Write It Right. A Little Blacklist of Literary Faults

A reasonless transposition for which it is impossible to assign a cause, unless it is abbreviated from side o' the hill.

Sideways for Sidewise

See Endways.

Since for Ago

'He came here not long since and died.'

Smart for Bright, or Able

An Americanism that is dying out. But 'smart' has recently come into use for fashionable, which is almost as bad.

Snap for Period (of time) or Spell

'A cold snap.' This is a word of incomprehensible origin in that sense; we can know only that its parents were not respectable. 'Spell' is itself not very well-born.

So – as

See As – as.

So for True

'If you see it in the Daily Livercomplaint it is so.' 'Is that so?' Colloquial and worse.

Solemnize

This word rightly means to make solemn, not to perform, or celebrate, ceremoniously something already solemn, as a marriage, or a mass. We have no exact synonym, but this explains, rather than justifies, its use.

Some for Somewhat

'He was hurt some.'

Soon for Willingly

'I would as soon go as stay.' 'That soldier would sooner eat than fight.' Say, rather eat.

Space for Period

'A long space of time.' Space is so different a thing from time that the two do not go well together.

Spend for Pass

'We shall spend the summer in Europe.' Spend denotes a voluntary relinquishment, but time goes from us against our will.

Square for Block

'He lives three squares away.' A city block is seldom square.

Squirt for Spurt

Absurd.

Stand and Stand for for Endure

'The patient stands pain well.' 'He would not stand for misrepresentation.'

Standpoint for Point of View, or Viewpoint

State for Say

'He stated that he came from Chicago.' 'It is stated that the president is angry.' We state a proposition, or a principle, but say that we are well. And we say our prayers – some of us.

Still Continue

'The rain still continues.' Omit still; it is contained in the other word.

Stock

'I take no stock in it.' Disagreeably commercial. Say, I have no faith in it. Many such metaphorical expressions were unobjectionable, even pleasing, in the mouth of him who first used them, but by constant repetition by others have become mere slang, with all the offensiveness of plagiarism. The prime objectionableness of slang is its hideous lack of originality. Until mouth-worn it is not slang.

Stop for Stay

'Prayer will not stop the ravages of cholera.' Stop is frequently misused for stay in another sense of the latter word: 'He is stopping at the hotel.' Stopping is not a continuing act; one cannot be stopping who has already stopped.

Stunt

A word recently introduced and now overworked, meaning a task, or performance in one's trade, or calling, – doubtless a variant of stint, without that word's suggestion of allotment and limitation. It is still in the reptilian stage of evolution.

Subsequent for Later, or Succeeding

Legitimate enough, but ugly and needless. 'He was subsequently hanged.' Say, afterward.

Substantiate for Prove

Why?

Success

'The project was a success.' Say, was successful. Success should not have the indefinite article.

Such Another for Another Such

There is illustrious authority for this – in poetry. Poets are a lawless folk, and may do as they please so long as they do please.

Such for So

'He had such weak legs that he could not stand.' The absurdity of this is made obvious by changing the form of the statement: 'His legs were such weak that he could not stand.' If the word is an adverb in the one sentence it is in the other. 'He is such a great bore that none can endure him.' Say, so great a bore.

Suicide

This is never a verb. 'He suicided.' Say, He killed himself, or He took his own life. See Commit Suicide.

Supererogation