A Dictionary of Cont..

somebody; someone. These words are always
treated as singulars and used with a singular
verb, as in somebody is coming. When it isn’t
known whether “somebody” is a man or a
woman, forms of the pronoun they can be used
instead of forms of he in referring to this individual,
as in somebody left their umbrella.
This device is used less often with someone, but
is also acceptable with this word.
somehow; somehows. The only acceptable form
is somehow. Somehows is unacceptable.
someone. See somebody.
someplace. The use of someplace as a substitute
for somewhere, as in I left it someplace, is condemned
by many grammarians because the
noun place is here being used instead of the
adverb where. This usage is not acceptable in
Great Britain but it occurs too often in the
United States, in written as well as in spoken
English, to be called anything but standard. It
is acceptable English in this country.
somersault; somerset. Somersault is the best word
to describe an acrobatic movement of the body
in which it describes a complete revolution,
heels over head, or, figuratively, a complete
overturn or reversal, as of opinion. As an intransitive
verb, somersault means to perform a
somersault. Somerset is an obsolescent and dialectal
British variant. Summersault is a variant
American spelling, as is summerset.
something; somewhat. Originally these words
meant the same thing and could be used interchangeably.
Either could be used as an indefinite
pronoun or as an adverb of degree.
Either form may still be used in a statement
implying a comparison, as in he is something
(or somewhat) like his father and the house
was built something (or somewhat) more than
a century ago. Either form may be used before
of a, as in it was something (or somewhat) of
an adventure.
In any other construction the form somewhat
is required for an adverb of degree. Thalt is,
something is now obsolete or dialectal when
used to qualify a verb, as in it something surprises
me, or as a purely descriptive adjective,
as in it sounded something awful. On the other
hand, something is the required form for the
indefinite pronoun, and somewhat is now obsolete
or dialectal when used in this way, as in
you can do somewhat (or some’at) for m!e.
something in the wind. As a way of saying that
preparations, usually of a menacing kind, are
being made, even though one is uncertain about
their nature or purpose, there is something in
the wind is a cliche. It is drawn from observation
of an animal scenting danger.
something rotten in the state of Denmark. Hamlet’s
suspicion that something was rotten in the
state of Denmark proved to be well founded:
the king murdered, the queen seduced, the heir
cheated, the courtiers drunk, the councillor senile,
invasion threatened, spies planted, ghosts
abroad, and even the visiting actors a little: uncertain
of their lines-rotten indeed! But the
quotation itself (slightly misquoted usually-
465 sorry
the original is Something is rotten in the state
of Denmark not There’s something rotten in the
state of Denmark) is now stale, flat, and unprofitable
and gives off a faint odor of decay all
its own.
sometime; sometimes. In current English the form
sometimes is felt as a plural and is used to meal]
“at times” or “now and then,” as in he comes
here sometimes. The form sometime, on the
other hand, is felt as a singular and is used to
refer to one unspecified time, as in he will come
sometime.
Historically, these words are adverbs and do
not have a singular or a plural form, any more
than the word soon does. The final s in sometimes
was simply an adverbial sign similar to
the s in backwards and endways. The form
sometime once meant “formerly” and in this
sense could be used before a noun, as in our
sometime sister, now our queen. This use of the
word survives in England, but only in a few set
phrases, such as sometime fellow. In current
English one-time is preferred in this sense.
someway; someways; somewise. In the United
States someway is used as the equivalent of
somehow, a.s in I will get one someway. This is
standard English in this country. Someways is
not heard SO often and does not have the same
standing. In England both forms are considered
uneducated and somehow is required. (When
ways is part of a prepositional phrase, such as
in some ways he is a fool, it is not being used
as the equivalent of somehow and is standard
everywhere.) Somewise is acceptable English,
but it is not often heard in the United States.
somewhat. See something.
somewhen, though unusual, is acceptable. It has
been in use since at least 1297.
somewhere; somewheres. Somewhere is the only
acceptable form in written English. In the
United States somewheres is often heard in the
speech of well educated people, but it does not
appear in print.
Somewhere is sometimes used with an unnecessary
that, as in somewhere that I have been.
This is not as well established as the similar
use of anywhere, but it is acceptable to many
educated people in the United States.
sonata. The plural is sonatas, not sonatae.
soon. See early.
sop to Cerberus. Cerberus was the three-headed
dog that guarded the entrance to the infernal
regions in Greek mythology. In Vereil’s Aeneid
he was put to sleep by being flung “a morsel
drowsy with honey and drugged meal” which
he caught “in his triple throat in ravenous hunger.”
As a term for appeasing someone formidable,
giving him a bribe or a promise as a
means of persuading him to relax his vigilance
and hostility, to keep him quiet if onlv for a
moment, giving a sip to Cerberus is a clichC,
sustained for centuries by its alliteration.
soprano. The plural is sopranos or soprani.
sorry; afraid; fear; regret. I’m afraid and I fear
are often used as elegant expressions of regret.
When a man says I’m afraid I’ll have to go now,