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Expect

Few words are more frequently incorrectly used than expect.  “I expect you went to town yesterday,” “I expect you will hear from me to-morrow,” “I expect the train has arrived,” represent some of the uses to which this word is often put.  Expect refers wholly to the future, and should not refer to present or past events; as, “I expect you to write me from Liverpool.”  “John expects to see his father to-morrow.”  Among the expressions that can most readily and appropriately be substituted for expect are suspect, suppose, think, believe, presume, daresay.

Over with

“After the supper was over with the guests departed.”  Omit with.

Overflown

“The lowlands along the river are overflown.”  Use overflowed.  The perfect participle of overflow is overflowed, not overflown.

Good piece

“I have come a good piece to see you.”  Say “I have come a long distance to see you.”

Stand a chance

“He does not stand any chance of an election.”  Say, “It is not probable that he will be elected.”
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No more than I could help

“As I was not in sympathy with the cause, I gave no more than I could help.”  So accustomed are we to hearing this awkward, blundering expression that we readily understand the meaning it is intended to convey, and should be sorely puzzled to interpret the correct form.  Let us analyze it.  I gave five dollars.  That much I could not help (giving).  I gave no more.  Hence, “I gave no more than I could not help.”  This last form appears to be correct.  By changing the phraseology the sentence can be greatly improved.  “I gave no more than I felt compelled to give.”  “I made my contribution as small as possible.”  “My gift was limited to the measure of my sense of obligation.”

Above, More than, Preceding

“It is above a week since I heard from my brother.”  We may say “above the earth,” “above the housetops,” but in the preceding sentence it is better to say, “It is more than a week since I heard from my brother.”

“In the above paragraph he quotes from Horace.”  Say, “In the preceding or foregoing paragraph,” etc.  The awkwardness of the use of the word above becomes very apparent when the line in which it occurs is found at the top of a page, and the passage
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to which reference is made appears at the bottom of the previous page.

Climax

The Greek word climax means literally a ladder, and implies ascent, upward movement.  The best authors use it only in this sense, and not to denote the highest point.

Factor

This word, from the Latin factor, a doer, an agent, signifies working, doing, effecting.  Its frequent use in the sense of source or part should be avoided.