418. “His conduct admits of no apology:” omit of, which is quite unnecessary.
419. “A gent has been here inquiring for you:” a detestable, but very common expression; say, a gentleman has been, &c. Oliver Wendell Holmes hits off this liberty with language, in the following happy couplet:—
“The things called pants, in certain documents,
Were never made for gentlemen, but gents.”
420. “That was all along of you:” say, “That was all your fault.”
421. “You have no call to be angry with me:” say, no occasion, &c.
422. “Too free an indulgence in luxuries enervate and injure the system:” say, enervates and injures, &c. The plural, luxuries, standing directly before the verb, (which should be enervates, in the singular,) deceives the ear. Errors of this kind are very common, though a moment’s thought would correct them. The verb must agree with its subject in person and in number; if the noun is in the singular, the verb that belongs to it must also be in the singular.
423. “A father divided a portion of his property among his two children, and the remainder he distributed between the poor:” say, between his two children, and among the poor. Between is applicable to two only, among to three or more.
424. “Every child should obey their parents:” say, his parents. The pronoun must agree with the noun in number, &c.
425. “He is a person who I respect greatly:” say, whom. “Be careful who you trust:” whom you trust.
426. “Let me consider of this matter.” “The culprit dreaded to enter in the prison.” “The laborers were not allowed to want for anything.” Leave out the italicized words—the sense being complete without them.