Write It Right. A Little Blacklist of Literary Faults

And which, And who

These forms are incorrect unless the relative pronoun has been used previously in the sentence. 'The colt, spirited and strong, and which was unbroken, escaped from the pasture.' 'John Smith, one of our leading merchants, and who fell from a window yesterday, died this morning.' Omit the conjunction.

Antecedents for Personal History

Antecedents are predecessors.

Anticipate for Expect

'I anticipate trouble.' To anticipate is to act on an expectation in a way to promote or forestall the event expected.

Anxious for Eager

'I was anxious to go.' Anxious should not be followed by an infinitive. Anxiety is contemplative; eagerness, alert for action.

Appreciate for Highly Value

In the sense of value, it means value justly, not highly. In another and preferable sense it means to increase in value.

Approach

'The juror was approached'; that is, overtures were made to him with a view to bribing him. As there is no other single word for it, approach is made to serve, figuratively; and being graphic, it is not altogether objectionable.

Appropriated for Took

'He appropriated his neighbor's horse to his own use.' To appropriate is to set apart, as a sum of money, for a special purpose.

Approve of for Approve

There is no sense in making approve an intransitive verb.

Apt for Likely

'One is apt to be mistaken.' Apt means facile, felicitous, ready, and the like; but even the dictionary- makers cannot persuade a person of discriminating taste to accept it as synonymous with likely.

Around for About

'The debris of battle lay around them.' 'The huckster went around, crying his wares.' Around carries the concept of circularity.

Article

A good and useful word, but used without meaning by shopkeepers; as, 'A good article of vinegar,' for a good vinegar.

As for That, or If

'I do not know as he is living.' This error is not very common among those who can write at all, but one sometimes sees it in high place.

As – as for So – as

'He is not as good as she.' Say, not so good. In affirmative sentences the rule is different: He is as good as she.

As for for As to

'As for me, I am well.' Say, as to me.

At Auction for by Auction

'The goods were sold at auction.'

At for By

'She was shocked at his conduct.' This very common solecism is without excuse.

Attain for Accomplish

'By diligence we attain our purpose.' A purpose is accomplished; success is attained.

Authoress

A needless word – as needless as 'poetess.'

Avocation for Vocation

A vocation is, literally, a calling; that is, a trade or profession. An avocation is something that calls one away from it. If I say that farming is some one's avocation I mean that he practises it, not regularly, but at odd times.

Avoid for Avert

'By displaying a light the skipper avoided a collision.' To avoid is to shun; the skipper could have avoided a collision only by getting out of the way.

Avoirdupois for Weight

Mere slang.

Back of for Behind, At the Back of

'Back of law is force.'

Backwards for Backward

Badly for Bad

'I feel badly.' 'He looks badly.' The former sentence implies defective nerves of sensation, the latter, imperfect vision. Use the adjective.

Balance for Remainder

'The balance of my time is given to recreation.' In this sense balance is a commercial word, and relates to accounting.

Banquet

A good enough word in its place, but its place is the dictionary. Say, dinner.

Bar for Bend

'Bar sinister.' There is no such thing in heraldry as a bar sinister.

Because for For