NOTE III.—An ellipsis or omission of the preposition is inelegant, except where long and general use has sanctioned it, and made the relation sufficiently intelligible. In the following sentence, of is needed: "I will not flatter you, that all I see in you is worthy love."— Shakspeare. The following requires from: "Ridicule is banished France, and is losing ground in England."—Kames, El. of Crit., i, 106.
NOTE IV.—The insertion of a preposition is also inelegant, when the particle is needless, or when it only robs a transitive verb of its proper regimen; as, "The people of England may congratulate to themselves."—DRYDEN: Priestley's Gram., p. 163. "His servants ye are, to whom ye obey."—Rom., vi, 16.
NOTE V.—The preposition and its object should have that position in respect to other words, which will render the sentence the most perspicuous and agreeable. Examples of error: "Gratitude is a forcible and active principle in good and generous minds."—Murray's Key, 8vo, p. 169. Better: "In good and generous minds, gratitude is a forcible and active principle." "By a single stroke, he knows how to reach the heart."— Blair's Rhet., p. 439. Better: "He knows how to reach the heart by a single stroke."
IMPROPRIETIES FOR CORRECTION.
FALSE SYNTAX UNDER RULE XXIII.
EXAMPLES UNDER NOTE I.—CHOICE OF PREPOSITIONS.
"You have bestowed your favours to the most deserving persons."—Swift, on
E. Tongue.
[FORMULE.—Not proper because the relation between have bestowed and persons is not correctly expressed by the preposition to. But, according to Note 1st under Rule 23d, "Prepositions must be chosen and employed agreeably to the usage and idiom of the language, so as rightly to express the relations intended." This relation would be better expressed by upon; thus, "You have bestowed your favours upon the most deserving persons.">[
"But to rise beyond that, and overtop the crowd, is given to few."—Blair's Rhet., p. 351. "This also is a good sentence, and gives occasion to no material remark."—Ib., p. 201. "Though Cicero endeavours to give some reputation of the elder Cato, and those who were his cotemporaries."—Ib., p. 245. "The change that was produced on eloquence, is beautifully described in the Dialogue."—Ib., p. 249. "Without carefully attending to the variation which they make upon the idea."—Ib., p. 367. "All of a sudden, you are transported into a lofty palace."—Hazlitt's Lect., p. 70. "Alike independent on one another."—Campbell's Rhet., p. 398. "You will not think of them as distinct processes going on independently on each other,"—Channing's Self-Culture, p. 15. "Though we say, to depend on, dependent on, and independent on, we say, independently of."—Churchill's Gram., p. 348. "Independently on the rest of the sentence."—Lowth's Gram., p. 78; Guy's, 88; Murray's, i, 145 and 184; Ingersoll's, 150; Frost's, 46; Fisk's, 125; Smith's New Gram., 156; Gould's Lat. Gram., 209; Nixon's Parser, 65. "Because they stand independent on the rest of the sentence."—Fisk's Gram., p. 111. "When a substantive is joined with a participle in English independently in the rest of the sentence."—Adam's Lat. and Eng. Gram., Boston Ed. of 1803, p. 213; Albany Ed. of 1820, p. 166. "Conjunction, comes of the two Latin words con, together, and jungo, to join."—Merchant's School Gram., p. 19. "How different to this is the life of Fulvia!"—Addison's Spect., No. 15. "Loved is a participle or adjective, derived of the word love."—Dr. Ash's Gram., p. 27. "But I would inquire at him, what an office is?"—Barclay's Works, iii, 463. "For the capacity is brought unto action."—Ib., iii, 420. "In this period, language and taste arrive to purity."—Webster's Essays, p. 94. "And should you not aspire at distinction in the republick of letters."—Kirkham's Gram., p. 13. "Delivering you up to the synagogues, and in prisons."—Keith's Evidences, p. 55. "One that is kept from falling in a ditch, is as truly saved, as he that is taken out of one."—Barclay's Works, i, 312. "The best on it is, they are but a sort of French Hugonots."—Addison, Spect., No. 62. "These last Ten Examples are indeed of a different Nature to the former."—Johnson's Gram. Com., p. 333. "For the initiation of students in the principles of the English language."—ANNUAL REVIEW: Murray's Gram., ii, 299. "Richelieu profited of every circumstance which the conjuncture afforded,"—Bolingbroke, on Hist., p. 177. "In the names of drugs and plants, the mistake in a word may endanger life."—Murray's Key, ii, 165. "In order to the carrying on its several parts into execution."—Butler's Analogy, p. 192. "His abhorrence to the superstitious figure."—HUME: Priestley's Gram., p. 164. "Thy prejudice to my cause."—DRYDEN: ib., p. 164. "Which is found among every species of liberty."—HUME: ib., p. 169. "In a hilly region to the north of Jericho."—Milman's Jews, Vol. i, p. 8. "Two or more singular nouns, coupled with AND, require a verb and pronoun in the plural."—Lennie's Gram., p. 83.
"Books should to one of these four ends conduce,
For wisdom, piety, delight, or use."—Denham, p. 239.