with the 
 use of these verbs are more common, probably, than any 
 others in our language, being detected in the conversation and 
 •writings of many of the best educated people. Attention to 
 the above rules, and a few trial sentences in the different 
 moods, tenses, numbers, and persons, ought to make the selec- 
 tion of the proper word so simple, that persons should seldom 
 make mistakes, especially if they will remember that lie, lay, 
 lain, lying, mean rest ; lay, laid, laying, mean action. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH. 39 
 
 Learn. Learning is done by the scholar or student, and teaching 
 by the instructor. " She will learn me how to play,'' should 
 be, " She will teach me how to play," etc. 
 
 Leasing — leez'ing, not les'ing. An obsolete word meaning false- 
 hood ; lying. " Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing.'* 
 —Bible. 
 
 Legate — leg'ate, not le'gate. 
 
 Legendary — lej'end-a-ry, not le'jend-a-ry. 
 
 Leisure — le'zhur, or lezh'ur, not la'zhur. Leisurely (le'zhur-ly). 
 
 Length, not lenth. Every letter is sounded, also, in lengthy, 
 lengthen, lengthiness, etc. 
 
 Lenient — le'ni-ent, not len'i-ent. Leniently (le'ni-ent-ly), etc. 
 
 Lethe — le'the, not leth. The mythological and poetical name of 
 a river of the infernal regions, the drinking of which caused 
 forgetfulness of the past. 
 
 Lethean — le-the'an, not le'the-an. 
 
 Let's. It should be remembered that IcVs is really let ^is, the 
 apostrophe denoting the elision of the u. Such expressions 
 then as: "let's us go," "let's him and me go," should be, 
 " let us go " (or let's go), and " let him and me go ; " for who 
 wishes to say " let us us go," or "let us him and me go " ? 
 
 Levee — lev'-ee, not le-vee. 
 
 Leverage — le'ver-aje, not lev'er-aje. 
 
 Library— li'bra-ry, not li'ba-ry. 
 
 Licorice — lik'o-ris not lik'er-ish. 
 
 Lichen — li'-ken or lik'en, not as spelled. 
 
40 ERRORS OF SPEECH. 
 
 Lie. See Lay. 
 
 Lien — le'en or li'en, not leen. A charge upon property for the 
 satisfaction of a debt. 
 
 Lighted is preferable to lit as the imperfect tense and past 
 participle of the verb to light. " He lighted the gas," instead 
 of, " He lit the gas." " I have lighted the fire," instead of, 
 ** I have lit the fire." The same remarks apply to the imper- 
 fect and participle of light taken as an intransitive verb* 
 " The bird has lighted upon the tree," instead of, "has lit 
 upon the tree." Lit is condemned as obsolete. 
 
 Lilac — lilac, not la'lac ; a flowering shrub, a colour. 
 
 Lithographer — li-thog'ra-pher, not lithVgraph-er, nor ll-thog'ra- 
 pher. Lithography (li-thog'ra-phy). 
 
 Loath — loth, not loth ; the th is as in loth. Eeluctant. Written 
 sometimes loth. The verb is loathe, with the th as in hreathe. 
 
 Lyceum — li-se'um, not li'se-um. 
 
 M. 
 
 Machiavelian — mak-i-a-vel'ian, not mash-i-a-vel'ian. Pertaining 
 to Machiavel ; politically cunning. 
 
 Mad — is the term applied to those deranged in intellect. In the 
 sense of provoked, wrathful or indignant, angry is generally 
 considered the more appropriate word. " Mad as a March 
 hare^^^ is an indelicate term that should not be used on account 
 of its origin. 
 
 Madame — French, mU-dam' ; in English, mad'am. 
 
ERBOBS OF SPEECH, 41 
 
 Magna Charta — magna kar'ta, not magna charta. 
 
 Manes — ma'nez, not manz. The souls of the dead. 
 
 Manor — ^man'or, not ma'nor. 
 
 Marigold — mar'i-gold, not ma'ri-gold. 
 
 Matin — mat'in, not ma'tin. 
 
 Matins — mat'inz, not ma'tinz. 
 
 Mattress — mat'tress, not ma-trass'. Written also matress, and 
 pronounced as the first. 
 
 Mew — mu, not me-yow'. To cry like a cat. 
 
 Mediocre — me'di-o-ker, not me-di-o'ker, nor me-di-ok're. 
 
 Melange — ma-langzh', not me-lanj'. 
 
 Melanotype — me-lan'o-type, not me-la'no-type. 
 
 Melodrama — mel-o-dra'ma, not mel-o-dram'a, nor mel-o-dra'ma. 
 
 Memoir — mem'wor or mem'wor, according to Webster; Worcester 
 gives me-moir' or mem'war. 
 
 Mesdames — ma-dam', not mez-dumes'. 
 
 Metallurgy — met'al-lur-jy, not me-taFlur-jy. 
 
 Metaphor — ^met'a-for. The failure to distinguish between meta- 
 phors and similes is a very common mistake. In a metaphor 
 the resemblance is implied without any words to express the 
 similarity; as soon as the latter are added it becomes a simile. 
 " Hope is an anchor," and " Judah is a lion^s whelp," are 
 metaphors. " Hope is lilie an anchor," and "Judah is likeo, 
 lion's whelp," are similes. 
 
 Metrical — met'rik-al, not me'trik-al. 
 
42 ERRORS OF SPEECH, 
 
 Mezzo — met'zo, not mez'zo. An Italian word meaning middle j 
 not extreme. Mezzo-soprano (met'zo-sopra'no) ; between 
 contralto and soprano ; said of the voice of a female singer. 
 Mezzotinto, etc. 
 
 Microscope— mfkro-scope, not mik'ro-scope. Microsopic (mi-kro- 
 scop'ic). Microscopy (mi-kros'co-py). 
 
 Mien — meen, not mane. 
 
 Mineralogy — min-er-al'o-jy, not min-er-ol'o-jy. 
 
 Minuet — mm-u-et, not min-u-et'. A dance. 
 
 Mischievous — mis'che-vus, not mis-che'viis, nor mis-che've-us. 
 Mischievously and mischievousness are also accented on the first 
 syllable. 
 
 Modify — mod'i-fy, not mo'di-fy. 
 
 Modulate. This word is often used incorrectly instead of moderate 
 in such sentences as: " Modtdatejour voice," when it is meant 
 to command or request that the tone be moderated or lowered. 
 Modulate means to vary or inflect in a musical manner, and 
 although the word might often be used with propriety in such 
 sentences as the above, yet it is not always what is meant by 
 the speaker. A person's voice may be perfectly modulated, and 
 yet the tone may be so high that it is desirable, upon certain 
 occasions, to have it moderated. 
 
 Moire — ^mwor, not more nor mo're. Moire antique (mwor 
 an-tek'). 
 
 Molasses. It may seem incredible to those who have never heard 
 the error I am about to mention, that such a ridiculous blunder 
 could occur. I should hardly have believed it myself, if I had 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH. 43 
 
 only heard of it; but I was once in a part of the country where 
 all the people for miles around spote of molasses as if it were a 
 plural noun, and I frequently heard such remarks as the 
 following: *' These molasses are very good; tlwy are the best I 
 have seen for some time." I once began to remonstrate with 
 one of the champions of the plurality of the treacle, and 
 insisted that he should say, " this molasses," and, *' it is good," 
 etc. ; but it was of no avail. He insisted that the word was 
 analogous to ashes, and if one was plural so was the other. 
 The absurdity arose, as so many others do, from not calling 
 treacle, treacle. 
 
 Momentous — ^mo-men'-tous, not mo-men-tu'-ous. 
 
 Monad — mS'nad, not mo'nad. An ultimate atom. 
 
 Money — mon'eys in the plural, not mon-ies. 
 
 Monogram — mon'o-gram, not m5'no-gram. 
 
 Monograph — mon'o-graph, not mo'no-graph. 
 
 Monomania — mon-o-ma'nia, not mo-no-ma'nia. Monomaniae 
 
 (mon-o-ma'ni-ac) . 
 Moor — ^m65r, not more. An extensive waste; a heath. Moor, 
 
 the name of a native of North Africa, is similarly pronounced. 
 Morale — mo-ral', not mor'ale nor mo-ral'. 
 Mountainous — ^mount'ain-ous, not moun-ta'ni-ous. 
 
 Multiplication— miil-ti-pli-ca'tion, not mul-ti-pi-ca'-tion. 
 Murrain — miir-rin, not mur'rane. A disease among cattle. 
 Museum — ^mu-ze'um, not mu'ze-um. 
 
44 ERRORS OF SPEECH. 
 
 Mushroom, as spelled, not mush-roon. 
 
 Mussulmans, not musselmen, is the plural of Mussulman. 
 
 Mythology — mith- ol-o-jy, not mi-thol'o-jy. 
 
 N. 
 
 ITaiad — ^na'yad, not na'id nor na'ad. A water nymph. 
 
 Naive — ^na'ev, not nave nor nave. Natural; artless. 
 
 Naivete — na'ev-ta, not na-vete' nor na-ve'ta. 
 
 Nape — nap, not nap. The back part of the neck. 
 
 Nasal— na'zal, not na'sal nor nas'al. 
 
 Nasturtium or Nasturtion, not asturtion. 
 
 Negligee— neg-li-zh a, notneg-li-je', nor neg'li-zha. 
 
 ITewspaper — nuz'pa-per, not niis'pa-per. 
 
 Niche — nich, not nick, vrhen a concave recess in a wall for an 
 ornament is meant. If a piece is chopped roughly out of any- 
 thing, it leaves a nich. Nicli of time, not niche of time, when 
 a critical moment is meant. 
 
 Nomad — nom'ad, not no'mad. One of a wandering tribe. 
 Written nomade (nom'ade) also. From Greek Nomos, a pasture. 
 
 Nomenclature — no-men-cla'ture, not no'men-cla-ture. 
 
 Nominative, not norrv-a-tiv. 
 
 Nonillion — ^nO-neell'ion, not non-ill'ion. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH, 45 
 
 Nook nook, as given by Webster. Worcester sanctions both. 
 
 nook and nook. 
 Notable — no'ta-ble, not notVble. 
 Nymphean — mm-fe'an, not nimf'e-an. Eelating to nymphs. 
 
 o. 
 
 Obesity — c-bes'i-ty, not o-be'si-ty. 
 
 Obligatory — ob'li-ga-to-ry, not ob-lig'a-to-ry, nor ob-li-ga'to-ry^ 
 
 Often — oFn, not often. 
 
 Omega — 6-nieg'a, not Sm'e-ga. 
 
 Onerous— on'er-ous, not 5'ner-ous. 
 
 Only — on'ly, not on'Iy. 
 
 Onyx — o'nyx, not on'yx. 
 
 Opal — o'pal, not o-pal' nor o-pawl'. 
 
 Opponent — op-po'nent, not o-po-nent. 
 
 Ordnance, not ordinance, when cannon, artillery, etc., are in- 
 tended. Ordinance is a rule established by authority. 
 
 Orgeat — or'zhat or 6r'zha,not 6r'je-at. Worcester gives or'zhat. 
 
 Orthoepy — or'tho-e-py, not 6r-tho'e-py. 
 
 Orthoepist — 6r'tho-e-pist, not 6r-th6'e-pist. 
 
 Overflowed, not overflown. The former is from overflow, the 
 latter from overfly. 
 
46 ERRORS OF SPEECH. 
 
 Palaver — ^pa-lav'er, not pa-lau'ver. 
 
 Pall-mall — pel-meF, not pawl-mawl'. The name of a game 
 with a ball and a ring, formerly played in England ; and the 
 name of a street in London, so called from being a place 
 famous for snch play. Written also paiUmail and pell-mell, 
 both pronounced as above. Pell-mell used as an adverb 
 means mixed together in a disorderly manner ; but one person 
 cannot rush pell-mell. 
 
 Pap3rrus — pa-pi'rus, not pap'i-riis. A material used for writing 
 upon by the ancients, made from a plant of the same name. 
 
 Parent — pa'rent, not par'ent. 
 
 Parisian — pa-riz'ian, not pa-rish'ian nor pa-riss'ian. Worcester 
 gives pa-rizh'ian. 
 
 Paroquet — pSr'o-quet, not pur-o-ket'. 
 
 Parquet — par-ka' or par-kef. An inlaid floor. 
 
 Parquette — par-kef, not par-ka'. 
 
 Partner, not par dner. 
 
 Partridge, not pattrij. 
 
 Patent. The adjective is pronounced either pat'ent or pa'tent 
 When used as a verb or a noun, it is pronounced pat'ent. 
 
 Patois — pat-wo', not pat'wo nor pat-waw'. 
 
 Patriot— pa'tri-ot, not pat'-ri-ot. Patriotic, patriotism, etc.. 
 have also the long a. Worcester gives the same v/itli the ex- 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH. 47 
 
 ception of patriotiCj which he pronounces both pa'tri-ot-ic 
 
 and pat'ri-ot-ic. 
 Patron — pa'tron, not pat'ron. Patroness, Patronage, and Patronless 
 
 have also the long a. 
 Pease — peze, not_?^c^^, when an uncounted quantity is referred to, 
 
 as : a bushel oi^ease, a plateful oipease, some mor^ ;pease, etc. 
 
 Peas when a certain number is mentioned, as : a ^ozQnpeas, 
 
 Mty peas, etc. 
 
 Pedal — ped'al, not pe'dal, when that portion of a piano or harp 
 acted upon by the feet is meant. Pe'dal is an adjective, 
 and means pertaining to the above, or to a foot. 
 
 Perfect. I have selected this as the representative of a class of 
 adjectives that, strictly speaking, do not admit of comparison. 
 I have noticed, invariably, that those who appear to be so 
 anxious to correct the error of giving degrees of comparison 
 to a few stereotyped words of this class, such as round, 
 sduare, universal, chief , extreme, etc., are singularly remiss in 
 calling attention to a great many other mistakes of the same 
 kind that are equally prominent. Amongst the latter may be, 
 mentioned the comparison of correct, complete, even, level, 
 straight, etc. It will be admitted that if anything \s perfect 
 it can not be more so ; and as soon as it is less so it fails to be 
 perfect at all. So, if anything is correct it is perfectly free from 
 error ; it can not be made more correct, and if its correctness 
 is detracted from, it is not quite correct any longer. A straight 
 line is one that does not vary from a perfectly direct course in 
 
48 EBROBS OF SPEECH, 
 
 the slightest degree ; it can not be straighter, and if it could be 
 less straight, it would be curved. It is ridiculous for any one 
 to insist upon a national reformation of a few such errors, and 
 suffer a hundred others just like them to exist without remon- 
 strance. Either nearer and nearest, more nearly , and most . 
 nearly, and the like, should be substituted for the degrees of 
 comparison and used with all such words ; or people should 
 treat them as all other adjectives, just as the best writers and 
 speakers have always done. 
 
 Perfidious— per-fid'i-ous, not per'fid-oiis. Worcester allows 
 per-fid'yus in addition to the first. 
 
 Peony (pe'o-ny) PsBony (pe'o-ny) or Piony (pi'o-ny) not pi'ny as 
 often called. A flower. 
 
 Perambulate, not preamMlate. 
 
 Period— pe'ri-od, not per'i-od. Periodic, Periodical, etc., have 
 also the long e. 
 
 Perspire, not prespire. 
 
 Perspiration, not ^J't'cspiration. 
 
 Persuade. This word carries with it the idea of success in one's 
 endeavours to convince or induce. " I persuaded him for a 
 long time, but he would not grant my request," should be, " I 
 tried to persuade him," etc. 
 
 Petrel — pet'rel, not pe'trel. A bird. Worcester allows the 
 latter also. 
 
 Phaeton — f a'et-on, not fa'te-on, nor fe-a'ton. A vehicle. 
 
 Pharmaceutist — far-ma-sii'-tist, not f ar-ma-ku'tist nor fUr-ma'ku- 
 tist. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH, 49 
 
 Pharmacopoeia — far-ma-co-pe'ya, not far-ma-c6'pi-a. 
 
 Piano — pi-a'no, not pi-an'o. Worcester allows pi-an'o. 
 
 Piano-forte— pi-a'no-f5r'ta, not pi-an'o-fort. Worcester sanctions 
 pi-a'no-f or'te, pi-an'o-f 6r-te, and remarks in parenthesis, often 
 pe-an'o-fort; but the last pronunciation is evidently not pre- 
 ferred. 
 
 Pilaster — pi-las'tcr, not pil'as-ter. A square pillar set into a wall 
 and projecting slightly. 
 
 Piquant — pik'ant, not pik'want nor pek'want. Piquantly (pik'- 
 ant-ly), etc. 
 
 Placard — pla-kard', not plak'ard. 
 
 Placid — plas'id, not pla'sid. Placidly and placidness have also 
 the short a. 
 
 Plait — plat, not plat nor plet. A braid; or to braid. Plat (plSt) 
 is a proper word, however, having the same meanings, but the 
 difference in pronunciation must be observed, when the spelling 
 is as above. Plait, meaning a fold of cloth, as in a shirt bosom, 
 is also pronounced plat. 
 
 Platina — plat'ina or pla-te'na, not pla-tl'na nor pla-tin'a. Wor- 
 cester allows plat'i-na only. 
 
 Platinum — plat'i-num or pla-t'i-num, not pla-te'num nor pla-tm'- 
 um. Worcester gives plat'-i-num only. 
 
 Plebeian — ple-be'ian, not ple'bi-an. Ple-bon', as some pronounce 
 it, is outrageous. 
 
 D 
 
50 ERRORS OF SPEECH. 
 
 Plenary — ple'nary, not plen'a-ry. Full; entire. Worcester gives 
 both methods. 
 
 Poetaster — ^p5'et-as-ter, not po'et-tast-er. A very minor poet. 
 Poniard — pon'yard, not poin'yard. 
 
 Posthumous — postu-mus, not pos'thu-mous. Posthumously 
 (post'u-mous-ly). 
 
 Potable — po'ta-ble, not pot'a-ble. Drinkable. 
 Potheen — p6-theen', not pot'teen. When spelled potteen, how- 
 ever, as it may be correctly, the latter pronunciation is proper. 
 
 Prairie — pra'ry, not per-ra'ry. 
 
 Prebendary — preb'end-a-ry, not pre'bend-a-ry. A clergyman of 
 a collegiate or cathedral church, who enjoys a prebend. 
 
 Prebend — preb'end, not preTDend. A stipend. 
 
 Precedence — pre-se'dence, not pres'e-dence. Precedency and 
 precedently, have the second syllable accented also. 
 
 Precedent ^pre-se'dent, not pres'e-dent. An adjective meaning 
 antecedent. 
 
 Precedent — pres'e-dent, not pre-se'dent nor pre'se-dent. A noun 
 meaning an example or preceding circumstance. Precedented 
 and unprecedented have also the short e. 
 
 Precocious — pre-k5'shus, not pre-kosh'iis. Precociously and pre- 
 cociousness have also the long o. 
 
 Predatory — pred'a-to-ry, better pre'da-tory, not pre-da-tory. 
 Plundering ; pillaging. 
 
 Predecessor— pre-de-ces'sor, not pred-e-ces'sor. 
 Preface— preface, not pre'face. Prefatory (pref 'a-to-ry). 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH, 51 
 
 Prejudice, not jpredudice. 
 
 Prelate — prel'ate, not pre 'late. 
 
 Presage — pre 'sage, not pres'age ; not^re^^e, nor when something 
 
 is meant that foreshows a future event ; an omen. *' This 
 
 is & presage of victory." 
 Prescription, not perscription. 
 
 Prestige, not presage^ when it is meant that some one carries 
 weight or influence from past deeds or successes. " The 
 pj-estigeot the hero's name was half the battle." 
 
 Presentiment — pre-sent'i-ment, not pre-zent'i-ment. 
 
 Pretty — prutty or prit'ty, not pret'ty. Prettily (prit'ti-ly), etc. 
 
 Preventive, not preventative. 
 
 Primeval — pri-me'val, not prim'e-val. 
 
 Process — ^pros'ess, not pro'sess. 
 
 Prodigy, not prGJldg. 
 
 Produce — prod'uce, not pr5'duce, i.e. for the noun. For the verb, 
 pro-duce' is correct. 
 
 Product — prod'uct, not pro 'duct. 
 
 Progress — prog'ress, not pro'gress, i.e. for the noun. "For the verb, 
 pro-gress' is the correct pronunciation. 
 
 Prosody— pros'o-dy, not pro'so-dy nor proz'o-dy. 
 
 Protean— pro-te'an, not pro'te-an. Assuming different shapes. 
 
 Protege (Fr. protege) — pr6-ta-zha', not pro'teje. One under the 
 
 care of another. Protegee (Fr. protegee)— pro-ta-zh a' 
 
 feminine. 
 
 Psalm— sam, not sam. Psalmist (sam'ist). Worcester gives 
 sam'ist also for the latter word. 
 D 2 
 
52 ERROBS OF SPEECH. 
 
 Psalmody — sam'o-dy, not sal'mo-dy nor sam'o-cly. 
 
 Psychical — si'kik-al, not siklk-al nor fiz'ik-al, as it is sometimes 
 
 thoughtlessly pronounced in reading. Pertaining to the human 
 
 soul. 
 
 Pumpkin, not ptinJdn. PumpJdn itself is a corruption oipinm- 
 fion ov pfljnvioTiy but is the word that is now generally used. 
 
 Purulent — pii'ru-lent, not pui-'u-lent. Containing pus or matter, 
 Purulence and purulency have also the long u in the first 
 syllable. 
 
 Put — puot, not put. This anomalous pronunciation is hard for 
 some to adopt, the natural tendency being to sound the u as it 
 is in a host of other words consisting of two consonants with 
 a short u between them, as: bun, but, cut, dug, fun, gun, 
 hut, nut, etc. 
 
 Pyrites — pi-ri'tez, not pe-ri'tcz, pir'i-tez, not pi'ritez. 
 
 Q. 
 
 Qualm — kwam, not kwam. Worcester allows kwawm also. 
 
 Quay — kee, not kwa. 
 
 Querulous, means complaining, whining, etc., and not question- 
 ing. 
 
 Quinine — kwineen or kwi-nine', not kwi-neen'. Worcester give.^ 
 kwi-nine' or kwin'ine. 
 
 Quoit — ^koyt, not kwoit. 
 
 Quoth — kwoth or kwiith, not kwoth. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH, 5B 
 
 R. 
 
 Eabies — ra'bi-ez, not rab ez. Madness, as that of dogs. 
 
 Eadish — rad'ish, not red'ish, an esculent root. 
 
 Eaillery — ral'ler-y, not ral'ler-y. Slight i idicule ; pleasantry. 
 
 Eaise — Rise. Raise is a transitive verb, or one in v/hich the 
 action passes over to an object. Present tense, raise ; imper- 
 fect tense and past participle, raised; present participle, 
 raising. Rise is an intransitive verb, the action not passing 
 over to an object. Present tense, rise; imperfect ien.s>Q, rose ; 
 past participle, risen ; present participle, rising. Errors in 
 the use of these words ought to be avoided by remembering the 
 following rules : 
 
 1. If the person or thing spoken of exerts an action that 
 passes over to an object, use raise, raised, and raising. 
 
 2. If the person or thing spoken of exerts an action that 
 does not pass over to an object, use rise, rose, risen, rising. 
 To avoid further repetition in the method I have adopted to 
 impress upon the mind the difference between transitive and 
 intransitive verbs by contrasted sentences, I would refer the 
 reader to the remarks under Lay. " I will rai^ in the morn- 
 ing at five," should be, " I will rise," etc. " I will raise the 
 'i^indow," etc., is correct, for the action passes to or affects the 
 window. " I will raise myself if I have the strength " is cor- 
 rect, because an object, myself, is furnished. " The price of 
 flour is raising'* should be, " The price of flour is rising ; '* 
 but it is right to say, " The merchants are raising the price of 
 flour." " Gold has raised in value," should be, " Gold has 
 
54 ERBOES OF SPEECH, 
 
 risen in value." " The price of bonds raised in less than an 
 hour," should be, " The price of bonds rose," etc. " The sun 
 is 7'aising," should be, " The sun is rising.** " The sun is 
 raising the temperature," is proper. The pulse has riseii, but 
 excitement has raised it. The river has risen in its bed and 
 has raised the canal. Birds rise in the air. Aj'ise can often 
 be appropriately substituted for ri^e. 
 
 Eampant — ram'pant, not ram-pant'. 
 
 Eapine — rap'in, not rSp'een nor ra-peen'. 
 
 Easpberry — raz'ber-ry, neither rass'ber-ry nor rawz'ber-ry. 
 Worcester gives raz'ber-ry and ras'ber-ry. 
 
 National — rash'un-al, not ra-sliun-al. Eationalist (rash'un-al- 
 Tst), etc. 
 
 Eecess — re-cess', not rg'cess. 
 
 Eecherche (Fr. recherche) — ra-sh6r-sha', not re-shersh'. Wor- 
 cester gives ra-sher-sha'. 
 
 Eecluse — re-kluse', not re-kluze'. 
 
 Eeconnoigsance — re-kon'-a-z ans. 
 
 Eecriminations, not mutual recriminations ; the prefix re tells 
 of the mutuality. 
 
 Eedolent — red'o-lent, not re-do'lent. Diffusing odour or fra- 
 grance 
 
 Eelevant, not revelant. Pertinent ; applicable. 
 
 :Eeliable — use trustworthy instead, for reliable is a barbarism. 
 We can love a thing, and therefore a thing is loveable ; but 
 we cannot rely a thing, though we rely on a thing, and 
 therefore a thing cannot be reliable. The word violates tho 
 genius of our language. 
 
 Eelic, not relicty when that which remains, a corpse, or anything- 
 preserved in remembrance, is meant. Eelict means a widow. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH, 55 
 
 Eendezvous — rang'de-voo, npt ren'de-vooz. "Worcester gives ren - 
 
 de-v6o and ren'de-vooz. The plural randezvouses, rang'dg- 
 
 vooz. 
 Eequiem — ^rek'wi-em, not re'kwi-em, Worcester gives both 
 
 pronunciations. 
 Resume (Fr. resume) — ^ra-zii-ma', not re-zume' nor rg-zu'ma 
 
 Worcester gives rez-u-ma'. 
 Reticule, not ridicule, when a little bag (of net-work, etc.) is 
 
 meant. 
 Reveille — ra-vel'ya, not rev-a-le. Worcester gives the first and 
 
 re-val'. 
 Ribald — rib'ald, not ri'bald. Low ; obscene. Ribaldry (rib'ald*ry). 
 Rinse — rmss, not reuse nor rench. " Wrench your mouth," 
 
 said an uneducated dentist to a patient after wrenching out a 
 
 large molar. "Thank you," replied the patient. " Jou have 
 
 done that, but I'll rinse it, if you please." 
 Ripples, not riffles. 
 Romance — ro-manss', not ro'manss. 
 
 Roseate — ro'ze-at, not rSz'ate. Worcester gives ro'zhe-at also. 
 Roue (Fr. roue) r65-a', not roo. Worcester gives roo'a. 
 
 Sacerdotal — sas-er-dotal, not sa-ser-do'tal, sa-ker-d5'tal, nor sak- 
 
 er-do'tal. 
 Sacrament — sak'ra-ment, not sa'kra-ment. Sacramental (sak'?'a- 
 
 ment-al), etc. 
 
56 ERROBS OF SPEECH. 
 
 Sacrifice — When a verb, sak'ri-fiz, not sak'ri-fis nor sak'ri-fise 
 When a noun, sak'ri-fls. 
 
 Sacristan — sak'rist-an, not sa'krist-an nor sa-kris'tan Sacristy 
 (sak'rist-30 
 
 Said. Said (sed), not says (sez), in speaking of past remarks- 
 Many educated people in Ireland and America are guilty of 
 this vulgarism. " ^ I will call to see you soon,' sez he." *• ' I 
 will be glad to see you at any time,' sez I." Where the 
 details of a long conversation are given, the frequent repeti- 
 tion of sez, or even said^ is very grating to the refined ear. 
 The use of aslied, inquired, remarhcd, suggested, answered, 
 replied, etc., instead, has a pleasing effect upon narrative or 
 anecdote. It is preferable, also, to give the exact words of 
 the speaker after said, etc., as : " When he had finished 
 reading the letter, he said, * I will attend to the business the 
 first leisure moment I have.' '* When the word that follows 
 the said, the substance only of the remark may be given, as : 
 " He said that he would attend to the business the first leisure 
 moment he had." Whichever form is used in narrative, it is 
 not at all harmonious to give the exact Qvords of one speaker 
 and only the substance of the remarks of another, at least 
 without regard to regularity in alternation. 
 
 Salam — sa-lam', not sa-lam'. Written salaam also, and pro- 
 nounced similarly. 
 
 Saline — sa-line' or sa'Iine, not sa-leen'. Worcester gives saline 
 only 
 
 Salve — sav, not sav. Worcester gives salv also. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH. 57 
 
 Samaritan — sa-mar'i-tan, not sa-ma'ri-tan. 
 
 Sanitary, not sanatory , when ^^cr^aimw^ to health is meant. 
 Sanatory is more restricted in its application, and means heal- 
 ing ; curative. 
 
 Saracen — sar'a-sen, not sSr'a-ken. 
 
 Sarsaparilla — sar-sa-pa-ril'la, not sas-sa-pa-rjlla, nor sar-sa-fa- 
 ril'la. 
 
 Satyr — sa'tur. Worcester gives sat'ir also. 
 
 Saucy — saw'sy, not sassy. 
 
 Saw — as spelled, not sawr. 
 
 Schism— sizm, not skism. 
 
 Seckel, not sick-el. A kind of pear. 
 
 See. It is not uncommon to meet with people who incorrectly 
 use see in the imperfect tense, as: "I see him yesterday," in- 
 stead of, " I saw him yesterday." See is never used in any 
 tense but the present, without an auxiliary, as did, shall, etc. 
 
 Seignior — sen'yur, not san'yor. 
 
 Seine — sen, not san. A net for catching fish. 
 
 Senile — se'nile, not senile. Pertaining to old age. 
 
 Separate, not se^erate. The loss of the a is not noticed in the 
 pronunciation, but the mistake frequently occurs in writing 
 this word, as it does in the words inseparable, inseparableness, 
 separation, etc. 
 
 Servile — ser'vlle, not ser'vil. 
 
 Sett Noun. There are many who incorrectly use 5ff;f in writing 
 of a set of dishes, a set of chess-men, a set of teeth, or of some 
 
58 EBROBS OF SPEECH, 
 
 other collection of things of the same kind. A sett is a piece 
 placed upon the head of a pile for striking upon, when the 
 pile is too short otherwise to be reached by the hammer. 
 Set — Sit. Blunders in the use of these words are amongst the 
 most common. Set, as we shall first consider it, is a transi- 
 tive verb, or one in which the action passes over to an object. 
 Present tense, set; imperfect tense and past participle, set; 
 present participle, setting. Sit is an intransitive verb, or one 
 which has no object after it. Present tense, sit; imperfect 
 tense and past participle, sat; present participle, sitting. 
 
 To avoid repetition as much as possible, I would refer any 
 one to whom the explanation here given is not perfectly clear, 
 to the rules and remarksunder Lay and Raise, which are equally 
 applicable here. "Will you set on this chair ? " should be, 
 *•■ Will you sit on this chair ? " " Will you set this chair in the 
 other room ? " is correct. " I set for my picture yesterday," 
 should be, "I saW* etc. *'This hat ^e^s well," should be, 
 *' This hat sits well." *' Court sets next month," should be, 
 ** Court sits next month." " The hen has been setting for a 
 week," should be, " The hen has been sitting,^' etc. "As 
 cross as a setting hen," should be, " As cross as a sitting hen." 
 But a person may set a hen ; that is, place her in position on 
 eggs. One sits up in a chair, but he sets up a post. One sits 
 down on the ground, but he sets down figures. Set is also an 
 intransitive verb, and has special meanings attached to it as 
 such, but they may be readily understood by a little study of the 
 dictionary, and no confusion need arise. The sun sets. Plaster 
 of Paris sets. A setter dog sets. One sets out on a journey. 
 Sit may also be used in two senses as a transitive verb, as : 
 *' The general sits his horse well," and " The woman sat 
 herself down." 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH, 5^ 
 
 Sew — So, not su. 
 
 Shampoo, not shampoon. Shampooing. Written also champoo. 
 Shekel— shek'el, not she'kel. 
 
 Shumac— shu'mak, not shu-mak'. Written also sumac and su- 
 mach, both accented on the first syllable. 
 
 Sick of, not sick with, as sick ofo. fever. 
 Sienna — si-en'na, not senna, when colour is meant. Senna is a 
 plant used as medicine. 
 
 Simultaneous — sim'ul-ta'ne-ous, not sl-mul-ta'ne-ous. Simulta- 
 neously (si-mul-ta'ne-ous-ly), etc. 
 
 Since, not sence. 
 
 Sinecure — si'ne-cure, not sm'e-cure. An office which yields re- 
 venue without labour. 
 
 Sit. See Set. 
 
 Slake — slake, not slak, when the word is spelled as given, as: to 
 slaM lime, to slaM one's thirst, etc. If spelled slach, the* 
 ordinary pronunciation is right. 
 
 Slough— slow, not sl65 nor slo, A mudhole. Written sloo- 
 (sl65) also. 
 
 Slough— sliif, not as above. The cast skin of a serpent. Dead 
 flesh which separates from the living. The verb expressing, 
 this action is pronounced the same. 
 
m ERRORS OF SPEECH, 
 
 Sobriquet— sob'-ri-ka, not written souhH^iiet. Worcester pro- 
 nounces it fiob're-ka'. 
 
 Soften — soFfn, not sawf'ten. 
 
 Sonnet — son'net, not siin'net. 
 
 Soot — soot or soot, not sut. 
 
 Soporific — so-por-if'ik, not sop-o-riFik. 
 
 Sotto Voce — sot't5 v5'cha, not sot'to vos' nor sofc'to vG'se. 
 
 Souse — souss, not sowze. To plunge into water. 
 
 Spasmodic, not spasmotic. 
 
 -Spectacles — spek'ta-kls, not spek'tik-els. 
 
 Spermaceti — sperm-a-se'ti, not sperm-a-cit'y, nor per-ma-sit-ty. ^ 
 
 Spider, not suiter, 
 
 Splenetic — splen'e-tic, or sple-net'ic. Fretful ; peevish. 
 
 Spoliation — sp5-li-a'tion, not spoil-i-a'tion. 
 
 Spurious — spii'ri-ous, not spii'r-i-ous. Spuriously (spu'ri-0U8-ly), 
 
 etc. 
 Statical — stat'i-cal, not sta'ti-cal. Pertaining to bodies at rest. 
 Stationery, Dot stationary , when paper, envelopes^ ink, etc., are 
 
 meant. Sta'tion-S-ry means fised, not moving. 
 
 Statue, not statute, when a carved image is meant. 
 Statute, not statue, when a law or decree is meant. 
 Stearine — ste'a-rm, not sterfn. 
 
 Stereoscope (ste'-re-o-scope), stereotype (ste'-re-o-type), etc. 
 Stolid — stol'id, not sto'lid. Stupid ; dull. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH. 61 
 
 Stratum — strfi'tum, not stratum. Strata (stra'ta), the Latin 
 plural is used much more than the English stratums. Errors 
 like " a strata of gravel," are also not unfrequently heard. 
 
 Strategic — stra-tej'-ik, not strat'e-jik. Strategical (stra-te'ji-cal) 
 and strategist (strat'e-jist). Worcester gives stra-tej'ic and 
 8tra-tej'i-cal. 
 
 Strum or Thrum should be used, and not drumi, when the noisy 
 
 and unskilful fingering of a musical instrument is meant. 
 Stupendous — stu-pen'diis, not stu-pen'jiis nor stu-pen'de-us. 
 Suavity — STvav'i-ty, not swav'i-ty nor su-av'i-ty. 
 Subtraction, not suhstr action^ when the act of deducting is^ 
 
 meant. Subtract, not sutstract. 
 Subtile — sub'til, not siit'tle, fine drawn or acute. 
 Subtle — sut'tle, not sub'tle. Sly, artful, crafty. 
 Suffice — siif-f iz', not siif-fis'. 
 Suicidal — su-i-si'dal, not su-is'i-dal. Worcester places the 
 
 principal accent on the first syllable. 
 Suite — sweet, not sute. When the word suit is used, however,, 
 
 the latter pronunciation is correct. 
 Sulphurous — siiFphur-us, not sul-phu'riis nor sul-phu're-us.. 
 
 Sulphureous is another word. 
 Sumac, Sumach — shu'mak, a plant. 
 
 Supersede, superseded, superseding. Observe the s in th& 
 penultimate. It is a common error to write suiter cede^ etc. 
 
«2 ERRORS OF SPEECH. 
 
 Supposititious— sup-pos-i-ti'shus, not sup-po-si'shus. Put by a 
 trick in the place of another, as, a supposititious child, a 5?/^- 
 'posititious record. 
 
 Surtout — sur-to5t', not siir-towt' nor siir'toot. 
 
 .Swath — swawth, not swawthe. Worcester gives swoth. The 
 sweep of the scythe in mowing. 
 
 vSwept, not STvep — ^all the letters must be sounded. 
 
 Tabard — tab'-ard, not ta'-bard. 
 
 "Tabernacle — tab'er-na-cle, not tab-er-nak'cle. 
 
 Tapestry — tap'es-try, not ta'pes-try. 
 
 Tarlatan — tar'la-tan, not tarl'tun. Tartan is a different material. 
 
 Tarpaulin — tar-pa Vlin, not tar-po'lin. Written also tarpauling 
 
 and tarpawling. 
 Tartaric — tar-tarlc, not tar-tar'ic. Pertaining to or obtained 
 
 from tartar, as tartaric acid. 
 Tassel — tas'sel, not taw'sel. Worcester gives tos'sl also. 
 "Tatterdemalion — tat-ter-de-mal'ion, not tat-ter-de-ma'li-on. 
 Telegraphy — te-leg'ra-fy, not teFe-graf-y. 
 Telegraphist — ^tel'e-graph-ist. A telegraphic operator. No such 
 
 word as telegrapher is given. 
 Terpsichorean — terp-sik-o-re'an, not terp-si-ko're-an. Relating 
 
 to Terpsichore (terp-sik'o-re), the muse who presided over 
 
 dancing. 
 
ERBORS OF SPEECH. 63 
 
 Tete-a-tete — tat-a-tat', not teet-a-teet. 
 
 Theatre or theater — the'a-ter, not the-a'ter. 
 
 Threshold — thresh 'old, not threz'Sld nor threz'hold. Worcester 
 
 gives thresh'hold. 
 Thyme — tim, not as spelled. 
 Tic -douloureux — tik'-dol-o-ro5, not d6-lo-r55'. 
 Tiny — ti'ny, not tee'ny nor tin'y. 
 Tolu — to-lu', not tu'lu. 
 Tomato — to-ma'to, not to-mat'o nor td-me'to. 
 Topographic — top-o-graph'ic, not tS-po-graph'ic. Topographical 
 
 and topographically have also the short o in the first syllable. 
 Tour — toor, not towr. 
 Tournament — tUm'a-ment, according to Walker and Webster. 
 
 Worcester gives t65r'na-ment also. 
 Toward and towards — to'ward and to'wardz, not to-ward' and 
 
 to-wardz'. 
 Tragacanth — trag'a-lcanth, not traj'a-santh nor trag'a-santh. A 
 
 gum used for mucilage. 
 Traverse — trav'erse, not tra-verse'. Traversable, traversing and 
 
 traversed have also the accent on the first syllable. 
 Tremendous — tre-men'diis, not tre-men'de-iis nor tre-men'jiis. 
 Trilobite — tri'lo-bite, not tril'o-bite nor trol'lo-bite, as it is often 
 
 called. 
 Troche — tro'kee, not trosh, tr5'she, troke nor trotch. Plural, 
 
 troches (tro'keez). A lozenge composed of sugar, mucilage and 
 
04 ERRORS OF SPEECH. 
 
 medicine, as : Ironchial troches. Trochee — tro'kee, is a foot 
 
 in poetry. 
 Truculent — triik'-u-lent, not tru'su-lent. 
 Truths — truths, not truthz, is the plural of truth. 
 Tryst — trist, not trist. An appointment to meet. Tryster 
 
 (trist'er), trysting (trist'ing). 
 Turbine — tUr'bm, not tUr'bine. A kind of water wheel. 
 
 u. 
 
 Umbrella — um-brel'la, not um-ber-rel' nor um-ber rel'la. 
 
 Upas — ii'pas, not u'paw nor ii'pawz. 
 
 Usurp— yu-zurp', not yu-surp'. Usurper (yu-zurp'er), etc. 
 
 Vagary — va-ga'ry, not va'ga-ry. 
 
 Valenciennes — va-len'si-enz', not val-en-seenz'. A Trench lace. 
 
 Valleys, not vallies, is the plural of valley. 
 
 Vamos (va'm5s), or vamose (va-mose'), not vam-moos' To de- 
 part. (Inelegant.) 
 
 Vase, vase or vaze, according to Worcester. Vaz is generally 
 accepted. 
 
 Vehemence — ve'he-mence, not ve-he'mence nor ve-hem'ence. 
 Vehemently and vehement have also the accent on the first 
 syllable. 
 
 Vermicelli— ver-me-chel'li or ver-me-selli, not ver-me-sil'ly. 
 
 . Worcester sanctions the first method only. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH, 65 
 
 Veterinary — vet'er-in-a-iy, not ve-ter'iii-a-ry. 
 
 Vicar — vTk'ar, not vl'kar. Vicarage and vicarship have also the 
 
 short i in the first syllable. 
 Violent (vl'o-lent), violence (vi'o-lence), violet (vfo-let), violin 
 
 vi-o-lin'), etc., not voi'o-lent, voi'o-lence, voi'o-let, voi-o-lin', 
 
 etc. 
 Viscount — vl'kount, not vis'kount. Viscountess (Yiliountess), 
 
 etc. 
 Visor — Yiz'or, not vi'zor. 
 
 w. 
 
 Wake, etc. TF^Zj^ is both a transitive and an intransitive verb. Pre- 
 sent tense, ovahe ; imperfect and past participle, wahed ; 
 present participle, malting. Awake is also both transitive and 
 intransitive. Present, awake; imperfect, aw^/^<9 or awaked ; 
 participles, awaked and awaking. Awaken is another verb, 
 both transitive and intransitive. Present, awaken ; imperfect 
 and past participle, awakened ; present participle, awakening. 
 Thus it is seen that we have a great many words to express 
 the fact of heing in a conscious state, and the arousing of a 
 person who is asleep. With a little attention there is no reason 
 for committing an error in the use of these words. One may 
 say that he waked, awoke, or awakened early in the morning, 
 but it is wrong to say that he woke in the morning, or that he 
 woke another ; for there is no such word as woke. " I wakened 
 at five o'clock," should be, " I awakened at five o'clock ; " for 
 there is no such word as ivakened. Uj) is used only with wake, 
 waked and wakmg, but even then it is one of our most sense- 
 E 
 
eQ ERRORS OF SPEECH. 
 
 less superfluities. There is no stronger meuning in the assertion 
 that a man was waited ui)^ than that he was wa lied or awaliened. 
 If walling up meant to wake and make to get up^ it would be 
 different, but it does not. One may be waked vp, and it is just 
 as likely that he will go to sleep again as if he were simplj' 
 awakened. Awake and awaken are better than wake. 
 
 Wassail — wos'sil, not was'sil. A festive occasion, carousal, the 
 song sung at such a time, etc. The verb and the adjective are 
 spelled and pronounced similarly. 
 
 Water — waw'ter, not wot'er nor wat-ter. 
 
 Welsh, not Welch. The latter word is seldom used. Welshman, 
 etc. 
 
 Whinny, not winny, when the cry of a horse is spoken of. 
 
 Whisk, not ovhist, when a small hand-broom is meant, nor 
 Wisp, which is a small bundle of straw or hay used by grooms 
 in cleaning horses, etc. 
 
 Whiting is preferable to whitening. 
 
 Widow. It is not necessary to say widow woman ; no one will 
 suspect her of being a man. 
 
 Wrestle — res'l, not ras'sl nor rossl. 
 
 Y. 
 
 Yacht — yot, not yat. Yachting (yot'mg), etc. 
 Yeast — yest, not est. 
 Yellow — yel'lo, not yal'lo. 
 
 z. 
 
 Zoology — zo-ol'o-jy, not zoo-oro-jy. Zoological (zo-o-lo j 'i-cal), 
 ect. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH. 07 
 
 SCEIPTUEAL, MYTHOLOGICAL, AND 
 OTHEE PEOPEE NAMES. 
 
 In the vocabulary just completed, it has been the 
 design to point out the majority of errors occurring 
 in the pronunciation of the words usually selected by 
 people of fair or excellent education to carry on ordi- 
 nary English discourse. In the portion of the work 
 now under consideration, nothing like such thorough- 
 ness is contemplated. 
 
 After a moment's reflection, it will appear to any 
 
 one, that to mention the thousands upon thousands of 
 
 proper names, the erroneous pronunciation of which 
 
 is rather to be expected than the correct, would require 
 
 an elaborate volume. Every one who has strivento 
 
 become a good orthoepist has longed for the ability to 
 
 comprehend the pronunciation of that vast multitude 
 E 2 
 
68 ERRORS OF SPEECH. 
 
 of names, any one of which may confront him in any 
 book or paper he may chance to pick up. But to 
 become a proficient in this respect would require 
 years of study and a knowledge of the principles of 
 many foreign languages. 
 
 Amongst geographical names, for example, who 
 but the specially instructed would think of pro- 
 nouncing correctly Goes (nooce), Gelves (nel'ves), or 
 Jalapa (na-Ia'pa) ; or amongst biographical names, 
 Gaj (gi), Geel (nal), or Geijer (gi'er) ? 
 
 Ifc is fortunate for the reputation of those who bear 
 the name of being good scholars, that errors in the 
 pronunciation of most proper names are excusable, 
 which is not the case with the mistakes that have 
 before been laid down. But there are some proper 
 names, of such constant recurrence in daily lectures, 
 reading and conversation, that errors connected with 
 them are not to be overlooked. It is the intention 
 here, simply to call attention to the more common of 
 these, and to lead the reader to appreciate the fact 
 that if one depends upon the usual power of the 
 English letters to gain a correct pronunciation of 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH, 69 
 
 proper names, he will be more pften led astray than 
 otherwise. 
 
 The Authorities consulted are the best — Webster, 
 Worcester, and Dr. Longmuir's edition of Walker 
 and Webster combined, published by Mr. William 
 Tegg, London. 
 
 In the latter work exhaustive lists are given, not 
 only of Scriptural, but of Greek and Latin, and of 
 geographical proper names, with their pronuncia- 
 tions. 
 
70 ERRORS OF SPEECH, 
 
 SCEIPTUEAL NAMES. 
 
 Aaron — formerly this word was pronounced with three syllables, 
 
 but now it has only two. 
 Abaddon — a'-baddon. 
 Abana — ab'a-na, not a-ba'na. 
 Abdias— ab-di'as, not ab'di-as. 
 Abdiel— ab'di-eel, not ab-di'el. 
 Abednego — a-bed'ne-go, not ab-ed-ne'go. 
 Abiathar — a-bi'a-thar, not ab-i-a'thar. 
 Abidah — a-bi'da, not ab'i-da. 
 Abidan — aVi-dan, not a-bfdan. 
 Aceldama — a-sel'da-ma, not a-kel'da-ma. 
 Achaia — a-ka'ya, not a-ka-f a. 
 Acitho — ak'-ith-o. 
 Adonai — ad'o-na-i, not a-don'a-i. 
 Adonibezek — a-don-i-be'zek, not a-don'i-bc-zek,. 
 Adonijah — ad-o-ni'jah, not a-don^i-jah. 
 iEneas — e'ne-as, in New Test. 
 
ERBOBS OF SPEECH, 71 
 
 ^aeas — e-ne'as, in Virgil. 
 
 Agee— aje. 
 
 Ahasuerus — a-has-u-e'rus, not a-liaz-u-er'us. 
 
 Ahitophel — a-hit'o-fel, not a-hi'to-fel. 
 
 Ahitub — a-hi'tub, not a-hit'ub. 
 
 Ahoe — a-lio'e or a-hO'ah, not a-li5'. 
 
 Aholibamah — a-hol-i-ba'ma, not a-ho-lib'a-ma. 
 
 Aiah — a-i'ali, not a'i-ah. 
 
 Aijalon — ad'ja-lon or aj'a-lon, not a'ja-lon. 
 
 Akrabattine — ak-ra-bat-ti'ne, not ak-ra-bSt'i-nc. 
 
 Alema — al'e-ma, not a-le'ma. 
 
 Alemeth — a-le'meth, not are-meth. 
 
 Alpheus — al-f e'us, not al'fe-ns. 
 
 Amalekites— am'a-lek-ites, not a-mal'a-kites. 
 
 Amasa — am'a-sa, not a-mas'a. 
 
 Ananiel — a-nan'i-el, not an-a-nf el. 
 
 Andronicus — an-dro-ni'cus, not an-dron'i-cus. 
 
 Aniam — a-nl'am, not a'ni-am. 
 
 Antiochia — an-ti-o-kf a, not an-ti-o'kia. 
 
 Apollyon — a-poFyon, not a-pol'li-on 
 
 Ararat — ar'a-rat, not a'ra-rat, not a-rat'. 
 
 Archippus — ar-kip'pus. 
 
 Areopagite — a-re-op'a-gite, not ar-e-o-pa'gite. 
 
 Aridai — a-rid'a-l, not a-ri-da'i. 
 
72 ERUOBS OF SPEECH, 
 
 Arimathea — ar'i-ma-the'a, not ar-i-ma'the-a. 
 
 Aristobulus — ar-is-to-bu'lus, not ar-is-tob'u-lus. 
 
 Aroer— ar'o-er, not a-ro'er. 
 
 Aroerite— ar'o-er-ite, not a-ro'er-ite. 
 
 Asarael — a-6ar'a-el, not az-a-ra'el. 
 
 Ashkenaz — ash-ke'naz, not ash'ke-naz 
 
 Ashuath — a-shu'ath, not ash'u-atli. 
 
 Asmodeus — az-mo-de'us, not az-mo'de-us. 
 
 Attalia — at-a-li'a, not at-ta'li-a. 
 
 Azaelus — az-a-e'lus, not a-za'e-lus. 
 
 Balaam — ba'lam, not ba'-a-lam. 
 
 Barabbas — ba-rab'bas, not bar'a-bas. 
 
 Bartimeus — bar-ti-me'us, not bar-tim'e-ns. 
 
 Barzillai — bar-ziFlai, not bar-zil-la'i. 
 
 Bathsheba — ^bath'she-ba, not bath-slie'ba. 
 
 Becher — beaker. 
 
 Beelzebub — be-eFze-bub, not bel'ze-bub. 
 
 Behemoth — be'he-moth, not be-he'moth. 
 
 Belial — be']i-al, not be-li'al. 
 
 Benaiah — be-na'-ya, not be-na-i'ah. 
 
 Bethhaccerem — beetli-hak'se-rem, not beth-has'se-rem. 
 
 Bethphage — beth'fa-je, not beth'faje. ^ 
 
 Bethsaida — beth-sa-i'da, not beth-sa'id-a. 
 
 Bethuel — beth'u-eel, not be-thu'el. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH. 73 
 
 Cainan — ka-i'nan, not ka'nan. 
 
 Caiaphas — ka-i'a-faz, not ka'ya-fas. 
 
 Canaan — ^ka'-nan, not ka-na-an. 
 
 Candace — can-da-cee, not can-da-ce. (A title of the Ethiopian 
 
 queen, not a proper name). 
 Canneh — kan'nee. 
 Canveh — ^kan'veh. 
 Caphtor — kaf'tor. 
 Carabaseon — kar-a-ba'ze-on . 
 Chalcol— kalTiol. 
 Chaldea— kal-de'a. 
 Charasim — kar'a-sim. 
 Chelcias — kel'sias. 
 
 Cherub (a city) — ke'rub, not tcber'ub. 
 Chilion — ki-li'on, not kil-li-on. 
 Chittim — tchit'tim, not kit'tim. 
 Chloe — klo'e, not kl5. 
 Cnidus — ^ni'dus. 
 Crates — kra'tez, not kratz. 
 Cushi — ku'sbi, not su'shi. 
 Cyprians — sip'ri-anz, not si'pri-anz. 
 Cyrene— sy-re'ne, not sy-re'ne. 
 Darian — da'ri-an, not da-ri'an, 
 Darius— da-ri'u8, not da'ri-us. 
 Delilah— de-li'lah, not del'i-lah. 
 Diotrephes— di-6t're-fez, not dio-tr6'fes. 
 
74 ERRORS OF SPEECH, 
 
 Ecbatana — ek-bSt'a-na, not ek-ba-ta'na. 
 
 Elcia — el-si'a, not el'she-a. 
 
 Elealeh — el-e-a'la, not e-le-al'e. 
 
 Eloi— e-lo% not e'loi. 
 
 Esther — es'ter, not es'ther. 
 
 Eumenes— u'me-nez, not u-me'nez. 
 
 Gennesaret — gen-nes'a-ret, not jen-nes'a-ret. 
 
 Gerar — ge'rar, not je'rar. 
 
 Gihon — gi'hon, not ji'hon. 
 
 Golgotha — ^gol'go-tha, not gol-g5'tha. 
 
 Hanameel — ha-nam'e-el. Hananeel — ^ha-nSn'e-«l. 
 
 Hatach — ha'tack. 
 
 Havilah— hav'ila, not ha-vi'la. 
 
 Hazael — ha'zS-eel, not ha-za'el. 
 
 Hushathite — hu'shath-ite, not hush'a-thite. 
 
 Hymeneus — hy-men-e'us, not hy-me'ne-us. 
 
 Ichabod — ^ik'a-bod, n5t i'ka-bod. 
 
 Idumea — id-u-me'a, not i-du-'me-a. 
 
 Iturea — ^it-u-re'a, not i-tu-r6'a nori-tu're-a. 
 
 Jacobus — ^ja-ko'bus, not jak'ii-bus. 
 
 Jairus — ^ja-i'ras, not ja-i-rus. 
 
 Jearim — je'a-rim, iiDt je-a'rim. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH. 7^ 
 
 Jedaia — ^je-da-i'a, not je-da'ya. 
 
 Jeiel — ^je-i'el, not je'el nor ji'el. 
 
 Jephthah — jef'tlia, not jef'tha. 
 
 Jeshimon — jesh'i-mon, not jesh-i'mon. 
 
 Jeshohaiah — jesh-o-hai'ah, not jesh-o-ha'yah. 
 
 Jeshurun — jesh-u'ron, not jesh'u-ron. 
 
 Jezreel — jez 're-el, not jez'reel. 
 
 Joiakim — joy'a-kim, not jo-i'a-kim. 
 
 Keilah — ki'lah, not ke-i'lah. 
 
 Kidron — ^kid'ron, not ki'dron. 
 
 Kolaiah — kol-a-i'ah, not kol-a'yah. 
 
 Labana — lab'a-na, not la-ba'na. 
 
 Lebanah — leb'a-nah, not le-ba'nah, 
 
 Lysia — lis'e-a, not li'she-a. 
 
 Maachathites — ma-ak'a-thites. 
 
 Macalon — mak'a-lon. 
 
 Madai — mad'a-i, not ma-da'i. 
 
 Maelus — ma-e'lus, not ma'e-lus. 
 
 Magdalene — mag-da-le'-ne, not mag'da-lene. 
 
 Mahalath — ma'ha-latli, not ma-balath. 
 
 Mahaleel — ma-ha'le-el, not ma-ha'leel. 
 
 Makkedah — mak-e'dah, not mak'id-ah. 
 
 Mardocheus — mar-do-ke'us, not mar-do 'ke-us. 
 
 Matthias —mat-thi'as, not math'i-as. 
 
76 ERBOES OF SPEECH. 
 
 Meremoth — mer'e-motli, not me-re'moth. 
 
 Meshach — ioe'shak, not mesh'ak. 
 
 Methuselah — me-thu'se-lah, not meth-ii'ze-lah. 
 
 Micaiah — mi-ca-i'a, not mi-ka'ya. 
 
 Moosias — mo-o-si'as, not mo'si-as. 
 
 Mytilene — mit-i-Ie'ne, not mit-i-lene'. 
 
 Naomi — na'o-mi, not na-6'mi. 
 
 Nebuchadnezzar — ^neb'u-kad-nez'zar, not ne'buk'kad-nez'zar. 
 
 Nabuchodonosor — nab-n-kod-on o-sor. 
 
 Ocidelus — os-i-de'lus, not o-sid'-e-lus. 
 
 Ocina — os'e-na, not o-si'na. 
 
 Onesiphorus — on-ee-sif 'o-rus, not o-nes'if-o-rus. 
 
 Onesimus — o-nes-i-mus, not on-es-ii-mus. 
 
 Onycha — on'e-ka, not o-nl'ka. 
 
 Orthosias — or-tho'si-as, not 6r-tho-si'as. 
 
 Othonias — oth-6'ni-as, not oth-o-ni'as. 
 
 Oziel — 5'zi-el, not o-zi'el. 
 
 Patara — pat'a-ra, not pa-ta'ra. 
 
 Pau — paw, not pa'u. 
 
 Penuel — pe-nu'el, not pen'u-el. 
 
 Perazim — per-a'zim, not per'a-zim. 
 
 Perseus — ^peyseus, not per'-see-us. 
 
 Pethuel — pe-thu'el, not peth'u-el. 
 
 Phaldaius — f al-da'yus, not fal-da-i'us. 
 
 Phanuel — fan'u-el, not fa-nu'el. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH, IT 
 
 Pliaraoh — f a'ro, not f ar'o nor far'a-5. (The title of the Egyptian 
 
 king, not a proper name). 
 Philemon — fi-l6'mon, not fil'e-mon. 
 Philippi — fi-lip'pi, not fil'lip-pi. 
 Philistine — f i-lis'tin, not firis-tine. 
 Pontius — pon'shi-us, not p6n'ti-us. 
 Puteoli — pii-te'o-li, not put-e-5'li. 
 Eaguel — ra-gu'el, not rag'u-el. 
 Barneses — ram'e-ses, not ra-me'ses. 
 Eiphath — ry'fath. 
 
 Sabachthani — sa-bak-tha'ni, not sa-bak'tha-nl. 
 Sathrabuzanes — sath-ra-bu-za'nez, not sath-rab'u-zanz. 
 Sennacherib — sen-a-ke'rib, not sen-ak'e-rib. 
 Shabbethai— shab-beth'a-i, not shab-beth-a'i. 
 Shadrach — sha'drak, not shad'rak. 
 Shemiramoth — she-mir'a-moth, not shem-i-ra'moth» 
 Shemuel — she-mu'el, not shem'u-el. 
 Sinai — si'nai, not sfna-i. 
 Stachys — sta'kees. 
 
 Stephanas — stef'-a-nas, not ste-fa'nas. 
 Taanach — ta'-a-nak. 
 Tekoa — te-ko'a, not tek'o-a. 
 Zaccheus — zak-ke'us, not zak'ke-us. 
 Zebulon — ze-bulon, not ze-bulon. 
 Zsrubbabel — ze-riib'ba-bel, not ze-rub-ba'beU 
 Zipporah— zip-p5'rah, not zip'po-rah. 
 
78 ERRORS OF SPEECH, 
 
 GKEEK AND LATIN PEOPEE NAMES- 
 MYTHOLOGICAL, ETC. 
 
 Abydos — a-bi'dos, not ab'i-dos. 
 
 Academus — ac-a-de'mus, not a-cad'e-mus. 
 
 Actseon — ak-te'on, not ak'te-on. 
 
 Adonis — a-do'nis, not a-don'is. 
 
 Aethlius — a-eth'li-us. 
 
 Aetion — a-e'ti-on. 
 
 Agalasses — ag-a-las'ses. 
 
 Agelaus — ag-e-la'us, not a-je-la'us. 
 
 Alcides — al-si'dees, not al'si-dez. 
 
 Alcyone — al-sl'6-nc. 
 
 Alexandria — al-ex-an'dn-a (a woman.) 
 
 Alexandria — al-ex-an-dri'a (a city.) 
 
 Amazon — a-raa'zon, not am'a-zon. 
 
 Amazones — a-maz'o-nes, not am'a-zones. 
 
 Amphictyon — am-fic'ti-on, not am-fic-ti'on. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH, 79 
 
 Amphigenia — am-fi-je-ni'a, not am-fi-gen'i-a. 
 
 Amphion — am-fl'on, not am'fi-on. 
 
 Amphitrite — am-fi-tri'te, not am'fi-trite nor am-fit'ri-te. 
 
 Amyris — am'y-ris, not a-mi'ris. 
 
 Amyrus — am'e-rus, not a-mi'rus. 
 
 Anabasis — a-nab'a-sis, not an-a-ba'sis. 
 
 Antiope — an-ti'o-pe, not an'ti-ope nor an-ti-o'pe. 
 
 Anubis — a-nu'bis, not an'u-bis. 
 
 Areopagus — a-re-op'a-gus, not a-re-o pa'gus. 
 
 Arion — a-ri'on, not a'ri-on. 
 
 Aristides — ^ar-is-ti'dees, not ar-is'ti-dgz. 
 
 Aristogiton — a-ris-to-gi'ton, not ar-is-toj'i-ton. 
 
 Artemas — ar'te-mas, not ar-te'mas. 
 
 Axones — ax-o'nes (a people). 
 
 Axones — ax'o-nes (axel-trees). 
 
 Baleares — ba-le-a-res. 
 
 Belides — (singular, masculine) — ^be-llMees. 
 
 Belides — (plural, female descendants of Belus) — ^bel'i-dez. 
 
 Bellerophon — bel-ler'o-phon, not bel-ler-6'phon. 
 
 Caeculus — Fe'ku-lus, not sek'u-lus. 
 
 Calliope — kal-ll o-pe, not kal-li-5'pe, nor kal'ii-ope. 
 
 Canace — can'a-ce, not ca-na'ce. 
 
 Caucasus — kaw'ka-sus, not kaw-ka'sus. 
 
80 ERROBS OF SPEECH, 
 
 Charon — ka'ron, not tcha ron, nor tchar'on. 
 
 ChsBronea— keer-o-ne'a, not tcher-o-ne'a. 
 
 Chimera — ^kl-me'ra, not kim'er-a nor chi-mer'a. 
 
 Codrus-^ko'drus, not kod'rus. 
 
 Corcyra— kor-si'ra, not kor'si-ra. 
 
 Coriolanus — ko-ri-o-la'nus, not kor-i-ol'a-nus. 
 
 Crete — kreet, not krc'te. 
 
 Cyclades — sik'la-dees, not si'kla dez. 
 
 Cyclops — si'klops, not sik'lops. 
 
 Cyclopes — si'klo-pees, not sfklSps. 
 
 Cyrene — si-re'ne, not si-rene'. 
 
 Cyzicus — siz'i-kus, not si-zi'kus. 
 
 Damocles — dam'o-cles, not da-m5'cles. 
 
 Danaides — da-na'i-dees, not da-ni'dez. 
 
 Darius — da-ri'us, not da'ri-us. 
 
 Deianira — de-i-an I'ra, not de-yan-i'ra. 
 
 Diodorus — dl-o do'rus, not dl-od'o-rus. 
 
 Diomedes — di-o-me'des, not di-om'e-dez. 
 
 Dodonseus — do-do-ne'us, not do-do'ne-us. 
 
 Echo — e'ko, not ek'ko. 
 
 Empedocles — em-ped'o-cles, not em-pe-do'cles. 
 
 EndjTiiion — en-dim'i-on, not en-di'mi-on. 
 
 Enope — en'o-pe, not e'nope. 
 
 Epaphus— ep'a-fus, not e-paf'iis. 
 
ERROBS OF SPEECH. 81 
 
 Epirus — ep'i-rus, not e-pi'rus. 
 
 Erato — era'-to, not e-ra'to. 
 
 Eratus — e-ra'tus, not e-rat'us. 
 
 Erebus — er'e-bus, not e're-bus. 
 
 Erostratus — e-ros'tra-tus, not er-os-tra'tus. 
 
 Eumenes — u'me-nees, not u-me'nez. 
 
 Euripus — u-rfpus, not u'-ri-pus. 
 
 Eurydice — u-rid'i-see, not u'ri-di-ce nor u-ri-di'se. 
 
 Ganymedes — gan-i-me'dez, not gan-i-medz'. 
 
 Geryon — ^ge'ri-on, not je-ri'on. 
 
 Halcyone — hal-si'o-ne, not hal'si-one nor hal-si-one'. 
 
 Hebe — he'bee, not lieb. 
 
 Hecate — heFa-te or hek'at, not he'kate. 
 
 Hecuba — ^hek'ii-ba, not he-ku'ba. 
 
 Helena — ^hel'en-a, not lie-le'na. 
 
 Heraclea — her-ak-le'a, not her-ak'le-a. 
 
 Hermione — her-mi'o-ne, not her'mi-one nor her-mi-o'ne. 
 
 Herodotus — be-rod'o-tus, not her-o-do'tus. 
 
 Hiero — hi'er-o, not hi-e'ro. 
 
 Hippocrene — ^hip-po-kre'ne, not hip-pok-'re-ne. 
 
 Hippodromus — hip-pbd'ro-mus, not hip-po-dro'mus. 
 
 lalemus— i-a-le'mus, not i-a'le-mus. Worcester allows i-al'e-mus. 
 
 Icarus — ik'a-rus, not i-ka'rus. 
 
82 EERORS OF SPEECH. 
 
 Iliacus — il'i-a-cus, not i-li'a-cus. 
 
 lolaus — ^i-o-la'us, not i-6'la-us. 
 
 Iphiclus — if 'i-klus, not if-l'klus. 
 
 Iphigenia — if-i-je-ni'a, not if-i-je'ni-a. 
 
 Irene — i-re'ne, not i-rene'. 
 
 Ismene — ^is-me'ne, not is-mene'. 
 
 Ithome— ith-5'me, not ith'o-me. 
 
 Julianus — ju-li-a'nus, not ju-li-an'us. 
 
 Laches — la'kes, not la'ches. 
 
 Lachesis — lak'e-sis, not la-ke'sis. 
 
 Laocoon — la-ok'6-6n, not la-o-koon', 
 
 Lethe — ^le'the, not leth. 
 
 Leucothoe — lu-k©th'o-e, not lu-ko'tho-e nor lu-ko-tho'e. 
 
 Libitina — lib-i-ti'na, not li-bit'i-na. 
 
 Lycaon — li-ka'on, not lik'a-on. 
 
 Lyceus— li-se'us, not lis'e-us. 
 
 Maronea — ma-ro-ne'a, not ma-r5'ne-a. 
 
 Meleager — me-le-a'ger, not me-le-a'jer nor me-le'a-jer. 
 
 Meroe — mer'o-e, not me-ro'e. 
 
 Myrmidones— myr-mid'o-nez, notmyr'mT-donz nor myr-mi-do'nez 
 
 Mytilene— mit-i-le'ne, not mit'i-lene. 
 
 Naiades — na-i'a-dez, not na'a-dez. 
 
 Nechos — ne'kSs. 
 
 Nemesis — nem'e-sis, not neme'sis. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH. 85 
 
 Ifereides— ne-re-'idez, not ner'yi-dez. 
 Nesiope — ^ne-si'o-pe, not ne'si-ope. 
 Nicsea — ni-se'a, not nis'e-a, 
 Nicephorus — ni-sef 'o-rus, not ni-se-f o'rus . 
 Nundina — nun'di-na, not nun-di'na. 
 Oceanus — o-se'a-nus, not o-se-a'nus. 
 Ocypete — o-sip'e-te, not o-si-pe'te. 
 <Edipus— edl-pus, not e'di-pus nor e-di'pus. 
 Opigena — o-pij'e-na, not op-i-je'na. 
 Orion — o-ri'on, not 6'ri-5n. 
 Pactolus — pak-to'lus, not pak'to-lus. 
 Palsemon — pa-le'mon, not pal'e-mon. 
 Pales — pa'les, not pales. 
 Parmenas — ^par'-me-nas, not par-me'nas. 
 Parrhasius — ^par-ra'she-us, not par-rasl-us. 
 Pasiphae — pa-siph'a-e, not pas-i-pha'e. 
 Pegasus — peg'a-sus, not pe-ga'sus. 
 Pelides— pe-li'des, not peH-des. 
 Penelope— pe-nel'o-pe, not pen'e-lope. 
 Philomela — fil-o-mela, not fil-om'e-Ia. 
 Phlegethon — fleg'e-thon, not fleg'e-tlion. 
 Plebiscitum— pleb-is-ci'tum, not ple-bis'ci-tum. 
 Pleiades— pli-a-dez, not ple'yadz. 
 Polyphemus— pol-y-fe'mus, not p5-Kf 'e-mos. 
 
84 EEBOBS OF SPEECH. 
 
 Posthumus — post'hu-mus, not pos-thii'inus. 
 
 Priapus — pri-a'pus, not pri'a-pus. 
 
 Proserpine — pros'er-plne, not pro-ser'pi-ne. 
 
 Pylades — pil'a-des, not pil-a'des. 
 
 Quadrata — quad-ra'ta, not quad-rat'a. 
 
 Eavola — rav'o-la, not ra-v6'la. 
 
 Ehode — ro'de, not rode. 
 
 Sarapis — sa-ra'pis, not sar a-pis. 
 
 Sardanapalus — sar-da-na-pa'lus, not sar-dan-ap'a-lus. 
 
 Semiramis — se-mir'a-mis, not sem-i-ra'mis. 
 
 Tereus — tee-rus. 
 
 Terpsichore — terp-sik'o-re, not terp'si-kore. 
 
 Thebse — the'be, not thebe. 
 
 Theodamas — the-od'a-mas, not the-o-da'mas. 
 
 Theodamus — the-od'a-mus, not the-o-da'mus. 
 
 Theodotus — the-od'o-tus, not the-o-do'tus. 
 
 Theodorus — the-o-do'rus, not the-od'o-rus. 
 
 Thessalonica — thes-sa-lon-i'ka, not thes-sa-lon'i-ka. 
 
 Thrace — ^thra'se, not thrase, 
 
 Tisiphone— ti-siF6-ne, not tis-i-f o'ne. 
 
 Troglodytes— trog-lod'i-tes, not trog-lo-dy'tes. 
 
 Smene — zi-me'ne, not zi-mene^ 
 
EBROBS OF SPEECH. 85 
 
 MODEKN BIOGKAPHICAL NAMES. 
 
 Adam. As an English name is pronounced ad'am ; as French, 
 
 a-dong' ; as German, a'dam. 
 Annesley— anz'le, not an'nes-le. 
 Arundel — ar'iin-del, not a-riin'del. 
 Bacciochi — bat-cho'kee, not bak-ki-o'kee. 
 Beatrice — be'-at-r!is, not be-at'rise. 
 Beethoven — ba't5-ven, not beet'ho-ven. 
 Belvedere— bel-va-da'ra, not bel-ve-dere', 
 Beranger — (Fr. Beranger) — ba-rong-zha', not ber'an-jer. 
 Blucher— bloo'ker, not blu'cher. 
 Boccaccio — ^bo-kat'cheo, not bok-kas'i-o. 
 Boleyn — boonn, not bo'lm nor bo-lm', 
 Boniface — bon'e-fass or Fr. bo-ne-fass', not bon'e-face. 
 Boucicault or Bourcicault — ^boo-sS-ko' or boor-se-ko', not boo- 
 
 se-kawlt. 
 Bozzaris — bot'za-ris, not boz-zSr'is. 
 
 Brown-Sequard (Fr. Sequard) — brown-sa-karr', not see-kward. 
 Buchanan — ^buk-an'an, not bu-kan'an. 
 
86 EEEOBS OF SPEECH, 
 
 Buonaparte — ^boo-o-na-parr'ta, not bo'na-part ; the latter is tlie 
 allowed English pronunciation when spelled Bonaparte. 
 
 Bysshe— bish, not bish'she. 
 
 Cecil — ses'il or sis'il, not se'stl. 
 
 Cenci — chen'chee, not sen'see. 
 
 Chevalier — sheh-va-le-a', not shev-a-leer'. 
 
 Cholmondeley — chumley. 
 
 Crichton — kri'ton, not krik'ton. 
 
 D'Aubigne (Fr. D'Aubigne) — do-ben-ya', not daw-been'. 
 
 Daubigny — do-ben-ye', not daw-be'ny. 
 
 Disraeli — diz-ra'el-e, not diz'rel-ee. 
 
 Drouyn de Lhuys — droo-ang'deh Iwee. 
 
 Giovanni— jo-Yan'nee^ not je-o-vaii'nee. 
 
 Goethe — pronounced much like giir'teh, leaving out the r ; not 
 goth nor goth. 
 
 Hemans — he'manz, not hem'anz. 
 
 Ingelow — m'je-lo, not ing'e-lo. 
 
 Ivan — e-van', not I'van. 
 
 Juarez — ^joo-a-rez or Hoo-a'reth, not jaw'rez. 
 
 Lavater — la'va-ter or la-va-tair', not lav'a-ter. 
 
 Macleod— mak-lowd', not mak-le'od. 
 
 Maj oribanks — ^marchbanks. 
 
 Marat — mii-ra', not ma-rat'. 
 
 Marion — mar'i-on, not ma'ri-on. 
 
 Medici — med'e-chee or ma'de-chee, not med'i-see nor me-de'see: 
 
EBROBS OF SPEECH. 87 
 
 Minie — (Fr. Minie) — me-ne-a', not min'ne. 
 Montague— mon'ta-gu, not mon'tag. 
 Moultrie — m65'tre, not mol'tre. 
 
 Muhlbach— (Ger. Miihlbach). The u in the first syllable of this 
 word is very difficult for those to pronounce who are not 
 German or French, and cannot be well represented in English ; 
 but there is no need of going so far from the mark as is 
 generally done, especially in the last syllable. It is not miil'- 
 bak nor mel'bak ; meul'bak is a closer approximation to the 
 correct pronunciation. 
 
 Mundt — mount, not munt. 
 
 Neumann — ^noi'man, not nu'man. 
 
 Ovid— ovldj not O'vid (Ovidius). 
 
 Paganini — pa-ga-nee'nee, not paj-a-nin'i. 
 
 Pepin — pep'in or pip'in, not pe'pm, Trench pronunciation 
 peh-pang'. 
 
 Piccolomini — pek-ko-lom'e-nee, not pik-ko-lo-mee'nee, 
 
 Pliny — plin'y, not pli'ny (Plinius). 
 
 Ponce de Leon — p5n' da la-on', not ponss de le'on. 
 
 Eachel — ra-sheF, not ra'chel, as the English name. When a 
 German name, it is pronounced rak'el. 
 
 Richelieu — ^resh'e-loo, not rich'e-loo. 
 
 Rochefort — rosh-for', not roch'f ort. 
 
 Rothschild — ros'child or rot'shilt, not roth'child. 
 
 Stael — stal, stawl or sta-eF, not stale. 
 
 Strauss— strowss, not strawss. 
 
 Taliaferro — tSri-ver, not tal-i-f er'ro. 
 
 Thiers — te-air', not theers. 
 
88 ERRORS OF SPEECH. 
 
 MODEKN GEOGEAPHICAL NAMES. 
 
 Abomey — ab-o-ma', not a-bom'ey nor a-bo'mey. 
 Acapulco — a-ka-pool'ko, not ak-a-piil'ko. 
 Adriatic — a-dri-afik, not ad-ri-at'ik. 
 Afghanistan — af-gan-is-tan', not af-gan-is'tan. 
 Agulhas — a-gooFyas, not a-giil'has. 
 Aix-la-Chapelle — az-la-sha-pel', not a-la-sha-pel'. 
 Alsace — ^al-sass', not al'sas. 
 Altai — al-ti', not al'ta nor al'ti. 
 Amherst — am'erst, not amiierst. 
 Amoor — a-mo5r', not am'oor nor a'more, 
 Antilles — ong-teel', not an'teelz. 
 Araguay— a-ra-gwi', not ar'a-gwa. 
 Aral — ar'al, not a'ral. 
 
 Arkansas— ar-kan'sas, not ar'kan-saw nor ar-kan-zaz. 
 Asia — a'she-a, not a'zhe-a. 
 Bantam (Java) — ban-tam', not ban'tam. 
 Barbados or Barbadoes — bar-ba'doz, not bar'ba-doz. Barbados, 
 a river of Brazil, is pronounced bar-ba'doce. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH. 89 
 
 Bayou — bi'oo or bi'o, not ba'u. 
 
 Belfast — bel-f ast', not bel'fast. 
 
 Beloochistan — bel-oo-chis-tan', not bel-oo-chis'tan. 
 
 Bingen — bmg'en, not bin'jen. 
 
 Bombay — bom-ba', not bom'ba. 
 
 Bremen (Germany) — brem'en or bra'men, not bree'men. Bremen 
 
 (U.S.) — bre'men. 
 Buena Vista— bwa'na vees'ta or bo'na vis'ta, not bu'na vis'ta. 
 Buenos Ayres — bo'nos a'riz or bo'nos airz, not bu'nos arz ; Spanish 
 
 pronunciation, bwa'noce i'res. (Good airs, English.) 
 Cairo — ki'ro, not ka'ro. Cairo (U.S.) — ka'ro. 
 Calais — kal'is or ka-la', not ka-las'. 
 Canton (China) — kan-ton', not kan'ton. Canton (U.S.) — kan'- 
 
 ton. 
 Cape Girardeau — jee-rar-d5', not jee-rar'd5. 
 Caribbean or Carribbean — ^kar-ib-be'an, not ka-riblbe-an. 
 Cashmere — kash-meer', not kash'mere. 
 Cayenne — ^ka-en', not ki-en' or ka-yen'. 
 Cheyenne — she-en', not shi-en' nor cha-en'. 
 Chili — chil'lee, not she'lee. 
 
 Christiania — krXs-te-a'ne-a, not kris-te-a'ne-a nor kris-te-an'a, 
 Chuquisaca — choo-ke-sa'ka, not choo-kwis'a-kii. 
 Cincinnati — sin-sin-na'ti, not sin-sin-nat'ta. 
 Cochin China — ko'chin chi'na, not koch'in ch"'na. 
 Delhi (India)— del'lee, not del' hi. Delhi (U.S.)— del'hi. 
 Dubuque — dii-book', not du-buk'. 
 
90 EBROBS OF SPEECH. 
 
 Fezzan — fez-zan', not fez'zan. 
 
 Freiburg — fri-boorg, not fre'burg. 
 
 Genoa —jen'o-a, not je-no'a. 
 
 Gloucester — glos'ter, not as spelled. Gloucestershire (glos'ter- 
 
 shir). 
 Greenwich (England) — grm'idge, not as spelled. Greenwich 
 
 ( U. S . ) — greenlch . 
 Havre de Grace — hav'er de grass, not ha'ver de gras'. French 
 
 pronunciation, ha'v'r deh grass or a'v'r deh grass. 
 Iowa — I'o-wa, not i-6'wa nor i'o-wa. 
 
 Java (Island) — ja'va, not jav'a nor ja'va. Java (U.S.) — ja'va. 
 Jeddo (Japan) — ^yed'do, not jed'do. Jeddo (U.S.)— jed'do. 
 Juniata — joo-ne-ah'ta, not j6o-ne-et'a. 
 Kankakee — kan-ka'kee, not kang-ka-kee'. 
 Ladoga — la'do-ga, not la-do'ga, 
 Lausanne (Switzerland) — l5-zan', not law-saii'. Lausanne 
 
 (Pennsylvania) — law-san'. 
 Leicester — ^les'ter, not as spelled. Leicestershire — (les'ter-shir). 
 Leipsic (Saxony) — lip'sik, not leep'sik. Leipsic (U.S.) — leep- 
 
 sik. 
 Madrid (Spain) — ^ma-drid', not mad'rid ; Spanish pronunciation, 
 
 ma-DreeD'. Madrid (U.S.) — mad'rid. 
 Mauch Chunk — ^mawk chunk', not mawch shunk'. 
 Milan — mil'an, not mi'lan, 
 Modena (Italy) — mod'en-a, not mo-de'na. Modena (U.S.)— 
 
 mo-de'na. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH, 91 
 
 Nantes — nantz, not nan'tez ; French pronunciation, nongt. 
 
 Neufchatel — nush-a-tel', not n56f' chat-el. 
 
 Newfoundland — nu'fond-land', not nu-found'land. 
 
 Norwich (England)— nor'ridge, not nor'wich. Norwich (U.S.)— 
 
 nor'wich or nor 'rich. 
 Otaheite — o-tii-hei'te, not o-ta-heet'. 
 Panama — pan-a-ma', not pan'a-maw. 
 Persia — per'sh-a, not per'zhe-a. 
 
 Pesth— pest, not pesth ; Hungarian pronunciation, pesht. 
 Piqua — peek'wa, not pik'wa. 
 Pompeii — ^pom-pel-i, not pom'pe-i. 
 Popocatapetl — p5-po-ka-ta-petr, not po-po-kat-a-pe'tel. 
 Poughkeepsie — po-kip'see, not po-keep'see. 
 Prussia — priish'a, not proosh-i-a nor prti-shia. 
 Quebec — kwe-bek', not kwe'bek. 
 Queretaro — ^ka-ra-ta'ro, not kwer-e-ta'ro. 
 Russia — ^riish'a, not roosh-e-a nor rii-sha. 
 Sahara — sa-ha'ra, or sa'ha-ra, not sa-ha'ra nor sa-har'a. 
 San Diego — san-de-a'go, not san-di-e'go. 
 Sangamon — sang'ga-mon, not sang-gam'on. 
 San Joaquin — san-Ho-a-keen', not san-jo'a-kwm. 
 Shang-Hai — shang-hi', not shang'ha nor shang'hi. 
 Siam — si-am' or se-am', not si'am. 
 Sumatra — soo-ma'tra, not soo-ma'tra nor soo-mat'ra. 
 
92 ERBOBS OF SPEECH. 
 
 Swabia — swa'bi-a, not swaw'be-a. 
 
 Taliaferro — toFe-vers-o, not tal-i-a-f er'ro. 
 
 Toulouse — to5-16oz', not t5o-l66ss'. 
 
 Truxillo — troo-Heeryo, not trux-il'lo. 
 
 Tyrol — tir'ol or te-rol', not ti'rol. 
 
 Ulster (Germany) — ool'ster, not iil'ster. Ulster (Ireland and 
 
 U.S.)— ul'ster. 
 Valenciennes — va-long-se-enn', not va-len-se-enz'. 
 Valparaiso (Chili) — val-pa-ri'so, not val-pa-ra'zo. Valparaiso 
 
 (U.S.) — val-pa-ra'zo. 
 Venezuela — ven-ez-o5-ela, not ven-ez-wee'la or va-neth-wa'la. 
 Vevay — ve-va', not ve'va. 
 Vosges — vozh, not vos'jez. 
 Worcester — wos'-ter, not as spelled. Worcestershire (wos-ter- 
 
 shir). 
 Wyandot or Wyandotte — wi-an-dott', not wi'an-dSt. 
 Wyoming — wi-6'ming> not wi'o-ming. 
 Yang-tse-kiang — yang-tse-ke-ang', not yang'tse-ki'ang. 
 Yo Semite — yo-sem'e-te, not yo'se-mite. 
 Zanzibar — zan-ze-bar', not zan'ze-bar. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH, 93 
 
 ENGLISH CHEISTIAN NAMES. 
 
 Ada — a'da, not ad'a. 
 
 Agnes — ag'ness, not ag-nSz. 
 
 Alphonso — al-fon'so, not al-f on'zo. 
 
 Artemas — ar'te-mas, not ar-te'mas. 
 
 Augustine — aw-gus'tin, not aw'giis-teen. 
 
 Basil— baz'il, not ba'sil nor bas'il. 
 
 Bernard— ber'nard, not ber-nard/ Bernard (Frencli) — ^beE-naE': 
 
 Cecily — ses'i-ly, not se'si-ly. 
 
 Chloe — klo'e, not kl5. 
 
 Darius — da-ri'us, not da'ri-us. 
 
 Deborah — de-bo'rah, not deb'J4-rali. 
 
 Eben — eb'en, not e'ben. 
 
 Eleanor — el'en-or, not ere-a-nor. 
 
 Esther — es'ter, not es'ther. 
 
 Eva— e'va, not ev'a. 
 
 Frances — fran'sez, not fran'sess nor frSn'sTs. 
 
 Giles — ^jilz, not gilz. 
 
 Hosea — ^ho-ze'a, not ho'se-a. 
 
U ERRORS OF SPEECH. 
 
 Ivan— iv'an, not I'van. Ivan (Russian) — e-van'. 
 
 Irene — i-re'ne, not i-reen'. 
 
 Jaqueline — jaq'ue-lin, not jak'a-line. 
 
 Joan— j6-an', not jo'an. 
 
 Joshua — ^josh'ii-a, not josh'a-wa. 
 
 Leopold — le'o-p5ld, not lep'old. Leopold (German) — la-o-polt. 
 
 Lionel — li'o-nel, not li-o'nel. 
 
 Louisa — ^l55-e'za, not loo i'za. 
 
 Marion — ^mSrl-on, not ma'ri-on. 
 
 Penelope — pe-nel'o-pe, not pen'el-ope. 
 
 Phebe — phe'be, not pheeb. 
 
 Philander — ^phi-lan'der, not phll-an'der. 
 
 Philemon — ^phi-le'mon, not phiFe-mon. 
 
 Reginald — ^rejl-nald, not reg'i-nald. 
 
 Eosalie — roz'a-lg, not ro'za-le. 
 
 Rosalind — roz'a-lind, not ro'za-lind. 
 
 Eosamond — roz'a-mond, not ro'za-mond. 
 
 Rowland — rb'land, not row'land. 
 
 Sigismund— sij'is-mund, not sig'is-mund. Sigismund (German) 
 
 — seeG'is-moont. 
 Silvester — sil-ves'ter, not sil'ves-ter. 
 ;Sopliia — so-fl'a, not so'fi-a. 
 Ursula — ur'sii-la, not iir-sG'la. 
 Viola — Yi'o-la, not vi-o'la. 
 
EBROBS OF SPEECH, 95 
 
 NAMES FOUND IN LITEEATUEE. 
 
 Achitophel — a-kit'o-phel, not a-chit'o-pliel. A nickname given 
 to the Earl of Shaftesbury by Dryden in his satirical poem 
 of " Absalom and Achitophel." 
 
 Adonais — ad-o-na'is, not a-do'ni-as nor a-don'i-as. A name 
 given to the poet Keats by Shelley. 
 
 Adriana — a-dri-a'na, not a-dri-an'a. A character in the " Comedy 
 of Errors." 
 
 Pigeon — e-je'on, not e'je-on. A Syracusan merchant in the 
 
 '< Comedy of Errors." 
 aimilia — e-mil'i-a, not e-me'lia. Wife of JEgeon in the 
 
 « Comedy of Errors." 
 
 Agramante — a-gra-man'ta, not ag'ra-mant, unless written Agra- 
 mant. King of the Moors in " Orlando Eurioso." 
 
 Agricane — a-gre-ka'na, not ag'ri-kane. Written also Agrican 
 (ag'ri-kan). King of Tartary in " Orlando Innamorato." 
 
 Al Borak — al bor'ak, not al bo'rak. An imaginary animal of 
 wonderful appearance and fieetness, with which it was claimed 
 that Mohammed made a journey to the seventh heaven. 
 
96 EBRORS OF SPEECH. 
 
 Alcina — al-che'na, not al-se'na. A fairy in " Orlando Inna- 
 morato." 
 
 Alciphron — al'si-fron, not al-sif'ron. The name of a work 
 by Bishop Berkeley, and of a character in the same. Alciphron 
 is also the name of a poem by Thomas Moore, and the hero 
 of his romance, " The Epicurean." 
 
 Almanzor — al-man'zor, not al'man-zor. A character in Dryden's 
 " Conquest of Granada." 
 
 Al Rakim — al ra-keem', not al ra'kim. The dog in the legend 
 of the " Seven Sleepers of Ephesus." 
 
 Al Sirat — al se-rat', not al'si-rat. An imaginary bridge between 
 this world and the Mohammedan paradise, 
 
 Angelica — an-jel'i-ka, not an-jel-e'ka. A princess of great 
 beauty in "Orlando Innamorato." 
 
 Angelo — an'je-lo, not an-jeFo. A prominent character in 
 " Measure for Measure." A goldsmith in the '' Comedy of 
 Errors." 
 
 Archimago — ar-ki-ma'go, not ar-chi-ma'go nor ar-chim'a-go. A 
 
 character in Spenser's "Faery Queen." 
 Argalia — aE-ga-lee'a, not ar-ga'li-a. Brother of Angelica ia 
 
 " Orlando Innamorato." 
 Argantes — aE-giin'tess, not ar-gah'tez. An infidel hero in 
 
 " Jerusalem Delivered." 
 Asmodeus — as-mo-de'us, not az-mo'de-us. An evil s pirit men 
 
 tioned in the Book of Tobit. 
 Baba, All— a'lee ba'ba, not al'i ba'ba. A character in the-- 
 
 "Foi-ty Thieves." 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH. 97 
 
 Baba, Cassim — tas'sim lU'ta, not kas'sim ba'ba. Brother of 
 All Baba. 
 
 Bajardo — ba-e-aE'do, not ba-jar'do. Rinaldo's steed in " Or- 
 lando Innamorato.'* 
 
 Balwhidder — balhwitb-er, not bawl'whid-der. A pastor in 
 Gait's " Annals of the Parish." 
 
 Banquo — baato, not bank'wo. A Scottish warrior and a 
 character in " Macbeth." 
 
 Bassanio — bas-, a'ni-o, not bas-sa'ni-o. Husband of Portia in 
 *' Merchant of Venice." 
 
 Biron — bl'ron, not bVon. A character in "Love's Labour's 
 Lost." 
 
 Boyet — boy-et', not bo'yet. A character in " Love's Labour's 
 Lost." 
 
 Bradamante — bra-da-nian'ta, not brad'a-mant. Sister to Kinaldo 
 in " Orlando Innamorato." 
 
 Brunehilde — broo'na-hil'da, not brun-hii'dah. Written also 
 Brunehild (broo'neh-hilt.) 
 
 Carrasco, Sanson — san-son' kaR-Eas'ko, not san'son kar-ias'ko. 
 A character in "Don Quixote." 
 
 Cedric — sed'ril^, not se'drik. A character in ♦' Ivanhoe." 
 
 Clarchen — kleR'ken, not klar'chen. A female character in 
 Goethe's "Egmont." 
 
 Clavileno Ahgero — kla-ve-lan'yo a-le-Ha'ro, not klaV-i-le'no 
 al-i-je'ro. A celebrated steed in " Don Quixote." 
 
 G 
 
98 EBBOHS OF SPEECH. 
 
 Consuelo — kong-su-a-lo, not kon-su-el'o. The heroine of a 
 novel of the same name by Georges Sand. 
 
 Don Adriano Armado— ad-re-a'no ar-ma'do, not a-dri-f/no ar- 
 ma'do. A character in "Love's Labour's Lost.'* 
 
 Don Cleofas— kle'o-fas, not kle-o'fas. Hero of " The Devil en 
 Two Sticks." 
 
 Don Juan — 3u'an,not ju-an'. 
 
 Dulcamara — dool-ka-ma'ra, not dul-sa-ma'ra, nor dul-ka-ma'ra. 
 The itinerant physician in "L'Elisire d'Amore." 
 
 Egeus — e-je'us, not e'je-us. The father of Hermia in " Midsum- 
 mer Night's Dream." 
 
 Eyre, Jane — er, not ire. 
 
 Fata Morgana — f a'ta moE-ga'na, not f a'ta mor-gltn'a. 
 
 Fatima — f at'i-ma, not f a-te'ma. A female character in the story 
 of "Aladdin, or the Wonderful Lamp;" also, one of the wives 
 of Blue Beard. 
 
 Fidele — fi-de'le, not fi-dele'. A name assumed by Imogen in 
 
 " Cymbeline." 
 Fra Diavolo — fra de-a'vo-lo, not fra de-a-vo'lo. 
 
 Genevra — je-nev'ra, not je-ne'vra. Ginevra is pronounced the 
 same as the above. 
 
 Gil Bias — jil blaz, not jeel blaz. 
 
 Gotham — go'tham, not goth'am. A name applied to New 
 York City. 
 
 Haidee — hi'dee, not ha'dee. One of the heroines in "Don 
 Juan." 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH. 9D 
 
 lashimo — yak'i-mo, not i-ak'i-mo. A prominent character ia 
 " Cymbeline." 
 
 lago — e-a'go, not I-a'go. One of the principal characters in 
 
 " Othello/ 
 Jacques — zhak, not jak'kwes. A character in " As You Like it.'* 
 
 Klaus, Peter — klowss, not klawz. The hero of a German tra- 
 dition similar to that of " Rip Van Winkle." 
 
 Xalla Eookh — la'la rook, not lal'la rook. The heroine of Moore's 
 poem of the same name. 
 
 Laodamia — la-od-a-mf a, not la-o-da'mi-a. The wife of Protes- 
 ilaus slain by Hector, and the name of a poem by Wordsworth. 
 
 Lara — lii'ra, not la'ra nor lar'a. The hero and name of Byron's 
 
 poem. 
 Le Fevre — leh f ev'r, not le f e'ver. A poor lieutenant in " Life 
 
 and Opinions of Tristram Shandy." 
 
 Leonato — le-o-na'to, not le-o-na'to. Governor of Messina in. 
 "Much Ado about Nothing." 
 
 Mahu — ma'hoo, not ma'hu. A fiend spoken of in ''King 
 Lear." 
 
 Maid of Orleans — 6r'le-anz, not or-lenz.' Another name of Joan 
 of Arc. 
 
 Meister, Wilhelm — vil'helm mis'ter, not wil'helm mes'ter. TIio 
 hero of a novel by Goethe. 
 
 Mohicans, Last of the — mo'he-kans, not mo-he'kans nor mc-^ 
 hish'ans. 
 
 Montague — mon'ca-gu, not mon-tag'. A noble family in " Ilo- 
 meo and Juliet." 
 
 a 2 
 
100 EBRORS OF SPEECH, 
 
 Moreno, Don Antonio — an-t5'ne-o mo-ra'no, not an-t5'ne-o mo- 
 re'no. A gentleman in " Don Quixote." 
 
 Munchausen — mun-chaw'sen, not mun-kaw'sen. German, 
 MUnchhausen (miinK-how'zen). 
 
 Oberon — ob'er-on, not o'ber-on. King of the fairies. Takes an 
 
 important part in " Midsummer Night's Dream.'* 
 Ossian — oss'i-an, not aw'si-an. 
 
 Parizade — pii-re-zii'da, not par-i-zade. A princess in " Arabian 
 Nights' Entertainments." 
 
 Parolles — pa-rol'les, not pa-rolz'. A follower of Bertram in 
 "All's Well that Ends Well." 
 
 Perdita — peVdi-ta, not per-di'ta nor per-de'ta. A princess in 
 <' Winter's Tale." 
 
 Petruchio — pe-troo'chi-o, not pe-tr55'ki-o. A principal charac- 
 ter in " Taming of the Shrew.'* 
 
 Pisanio — pi-zii'm-o, not pi-sa'ni-o. A character in "Cymbe- 
 line." 
 
 Posthumus — post'hu-miis, not post-hu'miis. Imogen's husband 
 in " Cymbeline." 
 
 Prospero — pro.s'pe-ro, not pros-pe'ro. An important character 
 in the " Tempest." 
 
 Eosalind — roz'a-lind, not roz'a-lind. The lady loved by Orlando 
 in "As You Like it.'* 
 
 Eosaline — roz'a-lin or roz'a-lin, not roz'a-leen. A lady in 
 "Love's Labour's Lost;" also the name of a lady loved by 
 Romeo before Juliet. 
 
 jRosamond, Fair — roz'a-mond, not roza'-mond. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH, 101 
 
 Eozinante — roz-i-nan'te, not lo-zi-nan'te. Don Quixote's famous 
 
 horse. 
 Euggiero — rood-ja'ro, not riig-gi-er'o orruj-ji-e'ro. A knight in 
 
 " Orlando Furioso." 
 Sakhrat — siiK-ra', not sak'rat. A sacred stone of great powers, 
 
 in Mohammedan mythology. 
 Stephano — stef 'a-no, not ste-f a'no. A drunken butler in " Tem- 
 pest ; " also a servant of Portia in " Merchant of Venice." 
 Titania — ti-ta'ni-a, not ti-tan'i-a. The wife of Oberon, king of 
 
 the fairies. 
 Tybalt— lib 'alt, not ti'balt. One of the Capulets in "Eomeo 
 
 and Juliet." 
 Ulrica — ul-ri'ka, not iil'ri-ka. An old sibyl in "Ivanhoe." 
 Ursula — ur'su-la, not Ur-S(3o'la. An attendant in " Much Ado 
 
 about Nothing." 
 Viola — Yi'o-la, not vi-6'la. The disguised page of Duke Orsino 
 
 in " Twelfth Night." 
 
102 ERROBS OF SPEECH. 
 
 OETHOEPICAL EEEOES OF THE 
 PEOFESSIONS. 
 
 Although errors of speecli are at all times to be 
 deprecated, and are generally criticised without much 
 leniency, it must be admitted that unless they are very 
 gross, reasonable excuses are to be made for those who 
 have never made their language a subject of close 
 study, and whose only use of words is entirely 
 impromptu in the business affairs of life, in the home 
 circle, or in the social gathering. 
 
 Though a person's descent and education are 
 in a great measure revealed by the propriety 
 of his discourse, yet this refers principally ta 
 those words that are employed by the masses in the 
 every-day conversations of life, rather than to tech- 
 nicaUties and words related to particular professions^ 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH, 103 
 
 the use of which is generally confined to the specially 
 instructed. But when a man stands forth as an orator, 
 a teacher, a minister, or a professor of some college, 
 it is certainly not unreasonable for those who sit under 
 his instruction, to expect and demand that his speech 
 should be considerably free from errors. 
 
 One occupying such a position may well be excused 
 for occasional embarrassment, weak voice, unpleasant 
 address, hesitation of delivery, and various failings 
 and peculiarities that cannot be overcome, but little 
 or no allowance can be made for errors constantly 
 repeated. 
 
 Probably there has never been a public speaker 
 60 perfect in diction, that he has not in moments of 
 embarrassment, or when much absorbed in his subject, 
 been guilty of grammatical inaccuracies or mistakes 
 of pronunciation ; and doubtless he is as often aware 
 of them as his hsteners are, as soon as they drop from 
 his Hps, but it would be foohsh to call attention to 
 them by going back to correct them. But when these 
 offences are so glaring and so frequently repeated that 
 it is evident the speaker knows no better, it is no 
 wonder that the educated hearer often thinks that the 
 
104 ERRORS OF SPEECH. 
 
 teacher had better leave his position and submit to 
 being taught. 
 
 What allowance can an intelligent congregation 
 make for their minister -who has nothing else to do 
 but prepare his sermons, if, besides a multitude of 
 common errors in English, he pronounces more than 
 half of his scriptural names in a manner unsanctioned 
 by any authority ? 
 
 Yv'hen the oratorical medical professor stands up to 
 address his students, or to engage in the discussions 
 of a convention, and rolls out technicality after tech- 
 nicality pronounced in a manner that would be dis- 
 owned by the speakers of original Latin or Greek, and 
 is altogether at variance with established usage, who 
 would not ask for a little less volubility and a little more 
 education? If it required a great amount of labour out- 
 side of the usual course of study for professional men to 
 acquire a knowledge of the pronunciation of words pe- 
 culiar to their professions, the subject might be treated 
 with more tolerance ; but as the definitions and the 
 orthoepy might be so readily learned together during 
 those years of daily reference to books that are required 
 before the professional man should be considered 
 competent to stand as a guide to others, it certainly 
 
EBROnS OF SPEECH. 105 
 
 seems that they do not properly appreciate the dig- 
 nity of their position by thus laying themselves open 
 to public criticism. 
 
 Many a student, in order to become instructed in 
 certain branches, has been compelled to reluctan+ly 
 sit for months or years at the feet of those who, he 
 felt, were far inferior to him in common school educa- 
 tion, hearing hourly such violations of orthoepy and 
 syntax as would be a discredit to school children. 
 And, doubtless, many such students have felt such a 
 charitable regard for their teachers that they have 
 wished to direct their attention to their faults, but 
 have been restrained on account of the fear of enmity, 
 expulsion, or of lessening the chances for passing 
 the final examination. 
 
 The bare thought of being so criticised should be 
 so galling to any one bearing the dignified title of 
 *** professor,'* that it ought to stimulate him to 
 endeavour to make himself more familiar with the 
 proprieties of speech. 
 
 The study of orthoepy was held in such high esteem 
 by the ancient Athenians, and their delicate ears were 
 so offended by any violation of its rules, that if an 
 
106 ERRORS OF SPEECH, 
 
 orator mispronounced a single word, the entire 
 audience immediately hissed him. 
 
 During the present state of pronunciation it would 
 indeed be embarrassing to the public speaker, if such 
 a custom existed in this country. Let us imagine, for 
 instance, our friend Professor Abdominous Gynaeco- 
 phonus, with his face radiant with smiles of self- 
 conceit, rising to address his audience. *' Gentle- 
 men : I have listened patiently to this op'po-nent 
 (hisses) of al'lo-path-y (hisses) and now wish to make 
 a few remarks and in'quir-ies (hisses). In answer to 
 his objections against hy-os-cy-a'mus (hisses) as an 
 anodyne and so por-if-ic (hisses)^ I would say that in 
 cases of cough and sleeplessness, I have long used 
 hyoscyamia combined in tro'chez (hisses) without any 
 of those effects that the pat'ron (hisses) of ho'me-o- 
 path-y (hisses) mentions. And having made almost 
 a specialty of the treatment of fa9'i-al (hisses) neu- 
 ralgia or tic-dol-o-roo' *' (hisses) — and it would cer- 
 tainly be time for him to dolorously sit down, although 
 he might raise the question — 
 
 " What's in a name ? that which we call a rose, 
 By any other name would smell as sweet/' 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH. 107 
 
 and argue therefrom that the pronunciation of a word 
 should make no difference, so long as its meaning was 
 understood. Amongst professional men, it has been 
 observed that physicians and dentists are by far more 
 prone than others to orthoepical errors. Attention 
 is requested to a few of the more common of these, 
 in addition to those found in the preceding vocabu- 
 lary connected with words that are alike used by the 
 professional and the unprofessional, such as : ahdo- 
 men, acclimated, alhumerij animalculaj arahic, citratey. 
 embryo, excrescence, fetid, fetor, forceps, homeopathy y 
 hydropathy, jugular, jujube, nasal, 2yha7^macoj)oeia, pu- 
 rulent, spasmodic, sulphurous, tragacanth, etc. The 
 authorities appealed to are Buchanan, Thomas^ 
 "Walker, and Walker and Webster combined. Not- 
 withstanding the merit of Buchanan's Dictionary of 
 Arts and Sciences,* as far as the comprehensiveness 
 and trustworthiness of its definitions are concerned, it 
 is evident that it is almost useless as an orthoepical 
 guide. The principal accent is in many cases marked,, 
 but the pronunciation of preceding and succeeding 
 syllables cannot be determined, and there is no 
 attempt at syllabication. 
 
 * Published by W. Tegg, London, E.G. 
 
108 ERRORS OF SPEECH, 
 
 Dr. Thomas's dictionary, though less comprehen- 
 sive, is equally trustworthy in its definitions, and is ex- 
 cellent authority in regard to orthoepy; though it is to 
 be regretted that in some words important syllables are 
 not sufficiently marked. For instance, take the words 
 as-hes'tos and bis'muth; how can it be determined 
 whether the first should be pronounced as-be&'toss 
 or az-bes'toz, or the latter biz'muth or biss'muth ? 
 Walker and Webster and Worcester are undoubtedly 
 good authorities for the pronunciation of the medical 
 ivords they give. In the following vocabulary all of 
 the authorities that mention the words may be con- 
 sidered as agreeing unless notice is made of their 
 disagreement. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH. 109 
 
 MEDICAL AND DENTAL WOEDS. 
 
 [In Latin and Latinized Greek words, the English sounds of the vo'wels 
 are given as those used by the majority of professional men. If any one,, 
 however, prefers to adopt the continental metl od, sounding a as in/a<7ier, y 
 and i as e in veto, etc., and consistently applies it to all such words, no one,. 
 of course, has a right to object.] 
 
 Adipose — ad'i-p5se, not ad'i-poze. 
 
 Ala — a'la, not al'a. AlsB, plural. 
 
 Alls — a'lis, not al'is. This as a termination of many words, su 
 as abdominalis, digitalis, frontalis, lachrymalis, transversalis^ 
 etc., is often erroneously pronounced al'is. 
 
 Alumen— al-u'men, not arii-men. 
 
 Alveolus — al-ve'o-lus, not al-ve-o'lus. Plural, alveoli (al-ve'o- 
 li.) Alveolar (al-ve'o-lar.) Alveolus is the name given to 
 the cavity in the jaw that is seen upon the removal of the root 
 of a tooth, and it possesses no more tangibility than "a pinch of 
 air ; " almost daily, however, we hear dentists speak of extract- 
 inir a tooth with a piece of the alveolus attached. What a 
 curiosity for preservation in a museum is a tooth with a piece 
 of a little hole fastened to the root ! What is meant is a 
 
110 EREOBS OF SPEECH. 
 
 piece of the alveolar procesSy or portion of bone around the 
 
 alveolus. 
 AnsBmic — a-nem'ik, not a-ne'mik. 
 Andral — ong-draV, not an'dral. 
 AphthsB— af 'the, not ap'the. 
 Aqua — aliwa, not ak'wa. 
 Arcus Senilis— se-ni'lis, not sen'i-lis. 
 Areolar— a-re'o-lar, not a-re-6'lar. 
 Aris — a'ris, not ar'is, in the termination of angularis, medullaris, 
 
 palmaris, orbicularis, pulmonaris, etc. 
 Asarum — as'a-rum, not a-sa'rum. 
 Asbestos— as-bes'toss, not az-bes'toz. 
 Attollens — at-tol'lenz, not a-tSlenz. 
 Azygos— az'y-gos, not a-zy'gos. 
 Bagge — bog'geh, not bag. 
 Bimana — ^bi-ma'na, not bi-ma'ni-a. 
 Bismuth — biz'muth, not biss'muth. 
 Bitumen— bj-tu'men, not bit'u-men. 
 Cadaver — ka-da' .^er, not ka-dav'er. 
 Caries — ka'ri-ez, not ka'rez nor kar'rez. 
 Carminative — kar-min'a-tive, not kar'mi-na-tiYe. 
 Caryophillus— kar-i-o-phirius, not kar-i-ophll-lus. 
 Cerebral — ser-e'bral, not ser'e-bral. 
 Cerebric — ser-e'bric, not ser'c-bric. 
 Cerebrum — ser-e'brum, not ser'e-brum. 
 
ERBORS OF SPEECH. Ill 
 
 Cerumen — se-ru'meu, not ser'u-men. 
 
 Che3me — chan or cheen, not shane. 
 
 Choledochus — ^Ico-led'o-kus, not kol-e-d5'kus nor ko- lid'a-kus. 
 
 Cicatrix — si-ka'trix, not si-kat'rix. Plural, cicatrices, slk-a-tri - 
 sez, not 61-kat'ri-sez. 
 
 Cimicifuga— sim-i-sif'u-ga, not sim-i-si-fu'ga nor sim-is'i-fu-ga. 
 
 Cochlea — kok'Ie-a, not kok'le-a. 
 
 Conein — ko-ne'in, not ko'ne-in. 
 
 Conium — ko-ni'um, not ko'ne-um. 
 
 Cranium — kra'ni-um, not kran'i-um. 
 
 Cynanche — si-nan'ke, not si-nan'che. 
 
 Diastase — di'as-tase, not di-as'taze. 
 
 Diastole — di-as'to-le, not di'as-tole. 
 
 Diploe — dip'lo-e, not dip-lo'e. 
 
 Dulcamara — dul-ka-ma'ra, not dul-sa-ma'ra. Webster gives dul- 
 kam'a-ra also. 
 
 Duodenum — du-o-de'num, not du-od'e-num. 
 
 Dyspnoea — disp-ne'a, not dis-ne'a. 
 
 Emesis — cm'e-sis, not em-e'sis. . 
 
 Epiploon — e-piplo-on, not ep-ip-16'on. 
 
 Facial — f a'shal, not fash'i-al. 
 
 Foramen — fo-ra'men, not fo-ram'en. 
 
 Fungi — f iin'ji, not f un'gi. Plural of fungus. 
 
 Galbanum — gal'ba-num, not gal-ba'num. 
 
 Gingiva — jin-ji'va, not jm'ji-ya. 
 
112 ERRORS OF SPEECH, 
 
 Glenoid — gle'noid, not glen'oid. 
 
 Glutseus— glu'te-us, according to Buchanan. Others give glu- 
 
 tae'us. 
 Helleborus — hel'le-bo-rus, not hel-leb'o-rus nor hel-le-bo'rus. 
 Hyoscyamus — hi-o?-si'a-mus, not hi-os-sy-am'us nor hi-os-sj-a - 
 
 mus. Hyoscyamine (hi-os-si'a-min). 
 Impetigo — im-pe-ti'go, not im-pet'i-go. 
 Incisive — in-si'siv, not in-sis'ive. 
 Iodoform — i-od'o-form, not i-6'do-fomi. 
 Itis. According to Buchanan and Webster, this termination is 
 
 pronounced i'tis in bronchitis, pleuritis, gastritis, etc. Others 
 
 do not specify, but the inference is that they intend the same. 
 
 It is, however, so generally pronounced i'tis, that many would 
 
 object to the attention attracted by calling it e'fcis. 
 Jejunum — j e-j u'num, not j ej 'u-num. 
 Juniperus — ju-nip'e-rus, not j u'ni-per-us nor ju-ni-pe'rus. 
 Laudanum — lod'a-num, not law'da-num. 
 Lentigo — len-ti'go, not len'ti-go. 
 Lepra — lep'ra, not le'pra. Dunglison gives the latter. 
 Leuwenhoek — ^loo'en-hook or luh'wen-h5ok (u as in fur), not 
 
 loo'wen-hoke. 
 Levator — le-va'tor, not le-vat'or. 
 Liquor (Latin) — li'kwor, not lik'ur as in English. 
 Magendie — ma-zhong-de', not ma-jen'de. 
 Malic— ma'lik, not mal'ik. Thomas gives the latter. 
 
EBROBS OF SPEECH. 113 
 
 Matrix — ma'trix, not mat'rix. 
 
 Mistura — mis-tu'ra, not mis'tu-ra. 
 
 Molecule — m5'le-kule, not moFe-kule. 
 
 MoUities — mol-lisli'i-ez, not moin-tez. 
 
 Molybdenum — mol-ib-de'num, not mo-lib'de-num, 
 
 Nasmyth — na'smith, not naz'mith, 
 
 Kicolai — nee'ko-li, not nik'o-la. 
 
 Nucleolus— nu-kle'o-lus, not nu-kle-5'lus. 
 
 Oris — 6'ris, not or'is. 
 
 Ovale — 5-Ya'le, not o-val'e. 
 
 Panizzi — pa-nit'see or pa-net'see, not pan-iz'zy 
 
 Pepys— peps, not pe'pis nor pep'is. 
 
 Pes Anserinus — pez an-ser-i'nus, not pcz an-ser'i-nus. I once 
 
 heard a professor describing the facial nerve to his class, and 
 
 he dwelt upon this plexus for some time, calling it the " Pons 
 
 Asinorum." 
 Podagra — pod'a-gra, not po-da'gra. Worcester gives po-dag'ra 
 
 also. 
 Podophyllum — ^pod-o-fillum, not po-dof-'il-lum. 
 Process — pros'ess, not pro'sess. 
 Prostate — pros'tate, not pros'trate. 
 Purkinje— pooR'kin-yeh or poor'kin, not pu;-kiii'je. 
 Pylorus— pi-16'rus, not pi-lor'us. 
 Pyrethrum— pir'e-thrum, not pi-re'thrum. Buchanan gives the 
 
 latter only. 
 
114 EBEOES OF SPEECH, 
 
 Quadrumana — quad-ru'ina-iia, not quad-ru-ma'na. 
 
 Eubeola — ru-be'o-la, not ru-be-5la. 
 
 Sacrum — salcrum, not sak'rum. 
 
 Sagittal— saj'it-tal, not sa-jit'tal. 
 
 Sanies — sa'ni-ez, not sa'nez nor san'ez. 
 
 Scabies — sca'bi-ez, not scab'ez nor sca'bez. 
 
 Seidlitz— sidlitz, not sed'lTtz, unless spelled Sedlitz. 
 
 Sinapis — si-na'pis, not sin'a-pis. 
 
 Squamous — sk\\ a'mus, not skwa"w'mus. 
 
 Systole — sis'to-le, not sis'tole. 
 
 Tinctura— tinc-tu ra, not tinct'u-ra. 
 
 Titanium — ti-ta'ni-um, not ti-tan'i-um. 
 
 Trachea — tra-lce'a or tralie-a, not track 'e-a. 
 
 Tremor — tre'mor, not trem'or. Webster allows tlie latfer also. 
 
 Trismus — triss'mus, not triz'mus. 
 
 Umbilicus — um-bi-li'kus. 
 
 Variola — va-ri'o-la, not va-ri-o'la. 
 
 Veratrum — ve-ra'trum, not ve-rat'rum. 
 
 Vertebral — Yer'te-bral, not ver-te'bral. 
 
 Virchow — fir'ko, not viycliow nor YirTcow. 
 
 Zinci — zin'si; not zink'i. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH, 115 
 
 SENTENCES FOR PEAOTICE. 
 
 The following extract is from the letter of a friend, 
 to whom were sent some of the advance pages of this 
 work: "I am absolutely filled with astonishment to 
 see how many simple words I have been mispro- 
 nouncing all my life, and would have kept on mispro- 
 nouncing to the end of my days, if my thoughts had not 
 been directed to them. If I were in your place, I would 
 end the book with a story in which all the words 
 would be used in the course of the narrative. I can 
 imagine no amusement more instructive or interest- 
 ing than for a social party to read in turns, under 
 some penalty for each mistake." 
 
 I had myself conceived the idea of presenting the 
 words unaccompanied with explanation of the 
 orthoepy, or marks oi accent ; but the form was not 
 decided upon. 
 
IIG ERRORS OF SPEECH. 
 
 The effort to compose a narrative was abandoned 
 after a fair trial ; for to have a plot and also bring the 
 words in natural position would require a large 
 volume ; otherwise, it would make senseless jumble. 
 In the trial sentences given the objects are gained in 
 small space. These objects are to allow readers to 
 exercise their memory and test their friends. It is 
 hoped that the reader will pardon any absurdities of 
 context ; as such cannot be well avoided where one is 
 compelled to use so many selected words, and is 
 obliged to force them into a small compass. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH. 117 
 
 MELANGE, 
 
 A MUSICAL party "were gathered under the shade of 
 acacia trees ; an attorney was present, who criticised 
 the accompanist with more than legal acumen. 
 
 The invalid came from Bremen to America, and hoped 
 to be soon acclimatedy but was stricken down with a 
 disease that was not amenable to treatment, although 
 he had many physicians : allopathistSj h?/dropathists, 
 and Jiomeopathists, He said that the aim of allopatJiy 
 was to poison him ; of hydropathy to drown him ; and 
 of homeopathy to let him die unaided. 
 
 Beaux and belles assembled to discuss belles-lettres. 
 One old beawwsiSYeTj bizarre in his attire ; he affected 
 the bon-vivantf boasted his connexion with bon-ton, but 
 his bens mots were those of other men ; and though he 
 talked of the hillets-doux he received and sent, his ap- 
 
118 ERRORS OF SPEECH. 
 
 pearance was more like that of a h^gand. A hull 
 appearing, soon put him in a hustle ; his fat cheeks 
 shook like hlanc-mange, and he fled for shelter to the 
 halustrade of an adjoining hagnioy clinging to a baluster 
 for support. 
 
 One of the comhatants struck his opponent in the 
 abdomen with a club, cut off an alder tree ; he was 
 carried under the shade of an ailantus and immedi- 
 ately expired. 
 
 Chiaro-oscuro is the art of combining light and 
 shade in painting. 
 
 Sophia found the Q^g under 2i,peony near the sTiumac 
 tree ; but she broke it in carrying, and spilled the 
 albumen all over her alpaca dress. 
 
 The dose for an adult is a dessert-spoonful. 
 
 It was a plain supper — nothing but aerated bread, 
 Bologna sausage and radishes. 
 
 He told his demonstrative disputant that he did not 
 wish to get into an altercationy but it only appeared to 
 arouse his combativeness still more. 
 
 A youth afflicted with cacocthes scrihendi attempted 
 
EBRORS OF SPEECH. 119 
 
 a work on calisthenics; but he mistook compliment 
 for complement, centrifugal for centripetal ; while his 
 addenda occupied more pages than his text ; and the 
 cacJiinnation of his readers was louder than their 
 applause. 
 
 Why do you accent the antepenult of espionage ? 
 
 He illustrated his proposition by cutting off the 
 apex of the figure, and then exhibited his apparatus 
 for the production of statical electricity. 
 
 Two-thirds gum-arabic and one-ihivd giim-tragacanth 
 make a good mucilage. 
 
 A gourmet travelling in a cariole with a cook, and 
 a covetous courier who for a time was charge d'affaires, 
 came to a desert whose caloric was enough to have 
 melted a chalcedony. The labour of travelling through 
 the loose sand was cyclopean, and the cariole wsls light- 
 ened to enable them to proceed. At length they were 
 able to debouch into a kind of dough where were the 
 remains of a guillotine ; here it was discovered that 
 the provisions had been left behind, and carte blanche 
 was given to the servants to procure food. After 
 
120 J^RRORS OF SPEECH, 
 
 diligent search, the cache oi some former traveller was 
 found, the contents appropriated; and finding aspara- 
 gusj bananay and celery in the clough, the cook made 
 his debut with these unpromising materials, and was 
 able to cozenhis master into the idea that the common- 
 alty never partook of such a feast ; hunger was the 
 best sauce, and he ate with considerable gout — so that 
 the debutant not only cleared his character^ but his 
 master was cZea/to all complaints abouthim in future. 
 
 The archbishop dreamed that an archangel came to 
 him and told him to have his architect sent to an island 
 in the Grecian Archipelago for white marble for the 
 pilasters. 
 
 Search the archives of history, and you will not find 
 another such b, prodigy as Admirable Crichton, 
 
 An invalid, not very ductile in his temperament, 
 being asked to make his will, treated his friends with 
 considerable Ziaw^^i^r. Everyone was jm/ows of the 
 other. Indeed, he could have held a levee every morn- 
 ing, noon, and night, had he been so inclined; for 
 they durst not leave him for long, and the ensemble 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH. 121 
 
 was sometimes ridiculous. An impetus was, however, 
 given to their desires, and the momentous question of 
 how the moneys^ etc., of the sick man were to he dis- 
 posed of was discussed in the library, shaded by a 
 sumac and a lilac of immense size, the lichens on the 
 former being very fine. The sick man tried to modify 
 their anxiety, and executed a will by which all were 
 provided for ; this was received with much dissatisfac- 
 tion by some, into whose souls the iron of disappoint- 
 ment had entered — they saiu that to which they con- 
 sidered themselves QniiilQdiswept away by a crowd, and 
 a pittance only coming to themselves. However, they 
 were more surprised than pleased to find afterwards 
 that the will was invalid ; the sick man, disgusted 
 with their greed, having left the whole of his pro- 
 perty to religious and charitable institutions. 
 
 The hautboy is so called, because of its high 
 tone — it is a musical instrument, in form somewhat 
 like a clarionet, but more slender. 
 
 When, after traversing the ocean, you find yourself 
 in the arid desert of Sahara, where there is no aroma 
 of sweet flowers, nor anything at all to regale your 
 
122 ERRORS OF SPEECH, 
 
 exhausted energies ; where there is no herb nor her- 
 baceous plant near you; where you are almost famished 
 for want of some potable fluid ; where you are in con- 
 stant fear of being harassedh^ truculent nomads — then 
 will you realize that there are no joys comparable to 
 those that exist around the hearthstone of your humble 
 home. 
 
 Ichor is the name of the fluid that flowed in the 
 veins of the gods — it is now applied to the thin, 
 watery discharge from sores, ulcers, etc. ** To what 
 vile uses may we come at last ! " 
 
 "When the contents of the museicm were sold by auc- 
 tion, the antiquary bought a roll oi papyrus filled with 
 hieroglyphics, a kind of belloivs used by the ancients 
 for starting their fires, and a fine collection of tjilo- 
 bites. 
 
 The attempt at a reconnoisance in force had been un- 
 successful; immediately after reveille, the commander 
 of the fortress put it to vote amongst his officers, 
 whether or not they should surrender. The ayes 
 carried it, although some vehemently opposed on ac- 
 count of the excellent morale of the garrison. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH. 125 
 
 The heroine of the melodrama sent to her hetrothed 
 Seignior an exquisite houquet, composed of catalpa 
 flowers, dahlias, marigold, and thyme, and prayed his 
 forgiveness fornot allowing him the promised tete-a-tete 
 at the trysting place ; she had been suffering with the 
 tic-doidoureux, she said. He generously forgave her 
 and sent her a sonnet, in which he said that her voice 
 was sweeter than that of Ficcolomini, or of any other 
 cantatrice ; that no houri could be more beautiful than 
 she ; he called her a i^ix florist, and after extolling her 
 naivete, roseate cheeks and nymphean graces, he swore 
 eternal homage, and that he would love her for ever 
 and for aye. 
 
 The judge hade the desperado cease his badinage and 
 answer his inquiries, and threatened that if he did not, 
 he would punish him for his contumacy. 
 
 Tabard, a light garment, formerly worn over 
 armour, and embroidered with the arms of the wearer. 
 The name now applied to the embroidered outer 
 garment of a herald. 
 
 The vicar was one of the notable men of his day ; 
 his wife was a pattern of industry, a notable house- 
 
124 ERRORS OF SPEECH, 
 
 keeper. While the birds were chirping their matin 
 song, she might be seen with her besom in her hand. 
 
 Is this a bona fide transaction, or is it a MacJiiavellan 
 ■attempt to inveigle the prelate into an imhroglio ? 
 
 A booth was erected at the fair, where the pretty 
 Misses Agnes and Rosalind with much complaisance 
 dispensed gratis to the visitors, soda-ivater flavoured 
 with orgeat or sarsaparilla. 
 
 General Silvester and his protege, Reginald, met with 
 -a casualty that nearly cost them their lives. The 
 horses attached to their Brougham became frightened 
 at a yacht, and made a tremendous leap over a high 
 embankment into a creelc. 
 
 At the zoological garden was found nearly every 
 animal extant, from a mouse to a camelopard. 
 
 The rendezvous of the topographical surveyors was 
 at the camp of some hunters on a knoll near the banks 
 of a canon. 
 
 The monk concealed his features with his capoch, 
 a<nd would have been irrecognizable if his discourse had 
 not betrayed him. 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH. 125 
 
 The ctagere si^iXidiS eater-cornered in a recess, and con- 
 tains many beautiful ornaments that his predecessor 
 gathered within the last decade of years ; amongst 
 which may be mentioned the heads of Beethoven, 
 Beranger, Goethe, Percy Bgsshe Shelley, and many 
 other celebrities, cut in onyx. 
 
 The (7azfc«sja?i races obtained their name on account 
 of originating near Mount Caucasus. 
 
 The mischievous children got cayenne all over their 
 chaps, by which they were sufficiently punished with- 
 out any further chastening. 
 
 The chivalric Don Quixote, having become a 
 monomaniac on the subject of chivalry, bestrode his 
 Bosinante, and, attended by his squire, started out to 
 perform chivalrous deeds. 
 
 Lord C. has been absent since February, 1870; it 
 is said that he has been travelling incognito, but it 
 is certain that in Italy he has retained his cognomen. 
 He is now at Modena awaiting the recovery of his 
 Cicerone, when he intends to visit Genoa and Milan. 
 
 The obesity of the florid-hcedi prebendary is 
 observed to increase with his prebend. 
 
126 ERRORS OF SPEECH. 
 
 I have heard much of the gamins of Gotham, but I 
 never realized what the ^aZ/ou's-deserving rascals were 
 till I settled in London. I commenced business 
 as a pharmaceutist in a street that was a favourite 
 haunt of theirs. Such a crowd of tatterdemalions as 
 stood in front of my shop window the first day I 
 made my display of Parisian fancy goods, baffles 
 description. One had the hooping cough, and every 
 now and then would hoop till the 'pers2nration 
 rolled down his face ; then he would shriek out the 
 daily newspapers, m a voice like a Calliope. One dirty- 
 faced gourmand ate papaws till he had to gape for 
 breath, and would shoot the seeds and throw the skins 
 at hishundred comrades, half of them coming in at my 
 front door. Another, dressed in laggedijean, his face 
 covered with soot, i^lsLjedthejeiv's-hajp hour after hour, 
 with as much pride in his ability as Paganini with his 
 violin. Another, a tall, ya^/?^c/^c6-visaged youth with 
 an embryo beard of about a dozen hairs, covered nearly 
 to his heels with his great-grandfather's surtout,m the 
 lapel of which was pinned a death's-head, danced upon 
 the iron cellar door till it roared like distant artillery. 
 
 Then there were many other ^^ partners ** bearing 
 
EURORS OF SPEECH. 127 
 
 such sohriquets as **Sore Snout," "Pig Eye," "Lim- 
 py," etc., improvising irrational songs, boxing, 
 ivrestling, indulging in raillery and ribald jests, 
 pitching quoits, meawing like cats, howling at my 
 patrons and driving iQ^xiidihlQ patronage away. Every 
 now and then they would send in little, saucy, pre- 
 cocious urchins, who offered to patronize me by asking 
 for two cents* worth of jujube paste, tolu or licorice, 
 or some Samaritan salve for Jem Biles' sore nose. 
 At last, when the sun had reached the horizon, as a 
 finale of the day's progress, one of the young villains 
 hurled a boulder through my French plate-glass, 
 which, after its flight through a lot of citrate of mag- 
 nesia, cochineal and quinine, finally spilled a large 
 bottle of red ink all over my new pharmacopoeia. 
 Springing over the debris, I rushed to the door with 
 implacable anger flashing from my eyes. But one 
 glance at that imperturbable crowd showed me how 
 impotent I was. One of them, with j^lctcid counte- 
 nance and stolid indifference, simply accosted me 
 with, "I say. Doctor, are you going to see the 
 * JVaiad Queen ' to-night ? " 
 I left that street in less than vl fortnight. 
 
128 ERROBS OF SPEECH. 
 
 The comptroller was appointed by the gcvernmenf 
 upon the supposition that he was conversant with the 
 details of finance ; but he was only a mediocre finan- 
 cier and was not aware of the deficit in the finances^ 
 until the conscience- stricken defalcating officer ac- 
 knowledged his defalcation. 
 
 The emigrants to the frontier chose a beautiful 
 spot for their settlement ; but they found that the 
 wells dug there and on the contiguous j^raiiies had a 
 saline taste ; so that they were obliged to bring water 
 from the mountainous regions beyond, by means of a 
 conduit. 
 
 From the congeries presented to the professor, he, 
 at his leisure, isolated each genus and gave generic 
 names to each ; and at the next meeting of the hj- 
 ceum he solicited attention to his data and the truths 
 he had deduced. 
 
 The handsome contour of Madame G.'s face has 
 been spoiled by an excrescence like a raspberry on 
 her nasal organ. 
 
 Young Philemon, after reading Lalla Roolh, Lara^ 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH. 129 
 
 Don Juan, The Giaour, the productions of Mrs. 
 Hemans, and a few others, was seized with the deter- 
 mination to become a poet; but he has only suc- 
 ceeded in becoming a poetaster, without any ideas of 
 prosody. More metrical excellence and sense can be 
 found in the distich : 
 
 " Mary, Mary, quite contrary j 
 How does your garden grow ? " 
 
 than in any of the products of his brain that he has 
 given us. His brothers, Ehen and Philander, have 
 become stage-struck, and expect to excel in the Pro- 
 tean art. Their guardian, himself a great lover of 
 the drama, having foolish confidence in their success, 
 grants them plenary indulgence in all their whims. 
 They are habitues of the theatre, and have fitted up 
 a suite of apartments next to a set of rooms occu- 
 pied by some stock actors, with whom they are bound 
 in indissoluble bonds of friendship. There they 
 spend the day in practice, and if you should call at 
 any hour, there is no telling what will present itself 
 to you. Perhaps Macbeth with the glamour of his 
 eyes, seeing the imaginary gouts of blood ; or Ban- 
 I 
 
130 ERRORS OF SPEECH. 
 
 quo -witli his gory locks ; or some knight with his 
 cuirass on and his visor down, plunging, without a 
 qualm, his carmine- stained poniard into the jugular 
 of some patriot. Possibly, Othello the Moor, King 
 John with the Magna Charta, or a legendary warrior 
 of frightful mien with his falchion drawn, will admit 
 you. Or you may see a viscount with a> falcon, a ramp- 
 ant villain, a jocund host, or an ii-ate, splenetic old 
 man with spectacles, pronouncing with senile vehe- 
 mence a curse upon some fragile female in negligee 
 before him, who beseeches the aid of an immobile 
 statue in a niche in the wall. You may get there in 
 the nick of time to save Desdemona by an expose of 
 lago^s villainy, to rescue Pythias whom Damon holds 
 by the nape of the neck on the threshold of eternity, 
 or to restrain the suicidal design of the Montague by 
 informing him that the fair Capulet is only under the 
 influence of a soporific — not dead. You may arrive 
 soon enough to arouse the womanhood in the docile 
 Kate, making her less docihle, and talk woman's 
 rights to Petruchio, making him more lenient. 
 
 You will find the guardian of these promis- 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH, 131 
 
 ing youths sitting there all day shouting encore to 
 their absurdities, and not rational enough to see his 
 indiscretion in permitting ihQir frivolity. 
 
 The ennui, recently complained of, was relieved by 
 an invitation to a party given by the Mesdames B., 
 the same you met at the conversazione of the church 
 guild. The ladies received their guests with their 
 usual suavity. Their niece Rosamond, recently from 
 Madrid, was the attraction of the evening ; she wore 
 an elegant 7?^o^Ve antique with a profusion of Valen- 
 ciennes ; she had a beautiful set of jewellery — opal 
 and diamonds. It was marvellous how her tiny hands 
 flew over the piano-forte. She sings very sweetly 
 too ; her voice is a sort of mezzo-soprano. The 
 naive Miss Ursula was present, nearly smothered in 
 black silk and guipure. She looks much prettier in 
 dishabille. The little piquant Miss Irene, with her 
 plaited hair, sang with a voice like a paroquet her 
 favourite, ** Tassels on the Boots." That disgusting 
 young Leopold was there, feehng as important as a 
 Rothschild, making his salaams, and palavering sotto 
 voce to all the girls, circulating his monogram cards 
 I 2 
 
132 EBRORS OF SPEECH, 
 
 and sporting his paste pin with its dazzHng facets. 
 He thinks he cuts a wide swath. 
 
 Late in the evening those that were fond of Terp- 
 sichorean amusement were ushered into a room where 
 the tapestr7/wQ,8 covered, and there spent several hours 
 in mimiets, waltzes, quadrilles, etc. 
 
 The topics of conversation amongst the more sen- 
 sible during the evening were the object of the visit 
 of the new j^relate^ and the recent speeches oi Disraeli 
 and Thiers, 
 
 Madame B. caused a good deal of merriment by 
 describing an improvement in her cuisine that had 
 been introduced that day. Bridget, a late importa- 
 tion from Belfast, who had charge of the culinary 
 department, was told to send for some veimicelU 
 to put in the soup, but she ordered spermaceti in- 
 stead. 
 
 There was an old superstition that when the sac- 
 ristan caused the bell in the cupola to toll its dolorous 
 funeral notes, the manes of former friends joined in 
 the solemn cortege, and gathering around the grave 
 
EREOBS OF SPEECH. 133 
 
 moved their lips in inaudible requiem, and wrote in 
 invisible letters upon the tomb, omega. 
 
 The great desideratum in the successful argument 
 of disputable points, is the possession of an equable 
 temper. 
 
 Alphonso, while out ohooimg partridges , fell into a 
 slough. Being clothed only in nainsook, he took a 
 severe cold, which soon resulted in febrile symp- 
 toms. 
 
 Dr. Mastiff's posthumous monograph on ^^ Babies" 
 ill soon appear. The frontispiece represents a group 
 of dogs. Next to the preface is a memoir of the author. 
 It was his own design to have ^^ Finis " placed upon a 
 wood-cut of a tombstone. It almost seems that he 
 had a presentiment of his death. 
 
 Suffice it to say that the dentist gave the patient 
 enough letheon to produce unconsciousness, and then 
 applied his forceps to the offending tooth. Letheon, 
 accented on the first syllable, and lethean are derived 
 from Lethe, the name of a river described in mythol- 
 ogy, a draught from which caused forgetfulness. 
 
134 ERBOBS OF SPEECH. 
 
 Sulphurous acid is gaseous, not liquid. 
 
 It is reported in the Pall Mall Gazette that Basil 
 S., whom you met several years ago at Leipsic, is 
 dead. He lived the life of a roue for some years in 
 Paris and London, and turned out to be a moBiperfl- 
 dious villain. In the latter city he committed many 
 heinous offences and some acts of subtle knavery that 
 were almost without precedent. He was engaged 
 for a long time in the manufacture of spurious money 
 by a uQYf process, in which dies were taken from gutta- 
 percha impressions. He had purchased the services 
 of an experienced professor of 7netallurgyf and the 
 produce of their scheme would have been immense, if 
 some of his other crimes had not been betrayed. 
 Placards, offering a large reward for his arrest, were 
 posted all over the city. He fled to Venice, where 
 he was soon afterward drowned by falling from a 
 gondola, thus cheating the gibbet of its dues. 
 
 • The foolish lover, Ivan, rendered desperate be- 
 cause his rival Darius had gained the precedence 
 in Marion^s esteem, resolved to commit suicide, 
 and rushing toward the quay, plunged into the 
 
ERROBS OF SPEECH. 135 
 
 water. Some fishermen rescued him with their seine, 
 poured some potheen down his throat, and carried 
 him home on a piece of tarpaulin. His sousing cured 
 him of his folly, but was a poor guerdon for his faith- 
 fulness. 
 
 The Saracens, taking advantage of the strategic 
 point, made a sudden dash into the territory of the 
 usurper; while a detachment houghed the horses of the 
 enemy's cavalry/, the rest proceeded on a predatory 
 raid characterized by rapine and terror, and after the 
 spoliation of the villages, and the burning of the 
 granaries, returned to their own possessions. 
 
 Lionel, prejudiced against the world on account 
 of onerous cares, concluded to make a sacrifice of his 
 wealth and position, and become a recluse. His little 
 hovel on the heather, whitened with lime which he 
 himself slaked, and the little flower garden redolent of 
 spring, contrast strangely with his former mansion 
 and magnificent grounds. 
 
 Eva answered the inquiry of the French gentle- 
 man, *' Parlez-vous fran9ais ? " with a " Oui ; " but 
 when she came to converse with him, he understood 
 
136 EREOBS OF SPEECH, 
 
 about as mucli of her imtois as he did of Hindoo- 
 stanee. 
 
 There is a fabulous report that the wpas tree ex- 
 hales a subtile vapour that is fatal to animal life. 
 
 Since Joshua has obtained his lucrative sinecure, 
 he spends his time in driving about in his phaeton 
 and reading romances. He is loth to acknowledge 
 that he was ever a plebeian and did all kinds of 
 servile work. He is confident that his genealogy, if 
 known, would show that he was unto a manor bom, 
 and that some supposititious child robbed him of his 
 rights. 
 
 The knight dropped his wassail cup, and sprang to 
 the assistance of the ladies. * * Gramercy, ' ' cried they, 
 simultaneously. 
 
 The veterinary physician said that the disease was 
 
 murrain. 
 
 An infinitesimal quantity of yeast excited the fer- 
 mentation. 
 
 Augustine studied microscopy just long enough to 
 learn that a monad is one of the simplest kind of 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH. 137 
 
 minute animalcules; he then tried chemistry and 
 mineralogy J but he could not master the nomenclature; 
 he then took a fancy to telegraphy, but soon aban- 
 doned the idea of becoming a telegraphist. After- 
 wards he apprenticed himself to a druggist, but 
 was told to vamos soon after making up a lot of 
 Seidlitz powders with oxalic instead of tartaric acid. 
 
 Artemas has applied for a patent for an improved 
 turhine wheel. 
 
 Mr. T., recollecting the precedent services of his 
 servant, advanced him money enough to lift the lien 
 on his dwelling. 
 
 The lithographer had only a poor melanotype to 
 copy from, but he succeeded in making an excellent 
 print. 
 
 ** Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing ^^ is 
 found in the sixth verse of the fifth psalm. 
 
 At the examination in orthoepy, Deborah had the 
 following words given to her: contumely, crinoline, 
 feudal, fetid, fetor, gerund, gneiss, gyrfalcon, harem, 
 Hawaiian, hygiene, lariat, leverage, nonillion, ohliga- 
 
138 EBBOBS OF SPEECH. 
 
 tory, platina, platinum, psalmody, ^95?/cA2ca?, purulenty 
 pyrites, recherche, resume, sacerdotal, sacrament, schism, 
 shekel, stearine and troches. 
 
 In the dramatis personce of " Midsummer Night's 
 Dream," Oheron and Titania, king and queen of the 
 fairies, are introduced. 
 
 At the examination in geography, Ada was required 
 to draw a map of Asia, which would have heen well 
 done, if she had not drawn Persia, Afgltanistan, and 
 Beloochistan nearly twice their proper size. She was 
 then asked to give the location and length of the 
 Altai and Vosges mountains, and. the height of their 
 principal peaks ; a description of the Aral, Adriatic 
 and Caribbean seas ; the course and length of the 
 Amoor and Yang-tse-kiang ; and the location and 
 population of Valparaiso (Chili), Bantam (Java), 
 Norwich (Eng.), Pesth, Quebec, Valenciennes, Neuf- 
 chatel, Nantes and Aix-la-Chapelle, 
 
 Her sister Frances was told to draw maps of Bue- 
 nos Ayres and Otaheite, and to bound Venezuela and 
 Arkansas ; to give the length and direction of the 
 Araguay, Juniata, Kankakee, Barbados and San 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH. 139 
 
 Joaquin ; the location of Cape Agulhas ; the situation 
 and population of Bingen, Calais, Canton, Acapulco, 
 Chuquisaca, Delhi, Dubuque, Jeddo, Queretaro, Trux- 
 illo, Leicester and Vevay, and a description oi Sumatra, 
 Zanzibar, and the Antilles. 
 
 Sigismund has just returned from Yosemife Valley* 
 
 Cecily, Chloe and Viola have just passed their ex- 
 amination in biography. The names presented ta 
 them were the following : JSf.S. Adam (Fr.), G. Adam 
 (Ger.), Beatrice Cenci, Blucher, Boccaccio, AnneBoleyn, 
 Marco Bozzaris, Joseph Buonaparte, D^Auhigne\ 
 Dauhigny, Drouyn de Lhuys, Juarez, Lavater, Marat, 
 Marion, Catherine de Medici, Moultrie, Ovid, Fliny, 
 Ponce de Leon and Richelieu, 
 
140 ERRORS OF SPEECH. 
 
 VIOLATED EULES OF GEAMMAB. 
 
 Many, who claim to be good grammarians, are oc- 
 casionally guilty of the violation of the most important 
 rules. Attention is solicited to a few of the more 
 common errors of this nature. 
 
 NUMBER. 
 
 Certain compounds change the form of the first 
 word in pluralizing, as : courts-martial, brothers-in-law, 
 etc. " John has three brother-in-laws,'' then, is in^ 
 correct. 
 
 But tea-spoonful, table-spoonful, cup-ful, pocTcetful, 
 etc., are not considered such compounds ; therefore, 
 ^* two tea-spoonsful of medicine ** and " two cupsful 
 of flour," should be, ** two tea-spoonfuls of medicine,'* 
 and " two cupfuls of flour." 
 
ERRORS OF SPEECH. 141 
 
 When name and title are given, with a numeral ad- 
 jective prefixed, the name is pluralized. ** Are the 
 two Misses Wilson at home ? " should be, " Are the 
 two Miss Wilsons at home ? " But when the numeral 
 is omitted, the title must be pluralized. " Were the 
 Dr. Browns there ? '* should be, " Were the Drs. 
 Brown there ? " The rule has been given, that the 
 name only of married ladies is pluralized, but there 
 appears to be no reason except that of euphony : the 
 Mrs. Clarices certainly sounds more agreeably than the 
 Mistresses Clarke. In giving the plural of such titles, 
 as Hon., Rev., Squire and Capt., euphony is also often 
 considered ; but in such cases it would doubtless, 
 be better to add the numeral, as : the three Hon, 
 JacTcsons. 
 
 EACH OTHER ONE ANOTHER. 
 
 Each other applies to two ; one another to more 
 than two. ** The three witnesses contradicted eacli 
 other," and ** the two men accused one another," are 
 incorrect. 
 
 NEITHER, NOT, NOR. 
 
 Neither and not are followed by nor, not or. 
 
142 ERROBS OF SPEECH. 
 
 ** Neither James or Charles will come,'* and ** it is not 
 •white or black," are incorrect. 
 
 TO BE, UNITING WOKDS. 
 
 Words united by to he^ referring to the same person, 
 must be of the same case. 
 
 ** It is me," *' It may have been him," " It could 
 not be her,'* and " It was not them," are not correct: 
 it, in each of the sentences, is nominative^ and the 
 other pronouns should be /, he, she and they, *^ I 
 took it to be he," and " I understood it to be 
 they," are also wrong ; for it is objective in both 
 instances, and the following pronouns should be him 
 and them, 
 
 THAN, AS. 
 
 Than and as, implying comparison, have the same 
 case after as before. *'He loses more than me," 
 <* John knows more than him," and " James is not so 
 tall as her," should be, ** He loses more than I " 
 (lose), ** John knows more than he" (knows), and 
 ** James is not so tall as she " (is tall). 
 
EUROES OF SPEECH. 143 
 
 Errors connected with the use of this word are very 
 common, even amongst good speakers. 
 
 ** Who did you see ? " «< Who do you know?'* and 
 " Who did you hear ? " are wrong : whom should be 
 used, for is is the object of the transitive verbs, see, 
 Jcnoiv and hear. Who in such sentences as: ** Who 
 are you looking at ? " and ** Who are you writing to?" 
 should likewise be changed into ivhoruy for it is tho 
 object of the prepositions at and to, 
 
 ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS. 
 
 Adjectives are often erroneously used for adverbs 
 in sentences like the following : ' * This is an uncommon 
 goodportrait," "It is a miserable poor painting." Un- 
 commonly good and miserably poor are right. 
 
 Adverbs are still more commonly used for adjectives. 
 **Mary looked beautifully at the party," and " Irving 
 looked majestically on the stage," are incorrect ; for 
 it is intended to describe the appearance of Mary 
 and Irving, not their manner of looking; there- 
 fore the adjectives beautiful and majestic should be 
 used. 
 
144 ERBOBS OF SPEECIL 
 
 When two objects are compared, the comparative 
 degree should be used. " William is the heaviest of 
 the two," and ** Which is the most desirable — health 
 or wealth ? " ought to be, "William is the heavier of 
 the two," and ** Which is the more desirable — health 
 or wealth?" 
 
 THESE, THOSE. 
 
 The plural demonstratives these and those are often 
 erroneously used with singular nouns, as : "I don't 
 like these kind of people," and " Those sort of things 
 are very embarrassing." Kind and sort are singular, 
 and should have this and that. 
 
 INTO. 
 
 Into, not m, is used to show the relation between 
 verbs expressing motion, entrance, change of state, 
 etc., and an objective case, as: <*Come into the 
 house," ** Step into the carriage," and **Look into 
 the room." 
 
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