Page:The king's English (IA kingsenglish00fowlrich).pdf/367

Rh In the light of these, it would be hard to say what full belatedness, inconsistency, and listlessness may be.

2. Somewhat with essentially emphatic words.

We may call a thing dirty, or filthy; if we choose the latter, we mean to be emphatic; it is absurd to use the emphatic word and take away its emphasis with somewhat, when we might use the gentler word by itself.

Some of the instances in these two classes would be defended as humorous under-statement. But if this hackneyed trick is an example of the national humour, we had better cease making reflections on German want of humour.

3. Somewhat shyly announcing an epigrammatic or well-chosen phrase.

Rh