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Bechtel, John Hendricks, 1841-

"Slips of Speech : a Helpful Book for Everyone Who Aspires to Correct the Everyday Errors of Speaking"

" 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.


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