NOTE V.—­The preposition and its object should have that position in respect to other words, which will render the sentence the most perspicuous and agreeable.  Examples of error:  “Gratitude is a forcible and active principle in good and generous minds.”—­Murray’s Key, 8vo, p. 169.  Better:  “In good and generous minds, gratitude is a forcible and active principle.”  “By a single stroke, he knows how to reach the heart.”—­ Blair’s Rhet., p. 439.  Better:  “He knows how to reach the heart by a single stroke.”

IMPROPRIETIES FOR CORRECTION.

FALSE SYNTAX UNDER RULE XXIII.

EXAMPLES UNDER NOTE I.—­CHOICE OF PREPOSITIONS.

“You have bestowed your favours to the most deserving persons.”—­Swift, on E. Tongue.

[FORMULE.—­Not proper because the relation between have bestowed and persons is not correctly expressed by the preposition to.  But, according to Note 1st under Rule 23d, “Prepositions must be chosen and employed agreeably to the usage and idiom of the language, so as rightly to express the relations intended.”  This relation would be better expressed by upon; thus, “You have bestowed your favours upon the most deserving persons.”]

“But to rise beyond that, and overtop the crowd, is given to few.”—­Blair’s Rhet., p. 351.  “This also is a good sentence, and gives occasion to no material remark.”—­Ib., p. 201.  “Though Cicero endeavours to give some reputation of the elder Cato, and those who were his cotemporaries.”—­Ib., p. 245.  “The change that was produced on eloquence, is beautifully described in the Dialogue.”—­Ib., p. 249.  “Without carefully attending to the variation which they make upon the idea.”—­Ib., p. 367.  “All of a sudden, you are transported into a lofty palace.”—­Hazlitt’s Lect., p. 70.  “Alike independent on one another.”—­Campbell’s Rhet., p. 398.  “You will not think of them as distinct processes going on independently on each other,”—­Channing’s Self-Culture, p. 15.  “Though we say, to depend on, dependent on, and independent on, we say, independently of.”—­Churchill’s Gram., p. 348.  “Independently on the rest of the sentence.”—­Lowth’s Gram., p. 78; Guy’s, 88; Murray’s, i, 145 and 184; Ingersoll’s, 150; Frost’s, 46; Fisk’s, 125; Smith’s New Gram., 156; Gould’s Lat.  Gram., 209; Nixon’s Parser, 65.  “Because they stand independent on the rest of the sentence.”—­Fisk’s Gram., p. 111.  “When a substantive is joined with a participle in English independently in the rest of the sentence.”—­Adam’s Lat. and Eng.  Gram., Boston Ed. of 1803, p. 213; Albany Ed. of 1820, p. 166.  “Conjunction, comes of the two Latin words con, together, and jungo, to join.”—­Merchant’s School Gram., p. 19.  “How different