THAT FOR SO

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

  THESE—THOSE

  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 MUCH—THUS MUCH

  

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

  FLEE—FLY

  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."

  THROUGH—THROUGHOUT

  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.