Chapter CLXXI: Section I: Of Purity

Purity of style consists in the use of such words and phrases only, as belong to the language which we write or speak. Its opposites are the faults aimed at in the following precepts.

PRECEPT I.--Avoid the unnecessary use of foreign words or idioms: such as the French words _fraicheur, hauteur, delicatesse, politesse, noblesse_;--the expression, "He _repented himself_;"--or, "It _serves_ to an excellent purpose."

PRECEPT II.--Avoid obsolete or antiquated words, except there be some special reason for their use: that is, such words as _acception, addressful, administrate, affamish, affrontiveness, belikely, blusterous, clergical, cruciate, rutilate, timidous_.

PRECEPT III.--Avoid strange or unauthorized words: such as, _flutteration, inspectator, judgematical, incumberment, connexity, electerized, martyrized, reunition, marvelize, limpitude, affectated, adorement, absquatulate_. Of this sort is O. B. Peirce's "_assimilarity_," used on page 19th of his _English Grammar_; and still worse is Jocelyn's "_irradicable_," for _uneradicable_, used on page 5th of his _Prize Essay on Education_.

PRECEPT IV.--Avoid bombast, or affectation of fine writing. It is ridiculous, however serious the subject. The following is an example: "Personifications, however rich the depictions, and unconstrained their latitude; analogies, however imposing the objects of parallel, and the media of comparison; can never expose the consequences of sin to the extent of fact, or the range of demonstration."--_Anonymous_.