Write It Right. A Little Blacklist of Literary Faults

Respective

'They went to their respective homes.' The adjective here (if an adjective is thought necessary) should be several. In the adverbial form the word is properly used in the sentence following: John and James are bright and dull, respectively. That is, John is bright and James dull.

Responsible

'The bad weather is responsible for much sickness.' 'His intemperance was responsible for his crime.' Responsibility is not an attribute of anything but human beings, and few of these can respond, in damages or otherwise. Responsible is nearly synonymous with accountable and answerable, which, also, are frequently misused.

Restive for Restless

These words have directly contrary meanings; the dictionaries' disallowance of their identity would be something to be thankful for, but that is a dream.

Retire for Go to Bed

English of the 'genteel' sort. See Genteel.

Rev. for The Rev

'Rev. Dr. Smith.'

Reverence for Revere

Ride for Drive

On horseback one does drive, and in a vehicle one does ride, but a distinction is needed here, as in England; so, here as there, we may profitably make it, riding in the saddle and driving in the carriage.

Roomer for Lodger

See Bedder and Mealer – if you can find them.

Round for About

'They stood round.' See Around.

Ruination for Ruin

Questionably derived and problematically needful.

Run for Manage, or Conduct

Vulgar – hardly better than slang.

Say for Voice

'He had no say in determining the matter.' Vulgar.

Scholar for Student, or Pupil

A scholar is a person who is learned, not a person who is learning.

Score for Win, Obtain, etc

'He scored an advantage over his opponent.' To score is not to win a point, but to record it.

Second-handed for Second-hand

There is no such word.

Secure for Procure

'He secured a position as book-keeper.' 'The dwarf secured a stick and guarded the jewels that he had found.' Then it was the jewels that were secured.

Seldom ever

A most absurd locution.

Self-confessed

'A self-confessed assassin.' Self is superfluous: one's sins cannot be confessed by another.

Sensation for Emotion

'The play caused a great sensation.' 'A sensational newspaper.' A sensation is a physical feeling; an emotion, a mental. Doubtless the one usually accompanies the other, but the good writer will name the one that he has in mind, not the other. There are few errors more common than the one here noted.

Sense for Smell

'She sensed the fragrance of roses.' Society English.

Set for Sit

'A setting hen.'

Settee for Settle

This word belongs to the peasantry of speech.

Settle for Pay

'Settle the bill.' 'I shall take it now and settle for it later.'

Shades for Shade

'Shades of Noah! how it rained!' 'O shades of Caesar!' A shade is a departed soul, as conceived by the ancients; one to each mortal part is the proper allowance.

Show for Chance, or Opportunity

'He didn't stand a show.' Say, He had no chance.

Sick for Ill

Good usage now limits this word to cases of nausea, but it is still legitimate in sickly, sickness, love-sick, and the like.

Side for Agree, or Stand

'I side with the Democrats.' 'He always sided with what he thought right.'

Sideburns for Burnsides

A form of whiskers named from a noted general of the civil war, Ambrose E. Burnside. It seems to be thought that the word side has something to do with it, and that as an adjective it should come first, according to our idiom.

Side-hill for Hillside