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Write It Right - A Little Blacklist of Literary Faults by Ambrose Bierce
page 56 of 59 (94%)

_Ventilate_ for _Express, Disclose_, etc. "The statesman ventilated
his views." A disagreeable and dog-eared figure of speech.

_Verbal_ for _Oral_. All language is verbal, whether spoken or
written, but audible speech is oral. "He did not write, but
communicated his wishes verbally." It would have been a verbal
communication, also, if written.

_Vest_ for _Waistcoat_. This is American, but as all Americans are not
in agreement about it it is better to use the English word.

_Vicinity_ for _Vicinage_, or _Neighborhood_. "He lives in this
vicinity." If neither of the other words is desired say, He lives in
the vicinity of this place, or, better, He lives near by.

_View of_. "He invested with the view of immediate profit." "He
enlisted with the view of promotion." Say, with a view to.

_Vulgar_ for _Immodest_, _Indecent_. It is from _vulgus_, the common
people, the mob, and means both common and unrefined, but has no
relation to indecency.

_Way_ for _Away_. "Way out at sea." "Way down South."

_Ways_ for _Way_. "A squirrel ran a little ways along the road." "The
ship looked a long ways off." This surprising word calls loudly for
depluralization.

_Wed_ for _Wedded_. "They were wed at noon." "He wed her in Boston."
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