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SOLECISMS.

A Solecism is a violation of good usage in the structure of sentences.

It is the province of grammar to note solecisms, but some of these are of such frequent occurrence among even intelligent people that there seems to be special reason why attention should be directed to them also in teaching rhetoric.

The following are some of the most glaring errors of this class:

1. The Confusion of Number in Foreign Terms.-Thus, we have heard a learned professor say, "The menagerie is only an addenda to the circus," and a prominent lawyer to his clerk, "Please make a memoranda of that statement." The elder Disraeli says, in one place, "The Roman Saturnalia were," and in another, "Such was the Roman Saturnalia."

2. The Use of a Pronoun that Differs in Number from its Antecedent, as in the following:

Both sisters were uncomfortable enough. Each felt for the other, and, of course, for themselves.-Miss Austin.

The parliament was assembled; and the king made them a plausible speech.-Hume.

Everybody trembled for themselves or their friends.—Goldsmith. 3. The Use of a Verb that Differs in Number from its Subject, as follows:

I am one of those whom neither fear nor anxiety deprive of their ordinary appetite.-Scott.

No nation but ourselves have equally succeeded in both forms of the higher poetry, epic and tragic.-De Quincey.

Ethics with atheism are impossible.-Disraeli.

Note. When the subject, though plural in form, is singular in sense, the verb agrees with it in the singular; similarly, when the subject is singular in form, but plural in sense, the verb must be plural. Hence the following are correct:

What is the news this morning?
Politics makes strange bedfellows.
The populace were greatly excited.

4. The Use of the Indicative instead of the Subjunctive Mode to Express Contingency, as in the following:

I wish I was at home.

If it rains to-morrow, we shall not start.

5. Confounding the Past and the Present Perfect Tense, Indicative. -Thus,

I always thought until now that you live in the South.

6. Confounding the Past and the Past Perfect Tense, Indicative.— Thus,

The train left before I reached the station.

After the business was settled we dined together.

7. Confounding the Future and the Future Perfect Tense, Indicative. Thus,

Will the train leave before we reach the station?

I fear the summer will pass by that time.

8. Confounding the Present Infinitive with the Present Perfect Infinitive. Thus,—

I meant to have written.

I should like to have met your friend.

We expected to have seen you before.

9. The Statement of a Universal Truth or of Permanent Facts in Other than the Present Tense.—Thus,

The ancients believed that the earth was flat.

It was hard for some to understand what conscience was.

10. The Placing of an Adverb between TO and the Remainder of the Infinitive. Thus,—

He is not the man to tamely acquiesce.

They try to impartially divide the proceeds.

11. The Use of an Adjective for an Adverb.-Thus,

The moon shines bright to-night.

I feel remarkable well.

12. The Use of an Adverb for an Adjective. Thus,—

The protest lay quietly on the table.

I feel badly.

13. The Use of an Adverb for a Relative Pronoun.—Thus,—

This is the place where we found him.

Is this the village where he lives?

14. Confounding Transitive and Intransitive Verbs, as set and sit, lie and lay, raise and rise.

15. Confusion in the Use of Cases.—Thus,

He found two French ladies in their bonnets, who he soon discovered to be actresses.-Disraeli.

Saladin, than whom no greater name is recorded in Eastern history.-Scott.

Let he who made thee answer that.-Byron.

16. The Use of WHICH with a Clause for its Antecedent.—Thus,— "But he made another enemy of the Pope, which he did in this way."-Dickens.

17. The Placing of a Conjunction before a Relative Pronoun in such a Position as to Interfere with the Construction.—Thus,—

"The approach of a party, sent for the purpose of compelling the country people to bury their dead, and who had already assembled several peasants for that purpose, now obliged Edward to rejoin his guide."-Scott.

18. Confusion in the Use of WHO, WHICH, and THAT.

Note.- Who refers to persons; which, to things; that, to either persons or things. Under certain circumstances that is preferable in a sentence to either who or which, as in the following:

a. After all, same, every, very, and similar antecedents when the relative clause is restrictive; as, "All that knew him spoke highly of his work."

b. After who used interrogatively; as, "Who that saw the experiments can fail to believe?"

c. After an adjective or an adverb in the superlative degree; as, "This is the best that we could get."

d. When reference is made to antecedents which separately are represented by who and which; as, "Both the rider and the horse that fell over the bridge were killed."

e. After it used indefinitely; as, "It was not I alone that came after time."

19. Confusion in the Use of the Comparative and the Superlative Forms.-The following are the chief errors in this respect:

a. Comparing adjectives that are not comparable; as, “less preferable," "most universal."

b. Using the superlative when only two objects are compared; as, "This is the best of the two."

c. Including objects in a class to which they do not belong; as, "The fairest of her daughters, Eve."

d. Excluding an object from a class to which it does belong; as, "New York is larger than any city in America."

e. Comparing objects which do not belong to the same class; as, "There is no higher generalship than Napoleon."

Note.-Care should be taken not to use comparative or superlative forms of adjectives that cannot be compared, such as superior, inferior, preferable, prior; also, supreme, extreme, ultimate, round, square, etc. The form "most perfect," however, is used by some writers to signify most nearly perfect, but the latter is the safer expression for young writers to use.

20. The Use of a Preposition as a Connective. Thus,—

"His actions were not wrong without they meant to harm us." 21. The Omission of the Relative Pronoun as an Introduction to a Relative Clause. Thus,

"This is the same sentence you wrote for us yesterday." Remark. By some writers this fault is claimed to be allowable. 22. The Use of the Present or the Past Tense Indicative for the Progressive Form, to Denote Continued Action.-Thus,—

"While he wrote the letter, I waited in the office."

23. Putting Neuter Nouns in the Possessive.-Neuter nouns should not be put in the possessive unless so required for the

sake of euphony. The prepositional phrase is usually better. Thus, we say, "A description of a house" instead of "A house's description ;" and "The bark of a tree," rather than "A tree's bark." But there are many exceptions, as The law's delay," "The ship's timbers,' ‚” “A year's work.”

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24. In Sentences having Subjects of Different Numbers connected by OR or NOR, placing the Wrong Subject Last.-In such sentences the plural subject should be placed last, and the verb should be made to agree with it. Thus, "Neither the children nor their mother was present," should be, "Neither the mother nor the children were present."

25. The Use of the Wrong Pronoun and the Wrong Verb where Two or more Subjects connected by AND refer to the same Person or Thing. In such cases both the verb and the pronoun should be singular.

Thus, "This great statesman and orator have lost their hold on the people, and are now without power," should be, "This great statesman and orator has lost his hold on the people, and he is now without power."

26. The Use of AS for so after a Negative, whether Expressed or Implied. The following is correct:

"Nothing that has yet been thought of could be 80 appropriate and 80 timely as this."

27. The Improper Use of Contractions.-When using contractions of verb forms, care should be taken to use them only in connection with the proper person and number. Thus, don't is not used in the third person singular; the proper form here is doesn't. Isn't and doesn't are used only in the third person singular. Aren't is used only in the plural; and a'n't, if used at all, in the first person singular, instead of am not.

28. When Two Forms of the same Verb are Connected by a Conjunction, omitting the Tense-forms not common to each.-When two forms of the same verb are connected by a conjunction, the tense-forms not common to both should not be omitted.

Thus in the sentence, "Our friend would have, as he finally did,

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