The Verbalist Part 8

"The sky shrunk upward with unusual dread, And trembling Tiber div'd beneath his bed."

"So frowned the mighty combatants, that h.e.l.l Grew darker at their frown."

"I saw their chief tall as a rock of ice; his spear the blasted fir; his s.h.i.+eld the rising moon; he sat on the sh.o.r.e like a cloud of mist on a hill."

ICE-CREAM--ICE-WATER. As for ice-cream, there is no such thing, as ice-cream would be the product of frozen cream, i. e., cream made from ice by melting. What is called ice-cream is cream _iced_; hence, properly, _iced_ cream and not _ice_-cream. The product of melted ice is _ice_-water, whether it be cold or warm; but water made cold with ice is _iced_ water, and not _ice_-water.

IF. "I doubt _if_ this will ever reach you": say, "I doubt _whether_ this will ever reach you."

ILL. See SICK.

ILLY. It will astonish not a few to learn that there is no such word as _illy_. The form of the adverb, as well as of the adjective and the noun, is _ill_. A thing is _ill_ formed, or _ill_ done, or _ill_ made, or _ill_ constructed, or _ill_ put together.

"_Ill_ fares the land, to hastening ills a prey, Where wealth acc.u.mulates and men decay."--Goldsmith.

IMMODEST. This adjective and its synonyms, _indecent_ and _indelicate_, are often used without proper discrimination being made in their respective meanings. _Indecency_ and _immodesty_ are opposed to morality: the former in externals, as dress, words, and looks; the latter in conduct and disposition. "_Indecency_," says Crabb, "may be a partial, _immodesty_ is a positive and entire breach of the moral law.

_Indecency_ is less than _immodesty_, but more than _indelicacy_." It is _indecent_ for a man to marry again very soon after the death of his wife. It is _indelicate_ for any one to obtrude himself upon another's retirement. It is _indecent_ for women to expose their persons as do some whom we can not call _immodest_.

"Immodest words admit of no defense, For want of decency is want of sense."

--Earl of Roscommon.

IMPROPRIETY. As a rhetorical term, defined as an error in using words in a sense different from their recognized signification.

IMPUTE. Non-painstaking writers not unfrequently use _impute_ instead of _ascribe_. "The numbers [of blunders] that have been _imputed_ to him are endless."--"Appletons' Journal." The use of _impute_ in this connection is by no means indefensible; still it would have been better to use _ascribe_.

IN OUR MIDST. The phrases _in our midst_ and _in their midst_ are generally supposed to be of recent introduction; and, though they have been used by some respectable writers, they nevertheless find no favor with those who study propriety in the use of language. To the phrase _in the midst_ no one objects. "Jesus came and stood in the midst." "There was a hut _in the midst_ of the forest."

IN RESPECT OF. "The deliberate introduction of incorrect forms, whether by the coinage of new or the revival of obsolete and inexpressive syntactical combinations, ought to be resisted even in trifles, especially where it leads to the confusion of distinct ideas. An example of this is the recent use of the adverbial phrases _in respect of_, _in regard of_, for _in_ or _with_ respect _to_, or regard _to_. This innovation is without any syntactical ground, and ought to be condemned and avoided as a mere grammatical crotchet."--George P. Marsh, "Lectures on the English Language," p. 660.

IN SO FAR AS. A phrase often met with, and in which the _in_ is superfluous. "A want of proper opportunity would suffice, _in_ so far as the want could be shown." "We are to act up to the extent of our knowledge; but, _in_ so far as our knowledge falls short," etc.

INAUGURATE. This word, which means to install in office with certain ceremonies, is made, by many lovers of big words, to do service for _begin_; but the sooner these rhetorical high-fliers stop _inaugurating_ and content themselves with simply _beginning_ the things they are called upon to do in the ordinary routine of daily life, the sooner they will cease to set a very bad example.

INDECENT. See IMMODEST.

INDEX EXPURGATORIUS. William Cullen Bryant, who was a careful student of English, while he was editor of the "New York Evening Post," sought to prevent the writers for that paper from using "over and above (for 'more than'); artiste (for 'artist'); aspirant; auth.o.r.ess; beat (for 'defeat'); bagging (for 'capturing'); balance (for 'remainder'); banquet (for 'dinner' or 'supper'); bogus; casket (for 'coffin'); claimed (for 'a.s.serted'); collided; commence (for 'begin'); compete; cortege (for 'procession'); cotemporary (for 'contemporary'); couple (for 'two'); darky (for 'negro'); day before yesterday (for 'the day before yesterday'); debut; decrease (as a verb); democracy (applied to a political party); develop (for 'expose'); devouring element (for 'fire'); donate; employe; enacted (for 'acted'); indorse (for 'approve'); en route; esq.; graduate (for 'is graduated'); gents (for 'gentlemen'); 'Hon.'; House (for 'House of Representatives'); humbug; inaugurate (for 'begin'); in our midst; item (for 'particle, extract, or paragraph'); is being done, and all pa.s.sives of this form; jeopardize; jubilant (for 'rejoicing'); juvenile (for 'boy'); lady (for 'wife'); last (for 'latest'); lengthy (for 'long'); leniency (for 'lenity'); loafer; loan or loaned (for 'lend' or 'lent'); located; majority (relating to places or circ.u.mstances, for 'most'); Mrs. President, Mrs.

Governor, Mrs. General, and all similar t.i.tles; mutual (for 'common'); official (for 'officer'); ovation; on yesterday; over his signature; pants (for 'pantaloons'); parties (for 'persons'); partially (for 'partly'); past two weeks (for 'last two weeks,' and all similar expressions relating to a definite time); poetess; portion (for 'part'); posted (for 'informed'); progress (for 'advance'); reliable (for 'trustworthy'); rendition (for 'performance'); repudiate (for 'reject'

or 'disown'); retire (as an active verb); Rev. (for 'the Rev.'); role (for 'part'); roughs; rowdies; secesh; sensation (for 'noteworthy event'); standpoint (for 'point of view'); start, in the sense of setting out; state (for 'say'); taboo; talent (for 'talents' or 'ability'); talented; tapis; the deceased; war (for 'dispute' or 'disagreement')."

This index is offered here as a curiosity rather than as a guide, though in the main it might safely be used as such. No valid reason, however, can be urged for discouraging the use of several words in the list; the words aspirant, banquet, casket, compete, decrease, progress, start, talented, and deceased, for example.

INDICATIVE AND SUBJUNCTIVE. "'I _see_ the signal,' is unconditional; '_if_ I _see_ the signal,' is the same fact expressed in the form of a condition. The one form is said to be in the _indicative_ mood, the mood that simply _states or indicates_ the action; the other form is in the _subjunctive_, conditional, or conjunctive mood. There is sometimes a slight variation made in English, to show that an affirmation is made as a condition. The mood is called 'subjunctive,' because the affirmation _is subjoined to_ another affirmation: '_If I see the signal_, I will call out.'

"Such forms as 'I may see,' 'I can see,' have sometimes been considered as a variety of mood, to which the name 'Potential' is given. But this can not properly be maintained. There is no trace of any inflection corresponding to this meaning, as we find with the subjunctive.

Moreover, such a mood would have itself to be subdivided into indicative and subjunctive forms: 'I may go,' 'if I may go.' And further, we might proceed to const.i.tute other moods on the same a.n.a.logy, as, for example, an obligatory mood--'I must go,' or 'I ought to go'; a mood of resolution--'I will go, you shall go'; a mood of gratification--'I am delighted to go'; of deprecation--'I am grieved to go.' The only difference in the two last instances is the use of the sign of the infinitive 'to,' which does not occur after 'may,' 'can,' 'must,'

'ought,' etc.; but that is not an essential difference. Some grammarians consider the form 'I do go' a separate mood, and term it the emphatic mood. But all the above objections apply to it likewise, as well as many others."--Bain. See SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD.

INDIVIDUAL. This word is often most improperly used for _person_; as, "The _individual_ I saw was not over forty"; "There were several _individuals_ on board that I had never seen before." _Individual_ means, etymologically, that which can not be divided, and is used, in speaking of things as well as of persons, to express unity. It is opposed to the whole, or that which is divisible into parts.

INDORSE. Careful writers generally discountenance the use of _indorse_ in the sense of _sanction_, _approve_, _applaud_. In this signification it is on the list of prohibited words in some of our newspaper offices.

"The following rules are _indorsed_ by nearly all writers upon this subject."--Dr. Townsend. It is plain that the right word to use here is _approved_. "The public will heartily _indorse_ the sentiments uttered by the court."--New York "Evening Telegram." "The public will heartily _approve_ the sentiments _expressed_ by the court," is what the sentence should be.

INFINITIVE MOOD. When we can choose, it is generally better to use the verb in the infinitive than in the participial form. "Ability being in general the power _of doing_," etc. Say, _to do_. "I desire to reply ...

to the proposal _of subst.i.tuting_ a tax upon land values ... and _making_ this tax, as near [nearly] as may be, equal to rent," etc. Say, _to subst.i.tute_ and _to make_. "This quality is of prime importance when the chief object is _the imparting of_ knowledge." Say, _to impart_.

INITIATE. This is a pretentious word, which, with its derivatives, many persons--especially those who like to be grandiloquent--use, when homely English would serve their turn much better.

INNUMERABLE NUMBER. A repet.i.tional expression to be avoided. We may say _innumerable_ times, or _numberless_ times, but we should not say an _innumerable number_ of times.

INTERROGATION. The rhetorical figure that asks a question in order to emphasize the reverse of what is asked is called _interrogation_; as, "Do we mean to submit to this measure? Do we mean to submit, and consent that we ourselves, our country and its rights, shall be trampled on?"

"Doth G.o.d pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice?"

INTRODUCE. See PRESENT.

IRONY. That mode of speech in which what is meant is contrary to the literal meaning of the words--in which praise is bestowed when censure is intended--is called _irony_. Irony is a kind of delicate sarcasm or satire--raillery, mockery.

"In writings of humor, figures are sometimes used of so delicate a nature that it shall often happen that some people will see things in a direct contrary sense to what the author and the majority of the readers understand them: to such the most innocent _irony_ may appear irreligion."--Cambridge.

IRRITATE. See AGGRAVATE.

IS BEING BUILT. A tolerable idea of the state of the discussion regarding the propriety of using the locution _is being built_, and all like expressions, will, it is hoped, be obtained from the following extracts. The Rev. Peter Bullions, in his "Grammar of the English Language," says:

"There is properly _no pa.s.sive_ form, in English, _corresponding to the progressive_ form in the _active_ voice, except where it is made by the participle _ing_, in a pa.s.sive sense; thus, 'The house is building'; 'The garments are making'; 'Wheat is selling,' etc. An attempt has been made by some grammarians, of late, to banish such expressions from the language, though they have been used in all time past by the best writers, and to justify and defend a clumsy solecism, which has been recently introduced chiefly through the newspaper press, but which has gained such currency, and is becoming so familiar to the ear, that it seems likely to prevail, with all its uncouthness and deformity. I refer to such expressions as 'The house is being built'; 'The letter is being written'; 'The mine is being worked'; 'The news is being telegraphed,'

etc., etc.

"This mode of expression _had no existence_ in the language till _within the last fifty years_.[7] This, indeed, would not make the expression wrong, were it otherwise unexceptionable; but its recent origin shows that it is not, as is pretended, a _necessary_ form.

"This form of expression, when a.n.a.lyzed, is found not to express what it is intended to express, and would be used only by such as are either ignorant of its import or are careless and loose in their use of language. To make this manifest, let it be considered, first, that there is _no progressive form_ of the verb _to be_, and no need of it; hence, there is no such expression in English as _is being_. Of course the expression '_is being_ built,' for example, is not a compound of _is being_ and _built_, but of _is_ and _being built_; that is, of the verb _to be_ and the _present participle pa.s.sive_. Now, let it be observed that the only verbs in which the present participle pa.s.sive expresses a continued action are those mentioned above as the first cla.s.s, in which the regular pa.s.sive form expresses a _continuance_ of the action; as, _is loved_, _is desired_, etc., and in which, of course, the form in question (_is being built_) is not required. n.o.body would think of saying, 'He is being loved'; 'This result is being desired.'

"The use of this form is justified only by _condemning an established usage_ of the language; namely, the pa.s.sive sense in some verbs of the participle in _ing_. In reference to this it is flippantly asked, 'What does the house build?' 'What does the letter write?' etc.--taking for granted, without attempting to prove, that the participle in _ing_ can not have a pa.s.sive sense in any verb. The following are a few examples from writers of the best reputation, which this novelty would condemn: 'While the ceremony was performing.'--Tom. Brown. 'The court was then holding.'--Sir G. McKenzie. 'And still be doing, never done.'--Butler.

'The books are selling.'--Allen's 'Grammar.' 'To know nothing of what is transacting in the regions above us.'--Dr. Blair. 'The spot where this new and strange tragedy was acting.'--E. Everett. 'The fortress was building.'--Irving. 'An attempt is making in the English parliament.'--D. Webster. 'The church now erecting in the city of New York.'--'N. A. Review.' 'These things were transacting in England.'--Bancroft.

"This new doctrine is in _opposition_ to the almost _unanimous judgment_ of the _most distinguished grammarians_ and critics, who have considered the subject, and expressed their views concerning it. The following are a specimen: 'Expressions of this kind are condemned by some critics; but the usage is unquestionably of far better authority, and (according to my apprehension) in far better taste, than the more complex phraseology which some late writers adopt in its stead; as, "The books are now being sold."'--Goold Brown. 'As to the notion of introducing a new and more complex pa.s.sive form of conjugation, as, "The bridge _is being built_,"

"The bridge _was being built_," and so forth, it is one of the most absurd and monstrous innovations ever thought of. "The work _is now being published_," is certainly no better English than, "The work _was being published_, _has been being published_, _had been being published_, _shall or will be being published_, _shall or will have been being published_," and so on through all the moods and tenses. What a language shall we have when our verbs are thus conjugated!'--Brown's 'Gr. of Eng. Gr.,' p. 361. De War observes: 'The participle in _ing_ is also pa.s.sive in many instances; as, "The house is building," "I heard of a plan forming,"' etc.--Quoted in 'Frazee's Grammar,' p. 49. 'It would be an absurdity, indeed, to give up the only way we have of denoting the incomplete state of action by a pa.s.sive form (viz., by the participle in _ing_ in the pa.s.sive sense).'--Arnold's 'English Grammar,' p. 46. 'The present participle is often used pa.s.sively; as, "The s.h.i.+p is building."

The form of expression, _is being built_, _is being committed_, etc., is almost universally condemned by grammarians, but it is sometimes met with in respectable writers; it occurs most frequently in newspaper paragraphs and in hasty compositions. See Worcester's "Universal and Critical Dictionary."'--Weld's 'Grammar,' pp. 118 and 180. 'When we say, "The house is building," the advocates of the new theory ask, "Building what?" We might ask, in turn, when you say, "The field ploughs well,"--"Ploughs what?" "Wheat sells well,"--"Sells what?" If usage allows us to say, "Wheat sells at a dollar," in a sense that is not active, why may we not say, "Wheat is selling at a dollar," in a sense that is not active?'--Hart's 'Grammar,' p. 76. 'The prevailing practice of the best authors is in favor of the simple form; as, "The house is building."'--Wells' 'School Grammar,' p. 148. 'Several other expressions of this sort now and then occur, such as the newfangled and most uncouth solecism "_is being done_," for the good old English idiom "_is doing_"--an absurd periphrasis driving out a pointed and pithy turn of the English language.'--'N. A. Review,' quoted by Mr. Wells, p. 148.

'The phrase, "is being built," and others of a similar kind, have been for a few years insinuating themselves into our language; still they are not English.'--Harrison's 'Rise, Progress, and Present Structure of the English Language.' 'This mode of expression [the house is being built]

is becoming quite common. It is liable, however, to several important objections. It appears formal and pedantic. It has not, as far as I know, the support of any respectable grammarian. The easy and natural expression is, "The house is building."'--Prof. J. W. Gibbs."

Mr. Richard Grant White, in his "Words and Their Uses," expresses his opinion of the locution _is being_ in this wise: "In bad eminence, at the head of those intruders in language which to many persons seem to be of established respectability, but the right of which to be at all is not fully admitted, stands out the form of speech _is being done_, or rather, _is being_, which, about seventy or eighty years ago, began to affront the eye, torment the ear, and a.s.sault the common sense of the speaker of plain and idiomatic English." Mr. White devotes thirty pages of his book to the discussion of the subject, and adduces evidence that is more than sufficient to convince those who are content with an _ex parte_ examination that "it can hardly be that such an incongruous and ridiculous form of speech as _is being done_ was contrived by a man who, by any stretch of the name, should be included among grammarians."

Mr. George P. Marsh, in his "Lectures on the English Language," says that the deviser of the locution in question was "some grammatical pretender," and that it is "an awkward neologism, which neither convenience, intelligibility, nor syntactical congruity demands."

To these gentlemen, and to those who are of their way of thinking with regard to _is being_, Dr. Fitzedward Hall replies at some length, in an article published in "Scribner's Monthly" for April, 1872. Dr. Hall writes:

"'All really well educated in the English tongue lament the many innovations introduced into our language from America; and I doubt if more than one of these novelties deserve acceptation. That one is, subst.i.tuting a compound participle for an active verb used in a neuter signification: for instance, "The house is _being built_," instead of, "The house is _building_."' Such is the a.s.sertion and such is the opinion of some anonymous luminary,[8] who, for his liberality in welcoming a supposed Americanism, is somewhat in advance of the herd of his countrymen. Almost any popular expression which is considered as a novelty, a Briton is pretty certain to a.s.sume, off-hand, to have originated on our side of the Atlantic. Of the a.s.sertion I have quoted, no proof is offered; and there is little probability that its author had any to offer. 'Are being,' in the phrase 'are being thrown up,'[9] is spoken of in 'The North American Review'[10] as 'an outrage upon English idiom, "to be detested, abhorred, execrated, and given over to six thousand" penny-paper editors'; and the fact is, that phrases of the form here pointed at have hitherto enjoyed very much less favor with us than with the English.

"As lately as 1860, Dr. Worcester, referring to _is being built_, etc., while acknowledging that 'this new form has been used by some respectable writers,' speaks of it as having 'been introduced' 'within a few years.' Mr. Richard Grant White, by a most peculiar process of ratiocination, endeavors to prove that what Dr. Worcester calls 'this new form' came into existence just fifty-six years ago. He premises that in Jarvis's translation of 'Don Quixote,' published in 1742, there occurs 'were carrying,' and that this, in the edition of 1818, is sophisticated into 'were being carried.' 'This change,' continues our logician, 'and the appearance of _is being_ with a perfect participle in a very few books published between A. D. 1815 and 1820, indicate the former period as that of the origin of this phraseology, which, although more than half a century old, is still p.r.o.nounced a novelty as well as a nuisance.'