THE
VERBALIST:
A MANUAL
DEVOTED
TO BRIEF DISCUSSIONS OF THE RIGHT AND THE
WRONG USE OF WORDS
AND
TO SOME OTHER MATTERS OF INTEREST TO THOSE WHO
WOULD SPEAK AND WRITE WITH PROPRIETY.
BY
ALFRED AYRES.
We remain shackled by timidity till we have learned to speak withpropriety.—Johnson.
As a man is known by his company, so a man's company may beknown by his manner of expressing himself.—Swift.
NEW YORK:
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY,
1, 3, AND 5 BOND STREET.
1887.
COPYRIGHT BY
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY,
1881
Transcriber's Note
Minor typographical errors have been corrected without note. Archaic spellings have been retained as printed.
All Greek words have mouse-hover transliterations, γενόμενος, and appear as printed in the original publication.
PREFATORY NOTE.
The title-page sufficiently sets forth the endthis little book is intended to serve.
For convenience' sake I have arranged inalphabetical order the subjects treated of, andfor economy's sake I have kept in mind that"he that uses many words for the explaining ofany subject doth, like the cuttle-fish, hide himselfin his own ink."
The curious inquirer who sets himself tolook for the learning in the book is advisedthat he will best find it in such works as GeorgeP. Marsh's "Lectures on the English Language,"Fitzedward Hall's "Recent Exemplificationsof False Philology," and "Modern English,"Richard Grant White's "Words and TheirUses," Edward S. Gould's "Good English,"[Pg 4]William Mathews' "Words: their Use andAbuse," Dean Alford's "The Queen's English,"George Washington Moon's "Bad English,"and "The Dean's English," Blank's"Vulgarisms and Other Errors of Speech,"Alexander Bain's "English Composition andRhetoric," Bain's "Higher English Grammar,"Bain's "Composition Grammar," Quackenbos'"Composition and Rhetoric," John Nichol's"English Composition," William Cobbett's"English Grammar," Peter Bullions' "EnglishGrammar," Goold Brown's "Grammar of EnglishGrammars," Graham's "English Synonymes,"Crabb's "English Synonymes," Bigelow's"Handbook of Punctuation," and otherkindred works.
Suggestions and criticisms are solicited, withthe view of profiting by them in future editions.
If "The Verbalist" receive as kindly a welcomeas its companion volume, "The Orthoëpist,"has received, I shall be content.
New York, October, 1881.
Eschew fine words as you would rouge.—Hare.
Cant is properly a double-distilled lie; the secondpower of a lie.—Carlyle.
If a gentleman be to study any language, it ought to bethat of his own country.—...