CHAPTER IX STYLE Diction Purity Propriety Precision.

CHAPTER IX

STYLE

Diction Purity Propriety Precision.

It is the object of every writer to put his thoughts into as effective

form as possible so as to make a good impression on the reader. A person

may have noble thoughts and ideas but be unable to express them in such a

way as to appeal to others, consequently he cannot exert the full force

of his intellectuality nor leave the imprint of his character upon his

time, whereas many a man but indifferently gifted may wield such a facile

pen as to attract attention and win for himself an envious place among

his contemporaries.

In everyday life one sees illustrations of men of excellent mentality

being cast aside and ones of mediocre or in some cases, little, if any,

ability chosen to fill important places. The former are unable to impress

their personality; they have great thoughts, great ideas, but these

thoughts and ideas are locked up in their brains and are like prisoners

behind the bars struggling to get free. The key of language which would

open the door is wanting, hence they have to remain locked up.

Many a man has to pass through the world unheard of and of little benefit

to it or himself, simply because he cannot bring out what is in him and

make it subservient to his will. It is the duty of every one to develop his

best, not only for the benefit of himself but for the good of his fellow

men. It is not at all necessary to have great learning or acquirements, the

laborer is as useful in his own place as the philosopher in his; nor is it

necessary to have many talents. One talent rightly used is much better than

ten wrongly used. Often a man can do more with one than his contemporary

can do with ten, often a man can make one dollar go farther than twenty in

the hands of his neighbor, often the poor man lives more comfortably than

the millionaire. All depends upon the individual himself. If he make right

use of what the Creator has given him and live according to the laws of God

and nature he is fulfilling his allotted place in the universal scheme of

creation, in other words, when he does his best, he is living up to the

standard of a useful manhood.

Now in order to do his best a man of ordinary intelligence and education

should be able to express himself correctly both in speaking and writing,

that is, he should be able to convey his thoughts in an intelligent

manner which the simplest can understand. The manner in which a speaker

or writer conveys his thoughts is known as his Style. In other words

 Style  may be defined as the peculiar manner in which a man expresses

his conceptions through the medium of language. It depends upon the

choice of words and their arrangement to convey a meaning. Scarcely any

two writers have exactly the same style, that is to say, express their

ideas after the same peculiar form, just as no two mortals are fashioned

by nature in the same mould, so that one is an exact counterpart of the

other.

Just as men differ in the accent and tones of their voices, so do they

differ in the construction of their language.

Two reporters sent out on the same mission, say to report a fire, will

verbally differ in their accounts though materially both descriptions

will be the same as far as the leading facts are concerned. One will

express himself in a style  different  from the other.

If you are asked to describe the dancing of a red-haired lady at the last

charity ball you can either say"The ruby Circe, with the Titian locks

glowing like the oriflamme which surrounds the golden god of day as he

sinks to rest amid the crimson glory of the burnished West, gave a divine

exhibition of the Terpsichorean art which thrilled the souls of the

multitude" or, you can simply say"The red-haired lady danced very well

and pleased the audience."

The former is a specimen of the ultra florid or bombastic style which may

be said to depend upon the pomposity of verbosity for its effect, the

latter is a specimen of simple  natural  Style. Needless to say it is to

be preferred. The other should be avoided. It stamps the writer as a

person of shallowness, ignorance and inexperience. It has been eliminated

from the newspapers. Even the most flatulent of yellow sheets no longer

tolerate it in their columns. Affectation and pedantry in style are now

universally condemned.

It is the duty of every speaker and writer to labor after a pleasing

style. It gains him an entrance where he would otherwise be debarred.

Often the interest of a subject depends as much on the way it is

presented as on the subject itself. One writer will make it attractive,

another repulsive. For instance take a passage in history. Treated by one

historian it is like a desiccated mummy, dry, dull, disgusting, while

under the spell of another it is, as it were, galvanized into a virile

living thing which not only pleases but captivates the reader.

DICTION

The first requisite of style is  choice  of  words , and this comes under

the head of  Diction , the property of style which has reference to the

words and phrases used in speaking and writing. The secret of literary

skill from any standpoint consists in putting the right word in the right

place. In order to do this it is imperative to know the meaning of the

words we use, their exact literal meaning. Many synonymous words are

seemingly interchangeable and appear as if the same meaning were applicable

to three or four of them at the same time, but when all such words are

reduced to a final analysis it is clearly seen that there is a marked

difference in their meaning. For instance  grief  and  sorrow  seem to be

identical, but they are not.  Grief  is active,  sorrow  is more or less

passive;  grief  is caused by troubles and misfortunes which come to us

from the outside, while  sorrow  is often the consequence of our own

acts.  Grief  is frequently loud and violent,  sorrow  is always quiet

and retiring.  Grief  shouts,  Sorrow  remains calm.

If you are not sure of the exact meaning of a word look it up immediately

in the dictionary. Sometimes some of our great scholars are puzzled over

simple words in regard to meaning, spelling or pronunciation. Whenever

you meet a strange word note it down until you discover its meaning and

use. Read the best books you can get, books written by men and women who

are acknowledged masters of language, and study how they use their words,

where they place them in the sentences, and the meanings they convey to

the readers.

Mix in good society. Listen attentively to good talkers and try to

imitate their manner of expression. If a word is used you do not

understand, don't be ashamed to ask its meaning.

True, a small vocabulary will carry you through, but it is an advantage

to have a large one. When you live alone a little pot serves just as well

as a large one to cook your victuals and it is handy and convenient, but

when your friends or neighbors come to dine with you, you will need a

much larger pot and it is better to have it in store, so that you will

not be put to shame for your scantiness of furnishings.

Get as many words as you possibly canif you don't need them now, pack

them away in the garrets of your brain so that you can call upon them if

you require them.

Keep a note book, jot down the words you don't understand or clearly

understand and consult the dictionary when you get time.

PURITY

 Purity  of style consists in using words which are reputable, national

and present, which means that the words are in current use by the best

authorities, that they are used throughout the nation and not confined to

one particular part, and that they are words in constant use at the

present time.

There are two guiding principles in the choice of words, good use 

and  good taste .  Good use  tells us whether a word is right or wrong;

 good taste , whether it is adapted to our purpose or not.

A word that is obsolete or too new to have gained a place in the

language, or that is a provincialism, should not be used.

Here are the Ten Commandments of English style:

(1) Do not use foreign words.

(2) Do not use a long word when a short one will serve your purpose.

 Fire  is much better than  conflagration .

(3) Do not use technical words, or those understood only by specialists

in their respective lines, except when you are writing especially for

such people.

(4) Do not use slang.

(5) Do not use provincialisms, as "I guess" for "I think"; "I reckon" for

"I know," etc.

(6) Do not in writing prose, use poetical or antiquated words: as "lore,

e'er, morn, yea, nay, verily, peradventure."

(7) Do not use trite and hackneyed words and expressions; as, "on the

job," "up and in"; "down and out."

(8) Do not use newspaper words which have not established a place in the

language as "to bugle"; "to suicide," etc.

(9) Do not use ungrammatical words and forms; as, "I ain't;" "he don't."

(10) Do not use ambiguous words or phrases; as"He showed me all about

the house."

Trite words, similes and metaphors which have become hackneyed and worn

out should be allowed to rest in the oblivion of past usage. Such

expressions and phrases as "Sweet sixteen" "the Almighty dollar," "Uncle

Sam," "On the fence," "The Glorious Fourth," "Young America," "The lords

of creation," "The rising generation," "The weaker sex," "The weaker

vessel," "Sweetness long drawn out" and "chief cook and bottle washer,"

should be put on the shelf as they are utterly worn out from too much

usage.

Some of the old similes which have outlived their usefulness and should

be pensioned off, are "Sweet as sugar," "Bold as a lion," "Strong as an

ox," "Quick as a flash," "Cold as ice," "Stiff as a poker," "White as

snow," "Busy as a bee," "Pale as a ghost," "Rich as Croesus," "Cross as a

bear" and a great many more far too numerous to mention.

Be as original as possible in the use of expression. Don't follow in the

old rut but try and strike out for yourself. This does not mean that you

should try to set the style, or do anything outlandish or out of the way,

or be an innovator on the prevailing custom. In order to be original

there is no necessity for you to introduce something novel or establish a

precedent. The probability is you are not fit to do either, by education

or talent. While following the style of those who are acknowledged

leaders you can be original in your language. Try and clothe an idea

different from what it has been clothed and better. If you are speaking

or writing of dancing don't talk or write about "tripping the light

fantastic toe." It is over two hundred years since Milton expressed it

that way in " L'Allegro ." You're not a Milton and besides over a million

have stolen it from Milton until it is now no longer worth stealing.

Don't resurrect obsolete words such as  whilom ,  yclept ,  wis , etc.,

and be careful in regard to obsolescent words, that is, words that are at

the present time gradually passing from use such as  quoth, trow,

betwixt, amongst, froward , etc.

And beware of new words. Be original in the construction and arrangement

of your language, but don't try to originate words. Leave that to the

Masters of language, and don't be the first to try such words, wait until

the chemists of speech have tested them and passed upon their merits.

Quintilian said"Prefer the oldest of the new and the newest of the

old." Pope put this in rhyme and it still holds good:

In words, as fashions, the same rule will hold, Alike fantastic, if too

new or old: Be not the first by whom the new are tried, Nor yet the last

to lay the old aside.

PROPRIETY

 Propriety  of style consists in using words in their proper sense and as

in the case of purity, good usage is the principal test. Many words have

acquired in actual use a meaning very different from what they once

possessed. "Prevent" formerly meant to go before, and that meaning is

implied in its Latin derivation. Now it means to put a stop to, to

hinder. To attain propriety of style it is necessary to avoid confounding

words derived from the same root; as  respectfully  and  respectively ;

it is necessary to use words in their accepted sense or the sense which

everyday use sanctions.

SIMPLICITY

 Simplicity  of style has reference to the choice of simple words and

their unaffected presentation. Simple words should always be used in

preference to compound, and complicated ones when they express the same

or almost the same meaning. The Anglo-Saxon element in our language

comprises the simple words which express the relations of everyday life,

strong, terse, vigorous, the language of the fireside, street, market and

farm. It is this style which characterizes the Bible and many of the

great English classics such as the "Pilgrim's Progress," "Robinson

Crusoe," and "Gulliver's Travels."

CLEARNESS

 Clearness  of style should be one of the leading considerations with the

beginner in composition. He must avoid all obscurity and ambiguous

phrases. If he write a sentence or phrase and see that a meaning might be

inferred from it otherwise than intended, he should re-write it in such a

way that there can be no possible doubt. Words, phrases or clauses that

are closely related should be placed as near to each other as possible

that their mutual relation may clearly appear, and no word should be

omitted that is necessary to the complete expression of thought.

UNITY

 Unity  is that property of style which keeps all parts of a sentence in

connection with the principal thought and logically subordinate to it. A

sentence may be constructed as to suggest the idea of oneness to the

mind, or it may be so loosely put together as to produce a confused and

indefinite impression. Ideas that have but little connection should be

expressed in separate sentences, and not crowded into one.

Keep long parentheses out of the middle of your sentences and when you

have apparently brought your sentences to a close don't try to continue

the thought or idea by adding supplementary clauses.

STRENGTH

 Strength  is that property of style which gives animation, energy and

vivacity to language and sustains the interest of the reader. It is as

necessary to language as good food is to the body. Without it the words

are weak and feeble and create little or no impression on the mind. In

order to have strength the language must be concise, that is, much

expressed in little compass, you must hit the nail fairly on the head and

drive it in straight. Go critically over what you write and strike out

every word, phrase and clause the omission of which impairs neither the

clearness nor force of the sentence and so avoid redundancy, tautology

and circumlocution. Give the most important words the most prominent

places, which, as has been pointed out elsewhere, are the beginning and

end of the sentence.

HARMONY

 Harmony  is that property of style which gives a smoothness to the

sentence, so that when the words are sounded their connection becomes

pleasing to the ear. It adapts sound to sense. Most people construct

their sentences without giving thought to the way they will sound and as

a consequence we have many jarring and discordant combinations such as

"Thou strengthenedst thy position and actedst arbitrarily and

derogatorily to my interests."

Harsh, disagreeable verbs are liable to occur with the Quaker form  Thou 

of the personal pronoun. This form is now nearly obsolete, the plural

 you  being almost universally used. To obtain harmony in the sentence

long words that are hard to pronounce and combinations of letters of one

kind should be avoided.

EXPRESSIVE OF WRITER

Style is expressive of the writer, as to who he is and what he is. As a

matter of structure in composition it is the indication of what a man can

do; as a matter of quality it is an indication of what he is.

KINDS OF STYLE

Style has been classified in different ways, but it admits of so many

designations that it is very hard to enumerate a table. In fact there are

as many styles as there are writers, for no two authors write  exactly 

after the same form. However, we may classify the styles of the various

authors in broad divisions as (1) dry, (2) plain, (3) neat, (4) elegant,

(5) florid, (6) bombastic.

The  dry  style excludes all ornament and makes no effort to appeal to

any sense of beauty. Its object is simply to express the thoughts in a

correct manner. This style is exemplified by Berkeley.

The  plain  style does not seek ornamentation either, but aims to make

clear and concise statements without any elaboration or embellishment.

Locke and Whately illustrate the plain style.

The  neat  style only aspires after ornament sparingly. Its object is to

have correct figures, pure diction and clear and harmonious sentences.

Goldsmith and Gray are the acknowledged leaders in this kind of style.

The  elegant  style uses every ornament that can beautify and avoids

every excess which would degrade. Macaulay and Addison have been

enthroned as the kings of this style. To them all writers bend the knee

in homage.

The  florid  style goes to excess in superfluous and superficial

ornamentation and strains after a highly colored imagery. The poems of

Ossian typify this style.

The  bombastic  is characterized by such an excess of words, figures and

ornaments as to be ridiculous and disgusting. It is like a circus clown

dressed up in gold tinsel Dickens gives a fine example of it in Sergeant

Buzfuz' speech in the "Pickwick Papers." Among other varieties of style

may be mentioned the colloquial, the laconic, the concise, the diffuse,

the abrupt the flowing, the quaint, the epigrammatic, the flowery, the

feeble, the nervous, the vehement, and the affected. The manner of these

is sufficiently indicated by the adjective used to describe them.

In fact style is as various as character and expresses the individuality

of the writer, or in other words, as the French writer Buffon very aptly

remarks, "the style is the man himself."

�-pn�� ��� re style='text-align:justify'>RISE-RAISE

These verbs are very often confounded.  Rise  is to move or pass upward

in any manner; as to "rise from bed;" to increase in value, to improve in

position or rank, as "stocks rise;" "politicians rise;" "they have risen

to honor."

 Raise  is to lift up, to exalt, to enhance, as "I raise the table;"

"He raised his servant;" "The baker raised the price of  bread ."

LAY-LIE

The transitive verb  lay , and  lay , the past tense of the neuter verb

 lie , are often confounded, though quite different in meaning. The

neuter verb  to lie , meaning to lie down or rest, cannot take the

objective after it except with a preposition. We can say "He  lies  on

the ground," but we cannot say "He  lies  the ground," since the verb is

neuter and intransitive and, as such, cannot have a direct object. With

 lay  it is different.  Lay  is a transitive verb, therefore it takes a

direct object after it; as "I  lay  a wager," "I  laid  the carpet," etc.

Of a carpet or any inanimate subject we should say, "It lies on the

floor," "A knife  lies  on the table," not  lays . But of a person we

say"He  lays  the knife on the table," not "He  lies ."  Lay  being

the past tense of the neuter to lie (down) we should say, "He  lay  on

the bed," and  lain  being its past participle we must also say "He has

 lain  on the bed."

We can say "I lay myself down." "He laid himself down" and such

expressions.

It is imperative to remember in using these verbs that to  lay  means  to

do  something, and to lie means  to be in a state of rest .

SAYS II SAID

 "Says I"  is a vulgarism; don't use it. "I said" is correct form.

ININTO

Be careful to distinguish the meaning of these two little prepositions

and don't interchange them. Don't say "He went  in  the room" nor "My

brother is  into  the navy."  In  denotes the place where a person or

thing, whether at rest or in motion, is present; and  into  denotes

 entrance . "He went  into  the room;" "My brother is  in  the navy" are

correct.

EATATE

Don't confound the two.  Eat  is present,  ate  is past. "I  eat  the

bread" means that I am continuing the eating; "I  ate  the bread" means

that the act of eating is past.  Eaten  is the perfect participle, but

often  eat  is used instead, and as it has the same pronunciation (et) of

 ate , care should be taken to distinguish the past tense, I  ate  from

the perfect  I have eaten  ( eat ).

SEQUENCE OF PERSON

Remember that the  first  person takes precedence of the  second  and the

 second  takes precedence of the  third . When Cardinal Wolsey said  Ego

et Rex  (I and the King), he showed he was a good grammarian, but a bad

courtier.

AM COMEHAVE COME

" I am come " points to my being here, while "I have come" intimates that

I have just arrived. When the subject is not a person, the verb  to be 

should be used in preference to the verb  to have ; as, "The box is come"

instead of "The box has come."

PAST TENSEPAST PARTICIPLE

The interchange of these two parts of the irregular or so-called  strong 

verbs is, perhaps, the breach oftenest committed by careless speakers and

writers. To avoid mistakes it is requisite to know the principal parts of

these verbs, and this knowledge is very easy of acquirement, as there are

not more than a couple of hundred of such verbs, and of this number but a

small part is in daily use. Here are some of the most common blunders: "I

seen" for "I saw;" "I done it" for "I did it;" "I drunk" for "I drank;"

"I begun" for "I began;" "I rung" for "I rang;" "I run" for "I ran;" "I

sung" for "I sang;" "I have chose" for "I have chosen;" "I have drove"

for "I have driven;" "I have wore" for "I have worn;" "I have trod" for

"I have trodden;" "I have shook" for "I have shaken;" "I have fell" for

"I have fallen;" "I have drank" for "I have drunk;" "I have began" for "I

have begun;" "I have rang" for "I have rung;" "I have rose" for "I have

risen;" "I have spoke" for "I have spoken;" "I have broke" for "I have

broken." "It has froze" for "It has frozen." "It has blowed" for "It has

blown." "It has flowed" (of a bird) for "It has flown."

N. B.The past tense and past participle of  To Hang  is  hanged  or

 hung . When you are talking about a man meeting death on the gallows,

say "He was hanged"; when you are talking about the carcass of an animal

say, "It was hung," as "The beef was hung dry." Also say your coat " was 

hung on a hook."

PREPOSITIONS AND THE OBJECTIVE CASE

Don't forget that prepositions always take the objective case. Don't say

"Between you and  I "; say "Between you and  me "

 Two  prepositions should not govern  one objective  unless there is an

immediate connection between them. "He was refused admission to and

forcibly ejected from the school" should be "He was refused admission to

the school and forcibly ejected from it."

SUMMONSUMMONS

Don't say "I shall summons him," but "I shall summon him."  Summon  is a

verb,  summons , a noun.

It is correct to say "I shall get a  summons  for him," not a  summon .

UNDENIABLEUNEXCEPTIONABLE

"My brother has an undeniable character" is wrong if I wish to convey the

idea that he has a good character. The expression should be in that case

"My brother has an unexceptionable character." An  undeniable  character

is a character that cannot be denied, whether bad or good. An

unexceptionable character is one to which no one can take exception.

THE PRONOUNS

Very many mistakes occur in the use of the pronouns. "Let you and I go"

should be "Let you and  me  go." "Let them and we go" should be "Let them

and us go." The verb let is transitive and therefore takes the objective

case.

"Give me  them  flowers" should be "Give me  those  flowers"; "I mean

 them  three" should be "I mean those three." Them is the objective case

of the personal pronoun and cannot be used adjectively like the

demonstrative adjective pronoun. "I am as strong as  him " should be "I

am as strong as  he "; "I am younger than  her " should be "I am younger

than  she ;" "He can write better than  me " should be "He can write

better than I," for in these examples the objective cases  him ,  her 

and  me  are used wrongfully for the nominatives. After each of the

misapplied pronouns a verb is understood of which each pronoun is the

subject. Thus, "I am as strong as he (is)." "I am younger than she (is)."

"He can write better than I (can)."

Don't say " It is me ;" say " It is I " The verb  To Be  of which is is a

part takes the same case after it that it has before it. This holds good

in all situations as well as with pronouns.

The verb  To Be  also requires the pronouns joined to it to be in the

same case as a pronoun asking a question; The nominative  I  requires the

nominative  who  and the objectives  me ,  him ,  her ,  its ,  you ,

 them , require the objective  whom .

" Whom  do you think I am?" should be " Who  do you think I am?" and

" Who  do they suppose me to be?" should be " Whom  do they suppose me to

be?" The objective form of the Relative should be always used, in

connection with a preposition. "Who do you take me for?" should be

" Whom  do, etc." "Who did you give the apple to?" should be "Whom did

you give the apple to," but as pointed out elsewhere the preposition

should never end a sentence, therefore, it is better to say, "To whom did

you give the apple?"

After transitive verbs always use the objective cases of the pronouns.

For " He  and  they  we have seen," say " Him  and  them  we have seen."

THAT FOR SO

"The hurt it was that painful it made him cry," say "so painful."

THESETHOSE

Don't say,  These kind; those sort .  Kind  and  sort  are each singular

and require the singular pronouns  this  and  that . In connection with

these demonstrative adjective pronouns remember that  this  and  these 

refer to what is near at hand,  that  and  those  to what is more

distant; as,  this book  (near me),  that book  (over there),  these 

boys (near),  those  boys (at a distance).

THIS MUCHTHUS MUCH

" This  much is certain" should be " Thus  much or  so  much is certain."

FLEEFLY

These are two separate verbs and must not be interchanged. The principal

parts of  flee  are  flee ,  fled ,  fled ; those of  fly  are  fly ,

 flew ,  flown .  To flee  is generally used in the meaning of getting

out of danger.  To fly  means to soar as a bird. To say of a man "He  has

flown  from the place" is wrong; it should be "He  has fled  from the

place." We can say with propriety that "A bird has  flown  from the

place."

THROUGHTHROUGHOUT

Don't say "He is well known through the land," but "He is well known

throughout the land."

VOCATION AND AVOCATION

Don't mistake these two words so nearly alike. Vocation is the employment,

business or profession one follows for a living; avocation is some

pursuit or occupation which diverts the person from such employment,

business or profession. Thus

"His vocation was the law, his avocation, farming."

WAS WERE

In the subjunctive mood the plural form  were  should be used with a

singular subject; as, "If I  were ," not  was . Remember the plural form

of the personal pronoun  you  always takes  were , though it may denote

but one. Thus, " You were ," never " you was ." " If I was him " is a

very common expression. Note the two mistakes in it,that of the verb

implying a condition, and that of the objective case of the pronoun. It

should read  If I were he . This is another illustration of the rule

regarding the verb  To Be , taking the same case after it as before it;

 were  is part of the verb  To Be , therefore as the nominative (I) goes

before it, the nominative (he) should come after it.

A OR AN

 A  becomes an before a vowel or before  h  mute for the sake of euphony

or agreeable sound to the ear.  An apple ,  an orange ,  an heir ,  an

honor , etc.