Page:The king's English (IA kingsenglish00fowlrich).pdf/335

Rh unless we may supply the subject of 'seek', &c. ('some writers').

We may notice here a curious blunder that is sometimes made with the reflexive verb 'I avail myself of'. The passive of this is never used, because there is no occasion for it: 'I was availed of this by myself' would mean exactly the same as the active, and would be intolerably clumsy. The impossible passives quoted below imply that it and staff would be the direct objects of the active verb.

Watt and Fulton bethought themselves that, where was power was not devil, but was God; that it must be availed of, and not by any means let off and wasted.–.

Used or employed, and so in the next :

No salvage appliances or staff could have been availed of in time to save the lives of the men.–Times.

This is extraordinarily common. The instances are arranged in order of obviousness.

Rh