“You will arrive to London before the coach.”
“A priest newly arrived to the north-west parts of Ireland.”—Swift’s Sacr. Test.
In these examples the verb “to arrive,” is followed by to, instead of at, an error which should be carefully avoided. Good writers never construe it with the preposition significant of motion or progression concluded, but with those prepositions which denote propinquity or inclusion, namely, at or in. Hence also to join this verb with adverbs, expressive of motion to, or towards a place, is improper. We should say, “he arrived here, there, where,” not—“hither, thither, whither.”
“Elizabeth was not unconcerned; she remonstrated to James.”—Andrew’s Continuation of Henry’s History. This is incorrect. We remonstrate with and not to a person, and against a thing.
“I am the Lord that maketh all things, that stretcheth forth the heavens alone, that spreadeth the earth abroad by myself.” According to the structure of the second and third clauses of this sentence, the Lord is the antecedent to that, which is, therefore, properly joined with the third person of the verbs following, “maketh,” “spreadeth;” but the pronoun of the first person, myself, in the last clause, does not accord with this structure; for as we cannot say, “he spreadeth the earth by myself,” there being only one agent implied, and where he and myself are supposed to allude to one person, so we cannot say, “that (Lord) spreadeth the earth by myself,” but “by himself,” an identity of person being indispensably requisite. The sentence, therefore, should conclude thus, “that spreadeth abroad the earth by himself.” If myself be retained, the pronoun I must be considered as the antecedent, and the sentence will then run thus: “I am the Lord, that make all things, that stretch forth the heavens alone, that spread abroad the earth by myself.”
“Thou great First Cause, least understood,
Who all my sense confin’d
To know but this, that thou art good,
And that myself am blind.”—Pope.