REDUNDANT PREPOSITIONS.[140]—­Beware of inserting prepositions which are not needed.

[140] Ibid., p. 150.

EXERCISE LXXXV.

Strike out the redundant prepositions:—­

1.  He met a boy of about eighteen years old. 2.  Cadmus stood pondering upon what he should do. 3.  Let a gallows be erected of fifty cubits high. 4.  Hercules was very willing to take the world off from his shoulders and
   give it to Atlas again.
5.  No one can help from loving her. 6.  From thence in two days the Greeks marched twenty miles. 7.  There was much of wisdom in their plan. 8.  A workman fell off of the ladder. 9.  On one day I caught five trout, on another twelve. 10.  We must examine into this subject more carefully. 11.  A child copies after its parents. 12.  The proposal to go to the woods was approved of by all of the boys. 13.  At about what time will father return? 14.  After having heard his story, I gave him a dollar. 15.  The spring is near to the house. 16.  Bruno followed on after his master. 17.  Wanted, a young man of from sixteen to twenty-one years of age. 18.  They went on to the steamer soon after dinner. 19.  Look out of the window.

CHAPTER VIII.

OF CONJUNCTIONS

VULGARISMS.[141]—­Every educated person is expected to know the correct use of the following words:—­

LIKE, AS.—­In good use like is never a conjunction, and therefore it cannot be used instead of as to introduce a clause.  It is incorrect to say, “Walk like I walk,” but one may say, “He walks like me,” or “He looks like his grandfather."[142]

EXCEPT, WITHOUT, UNLESS.—­Except, which was originally a past-participle, was once in good use as a conjunction; but in modern use it has been displaced as a conjunction by unless, and is now a preposition only.  We may say, “All went except me,” but we may not say, “Except you go with me, I will stay at home.”  Another word not in good use as a conjunction, but often heard instead of “unless,” is without.

[141] “Foundations,” p. 152. [142] See page 109.

EXERCISE LXXXVI.

Insert the proper word in each blank:—­

LIKE, AS. 1.  Do ——­ I do. 2.  She fears a chicken ——­ you fear a snake. 3.  Thin bushy hair falls down on each side of his face somewhat ——­
   Longfellow’s hair did in his later life.
4.  I wish I could sing ——­ she can. 5.  I will be a lawyer ——­ my father. 6.  I will be a lawyer ——­ my father was. 7.  She looks ——­ (if) she were crying. 8.  He acted ——­ (if) he were guilty. 9.  Our snow-tunnel looked ——­ we imagined Aladdin’s cave looked. 10.  He treated me ——­ a cat treats a mouse. 11.  Seventy-five cents a day will not feed those men ——­ they wish to be
    fed.
12.  The lines in this stanza are not forced ——­ in other stanzas. 13.  If I were a boy ——­ Ralph is, I would try to stop the thing.