Approach

"The juror was approached"; that is, overtures were made to him with a view to bribing him. As there is no other single word for it, approach is made to serve, figuratively; and being graphic, it is not altogether objectionable.

Appropriated for Took

"He appropriated his neighbor's horse to his own use." To appropriate is to set apart, as a sum of money, for a special purpose.

Approve of for Approve

There is no sense in making approve an intransitive verb.

Apt for Likely

"One is apt to be mistaken." Apt means facile, felicitous, ready, and the like; but even the dictionary-makers cannot persuade a person of discriminating taste to accept it as synonymous with likely.

Around for About

"The debris of battle lay around them." "The huckster went around, crying his wares." Around carries the concept of circularity.

Article

A good and useful word, but used without meaning by shopkeepers; as, "A good article of vinegar," for a good vinegar.

As for That, or If

"I do not know as he is living." This error is not very common among those who can write at all, but one sometimes sees it in high place.

As – as for So – as

"He is not as good as she." Say, not so good. In affirmative sentences the rule is different: He is as good as she.

As for for As to

"As for me, I am well." Say, as to me.

At Auction for by Auction

"The goods were sold at auction."

At for By

"She was shocked at his conduct." This very common solecism is without excuse.

Attain for Accomplish

"By diligence we attain our purpose." A purpose is accomplished; success is attained.

Authoress

A needless word – as needless as "poetess."

Avocation for Vocation

A vocation is, literally, a calling; that is, a trade or profession. An avocation is something that calls one away from it. If I say that farming is some one's avocation I mean that he practises it, not regularly, but at odd times.

Avoid for Avert

"By displaying a light the skipper avoided a collision." To avoid is to shun; the skipper could have avoided a collision only by getting out of the way.

Avoirdupois for Weight

Mere slang.

Back of for Behind, At the Back of

"Back of law is force."

Backwards for Backward
Badly for Bad

"I feel badly." "He looks badly." The former sentence implies defective nerves of sensation, the latter, imperfect vision. Use the adjective.

Balance for Remainder

"The balance of my time is given to recreation." In this sense balance is a commercial word, and relates to accounting.

Banquet

A good enough word in its place, but its place is the dictionary. Say, dinner.

Bar for Bend

"Bar sinister." There is no such thing in heraldry as a bar sinister.

Because for For

"I knew it was night, because it was dark." "He will not go, because he is ill."

Bet for Betted

The verb to bet forms its preterite regularly, as do wet, wed, knit, quit and others that are commonly misconjugated. It seems that we clip our short words more than we do our long.

Body for Trunk

"The body lay here, the head there." The body is the entire physical person (as distinguished from the soul, or mind) and the head is a part of it. As distinguished from head, trunk may include the limbs, but anatomically it is the torso only.

Bogus for Counterfeit, or False

The word is slang; keep it out.

Both

This word is frequently misplaced; as, "A large mob, both of men and women." Say, of both men and women.

Both alike

"They are both alike." Say, they are alike. One of them could not be alike.

Brainy

Pure slang, and singularly disagreeable.

Bug for Beetle, or for anything

Do not use it.

Business for Right

"He has no business to go there."

Build for Make

"Build a fire." "Build a canal." Even "build a tunnel" is not unknown, and probably if the wood-chuck is skilled in the American tongue he speaks of building a hole.

But

By many writers this word (in the sense of except) is regarded as a preposition, to be followed by the objective case: "All went but him." It is not a preposition and may take either the nominative or objective case, to agree with the subject or the object of the verb. All went but he. The natives killed all but him.

But what

"I did not know but what he was an enemy." Omit what. If condemnation of this dreadful locution seem needless bear the matter in mind in your reading and you will soon be of a different opinion.

By for Of

"A man by the name of Brown." Say, of the name. Better than either form is: a man named Brown.

Calculated for Likely

"The bad weather is calculated to produce sickness." Calculated implies calculation, design.

Can for May

"Can I go fishing?" "He can call on me if he wishes to."

Candidate for Aspirant

In American politics, one is not a candidate for an office until formally named (nominated) for it by a convention, or otherwise, as provided by law or custom. So when a man who is moving Heaven and Earth to procure the nomination protests that he is "not a candidate" he tells the truth in order to deceive.

Cannot for Can

"I cannot but go." Say, I can but go.

Capable

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