A Dictionary of Cont..

made such a delightful and instructive collection)
which having once mentioned a banana
refers to it on the next occasion as “an elongated
yellow fruit.” For some reason-possibly because
it’s a fault which teachers find easy to
identify-grade- and high-school pupils are
taught that repetition is one of the gravest of
all faults in writing and that no expression can
be too stilted, pompous, polysyllabic or ludicrous
so long as it enables one to avoid using
a word twice in the same sentence. The writing
of Thomas Wolfe should serve as a pleasant
corrective to this illusion.
replace and supplant both refer to putting one
thing or person in the place of another, but they
convey different senses. Replace means to take
the place of, to succeed (John was elected to
replace Joe on the board when Joe was made
general director). Replace may also mean to
restore, to return (Please replace all divots).
Supplant implies that that which takes the
other’s place has ousted the former holder, and
usurped the position or function, especially by
art or fraud (Jacob supplanted his brother,
Esau).
replete means abundantly supplied or provided
(His lectures were replete with vivid illustrations
and witty asides), stuffed or gorged with
food and drink (After such a feast who would
not be replete?). Replete does not mean complete
or furnished with, for neither of these
terms conveys the sense of filled to ovirflowing.
It would be inaccurate, for example, to describe
a tool chest as replete with the latest equipment
unless it was not only adequate and complete
but also crowded.
replica; copy. Strictly speaking, a replica is a copy
or reproduction of a work of art by the maker
of the original (Some authorities prefer his
replicas to his originals). A replica differs from
a copy in that it is held to have the same right
as the first made to be considered an original
work. Authorities in England reject, while advanced
American authorities accept, replica in
the loose sense of a copy or reproductidn (The
reulica of Gainsborounh’s Blue BOY. done bv a
local craftsman in b& of coloreh’ glass, was
much admired). The careful writer, nonetheless,
will prefer copy in such contexts.
reply. See auswer.
report. When used in an active form, report may
be followed by a clause, as in he reports he has
seen her, or by the -ing form of a verb, as in
he reports seeing her. When report is used in a
passive form it may be followed by an infinitive,
as in he is reported to have seen her.
repress. See check.
reprisal. See retaliation.
repudiate. See deny.
repulse. See repel.
repulsive. See repellent.
reputation. See character.
reputed; reported. That is reputed which is accounted
or commonly supposed to be such,
so held in general estimation or opinion (The
reputed owner of the place is a respectable
suburbanite). That is reported which is communicated.
But reputed implies an evaluation,
estimate or opinion; whereas reported is merely
communicated. The reputed owner may, of
course, be reported as the owner; but that is
not the same thing, for an admitted owner
might also be reported as owner.
requests. See imperative mode.
require. This word may be followed by an infinitive,
as in I require him lo help me, or by a
that clause with the clause verb a subjunctive or
a subjunctive equivalent, as in I require that he
help me. The -ing form of a verb following require
always has a passive meaning, as in he
requires helping. See demand.
required; compulsory; prescribed. In American
schools and college-s those courses which are
obligatory are called required courses (One year
of English composition is required in nearly all
our colleges). In England the equivalent term is
compulsory or prescribed (To the amazement of
his tutor, he finished the prescribed reading for
the degree in a year).
requirement; requisite. A requirement is something
demanded of a person in accordance with
certain fixed regulations (A knowledge of Latin
is no longer a requirement for entering the slate
university) or something demanded by a person
as essential to the accomplishment of some task
(His first requirement was a long piece of
copper wire. The army regards discipline as a
fundamental requirement). A requisite is something
required by the nature of the case, some
factor which is judged necessary under the circumstance-s
(The knave is handsome, young,
and hath all those requisites in him that folly
and green minds look after). (For requisite as
an adjective, see necessary.)
re-search; research. Re-search, usable as noun
and verb, means to search again, explore something
already explored (I have searched rhe
attic thoroughly but will re-search i! if you
insist on it). Research, used chiefly as a noun,
means diligent and systematic inquiry or investigation
into a subject in order to discover
facts or principles (Research into causes of the
common cold has so far been remarkably unfruitful).
Research has become very popular in the
United States since the outbreak of World War
II. As Henry D. Smyth has observed, the idea
that the object of research is new knowledge
does not seem to be widely understood and “a
schoolboy looking up the meaning of a word
in the dictionary is now said to be doing
research.” Indeed, it has been debased even
further. Research is frequently used to describe
reading by those to whom reading, apparently.
is a recherchC activity, and for many a graduate
student it is a euphemism for wholesale plagiarism.
The word needs a rest or at least less
promiscuous handling.
resent may be followed by the -ing form of a verb,
as in I resent being told that, but not by an
infinitive. I resent to be told thai is unacceptable.
Resent may also be followed by a that