PART III. STYLE. CHAPTER XII. DICTION: SELECTION OF WORDS FOR CLEARNESS, FORCE, AND ELEGANCE. 77. Diction. By diction is to be understood the choice, use, and arrangement of words and combinations of words in phrases or other expressions. The pupil who takes up the reading of the Orations of Cicero after having read Caesar's Commentaries finds at first that the new study is much more difficult than the old. There are new words and new combinations of words; the sentence order is different; and many words are used in other than the sense which they have in Caesar. In brief, there is a change of diction, and the new diction is fundamentally characteristic of Cicero's style. No two writers use the same vocabulary, or use even the words that they employ in common with the same frequency or in the same way. When we speak of a writer's diction, then, we mean the way in which he uses words. 78. Number of Words. Remembering that the object of all writing is to bring understanding or conviction to our readers, we must realize at once that the more we dilute our meaning the less effective it will be in persuading or informing those for whom we write. We must say all that we have to say, and we must say it with sufficient fullness for clear understanding; but we must say no more than that, and so much we must say in as few words as possible. Among the faults of diction that we must guard against, if we wish what we write to have force, are verbosity, circumlocution, redundancy, and tautology. Verbosity is the general fault of too many words, the use of such expressions as "in something of a hurry,” for "hastily," or "in its location the village had the fortune to be slightly higher than the surrounding country," for "the village was on a slight elevation." Circumlocution is the employment of involved and "round-about" expressions, a fault differing but little from verbosity, and like it to be corrected only by a complete re-writing. Redundancy is the employment of words that are not needed, and may usually be corrected simply by cutting such words out. Tautology, the repetition of expressions or ideas, has been spoken of in an earlier chapter, but it is a fault against which we shall have to be watchful always, no amount of training or practice serving to make us secure against it. Force is the quality of style by virtue of which a composition impresses itself upon the reader. Wordiness of any sort, whether coming from verbosity, circumlocution, redundancy, or tautology, detracts from the force of our writing. In the great mass of writing that is pouring from the press ours will receive but scant attention if it lacks force. Below there are given in the first column examples of each of the faults of wordiness. Study them carefully in connection with the better form in the second column. Do not be too sure that you would not yourself make such simple mistakes as some of these. With an exception or two they have been taken from students' papers, and the supposition is that in each case the student was trying to write his best. 79. Verbosity and Circumlocution. Mrs. Tongueloose had bent her head and seemed quite absorbed in her sewing, which was something unusual for her. The whole country here is covered with a dense growth of palmettos from two to six feet tall, and so thick that one can scarcely walk through them, their many-pointed leaves stopping one almost as effectively as barbed-wire. A man killed a dog belonging to another man. The son of the man whose Mrs. Tongueloose, her head bent, seemed absorbed in in her sewing, something unusual. The whole country here is covered with a dense growth of palmettos, from two to six feet tall, which are covered with manypointed leaves that prevent walking through them almost as effectually as barbed-wire. A man who had been whipped by the son of a neighbor whose dog he dog was killed proceeded to whip the man who killed the dog of the man he was the son of. The man who was the son of the man whose dog was killed, was arrested on complaint of the man who was assaulted by the son of the man whose dog the son of the man who was assaulted had killed. As the moon had risen quite a distance in the heavens, it cast a long, silvery reflection upon the whole width of the stream. 80. Redundancy. Although a very small girl, Maggie had a brain equal in capacity and strength to that of a much older one. Silently and mutely she distributed the work. We moved along swiftly over the hummocks which occasionally became so rough as to necessitate our getting off and carefully picking our way over them. 81. Tautology. I have in mind a country church, some six or seven miles from where I had killed, had his assailant arrested. As the moon was high in the heavens, it cast a long, silvery reflection upon the whole width of the stream. Although a very small girl, Maggie had a brain. equal to that of one much older. Silently she distributed the work. We moved along swiftly over the hummocks which were occasionally so rough that we were compelled to get off and pick our way. I have in mind a country church some six or seven miles from where I lived last year. It was built by a community of wealthy farmers who believed that country people should have as good a church building as any town. The building stands on a hill some little higher than the surrounding country, and so can be seen some distance away in almost every direction. As you approach it you know. instantly that it is quite a costly building. It I will hold between two and three hundred people, is nicely carpeted, and is furnished with new seats, pulpit, chairs, and organ. The windows are of fancy colored glass, nearly all of them put there in remembrance of some faithful member of the church who is not there to behold the beauty of the building. There are modern gasoline lamps, and the building is heated by hot-air furnaces. It was lived last year. built by a community of wealthy farmers, who believed that country people should have as good a house of worship as any town. The building stands somewhat higher than the surrounding country, and so can be seen at a great distance in almost every direction. As you approach it you perceive at once that it is a wellbuilt structure. It will hold between two and three hundred people, is nicely carpeted, and is furnished with new seats, pulpit, chairs, and organ. The windows are of fancy colored glass, nearly all of them put there in remembrance of some faithful member of the church who can not now behold the beauty of the place. It is lighted by the modern gasoline lamps and heated by hot-air furnaces. 82. Exercise. Criticise each of the following paragraphs with especial regard to faults of wordiness, and re-write it in better form. 1. Geronimo, the Apache leader, has become a raving maniac as a result of his being held in captivity, according |