Sometimes the disjunctive but is substituted for the conjunction that, as, "I have no doubt but he will be here to-night." Sometimes for the conjunction if, as, "I shouldn't wonder but that was the case." And sometimes two conjunctions are used instead of one, as, "If that I have offended him," "After that he had seen the parties," &c. All this is very awkward indeed, and ought to be avoided, and might easily be so by a little attention.
CHAPTER II.
I.
It is obsolete now to use the article an before words beginning with long u or with eu, and it has become more elegant, in modern style, to say, "a university," "a useful article," "a European," "a euphonious combination of sentences," &c., &c. It is also proper to say "such a one," not "such an one."
II.
Some people pronounce the plural of handkerchief, scarf, wharf, dwarf, handkerchieves, scarves, wharves, dwarves. This is an error, as these words, and perhaps a few others, are exceptions to the rule laid down, that nouns ending in f and fe shall change these terminations into ves to form the plural.
III.
There is an illiterate mode of pronouncing the adverb too, which is that of contracting it into the sound of the preposition to; thus, "I think I paid to much for this gun," "This line is to long by half." The adverb too should be pronounced like the numeral adjective two, and have the same full distinct sound in delivery, as, "I think I paid two much for this gun," "This line is two long by half."
IV.