“Yet, lo! in me what authors have to brag on! 
    Reduc’d at last to hiss in my own dragon.”—­Pope.

OBS. 19.—­In the allowable uses of prepositions, there may perhaps be some room for choice; so that what to the mind of a critic may not appear the fittest word, may yet be judged not positively ungrammatical.  In this light I incline to view the following examples:  “Homer’s plan is still more defective, upon another account.”—­Kames, El. of Crit., ii, 299.  Say—­“on an other account.”  “It was almost eight of the clock before I could leave that variety of objects.”—­Spectator, No. 454.  Present usage requires—­“eight o’clock.”  “The Greek and Latin writers had a considerable advantage above us.”—­Blair’s Rhet., p. 114.  “The study of oratory has this advantage above that of poetry.”—­Ib., p. 338.  “A metaphor has frequently an advantage above a formal comparison.”—­ Jamieson’s Rhet., p. 150.  This use of above seems to be a sort of Scotticism:  an Englishman, I think, would say—­“advantage over us,” &c.  “Hundreds have all these crowding upon them from morning to night.”—­ Abbott’s Teacher, p. 33.  Better—­“from morning till night.”  But Horne Tooke observes, “We apply TO indifferently to place or time; but TILL to time only, and never to place.  Thus we may say, ’From morn TO night th’ eternal larum rang;’ or, ‘From morn TILL night.’ &c.”—­Diversions of Purley, i, 284.

NOTES TO RULE XXIII.

NOTE I.—­Prepositions must be chosen and employed agreeably to the usage and idiom of the language, so as rightly to express the relations intended.  Example of error:  “By which we arrive to the last division.”—­Richard W. Green’s Gram., p. vii.  Say,—­“arrive at.”  NOTE II.—­Those prepositions which are particularly adapted in meaning to two objects, or to more, ought to be confined strictly to the government of such terms only as suit them.  Example of error:  “What is Person?  It is the medium of distinction between the speaker, the object addressed or spoken to, and the object spoken of.”—­O.  B. Peirce’s Gram., p. 34. “Between three” is an incongruity; and the text here cited is bad in several other respects.

NOTE III.—­An ellipsis or omission of the preposition is inelegant, except where long and general use has sanctioned it, and made the relation sufficiently intelligible.  In the following sentence, of is needed:  “I will not flatter you, that all I see in you is worthy love.”—­ Shakspeare.  The following requires from:  “Ridicule is banished France, and is losing ground in England.”—­Kames, El. of Crit., i, 106.

NOTE IV.—­The insertion of a preposition is also inelegant, when the particle is needless, or when it only robs a transitive verb of its proper regimen; as, “The people of England may congratulate to themselves.”—­DRYDEN:  Priestley’s Gram., p. 163.  “His servants ye are, to whom ye obey.”—­Rom., vi, 16.