Note II.-a. For why the good old rule

Sufficeth them, the simple plan,

That they should take who have the power,

And they should keep who can.-WORDSWORTH, C. S.

b. IIe went to where the accident was committed. C. S.

c.

But an eternal now does ever last.-CoWLEY. C. S.

In this example, ever last is tautological.

Note III-a. In a word, his speech was all excellent good in itself. F. S.

b. He came agreeable to his promise, and conducted himself suitable to the occasion. F. S.

Note IV. -a. Come here to me if you will not go there to him. C. S.

b.

Come hither, come hither, by night and by day

We linger in pleasures that never are gone. C. S. Note V.-a. He arrived at Liverpool, and from thence he went to London. C. S.

b. He arrived at Liverpool, and thence he went to London. C. S.

Note VI.-a. The Lord is King, be the people never so impotent. C. S.

b. Ask me never so much dowry. C. S.

c. If the opportunities of some persons were ever so favorable, they are too idle to improve them. C. S.

Note VII-a. The Scriptures are a revelation from God; here we find the truths we need to know. C. S.

Instead of

b. His follies had reduced him to a situation where he has every thing to fear and nothing to hope. C. S. where, many grammarians would say in which.

c. Where the heart has laid down what it most loved, it is desirous of laying itself down. C. S. Where, in this case, is used like what, and contains in itself the antecedent.

Note VIII-Will he, upon examination, confess the truth? No. C. S.

Note IX.-a. I can not by no means admit it to be true. F.S b. Nobody can never say that none of our family was never guilty of no dishonestness. F. S.

Note X.-If that be all, there is no need of paying for it, since I am resolved to have that pleasure, whether I am there or no F S.

CHAPTER VII.

SYNTAX OF PREPOSITIONS.

§ 526. RULE XXXIX. - PREPOSITIONS govern the objective case; as, "They went out from us, because they were not of us;" "From him that is needy turn not away;" "The face of Raphael's mother blends with the angelic beauty of all his Madonnas."

Prepositions sometimes govern sentences; as, "But before I can venture to lay it before you, it is proper to call your attention to how matters stood at the time of its publication."— ERSKINE in behalf of Stockdale.

The accurate or appropriate use of prepositions can be understood only by carefully keeping in mind the exact relations which they express. It is the remark of Bopp, that at the bottom of every preposition, in its original sense, there exists a relation between two opposite conceptions; thus, before implies behind, and over, under. See § 374.

Note I.—A preposition expresses the relation in which the conception named by a noun substantive stands to that named by another noun substantive, or asserted by a verb, or assumed by an adjective. It should, therefore, be placed as near as possible to each of the words whose relations it expresses: "The ignorance of the age in mechanical arts rendered the progress very slow of the new invention." It should be, "the progress of the new invention very slow."

Note II. The preposition is sometimes separated from its noun, in order to connect different prepositions with the same noun; as, "To suppose the zodiac and the planets to be efficient of and antecedent to themselves." This form, though inelegant, is often convenient, especially in forms of law, where exactness and fullness must take place of every other consideration.

Note III. The preposition is sometimes separated from the word which it governs; as, "Milton is an author whom I am much delighted with." The form of expression is in some cases idiomatic and expressive, though a violation of a general rule.

Note IV. Prepositions are sometimes understood; as, "He

=

gave me a book;" "Get me some paper” He gave to me some paper; Get for me some paper. These, as explained elsewhere, are remains of Dative forms existing in the Anglo-Saxon, and may be parsed without the aid of a preposition. See § 486. The prepositions IN, ON, FOR, and FROM, are understood before nouns of time and place; as, "This day," "next month," are used elliptically, for "on this day," "in this month." For a somewhat different view of such sentences, see § 486.

Note V. The word to which the preposition refers is often omitted, especially before an Infinitive; as, "He is a person not fit to converse with." The ellipsis may be supplied by whom it is introduced into the sentence: "He is a person whom it is not fit to converse with."

In those instances in which the preposition is treated as an adverb, there is often a noun understood; as, "The heavens above;""the earth beneath."

Note VI.-Prepositions seem sometimes to be put absolutely after the perfect participle; as, "The man spoken to," "The subject talked of."

Note VII.-Prepositions are in some cases used for nouns; as, "The ins are fewer than the outs."

Note VIII The prepositions ur, ON, OVER, BY, &c., are often subjoined to verbs, so that the verb and preposition can be regarded as a compound word; as, "To get up." Some of these compounds are idiomatic; as, "To get up" to rise; to go on to proceed.

=

Note IX. Grammarians are not agreed as to the syntax of near and nigh, like and unlike, save and except, but and than, and some others. In the phrases "near him," "nigh him,” some regard near and nigh as performing the office of prepositions, like the Latin words propior proximus, while others consider the preposition to as understood. In the phrases "except them" and "save them," some consider except and save as prepositions, while others regard them as verbs in the Imperative. They were originally verbal. The words saving, barring, during, touching, concurring, relating to, originally participles, perform the functions of prepositions. Thus we see that words which were adjectives, verbs, or participles, become prepositional in their character.

Note X.-The preposition to is made use of before nouns of place, when they follow verbs and participles of motion; as, “I went to London ;" but the preposition AT is generally used after the verb to be; as, "I have been at Amherst." The preposition in is set before the names of countries, cities, and large towns; as, "He lives in France." In the Devonshire dialect, "He lives to Exmouth" is used instead of "at Exmouth." Note XI-Two prepositions in some cases come together; as, "From under the ship;"

"From before the lustre of her face, White break the clouds away."

Note XII.-Prepositions are elliptically construed with certain adjectives; as, "In vain," "in secret;" and also with certain adverbs; as, "At once." These are called adverbial phrases.

Note XIII.-Prepositions sometimes form compound verbs by being joined with Intransitive verbs, and also with verbs in the passive voice; as, "She smiled at him;" "A bitter persecution was carried on."

Note XIV. In some cases the preposition is advantageously repeated; as, “In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils on the sea, in perils among false brethren, in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in cold and nakedness."

Note XV. It is a general rule that Greek, Latin, and French derivatives are followed by a preposition corresponding with that which is in composition; as, "To sympathize with;” “to expel from," "to adapt to." To this rule there are many exceptions; as, "We submit to;" "we prefer to;" "aversion to," not aversion from.

Note XVI. The following examples of the improper use of prepositions, with corrections, are from MURRAY'S Grammar, p. 189:

;"" on going,"

"He was resolved of going to the Persian court;" &c.

&c.

"He found the greatest difficulty of writing;" "in writing,"

"The English were a very different people then to what they are now;" "from what," &c.

"It is more than they thought for;" "thought of." “Neither of them shall make me swerve out of the path;" "from the path.'

"He was made much on at Argos;" "much of," &c.

"Neither of them shall make me swerve out of the path;" "from the path."

"In compliance to (with) your request."

"The rain has been falling of a long time;" "falling a long time."

"He was eager of recommending it to his fellow-citizens ;" "in recommending," &c.

"You have bestowed your favors to the most deserving persons;" "upon the most deserving persons."

"The history of Peter is agreeable with the sacred texts;" "to the sacred texts."

"If policy can prevail upon force;" "over force."

"The variety of factions into which we are still engaged ;" "in which."

"The wisest princes need not think it any diminution to their greatness, or derogation to their sufficiency to rely upon counsel;" "diminution of" and "derogation from."

"A strict observance after times and fashions;" "of times." "Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat and swallow a came!;" "which strain out a gnat."

THE COLLOCATION OF

PREPOSITIONS.

§ 527. The general rule is, that the preposition shall precede the substantive which it governs. To this rule there are exceptions. For though, in construction, it precedes the noun or pronoun dependent on it, yet in its position in the sentence it may be far separated from it, as in Note III., or oven follow it.

EXERCISES IN THE SYNTAX OF PREPOSITIONS.

RULE XXXIX.-a. He came from Switzerland, through France, over to England, and stayed some months among us. C. S.

b. Between you and I, there is much mischief in that plan. F. S.

c. Does that boy know who he speaks to? Who does he of for such language to? F. S.

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