Page:The grammar of English grammars.djvu/660

 reterits of their verbs, where there is any difference of form. Example: "It would be well, if all writers who endeavour to be accurate, would be careful to avoid a corruption at present so prevalent, of saying, it was wrote, for, it was written; he was drove, for, he was driven; I have went, for, I have gone, &c., in all which instances a verb is absurdly used to supply the proper participle, without any necessity from the want of such word."--Harris's Hermes, p. 186.

IMPROPRIETIES FOR CORRECTION.

FALSE SYNTAX UNDER RULE XX.

EXAMPLES UNDER NOTE I.--EXPUNGE OF.

"In forming of his sentences, he was very exact."--Error noticed by Murray, Vol. i, p. 194.

[FORMULE.--Not proper, because the preposition of is used after the participle forming, whose verb does not require it. But, according to Note 1st under Rule 20th, "Active participles have the same government as the verbs from which they are derived; the preposition of, therefore, should not be used after the participle, when the verb does not require it." Therefore, of should be omitted; thus, "In forming his sentences, he was very exact."]

"For not believing of which I condemn them"--Barclay's Works, iii. 354. "To prohibit his hearers from reading of that book."--Ib., i, 223. "You will please them exceedingly, in crying down of ordinances."--MITCHELL: ib., i, 219. "The war-wolf subsequently became an engine for casting of stones,"--Constable's Miscellany, xxi, 117. "The art of dressing of hides and working in leather was practised."--Ib., xxi, 101. "In the choice they had made of him, for restoring of order."--Rollin's Hist., ii, 37. "The Arabians exercised themselves by composing of orations and poems."--Sale's Koran, p. 17. "Behold, the widow-woman was there gathering of sticks."--1 Kings, xvii, 10. "The priests were busied in offering of burnt-offerings."--2 Chron., xxxv, 14. "But Asahel would not turn aside from following of him."--2 Sam., ii, 21. "He left off building of Ramah, and dwelt in Tirzah."--1 Kings, xv, 21. "Those who accuse us of denying of it, belie us."--Barclay's Works, iii, 280. "And breaking of bread from house to house."--Ib., i, 192. "Those that set about repairing of the walls."--Ib., i, 459. "And secretly begetting of divisions."--Ib., i, 521. "Whom he had made use of in gathering of his church."--Ib., i, 535. "In defining and distinguishing of the acceptions and uses of those particles."--Walker's Particles, p. 12.

"In punishing of this, we overthrow   The laws of nations, and of nature too."--Dryden, p. 92.

UNDER NOTE II.--ARTICLES REQUIRE OF.

"The mixing them makes a miserable jumble of truth and fiction."--''Kames, El. of Crit.'', ii, 357. "The same objection lies against the employing statues."--Ib., ii, 358. "More efficacious than the venting opulence upon the Fine Arts."--Ib., Vol. i, p. viii. "It is the giving different names to the same object."--Ib., ii, 19. "When we have in view the erecting a column."--Ib., ii, 56. "The straining an elevated subject beyond due bounds, is a vice not so frequent."--Ib., i, 206. "The cutting evergreens in the shape of animals is very ancient."--Ib., ii, 327. "The keeping juries, without meet, drink or fire, can be accounted for only on the same idea."--Webster's Essays, p. 301. "The writing the verbs at length on his slate, will be a very useful exercise."--Beck's Gram., p. 20. "The avoiding them is not an object of any moment."--Sheridan's Lect., p. 180. "Comparison is the increasing or decreasing the Signification of a Word by degrees."--British Gram., p. 97. "Comparison is the Increasing or Decreasing the Quality by Degrees."--Buchanan's English Syntax, p. 27. "The placing a Circumstance before the Word with which it is connected, is the easiest of all Inversion."--Ib., p. 140. "What is emphasis? It is the emitting a stronger and fuller sound of voice," &c.--Bradley's Gram., p. 108. "Besides, the varying the terms will render the use of them more familiar."--''Alex. Murray's Gram.'', p. 25. "And yet the confining themselves to this true principle, has misled them!"--Horne Tooke's Diversions, Vol. i, p. 15. "What is here commanded, is merely the relieving his misery."--Wayland's Moral Science, p. 417. "The accumulating too great a quantity of knowledge at random, overloads the mind instead of adorning it."--Formey's Belles-Lettres, p. 5. "For the compassing his point."--Rollin's Hist., ii, 35. "To the introducing such an inverted order of things."--Butler's Analogy, p. 95. "Which require only the doing an external action."--Ib., p. 185. "The imprisoning my body is to satisfy your wills."--GEO. FOX: Sewel's Hist., p. 47. "Who oppose the conferring such extensive command on one person."--Duncan's Cicero, p. 130. "Luxury contributed not a little to the enervating their forces."--Sale's Koran, p. 49. "The keeping one day of the week for a sabbath."--Barclay's Works, i. 202. "The doing a thing is contrary to the forbearing of it."--Ib., i, 527. "The doubling the Sigma is, however, sometimes regular."--Knight, on the Greek Alphabet, p. 29. "The inserting the common aspirate too, is improper."--Ib., p. 134. "But in Spenser's time the pronouncing the ed seems already to have been something of an archaism."--Philological Museum, Vol. i, p. 656. "And to the reconciling the effect of their verses on the eye."--Ib., i, 659. "When it was not in their power to hinder the taking the whole."--Brown's Estimate, ii, 155. "He had indeed given the orders himself for the shutting the gates."--Ibid. "So his whole life was a doing the will of the Father."--Penington, iv, 99. "It signifies the suffering or receiving the action expressed."--Priestley's Gram., p. 37. "The