Page 3 Advertisements Column 5

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIV, Issue 58, 9 March 1903, Page 3

"ENGLISH A.S SHE IS SPOKE" DO YOU WRITE AND SPEAK CORRECTLY? Some er_->ps in Common Speed- set right—Showing "THE CES_TURY'S" Unique Treatment of Words. '_B__T__ and CAPACITY CALIBER " "B~~*m are frequently used one for the other. ia the diameter of a body, especially Ot s "Ability" denotes power to perform. the hollow inside of a cylinder. Thera- * __pac_fcy" conveys the idea of the pos- tore Its figurative use Is for ths expre*. session of resources. "Ability" is mani- sion of capacity of mind in the sense oi fested in action, while "capacity" does expansion, not of height or depth, t_i__ot imply action, as when we speak of ness or thickness. It is incorrect to say, a * __i_clty" for virtue. "Capacity" is for instance, "a much 'higher' _____ the g_rtof nature; "ability is partly the 'caliber.' "—"THE CENTURY." resalt of education or, opportunity."— CAN AND MAY "THE CENTURY." are made to answer for each other, quite ACCIDENT ia defiance of their very distinct _____■ is often wrongly used in place of "mis- ences of meaning. A man will Hay to take." An "accident" is that which his child: "Yon 'can' go out," when he happemi by chance without the concur- means only to give him permission to do rence of the will. It differs from "mis- so. 'Can' means "to be able"; -nay' "intake,-' in that the latter always supposes dicates possibility with contingency, the _______ of the will In producing the and, in its most common use, p_____-_ve_tT_ltho-gh that will is caused by sion."-"THE CENTURY." erroneous impressions upon the mind.— DOCK, •THE CENTURY " commonly used to mean a wharf or pier, ACQUIRE is "strictl J r» aa enclosed water-space la does not correctly express temporary which a sWp floats wMle betagloadedor pe______, although lt is often wrongly unloaded; as a space between two p«__/__7__, __,_." ___ .i«--_»,.-_" i,_ i_ wharves or piers." Correctly speaking, __£__?? ____"__.°_^__h__^time as one could no more "fall off a Mcck^thS _"T!?^ .*.,**£,?* \_ '___i. n f i^ *c' < one could fall off a hole.—'____ <_€__- to ' _C(___e" a title, estates, learning, _c. ■. _itt_>y " For the other meaning, obtain, procure, j --p-,^ etc., are more exact, as, to "obtain" a ' me&na t _ ]o _ k -.y^H,,-. qj. loan, to ''procure" supplies for the jour- ~w aifc „. ukely tQ _ appe _ or to appe __. ney.—"THE CENTURx. _ts misusage commonly takes Borne such ADJACENT, (i form as "I 'expect' he went to town jes"adjoinlng," and "contiguous are often , terday." 'Expect' refers only to that ised indiscriminately. "Adjacent" means : w _j o _ i S to come. One cannot 'expect* lying near, neighbouring, but not neces- , backward.—"THE CENTURY." sarily in contact. "Adjoining," joining EXPERT to or on, so as to touch. "Contiguous," is o ; t .en used to express a higher degree touching along a Considerable line. — 0 _ excellence than -kilful'—and wrongly "THB CENTTTRY." so. "Expert" emphasises experience and AFFABLE, practice, while "skilful" implies knowmeaning, literally, ready to speak, easily ledge as the principal thing, combined approachable in conversation, Is limited with expertness; a "skilful" mechanic by the usage to the best writers and j makes more use of his mind than an "exspeakers to the expression of an easy, pert" mechanic. Similarly one should considerate manner on the part of per- say a "skilful" whist player, rather than sons of "superior" positons to their "in- an "expert" whist player.—"THE CKNferiors."—"THE CENTURY." TURY." _L&GR_VATE FOR and AT. doesn't mean to "provoke," or to "an- One often hears some such use of "for" _er," or to "irritate." but merely to add for "at," as "We had salad for" supper weight to, to Intensify. It is manifestly last evening"—when, unless it is meant absurd therefore to say. "You 'aggravate' that the meal consisted entirety or chiefin* " although this misusage Is a common ly of salad, or that the salad was serv- ' *the CENTURY " eti 'm Place of supper, the proper render- "" ' ing would be " _t' supper."—'TUß means "similar; having no marked dlf- E^T^B,*# ference." "Both" means "the one and GE__ I the other: the two, and denoting that meaning correctly to obtain, _idn»at. neither of them is to be excluded." Two tain to, signifies only that which Isistrtrbrothers may 100. '_like"-not "both" en for ahd acquired One 'gets riches, i.__- «_n__'' "tttv CFwrRT '' uut one doesn t 'get' sick; gef implylook alike. - THE CENTURY. {fl _ ToI __ tary pOTS _ lt . T _ e most ____. _. i j ___, (i-iiv„<> *„ +h_ <,_-t mon misuse of this word and its preterit Ls often coupled with 'alike to the seri- possession, aa ous hurt of one's English All means - 9 got": possession is the total number and Is not separab c completely expressed by "have" and th. It Is therefore Inexcusable to say a -.. ' g snperfluous.-"THE CENgroup of children dressed 'all alike — TURY " 4 "each alike" belnz the correct form.— HELPMEET -l-__J-l "THE CENTURY." ~ The commoil use 0I this word as sl__ftJp: _ __, .__ ~,, ~ ~ , fying a wife is as ridiculous as Its origin Is confonnded with "liable in many _.._£_ absur _ comp<ra _d taken as equlways, when properly they have entirely valent to helpmate, the form being sugseparate shades of ra&aning. "Apt gt » s ted by the expression used in Gen. xL indicates tendency toward, as "apt to lg in re f ererlcc , to Adam's wife, 'Aa catch cold, while "liable" Is practically --help meet" for him,' Le., fit for him, but equivalent to "exposed." Thus, sifting properly a help (helper) like himself." by the fireside, one may be "apt" to one __i__t as well call his "partner" his catch cold —yet Is not at all "liable" to. helper ~or help-proper.—"THE CEN—"THE CENTURY." TURY." BALANCE ICE-CREAM. ICE-WATER. Is the difference between two sides of an Through carelessness the compound account—the amount which is necessary -words have come to be used in place of to make one equal to the other—it is not. iced-cream and iced-water, for what is correctly, a surplus, though used as su"h called "ice-water" is seldom made from perhaps more often than in its rightful ice, but is water made cold with Ice, and meaning; One may say, "a balance is real ice-water might be warm as snowdue me at my banker's"—but never tnat water often is. There is no such thing as one "bequeaths the 'balance' of his es- "ice-cream," correctly speaking.—"THß 'tat*, etc."—"THE CENTURY." CENTURY." BELOW and BENEATH ! LEAVE are not clearly understood by many. | is commonly misused by being left with"Below" means" lower than the plane of: i out an object, as: "I will leave soon," "I under; lower in the perpendicular line of. j loft last evening." When the verb Is "Beneath," close under. ' _ndem_ith," ! used the mention of the place is absolutebeing general, and In many senses a I ly necessary. The correct meaning of synonym of each of the others. Thus, I the word in this sense is to go away from, the sun sinks "below" the horizon; a I or depart from, whether temporarily or thing is "under" a chair or a tree, or j permanently. "From what" must there"beneath" a pile of rubbish. — "THE fore be mentioned in every Instance.— CE_TURY " "THE CENTURY." BESIDE and BESIDES j LOAJM _____.."__ are commonly used as though there was I is not a verb, though it Is often wrongly no difference in their meaning I used as such. A loan is 'that which Is "Beside" means at the side of: "be- i lent." You may favour your friend with sides," in addition to. One mar say "sit a "loan," but you may not ask him to down 'beside' me." but not "thero was "loan" you anything. He may, hownobody there 'beside' the president," un- ever. "lead you what you desire.— THB less It is meant that nobody was near _ F,^™^F T - " him, although there wore present others PARTOOK "besides" him.—"THE CENTURY." means Sl mply "to take or have a part —.t ttvdFß portion, or share 'in common with should "not be confounded with such others.'" Its common misuse is _ci such words as error." mistake, etc. sentences as "Breakfasting alone, I parAn "error" is a wandering from truth. took of coffee and rolls One cannot primarily an impression, or judgment, ! "partake' of nis breakfast alone, though and by an extension of the ideas in con- be may invite( a friend toparjake of it duct J with him.—"THE CENTURY." A "mistake" is a false judgment or PELL-MELL choice means with confused violence, in a dlaA "blander" is a strong word for a "mis- orderly mass, etc. It always Implies a take" which is stupid, or for a gross L'lwd and confusion, and its common "error" in action or speech. A "bull" is ! misuse, as "I rushed 'pell-mell out of the a "blunder" In language—and is not pro- house," is manifestly absurd. One might Derlv applied to action.—"THE CEN- ! as well say that he rushed out by the TURY" dozen.—"THE CENTURY." BOMBAST AND FUSTIAN QlS_ E' ._, „ „ ~ _. are interesting from their derivation. V\Tien you use this word at all, use lt "Bombast" was originally a stuff of soft. only in its correct meaning. "Completely, loose texture, used to swell or pad a gar wholly, entirely, etc." To say, " 'Quite' ment. "Fustian" was also a kind of cloth j a score of persons were present" is of stiff, expansive1 character. Hence the i correct if there were twenty there, but to application of these terms to a high, j say " 'Quite' a number were present" Is swelling style of writing or speech, full improper. The same may be said ot of c^travajrant sentiments and exprcs- j "quite" a few. "quite" a little, etc.— Siona—"THE CENTURY." "THE CENTURY." BRING | REMEMBER and RECOLLECT expresses motion toward, not away. It | are often misused—one for the other. Is Incorrect to say. "<io to him and 'bring' , Don't say you "can't 'remember,' " for him this book": though after having j you mean that you "can't 'recollect.'" reached "him" it is proper to say. -'I j 'Remember' implies that a fact exists In 'bring' you this book." "To bear, con- | your memory and recurs without effort. vey. or take along 'in coming'; take to j Therefore you 'do remember' or you _o the place where tho receiver is. or where i not' involuntarily. If you do 'not, perthe bearer stays or abides, etc." —"THE haps by nn effort you 'can recollect' it,— CENTURY." | "THE CENTURY." CALCULATE I SIT and SET. means to comoute, to work Out by fi_- | 'Sit' means to pnt one's self in a {__r ures. and is often misused by puttins; it '■ tion of rest—'Set' means to cause another in the place of "likely" or "liable." as person or thina: to sit. Thus hens do not "sneh a policy ls calculated to end !n 'set'—thoy 'sit' —nnd the common phrase ruin." Surely the projectors of th" policy " 'setting' hen" should be " 'sitting' hen." did not mean that it was carefully plan- Yon may 'set' a hen, or 'set' the eggs, ned ("calculated") in order that mm I but the hen 'sits.'—"The CENTTTRY " might result.—"THE CENTURY." j ' T_E"C-_TURY"ASAOIGT!OMA..Y."" ! "THE CENTURY" AS A CYCLOPEDIA. The treatment of words in "THE CEN- '■ $^$T_?_ o_^H_t ?__ TURY" is as unique and as different from : «£f° l ° l"^^f™ Y' I _s OTeri*S *** all other reference works as are most ofAA c p^ I(}_ °f *"^ an knowledge and Msits other features. : " ° £ nf;„dr^ •«J U«**. *• *•, S"**" Finrt the word itself and its different ? ™£J£« ™ "'T of the <lesired piece of spellings are given. Then a complete his- "^"mation. ont in skilful su__lT_da_9 tory of the changes through wtiich the : ~, ,5° stt**?at to the point in question. word has passed from its earliest derivat- 'V,1 Lhose, aNicies are arranged alphabetJcives through all countries and languages i '0-' s0 tll'"it the _ work is ** instant quesfrotn the earliest times (if the word is of I "on-answerer and has earned, for itself the ancient origin), with dates of its various i «nSI. n S epithet of "rapid-fire knowledge modifications. The definitions of the word ; s""' follow, in all its senses, each ampliried by ; ..,,o^. .of ,t he tmioue features of "THB quotations from the masters of stylo in iii j C-NTURY" and one of Its most practical ages, serving to show the every shade of departures from the old-line reference meaning the word possesses or has possess- ; Wol' ks. is this individual arrangement of cd. Finally, tho synonyms, of which a j "^dlngs. Instead of extremely long articles greater number are given than in any other i "n, general subjects, the information in work of reference, whether devoted spe- ! ""^HE CENTURY" is divided Into innuciaily to that subject or not. , merable subdivisions, each Indexed under The immense number of SCAOOO detini- its 0l;V11 head, showing just in the right tions make of "THE CENTURY" the most j P'a<-o all there is to know about the one complete dictionary ever published in any snbject on which you are seeking for Inforl__gu_ge. There aro included not only 'nation. The advantage of this method will those definitions commonly found in gen- t>e apparent to anyone who uses a reference __] dictionaries, but also those of all lor-n- work frequently, it has caused the prenlcaJ words in the various science;!, profes- valence of what folks call "The Century sion*. arts, and trades, which have hereto- j Habit"—the constant consultation of "the fore either been scattered through many sreat question answerer"—for going to different technical text-books or not before ; "THE CENTURY" for your facta Is simply embraced in any. j KNOWING THINGS WITHOUT EFFORT ! "THE CENTURY " ATLAS. The maps of "THE CENTURY ' ATLAS for completeness, legibility and mechanical perfection, far excel nr.y I hut have hitherto appeared. There are 119 doubif'-p-ge maps. 13% Insert maps. 45 historical and astronomical maps. The indexea show nearly -UO.OOU entries of place-names, n number far larger than is to be feuad ia any gazetteer or atlas index previously published in any country. The routes of discovery and exploration from early "times to the present; the location of famous battle on land and sea: the principal steamship routes and lines of travel; elevations of laud and depths of water over the entire surface of the globe, etc., etc, Thf» Illustration- number nearly S.OOO. rind, iiiiiikc those forfnd In mast works a? refereaee. they are. every one, examples of tic highest degree of artistic and meehan^ cal skill. Both the drawings -.uul the enjravlncrs were made by the artists W&9 l__rtM_e "THE CENTURY MAGAZINE." whose art features have placed it easily. flrst among the publications of this country froa. an artistic standpoint, ' — ' — " _■ "The Century Dictl___nr & Cy_l_p-_la _ Atlas, ap.ly wanted ,rT_e Great Ques ti-jn-Ansv/eror '* ia, _■_ believe, the shortss* path to two whole realm of __©_■! ___re. It ia the best of all r-fcrence worfcs, ia rrsueh more usable than alf others c_«_bi___, and ia aoknowle_g«d to be a practical neeeseity to ov_*v one who reads, wri-OSj er thinks. »ThoTlwt__"<l-ondon), New Zealand Office, P.O. Box 285, Weilla^-toa.