Page:The king's English (IA kingsenglish00fowlrich).pdf/184

170 In so far as leaves the popularity and the pulling through doubtful, which they are clearly not meant to be. It should be so far that.

A man can get help from above to do what as far as human possibility has proved out of his power.—Daily Telegraph.

This is a whole sentence, not a fragment, as might be supposed. But as far as (except in the local sense) must have a verb, finite or infinite. Supply goes.

The large majority would reply in the affirmative, in so far as to admit that there is a God.—Daily Telegraph.

So far as to admit, or in so far as they would admit; not the mixture. And this distinction is perhaps the only justification for the existence of in so far as by the side of so far as; the first is only conjunction, the second can be preposition as well.