Some Misused Words.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 257, 29 October 1931, Page 8

Some Misused Words.

“JTORELADY WANTED" says an advertiser. Poor chap, he may be henpecked, or then again, he may be a diplomat. Perhaps he gets more work or respect out of a forelady than out of a forewoman. The same may be said of char-ladies. “ Beside ” and “ besides ” are no longer strictly synonymous. In modern usage there is the following distinction: — Beside is used only as a preposition with the meaning of “ by the side of,” as “ to sit beside a fountain ”; or with the closely allied meaning, “ aside from,” “ apart from,” or “ out of ”; as, “ this is beside the point " or “ to be beside oneself with joy.” “ Besides ” takes the remaining .sense “ in addition to.” We read in Genesis:— “ There was a famine in all the land besides the first famine.” The word also takes the adverbial sense of “ moreover,” ** beyond,” and so on. The following illustrations are given by Webster:— Lovely Thais sits beside thee (Dryden). Only be patient till we have appeased The multitude, beside itself with fear. (Shakespeare). Besides this, there are persons in certain situations who are expected to be charitable. (Bishop Porteous). And, besides, the Moor may unfold me to him; there stand I in much peril. (Shakespeare). That man that does not know those things which are of necessity for him to know is but an ignorant man, whatever he may know besides. (Tillotson). The word “ recluse,” which occurred in a London cablegram yesterday, is pronounced re-kluse, with the accent on the kluse. TOUCHSTONE.