Write It Right | Page 6

for Pecuniary. "His financial reward"; "he is financially responsible," and so forth.
Firstly. If this word could mean anything it would mean firstlike, whatever that might mean. The ordinal numbers should have no adverbial form: "firstly," "secondly," and the rest are words without meaning.
Fix. This is, in America, a word-of-all-work, most frequently meaning repair, or prepare. Do not so use it.
Forebears for Ancestors. The word is sometimes spelled forbears, a worse spelling than the other, but not much. If used at all it should be spelled forebeers, for it means those who have been before. A forebe-er is one who fore-was. Considered in any way, it is a senseless word.
Forecasted. For this abominable word we are indebted to the weather bureau--at least it was not sent upon us until that affliction was with us. Let us hope that it may some day be losted from the language.
Former and Latter. Indicating the first and the second of things previously named, these words are unobjectionable if not too far removed from the names that they stand for. If they are they confuse, for the reader has to look back to the names. Use them sparingly.
Funeral Obsequies. Tautological. Say, obsequies; the word is now used in none but a funereal sense.
Fully for Definitively, or Finally. "After many preliminary examinations he was fully committed for trial." The adverb is meaningless: a defendant is never partly committed for trial. This is a solecism to which lawyers are addicted. And sometimes they have been heard to say "fullied."
Funds for Money. "He was out of funds." Funds are not money in general, but sums of money or credit available for particular purposes.
Furnish for Provide, or Supply. "Taxation furnished the money." A pauper may furnish a house if some one will provide the furniture, or the money to buy it. "His flight furnishes a presumption of guilt." It supplies it.
Generally for Usually. "The winds are generally high." "A fool is generally vain." This misuse of the word appears to come of abbreviating: Generally speaking, the weather is bad. A fool, to speak generally, is vain.
Gent for Gentleman. Vulgar exceedingly.
Genteel. This word, meaning polite, or well mannered, was once in better repute than it is now, and its noun, gentility, is still not infrequently found in the work of good writers. Genteel is most often used by those who write, as the Scotchman of the anecdote joked--wi' deeficulty.
Gentleman. It is not possible to teach the correct use of this overworked word: one must be bred to it. Everybody knows that it is not synonymous with man, but among the "genteel" and those ambitious to be thought "genteel" it is commonly so used in discourse too formal for the word "gent." To use the word gentleman correctly, be one.
Genuine for Authentic, or _Veritable._ "A genuine document," "a genuine surprise," and the like.
Given. "The soldier was given a rifle." What was given is the rifle, not the soldier. "The house was given a coat (coating) of paint." Nothing can be "given" anything.
Goatee. In this country goatee is frequently used for a tuft of beard on the point of the chin--what is sometimes called "an imperial," apparently because the late Emperor Napoleon III wore his beard so. His Majesty the Goat is graciously pleased to wear his beneath the chin.
Got Married for Married. If this is correct we should say, also, "got dead" for died; one expression is as good as the other.
Gotten for Got. This has gone out of good use, though in such compounded words as begotten and misbegotten it persists respectably.
Graduated for Was Graduated.
Gratuitous for Unwarranted. "A gratuitous assertion." Gratuitous means without cost.
Grueling. Used chiefly by newspaper reporters; as, "He was subjected to a grueling cross-examination." "It was grueling weather." Probably a corruption of grilling.
Gubernatorial. Eschew it; it is not English, is needless and bombastic. Leave it to those who call a political office a "chair." "Gubernatorial chair" is good enough for them. So is hanging.
Had Better for Would Better. This is not defensible as an idiom, as those who always used it before their attention was directed to it take the trouble to point out. It comes of such contractions as he'd for he would, I'd for I would. These clipped words are erroneously restored as "he had," "I had." So we have such monstrosities as "He had better beware," "I had better go."
Hail for Come. "He hails from Chicago." This is sea speech, and comes from the custom of hailing passing ships. It will not do for serious discourse.
Have Got for Have. "I have got a good horse" directs attention rather to the act of getting than to the state of having, and represents the capture as recently completed.
Head over Heels. A transposition of words hardly less surprising than (to the person most concerned) the mischance that it