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1.

Imagine Gulliver's amazement on beholding himself surrounded by a host of small human beings (or, dwarfs) of about the size of his middle finger.

Mr. Bennett thinks that an editorial article (or, a leader) is in the highest style of composition known.

II.

Imagine Gulliver's amazement on beholding himself surrounded by a host of small humans about the size of his middle finger.

Mr. Bennett thinks that " an editorial" is the highest style of composition known.

The last sentence as originally written appears in "The Spectator" (May 7, 1864) in a review of "Manhattan,” an American novel. It would be interesting to know when editorial was first used as a noun. The word is so common now in America, and so convenient,-"leader" being rarely used here, that there is danger of its establishing itself in the language. Editorialet may appear next, as leaderette has appeared in England.

Avoid nouns that are not in good use.

Chapter IV.

OF PRONOUNS

In the use of pronouns, the possibilities of error are so many and so varied that few writers succeed in securing absolute correctness and uniform clearness.

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Vulgarisms. Some blunders in the use of pronouns are, or should be, confined to the illiterate.

I.

This book is yours.

Its length is twenty feet.

Although near their ages, she was not in reality a companion of theirs.

II.

This book is your's.

It's length is twenty feet.

She was not in reality, although near their ages, a companion of their's.

Your's, it's, and their's occur now and then in college compositions, and sometimes creep into print.

I.

He was a gentleman who was always ready to give his advice.

He applies the same test to poetry that he applied to painting.

II.

He was a gentleman as was always ready to give his advice. He applies the same test to poetry as he applied to painting.

This use of as is not uncommon among the half-educated.

I.

II.

Such traits as are recorded by

others are noteworthy.

Such traits which are recorded by others are noteworthy.

After "such," the proper pronoun is "as," not which.

I.

Now I will accept that as courage which (or, accept as courage what) I before regarded as arrogance.

II.

Now I will accept that as courage what I before regarded as arrogance.

Any one who believes that the sentence as originally written is correct, will see his error if he substitutes for what its equivalent, "that which."

I.

What does he want here?

King Louis said that he would give the Countess Isabelle in marriage to any one who should prove that he had killed William de la Marck.

It is impossible for me to hold both of them.

Was it you who called and asked all those questions?

Avoid VULGARISMS.

II.

Whatever does he want here?

King Louis said that he would give the Countess Isabelle in marriage to whomsoever should give evidence of killing William de la Marck.

It is impossible for me to hold the two of them.

Was it you who called and asked all them questions?

Nominative or Objective Case. Few inexperienced writers avoid mistakes in the use of personal pronouns.

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"A great many young ladies of my acquaintance," says a recent American writer, "do not know the difference

between 'you and I' and 'you and me.' I constantly hear them saying, 'He brought you and I a bouquet,' or 'You and me are invited to tea this evening.'

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"Oh, if it had only been me!" cries a character in one of Mrs. Oliphant's novels," ungrammatical," adds the author, "as excitement generally is."

I.

Our only comfort was that the Carbottle people were quite as badly off as we.

A calm ensued, in the absence of him of the whip and the trumpet.

II.

Our only comfort was that the Carbottle people were quite as badly off as us.

A calm ensued in the absence of he of the whip and the trumpet.

A well-worn example of the incorrect use of he for "him" is in Byron's "Cain": answer this."

I.

At that, another fellow, probably he who had remained below to search the captain's body, came to the door of the inn.

They were both somewhat taller than she.

I know no one whom I like better than them.

"Let he who made thee,

II.

At that, another fellow, probably him who had remained below to search the captain's body, came to the door of the inn.

They were both somewhat taller than her.

I know no one whom I like better than they.

The last sentence as originally written is ambiguous; but, in the absence of a verb after they, it is natural to suppose they to be a mistake for "them."

Beware of using the NOMINATIVE CASE of a personal pronoun instead of the OBJECTIVE, or the OBJECTIVE instead of the NOMINATIVE.

Pronouns before Verbal Nouns. The use of pronouns with verbal nouns presents a troublesome question.

II.

I have no doubt of it being

I have no doubt of its being

she.

her.

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In this example, "the pronoun 'she,' coming in a soundingly objective phrase," as a teacher puts it, "seems, to the ear, ungrammatical, as if it were dependent far back upon 'of';" but it is the phrase "its being she," not the word "she," which depends upon "of." "Being" is a verbal noun, that is, it serves both as noun and as verb. As noun, it takes the possessive pronoun "its;" as verb, it takes "she" after it, as the verb "is" would do if the same thought were expressed thus: "I have no doubt that it is she," a sentence less clumsy than that quoted above. If this explanation is correct, "its" before "being" may be easily and simply accounted for. The weight of good usage, at all events, is decidedly with "its being." Other examples are

I.

I always remember your saying that.

I did not think of his being archdeacon.

These confidences, which neither could forget, might prevent their meeting (or, prevent them from meeting) with ease.

II.

I always remember you saying that.

I did not think of him being archdeacon.

These confidences, which neither could forget, might prevent them meeting with ease.

There are pronouns, however, which must be used in the nominative case before verbal nouns :

I have my doubts as to this being true.

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You seem to understand me by each at once her choppy finger laying upon her skinny lips.

A sufficient reason for these apparent exceptions to the

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