1. From, in the phrases from thence, from whence.
2. Of, especially in the expressions off of, remember of, treat of. “Keep off [not off of] the grass.” “This book treats [better than treats of] chemistry.”
3. On, with the words the next morning. “He was rebellious on the seventh of July, but the next morning [not on the next morning] he reappeared in a more submissive frame of mind.”
Oral Exercise.—Prune away every word that can be spared; note the increase in force. Slight changes may be made in the wording.
1. All of the ships were lost; no kind of a one was saved.
2. I know from my own personal knowledge that a man who stands upright in his own manhood, honest and conscious of the rectitude of his purposes, is safe against calumny and slander.
3. I don’t think it a good precedent to set in this house for any man to vote for a bill in which he has a personal interest, and I don’t remember of ever having done so of myself. I shall, therefore, for this reason, refrain from voting, but I want to say a word on this bill, and I want to talk to the democrats.
4. Real-estate dealer is knocked down by an accident and is run over by a cab.
5. Commencing on Monday, March 29, supported by the New York Garrick Theatre Stock Company, Mr. Mansfield will commence an engagement of two weeks at the Grand Opera House.
Written or Oral Exercise.—In the following sentences some of the underscored expressions should be expressed more briefly by changing clauses to phrases or phrases to single words. Thus: men who deserved and won renown may shorten to men of deserved renown.