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Slips of Speech

J >> John H. Bechtel >> Slips of Speech




When a transitive participle is converted into a noun, of must be
inserted to govern the object following. "He was very exact in forming
his sentences," "He was very exact in the formation of his sentences."

Omit the possessive

The possessive case should not be prefixed to a participle that is not
taken in all respects as a noun. It should, therefore, be expunged in
the following sentences: "By our offending others, we expose
ourselves." "She rewarded the boy for his studying so diligently." "He
errs in his giving the word a double construction."

The possessives in such cases as the following should be avoided: "I
have some recollection of his father's being a judge." "To prevent its
being a dry detail of terms." These sentences may be improved by
recasting them. "I have some recollection that his father was a
judge." "To prevent it from being a dry detail of terms."
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When the noun or pronoun to which the participle relates is a passive
subject, it should not have the possessive form; as, "The daily
instances of men's dying around us remind us of the brevity of human
life." "We do not speak of a monosyllable's having a primary accent."
Change men's to men, and monosyllable's to monosyllable.

After verbs

Verbs do not govern participles. "I intend doing it," "I remember
meeting Longfellow," and similar expressions should be changed by the
substitution of the infinitive for the participle; as, "I intend to do
it," "I remember to have met Longfellow."

After verbs signifying to persevere, to desist, the participle ending
in ing is permitted; as, "So when they continued asking him, he lifted
up himself, and said unto them."

Place

In the use of participles and of verbal nouns, the leading word in
sense should always be made the leading word, and not the adjunct, in
the construction.

"They did not give notice of the pupil leaving." Here, the leading
idea is leaving. Pupil should, therefore, be subordinate by changing
its form to the possessive; as, "They did not give notice of the
pupil's leaving." Better still, "They did not give notice that the
pupil had left."
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Clearness

The word to which the participle relates should stand out clearly. "By
giving way to sin, trouble is encountered." This implies that trouble
gives way to sin. The relation of the participle is made clear by
saying, "By giving way to sin, we encounter trouble."

"By yielding to temptation, our peace is sacrificed." This should be,
"By yielding to temptation we sacrifice our peace."

"A poor child was found in the streets by a wealthy and benevolent
gentleman, suffering from cold and hunger." Say, "A poor child,
suffering from cold and hunger, was found," etc.

Awkward Construction

Such awkward sentences as the following should be avoided. In most
cases they will require to be recast.

"But as soon as the whole body is attempted to be carved, a
disproportion between its various parts results."

"The offence attempted to be charged should be alleged under another
section of the statute." The following is a better arrangement:

"But as soon as an attempt is made to carve the whole body," etc. "The
offence which it is attempted to charge," etc.
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Is building

The active participle in a passive sense is employed by many excellent
writers and is condemned by others.

"Corn is selling for fifty cents a bushel."

"Corn is being sold for fifty cents a bushel."

The commercial world evidently prefers the former sentence. There is a
breeziness and an energy in it that is lacking in the latter. It must,
however, be used with caution. In the following examples the passive
form is decidedly better than the active: "The foundation was being
laid," "They are being educated," "While the speech was being
delivered," etc.
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CHAPTER XII

Prepositions

Clearness and elegance of style are, in no small degree, dependent
upon the choice and right use of prepositions. Many rules have been
formulated, some of which are deserving of consideration, while others
are nearly or quite useless. Among the latter may be mentioned, by way
of illustration, the oft-repeated rule that between or betwixt must
invariably be used when only two things are referred to, and that
among must be employed when more than two are named. While it is true
that the order could not be reversed, that among, when used, must be
employed in reference to three or more persons or things, and that
between may always be employed in speaking of two objects, yet the
practice of many of the best writers does not limit the use of between
to two objects. In fact, there are cases in which among will not take
the place of between; as, "I set out eighty trees with ample space
between them." "The stones on his farm were so plentiful that the
grass could not grow up between them."
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Between, Among

"The seven children divided the apples between them." Two children may
divide apples between, them, but in this case it is better to say,
"The seven children divided the apples among them."

George Eliot, in Middlemarch, says: "The fight lay entirely between
Pinkerton, the old Tory member; Bagster, the new Whig member; and
Brook, the Independent member." In this case, between or with is more
satisfactory than among, although three persons are referred to.

Choice

Many sentences betoken ignorance and others indicate extreme
carelessness on the part of the writers by the inapt choice of their
prepositions, which often express relations so delicate in their
distinctions that nothing short of an extended study of the best
writers will confer the desired skill. We present some examples.

By, In

"We do not accept the proposition referred to by your letter." The
writer should have employed the preposition in.

Differ with, From

We differ with a person in opinion or belief; we differ from him in
appearance, in attainments, in wealth, in rank, etc.
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Different from, To, Than

"Your story is very plausible, but Henry's is different to that." "My
book is quite different than his." The adjective different must not be
followed by the preposition to or than. The sentences will be correct
when from is substituted.

At, To

Never use the vulgar expression, "He is to home." Say at home.

Preferred before, To

"He was preferred before me." Say preferred to me.

With, Of

"He died with consumption." Of is the proper preposition to employ.
But we say, He is afflicted with rheumatism, or bronchitis, or other
disease.

In respect of, To

"In respect of this matter, he is at fault." Better, "to this matter."

Of, From

"He was acquitted from the charge of larceny." Acquitted of the
charge.

In, Into

Into implies direction or motion. "They walked into the church," means
that they entered it from the outside. "They walked in the church,"
means that they walked back and forth within the church.
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"The vessel is in port." "She came into port yesterday."

Of, In

"There was no use of asking his permission, for he would not grant
it." In asking.

In, On

"He is a person in whom you can rely." "That is a man in whose
statements you can depend." Use on for in.

To, With

Two persons are reconciled to each other; two doctrines or measures
are reconciled with each other when they are made to agree.

"This noun is in apposition to that." Use with.

With, By

These two prepositions are often confounded. They have a similarity of
signification with a difference of use. Both imply a connection
between some instrument or means and the agent by whom it is used.
With signifies the closer relation and by the more remote one.

It is said that an ancient king of Scotland once asked his nobles by
what tenure they held their lands. The chiefs drew their swords,
saying, "By these we acquired our lands, and with these we will defend
them."

By often relates to the person; with to the instrument.
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"He lay on the ground half concealed with a clump of bushes." "That
speech was characterized with eloquence." Use by in the last two
sentences.

With, To

We correspond with a person when we exchange letters. In speaking of
the adaptation of one object to another, the preposition to should be
used after the verb correspond; as, "This picture corresponds to
that." With is often incorrectly used in such cases instead of to.

Position

The old grammarian gave a very good rule when he said, "A preposition
is a very bad word to end a sentence with;" but it is sometimes easier
to follow his example than his precept. In general, the strength of a
sentence is improved by not placing small particles at the end.

"Which house do you live in?" Better, "In which house do you live?"

"Avarice is a vice which most men are guilty of." Say, "of which most
men are guilty."

"He is a man that you should be acquainted with." Say, "with whom you
should be acquainted."

"Is this the man that you spoke of?" Better, "of whom you spoke."

"These are principles that our forefathers died for." Rather, "for
which our forefathers died."
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Omission

Prepositions are often omitted when their use is necessary to the
correct grammatical construction of the sentence.

"They now live on this side the river." Say, "on this side of the
river."

"Esther and Helen sit opposite each other." It is more correct to say,
"sit opposite to each other."

"John is worthy our help." Better, "of our help."

"What use is this to us?" Of what use, etc.

"This law was passed the same year that I was born." Say, "In the same
year," etc.

"Washington was inaugurated President April 30, 1789." Some critics
insist upon the insertion of on before a date, as "on April 30," but
general usage justifies its omission. With equal force they might urge
the use of in before 1789. The entire expression of day, month, and
year is elliptical.

If the same preposition be required by several nouns or pronouns, it
must be repeated in every case if it be repeated at all. "He is
interested in philosophy, history, and in science." This sentence may
be corrected by placing in before history or by omitting it before
science. The several subjects are individualized more strongly by the
use of in before each noun. This is shown in the greater obscurity
given to history by the omission of the preposition in the foregoing
sentence.
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"We may have a feeling of innocence or of guilt, of merit or demerit."
Insert of before demerit.

Needless Prepositions

Prepositions, like other parts of speech that contribute nothing to
the meaning, should not be suffered to cumber the sentence.

Where am I at? Where is my book at? I went there at about noon. In
what latitude is Chicago in? Where are you going to? Take your hat off
of the table. Where has James been to? They offered to Caesar a crown.
This is a subject of which I intended to speak about (omit of or
about, but not both). She has a sister of ten years old. Leap in with
me into this angry flood.

The older writers employed the useless for in such expressions as,
What went ye out for to see? The apostles and elders came together for
to consider of this matter.

All of

A very common error is the unnecessary use of the preposition of after
all; as, "during all of this period," "in all of these cases," "for
all of the conditions," etc.

Up above

In most cases one of these prepositions will be found useless. "The
ladder reached up above the chimney."

From hence

The adverbs hence, thence, whence, include the idea of from. The
preposition should, therefore, be omitted.
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CHAPTER XIII

The Article

A, which is a shortened form of an, signifies one, or any. An was
formerly used before nouns beginning with either a consonant or a
vowel sound, but now an is used before a vowel sound and a before a
consonant sound; as, a book, a hat, an apple, an eagle.

It will be observed that an heiress, an herb, an honest man, an
honorable career, an hourly visit, a euchre party, a euphemism, a
eulogy, a union, etc., are not exceptions to the foregoing rule, for
the h being silent in heiress, herb, etc., the article an precedes a
vowel sound, and in euphemism, eulogy, union, the article a precedes
the consonant sound of y. Compare u-nit with you knit.

In like manner some persons have felt disposed to say many an one
instead of many a one because of the presence of the vowel o. But the
sound is the consonant sound of w as in won, and the article should be
a and not an.

There is a difference of opinion among writers concerning the use of a
and an, before words beginning
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with h, when not silent, especially when the accent falls on the
second syllable; as, a harpoon, a hegira, a herbarium, a herculean
effort, a hiatus, a hidalgo, a hydraulic engine, a hyena, a historian.
The absence of the accent weakens the h sound, and makes it seem as if
the article a was made to precede a vowel. The use of an is certainly
more euphonious and is supported by Webster's Dictionary and other
high authority.

The Honorable, The Reverend

Such titles as Honorable and Reverend require the article the; as,
"The Honorable William R. Gladstone is often styled 'The Grand Old
Man,'" "The Reverend Henry Ward Beecher was an eloquent orator," not
Honorable William, E. Gladstone, or Reverend Henry Ward Beecher.

Article omitted

"A clergyman and philosopher entered the hall together." "A clergyman
and philosopher" means one person who is both clergyman and
philosopher. The article should be repeated. "A clergyman and a
philosopher entered the hall together."

"A red and white flag" means one flag of two colors. "A red and a
white flag" means two flags, a red flag and a white flag. "A great and
a good man has departed." The verb has implies that only
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one man has departed, hence the sentence should be, "A great and good
man has departed."

"They sang the first and second verse," should be, "They sang the
first and the second verse." "The literal and figurative meaning of
words" should be, "The literal and the figurative meaning of words."

"In framing of his sentences he was very exact," should be, "In the
framing," etc., or, "In framing his sentences he was very exact." "The
masculine and feminine gender," should be, "The masculine and the
feminine gender."

"After singing a hymn, Miss Willard made a stirring address." If Miss
Willard alone sang the hymn the sentence is correct. If the
congregation sang the hymn the sentence should be, "After the singing
of a hymn, Miss Willard made a stirring address."

"He is but a poor writer at best." Say, "at the best." "He received
but a thousand votes at most." Say, "at the most."

"John came day before yesterday." Say, "the day before yesterday."

Article redundant

"Shakespeare was a greater writer than an actor," should be,
"Shakespeare was a greater writer than actor."

"This is the kind of a tree of which he was speaking,"
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should be, "This is the kind of tree," etc. "What kind of a bird is
this?" should be, "What kind of bird."

"The one styled the Provost is the head of the University," should be,
"The one styled Provost."

"The nominative and the objective cases," should be "The nominative
and objective cases."

"He made a mistake in the giving out the text." Say "in giving out the
text," or, "in the giving out of the text." In the latter instance,
the participle becomes a noun and may take the article before it.

Articles interchanged

"An elephant is the emblem of Siam," should be, "The elephant is the
emblem," etc. "A digraph is the union of two letters to represent one
sound." Should be, "A digraph is a union," etc.
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CHAPTER XIV

Redundancy

We are all creatures of habit. Our sayings, as well as our doings, are
largely a series of habits. In some instances we are unconscious of
our peculiarities and find it almost impossible to shake them off.

The following are verbatim expressions as they dropped from the lips
of a young clergyman in the pulpit. They show a deeply-seated habit of
repetition of thought. As he was a graduate of one of the first
colleges in the land, we are the more surprised that the habit was not
checked before he passed through his college and seminary courses. The
expressions are here given as a caution to others to be on their
guard: "Supremest and highest," "separate and sever us," "derision,
sarcasm, and contempt," "disobedient and disloyal and sinful," "hold
aloof from iniquity, from sin," "necessity of being reclaimed and
brought back," "their beautiful and their elegant city," "so abandoned
and given up to evil and iniquity," "soaked and stained with human
gore and blood," "beautiful and resplendent," "hardened and solidified
into stone and adamant," "this
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arctic splendor and brilliancy," "were being slaughtered and cut
down," "in the rapidity and the swiftness of the train," "with all the
mightiness and the splendor of his genius," "the force and the
pressure it brings to bear," "has and possesses the power," "lights
flashed and gleamed."

The above were all taken from a single discourse. Another peculiarity
of the same speaker was his use of the preposition between. Instead of
saying, "Between him and his father there was a perfect understanding
of the matter," he would say, "Between him and between his father
there was a perfect understanding of the matter."

Young writers will find it a valuable exercise to go through a letter,
essay, or other composition which they have written, with the view of
ascertaining how many words they can eliminate without diminishing the
force of what has been written. An article or two from the daily
paper, and an occasional page from some recent work of fiction will
afford further opportunity for profitable practice in pruning.

Widow woman

"And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon's
servant, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted
up his hand against the king."-- I Kings xi, 26.
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The expression is now regarded as an archaism, and not to be used in
modern speech or writing. Omit woman.

Why

Many persons have a foolish habit of beginning their answer to a
question with the word why. In some cases it doubtless has its origin
in the desire to gain time while the mind is preparing the answer, but
in most instances it is merely a habit.

Some persons prefix the word why to the statement of a fact or to the
asking of a question. This is even worse than to employ it to
introduce the answer. Restrict it to its legitimate use.

Look at here

This is one of the numerous expressions designed to call the attention
of the person addressed to the speaker. It is both ungrammatical and
vulgar. The omission of at will render it grammatical. "See here" is
still better.

Look and see

"Look and see if the teacher is coming." The words "look and" are
superfluous. "See whether the teacher is coming" is a better
expression.

Recollect of

The word of is superfluous in such expressions; as, "I recollect of
crossing Lake Champlain on the ice," "Do you recollect of his paying
you a compliment?"
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Settle up, down

"He has settled up his father's affairs." "He has settled down upon
the old farm." Up and down may be omitted.

"He has settled down to business" is a colloquial expression which may
be improved by recasting the sentence.

In so far

"He is not to blame in so far as I understand the circumstances." "In
so far as I know he is a thoroughly honest man." "In so far as I have
influence it shall be exerted in your favor." Omit in.

Pocket-handkerchief

The word handkerchief conveys the full meaning. Pocket is therefore
superfluous and should be omitted. If a cloth or tie for the neck is
meant, call it a neck tie or a neckerchief, but not a
neck-handkerchief.

Have got

"I have got a fine farm." "He has got four sons and three daughters."
"James has got a rare collection of butterflies." In such expressions
got is superfluous. But, if the idea of gaining or acquiring is to be
conveyed, the word got may be retained; as, "I have got my license,"
"I have got my degree," "I have got my reward."
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Off of

"Can I borrow a pencil off of you?" "I bought a knife off of him
yesterday." Such faulty expressions are very common among school
children, and should be promptly checked by the teacher. The off is
superfluous.

"He jumped off of the boat." Say, "He jumped off the boat."

The young lady appointed to sell articles at a church fair entreated
her friends to "buy something off of me." She should say, "Please buy
something from me," or "Make your purchases at my table."

For to see

"But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment?"
Matt. xi, 8. "I will try for to do what you wish." This form of
expression, once very common, is now obsolete. Omit for.

Appreciate highly

To appreciate is to set a full value upon a thing. We may value
highly, or prize highly, or esteem highly, but the word highly when
used with appreciate is superfluous.

Ascend up

"With great difficulty they ascended up the hill." As they could not
ascend down the hill it is evident that the word up is superfluous.
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Been to

"Where has he been to?" The sentence is not only more concise, but
more elegant without the terminal to.

Both

The sentence, "The two children both resembled each other," will be
greatly improved by omitting the word both. So also in "These baskets
are both alike," "William and I both went to Cuba."

But that

"I do not doubt but that my uncle will come." The sentence is shorter
and more clear without the word but. "I have no idea but that the crew
was drowned." Here but is necessary. Without it the opposite meaning
would be conveyed.

Equally as well

"James did it well, but Henry did it equally as well." As well or
equally well should be used instead of equally as well. "This method
will be equally as efficacious." Omit as.

Everywheres

"I have looked everywheres for the book, and I cannot find it." This
is a vulgarism that should be avoided. Say everywhere.

Feel like

"I feel like as if I should be sick." The word like is unnecessary.
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Few

"There are a few persons who read well." This sentence will be
improved by saying, "Few persons read well."

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