times _but_ is incorrectly substituted for _that_: as, "I have no
doubt _but_ he will be here to-night." Sometimes for the conjunction _if_,
as, "I shouldn't wonder _but_ that was the case." And sometimes _two_
conjunctions are used instead of one, as, "_If that_ I have offended him,"
"_After that_ he had seen the parties," &c. All this is very awkward and
should be avoided.

446. "My hands are _chopped_:" say, _chapped_.

447. "This will serve as a _preventative_:" say, _preventive_.

448. "A _nishe_ young man," "What _makesh_ you laugh?" "If he _offendsh_
you, don't speak to him," "_Ash_ you please," "Not _jush_ yet," "We
always _passh_ your house in going to call on _Missh Yatesh_." This is
decided, unmitigated _cockneyism_, having its parallel in nothing except
the broken English of the sons of Abraham, and to adopt it in conversation
is certainly "not speaking like a Christian."

449. Never say, "Cut it in _half_," for this you cannot do unless you
could _annihilate one_ half. You may "cut it in two," or "cut it in
halves," or "cut it through," or "divide it," but no human ability will
enable you _to cut it in half_.

451. _To lay and to lie._--_To lay_ is an active or transitive verb, and
must always have an object, expressed or understood. _To lie_ (not meaning
_to tell a falsehood_) is a neuter or intransitive, and therefore does not
admit of an object. The only real difficulty arises from the fact, that
the past tense of "lie," when used without an auxiliary, is the same as
the present of "lay." But a little attention will obviate this. Nothing
can be more erroneous than to say, "I shall go and lay down." The question
which naturally arises in the mind of the discriminating hearer is,
"_What_ are you going to lay down--money, carpets, plans, or what?" for,
as a transitive verb is used, an object is wanted to complete the sense.
The speaker means, that he himself is going to _lie down_. "My brother
_lays_ ill of a fever," should be, "My brother _lies_," &c.

VERB ACTIVE. VERB NEUTER.

_To lay._ _To lie._

Present Tense. Present Tense.

I lay } I lie }
Thou layest } money, Thou liest } down,
He lays } carpets, He lies } too long,
We lay } plans, We lie } on a sofa,
You lay } --any _thing_. You