«Any place», should be written _anywhere_
«Apparently», is used of what seems to be real, but may not be so; _evidently_ of that which both seems and is real { 102}
«Apt», means skilful and should not be used for _likely_. _He is apt to be here soon_ should be _He is likely to be here soon_; _He is an apt pupil_ is correct
ARTICLES: when superfluous, are misleading and should be omitted; but it is more frequently the case that necessary articles are omitted: e.g., _The army and navy_ signifies a single organization. Insert _a_ before _navy_
«As», should not be used as a causal conjunction: e.g., _Do not expect me (as) I am too uncertain of my time_. The word _as_ stands here as a contraction of _inasmuch as_. Substitute a semicolon: e.g., _Do not expect me; I am too uncertain of my time_.
«At», is often incorrectly used for _in_: e.g., _They are living at_ [in] _Florence_
«At length», does not mean the same as _at last_. Say _At length he showed signs of relenting_, and _At last he relented_
«Aught», is frequently confused with _naught_. It means “anything,” whereas the symbol 0 means “nothing”
«Avail», should be used with _of_ only with some form of _be_; otherwise _to_ is the proper word: e.g., _He called lustily, but of_ [to] _no avail_; or _He called lustily, but_ [_it was_] _of no avail_
«Aware», is used in relation to things outside of ourselves; _conscious_ in relation to sensations or things within ourselves
«Awful», should not be used loosely. It means “inspiring with awe.” To say _I had an awfully good time_ is as ridiculous as it is meaningless
«Badly», should not be used for _very much_ or _a great deal_. The expression, _If you don’t care to do a thing very badly, do it very badly_, shows the absurdity. Do not confuse the adjective with the adverb. _He looks badly_ means “He makes a bad use of his eyes.” _He looks bad_ is correct
«Bank on», a slang expression not recognized by good usage. Say _rely on_ or _trust in_ { 103}
«Beg», should never be used without the word _leave_, when asking permission. In correspondence one often sees the expressions, _I beg to state_, _I beg to differ_. One should say, _I beg leave to state_, _I beg leave to differ_
«But», is sometimes used as a preposition, and when so used takes the objective case: e.g., _The invitation included all but him_ is correct