Page:A Desk-Book of Errors in English.djvu/180

 and the sense of remarkable, as from singularity, intensity, or exceptionality, is better expressed by the word of this class best adapted to the case.

pecuniary. Compare.

peel should not be confused with peal. The first designates "rind"; the second, "ring."

pell-mell: This word etymologically implies a crowd and confusion and is not applied to an individual. Thus, "He rushed out pell-mell" should be "He rushed out hastily and excitedly."

penny: In the plural this word is either pennies or pence. In the one case it means a number of individual coins; in the second case it signifies a specific sum of money.

people: Where individual persons, or a number of such, are intended, this word should be discarded in favor of persons; as, "most persons are of this opinion." People means persons collectively; as "People say."

per: This is a Latin preposition, correctly joined only with Latin words; as, per centum, abbreviated per cent.; per diem; per annum. Per head and per person, per year, per day are common commercial locutions; use preferably the English forms a head, a person, a year, a day. If you must use a Latin phrase be sure you use all Latin.

perfectly killing: An inane expression used commonly by women for "in stylish attire," and also, 164